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Economy and Budgets

This morning I saw an tv advertisement for KFC - it claims that buying a KFC family dinner at $9.99 is cheaper than buying the ingredients from the grocery store. It goes on to show kids and mom running around the store exclaiming shock at the prices and searching for the "secret herbs and spices." I gonna be honest... I have a real problem with the commercial. We're in an economic recession and these people are trying to convince viewers that it's cheaper to buy ready made, than purchasing the ingredients to make it yourself... or as the commercial shows buy it ready made at the grocery store.

Most of the items needed for such a meal can't be bought in single meal servings - yes, if you had to go and buy a bag of potatoes, a 5lb. bag of flour, a pound of butter and all the spices, plus paid full price for the expensive-free-range-chicken, then yes, it's more than $10. But who I ask, buys a 5lb bag of flour just to make biscuits? Or spices for one chicken?

This is one of things that angers me about how kids are taught about money, how to spend it and how to save it. At best it's penny-wise, pound-foolish. Our previous cooking teacher actually told our administration that it was a waste to teach students how to sew, when they could easily buy a t-shirt at WalMart for $5. Obviously, he missed the point completely. Student practice making casual shirts at first because they're easier - the more difficult stuff that is more cost effective to make on your own comes later. Of course, the fact that he couldn't sew probably played into his suggestions as well.

He also used to have students do a monthly budget and rent an apartment and furnish it. Sounds like a good project, right? Except he also let them choose their own jobs... I would look over the student plans and wonder what I was doing wrong, since I've never been able to afford a bedroom set, but all my students could buy one, plus a living set and dining set. Guess which job they choose? I can tell you, it's not the one they'll be getting right out of high school.

Is it any wonder so many people are facing a financial crisis?

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