Women, Work & Community: Empowering Women with Insights on Financial Habits, Attitudes

Participants in the financial classes at Women, Work & Community in Maine are often there because of a crisis like unemployment or divorce — so they’re looking for support in a helpful and welcoming environment. Asset Development Trainers Jean Dempster and Janet Smith teach a series of financial education classes, My Money Works: Tools for Smart Money Choices, in which Money Habitudes is used as part of a module that explores financial habits and attitudes.

Outcomes

Since introducing Money Habitudes into their financial education classes, the organization has been able to:

• Help people understand other factors that may be influencing their financial picture.
• Make the teaching and learning environment more engaging and non-threatening.
• Help clients connect the dots between their spending habits and their money personality.

How They Use Money Habitudes

• Used like money management games, the class gets 15-20 minutes to sort their own deck of Money Habitudes cards, followed by time to interpret their money personality. The Money Habitudes module lasts for about an hour during the 3-hour first class.
  Participants are encouraged to discuss the money messages that people receive in life and what financial habits and behaviors they’ve observed.
• Attendees set up a money journal to track spending over the next few weeks. Finally, they write out positive affirmations about money management.
• WWC also offers the Money Habitudes activity as an hour-long stand-alone class offered at their own facilities and at off-site events like free tax prep workshops.