A Saturday in Mirage Mesa
Mirage Mesa is a desert city where sunny days are common. On Saturday, Leena helped Ms. Ortiz paint signs for a neighborhood shade garden. Leena earned $8. She spent $3 on a notebook for drawing and planned to save the other $5 for art supplies.
Omar helped a nursery owner sort seed packets and carry small pots. He earned $6. He spent $2 on a cold fruit cup and planned to save the other $4 for a bicycle bell. Omar wanted to keep the money for his goal instead of carrying it loose in his pocket.
That afternoon, Leena and Omar visited a bank with their adults. Each child deposited the money he or she planned to save into a savings account. A bank worker recorded the deposits. The children kept their account cards and personal identification numbers, or PINs, private. They knew a bank account could help them keep track of saved money, but they still needed to make wise choices about spending.