Doris never thought she could save enough money to fix her broken-down kitchen, until she started participating in the Family Economic Security (FES) savings program at HRDC. Now her dream kitchen is becoming a reality.
Doris and her family of five had been dealing with broken cupboards and limited kitchen space for the past 15 years. “It was falling apart, the doors were falling off and the drawers wouldn’t go back in. There were screws hanging out. It was something that we really needed (to fix).”
Doris simply did not have the money to make their kitchen safe and functional; however she had participated in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program through HRDC and remembered hearing about the matched savings programs. She soon signed up for the Family Economic Security (FES) program.
The Family Economic Security (FES) program is a subprogram of the saving for Tomorrow program. FES is a matched savings program designed to assist families and individuals residing in Big Horn, Carbon, Stillwater, Sweet Grass, or Yellowstone County to save enough money to purchase an asset such as repairing or improving a home, buying a vehicle, or building an emergency fund.
Doris put her money management classes to work looking for the best deals on materials for her new kitchen. “I looked around for clearance items and sales, even returned paint. You have to look around and compare prices. It is a lot of work but it is worth it in the end.”
Doris was able to save $1000 during the program, and received an additional $3000 once she completed all of the coursework. The cost for her new kitchen came to $3,700, which gave her extra money to fix the flooring as well.
“There is no way I could have saved enough money to do this, so it is a blessing.” said Doris. “I would have never dreamed I would have a kitchen like this.”
