Santa Havener at work as Assistant Director at Bridging the Gap in Augusta, Maine

Santa Havener is a student in UMA’s Mental Health and Human Services degree program. She also works as Assistant Director at Bridging the Gap in Augusta, where she enjoys helping community members on a daily basis.

Setting Money Goals

Santa completed My Money Works in the Spring of 2016 to learn more about budgeting her money. One of the goals she set in the class was to develop an emergency savings account. Following the class, Santa opened a Rainy Day Savings Account with support from New Ventures Maine. Over the next 6 months, she saved $300 in her RDSA.

Preparing for Emergencies

Over the last year, Santa has used portions of her savings twice for emergency repairs to her vehicle. Her savings was matched dollar-for-dollar. Santa’s remaining account balance will be matched when another unexpected expense arises.

“As you can imagine, being a single mother, taking college courses and working part-time, the amount of funds I have to work with each month is very limited,” explains Santa. “I live paycheck to paycheck and never have much room for an emergency. With my Rainy Day Savings Account, my car repairs did not feel like emergencies.”

Next Steps

Santa’s next goal is to apply for a Family Development account, which would provide a 4:1 match on her savings.  With this account, she hopes to be able to save for larger unexpected expenses.

“This saving habit all started with taking My Money Works, which got me moving in a really good direction,” says Santa. “I would recommend the class to anyone in the community who is trying to make ends meet.”