Renewed Ambition

Phase Two — Community Reentry · Module 13 of 24 · 90 minutes

Moving from surviving paycheck to paycheck toward building something.

What you will be able to do

• Track income and expenses for two consecutive weeks.
• Build a working budget that accounts for obligations identified in Module 6.
• Set one savings goal for your first 90 days in the house.

Why this matters

A bank account and a budget protect the money you’re earning and start the paper trail you’ll need for housing, credit, and loans later. Survival is the floor — building something is the goal.

Activity

Two-Week Spending Tracker review, followed by building a working monthly budget against real income and obligations.

Scenario

A resident gets paid, covers rent contribution and one bill, and the rest disappears within days with nothing to show for it. Without a budget, income never turns into progress.

What would you do first?

Reflection

1. What’s one spending habit you want to change?
2. What does ‘building wealth,’ not just surviving, mean to you personally?

My action plan (pick at least one)

• Track spending for two weeks.
• Build a working monthly budget.
• Set one specific savings goal for the next 90 days.

Resources

• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — Budgeting basics
• Bank On (joinbankon.org) — Low-Fee Account Finder
• Appendix F — One-Year Goal Plan

Completion checklist

• ☐ I’ve tracked my spending for at least two weeks.
• ☐ I have a working monthly budget.
• ☐ I have a specific savings goal and a plan to reach it.

Tip: use your browser’s Print button to print this page or save it as a PDF. Your answers are private — bring this sheet to class or share only what you choose.

Mark this module complete

Submit this short check-in so Renewed Ambition can track your progress toward your certificate.