At each of the 13 booths, students had to make choices such as what kind of apartment they would live in, whether or not to have roommates, to purchase a car or opt for a bus pass, and which insurance plan was best while weighing the delicate balance of needs vs. wants.

“This is definitely going to be useful to me because it's going to teach me the importance of spending money wisely,” Brianne, one of the student participants said.

“I'm glad we have this because my mom never taught me this stuff. I need this,” Alyssa said.

Students were tempted by high-cost items at the Luxury booth and some were also presented with unexpected scenarios at the Reality Check booth. There were students who lost their job, had babies or received an unanticipated bonus at work. They then had to determine how to cope with these scenarios based on the cash and credit available to them.

Alexandra, 18, was one of the students who got a reality check when she had a baby. “This will definitely make things harder for me as I go through because it's an extra $200 a month and that's a lot with everything else,” she said.

As the final step, students were required to visit the Counseling booth where they discovered whether they were living within their budgets. Many had to make changes to their lifestyles when it was revealed they were spending far more money than they were earning.

A total of 77 people, the majority of which were employees from Jeanne D'Arc CU, volunteered to help students in their decision-making processes. The credit union underwrote the cost of the event, including lunch for students and volunteers.