Teen Bloggers Share Their Stress About Money

YORK, Pa., Jan. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Can money buy happiness?  The answer is "no" if you're a teenager, but it certainly stresses them out.  StageofLife.com, a national blogging and writing resource for generations of Teens to Baby Boomers, released its summary report on "Teens and Money."  

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The report is complied from the anecdotal insights of 3,335 teenagers and young adults who visited StageofLife.com's recent monthly writing contest for students - many of whom submitted 500 word essays answering the writing prompt, "What is your relationship with money?  How do you spend (or save), and why?"

Major themes emerged from the blog submissions detailing the delicate and often contentious relationship between young people and money.  From anger towards world financial and economic institutions to more pragmatic insights on personal budgeting, StageofLife.com's teen blog summary report provides links to over 60 of the submitted student essays/blogs.

The winner of the blogging writing contest, Justina Tran, a student at Garden Grove High School in Garden Grove, CA, personified money as a living being in her essay, "Affinity Gone Awry."  When asked about her current relationship with money, Tran stated, "(It) still stresses me out to an extent, but I'm confident it won't overshadow my life. I guess money and I can still be friends."

Although stress and money were tied together in many of essays, that relationship is one that can be broken.  StageofLife.com featured Mint.com as its free, educational resource that can help young people establish a budget, learn the benefits of saving, and plan financial goals, thus relieving stress associated with money.

"At Mint.com, we believe money is for living," said Aaron Patzer, VP and General Manager of Intuit PFG and founder of Mint.com. "It's important for teens and students starting college to be financially literate and know how to budget for life. In just a few years, they will be in control of their own bills, bank account, and credit card, so they want to have good financial habits that they can use for the rest of their life."

StageofLife.com teen blog editor, Amanda Konstantine Perlmutter, takes this advice to heart.  "It's important for teens to budget their money. I've been a teen for four years already, and...if I'd have spent less money on unnecessary things in the past, then maybe I'd have been closer to saving up for a car then I am now!"

When asked why she entered the writing contest with her essay, "Money:  Guilty As Charged", Rose Sulentic, a senior at St. Agnes Academy in Houston, TX, stated, "I needed extra practice with personal essay skills.  The question about money was perfect because it was a way for me to vent about my then-recent car accident without being too morose."

The current writing contest for college and high school students asks, "What organization, company, non-profit or 'cause' will help make the world a better place in 2011?"

"This month's essay contest is an opportunity for teens and college students to shed light and share with us worthwhile 'causes' that we should all know about," states StageofLife.com CEO, Eric Thiegs.  For each person submitting an essay to the current writing contest, their nominated cause will receive a link on a newly created resource page called, "Making the World a Better Place."  

Site sponsor, KodakGallery.com, is providing the monthly prize and StageofLife.com is offering up SWAG and Featured Blogger status to the next student writing contest winner.

The contest summary report page about Teens and Money can be found at: http://www.stageoflife.com/Teens_and_Money.aspx

About Stage of Life®:  StageofLife.com is a free, non-partisan grassroots project with a mission to make the world a better place, one story at a time.  By hosting blogs, information and resources for teens, college students, Millennials, Gen Y, Gen X, and Baby Boomer generations, its hope is that cross-generational story telling will weave a network of wisdom from which all can benefit.  Specialized content includes free lesson plan ideas and writing prompts for Language Arts teachers, monthly writing contests, blogging resources, goal setting worksheets, a free national platform for writers to promote their blogs and much more, including My Life Rewards, an area dedicated to providing relevant coupons and discounts exclusively geared towards each stage of life.

If you'd like more information about StageofLife.com or an interview with CEO/Founder, Eric Thiegs, please use the Contact Us form on www.stageoflife.com or call 717-650-0699.

SOURCE StageofLife.com