We are excited to announce the October 2026 Financial Goals Scholarship winner is Sawyer! Congratulations!
"I am very excited to be selected as a winner for the 1st Financial Bank USA Financial Goals Scholarship. These additional funds will help me offset some of the additional expenses associated with full-time college attendance that will occur in addition to my tuition. I truly appreciate 1st Financial Bank USA’s willingness to fund a scholarship based on an important issue like financial responsibility." - Sawyer R.
One of the best things about a budget is that it can be tailored to you. You can build your budget around your current stage of life, personal priorities, and financial goals. However, when money is tight, you may have to decide what’s most important to you. In his essay, Sawyer shares what he prioritizes as a student and what he plans to cut if he needed to afford something more important.
"I am lucky in a lot of ways. One of which is that my parents are pretty supportive and make financial sacrifices themselves in order to let me do things I want to do. Maybe I’m not as lucky in other ways. Just before I started driving, my parents decided to move pretty far out of town. What that meant for me is that gas money was going to become much more important.
After I got my license, my parents sat me down and acknowledged that it wasn’t my idea to move 20 minutes out of town. As a result, they were going to “help” with gas. They calculated the average price of gas, average miles per gallon for my truck, and the number of days I would have to travel for school. From that, they arrived at a monthly amount they would give me for gas allowance. What happened after that was up to me.
Of course, their calculations didn’t include driving to see friends, taking people home after soccer practice, or making an extra trip into town because I forgot something. Those were my decisions, and they came with a cost. I quickly learned that living 20 minutes outside of town makes even a quick trip to get something to eat a little more expensive than it sounds.
The nice (or maybe not so nice) thing about living in the country is that you never run out of work to do around the house. There’s plenty to mow, clean up, and take care of. My parents always told me that if I made the choice to spend more money than what I had, they could find work for me to earn a little extra. So, for the last two years, I have had to make some decisions. I’ve had to decide if Taco Bell was worth two hours on a mower, or if riding around town on Friday night was worth cleaning out a shed on Saturday. Sometimes those things were worth it, and sometimes they definitely were not.
If I had to cut one category of spending, it would be buying things out of convenience. I don’t necessarily want to give up going out with friends, but there are choices I can make to make those things cost a little less. One thing I’ve tried to do is keep a cooler with sodas in the bed of my truck, so I don’t have to pay gas station or drive-through prices every time I want something to drink. It’s amazing how much more I end up spending if I don’t pack that cooler. My mom is constantly using coupons and apps to make sure she is able to save a little here or there so we can afford things later. I’ve watched her and learned that saving money doesn’t always require making huge sacrifices. I’ve also learned that a little effort in one area over time can really pay off (literally) down the road.”
Established in the year 1910, 1st Financial Bank USA (1FBUSA) provides quality community banking services in South Dakota, credit card and other financial services to college students and college graduates, and construction lending to builders, developers, and investors from coast to coast. 1FBUSA will award a $2,000 scholarship to a new winner each month. View full rules and eligibility at 1fbusascholarship.com.
