This week on Where You Live, find out simple things you can do to transform your life.

Get the latest Flash Player to see this player.

Permalink  |  Bookmark  |  View Comments

The Grand Rapids Student Advancement Foundation was founded in 1993 and has been working for the last 16 years to make sure all students in Grand Rapids Public Schools have the tools they need to learn.  Here are five ways the organization is transforming student’s education.

Literacy: Every library in the Grand Rapids Public Schools has been restocked with new books to meet national standards.  This totals 133,333 books!
           
The Arts: All children in grades 1 through 6 have an enriching community-based arts experience every school year.  All students also have the opportunity to participate in band or orchestra with use of a quality instrument.

Read all »

Permalink  |  Bookmark  |  View Comments

One thing a lot of people want to transform are their finances.  But, where do you begin?  Our expert from Fifth Third Bank recommeds doing a one month spending fast.  Here’s how to do it.

1.  Create a budget for ONLY absolute necessities like bills, groceries and gas.  If you already have a grocery budget, stick to your normal numbers.

2.  No shopping for clothes or shoes.  This will help you learn to make the best use of what you already own and stop buying things that are a “good deal,” but that you don’t really need.

3.  No eating out and no gourmet coffees.  This will means packing lunches for work and making meals at home each night.  Eating out and quick trips to Starbucks are big budget eaters.

Read all »

Permalink  |  Bookmark  |  View Comments