Planning Ahead – Budgeting FCCLA
Hey Missouri FCCLA! I’m sure we all know that it’s important to have good financial management, why not practice your financial organizing skills through FCCLA?
FCCLA can come with many expenses that can pile up and increase, depending on a member’s involvement. It never hurts to plan ahead to manage your FCCLA expenses throughout the year. By planning ahead individually and as a chapter, you’ll be prepared for whatever costs come your way.
With any individual financial management you organize, it’s important that you inform your adviser(s) and guardians so they can help you stay on track with your financial plan.
A great way to plan your finances in FCCLA, as an individual or as a chapter, for the upcoming year is to simply take note of all the expenses and their due dates or deadlines for purchases. At the beginning of the school year, all members pay their membership dues. Members running for an officer position (whether it be on the chapter, regional, or state level) will come across uniform and travel costs. State and National conferences all have registration deadlines that need to be tracked as well. Writing these things down, or even setting a reminder, can help your planning ahead be successful for both you and your chapter!
What about the expenses that don’t necessarily come with deadlines? Purchases such as uniform pieces and STAR Event materials can be made in segments rather than all at once. These types of expenses are wholly up to you and your adviser(s) when they are purchased. You may need a uniform for an officer position, or for the dress code at conferences. Either way, the time you purchase your uniform is all in your power to decide. There are many resources that provide pieces for our FCCLA uniforms, one of them being the National FCCLA Store (https://fccla.mybrightsites.com/). Uniform pieces can be difficult to find at times with the issue of many stores being out of stock of multiple sizes or items. Therefore, it’s nice to look into as many resources as you can to find the most accurate and affordable uniform pieces. The purchase of a uniform can be a time consuming process, taking the time to plan out where and how you’ll buy your uniform can make the process a lot smoother.
While sorting out the cost of uniform materials, you and your chapter can consider how much it will cost to travel. A crucial step to managing the cost of travel is to figure out how much traveling you plan to do. Will you travel to the 2024 Missouri FLC? The 2025 Missouri SLC? The 2025 NLC? What about the upcoming NLC in Seattle? All of these conferences would be so much fun to attend! But they all come with the expenses of registration, hotel stay, and food. Some of these expenses can be covered with chapter fundraising, but it’s always good to be extra prepared. Doing a little extra research into the average food prices for out of state traveling can help you and your chapter get an idea of how much money you’ll need to bring for food expenses. Planning out locations to possibly eat with your chapter can be another great way to prepare for food expenses as well. While budgeting the cost of food, a great topic to discuss with your chapter is what extra fun things will you attend at the conference? Will you go shopping during free time? Go do a fun activity like an escape room? Plan ahead and prepare to fit it within your budget! Be open with your ideas to your adviser and make sure they are aware of your financial plan!
Whether you’re planning ahead individually or as a chapter for FCCLA, remember to always communicate with your adviser(s) and Guardian(s). Managing the expenses for FCCLA can be difficult and stressful, so try planning ahead for the next year to make the process run smoothly!
Don’t be afraid to reach out to us with any questions or concerns! We can’t wait to see how your financial management skills are utilized for next year in FCCLA!
Anastasia Jones
Vice President of Finance
