Once Sharon lends some clarity on Alana's pay, she feels slightly better, but she's still really worried about her initial problem:

"This is going to be extremely difficult for me to cut anything. I mean, I'm working hard, and think I deserve to enjoy the money that I earn. To save that $3,000 for college, I basically need to work an extra 25 hours per month. It's my senior year of high school! I need to focus on my grades and apply to college. I am so confused!"

Sharon thinks back to where their conversation started last month and how lost Alana seemed. She hoped that having Alana prioritize her goals and review her spending would help her gain some necessary perspective, but Sharon realizes Alana is at a dead-end, so her next idea is to outline a few options for Alana so she can choose a solution that will work best for her.

Answer This:

1. What 2-3 options would you outline for Alana to help her achieve her goals? Be ready to discuss with her the pros/cons of working more versus finding other ways to adjust her budget. Be specific with your recommendations, highlighting specific costs or income sources.

Alana needs to carve out a specific monthly budget for herself and keep to it. She could make use of the envelope method to do so. She has to work enough to earn at least $600 in one month, which would take care of her expenses (rent, food, transport etc) that come out to be $524.