![\"Financial](\"https:\/\/pharecircus.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/20150408_083114-300x169.jpg\")
During the four-hour workshop, the artists answered questions like: What do I want to do with my money? What happens when I don\u2019t manage my money? How do I deal with debt? How do I write a budget? How do I plan and save for future goals? Where do I save?<\/p>\n
\u201cOne challenge is money management,\u201d says Ou Saorn. \u201cWhen they have money in their pocket, they go to the market and spend it all. I tell them, don\u2019t put all your money in your pocket, think about what you need to buy before going to the market, estimate what it will cost and take only take that amount with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another technique is to have different envelopes for different types of expenses, for example groceries or clothing. Ou Saorn suggests determining how much money is needed for those expenses per month, putting that amount of money in the assigned envelope and once you run out, not replenishing it until next month. These simple techniques, in addition to creating a written account of spending, creates awareness about how much money is coming in and going out, and what is a necessary expense and what isn\u2019t.![\"financial](\"https:\/\/pharecircus.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/20150408_084416-300x169.jpg\")
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Eclipse musician Ngam Rattanak says about the experience, \u201cI learned how to manage money in my life. Before it wasn\u2019t clear how to spend every day. Now I know how to plan per day and per month how to spend.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMost people I teach have vague ideas about savings. Most\u00a0people also have goals, like buying a house or a moto, but they don\u2019t know how to get from where they are now to where they want to be. So I help fill in the gaps.\u2019\u2018One way is to focus on short term goals. Many of them are just starting to work and their salaries are not huge and something like a house is very expensive. So I train them to think about small goals, achieve those, build confidence and then make bigger and bigger goals in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
A follow up workshop is planned for two months from now, and Ou Saorn will return to see if the Eclipse artists are following his advice.<\/p>\n
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Read about the first financial literacy workshop with Sokha artists and students from Sala Bai here<\/a><\/p>\n