Big River

Hello Week 8 of Project Money. It’s hard to believe that two months have already passed in my Project Money journey. Some days the journey seems slow, hard, and tedious, and on other days, things flow smoothly and there are more gains than setbacks. Throughout it all, one thing remains constant and that is that things are always moving.

For years, I have had the pleasure of teaching Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This week’s blog references an adaptation of that original 1884 text by the name of Big River, the musical version that made its debut on Broadway in 1985. I did have the pleasure of seeing this musical years ago and I loved the toe-tapping musicality that combined bluegrass and country. With songs such as “Muddy Water,” “River in the Rain,” and “Waiting for the Light to Shine,” this musical had me hooked from the beginning. Like its novel counterpart, Big River discusses themes of equality and not repeating wrongs of the past such as slavery. In both texts, Huck and Jim run away together. Jim runs away because he is going to be sold and he does not want to be separated from his wife and children. The young Huck faces a moral dilemma because at that time, society says one should turn Jim in to the authorities as he is a runaway slave. In the end, Huck chooses to be “wicked” and not turn Jim in. 

As I reflect on Project Money, I want to make some small parallels to that river in the above text; the river that flows through both the novel and the musical. I grew up in a small town situated on the banks of the mighty Mississippi River. Throughout the years, my father, a radio announcer, journeyed a few times to work in a boat as that mighty Mississippi River flooded my hometown, Prairie du Chien. I have always had an affinity for that river and water in general.  As a child, I fished along the shore for catfish with my dad using a cane pole. In my later years, I traveled to Cleveland, Mississippi and stuck my toes in the water of that same river. 

From an archetype standpoint, that water represents lots of things: a journey towards enlightenment, freedom, birth, rebirth, life, and even death. It is cleansing and shows the flowing of time into eternity or a transitional phase of our life cycle. Project Money has been an emotional journey thus far. Like Huck and Jim sailing the river with hope in their hearts, I too traverse the water learning new mindsets each and every day. 

This week’s Financial Fact deals with an app that I love called Kwik Rewards. It contains punch cards, coupons, and rewards, but by far my favorite part of the app is the fuel discounts. Jess, my financial coach, shared with me that when consumers purchase such products, take bags of frozen chicken breasts for example, they save money on gas. So the other day I stocked up on chicken buying four bags (each bag has 3-4 individually wrapped chicken breasts) and each bag gave me 20 cents off a gallon of gas. I waited until I was on empty, promptly fueled up before my fuel discount expired, and saved over $15 on my gas. This feels amazing! I encourage each of you to explore money saving apps and find out what works for you. “Look out for me, oh muddy water. Your mysteries are deep and wide. And I got a need for going someplace. And I got a need to climb upon your back and ride.” Have a great week everyone! #Team Sara #10K #embracethejourney #ProjectMoney2018 #SummitCreditUnion #Lifeistooshortnottotakerisks