Applicant #5: Larissa Emmons

Larissa Emmons is a 22-year-old from Sarnia.

Larissa's video application:

Larissa online:

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Larissa's current situation:

I am 22 years old, and mother to a 6 month old baby girl. Also, I am planning a wedding for the end of 2011, and purchased my first home last November. I graduated last summer with an Honours Diploma in Developmental Services from Humber College in Toronto, and I am furthering my education with Lambton College this September in a program called "Autism and Behavioural Science". Future plans? To represent YOU as the next Young and Free Ontario Spokester!

Larissa's blog post:

Last night, I had the strangest dream; I was standing in an empty white room when suddenly, millions of pennies began filling every inch of the room. I was being swallowed up by little copper mentos! When I didn’t think I could take it anymore a deafening “CA-CHING” sounded as all the pennies disappeared. I fell to the ground confused, when suddenly Dr. Evil (from the Austin Powers movies) appeared on a television screen on the wall.

“Mwaaaahaahahahahahaha”, he laughed, “You swore you knew where your money was going, little did you know that you were paying ME all along! Ta-ta for now!”

When he disappeared, I began to panic and realized I was … PENNILESS!

We all experience dreams we don’t understand and try and place meanings to them.  I know you all have an idea of what I am talking about. I can’t speak for everyone, but I know that for the most part many of us are extremely impulsive in our purchases. Not only that, but we spend our dough on pretty meaningless things! The majority of what I want to talk about here is FAST FOOD! Don’t get me wrong I LOVE it as much as the next person, but have you ever thought about the costs?

So, let’s see, pretend that 5 days out of 7 a week you stop and grab a coffee on your way to work, school or wherever, you grab a “Large Double Double”.

Let me break it down for you:

• $1.52/per large coffee
  • = $7.60/wk
  • = $30.40/month
  • = $364.80/year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • OR in 20 years (which would put most of us at only 40+) you would have spent = $7,296!!!! ON COFFEE!

So what does this mean to you? Let’s take a look at what WE (since I am TOALLY guilty of this as well!) could have bought with all that money shall we.  First, that amount of money could have been used to put a down payment on your first house or a down payment on a brand new car! Perhaps you could buy a nice used one! Secondly, that amount of money is equal to a whole lot of lounging on a beach in Mexico! Isn’t it?? See where this is headed?!?!

Remember this is based on ONE coffee a day, and NO food! Add a little more into the equation and that $364 will probably jump to $500++! To sign off I will quote my grandmother, she once said to me “Count your pennies and the dollars will add up!” So remember to watch your spending habits, and choose to spend on what is important to you and hopefully we can watch those pennies turn into dollars together! : )

Larissa