BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Women for Healthy Rural Living : Milbridge, Maine - ECPv6.15.18//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:Women for Healthy Rural Living : Milbridge, Maine X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://whrl.org X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Women for Healthy Rural Living : Milbridge, Maine REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20250309T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20251102T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20260308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20261101T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20270314T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20271107T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260330T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260330T193000 DTSTAMP:20260405T104959 CREATED:20260113T171147Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260303T125920Z UID:10000953-1774893600-1774899000@whrl.org SUMMARY:Budgeting & Emergency Planning for Real Life (Zoom) DESCRIPTION:Welcome to the second installment of Everyday Money Skills: A Community Series\, led by Michele Eden Montas. This series is designed to reduce financial stress\, build confidence\, and provide realistic tools that reflect how people actually live and work in Downeast Maine. Financial health is a critical\, often-overlooked part of overall well-being. This program approaches money without judgment or assumptions\, recognizing that people’s financial difficulties are shaped by more than personal decisions. Participants are welcome to attend the entire series or hop in just for the programs that appeal to them! For more information\, reach out to Lizzie at lizzie@whrl.org or by phone at 413-717-7827. \nInterested in attending more programs in this series? Here is the full list of upcoming programs\, all of which take place on Mondays from 6-7:30 pm.  \n\nApril 20: Debt – Avoiding Traps & Making a Plan\nApril 27: Credit & Savings – Making Money Work for You\nMay 4: Local\, State & Federal Financial Resources\nMay 11: Taxes\, Retirement & Investing – The Basics\n\nThis program’s focus will be on practical budgeting and planning for low\, variable\, and seasonal incomes\, including what to do when things go wrong. \nWhy This MattersIn Downeast Maine\, financial stress often comes not from everyday expenses\, but from unexpected events: car repairs\, heating emergencies\, medical bills\, or sudden changes in work. Emergency planning is about preparation and options\, not perfection. \nTopics Covered \n\nBudgeting Fundamentals\n\nBudgeting with different income levels\nNeeds vs. wants (without judgment)\nMicro-goals: small changes that actually stick\nPrioritizing bills when money is tight\n\n\nLocal Lens\n\nSeasonal fishing\, agriculture\, tourism\, caregiving\, and service work in Downeast Maine\nTransportation and heating as critical budget categories\n\n\nCash Flow & Seasonal Income\n\nCreating a cash-flow calendar\nManaging uneven paychecks and seasonal work\nPlanning ahead for lower-income or off-season months\nSmoothing income and expenses over time\n\n\nEmergency Planning (When There’s No Extra Money)\n\nEmergency planning vs. emergency savings\nCommon financial shocks in rural Maine\nFirst-line defenses when something unexpected happens:\nExpense triage: what must be paid first\nWhich bills can be paused\, negotiated\, or be deferred\nUsing savings\, community resources\, or credit carefully\nAvoiding high-cost\, high-risk debt in emergencies\nBuilding a starter buffer over time\, even small amounts\n\n\n\nActivities \n\nBudgeting templates\nCash-flow and seasonal planning worksheets\nEmergency planning checklist (what to do when something breaks)\n\nTakeawayBudgeting is not about restriction or perfection: it’s about clarity\, preparation\, and having options when life happens. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n About the FacilitatorMichele Eden Montas is a finance professional with a background in economics and a long-standing connection to Washington County. Her family has been in the community since her grandparents’ generation\, and Michele has been coming to Washington County every year for all of her life. \nMichele studied economics at Princeton University and now works for Ernst & Young in their financial services organization. She believes financial education should be accessible\, non-judgmental\, and grounded in the realities of people’s lives\, especially in rural and seasonal economies like Downeast Maine. This program is offered as a way to share tools that can help people feel more confident and supported when it comes to money. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n Everyday Money Skills\n \n CommentsThis field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.Select the Everyday Money Skills sessions you would like to attend:\n \n March 16: Foundations – Money Mindset & Confidence\n \n \n March 30: Budgeting & Emergency Planning for Real Life\n \n \n April 20: Debt – Avoiding Traps & Making a Plan\n \n \n April 27: Credit & Savings – Making Money Work for You\n \n \n May 4: Local\, State & Federal Financial Resources\n \n \n May 11: Taxes\, Retirement & Investing – The Basics\n Your InformationName(Required)Space is limited - register ONLY one person at a time. \n \n \n \n First\n \n \n \n \n Last\n \n \n Email(Required)\n \n Phone(Required)Mailing Address(Required) \n \n \n \n Street Address\n \n \n City\n \n AlabamaAlaskaAmerican SamoaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaGuamHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaNorthern Mariana IslandsOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaPuerto RicoRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahU.S. Virgin IslandsVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyomingArmed Forces AmericasArmed Forces EuropeArmed Forces Pacific\n State\n \n \n ZIP Code\n \n \n Is there anything else we should know? Any accommodations that will make this day work for you?Would you like to join WHRL's email list?We publish a monthly e-newsletter so you can receive updates regarding our programming\, events\, and more.\n \n \n Absolutely\, sign me up!\n \n \n \n I'm already on the list!\n \n \n \n No thanks.\n How did you hear about this workshop?\n \n \n Email\n \n \n \n Word of mouth\n \n \n \n Newspaper\n \n \n \n Facebook\n \n \n \n Instagram\n \n \n \n Poster\n \n \n \n Other\n Photo ReleaseI hereby give permission for images and/or videos of myself taken during this program to be used by Women for Healthy Rural Living in any and all of its publications\, including web-based publications\, without payment or other consideration.\n\nI understand and agree that all photos will become the property of WHRL and will not be returned. WHRL can edit\, alter\, copy\, exhibit\, publish\, or distribute these photos for any lawful purpose. In addition\, I waive any right to inspect or approve the finished product wherein my likeness appears. Additionally\, I waive any right to royalties or other compensation arising or related to the use of the photo.\n\nI hereby hold harmless\, release\, and forever discharge WHRL from all claims\, demands\, and causes of action which I\, my heirs\, representatives\, executors\, administrators\, or any other persons acting on my behalf or on behalf of my estate have or may have by reason of this authorization. I agree\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Δ URL:https://whrl.org/schedule/budgeting-emergency-planning-for-real-life/ LOCATION:Remote on Zoom CATEGORIES:Health ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://whrl.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/finance-budget.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR