Highland High School - Shield Yearbook (Highland, IN)

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Home fires can burn With the economy work- ing havoc in all areas of so- ciety, one place which is feeling the effects most is the home. Parents who are laid off or worrying about losing their jobs are under real tension, and often this translates into family problems. Teens who know there is only so so much money available often compete with brothers and sisters for cash, and because ev- eryone needs money, this has been a year when fam- ilies have either drawn closer together by econo- mizing and trying to make the best of things — or who have had family ties strained because of lack of understanding the real problem. The answer? Under- standing and pulling to- gether. Money should not rule families. Only love has the power to do that! Shakey Economy. Even an evening out at Shakey ' s can run into a lot of money, es- pecially if appetities are especially big. Cruising Costs! Filling up the car for a trip to Southlake or just around town can add up, as Kelly Reilley knows very well! Filler Money Crunch 19

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Money! A real cruncher With all the other things affect- ing the lives of teens this year, Raeganomics and the worst reces- sion in years colored not only the life style of teens, but many of their attitudes and relationships as well. With money in short supply and jobs hard to find, many teens had to face the fact of not always following every fashion and of possibly cutting back on evening ' s at Shakey ' s or Burger King. With a trip to Southlake Mall averaging at least $10 per person on a general social excursion, even U.S. 30 saw fewer Highland students than usual making the trip over to roam around Southlake, buy munchies at the Cookie Place or a restaurant, and even the amount of money spent in Camelot Music saw a no- ticeable decline. Cosmetics and clothes remained high on girls ' list of expenses, while entertainment, and accord- ing to research — alcohol — re- mained high on the list of ex- penses for boys. With money get- ting tighter as the year went on many teens found themselves making some hard decisions on where to cut back. Girls chose to buy less jewelry while guys decid- ed to drive less or possibly not go out to fancier places with their dates. This was definitely a year of choices! Creamer It Adds Up! Running up a good bill at a No Mutiny! Jim Cox shows loyalty to his drive-in can also be expensive, Just ask family as well as earning some money to Mike Rzonca, a Highland senior. support his hobby of photography. 18 Money Crunch

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Teen life suffers Reaganomics hits the Region Creamer As President Reagan ' s Trickle Down economics hit the Calumet Area and Highland, it didn ' t take long for the ef- fect to also be felt by Highland students. With the steel industry in its deepest slump in years, teens found it more diffi- cult to make their money stretch over the normal expenses of their life styles. Saving became impossible for many, and though college costs loomed ahead, teens found themselves trying to cut back on entertainment and clothes, though eat- ing out with friends continued to be one of the last luxuries to go. Boys continued to spend a great deal of money on gas, and video game addicts still managed to pour as much as $50 a month into their hobby. Some Highland students expressed opinions about feeling guilty for asking for money at home, while most students agreed shoplifting increased dramatically. Some people actually got rid of bad habits such as drinking and smoking, since both rose in price in the tight economy. Unfor- tunately, not all teens felt the need to stop spending their money for these things. Some teens however did feel, with the new tax on cigarettes, the habit wasn ' t worth getting into or keeping up. Many Highland students expressed ca- reer decisions based on pure economics. When asked if they would choose a career they liked or one which paid more, most teens opted for the higher paying, less personally satisfying jobs. Was it a hard year? Yes, but many agreed it was also a good year for learning some basic facts of life and budgeting. Big Mac Attackers. Char Crnkovich, Bill Bacon, and Ed Freeman know how hard it is to always keep giving a break to someone else for the day — but money helps. 20 Money Crunch