Financial Literacy Program Draws 340; One Man's Spreadsheet Draws More

WAUKESHA — The Waukesha Parks and Recreation Department's new financial literacy initiative has drawn 340 residents through four evening workshops in its first month, department organizers said, with attendance climbing each week as word spread about the program's centerpiece concept: the SMART goal, an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

Most attendees have used the framework for ordinary things, instructors said, like paying down a credit card or setting aside money for a furnace. Michael Kowalski, 51, of Backslide Way, used it to build a twelve-column spreadsheet devoted to saving exactly $47 in quarters by November 15, a sum he intends to spend at the Pick 'n Save deli counter.

Twelve Columns

Kowalski's spreadsheet, which he has titled "Q-TRACK," includes columns for date, quarters found, running total, percentage progress toward $47, a self-assessed confidence level on a scale of one to ten, and a column labeled "external challenges," which as of Tuesday contained four entries, three of them variations on "couch cushions came up empty."

He said the fourth entry, dated October 9, reads simply "laundry day interference," a reference to a load of quarters he mistakenly ran through the wash before realizing his change jar had tipped into a hamper.

"I didn't want a vague goal like 'save some money.' I wanted something I could chart. $47 is specific. Quarters are measurable. Deli meat is relevant. November 15 is time-bound. I hit four of the five letters before I even knew what SMART stood for."

— Michael Kowalski, workshop participant

External Challenges

Program facilitator Pam Ruedinger said Kowalski's spreadsheet has become something of an unofficial case study in the workshops, which meet Tuesday evenings at the Waukesha Public Library. "We tell people to track progress. Most people use a notebook or an app. Michael built something with conditional formatting that turns a cell red if he falls behind pace," she said. "I've never seen anyone cross-reference a savings goal with laundry habits before."

Kowalski's neighbor on Backslide Way, Ned England, 70, said he's noticed Kowalski out on his porch counting change on at least three evenings this month, though England was careful to clarify it hasn't risen to the level of something he'd log with the radar gun. "I'm aware of it. I'm not tracking it. There's a difference," England said, adding that he has, however, mentioned it twice on his YouTube channel, Nedventuresout, in passing.

Kowalski said the external-challenges column has also forced him to be honest about setbacks that weren't really setbacks. An October 3 entry reading "found $1.75 in dryer, doesn't count, origin unclear" prompted a brief debate with himself, documented in the notes field, about whether unidentified found money should be excluded from a goal that specifies quarters "found" through active effort.

Presentation Day

Ruedinger said Kowalski has volunteered to present Q-TRACK at next Tuesday's session, the program's fifth, which organizers expect to be the best-attended yet given word of mouth about the spreadsheet. He plans to project it on the library's screen and walk through each column in order.

As of Wednesday, Kowalski's tracker showed $33.75 collected toward his $47 goal, putting him at 71.8 percent with twenty-nine days remaining, a figure the confidence-level column currently rates at a seven. He said he's confident he can close the gap without resorting to found money of unclear origin, though he hasn't ruled out checking under the driver's seat of his Buick, which he has not searched since March.

The Parks and Recreation Department said it has no plans to end the program after its original four-week pilot and will instead continue the workshops indefinitely, citing demand. Ruedinger said the department is also considering adding a fifth workshop focused specifically on spreadsheet design, after this month's unplanned interest.