<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=331510594798275&amp;ev=PageView&amp;noscript=1">
Skip to Content Oregonians Credit Union Oregonians Credit Union
  • Save & Spend
    Save & Spend See an Overview
    • Current Rates
    • Disclosures
    • Fee Schedule
    • Credit Calculators
    • Savings
      • Regular Share Accounts
      • Youth Savings
      • Homebuyer Savings
      • Money Market Accounts
      • Club Accounts
      • Share Certificates
      • IRA Accounts
    • Checking
      • My Rewards Checking
      • My Interest Checking
      • Checking Comparison
    • Credit
      • Credit Cards
      • Overdraft Line of Credit
    • Digital
      • Digital Banking Online
      • Mobile App
      • Digital Payments
      • Mobile Wallets
  • Borrow
    Borrow See an Overview
    • Current Rates
    • Mortgage Rates
    • Loan Calculators
    • Mortgage Calculators
    • Auto
      • New & Used
      • First Time Auto Buyer
      • Local Car Search
    • Home
      • HELOCs
      • Fixed Rate Equity
      • Mortgages
      • Home Improvement
    • Personal
      • Personal Loans
      • Line of Credit
      • Share Secured Loans
    • Recreational
      • Bicycles & Electric Bikes
      • RVs & ATVs
      • Motorcycles
  • Plan
    Plan See an Overview
    • Retirement Calculators
    • Financial Planning
    • Insurance
      • Auto
      • Home
      • AD&D
      • Life
    • Protections
      • Guaranteed Auto Protection (GAP)
      • Mechanical Repair Coverage (MRC)
      • Debt Protection

    Featured Program

    Oregonians Financial Planning image with father and baby walking

    Oregonians Financial Planning

    Plan for the road ahead and manage your wealth along the way.

    Learn more
  • Business
    Business
    • Current Rates
    • Disclosures
    • Fee Schedule
    • Business Checking
      • Business Membership
      • Small Business Checking
      • Business Interest Checking
    • Business Loans
      • Commercial Real Estate
      • Investment & Rental Property
      • Equipment Loans
      • Term Loans
      • Credit Cards
      • Line of Credit
    • Business Resources
      • See all
  • Learn
    Learn See an Overview
    • Education Explore videos, blogs, fraud prevention tips, and our knowledge base of information..
      • InfORmed Blog
      • FAQs Knowledge Base
      • Fraud Watch
    • Financial Tools Browse calculators, applications, disclosures, and apply for hardship assistance.
      • Resources & Disclosures
      • Calculators
      • Hardship Assistance

    Featured Resource

    It’s a Money Thing

    Get money savvy fast with fun videos and lesson plans on earning, saving, and more!

    Learn more
  • About
    About
    • About Us
      • Who Can Join
      • Community Involvement
      • Scholarships
      • Latest Annual Report
      • Careers
    • Locations
      • Beaverton
      • Gresham
      • Milwaukie
      • NE Portland
      • Oregon City
      • Prineville
      • St. Johns

    CO-OP logo

    30,000+ fee-free ATMs

    Get cash at 30,000 fee-free ATMs nationwide, many of which will take deposits into your Oregonians accounts.

    Find an ATM
  • I want to...
    • Become a Member
    • Talk to Someone
    • Apply for a Loan
    • Open an Account
    • Check Loan Status
    • See Current Rates
Account Access
  • Forgot Password
  • Forgot User Name

Don't have an account?

Enroll
Routing #: 323075709
  • Locations
  • Rates
  • Contact
Call or Text: 503-239-5336
Join
  • I want to...
    • Become a Member
    • Talk to Someone
    • Apply for a Loan
    • Open an Account
    • Check Loan Status
    • See Current Rates
  • Locations
  • Rates
  • Contact
Account Access
  • Forgot Password
  • Forgot User Name

Don't have an account?

Enroll
It's a Money Thing
    • Earning Income
    • Spending
    • Borrowing
    • Investing
    • It's A Money Thing Junior
    • Saving
    • Credit
    • Credit Union Advantage
    • Managing Risk
  • It's A Money Thing Junior

Spending Money

What is Opportunity Cost?

You make many choices every day. You choose how to spend your time. You choose how to spend your energy. You also choose how to spend your money.Spending Money - choices

Did you know that every choice you make has an opportunity cost? 

An opportunity cost is the value of the options you didn’t choose.

For example, let’s say you spend $20 on a new book. You could have spent that $20 on many other things. You could have bought a poster for your room or a meal at a restaurant. Reading has more value to you than a poster or a fancy meal, so you bought the book instead. As a result, your bedroom wall will stay blank and you will eat at home. The opportunity cost of buying the book is a blank wall and leftovers for dinner. To you, the new book is worth the opportunity cost.

Spending Money - needSome of the choices you make have value even when they are not very fun. For example, there is an opportunity cost to reading these words right now. You could be doing something more fun. You could be watching cartoons or making up a new dance. You decided that learning has more value to you than a cartoon or a dance…at least for now!

Questions:

  1. Other than money, name two other things you choose to spend.
  2. What is opportunity cost?
  3. What is a choice you made today?

What was the opportunity cost of your choice

People earn an income when they are hired by an employer to work at a job. Income is earned as a wage, a salary or a sales commission.


Activity

Did you know a shopping list can save you money? It helps you buy only the things you need. Pick up all 5 items on your shopping list in the maze below then go to CHECKOUT.

IAMT Jr Spending Money - activity sheet


ComicIAMT Jr - Spending Money Comic

Get money smart, one topic at a time! Our It's A Money Thing topics will help you interpret key financial information in order to make sense of your money. For more videos and helpful financial articles visit our  It's A Money Thing home page.  Check back, new topics will be introduced regularly!

Topics Covered

  • It's A Money Thing Junior

Related Lessons

It's A Money Thing Junior 2 min
Giving Money
Spending 2 min
Paying for Pets
Earning Income 2 min
Earning Money Online

Oregonians Credit Union

6915 SE Lake Road, Milwaukie, OR 97267 

Call or Text

503-239-5336

Out of Area

800-982-2974

Routing #

323075709

Download our App

  • App Store Download
  • Google Play Store Download
  • Save & Spend
    • Open a New Account
    • Savings
    • Checking
    • Credit
    • Digital Banking
  • Borrow
    • Apply for a Loan
    • Vehicle Loans
    • Home Loans
    • Recreational Loans
    • Personal Loans
    • Business Loans
  • Plan
    • Insurance
    • Protections
    • Financial Planning
  • Learn
    • Informed Blog
    • Fraud Watch
    • It's a Money Thing
    • Calculators
    • Hardship Assistance
  • Business
    • Business Accounts
    • Business Loans
    • Business Resources
  • About
    • Become a Member
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Locations
    • Careers
    • Privacy & Disclosures
    • Accessibility Policy
    • Site Map
    • Digital Banking Login

  • NCUA
  • Equal Housing Opportunity
©2025 Oregonians Credit Union All rights reserved.

You are leaving OregoniansCU.com

By accessing this link, you will be leaving Oregonian Credit Union's website and entering a website hosted by another party. Please be advised that you will no longer be subject to, or under the protection of, the privacy and security policies of Oregonian Credit Union's website. We encourage you to read and evaluate the privacy and security policies of the site you are entering, which may be different than those of Oregonian Credit Union.

 

Subscribe

It's a Money Thing