You are not what you drive," said Rep. Tom Murry, as he kicked off the Savvy Shopper class at Reedy Creek Middle School on Nov. 15. Just in time for the holidays, seventh-graders took part in a six-week economics program as part of their social studies curriculum.

But instead of focusing on iPads or video games, students in Edna Graham's classroom asked questions about college tuition, interest rates and return on investment.

"So if you wanted to go to college (for a certain career) and knew you might not make that amount back when you graduated, you might want to choose something else?" asked Ellie Warren.

Both Murry and Fidelity Investment's Sean Westaway cautioned students to factor tuition costs into their long-term plans.

For students with more immediate gratification on their minds, Westaway played a game with students called Savvy Shopper, using cards that represented products such as jeans, a bike, a hat or CDs. Then the groups had to decide for each round whether they would purchase the items with cash or credit or save their money.

"A lot of people believe credit cards are free money," said Westaway. "They're not."

The game is just one week's lesson in the six-week series that aims to teach students good financial decision-making strategies. It is led by Fidelity Investments volunteers and N.C. State University students. The course is part of the Junior Achievement of Eastern North Carolina's "Economics for Success" program.

"I tend to save money," said seventh-grader Amanda O'Brien. "For college, I'm thinking about Duke, because both of my parents went there. I play instruments (clarinet, oboe and piano), so I'm hoping I get a scholarship."

Graham said she was pleased by what the students already knew, since this was the first year Reedy Creek had tried using the courses. "The social studies curriculum is changing, and financial responsibility is part of what we teach," she said. "We hope to tie in some of the economic principles with the math curriculum, too."

After tallying the game's results on the white board, Westaway said he enjoyed his time working with the students and hopes he can affect at least one child's life. "We know children learn their ideals at home, and people sometimes rest on credit more than they should," he said. "We want to make sure children don't duplicate any mistakes as they become adults."

The economics lessons continue after the bell rings. Posted on walls around Reedy Creek, photos of teachers and administrators smile above "What Jobs I've Had" and "Where I've Gone To School" lists. These remind students to keep long-term plans in mind as they do their "savvy shopping" this holiday.