5 Habits To Help You Live Frugally

Check out these 5 tips sure to help you live frugally. How many of these habits do you practice?

1. Coupons

Remember when you were a kid and your Mom would drag you to the grocery store? She’d pull out a big book of papers and sort through them at the register. I would always wonder how much my mom would actually save by using coupons. The notorious “coupon book” actually is a great way to save money. Digital coupons may be a bit handier and greener, but cutting coupons can definitely help you save money during your weekly grocery shopping trip. Check your mail, newspaper, or the internet for coupons that could help you save hundreds annually. Also, make sure you shop around. Some places will price match with what you find in flyers or even online. Groupon also offers some really affordable deals for family fun!

2. Emergency Funds

If you follow along with our blog, you know we are big advocates of emergency savings. I know I sound like a broken record, but experts recommend saving six months’ worth of expenses. You never know what life will throw at you, and you want to be prepared for when it happens. Utilize automated payments, and have funds transferred to your savings account.

3. Buy in Bulk

Buy your groceries in bulk. Head to the nearest Costco or Sam’s Club and purchase your household needs and groceries at a lower price per item than you would at your grocer. If the cost is too much to buy in bulk, split it with a family member or friend.

4. Clean Sweep

Simplify your life. Do a clean sweep of your closet, attic, storage unit, or shed and have a garage sale. Take your gently used clothing to a thrift store and make some extra cash to add to your savings or for a fun night out with the family. Websites like Glyde are great for selling your old electronics that you no longer use! Poshmark is also a great app to sell gently used clothing.

5. Limit Eating Out

You never really know how much you spend eating out or purchasing Starbucks until you start adding up the transactions. For one month, record every time you eat out. You will probably be shocked at the total. Once you pick your jaw up from off of the floor and realize that this is fixable, you can start limiting the amount of times you eat out. Save money by simply bringing lunch to work, brewing coffee at home, or passing up a soft drink and ordering water at your next trip to a restaurant.

For more information on how to take control of your financial wellness, speak with a financial counselor through Balance. A financial counselor will help you avoid or resolve financial distress and establish personal financial control. 

National Credit Union Youth Month Recap

Bad news first, then good news.

Bad News: National Credit Union Youth Month has come to a close. 

Good News: U.S. Eagle treats every month like National Credit Union Youth Month! 

U.S. Eagle had such a great month hosting financial literacy, posting fun contests on social media, organizing scavenger hunts, and participating in National Take Your Kid to Work Day! Here is a quick recap of all the activities and winners of April’s National Credit Union Youth Month.

Financial Literacy

Your credit union takes financial literacy very seriously. We strive to provide basic money management classes wherever there is a demand. This month, we provided multiple Mad City Money classes around the city. So, what's Mad City Money? Mad City Money is a real life simulation which gives students a sense of adulthood with income and bills to pay. Participants are assigned a temporary identity, including occupation, salary, debt, marital status, children, and more. They have to decide where they will live and how they will live, all while staying within budget.

Mad City Money at Warehouse 508

Social Media Contests

U.S. Eagle ❤s social. We had a blast hearing from our members via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! We posted questions and received such a great feedback from our followers.

 

 

Scavenger Hunt

You heard it right – we hosted scavenger hunts at our branches. Clues were posted all over social media, and the first child to find the hidden blue ticket won a VISA gift card!

Take Your Kid To Work Day

U.S. Eagle made sure to celebrate Take Your Kid To Work Day! About thirteen kids showed up bring and early to learn about the credit union difference. They met our President and CEO, Marsha Majors and THE Eagle! Kids played credit union bingo and learned about the different departments of the credit union. The day ended with the kids learning about the vital roles their parents play to make U.S. Eagle operate smoothly.

U.S. Eagle treats every month like National Credit Union Youth Month. We strive to offer financial literacy wherever there is a demand. We post financial tips and important articles on all our social media pages. Make sure to follow us or add us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and LinkedIn! 

If you are interested in U.S. Eagle providing a Mad City Money experience for your class, please call Danielle Silva at 342-8875 or send an email to dsilva@useaglefcu.org  and schedule a complimentary financial literacy session for your students. 

New Year, New You.

Happy New Year! With a fresh new slate called “2017”, it’s time to plan your new year’s FINANCIAL resolutions. Check out these tips sure to help you improve your financial situation in 2017 and beyond. 

 1. BYOB – Build Your Own Budget. 

Do you even budget, bro? You may think you budget, but there is huge difference between keeping a balance in your head and writing things down. Keeping a monthly budget and noting every single transaction may seem like a tedious task, but it is the only way to fully understand your cash flow. If you’re not a paper and pen type of person, try using a spreadsheet and recording your monthly costs, or use a budgeting app to find out where your money is going. Maintaining this habit will allow you to set goals, adjust your spending, and most importantly, save your money.

 2. Check your credit score. 

Start the year off by checking your credit score. Checking your credit score will allow you to check for identity theft, review your credit history, and understand where you are at for future financial decisions, e.g. applying for a loan. Head to AnnualCreditReport.com and get your free annual credit report from all three reporting bureaus (Equifax, TransUnion, Experian). It will not hurt your credit score and it is free. Not the number you envisioned? Don’t get too discouraged, this is your year to change that. Easy ways to boost your score include paying over the minimum monthly payment, making payments on time, and maintaining low balances.

3. Build your emergency savings. 

Building an emergency savings isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon, and it is never too late to start. Experts recommend savings up to six months’ worth of expenses. Once you BYOB, you can determine how much you can set aside per month to build your emergency savings. The purpose of an emergency savings fund is to provide back-up in case your car quits, your roof starts leaking, you lose your job, or there’s a health emergency. Don’t wait for something happen; be prepared for when it does happen.

 4. Automatic savings. 

A quick way to save money is to utilize automatic savings. Instead of manually moving money into your 401k or savings account, set up automatic savings. With everything going on in life, sometimes it is easy to forget to move your money from one account to the other. Head to your closest U.S. Eagle branch and set up an automatic withdraw or transfer biweekly, monthly, or quarterly. Watch your savings grow!

 5. Make Extra Income.

If you plan on making a big purchase this year, paying off a large amount of debt, or want to stash some extra cash into savings, making some extra income may be the best option for you. There are so many ways you can make some extra money, it just depends on how much time you have to dedicate and how much you want it. You can go through your closet and sell clothes you no longer wear, pick up a second job as an Uber or Lyft driver, or go outside the box and start blogging. If you live in a large home and have an extra room, consider posting it on AirBnB. Another option is turning a skill set into income. If you’re great at tennis, maybe you can offer lessons on weekends, or if cooking is more your style, offer classes after work! Options are endless.

 2017 is your year for financial success. Before you make a purchase, ask yourself, “Do I really need this pair of shoes?” Challenge yourself! For one month, don’t spend any money on eating out; instead, move it into your savings account. Sometimes, we don’t realize how much money we can save by removing something out of our lives, even if it is temporary. Happy New Year!

Money Management vs. the Pythagorean Theorem

Growing up, kids and teens learn about the Pythagorean Theorem, ionic compounds, and how to diagram compound sentences. But after they finish school, do they actually remember all the information surrounding these topics? Maybe. How about actually applying these skills in the real world? Eh, probably not. Don’t get me wrong, the Pythagorean Theorem is great. I can’t say I have done much with it since I learned it back in middle school, but I am sure there are people out there that really enjoy solving problems using the Pythagorean. And, yes, I had to look up the spelling of that word. I think I am getting a little bit off topic. Back to financial literacy. So, why aren’t we teaching our children and teenagers how to balance their checkbook or how to manage their credit score - both skills that will last a lifetime. Most people apply these skills daily, and at least monthly.  Why don’t we teach our youth basic money management skills?

I know that first paragraph was kind of a downer, but there is good news. Your credit union (us, U.S. Eagle) tries to actively fix this problem to the best of our ability. We do this through financial literacy. We go into schools and organizations and actually talk with our youth about budgeting, understating credit, saving money, and more. We discuss these topics in their classrooms and engage them in conversation to help them learn about these basic financial concepts.

Now, my personal favorite financial literacy tool is “Mad City Money”. Kids love this game, as well as parents and you’ll see why. Mad City Money is a simulation that gives kids a taste of the real world. They have a family, bills, and a steady income. Participants must decide where they are going to live, how they are going to commute, what they are going to eat, and much more. They discover how much internet costs, how expensive groceries and eating out can be, and…how much diapers cost! I find parents who participate in this game sometimes enjoy it more than their kids…

Through these presentations and simulations, our youth are learning more about these important financial topics. They are engaged and they are having fun. This is one way we hold true to the credit union philosophy of “People Helping People”.  We encourage parents to bring in their kids or teens and teach them about the importance of saving their money in a savings account. Even if it just $5.00 per month. Getting into the habit of saving at a young age can really pay off in the long run.

 

If you are interested in facilitating financial literacy at your school or organization, please call Danielle at 505-342-8875.