Saving Early For Christmas

Now I know it is a bit early to be thinking about Jingle Bell Rock, but the early bird always catches the worm right? Well, that's what my mother always drilled in my head... Anyways, here are 10 tips you can take advantage of to start that early Xmas saving!
5 Ways to Save Money at Christmas – Holiday Gift Shopping Tips

1. Visualize your perfect Christmas holiday.
For some people, Christmas isn’t Christmas without piles of gifts. But for most people, the holidays really are about family, friends, fun and peace. Visualize how you can bring those values into your holiday celebrations. Then, stand by your goals. Inform “gift-grubbing” friends or family that you want to make the holidays more meaningful this year, and explain you’re finding ways to share experiences, rather than giving expensive gifts. Limit gifts to one per person. By setting expectations early, you can avoid holiday disappointment.

2. Plan and budget for Christmas spending first.
Much holiday stress is caused by finances and lack of planning. Before the mall’s holiday tunes jingle your willpower away, think practically about holiday spending. To learn about saving money every day of the year, click on A Tip a Day With Ellie Kay: 12 Months Worth of Money Saving Ideas. And to save money at Christmas, plan for holiday season spending early. Remember to include:

• Everyone you’ll give a gift to and how much you plan to spend
• Cards and postage
• Decorations
• Entertaining, including food, drink, special garments, child care, etc.
• Year-end tips for newspaper carriers, babysitters, housecleaners, doormen, hairdressers and other service providers
• Gifts for teachers, doctors, neighbors or others close to your family
• Travel costs

To save money, just buy what you need. Don’t go Christmas shopping until you look at your bills, your checkbook, and your savings balance.

3. Take inventory before holiday gift shopping.
A painless tip is to scour your closets, under your bed or anywhere you might have stashed your clever, early purchases.

4. Start Christmas shopping online — early.
Avoid the stress of malls altogether, skip the temptation of store displays, and steer clear of the hassle of fighting over holiday gifts. Research the best Christmas gifts early and look for free shipping deals.

5. Time your holiday gift shopping right.
If you really need to go to a mall, avoid the busiest times to avoid stress. If possible, go early in the day when stores open or late on a weeknight. Take advantage of many stores’ extended hours during the holiday season. Monday night at 9 p.m. can be very quiet, even in mid-December.

Like I said, I knwo it might be a bit early to start thinking about Christmas but it's always a good idea to have a plan of attack and start budgeting early. If you have any holiday saving tips, give us a shout back and let us know how you keep your wallets full during the Ho-Ho-Ho season!

Steve Cobb, EECU President and CEO, on the Bart Hawley Show!

EECU President and CEO, Steve Cobb, talks about the Credit Union Difference on JTV's Bart Hawley Show.

Building A Monthly Budget

Are you looking for some advice when it comes to building a monthly a monthly budget? Check out the video below and get informed by Street Cred' Mike!

Saving On Camping Trips

If the cost of travel has you debating whether or not you can take a vacation this year, you should look into camping for your vacation. There are a wide variety of great campgrounds to choose from, and can you enjoy fun activities such as campfires and roasting marshmallows with your friends and family. As long as you plan it out right, you can save a great deal of money by camping on a budget.

Choosing The Campground

You will want to choose the campground first based on the location and the amenities that you want. Many campgrounds have a beach nearby or a pool. Some have children's activities, petting zoos, nature and bike trails and even sand dunes for great family fun! Price also plays a significant role in choosing the right camping spot.
You should expect to pay anywhere between $15 and $35 a night at a state campground, which is much less than a typical hotel stay for your entire group. (There are even cabins at some state campgrounds for around $65 a night.)

There are so many options for camping vacations, you don't even have to spend a fortune on gas to find one nearby that you will enjoy! You can pick a campground that has bathrooms, fire pits, picnic tables, and running water, since it will make your stay much more enjoyable than having to totally fend for yourself.

What Recreation Is Available?

Because you will not be staying at a resort on your vacation, there isn’t someone who is going to plan out an entire itinerary for you. You have to figure out what types of recreation and activities are available near the campground you chose, such as hiking trails, water sports, or even playgrounds or basketball courts nearby. It is best to research what is in the area, so you can plan activities for every person.

What Camping Gear Is Needed?

To save money on camping vacations, you only need to purchase the necessities when planning your budget camping trip. You will need to purchase a tent large enough to fit your entire group or several smaller tents if you would like to provide some privacy. You will also want to purchase sleeping bags, and possibly sleeping pads to put under the sleeping bags for added comfort.
(If you don't want to purchase a tent right away, you can try the camping cabins!) You should also plan on bringing a propane camping stove for cooking, and a cooler to keep any perishable foods cold during your stay. Dishes, pots and pans, and eating utensils are also necessary, but you can bring those from home if you don’t mind them getting a little dirty. You should also keep a first aid kit with all of your belongings, because it is always better to be safe than sorry.

Saving On Food

You can choose to bring food with you on your camping trip, since obviously everyone is going to want to eat! You can bring along some food right out of your cabinet at home, such as peanut butter, bread, cereal, marshmallows, hot dogs, and even eggs. Sometimes our family even just stops at a grocery store nearby. The marshmallows and hot dogs can be cooked right over the campfire, and you can easily cook other types of meat and eggs in a pan on top of the charcoal grill. The best way to save money is to purchase the perfect amount of food for your entire group, and make sure to keep anything cold that requires it. You will waste the most money by wasting food, so make sure you don’t bring anything along and let it spoil.

Try It!

Planning budget camping vacations is very easy...so it is actually possible to have a fun vacation at a very affordable price. As long as you only buy the necessities, pick an inexpensive campground with all sorts of activities, and bring the right amount of food to avoid any waste, you can have an amazing vacation that will cost you a fraction of what your other vacations cost. You may even decide to do it again next year!

When Do We Start Saving For Retirement?

The answer is simple: as soon as you can. Ideally, you'd start saving in your 20s, when you first leave school and begin earning paychecks. That's because the sooner you begin saving, the more time your money has to grow. Each year's gains can generate their own gains the next year - a powerful wealth-building phenomenon known as compounding.

Here's an example of what a big difference starting young can make. Say you start at age 25, and put aside $3,000 a year in a tax-deferred retirement account for 10 years - and then you stop saving - completely. By the time you reach 65, your $30,000 investment will have grown to more than $472,000, (assuming an 8% annual return), even though you didn't contribute a dime beyond age 35.

Now let's say you put off saving until you turn 35, and then save $3,000 a year for 30 years. By the time you reach 65, you will have set aside $90,000 of your own money, but it will grow to only about $367,000, assuming the same 8% annual return. That's a huge difference.

So now the question is, when are YOU going to start saving for retirement?

Why To Save The Credit Union Way!

This below is an article written by a MSN writter that I wanted to share with you. Share your thoughts and let me know what you think.

You're sick of getting socked with fees, or tripped by hidden penalties, or earning lousy interest rates. You're tired of being treated like a nuisance rather than a customer. And yet you have little hope that the bank down the street is any better.

But who says you have to settle for a bank? Relief could be as close as the nearest credit union.

Because so many people are fuzzy about the differences between banks and credit unions, I'll highlight the three most important distinctions:

• Credit unions are member-owned. If you have an account at a credit union, you're a part owner in the enterprise. That may not entitle you to use the executive washroom -- your CU probably doesn't even have an executive washroom -- but you're likely to be seen as a person rather than as a "cost center."

• Credit unions are not-for-profit. This status helps explain why interest rates tend to be significantly better, and fees fewer and smaller, at credit unions than at banks. Any profits credit unions do make are distributed as dividends to their members. Contrast that with banks, which continually invent new fees and policies to boost profits (and to pay those stunning executive salaries).

Banks dislike -- strongly dislike -- credit unions. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Federal Credit Union Act into law in 1934 to "promote thrift and thwart usury," and banks have been gunning for them pretty much ever since.

Because of their not-for-profit, cooperative structures, credit unions are exempted from most state and federal taxes. Banks have convinced themselves this is an unfair advantage and have spent a lot of effort, plus a fortune in lobbying fees, trying to legislate credit unions out of existence, or at least limit who can join. (I guess they thought the money was better spent there than on, say, improving their interest rates, reducing their fees or slashing their telephone hold times.)

Are you eligible? Almost certainly

Fortunately for you, banks have failed pretty miserably in their efforts to contain the competition. That's why the Credit Union National Association, the CUs' trade group, can brag that virtually everyone in the U.S. can belong to a credit union, thanks to where they live, where they work or the associations to which they belong.

Share you thoughts on this posts and shout back at us! Until next time, happy reading!

Winners of EECU's Annual Youth Drawing

EECU is pleased to announce the winners of the grand prize drawings for youth accounts. Eligibility for the drawings included current and new youth members and all prizes were compliments of EECU. Ellie K. was the winner of the Johnny Appleseed drawing for kids ages 12 and under, and she received a $100.00 Toys R Us gift card; Emily U. is a member of the new teen youth program—Cha Ching for ages 13-17—and she was the recipient of a iPod Shuffle and a $25 iTunes card; and Seth W. was the winner of a $100 Best Buy gift card as a member of The Edge program for young adults ages 18-24.

According to EECU Financial Education Coordinator, Liz Hoffius, “The new youth programs are all absolutely FREE and are designed to help educate youth about the importance of saving money and developing good spending habits. They provide the tools necessary to take the first step toward financial independence and properly manage personal finances for a lifetime.” EECU would like to thank the grand prize winners and all other members who participated in youth promotion. Congratulations!