Halloween Clearance Items That Will Benefit You all Year Long

When people hear the words Halloween clearance, they automatically think of costumes. That certainly makes sense. Costumes are one of the many reasons I love to shop Halloween clearance sales. My son has already told me he wants to be “something creepy” next year, and there’s a good chance I can make that happen for at least 50 percent less money if I buy the costume this week.

But costumes aren’t the only reason to shop Halloween clearance. There are lots of items on sale after Halloween that can be used year-round.

Candy

When stored at the right temperature, candy lasts a long time. Plus, Halloween is the only time some types of candy are sold in small, personal sized packages. Those work well as party favors and for donations to schools, scouts and other organizations that can use candy for prizes and parties.

Arts and Crafts

Halloween crafts go beyond pumpkins and bats. Stock up on fall themed stickers, scrapbook paper in Halloween colors, stencils, markers, etc. Even if the markers or crayons have Halloween decorations on the outside, they still are just plain colors that can be used year round.

Decorations

I’m not just talking about skeletons with light-up eyes or plastic pumpkins. Think about various colored ribbon, orange and black streamers, fall-themed cushions, fall floral items, vases, colored lights and more. Don’t just think of Halloween when you are filtering through the clearance items. Think about those items can be used for other occasions.

Costume Accessories as Toys

My son had a Harry Potter themed party for his birthday in September. A friend of his gave him a very cool Harry Potter wand that his mom bought in the costume section of a store. It was meant to be a costume accessory, but it also makes a great toy. There are lots of costume accessories that can double as toys. If you can get them on sale, you can keep them in your closet for the next time you need a gift for someone.

The key to shopping any clearance sale is thinking outside the box. When shopping Halloween clearance, take a good luck at how else you might use something that’s on sale – weather it’s for regular household use, a gift or anything else. It’s worth the savings if you know you’ll use it.

Giving back is a Community Effort

“It takes a village to raise a child.” Have you ever heard this saying? It’s an old proverb that was made popular by Hillary Clinton in the 1990s when she wrote a book about the influence people outside the family have on a child’s well-being.

Credit unions share a similar philosophy when it comes to giving back to the community. To truly support a community or organization in need, it takes the help of many. When Neighborhood gives back to the community, we don’t do it alone. We rely on our members and our employees for help.

At Neighborhood, we believe strongly in supporting the communities we serve – the communities where our members live and work. With your help, we have raised thousands of dollars for the Children’s Miracle Network and for victims of hurricanes and tornadoes. You have helped us collect thousands of toys for underprivileged children through our partnership with Toys for Tots. You have helped us support local organizations like Shoes for My Children in Lancaster and Take Me Home Pet Rescue in Richardson. You made these efforts successful, and we thank you for your continued support.

As a thank you for your continued support, Neighborhood Credit Union likes to give back to you – the members of our credit union community – as well!

For our members in college, planning to head to college, or with children seeking higher education you may benefit from Neighborhood Credit Union’s scholarship program. We award $1,000 scholarships to members and their family members, as well as students from high schools in each of our branch area locations. We hope that the students will use the money to brighten their futures, and reinforce strong financial habits - such as savings.

Our Prize Savings Account continues to be one of the few accounts of its kind in the country. Not only do you get the chance to win cash prizes monthly. We also award one $10,000 prize each quarter and a $25,000 grand prize every New Year’s Day. All you have to do is save money. We established this account to give back to our members for their healthy savings habits, even during tough economic times. Even if you don’t win a prize, you win financially because you are saving money. Your financial well-being is important to us.

That’s why we also offer Kasasa Cash – a free, high interest checking account that pays members a massive 2.50% APY* interest in cash every month. You also get nationwide ATM withdrawal fee refunds*, free online banking, and a number of other great features.

Credit unions were founded on the philosophy of people helping people. That isn’t limited to the branch office. We support the communities we serve, because it’s the right thing to do. There’s a saying I love that really sums up the importance of giving back: “To the world you may be one person, but to one person, you may be the world.” We hope all of our members will join us as we continue giving back to our communities, and we thank you for your support.

All you need is love, but an extra $100 CASH never hurts!

Why are you a credit union member? What is it you absolutely LOVE about Neighborhood Credit Union? As part of member appreciation month, Neighborhood Credit Union wants to reward you just for being a member! We’re giving one lucky member $100 cold hard CASH simply for telling us why you love Neighborhood Credit Union.   

The Rules –

1. Each member has the option to submit two entries (1) by commenting on this blog post with why you love Neighborhood Credit Union and (1) by e-mailing marketing@myncu.com with the subject line “I Love MY NCU” and your reason in the body.
2. To be considered for the prize, all entries must be posted by October 31^st at midnight.
3. On November 1^st we will select the best comment as our winner and announce them here on our blog!
4. This contest is only open to legal U.S. residents ages 18 and older who are members of Neighborhood Credit Union.
5. Be sure to include a current e-mail address with each entry so that we are able to contact you if you win. We will not use your e-mail address for any alternative purposes.

YOU are the Difference Between Credit Unions and Banks

Is there really any difference between credit unions and banks? I have probably answered this question many times to people who have very valid observations. They see similar accounts, loans, branches, ATMs and other elements that make banks and credit unions look like one in the same. Logic tells them if it looks like a bank and operates like a bank, it must be a bank.

The truth is that credit unions operate very differently from banks, and the reason is YOU – the credit union member.

In Business for YOU

Every financial institution would have you believe they are in business for their members or customers, but it just isn’t true. Banks are in business to make money for their investors or stockholders. Business decisions are made to protect the financial interest of those investors. They are not made in the best interest of customers.

Credit unions ARE in business for YOU.  Your share savings account makes you a credit union stakeholder, or as we like to call you, part owner. That’s right. You own part of your credit union. Business decisions are made with your best interest in mind, because you have placed your trust and your money with us. Credit unions have no other stockholders or investors. We don’t even pay our board of directors like banks do. Our directors are all unpaid volunteers.

Not for profit, but for PEOPLE, like YOU

Credit unions are not for profit, there’s no denying that. Now, that doesn’t mean we don’t make money. We still have to pay our employees, keep the lights on and maintain our technology. We’re also required to keep more money in reserve or savings than banks are. Whatever is left goes back to you in the form of lower loan rates, better deposit rates and improved services. Do you see how you benefit from a financial institution that doesn’t have to pay investors? It’s not about them at a credit union. It’s about YOU!

YOU are worth more than money

Credit unions truly operate on the understanding that people are worth more than money. Credit unions were formed to help people who needed a safe, affordable place to save money and a place to borrow money for small businesses and skilled trades. Even in the 1800s when credit unions were first formed, banks were not willing to take a chance on certain people or livelihoods. Today, we continue to operate on the philosophy of people helping people. We care about you and your financial well-being, not just about the money you have on deposit with us.

We may look like the other guys on the outside, but on the inside, it’s all about YOU. Thank YOU for trusting Neighborhood Credit Union with your financial needs. We appreciate YOU.

Membership Benefits You Don’t Find Everywhere

Have you ever had a conversation with a person who was so into themselves that you wondered if they even knew you were there? That’s a huge pet peeve of mine, especially when it’s a conversation with a sales person. I’ve had an insurance agent I’ve never met leave six messages on my cell phone in the past week telling me how great he is and asking why I still haven’t called him back. Really?

That’s one of the reasons I love credit unions. They don’t spend their time and money telling me how great they are. They would much rather show me how much they care about me and my family.  Hopefully you’ve had the same experience.

One of my favorite things about Neighborhood Credit Union is the prize savings account. How many financial institutions reward people for saving as little as $25? I remember when the credit union first introduced the account. The economy was worse than it is now, and Neighborhood was hoping a prize account would encourage more people to save money so they would have something to fall back on if the economy worsened. It worked so well that eventually all members were provided a prize savings account and the credit union gave away even more cash and prizes.

Neighborhood Credit Union not only cares about providing me with high quality financial products, they also want to ensure I’m financially educated. Have you seen all the great information available in the credit union’s online education center? There’s a ton of stuff out there about credit scores, budgets, interest rates, getting back on your feet after tough financial times, loans, spending, saving, etc. Pretty much anything you need to know about money is out there, and it’s all free, because Neighborhood wants members to be able to make informed decisions. There are some financial institutions who would go out of business if their customers new what they were really up to.

The beauty of the credit union is it’s not all business. This summer, I saved a ton of money on fun places like Six Flags and Hawaiian Falls, thanks to Neighborhood Credit Union. The credit union’s partnerships with these places made it affordable to enjoy some summer fun on a very small budget. You can also get discounts to Sea World and buy discounted tickets to Dallas Mavericks games. The discounts are all available online.

There are lots of reasons to do business with a financial institution. For me, trust is one of them. I trust Neighborhood Credit Union. I know they have my best interest in mind when they are helping me make decisions that affect my money. I know they care about me and my family. That’s important to me, and you can find the same convenient benefits offered by traditional banking institutions. I’m guessing you feel the same way if you’re a member. If you haven’t checked out the other benefits I mentioned, I hope you will. It’s all part of being a valued member of Neighborhood Credit Union – no other strings attached.

~Submitted by Colleen Cormier

Picking a Financial Institution is More Important Than Picking an Account

I was reading some online “financial advice” earlier today and was disturbed by what I was reading. The person dishing out the advice recently had her debit card compromised. Normally, she uses a credit card for everything she buys, but she left it at home one day and had to use her debit card. She was convinced that using a credit card is safer than using a debit card and was advising others to do the same. Her reasoning was that false credit card charges can be reversed immediately, while false debit card charges take up to 30 days to get resolved. This is NOT TRUE, at least not at your credit union.

Honestly, any financial institution that holds up your money for that long does not deserve your business. Neither do financial institutions that nickel and dime you for every little thing. Usually when people switch financial institutions, it’s because of an unbelievably low rate on a loan or credit card, or because they were offered some kind of cash or prize to switch their checking account. Those are nice offers, and they may save you lots of money. The question is, what other fees will they charge you to make up the money they are saving you?

More importantly, how will they treat you if something happens to keep you from making a payment on that loan or credit card? Will they help you or harass you? If you overdraft on that free checking account, will the “free” offer be null and void? How do they make you feel when you go into a branch? Does anyone even notice you are there? When you call on the phone, do they know how to help you without transferring your call to five different people?

About eight years ago, my husband and I bought a plot of land with the intention of building on it many  years later. Against our better judgment, we agreed to finance the land through the bank the developer was using. It is the only account I’ve had with a bank since 1996, and it has been the only account to give us problems – significant problems that will take us a long time to resolve. Problems that affected our credit simply because the bank was so big, one department thought we were defaulting on our loan while the other spent nine months refinancing our loan. The supposedly great rate that brought us to this bank in this first place will never ever justify the horrible things the bank has done to us and our credit.

 Your Neighborhood Credit Union has great rates and great checking accounts, but we also have something many financial institutions never offer. We care about your financial well-being. We know people are worth more than money and we treat you like family. Think about that next time you get a “great deal” at another financial institution. If it seems too good to be true, it just may be.