Five Reasons to Shop Online This Holiday Season

It’s the most wonderful time of the year according to the famous holiday tune. So why are so many of so stressed out? Maybe you’re spending too much time in the wrong places. Here are some very convincing reasons to shop online only this holiday season.

Beat the Crowds

To truly beat the crowds when you shop in stores, your best bet is to go before 10 a.m. or after 8 p.m. When you shop online, you do it at your convenience. You can browse as long as you’d like, and there’s nobody in your way or crawling around you to grab the item you want. The only screaming kids are your own (and you can send them to their rooms), and you don’t have to fight for a parking spot either.

Locate Hard-to-Find Items Faster and Easier

If you are old enough to remember the Cabbage Patch doll craze, you know it was the beginning of mob mentality holiday shopping. This year, one of those items appears to be the Lego Creationary board game. Three places that had it in stock yesterday are completely out of stock today. I consider myself the queen of online research, and I can’t find it anywhere unless I’m willing to pay $60 to $100. I’m not. But here’s the deal, I can order it online and it will ship to me when it comes back in stock. I can also have the online stores e-mail me as soon as they have it back in stock. Granted, there is no guarantee any of these places will have it by Christmas, but I can always wrap a picture of the game and tell my son it’s on the way when he opens it Christmas morning.

Save Time and Money

I purchased six gifts tonight in about 30 minutes and got free shipping. I didn’t have to get out in the chilly or waste gas or run from store to store for an item nobody has in stock. I got to eat in my own home, which saves more money. Perhaps best of all, I don’t have a bunch of gift items cluttering my house when I’m still surrounded by boxes of Christmas decorations that have to go up. The gifts will arrive in about 10 days, long after I am finished decorating.

Truly Find the Best Price

When you’re in the store, you don’t know what impulsive sales the other stores may be having at the same time. Tonight, I placed at item in my online shopping cart and continued looking for other things. By the time I was done, the price of that first item in my cart had gone down. That never would have happened it if was standing in line at a store.

Gift Wrapping

How much money do you spend on wrapping paper, tape and gift tags? Why not spend the same amount of money and have the gifts arrive already wrapped? Do the math. It just may work to your advantage, and talk about a time savings.

You can save yourself many hours of time and stress by shopping online. That is my wish for you this holiday season.

Navigating the Jungle – Black Friday and Cyber Monday

The holiday shopping season seems to get earlier and earlier. This year, the Halloween candy wasn’t even in the hands of trick-or-treaters when retailers started posting their Black Friday ads online. For those of you not familiar with the jargon, Black Friday is what retailers call the day after Thanksgiving – the official start of the holiday shopping season. In recent years, retailers have added Cyber Monday to the mix. That is the Monday following Thanksgiving weekend, when people return to work and often spend considerable time shopping online.

Both of these days can be huge money savers for shoppers. They also can be filled with stress and a lot of wasted time if you don’t know how to navigate the crowds or the conditions often applied to your purchases. Here are some tips to help you navigate the jungle.

Read the fine print before you shop. It may sound strange, but extreme sales usually come with extreme stipulations. If you have your eye on a deeply discounted laptop, tablet or other electronic device, getting in line 10 hours early does not guarantee you will get it. Some stores only have a handful – literally four of five of the one item you want. Know this information before you go, even if you have to call the store to ask. Pay attention to anything you may have to buy with it, as well. And, be sure you know which deals are available only in the store and which may be available online, as well. In many cases, these deals are in-store only.

Shop with a plan. My friend calls this divide and conquer. She and another friend of hers make a list of everything they want, then they go their separate ways, calling or texting each other periodically to check in. You have a better chance to get the deal when you have a team of people working on your behalf.

Use the Internet and social media to your advantage. In this day and age of social media, there is nothing you shouldn’t know before you shop Black Friday or Cyber Monday:

BlackFriday.com

BlackFriday.net                                                                                                                                                                                                          

CyberMonday.com

CyberMonday.net

Some of these sites also have Facebook pages to complement their websites, and, of course, you can visit the websites of any store for their Friday and Monday deals. My personal favorite deal site is the Live Fabulous Facebook page. Jodi Furman is the owner of this page and will spend all day online Friday and Monday posting hot deals that will go fast, but you won’t know about them without her advice.

Don’t forget daily deal sites. Groupon, Amazon Local Deals, Living Social, Crowd Savings, Moolala.com and many others will be offering some great buys on Friday, Monday and throughout the holiday season.

One final thing to remember is to know the regular retail price before you start shopping. You can’t possibly know if you are getting a great deal when you don’t how much you would normally pay for something.

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Shopping!

Surviving Thanksgiving on a Budget

Holidays can kill a budget, and it’s not just the gift giving holidays. Thanksgiving may be the biggest food holiday there is, and food, as you know, costs money. I remember times when I would buy the food for my Thanksgiving menu and then wonder what money I would use to buy my normal groceries. Leftovers don’t last forever.

It takes some work and a little creativity, but you can do Thanksgiving on a budget. Here are some tips to help you keep your spending in check.

Limit the mouths you feed. The more the merrier is a nice concept, but it’s not the most affordable option. If you normally feed a larger crowd, cut back. Or, cook dinner for your immediate family and invite the extended family and friends for dessert and coffee during the football game.

Make your menu more affordable. Just about every local grocery store has turkeys on sale right now, but many of those sales come with conditions, like spending a specified amount in other groceries. If this does not fit into your budget, check the price of a turkey breast. Or, get packages of drumsticks and thighs. If you don’t like turkey, check into a pork loin or beef roast that may be more affordable. It is standard to plan for a half pound of meat per person. Also, cut back on the number of side dishes you serve or the number of desserts you prepare.

Do the math. Many grocery stores are offering pre-cooked Thanksgiving meals for a flat rate. Check to see if these are cheaper. They certainly save time, but time is money, which means you probably will pay more for this option. You won’t know until you do the math.

Ask your guests to bring food. If you’re determined to have a large crowd at your house for Thanksgiving, ask each guest to bring something specific, like a side dish, dessert or beverages. If you only have to buy the turkey, Thanksgiving is much more affordable.

Have dinner somewhere else. Perhaps this is your year to eat Thanksgiving dinner at another family member’s home. If someone invites your family to Thanksgiving dinner, consider accepting their invitation. Contribute to the dinner with a side dish or dessert, or offer to do the dishes as a token of thanks for their generosity.

Go to a restaurant. I have a friend whose family always goes to the same restaurant for Thanksgiving. It’s their tradition. Instead of having a huge crowd at your house, suggest everyone meet at a restaurant and pay their own way. Just be sure to make reservations.

It’s okay to cut back, even for Thanksgiving. It’s also okay to ask for help. Your family and true friends will understand, especially if you create a win-win situation for all parties involved. Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

Buy One Get More Free and Feed Another Family

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays of each year. In fact, this is when my husband and I host our annual holiday party. My husband, a Louisiana native, smokes several turkeys and makes an authentic Cajun gumbo. I bake at least a half dozen specialty desserts from scratch. We ask our friends to bring their favorite holiday side dishes and that completes the meal. It’s a 13-year tradition that saves us money, but still lets everyone have a great time with great food and great company.

But what about the families who have nothing? Sadly, there are families in our own neighborhoods that will struggle to put a meal on the table on Thanksgiving Day. What about families who struggle to buy food on a regular basis? There's a way you can help feed families without spending extra money. Will join me in helping feed a family this year?

It’s really very simple. Take advantage of Buy One Get One (or two or three) Free sales. Looking through the grocery store ads today, I saw a bunch of these specials. Albertsons has both Tilapia and pork tenderloins on sale. When you buy one package, you get three free. That’s four pounds of fish or four pork tenderloins for the price of one. You could keep two and still give two away at no extra cost. Albertsons actually has several buy one get one or more free sales this week: ground sausage, beef roasts, steaks, pork ribs, bread, soft drinks and more. Keep one or more for yourself and donate the others to a food pantry, church or even a family you know that is struggling. It really makes a difference.


A friend of mine gets a side of beef every year from her in-laws for Christmas. Her small family never goes through all of it. This year, when my husband and I struggled, she let me shop in her deep freeze (and then put a bunch more in my bag when I wasn’t looking). If the items you would normally buy give you an opportunity to get one or more free, it’s costing you nothing to give one or more away. You have to buy the first one to get the rest free, so why not give your extra item(s) to someone who can’t even afford to buy the first one?

Now I realize this requires a little effort, because you have to know where the sales are. The sales ads come to my house every week. If you don’t receive them, you can go to individual grocery store websites to view them. Time is something we all have. Money isn’t. Food isn’t. Shelter isn’t. If you have these things, please take even five minutes of your day to figure out where you can shop and feed a family for free.

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.