TCU Savers Club

It’s Off to School We Go

It feels like summer has just begun but going back to school is right around the corner. Here are some tips on how to save when back-to-school shopping.

• Try to re-use school supplies from previous years. You’ll be surprised what supplies you can use over again.
• Write out a list of the needed supplies to help stay on track when shopping.
• Go to dollar stores. They usually carry the same supplies but are less expensive.
• Be on the look out for back to school coupons or other sales.
• Late July is when most the back to school sales are taking place.
• For college students, look at www.half.com for deals on cheaper text books
• It’s never too late to look/apply for scholarships for the following semester and year too.

Take your kids to TCU and have them open up a Treasure Chest Club or Teen Club Account. Have your college bound students look into student loans/checking or using their TCU Visa Check Card at school. For more information visit www.tcunet.com or your local TCU Service Center.

Find an adventure in your own backyard

With this economy everyone seems to be cutting back on a lot of things, especially vacations. Everyone needs a vacation even if it’s just for a weekend. There are many opportunities for you take “mini” vacations close to home with a small budget. Here are some examples:

• A Zoo
• Site seeing in Chicago or Indianapolis
• The beach (Lake Michigan)
• Camp at a nearby state park
• Pack a picnic and spend the day at a local park
• Visit local attractions your community has to offer
• Beat the heat with a matinee at the movies or play
• Check out different counties’ 4-H fairs or other fairs and festivals 

There are many places through out Indiana, Illinois and Michigan. These destinations provide the feeling of being in a new place but are only a short drive away. Check out www.tcutravelagency.com, www.in.gov/visitindiana/, www.puremichigan.com or www.illinois.gov/visiting for more on these spots. If you have some extra money to splurge on a bigger vacation, here are some ideas to save on those trips: 

• Book flights and hotels in advance so you can get the best deals.
• If you can, traveling during the week is the best time for cheaper flights and hotels.
• Book a hotel room with a kitchenette so you can buy groceries instead of eating out every time.
• Many Walt Disney World® vacation packages have great deals for families
• Travel to a destination during its off-season

Contact TCU Travel to help make your travel plans! Remember, it’s never too late to start saving for spring break or next summer’s vacation. Contact TCU to open a holiday/vacation club account and start saving today.

Q-pon or Cou-pon?

It doesn’t matter how you pronounce it, the bottom line is, coupons save you money! We all remember mom cutting coupons out of the Sunday newspaper flyers or pulling out an envelope full of them at the store. Well we’ve got to admit–like always–mom is right. With more and more people watching how they spend, clipping coupons is a great way to save money on necessities.  That is why they have coupons, to help you save money! If you take a few extra minutes after reading the Sunday paper to flip through the coupons, you can find surprisingly good deals on items that you need. Or you can find printable coupons online at www.shortcuts.com or www.coupons.com.
 
Once you have collected the coupons try to use them at stores with discount shopper cards for even more savings. These cards that are usually free and the cashier can usually sign you up quickly. They are offered at most grocery stores (Kroger’s, Martins), convenience stores (Walgreen’s, CVS) and many other department or chain stores. Most stores have weekly savers’ advertisements in the newspapers on certain items when you use your card. So plan your shopping day to pick up those items at these stores.  
 
Another way to save some money is use your TCU Visa® Check Card as credit instead of debit on purchases. It still takes money from your checking account and TCU will pay you 0.5% as a rebate* on your purchase. We’ll even double your rebate if you use your rebate towards a new TCU service, such as a mortgage, auto loan or a travel service through TCU Travel!  
 
TCU Everyday Savings is also an easy way to save. With Everyday Savings all your TCU Visa Check Card purchases are rounded up to the nearest dollar amount and the difference is automatically transferred from your checking account to your savings account. For example when you buy a large coffee for $2.15, we’ll round your purchase up to $3 and put the difference (.85¢) in your savings account. (In this case $3 is being taken out of your checking account.) Building your savings has never been easier. Contact a TCU Representative for details.

Go Green to Save Green

Going green and saving money are two items that are at the top of most people’s list these days. Here are some tips you can use to help keep the world beautiful while saving money at the same time!

• Unplug appliances that are not being used or turn off lights when rooms are vacant, it saves energy and keeps those nasty electric bills down.
• Another way to save money on the electric bill is by going as long as possible with out using the air conditioner in the summer. In the winter months set the thermostat lower, and those sweaters in your closest do need to see the light of day sometime. Nothing is better than cuddling up in a nice warm blanket on a cold snowy night anyway! 
• Find a friend that you can carpool with. Try it for a week and you’ll be amazed how much you save in gas. Or, if you live close enough to work, ride your bike or walk. It’s great exercise and you would be doing your part in saving the environment.  

Here are a few other ideas to Go Green to Save Green

• Use reusable water bottles, anything made from plastic is still around today and will be years from now
• Donate and recycle your old computers, cellphones, and PDAs
• Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) not only last longer (some up to two years) but save energy too
• Line dry clothes on nice days (plus they smell amazing too)
• Rain barrels that catch rain water keep the toxins out of the ground and great way to get water for your plants
• Instead of paper towels use old washcloths to wash/dry dishes (also trying hand washing dishes)
• Pay bills online, TCU offers an amazing bill pay service, check it out and sign up today at tcunet.com
• Go paperless. Sign all of you accounts up for e-statements. It’s usually a free service offered by many institutions.

If Going Green is too much of a hassle TCU offers many other tools to help you save and budget money at www.getthebearessentials.com.

Do you have tips to share about saving money and going green? Please share them by adding a comment. 

The Bucket Budget

You'll need two checking accounts and one high-yield savings account, like the TCU Savers Club Money Market Account. First, figure out how much of every paycheck you want to put toward savings. Have that automatically sent to the savings account, which will fund your future goals (vacation, retirement, college fund, etc.).

Send the rest of your paycheck to checking account No. 1. You'll use this account to pay monthly fixed expenses, such as mortgage and utilities. These bills will be paid using Internet Bill Pay.

Figure out your monthly surplus in this account after your recurring bills, divide by four, and set up a weekly automatic transfer for that amount to checking account No. 2. This is for variable expenses like groceries, entertainment, and eating out. Two rules: You can't transfer more money over until the next week, and you can't use credit cards.

Vacations: Save Before You Set Sail

Your mind wanders to crisp-blue skies and romantic sunsets, salty ocean breezes and sand between your toes. Then your telephone rings and you snap back to reality. There are no blue skies or ocean breezes, just your computer monitor staring you down. Do you need a vacation?

Budgets are tight, but with some disciplined planning and money-saving tricks, that dream vacation can become a reality.

Be careful with plastic. Don't finance your entire vacation on your credit card. That doesn't mean it's off limits, but relying solely on plastic will only lead to stress and heavy interest charges down the road.

Save, save, save. Try to set aside extra money every paycheck in a TCU Savers Club Money Market Account or a Vacation Club Account. Decide how much you want to have on hand to start your trip. Divide that total by the number of paychecks until vacation, then save that amount in your TCU Savers Club Money Market Account or a Vacation Club Account. If you are not able to save this much, take a look at your spending habits. Are there places you can make cuts?

Plan ahead. Booking airfare, hotels and rental cars in advance could save you a bundle. Consider using public transportation to save cash on a rental car or taxis. And, travel midweek for the best deals. Talk to TCU Travel for the best deals and tips on planning a trip.

Hotel deals. You may be able to pick the price you pay for your hotel room. Do some searching before booking a full-price room.

If your savings come up short, see TCU for low-interest loan options.

Save money and secure your dream vacation. Let TCU help.

What New Grads Need to Know About Money

As the American economy waivers, it's increasingly important for students to be financially savvy. The majority of high-school and college graduates, however, are ill-prepared to handle the basics of financial management. From credit cards and loans to simple budgets, young consumers are often puzzled, even educated ones. Some experts propose state legislation requiring students to take a personal finance course by the time they graduate from high school. Until then, it's parents' responsibility to teach their kids financial basics and help them make the right choices. 

These are key money skills young grads need to know:

• Track spending. Write down everything you buy for a month to see where and how much you're spending.
• Budget. Look at your income and spending habits. Allocate for weekly needs, wants, and impulses within your budget. Surprises happen, so let yourself break the budget. Just remember to make up for it in the coming weeks. 
• Use your checking account to help budget and track income and spending. You need to know how to write a check, how to keep a check register, and when to balance your account. Remember there are consequences for overdrawing an account. 
• Remember, credit cards are convenient but risky. Credit means you're borrowing money to repay from future income. Credit is a cost, and making the minimum payments will cost you even more. Credit cards are accepted universally and are good to have in emergencies. They also help establish credit history, so make sure to set personal limits and stick to them. 
• Develop good consumer skills to make money go further. Buy necessities wisely and practice comparison shopping by looking online.
• Don't be afraid to ask for help. Mom and Dad, your R.A. (resident advisor), or even a friend can help you sort through your bills and get on the right track. 

How Did You Do?

The holidays are finally over and it's almost time to begin the new year. When it comes to shopping, how did you do? Did you stay within your budget or did you go over? Did you use funds from your Holiday Club or are you now thinking of opening one? 

Shop Safe Online, for Convenience and Bargains

If you're not already a cybershopper, you could be missing out on many benefits:

• Online shopping saves gas and time.
• It often offers free shipping.
• Online coupons are common.
• Online price comparison shopping tools, along with product review and rating systems, can help you find the best product at the best price. 
• Many online retailers, and virtually all the big ones, let you track online where your package is en route to its destination—whether you're shipping a gift across the country or to your own address.
• If you have a disability, online shopping makes shopping a breeze instead of a chore.
• You can shop around the world for things you can't find locally, 24 hours a day and seven days a week.
• Small business owner? You can shop for your business without leaving your workplace unattended.
• Even if you decide to buy at a local brick and mortar store, you can do all your research online to guide your selection and save time and footwork.

For all the benefits, you still have to keep your consumer smarts at the ready. Here are ways to shop smart online:

• Make sure there is a secure payment and checkout system—look for the https (s for secure) in the URL and a closed padlock on the browser frame once you are ready to check out and disclose your payment information.
• Set up a strong password, one that includes upper and lower case letters as well as numerals and symbols.
• Know the refund and return policy. You'll almost always have to pay to ship a return, so this is where all your online research cuts down on those expenses.
• Check seller reputation by searching for user feedback and reviews.
• Pay attention to the promised delivery date; backordered items might not arrive in time for a gift or special event.

Black Friday Is Finally Here

Well, today's the day. Black Friday. The busiest shopping day of the year. Retailers are slashing prices and pulling out all the stops in order to get American consumers to open their wallets. Are you shopping today? Where are the best deals? Are you fighting the crowds or shopping online? Let us know in the Comments section.