Why you should go Credit Union

Hi Guys! Guess what? I'm a dot com now! If you could please change your bookmarks to www.4hatsandfrugal.com, I'd really appreciate it, and so would my blog stats lol. I feel like a real blogger now, all fancy owning my own site and stuff. Onto the post...

photo credit: eHow

With the emphasis on thrift, savings and economy in America and the world right now, we have to really look at what's good for our financial improvement. Whether you are focused on personal finance or just keeping up your frugal lifestyle, we have to pay attention to who's holding hostage our money.

I don't know why it took us so long to join a credit union. After seeing what they offer and their focus on community building and thrift, it seems like the perfect place for us. After our final encounter with Wells Fargo that I blogged about, I'm so glad that we finally took the leap.

What is a Credit Union?
A Credit Union is a "member owned financial cooperative, democratically controlled by it's members, and operated for the purpose of promoting thrift, providing credit at competitive rates, and providing other financial services to its members." That's a great definition from Wikipedia, but what does it exactly mean?  Basically, it means that you are the one in charge of how your money is taken care of. You elect the board of directors, and that board of directors decides on the interest rates. Hmmm....democracy banking. I love the sound of that. Also, because the credit union focuses on the well being of their customers, they tend to have better customer service and are able to help you One-on-One to build up your credit, or even work on any type of loan, including a home loan.

Why is this for me?
Of course a credit union is not for everyone. Some people are comfortable with their banks that they have been with for years. But, I'm learning fast that with national banks, your loyalty and their loyalty never match. This is not the case with a Credit Union. They are literally there for YOU, not their profit. This is great for frugal/finance people like us. We are in this lifestyle to be able to stretch our bucks as much as possible, and to be able to live debt free or on as little debt as possible. Bank fees, high interests and companies out for profit just don't mix with that.

Why did we change?
Well, we didn't have much of a choice in the matter, but we have been talking about changing to credit unions since we got serious about owning our own home. Our goal is to pay as much cash as possible for our house, but with the kids growing so quickly(and the growth of both my Husband's business and mine) we need to move sooner than expected. The credit union is here to help. Actually, because my Husband works for the state, there is a Credit Union dedicated to helping those workers build credit and get low-interest loans. The military also has certain credit unions dedicated to this and they are used quite frequently when we finally decide to stop using base housing and own our own home. Thanks to Credit Unions, we are now on a solid path to owning our first home....and being able to afford it.

Obviously, don't take my word for all this. It always pays to do your own research about anything, especially banking. I just wanted to put the idea of being part of a Credit Union on your radar and maybe get you to think about where your money lies. With all these bank mergers, it just might pay to do a little digging on your part. You're your own best teacher.

This is not a paid post. These are all my own opinions. I'm sharing what I've learned from a recent experience and what I learned about Credit Unions.

Wells Fargo Sucks

I've never had an issue with my bank. Since college, I've used the same establishment and not one problem with them. We were simpatico, buddies, amigos. Then, the worst happened. They merged with the devil.

Crayola Toddler Magic (A giveaway!)

I find it fantastic when companies start to reach a new demographic. You can only do so much with the fans that you've had for years before you start to think, " we need a change." That's why Crayola's new obsession with all things toddler makes me super happy.

The magic of Crayola has reached the tot level recently. With their washable markers, and even crayons, it makes this mama a little less insane when I'm able to sit down with the Duchess and have a day of drawing.

Crayola and MyBlogSpark was kind enough to send little D some swag. I let her open the box and take claim to her loot. Crayola has been a long time partner with General Mills, so they also sent her a box ol' box of cheerios. She wanted to eat them immediately.

I convinced her to leave the 'rios for later and see what else was in the box. This is everything laid out nicely(by mommy) for her to see. She dug right in.

She decided she wanted to start with the My First Crayola crayons, markers and special marker made just for the mess-free paper.

Needless to say, she had a ball. I did too. It was fun to watch her in action and not feel like the crafts were too old for her or that she might make an awful mess. Actually, she did make a mess. This is what happened after the fact:

She cleaned it all up herself with a baby wipe. And was eager to do it. Crayola, what have you done to my child?

We loved every bit of this prize pack and I'm so excited to offer one to the toddler in your life! MyBlogSpark would like to give one lucky reader their own My First Crayola prize pack. Entering is easy: just leave me a comment telling me what toddler you'd love to win this for. One entry per person. If you don't have a google account, please leave your e-mail so I can contact you when you win. The contest will end on Sunday, June 3rd at 11:59pmEST. Good luck!

Disclosure:  The information, products, coupon, video and additional My First Crayola™ gift pack was provided by Crayola® and Cheerios through MyBlogSpark.

Sloppy Joe

It happened again. It was a night that I didn't feel like cooking but didn't have a quick meal on the menu. I just wanted to sit and relax and not cook. Well, ordering take out was not in the cards so I had to think fast. I turned to twitter and asked around about making sloppy joes from scratch. It was unanimous that I needed to give it a go. I had a make shift recipe typed up on here from 2 years ago and finally put all the pieces together. The end result? Purely delicious. And it was easy!

Sloppy Joe
Makes 8 servings

1 pound ground beef or turkey
2 cups onion, minced
2 cups chopped green pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups ketchup
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon hot sauce or sriracha

Brown meat in a pan on medium heat. Once cooked, drain off fat/juice.
Add chopped onions and peppers to the meat and continue to cook for 5 more minutes.
Add in garlic and let cook with the meat mixture for about a minute.
Place the ketchup, vinegar Worcestershire sauce, mustard, brown sugar, water and hot sauce in a pot and stir together.
Place meat mixture in the pot, stir all ingredients together and place on low heat.
Let sloppy joe mixture simmer, stirring continuously, for 15 to 20 minutes. If you can do it for even longer (30 minutes or more would be great), I'd suggest doing so.
Serve on your favorite buns with your favorite sides. Enjoy!

Money Saving Travel Tip- Gift Cards

I know that I've talked about how to travel on a dime quite a bit on here, but thanks to Budgets are Sexy, I've realized I haven't shared one of my all time favorite tips: use the heck out of those gift cards.

Here's the deal: you get on the road(or get stuck at the airport) and it hits you: food costs are going to suck. I mean, really suck. The food won't be as great as you could have had at home and taking your own vittles with you on every trip just doesn't work out. So, you bite the bullet and go over budget. By the time you get home, you have diner's regret.

Here's the solution: create your own vacation food budget by using gift cards. Research what restaurants or fast food joints will be on the way during your road trip, or what food places are located in the airports you'll be using. Then, a few days before, purchase gift cards for those places. This will force you to only buy the certain amount on those cards. Make it a challenge to stay within that 10 or 15 dollar budget. Or, if your really feeling saucy, use this same trick for your dinners out during your travels. A 50 dollar gift card for your family of 4 will not only keep the budget down, but create a fun game of getting your bill to stay as low as possible while still having a great meal. You can't lose!

The best way to get these cards is to earn them through swagbucks, mypoints, or even win them through twitter parties. If that isn't an option for you, keep a lookout at the drugstores in your area for deals on gift cards. Sometimes they will do a "by 40 dollars in gift cards, get 10 dollars free" deal. Also, restaurants have been on that same bandwagon, offering your 10 dollars when you buy a 50 dollar gift card. Take advantage of these deals before you hit the road.

If you have a travel tip of your own, head over to Budgets Are Sexy to enter his $1,000 giveaway, in partnership with HotelClub!

Gratitude

This week, I decided to do my Pour Your Heart Out post in vlog form. The idea of gratitude, as it pertains to our lifestyle, has been weighing on my heart lately, and I wanted to get it out in video form. I hope you enjoy it. And don't forget: it's free to subscribe to my channel! :-D

Frugal Question of the Week

Do you use a national banking institution or a credit union for your finances?