Simple Cents

Where were you?

Leslie Howard — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 08:00:00 -0400

September 11, 2001, is a day that no one will forget. This past Saturday marked 9 years since that tragic day. I will never forget where I was that day. I was in my English Literature class at Trident Tech. Our teacher heard the news and turned the television in the classroom on. I could not believe what I was seeing. I got chills and teary eyed. I will never forget where I was and how I felt. Where were you on that day?

After you reflect on that question, ask yourself “Where are you today?” Are you volunteering, giving to charity, helping a friend or loved one?

Today we are celebrating Day of Caring. A day where we volunteer and help in memory of all those who lost their lives and lost loved ones nine years ago. Nothing can erase the pain we all felt or still feel today, but at least we have a day like today where we can put our emotions in to action and help put a smile on someone’s face.

Where will you be today?

Never too young to make a difference...

Leslie Howard — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 08:00:00 -0400

When we think about people starting charities, we often think of adults, business people, community leaders, etc...We rarely think about young teenagers starting charities.

I would like to highlight a story that one of my co-workers shared with me. It’s about two young sisters that turned a family hobby into a charity in memory of their grandfather who passed away from esophageal cancer in 2003.

It started off small, but their passion for what they believed in made it turn into something huge! Take a moment to read the story. You will truly be inspired.

Have you ever planted a small seed that bloomed into something great?

Labor Day Signals…

Leslie Howard — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 08:00:00 -0400

To some people, Labor Day means that their neighborhood pool is closing – a sign that summer has come to an end. Pools and beaches are usually packed as many people enjoy one last three-day weekend. Some people think of it as the last chance to take a quick summer vacation. Children and teenagers in certain states think of it as being the last weekend to have fun before school starts. If you are a huge football fan like my husband, Labor Day signals the beginning of the NFL and college football season!

Labor Day is usually observed with parades, speeches, barbecues, and picnics. Some people just relax all day – you’ve worked hard over half the year at this point, so who has the energy to cook up a barbecue or picnic, right? So just sit back and relax – you deserve it!

What does Labor day mean to you and how do you plan to celebrate or relax?

Free College Classes?

Leslie Howard — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 09:35:00 -0400

With college tuition rates climbing to higher numbers each year, you are probably wondering what in the world am I doing talking about free college classes.

My mom recently retired this past May and she told me that she would love to take some French classes now that she has more time on her hands. She said it has always been one of her lifelong goals to learn French, she just never had the time because she was always busy working.

My mom is a retired school teacher, so she knows college classes aren't cheap, so the cost of taking French classes kind of made her second guess her desire to take these much wanted French classes.

Well, after doing some research, I found out that she can take these classes for free at Trident Technical College. According to their admissions policy, an individual who is over 60, a legal resident of South Carolina and not employed full time, may take selected academic courses at TTC on a space-available basis as a senior citizen without paying tuition.

This sounds a little funny, but I am proud to say, that my mom starts back to school this Tuesday!

"Bonne chance" mom! That's French for good luck!

Age is just a number!

Leslie Howard — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 08:00:00 -0400

I consider myself to be pretty knowledgeable about internet, mobile and social media tools. Well, about a year ago, I went to my mom's house and she was talking to some of our family in Chile on her computer and web cam. I asked her how she was able to do that and how much the cost was. She simply said, "Skype! It's Free." My mom found out about Skype before I did. Huh? Wow!

My mom always jokes and says that she is one hip senior citizen lady! Due to the fact that she can text and check her email on her cell phone faster than I can, stays in touch with friends on MSN Messenger, uses Skype at home to talk to family in Chile, and uses Skype to call me when she is traveling in Europe. Oh, and she has a Facebook page too! Wow! Talk about staying connected!

How do you stay connected?

Skip a "want" and choose a "need"

Leslie Howard — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 08:00:00 -0400

If you've ever attended one of our free budgeting seminars, then you've heard us say that one of the best budgeting tips out there is to question each of your purchases by asking yourself if it is a "want" or a "need."

If you've gone to the store recently and skipped a few "wants," where did you put the savings? Did you use any coupons and save a few dollars? Where did you put the savings? Did you get a service or food item for half price or free? Where did you put the savings?

You were ready and willing to pay for "wants" or pay full price for certain items and services, so the savings was just an added bonus, right? Some people put these types of savings in to a saving account or accumulate it to make extra payments on bills.

What if you donated it to charity? This week, we are highlighting the Children's Miracle Network! So, if you skipped a lunch you were planning to have or saved some money with coupons, how about donating the savings (the money you were already planning to spend) to a great cause! Every dollar counts!

Big Bully!

Leslie Howard — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 08:00:00 -0400

School time is almost here! We naturally think about school supply lists, school clothes, school bus schedules, etc, but what about bullying?

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, bullying is when one child picks on another child repeatedly. Bullying can be physical, verbal, or social. It can happen at school, on the playground, on the school bus, in the neighborhood, or over the Internet.

Bullying is a really uncomfortable situation for the staff, teachers, students, parents and everyone involved. It is a real problem that is very common at schools and something that must be taken very seriously before it gets out of hand.

Here are some great tips from AAP - Whether your child is being bullied or your child is the bully.

Where you ever bullied in school? Did you bully someone in school? What would you do if your child was being bullied or was the school house bully?

Survey Says…

Leslie Howard — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 08:00:00 -0400

It seems as though every place I go has a survey on their receipt. I use to not really pay attention to the surveys, but after hearing some money saving stories from some of my friends, I decided to take the time to complete some surveys and it has really been well worth my time! Here are a few places my debit card has visited recently that have given me some pretty cool money saving surveys!

The other day I bought lunch at Moe’s and their survey freebee is a Joey Junior at my next visit. Free lunch next time, can’t argue with that!

Two days ago, I went to my local JCPenney store and purchased some really nice hand towels for less than $3 each and some dress socks for less than $2.00 each. I enjoy completing the JCPenney survey, because they give you 15% off your next purchase. The 15% survey coupon is the only coupon that can be combined with their other coupons and offers. So if you have a 20% off coupon and a 15% survey coupon, you can get 35% off your purchase. Wow!

About a week or so ago, I bought lunch at Chick-fil-A and their survey freebee for completing their survey is a Chick-fil-A sandwich! Pretty cool!

Where has your debit card been traveling to? Taken any cool surveys lately?

Laundry and Fast Food...How Am I Doing?

Leslie Howard — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 08:00:00 -0400

I can't believe it is almost August! Seems like just the other day I was writing about my New Year's resolution and setting my SMART goal. I gave a SMART goal update in April, but here is my grand summary update of all my goals. The goals were easily typed, but rather hard to keep.

Let's start with my New Year's resolution of not eating out so much. I have to be honest, so here is the truth. I don't buy breakfast every morning anymore. I try to eat instant oatmeal (easy to make and pack in my purse on the way to work), but I still buy breakfast every once in a while - no more than twice a week and not every week. I don't buy lunch everyday anymore either. I sometimes bring a frozen dinner or use a survey coupon that gets me a free burrito or sandwich. I buy lunch about 2 or 3 times a week now. As you can see, I haven't stopped this habit completely, but I have calmed it down quite a bit.

Now on to talk about my pesky laundry issues. My husband and I have started washing small loads of clothes about 4 times a week. The smaller loads are easier and quicker to wash, dry, and put in the closets. So I guess you can say that this once annoying house chore has gotten more manageable. My dream would be to hire someone to specifically take care of my laundry or to take all of my laundry to a drop off Laundromat, but that wouldn't be a very smart budgetary move because I would be spending money on a service that I can do for free. Hey, there's no shame in dreaming, right?!

How are your resolutions and/or SMART goals coming along?

For all those Kodak Moments…

Leslie Howard — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 08:00:00 -0400

Being the mother of a 2 year old, I find myself carrying my digital camera around as much as I do my cell phone. Seems like every day there is something funny or memorable to take a picture of. My husband and I have pretty busy schedules, so we don’t always have time to go get our pictures developed to send to family and friends, but we have found snapfish to be very convenient and economical.

It’s easy to load pictures, email albums, and even order prints online and have them mailed to our house. One feature that I really like, is that I can order prints online and have them sent directly to family and friends. I also like the cute borders I can add to photos and the adorable holiday picture cards I can create online.

Another fun and free way to share photos is flickr. South Carolina Federal Credit Union has found this social media tool to be quite convenient in sharing credit union pictures with our membership. Check out our flickr account and see all the cool things we have been up to!

What photo sharing tools do you like to use?