Tis the Season - the Bells are Ringing!!

I heard (and saw) my first Red Kettle ringer yesterday at Festival.  Tis the season for the red kettle’s to come out and start raising money for the less fortunate families in our area.

In 1891, Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee started the first kettle in San Francisco.  He was able to raise enough money to feed many needy families in that area.  Today in the U.S., The Salvation Army assists more than four and a half million people during the Thanksgiving and Christmas time periods. 

The Red Kettle Kickoff is just the beginning of an exciting Christmas season for The Salvation Army. In addition to the more than 25,000 Red Kettles located in storefronts and on street corners nationwide, there will be other ways for the public to get involved. 

For you mobile people out there, text the word “KETTLE” to 80888 and reply “YES” to donate $10.00.

You can also go to the website www.ringbells.org to sign up to ring bells at area businesses.  The Salvation Army has a list of businesses in the Green Bay, DePere, Howard-Suamico areas to choose from, starting with 2 hour periods of bell ringing.

I know everyone is busy during the holiday season, but it’s something the whole family can do together.  Plus, think about how good it would make you feel to know that you have helped out with this great cause!

Posted by: Karen S.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from everyone at HCCU! Here are some fun tidbits about Thanksgiving that you may not know....

• The first Thanksgiving was held in the autumn of 1621.
• Thanksgiving is always the fourth Thursday in November.
•  Turkey was not on the menu at the first Thanksgiving.
• The average weight of turkeys purchased for Thanksgiving is 15 pounds. Seventy percent white meat and thirty percent dark meat.
• According to the National Turkey Federation, 88% of Americans surveyed eat turkey on Thanksgiving.
• The heaviest turkey on record weighs 86 pounds.
• Female turkeys (called hens) do not gobble. Only male turkeys goggle.
• Wild turkeys can run 20 miles per hour when they are scared.
• A turkey under sixteen weeks of age is called a fryer, while a young roaster is five to seven months old.
• Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird, not the eagle.
• Each year, the president of  the U.S. pardons a turkey and spares it from being eaten for Thanksgiving dinner. The first one started in 1947 with President Truman.
• The NFL started the Thanksgiving Classic games in 1920 and since then the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys have hosted games on Turkey Day.  In 2006, a third game was added with different teams hosting.
• The first Turkey Trot was run in 1896 in Buffalo, New York.
• The Dallas Turkey Trot is the largest Thanksgiving race in the United States.
• Turkey Bowling is an event that takes place annually in Cincinnati’s Fountain Square ice skating rink. Contestants use a frozen turkey to knock down pins by sliding it across the ice.
• Thanksgiving is the reason for TV dinners. In 1953 Swanson had so much extra turkey (260 tons) that a salesman told them they should package it onto aluminum trays with other sides like sweet potatoes - - and the first TV dinner was born!
• The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade began in 1924. No large balloons were at this parade, only live animals from Central Park Zoo.
• Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving in the United States, where it is the beginning of the traditional Christmas shopping season.

So on the fourth Thursday in November, families across the U.S. gather to feast on turkey, watch football and gear up for Christmas by looking for Santa at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and looking at  the store ads for Black Friday Shopping  in the local newspaper.

                                                                                                                 

The 52 Week Savings Challenge!

So, it’s the time of year where we are all about spending money, whether it’s for gifts, visits to family, donations to charity, or for the fantastic meals that you’ve been dreaming about all year. It seems that everything around you is telling you to buy, buy, buy, so it may seem like a weird time to talk about saving your money, but we all have to start somewhere!

About a year ago, I found a cool savings challenge that I wanted to try. I’ve struggled for years to save enough money so that I would have a comfortable margin for error- if my car broke down, if an unexpected bill hit, etc- but nothing seemed to motivate me enough to actually start saving. Sure, when the problem was right in front of me, I would say that tomorrow I would start, but tomorrow is always just a little too late to help. The challenge I found seemed relatively easy, and since it was basically a competition, I was going to WIN.

For each week of the year, you put aside another dollar. So, the first week is one dollar, the second is two dollars, the third is three, etc. The most you ever have to do is $52, and that’s at the end of the challenge. By then, you’ve seen your money growing, and feel a sense of real pride. At the end of the year, you have an additional $1378!

If you started the challenge right now, this week, you would have enough saved next year to have a spectacular Christmas season, or perhaps something put aside to start paying for that new car, because the old one just keeps breaking. It’s also rather convenient to have a small fund to “borrow” from, something I’ve done at least three times this year. If I hadn’t been challenging myself, I wouldn’t have had enough to get my car repaired when the brakes went out, I wouldn’t have been able to purchase a new laptop when the old one refused to turn back on, and I wouldn’t have been able to pay my rent one month when the money from a paycheck was going to be a week later than I had anticipated.

And because I’m addicted to a challenge, I have two going on at the same time, about two months apart. When this is all done, I’ll have almost $3000 saved in just over a year, and that’s something I haven’t ever done before. It’s enough to replace the car that keeps breaking, or take a little vacation, or perhaps to save for another rainy day. I do know that I’ll be doing this again next year, and maybe this time I’ll put it in an Add-On CD, so that I won’t be able to touch it unless there’s an emergency. Maybe that will encourage some better fiscal planning on my part. This challenge certainly has. 

Post by: Liz R

Preparing for Your Holiday Road Trip

As the holidays approach, so does the time for road trips. Whether you’re only traveling an hour or two up north, or across state lines, it is important to be prepared for your winter road trip. I will be traveling across Wisconsin and visiting family in three different cities, all about 50 +/- miles from each other. I do this every year, and each year I prepare so that the only thing that I have to worry about is whether or not I’ll be able to eat all the lovely holiday food! Each person will have different priorities when it comes to their road trips, but here are a few suggestions from me.

                                     

First, you won’t get to your destination without a working vehicle of some sort. I highly suggest that, prior to any road trips, that you take your car to a trusted mechanic. It is important that your tires, brakes, and fluids are in good shape for the long trek ahead. Your vehicle is about to run a marathon and your mechanic’s check and fixes are its training. You wouldn’t run a marathon without training, right?

                                      

It is also important to have a safety kit in your trunk, including a first aid kit and basic tools for repair. Be sure to include winter items like blankets and shovel, as well as some cat litter, which will provide traction in case you are stuck. There is a link at the bottom of this post to an article by Consumer Reports that lists suggested safety kit items. Lastly, make sure your cell phone is fully charged before leaving. Please, please do not use it while driving—wait until you are stopped somewhere or are in an emergency situation.

                                      

Even if you know where you are headed, it is important to map your drive. Be sure to check the weather for the locations you will drive to and through, and be sure to check where there might be construction projects on your drive. There is a link at the bottom of this post to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation website, where you can find the work zones in various regions of the state.

                                     

Now that you have taken care of your car and your safety in it, it’s time to take care of you. As with any trip, make a packing list and double checking that you have packed everything that you need. In order to check that I have all I need, I often visualize a full day and what I use, pointing at the items in my suitcase as I go. It might sound a little silly, but that’s often how I remember to pack my toothbrush or some extra socks! Now that you have your clothes and other items packed, be sure to pack snacks and entertainment, these are especially important for those extended trips.

                                      

These are just a few suggestions, and I hope they help. Being prepared can take some take away some of that holiday stress and allow you to enjoy spending time with family and friends. From every employee at Horizon Community Credit Union, we wish you the happiest and safest of holidays!

Safety Kit Suggestions:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012/03/roadside-emergency-kit-what-to-carry-with-you/index.htm

WI DOT Work

http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/travel/road/workzones.htm

Posted by: Breanna B.