Happy Halloween! I plan to dress up, gorge on candy and avoid scary television at all costs today. Horror movies are the worst – I can’t even watch Halloween commercials without getting the heeby-jeebies! Everything makes me feel like creepers are stalking me, waiting to attack. I’d rather marathon watch Tinkerbell movies with my baby girl… which is just what we’re doing right now. 

Last week, in honor of International Credit Union Day on October 16, CU1 took part in a particularly heartwarming “Pay It Forward” memory. One of our Senior VPs was visiting the Northwest Credit Union Association, and these folks in Washington State decided to donate $114 (as part of their very own Pay It Forward program) for Credit Union 1 to give to someone in need. This dollar amount is significant, because it represents how much the average credit union member saves by doing business with a CU versus a bank!

Everybody has a weak spot when it comes to managing their money. For me, it’s my husband. Despite the warning bells that sound when he suggests a budget-busting purchase, I more often than not say YEAH! LET’S DO IT! And that’s just not fair, for a number of reasons. For one, I manage the money at our house, so I’m the one with a clear idea of what we can and should spend. With all the work I put into paying bills on time and planning for the future, I need to be iron-willed in the face of splurge-spending. But I’m not. Argh.

“Local service. Global good.” That’s the theme of this year’s International Credit Union Day! With ICU Day coming up next week (Thursday, October 16), I’ve been giving this year’s tagline some serious thought. Each time you visit your Alaskan credit union, you receive local service! That’s not as simple as it seems, in a time when calling some companies means service from someone in a place you’ve never seen. Each and every credit union employee who helps you is familiar with your local community. They’re able to help you on a much more personal level, because when they go home at night, they shop at the same stores, read the same newspaper and enjoy the same local activities that you do!

It’s a chilly fall day, and today I’ll be making soup. With yesterday being PFD day, I suppose I should be splurging on lobster and steak meals this week – but instead I decided to be over-the-top responsible with this year’s dividend. My hubby and I put every last penny toward paying down various loans. Was this a fun way to spend our PFDs? No. Do I feel pretty good about it today? Not really. But when it comes time to pay monthly bills and I have a few less on the table, that’s when I expect to feel ECSTATIC!

My hubby’s birthday is coming up next week, and HURRAH! He’s turning the same age as me again. There are an uncomfortable couple of months between our birthdays, where I’m technically “older” than him. He likes to remind me of this detail throughout said months – but on Tuesday when the clock strikes BIRTHDAY, all will be right with the world again. I’m excited for this reason and many more (like cake).

So, you’re dying to know what I got him, right?

Happy International “Talk Like a Pirate” Day, CU1’ers! We’re taking this day quite seriously at my house, watching pirate cartoons with our pirate hats on. As for talking like pirates, that’s all in a day’s work for my three year old. He finds spare change on my dresser and asks to keep the “gold doubloonies.” When we go shopping, he tries to take his treasure chest. He’s a pint-sized pirate, if ever I’ve met one!

Historically, I guess you’d say pirates have questionable morals. But from a financial fitness perspective, they weren’t doing too shabby. Pirates love to save their (ill-begotten) treasure! Find treasure, save treasure, be an awesome pirate.  Easy as pie.

Yesterday I opened my fridge to prep dinner, and we had no food. I mean, there were fruits and vegetables, hamburger, cheeses, etc. in sight – and we had pasta, canned goods and more in the cupboard. But nothing to eat! Know what I mean?

I’m often blind to the wealth around me. I regret not having cash to blow on sports cars and tropical vacations. I wish my house was a bit bigger and maybe had bowling lanes. I can’t find anything I want for dinner, when there is food everywhere.

To help me gain some focus, I made a list today of every monthly payment I make. This includes everything from my car and student loans to medical bills and utilities. If I fork out cash for it, it’s on this list. Next, I assigned the interest rate I pay to each item. Last, I rearranged my list according to interest rate, from highest to lowest. For example, my medical bills and utilities don’t charge interest, so they’re at the very bottom. My credit card is at the top, as it’s my priciest debt.