Love this App!

We've long been aware of the awesomeness of mint.com, but it has come to our attention that they've stepped it up a notch over there, bringing that sweet mintyness to your smart phone-- for free!

This is honestly one of the most useful apps I've ever come across. I won't lie, I hate doing budgets, and I'm not all that great at following them. Things somehow always appear different on paper than they do in reality.
"What!? My new appreciation for iced tea and pilates are adding up to an extra $200/month being spent?? Two concerts and the gas money to get to them actually mean $175 out of my pocket? Can I still make rent??"
Where does it all go?!
This app can tell you.
Link the Mint app to your Extra Credit Union account and credit cards, set your personal finance goals and commitments, and watch it track your progress. Find out immediately if you are dipping into the red in any category-- too much money being spent on clothes or groceries or entertainment-- and take the steps to correct it before it becomes a problem.
There are graphs and colors; there are goals and achievements; there is technology here to help you Rule your money!
Rich Minty Goodness. So easy, yet so useful.

Get a job, sur! (or gal!)

Has it been properly emphasized to you what a difference it makes to start working while you're still in school? I'm not talking driving yourself crazy with no free time, nor putting emphasis on a job over school (school first! always!) but studies have actually shown that students who work maintain a higher GPA on average, not to mention all the other benefits.

Building a resume
The benefit here is two-fold. Not only will work experience help you find out what you do and don't like in a job, and what your workplace strengths and weaknesses are, but it will help you get another job, and another. If you want to get to the top of a ladder you've got to take steps up right? One at a time, maybe two if you're daring. Joining the workforce early shows initiative and ability to do more at a younger age. If you've got a couple jobs behind you by the time you graduate, your options will be much better.

Saving and valuing money
It really is different when it's YOURS. You might hesitate to spend $50 in a single Amazon.com sitting if you can mentally translate that money into a span of time spent working for it. Having a job means having an income, obviously, which means more to both save and spend-- hopefully in the right proportions. This is a phenomenal lesson to learn early, because life really does get complicated as you get older. Bills to pay, taxes to cover, cars to fill up, loans to pay back. If you have a solid relationship with money early on, and learn to respect it before you have to learn the hard way, you'll save yourself a lot of grief.

Think about what you like doing and find a way to do it for money. I recall babysitting being one of the greatest jobs ever because I love kids anyway and the pay is pretty solid.
Start a business or join one. Start thinking about what you're good at. Start feeling what it's like to earn money. But do so in reasonable amounts, and with your priorities in check.

Fly me to the moon...

It's finally happening! Space tourism!!
Yes, Virgin Galactic is currently taking reservations for suborbital trips to space!

Though likely still out of most of our reach (at $200,000/ticket, your Savosaurus Savings Account would have to be working some serious magic), the "rich people" are actually doing us a service by spending such a ridiculous amount of money for such a fleeting (but awesome!) experience.

This opportunity is being seen as an important gateway into a time when the earth doesn't necessarily bound us in terms of "commoner" exploration. The privatization of space travel systems is the first step in a fundamental shift in how we view space exploration; you don't have to become an astronaut to get to know the universe above us. Amazing.

"This is a big deal, and the American people should be excited about it," said Charles Miller, NASA's senior adviser for commercial space. "If you get the Steve Jobs and Bill Gates and Sergey Brins of American entrepreneurs working on space travel for the American people in partnership with the U.S. government, that's a good thing, which is why it was done."

We know the rules of supply and demand: If more tickets are purchased, ticket prices will go down. This can snowball so that one day you could feasibly choose a trip to space instead of a trip to Europe. Think about it-- if this becomes commonplace... what's next? Mind spinning, huh?

Start saving!

What do you *really* need?

I watched a documentary called No Impact Man the other day and it really got my wheels turning. The film followed a Manhattan family for a year as they shed every environmentally detrimental habit they possibly could.
They started by shopping strictly at farmers markets, bringing their own cloth bags to carry the produce home. They rode bikes to work and took the stairs when they got there, washed clothes in their bathtub using cheap, basic cleaning agents, quit eating out and buying coffee, and even eventually lived without electricity.
Many people have argued that No Impact Man was simply a publicity ploy that would be impossible for the general public to really accomplish, but I don't think full compliance was the aim. It is fascinating to watch these people give up all these creature comforts that we really believe we NEED, and to see the result it had on their overall happiness and wellbeing. Though it was clearly not an easy year for the family, it was most definitely beneficial-- the adult couple naturally lost weight, reversed diabetes, conquered bad habits and generally adapted a brighter more connected world view. And they saved a huge amount of money while they were at it.
Why do I bring this up? Because we live in an age where money is tight and the environment is in trouble. These two facts are not mutually exclusive. Re-evaluating the way that we live need not be a sad or scary practice. Life is ever-changing, and it is those who are able to adapt and evolve in response to this change who truly consistently flourish.
I've challenged myself to see what I can (and cannot!) live without, and I've found that any gaps created in this process are quickly filled with more fulfilling alternatives. It may take more work or seem difficult at first, but I promise you it is worth it.
Find your local farmers markets and take pride in choosing fresh, local, healthy produce for your family (you'll even need to buy less because organic produce is higher in nutrients!)
Get a cool glass bottle to refill with water.
Walk to the store instead of driving, and enjoy the fresh air and improved cardiovascular conditioning in the process.
Go to a park instead of the mall.
No, this won't be boring. Living outside the box is, in fact, far more interesting than the alternative. Just ask No Impact Man!

Check this guy out!

The new $100 bill has been unveiled and it's positively locked down with security features including a portrait watermark, a security thread, raised printing, and a 3D security band.
Watch the video at the New Money web site for high grade C-note dramatics. Currency is certainly staying hip to the times!

Welcome to CrazyCash Week!!!

The amount of money we're giving away: Ridiculous!
The events: Fun for all ages!
The purpose: Youth financial literacy!!!

Go to www.extracreditunion.org/moneysmartweek for a full list of events

Common ways we waste money...

• Gambling. When you spend $20 in 5 seconds with nothing to show for it, you do not look cool.
  
• Shopping hungry. Everything looks delicious and necessary. Do you really need zebra cakes and caviar? Didn’t think so.
• Buying books, audio books, music, and movies. Go to the library, ya goof! It’s all free!
• Buying more food than you need, shoving it to the back of the refrigerator and never using it. Food is expensive! Do as the Europeans do and shop more frequently. You’ll get fresher items and you’ll be sure to use them.
• Ignoring special offers and coupons. I used to think coupons were time consuming and nerdy. Be that as it may, you can save a BUNDLE by doing a little clipping. Worth it.
• Not paying off the balance of your credit card in full each month. I once had a 28% interest credit card with a consistent balance. Retrospectively, it makes me hate myself.
• Not reading contracts. The fine print often includes a bold amount of fees and conditions. Know what you’re getting into before you sign. Legal binding can cause quite a rash.
• Having more cash on-hand than you need. You don’t need to have a reason; that $50 wants to get SPENT!
• Impulse buys. The volume of ugly/poorly fitting clothes I’ve donated with tags still on is shameful.
• Paying bills late. Between the late fees and the interest hikes, there’s no way this is worth it. Set up online bill pay and pay attention to reality.
• Not comparing prices. I once bought a TV and saw it for $300 less the next day. Did I return it? Course not! That thing is heavy!
• Buying refreshments at the movies. $18 for 2 Cokes and a medium popcorn? Are you freakin’ kidding? Use that money to buy a bigger purse or some cargo pants.
• Impulse buys on iTunes. Instant gratification, yes, but the bill will come eventually!
• Not taking advantage of your company’s 401k match. Do you really NOT want free money? Seriously.
• Buying memberships you won’t consistently use. If you’re seriously committed to working out, get a gym membership; if you’ve had 8 diets and 3 workouts in the past year, consider starting with daily outdoor walks and gym day-passes until your routine is set.
• Smoking. A pack a day adds up to $2,000/year. Plus you’re killing yourself. Stop that.
• Looking at your coffee machine at home, ignoring it, and spending $5 on a frothy café rip-off instead. You can make delicious, lower fat, lower sugar concoctions at home and it’ll almost always cost you less than $1.
• Throwing away leftovers. I don’t know why you’d do this. Leftovers are (generally) delicious, free, and… well… there. What’s the issue?
• Buying bottled water. Oh yeah? You’re too good for the tap? Get a filter! Too good for a filter?? Well then you can apologize to the environment personally. I want no part in it.
• Buying high-octane gas. Modern computer-controlled cars will alter ignition and timing profiles to allow the use of low-grade gas. Let them do their thing!!
• Getting traffic tickets! Just abide the law, dude. It’s way cheaper and you won’t endanger yourself, young children, the elderly, and small woodland creatures. All good things.
• Not looking into questionable charges or bills. Identity theft is unpleasant, but the sooner you deal with it, the better the outcome. Same concept as just about every other difficult thing in life.
• Not turning off the lights or appliances. Another one that is good for your savings account as well as the environment. Life isn’t jam-packed with win-win situations. When you find them, take them.