Tag Archives: seasonal

Using the Holidays to Teach Your Kids About Money

When fall hits, that means that the holidays are approaching. During these special occasions, kids are exposed to a different setting where they get gifts, large meals, cards, and more. That’s why Timberwood Bank believes that this time of the year is a great opportunity to teach your children about money. Below are a few ideas on how to incorporate your children into the holiday financial mix!

Identify the costs of the holiday season.
Gifts are a big cost, and children never realize how much it adds up. By putting a monetary limit on the gifts each child and family member gets, your kids we be able to see the value of each gift. Wrapping paper and gift bags are also a cost you need to identify to your child along with the supplies needed such as tape and tissue paper. Cards and letters to family members can add up too, especially if you’re using postage. By allowing your child to understand that the cards they receive and send actually cost money, they will appreciate them more and try to find a way to save, possibly by making their own. Finally, the meals made for each holiday add up quite a bit, so this is another helpful way to teach your child about finances.

Limit gift giving outside of immediate family with homemade gifts.
This is another way you can cut costs if you have people outside of your immediate family you’d like to give gifts to. Ideas for these easy and efficient gifts include:
• Cookies
• Cake in a mug or other mug mixes
• Spice rubs
• Trail mixes
• Brownies
• Tea & hot chocolate

The ingredients for these gifts can all be bought in bulk, making them inexpensive options.

Take your children shopping with you.
When you bring your child with you shopping, tell them what the budget is. Then, let them look for items that are on sale or have special deals.

Use your receipts to create a tally of your expenses.
Not only does this help you keep track of what you’ve spent, but it also shows your kids how small costs can add up over time.

Teaching your children the value of money will help them grow to be financially responsible. So when you go to get groceries for a holiday dinner or gifts for a family member, have your child be involved in the process. You can also set up a savings account with Timberwood Bank to teach your kids the value of saving!

How to Start a Garden without Splurging

Save Money

Sunshine, flowering blooms, and the smell of something new, planting season is the perfect time to enjoy the outdoors and begin planting your summer garden. If you’re like most hobbyists, you find your plants each year at area greenhouses and nurseries searching for that perfect pop of color.  This year, Timberwood Bank challenges you to try something different and save both time and money with these helpful gardening savings hacks:

Start from Seed: Instead of purchasing six packs of blooms, enjoy entire plots of flowers at only a fraction of the cost. A packet of mixed annual seeds may run three to four dollars and can fill an entire garden with colorful and productive plants for years to come. For some varieties, you’ll want to start them indoor using seedling pots and potting soil. After a few weeks, they’ll be ready to transplant outdoors!

Direct Sow: For some heartier varieties of plants, you can skip the indoor growing and head straight to the outdoors. These cold-tolerant flowers grow best without the shock of transplant. Some great examples are sunflowers, zinnias, cosmos, and nasturtiums. If you’re planning on using any of your flowers for indoor arrangements, be sure to plan to direct sow succession plantings as well.

Make Your Own Compost: Natural fertilizer is composed of decomposing organic matter. Avoid paying the high cost of produced compost and create an outdoor container for all your table scraps throughout the season. Allow them to deteriorate along with grass clippings and other yard waste to make a nitrogen-rich supplement to aid your garden’s growth. This added nutrition will help your plants blossom and produce more flowers throughout the year.

Save Your Seeds: To further save on costs, learn how to collect your garden’s own seeds. After harvesting several plants, collect and dry their seeds to use for planting next year. You can save them in handmade envelopes and categorize them to easily find them each year. Typically seeds that are properly dried can be successfully planted for up to three years.

What are you waiting for? Get out there and start gardening! If you have a true passion for gardening and are looking to start a small business or make some renovations to your outdoor area, our experienced team can lend a hand. We’d love to hear your next gardening goal and discover how we can help you achieve it.

Teaching Your Children the Meaning of Giving

Seasonal Giving

The holiday season is all about giving. Whether it’s through time, labor, or funds, philanthropy is the spirit of the season. This December, help your little one’s understand the power of giving with these four lessons, courtesy of Timberwood Bank:

  1. Help Yourself by Helping Others

Did you know that every time you participate in “gift-giving behaviors,” your body releases positive chemicals in the brain? Referred to as a “Helper’s high,” these chemicals are released into the body while participating perceived good deeds. The release of dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin is the body’s way of physically boosting your spirits during these activities.  While helping others has great benefits for the recipients, one of the most impactful things you can do to boost your mood, is to lend a hand!

  1. The Gift of Time is the Most Precious

Throughout the winter months, try offering a gift more precious than presents, by helping a neighbor in need. Whether it’s shoveling the walkway or blowing snow from the driveway, these gestures can make a world of difference. If you know of a family struggling during the holidays, offer to bring home cooked meals to help them along the way. Sometimes we overlook the kindness in a small act, so this season, see what you can do instead of what you can give.

  1. Financial Education is Key

To better understand how much to give, you first need to understand how much you have. If you give your child a weekly allowance, create three jars for them to store it in. One marked save, one marked spend, the last marked give. (You can practice this same exercise using envelopes for your monthly budget.) Each “payday,” you and your child can deposit the amount you would like in each. Be sure to let your little one know that the save and give categories allow them to continually accumulate funds for bigger items, but the spend category is specifically to use that week. At the end of a month see where you both stand. If there are funds for the save and give jars, help them choose a great organization or purchase to make it worthwhile.

Sharing the love of giving with your child is the perfect way to teach them about many life lessons, including finances! For everything from balancing a budget, to automating savings, there are many financial lessons that can prepare you to give more. If you’d like to grow your giving potential, stop in today and we’ll help you make it happen!

 

Which Subscription Service is Worth Your Money?

Holiday Gifts

The concept of subscription packages aren’t going away anytime soon! Offering the convenience of shipping, and the added surprise of finding out what’s inside, these clever subscription services keep you wanting more. With so many to choose from, how do you know which box is a worthwhile spend for your family? At Timberwood Bank, we’re excited to share our favorite options, and how they can help improve your budget:

Blue Apron: Out of all the make your own meal plans, this one by far stands apart! With plans as low as $8.74 per serving, these step-by-step culinary creations can not only help you eat better, but spend better as well! Reduce wasted money and food with their pre-portioned delivery system – and shipping is always free!

Bark Box: For all your furry friends, this box will have them waiting for the mailman every month! At $20 a month for a year long subscription, these fun-filled packages are stocked with nutritious treats and toys for your pup to enjoy. Check out their BarkShop page too, and see if your dog is a fit perfect for their Destroyer’s Club!

Dollar Shave Club: This popular grooming subscription is the perfect fit for men and women seeking a smooth shave. With options starting as low as $3 a month, this offer makes it simple to always have a fresh blade when you need one. If you do choose to upgrade, your product ships for free! Give it a try for a month, and adjust your shipments as needed, depending on how quickly you use the razors.

Birchbox: A traveling beauty bar for both men and women, this monthly subscription provides samples straight to your door for $10-20 each month. Complete with added membership pricing, and special offers, these little boxes pack a punch! If you discover products you simply cannot live without, simply go to their website, and select the full size version to purchase.

Raw Spice Bar: Eager cooks unite behind this affordable and delicious small batch spice subscription. Each month, they send professional and home cooks alike a mix of three regional spice blends. See how much you can grow your palette for only $8 a month!

Graze: Staying healthy can sometimes feel like a chore, especially while you’re working. Take the struggle out of hunting down those nutritious nibbles, and let graze do the shopping for you. For the low cost of $11.99 a month, you will receive 8 pre chosen snacks delivered straight to your home or office, and shipping is already included!

Gamefly: Video game addicts rejoice! Finally, there is a monthly subscription that allows you to play video games and rent movies at a low monthly cost! Starting at $15.95 you can rent one game each month with the option to return it at any time for a new game to rent. There are no late fees, and you can cancel at any time! Or for only $10 a month, you can live stream games straight to your home, 24/7!

Texture: No more magazine racks to clutter up your home, get the newest and latest news straight on your device with Texture’s digital monthly subscription. Offering the hottest magazines in every industry, this convenient service allows you to read the latest issue without the clutter of pages.

LootCrate: Allow your inner geek to celebrate for these gamer and movie centric crates! At a bargain of only $13.95 a month plus shipping and handling, these bountiful boxes offer one wearable item, a t-shirt, vinyl figure, comic book, household item, and utility item in every shipment! What are you waiting for? Sign up today.

Tasting Room: Nothing says relaxation like a satisfying glass of wine. Enjoy a bottle of your favorite flavors each month, through this interactive monthly tasting subscription. After the initial $9.95 tasting assessment of six personal-sized bottles, users are able to order wines to fit their personal tastes for approximately $15 a bottle.

Whichever box has begun to peak your interest, be sure to evaluate your family’s monthly budget to determine if it’s the perfect match for you.

Community Banking: Why It’s a Wonderful Life

Community Banking

As the seasons begin to change, and the holidays approach, our team at Timberwood Bank would like to share all the wonderful reasons we are grateful to be a community bank. Just like Mr. George Bailey, in the classic tale, It’s a Wonderful Life, we have found countless people and experiences that make our bank lucky to consider this community home:

It’s all About the People: Unlike the big banks of America, our small and locally-owned operation prides itself on putting our people first, making the success of our customers the bank’s number one priority. Just like the old Building and Loan, Timberwood Bank strives to help our customers make their home ownership dreams become a reality.

Growth Engine for Small Business: We succeed when you succeed. Just as George Bailey invested funds in Mr. Martini’s home and business, Timberwood Bank is here to offer advice and financing on your next home or commercial project. We want to help you and our hometown community grow, just like Bedford Falls.

Built on Long Lasting Relationships: The movie’s guardian Clarence, was a very wise man saying, “No man is a failure who has friends.” At Timberwood Bank we pride ourselves on not only helping our customers with their finances, but also building relationships with them as well. If you have a question on how to budget, which retirement plans to look at, or other money management inquiries, consider us your friendly neighborhood adviser!

Community Backed: Instead of being underwritten by Mr. Potter, or other national big banks, our institution is built directly upon the needs and wants of our community’s citizens. With no higher ups attempting to monopolize the town, our dedicated team of officers works to build up the community, and the men and women who call it home.

Employees Local Citizens: Just like George and Uncle Billy, Timberwood Bank is filled with fun and lovable characters. We take great pride in employing local citizens throughout our company, and helping them grow within the banking industry. If you’re looking for a new career, stop in and see if Timberwood Bank is right for you!

Get to know all of us at Timberwood Bank and discover how community banking can help you achieve a wonderful life. For everything from personal financing, to commercial lending, we have the perfect solution for you. Get started today and share your next financial goal with us, we’ll help you shoot for the moon!