Emma Banes (00:00):

Welcome to another episode of the Live Better Podcast, brought to you by Centric Federal Credit Union. I’m your host and Centric’s Social Media Coordinator, Emma Banes, and today we’re diving into a topic that affects us all. Inflation. Inflation might sound like a complicated term, but it’s something that touches every aspect of our lives. From the prices of groceries to the cost of housing and healthcare, it impacts our financial well-being in profound ways. As always, our goal is to empower you with knowledge and strategies to live better financially and beyond. So whether you’re a longtime listener or joining us for the first time, get ready to explore what inflation is, how it affects our community, and most importantly, how we can navigate it together. So I want to welcome all of our listeners to another episode of the Live Better podcast. Today we are joined by Kelli Green, who is Centric’s, SVP of Marketing to talk about inflation, which is just all the rage right now. Before we get started, do you mind telling our listeners just a little bit about who you are and what you do here?

Kelli Green (01:03):

Sure, sure. So I’m Kelli Green, and I have been here for, oh gosh, a over 11 years at Centric, but about 16, 17 years in finance. And I have the privilege of working with our marketing and business development teams, really representing the brand and ensuring that we understand what our members desire and need and communicating plans and campaigns to help them, the message really reach them so that they know what’s available to them. So that’s really in a nutshell of what we all do.

Emma Banes (01:36):

Yeah, awesome. Fun stuff. So let’s just jump right into it.

Kelli Green (01:41):

Let’s do it.

Emma Banes (01:42):

What exactly is inflation? Why is it important for our listeners to know about it?

Kelli Green (01:48):

Yeah, well, I think we all feel inflation, right? It is a feeling, it’s something that we certainly feel, but I actually grabbed this. I wanted to know what the true definition, because we can all say, oh, well I feel it at the grocery store. I feel it at the gas pumps, but what is inflation? So to kind of give us an idea, it’s really a general increase in prices and the overall fall and the value of money. So we may feel it meaning that a gallon of milk, the cost of that has increased. So when we see these staple items that have increasing our budget, that might keep us from being able to have big lavish meals or we have to reduce our grocery budget. And so when you think about that, inflation is something that impacts all of us. But I’m here to share with you that there are some really neat things that we can maybe see inflation as we know it’s here. We know it’s happening, but what are some things that we can do to ensure that we’re financially sound?

(02:49):

So we’re going to talk about that.

Emma Banes (02:50):

Good.

Kelli Green (02:51):

I think that’ll be really helpful. It’ll help make us all feel a little bit better with it because we’re doing more with less in every aspect. But I think sometimes that means that we have to say no or push back from things that we would typically do.

Emma Banes (03:08):

And it’s so hard to do that. And I guess especially the western culture where excess is everything and it’s hard for us to cut back when we’re used to such whatever level of lifestyle that we live. It can be really difficult to go backwards from that. And I think we’re all just having to do it.

Kelli Green (03:29):

And when you talk about our culture and you compare that to others, you think about the rise of social media and influencers. And when you think about that people are inundated day in and day out with marketing messages, buy this, do this, do that. I’ve laughed a few times where my friends say they have to hide their Amazon packages or all these types of things, but I think it’s so important right now, especially with inflation that is occurring. What are some things that we could potentially do instead of spending that money? Maybe those, oh gosh, we see this really cool new decoration as you’re going into maybe different holiday seasons or gifts and things of that nature that you want to purchase. Homecoming was a really big expense that a lot of our families are experiencing. So what are some things that you can do about that?

(04:19):

Well, think of it in this regard right now, might not be the best time to buy a large purchase because that the long rates and things are a little more inflated. But there are some times that if you have to buy a vehicle or you think about it or you have to buy a home, you can refinance your home or your auto at a later time. If this home, and if this vehicle is an absolute necessity, well then you’ve got to make that purchase, but still be mindful of it. You want to buy the brand new car? Well, you got to weigh that. You need to understand what does that look like for you? Is the used car something that is just as maybe high quality as something that you’re buying brand new? You just really to take that into consideration.

(05:06):

But I think something to really point out is thinking of maybe saying no to those purchases as of current and whatever expense that you think that you were going to put that towards, whether that’s that additional monthly expense or say you want to just go and make this little, your increase in your grocery budget or whatever that might be. If it’s just a few dollars, put that away every single month into a high yield savings account. What I mean by that is we have what we call our save better checking account and then our save Better savings account. Those two paired together, we’re paying nine times the national average. So that’s just for using your account,

(05:47):

Would. So I would just encourage people to really think about, definitely say, is this really something that I need otherwise go ahead and stockpile savings, because I would be shocked if we have these same interest rates as far as earnings on savings accounts and so forth, checking accounts. I would be shocked if we see these high yield earnings over the next, say two and three years. So get it while we getting as good.

Emma Banes (06:13):

Exactly. While you still can. Yeah.

Kelli Green (06:16):

And when you can see things like these high earnings on a checking account, it’s something you’re already using anyway, why not maximize on it? So ask if you’re not banking with us, or if your financial institution is not offering you something that’s a return on your checking account, I would encourage you to take a look into that because if you’re not earning something, you’re not getting your a t m fees refunded to you, that’s a problem. That’s an easy, you can throw that back into your savings every single month. And there’s just so many other additional ways in which you can reap rewards right now as opposed to just focusing on that expense. So

(06:56):

Savings is critical right now.

Emma Banes (06:57):

It is. Especially when every dollar counts right now.

Kelli Green (07:01):

Absolutely.

Emma Banes (07:01):

And that’s just the time that we’re all living in together. So we kind of touched on this about the way that inflation affects our day-to-day life, everyday expenses. And I just wanted to throw out there our grocery bill, which we have children, so they’re growing and they’re hungry, and our grocery bill now is several hundred dollars more every month than it used to be. I mean, we’re talking like a whole note on something.

Kelli Green (07:35):

That’s right.

Emma Banes (07:36):

And we are feeling it. It makes me sick to buy groceries.

Kelli Green (07:42):

And something I would caution because we had this experience, typically I don’t pay delivery services to have my groceries delivered to me. Now, I think that one thing we have to think about is the cost of time, right? Yes. That is a limitless commodity. Or really and truly we don’t know. I mean, I would say it, you don’t know how much time essentially that you have. Lemme say it that way, but it is worth it to you and you have it in your budget to get those delivery services, then go for it. If not, I would think you can save that cost and then just go and pick up your groceries on your way home. So it’s not any additional fee, right? No additional fee. And it’s still, if it’s in that same route for you to get from your place of employment to home, you’re not having any additional fuel costs that are associated with that.

(08:37):

So there’s a few things I would encourage. We just experienced going to the grocery store as a family this past weekend. We doubled our spend for a weekly, so we actually purchased our groceries on a weekly basis. Now, I would encourage you to think about that a little bit. Okay. So do you want to maybe buy in bulk and maybe go once a month? Can you kind of strip it down a little bit to say, okay, look, we’re going to go in and we’re going to clean out this pantry and we’re going to make sure we use everything every single week before we make a purchase or before we are making that grocery list. But one of the things I would caution you, we had a list, but when people get in that grocery store, the kids are like, oh my goodness. And my husband too, he was making different comments about things he wanted to cook. And I think, wow, that’s an experience for our family. We love to cook outdoors, but how is that going to impact your budget? So I know now that, okay, well, we doubled our weekly expense. So I know going into on the end of our week, I’ve got to now think about, okay, so now I’ve got to realize what do I have left to spend and really hold myself to that

(09:51):

Because it’s going to take away from something else. This overspend here is now going to take away from the spend I have for this coming week. So we may have three course meal. Well, now this coming week we may have a frozen pizza

(10:05):

Or we may have pair that up with a salad or something, but we may have something else that is a little different sandwiches, new tail on a tortilla kind of situation. You know what I mean? So it’s just things like that that we have to be really mindful of and hold ourselves accountable. That is what’s so critical. But if I could say as far as cautioning on purchases for different things like groceries and even afterschool snacks and things of that nature, something I have found is you want to get your kids included in these conversations. My kids are an allowance for different things that they do. What I found is when they would want to go after school and buy these different snacks, they didn’t. Whenever I would say, well, you have your own money, you’re welcome to use it. They don’t want to do that.

Emma Banes (10:48):

Well, that’s less fun.

Kelli Green (10:49):

That’s exactly

Emma Banes (10:50):

Spending your money.

Kelli Green (10:51):

So I get to thinking it’s like, okay, so we will do our grocery. I’ll go ahead and make my grocery order and just order my groceries. So you can do that at the local places in town, or you can do it at big box retailers. There are a lot of places that allow you to go and pick up your groceries now, so you’re not limited to a Walmart or Target situation. So in doing that, I also go ahead and think about what are those afterschool snacks that the kids are wanting and really trying to think about, okay, I know they may have afterschool activities, so you want to make sure it’s something that is nutritional, not just like packing ’em full, that. And so just really thinking about those kinds of things, but just controlling that spend through purchasing those groceries and stay out of the grocery store. I can,

Emma Banes (11:36):

I completely agree. It is. Well, for me, yeah, I’m better. I save money by paying the delivery fee.

Kelli Green (11:44):

Do you?

Emma Banes (11:45):

Yes.

Kelli Green (11:46):

So if you get your groceries delivered too?

Emma Banes (11:47):

I do. Because of the same reason you just said, I have a list and when I add it from my list to my car, I don’t see anything else I can buy.

(11:58):

I only buy what’s on my list.

Kelli Green (12:00):

Well, so I can do the very same thing, not through I order my groceries, but I actually physically go pick them up just because it’s on my route home.

(12:09):

But it’s something you have to think about the extra cost, because one of the things I was going to share with us as we’re talking, I’m thinking what are some things that even I’ve had to do when we’re talking about, I’m not an economist, I’m just a real life consumer mother wife who is attempting to continue to maintain my savings goals while still feeding my family. There are things that we’re having to say no to. This year is a year that we have really looked at the value of time and do we need to have our kids involved in each and every different activity? And that is something that it may be difficult to have a conversation with your kids about because it’s something they really enjoy, but where is our focus? And so when you think about that, if this expense that you’re doing for your child to participate in these activities, if this is causing you to be delayed or incur late payments on things like your utilities or your mortgage, you really want to think about that and something that’s so great. A lot of times we don’t realize where our money is going

Emma Banes (13:16):

Exactly

Kelli Green (13:17):

Until we look at our bank statements. But how often do people do that? Well, I don’t necessarily go pull a statement per se. I just go to MyCentric App.

(13:26):

Just take a look at where, okay, I’ve seen this is where we’re spending.

(13:31):

And so when you’re logging in, especially from your desktop, you can take a look and see, it really breaks down to you to say, this is where I’m spending my money. These are the expenses that I’m incurring. But you really have to think about and focus, some of the things that we have to consider is people, late fees that are occurring. Automatic payments are something that is so easy for you to set up. But when you’re thinking about those kind of things, how are you saving money and how has that benefiting your credit score? Right? Because we’re in inflation and you’re experiencing it right now, but let’s pray it’s not going to last forever, right?

(14:04):

And so what are some things we can do right now to help us prepare for what we’re going through, but also for what isn’t maybe to come? And so we have financial counselors, like nearly 60 financial counselors that it’s free to do a deep dive. We can build you a budget, we can retrieve a credit report for you and give you a copy of that and go over it with you. 15 minutes could change your entire financial trajectory. I am living proof of that. We did a financial counseling session with a Dave Ramsey certified counselor who is a partner of Centric here at Centric. Kelli Brantley is her name now, like I said that we have, she strictly follows the Dave Ramsey plan.

(14:46):

So we have our counselors who are certified through the National Credit Union Administration. So we go through just, we’ve had to take lessons on this. We’ve had to take classes. We were go through an exam to receive certification for it, but these are things that are available to people that are right there available to you. And that was the best thing that we ever did. Just taking that. All we had to take a look at was our credit report and looking at our bank statements each and every month knowing what we’re making, understanding where it’s going, and we were able to really name every dollar.

Emma Banes (15:26):

And I really can’t tell you one person in my life, including myself, who wouldn’t benefit from that. I mean, just why not?

Kelli Green (15:34):

It’s so great to do it. I mean, I think it’s something that you want to evaluate at least a couple of times here in the year, especially anytime a espouse or any income that you have coming into the family is either one increase or decrease for whatever reason. If an additional expense occurs, you really want to think about that. Or if you’re making a decision on maybe planning a vacation, a birthday party, attending birthday parties or events, think about that. Is this event going to, is this an additional expense? You really want to think about that. And a lot of times we want to play these vacations and do these different things for our families because we think, oh my gosh, how memorable that might be. But really and truly, it’s about that valuable time that you’re spending with them. They kids don’t care really. I mean, do they want to go to Disney and do all these kind of things? Sure. Okay. Maybe. But they care most about what they’re going to remember is that time they spent with you while they were there. It’s that moment that you’re creating with them, not necessarily how much money you’re spending. And that is something that’s a loss that’s lost on us a lot of times. I could say I’m guilty of that.

Emma Banes (16:43):

Well, I think too, one thing, this whole inflationary period has done or hopefully for most is just really forced you, me for sure to look at what’s going on financially and be a little more intentional and as horrible as it is, and it’s not fun, but it really has forced I think everyone to do that because now we don’t have a choice. Now we have to show some discipline.

Kelli Green (17:12):

Exactly.

Emma Banes (17:12):

And it just, it’s one of those things where obviously it’s not good, but I mean, I wasn’t doing that before.

Kelli Green (17:21):

Oh, yeah. And

Emma Banes (17:21):

Now it’s something I think about because I have to. So I mean that’s definitely, I think it’s forced a lot of people to be a little more intentional with their money, which that’s never a bad thing,

Kelli Green (17:32):

Right. Absolutely not.

Emma Banes (17:35):

So I know saving is important, but what do you think, and I mean our members and our listeners specifically our community, what can we do to protect ourselves from the negative of this inflation? What would you say to somebody who really may not have enough money to put much back?

Kelli Green (17:58):

Yeah. Well, I will tell you, it is not uncommon If you feel like you do not have, you have more month left of your paycheck, so you’ve got more month after your paycheck is gone, what are some things to think about? Well, at Centric, we pay you up to two days sooner through direct deposit. So I think that is critical. You definitely want to make sure you’re setting up your direct deposit. You want to know what that direct deposit is and when it hits your account. And I would definitely say this, I would assess everything in your household. I would look at every expense that you have, take a look at things that you’re not using. I would take a look at subscriptions that you have. If there is, for example, if your kids are involved in an activity and you’re just sitting there, say, waiting for them to finish the sport or whatever that might be, I actually know and have some friends of mine that have taken up DoorDash, they have taken up what you refer to as a gig or a side hustle. I’ve probably heard that a lot. And let me tell you, people are doing that more frequently than ever before. And if you’ve got a little bit of extra time in that regard, do that.

(19:11):

That’s a way that you can earn some additional income. Something else I would also think about is if you’re not using something, sell it. There are so many different ways in which that you can make extra money in that regard. Do you have a talent or a skill? There are so many kids that are needing tutoring. Is there a way that maybe you can do that through Zoom and you don’t even have to leave your home or just through pay job and just help kids in that regard? I think there are so many neat things that we can look at. Do you have something that you might be able to rent out to someone you think is this maybe someone who is a single mom trying to make ends meet, put dinner on the table and these sort of things? I would certainly say time may not necessarily be on your side. So what are some things that you might be able to do to think about, okay, if I don’t have the extra money right now to maybe stick things back or maybe build up a savings account? It should be the most important thing you should think about funding your savings account before you spend anything every month. Because here’s the thing, life is going to happen.

(20:23):

It’s just a matter of when not, but when it’s going to happen. And so you want to be able to be prepared for it. Because we’re not prepared for an expense like that. We typically pay more. And what I mean by that is if you could go and buy a spare tire, say that you’ve had a flat tire, what have you, versus having, you can pay cash for that versus having to finance it. It’s typically so much cheaper in that regard.

Emma Banes (20:49):

That’s true.

Kelli Green (20:49):

And I would encourage people to really think about their utility expenses. There are so many different things and resources that are out there for people. I would say take a look at your, reach out to your local government and talk to them and say, Hey, what are some resources that are out here that might be able to assist me through whether it might be utility costs, are there food pantries that I might be able to participate in? Does my family qualify for different food subsidies? There may be opportunities that are out there,

Emma Banes (21:23):

And I’m sure a lot of local churches too are also

Kelli Green (21:25):

Absolutely

Emma Banes (21:26):

More than willing or probably already have things going to offset the negative effects of what’s going on.

Kelli Green (21:34):

And I mean, we’ve got to learn to say, now you mentioned discipline and how important that is. It is so critical. So when you’re just thinking about it, and I would say, well, how do you even prepare to even start to look at your budget? You just simply say, okay, I make X amount of dollars. You need to know your frequency. Are you paid weekly? Are you paid biweekly? Are you paid monthly? What does that look like? Something that I would definitely suggest to is maybe looking at how often you’re paying your monthly notes so you can cut down on things maybe at that big huge expense, right? Say you’ve got a $500 car note, which the average car note now is over in the six hundreds, which is just, but when you think about that, would it be easier? Do your due dates line up with your pay dates?

(22:25):

And so one of the things I would encourage you to think about is go ahead and set up those automatic payments, maybe brief that up on a weekly basis or biweekly, because what you’re doing is the more often you’re paying, the quicker you’re going to pay it off and the less interest you’re going to pay. So those are some things that you can just talk with your loan lobster about and just have a conversation about it. And you can switch that up. You just have to assess in every avenue.

Emma Banes (22:52):

Yeah, I think you need to know where all of your dollars are going and when they’re going to go there. That’s right. So that you’re prepared. But I think with inflation causing people to be more intentional, it’s also caused people to be a little more creative. Absolutely. I mean, the only way you get to a better financial situation during a time like this is to make more and spend less. I mean, it’s as simple as that. So if you really can’t afford to save, well, then you’ve got to figure something else out. Like you said, Centric will pay you to bank here. That’s one way. Or the DoorDash or selling services online, things like that. I mean, people are really starting to think outside the box.

Kelli Green (23:35):

That’s right.

Emma Banes (23:36):

I think that’s what it takes.

Kelli Green (23:39):

And it’s not necessarily, yes, you need to maybe consider a lifestyle change. I also think we have to think about what are some things that we may have experienced a hardship, we may be going through something. What are some things that maybe your financial institution can do to help? And so something else to really think about is skip a pay.

(24:00):

That’s true of loan deferrals. There are situations where you may be able to participate in that. At Centric we have a anytime skip a pay. It’s not around a certain time of year. It’s anytime that you need that. And there’s certain number of skip a payments that you can allot throughout the year. That’s just something that you can definitely talk through in depth specific to the member. You can talk to them about that with your loan officer. It’s very easy conversation to have. I don’t ever want anybody to feel threatened or like, oh my goodness, I’m going through this hardship. I want them to know that we see that every day. And in fact, it’s our job to talk through those kind of circumstances with you. So the more you can tell us about things that are going on, we can help tell that story a little bit better and provide a solution for you.

Emma Banes (24:45):

Exactly.

Kelli Green (24:45):

Yeah. And so there’s skip a payments, loan deferrals, something else to think about if you are having to make a large purchase, something to think about. Now, this does not go necessarily for credit cards or for a mortgage, but things like an RV

(25:01):

Or a vehicle, ATVs. I know some of our hunters and they of that nature, they’re looking into maybe buying an A T V or a duck boat or whatever. I mean, there’s many of different expenses, but we do have 90 days no pay on that very first payment. Sometimes that helps. But some things I would caution people on is whenever they’re taking on that brand new note, especially if they’re not used to paying out an expense,

(25:28):

If we have been saying we’ve been driving a car, we’ve been paying a note on that for a few years or whatever, we decide that we’re going to get a different vehicle. Well, we’re used to paying a note. So it’s not going to be shocking to us to go into another car note. But say that we’ve had a car that we’ve been driving for years and years and it’s paid for and it’s finally beat the dust and we have to buy a new one, but we’re not used to paying that note. So you delay that payment. For I days, that might be a real shift. So I don’t know that it would necessarily be recommended for every single person because you really want to understand and know, okay, go ahead and get started. Get used to that payment.

(26:06):

And think about it. What I would suggest, if you’re doing a 90 days no pay, I would take the money that you would be paying on that monthly payment, and I would put that into a savings account. And you earn that 5% here and there because you think about that, that’s going to grow for you. And you’re already helping yourself build that pattern of knowing, okay, this is what’s coming. So just some different things to think about. If we are in a financial strain, I know we have some big expenses that might be coming up, we’ve just had back to school. But also too, thinking about Christmas, I think it’s incredibly important for us to think about this from look at it from a savings standpoint. Also look at cashing your credit card points and rewards. I highly advise that. I think if you are going to be participating in upcoming promotions where you’re having to use say your credit card, I think it is so critical for you to think about, am I going to have the money to pay this off? And if I don’t, what about this? How often or how long is it going to take me to pay this off?

(27:15):

Because that’s going to come from something else if you’re having to pay a new note.

Emma Banes (27:20):

And is it worth that? Is it worth it?

Kelli Green (27:22):

Yeah. So I don’t know. I think it’s something for us to really, really think about right now is a time for you to maximize your savings earnings, and if you can just cut down on anything and everything. When we became debt free, it was 15 months for us to become debt-free. And this was years and years ago when we were first married and we cut out cable, we did not dine out, but we ate dinner around our table together every single night. We cooked every meal. We took our own lunch. We actually did an evaluation with our electricity company to understand, okay, where is this extra expenses? Where are these things coming from? We just took a look at it to say, okay, what do we need to cut down? And we very much followed this snowball, snowball method that you hear Dave Ramsey talk about a lot.

(28:18):

But we genuinely just attacked that. We didn’t pay attention to interest rates. We just looked at all of our debts and we started with the smallest debt and we would pay minimum payments on everything. And then we would just, the very smallest debt that we had, we would pay every extra dollar that we had until it was ever eradicated, until it was gone, paid off, and then we would start with the next one. And that’s up getting that debt never rolling. And I’m going to tell you something though. What is so crazy is when people start taking a look, and this is every time I’ve ever done a budget conversation with someone, they have no idea where they’re spending their money and where they’re usually, their expense occurs from.

Emma Banes (28:51):

Where?

Kelli Green (28:52):

Food, food, I’m telling you. And the thing is not only this to think about too, because you think you’ve got healthcare costs, you’ve got everything is the increase of cost is really impacting everything. Not just groceries, not just fuel, not clothing, any of that nature, but it has impacted everything. And when you think about the overall health benefits, and I’m going to take you down a whole different, we won’t spend a lot of time this,

(29:20):

If you really think about the health implications that you have when you’re able to prepare your own food at home versus eating and dining out, I think you would be shocked to know how much healthier your family would be. Also too, you’re teaching your family a skill.

(29:40):

One day they’re going to be on their own, right? They need to know more than just heat nut mac and cheeses, the microwave. You know what I mean? You got to think about those kind of things. So that’s something I would just share and really help my family. We’ve had to do that and one day a week, we will die now, because that is something that we started that with our kids years and years ago. And here’s the thing, we may have to cut back on that. If we are continuing to say the overspend that I have at the grocery store, well, if we’re going to do it, I maybe have to think about where I’m going to go eat. It might not necessarily go be a real nice steak restaurant. It might be a fast food something. But again,

(30:20):

Think about the why are we doing that and being disciplined. I love that you’ve said that. I know I’ve reflected on that a little bit in this conversation too, but it is the discipline because here’s the thing, what are we willing to to sacrifice today for a better tomorrow? Because not only is that going to be better for us, we think about what are we teaching our kids? What emphasis of value are we placing on it? I know, Emma, you and I, we can get into conversations about a lot of things. It comes to values and things of that nature, but this is very, very, it’s so important and it’s so vital because we’re teaching lessons to our children, and I think it’s important to bring your kids into the conversation.

Emma Banes (31:06):

I agree. And I think it’s important too, and I guess my son has really just been the one that has made me realize this, and I don’t remember ever really thinking about it before I had him. He has to know why about everything. If this is a rule, why? And I get it. I mean, I do. I get it. If it makes sense and you understand the why, well then, okay, you get it and you’re fine with it, but he just has to know why about everything. And so I just think it’s important for us to be open with our kids depending on what age they are. But no, this is not going to happen right now because X, Y, Z, and that’s just the long and the short of it times are different now. Things are more expensive now we got to be careful. We have to, like we said, have some self-discipline here. We can’t just all go crazy.

Kelli Green (32:00):

That’s right. And everything that we do, I would encourage everybody to, if you’re thinking you want to take a trip or before you go to the grocery store, price match seebo coupons, include your kids in that and say, Hey, help us look for coupons for this. Ways in which to save on it and help them understand. It’s like, guys, okay, well if we are going to buy this thing, whatever that is that it’s going to take away from doing so what’s most important to you?

Emma Banes (32:27):

Right. I will throw this out there too. So we do Walmart delivery. That’s just what we do. I will say this, when you shop in the Walmart app, if anything has a coupon, it’ll pop up and you just click it and you don’t have to go find a coupon and you don’t have to Google beforehand to see what has a coupon and what doesn’t. It just automatically pops up. And so that’s a plus.

Kelli Green (32:56):

That is a plus. There are also several other apps. I would also say this, before you go and dine out or before you make a purchase anywhere, take a look and review and see if they have an app, because a lot of times you’ll get discounted purchases. I have a friend of mine, she’s a friend of ours that works here with us who does not make a purchase anywhere.

Emma Banes (33:17):

I know

Kelli Green (33:18):

Until you could actually see if there’s an app for it, because there’s always a savings involved, whether it’s, Hey, you get a free dessert,

Emma Banes (33:26):

Chick-Fil-A does that, they’re so good about it.

Kelli Green (33:29):

Good about it. So I mean, I can give all kinds of promotions for these people all there, different businesses and things, but one of the partners that we work with, PJ’s Coffee, they’re one that is fantastic with offering. They have an app and it’s so easy to earn rewards there. I would definitely think about anytime something that I love about, there’s a local place, a little hamburger place that’s here, and it’s called Freddy’s. Well, one of the things that they do is they will reward your student reader.

Emma Banes (34:00):

I did not know that.

Kelli Green (34:00):

Yes. And so they just keep up with the books that they read and then they could come in and get a free dessert. Wow, that’s fantastic. Right. They’re awesome. And I mean, if you think about it, depending on how many children that you have, I mean that adds up. That’s usually about four or $5 a dessert, but you’re also encouraging them to work for it. They’re seeing that there’s a true benefit to, okay, well I’m reading this book, I enjoy it. Or this is an assignment in class. Well, let me go ahead and write this down my bookmark and I can turn that in. But there’s all sorts of different places that do those things. I would even encourage people to look at things like consolidating, whether you’ve got YouTube TV or any of your streaming channels. Really think about that because we cut the cord. A lot of it’s because hardwood on cable, but just assessing it and seeing like, okay, what are you paying for all these different streaming channels? I think that’s something to is the cost of that.

Emma Banes (34:58):

I mean, it really adds up when you go from having cable to now you’ve got seven streaming services.

Kelli Green (35:05):

YOu probably overspent.

Emma Banes (35:06):

Yeah, for sure.

Kelli Green (35:08):

You just have to think about it. I understand that’s like your special treat or what have you. But look, even too for folks who are readers and things of that nature, go to your local library. There are library sales they do once a month and you can get books for a quarter, 10 cents, whatever, not only for you, but for your kids. I mean, those kind of things, I think those are gifts that you could even give away to somebody. I mean, you just think about things that you don’t have to buy something that’s just brand new, and it’s the thought that they give. I just think we kind of got away off.

Emma Banes (35:44):

And you can make things. I mean, my daughter loves to do that. When she wants to give somebody a gift, she makes something.

Kelli Green (35:49):

Absolutely. And I can’t tell you how many times that we’ve been at little birthday parties and kids that have made their own birthday cards to give to their friends. They’re just delighted.

Emma Banes (35:57):

The cutest thing.

Kelli Green (35:58):

Yeah. They love it because they’re like, look, this is typically, they keep this and it just means so much to them. I think it’s a keepsake, and I feel like we have drifted so far away, so I agree. Our pressed, right, well, we’re getting pressed. Our dollar is being pressed right now. It makes us go back and reflect, and I think that is so critical to reflect as a family, if you’re single parent, mother, father with kids, when you’re thinking about those kind of things, you want to just reflect on where you are and do you have any goals? And if you don’t, why not? If you don’t have any goals, you’ll get ’em every time.

Emma Banes (36:39):

Yeah.

Kelli Green (36:39):

So it’s like right now though, if I could just say, I mean, if people don’t hear anything from this, I just want them to understand that right now is the time to take advantage of savings opportunities. They are there. The earnings are incredible, and it takes just a couple minutes to set up those accounts. You can monitor that. If your kids even have, say, they’ve got a few hundred dollars in a P bank, let’s go ahead and get them started in a savings account because they’re going to earn a dividend on that, right? I think it’s so, so important. Any dollar that you can save, whether it’s $5 a week, you can forego lunch one day and say, average lunch costs us 10 to $12. If you could just take that and put into a savings account and just continue to add to that, I’m telling you, it’s incredible. You do that, say save $10 a week. Okay, that’s 40 to $50 given a month, right? You multiply that times 12, well, that’s $600. Six. You think about that, that’s huge, and then you’re adding dividends on top of that. It’s just the money is there that’s left out on the table, and it’s just a matter of saying, Hey, I need to open up this account.

Emma Banes (38:01):

Right?

Kelli Green (38:02):

That’s what we’re going to do. I don’t think we’ll see earnings like this.

Emma Banes (38:07):

Well, I agree. I think everyone is struggling a little bit more than usual right now, and this is not going to be this way forever. So now is the time. That wraps up another insightful episode of the Live Better Podcast. We hope you found today’s discussion on inflation informative and helpful. Remember, knowledge is power when it comes to your finances and Centric Federal Credit Union is here to support you every step of the way. If you enjoyed this episode, please do us a favor, hit that subscribe button, share it with your friends and family, and leave us a review. Your feedback helps us bring the content you want and need. Don’t forget to connect with us on social media. Find us on Facebook at Centric FCU and on all other platforms at MyCentric, stay updated on the latest financial news and resources tailored to your unique needs. Until next time, remember, Centric FCU is here to help you on your financial journey. Thank you for tuning into the Live Better podcast.