Kelli Green: 0:00

Hey everyone and welcome to another episode of the Live Better Podcast. Today we are all talking about things that are related to money, mindset, and making life a little more centric. I’m your host, Kelli Green, and today we’re diving into one of the biggest questions this time of year. How can I still have an amazing Christmas without draining my wallet? So the countdown’s on. We’ve got less than seven weeks until Christmas, and whether you’re a budgeting pro or still recovering from last year’s holiday hangover, this episode is packed with simple, smart, and even fun ways to save before Santa makes his rounds. We’ll be joined with Casey Messer, our all-around trainer and all the and guru on all ways of money-saving hacks. Right. So welcome to the Live Better Podcast, Casey. You are no stranger to our podcast. What is this? Probably a third, fourth time, maybe more that you’ve joined us. So love it. We’re glad to have you here. So for our listeners who maybe this is the first time they’ve tuned in to the Live Better Podcast, tell them a little bit about yourself and what you do here at Centric.

Casey Messer: 1:01

So I do training here at Centric. Get to work with our new staff and our seasoned staff just to um help them grow and learn more as things come on board as we implement new things. So I get to work with staff on all sorts of different things. Um The Credit Union for about 10 years. I also worked in marketing and business development, and I feel like that really helped with the financial planning side of things. Um, really digging in there and learning some things gets me really excited to talk about what we’re going to talk about today. Um yeah, it’s just a little bit about me.

Kelli Green: 1:30

And you’ve been a little bit, you’ve been in many different departments here at the credit union. And one of the fun things that we get to work on together is really continued education with our financial counselors, which is so incredibly important. Um, financial education is the heartbeat of our credit union. Um, it is really important that our members have knowledge right at their fingertips. So just like you guys listening to our podcast, we also have helpful tips that are on our YouTube page as well. So it’s a great, great way to connect. So it’s kind of an exciting time, but sometimes financially it could be a dreaded time. So kind of tell me a little bit, are you a Planted October elf or a last minute Christmas Eve shopper kind of person?

Casey Messer: 2:10

Well, I like to be a Plan in October elf, but I have two kiddos. And so sometimes that looks like I plan in October, maybe buy a few things early on, but then there’s a lot of last minute shopping as well.

Kelli Green: 2:21

So there’s nothing wrong with that. Yeah. So where do you find and that that is, you know, what which piece of that, which side of that puzzle do you think maybe makes you feel more at ease? Oh, definitely planning ahead.

Casey Messer: 2:33

So when I find things I’ve already purchased, it it kind of gives me that like piece of like a breath of fresh air. Like, oh, I’ve already gotten some of this done. Um, so if I can do more of that, that makes me happier in the holidays.

Kelli Green: 2:43

So do you keep up with like a spreadsheet of gifts that you’re buying, or what does that kind of look like? Do you just keep a mental note? How does that work?

Casey Messer: 2:50

So um it’s really funny that that question is brought up. Um I will take pictures of what I have bought so I know and I can go back to my phone and say, okay, these are the things I bought. Um but planning beforehand, yes, I’ve got to make a list where I will just go crazy.

Kelli Green: 3:04

Yeah, same. So that I’m like I’m in the middle of this where it’s, you know, you want to be a planted October elf or a last minute Christmas shopper. Well, so over the summer, during like a really big sale, you know, that a lot of us probably know, um, but we, you know, get emails about it all the time. But there is a sp specific day that many people will um probably be familiar with, Prime Day. Um, I happen to see a few things that my daughter, so they’re preteens and teenagers, and you know, they’re all about skincare. Well, so I’m, you know, like to buy clean products for them, non-toxic as much as we possibly can, and they happen to have their skincare on sale. So I have made a spreadsheet because I’m afraid it’s very atypical of me to be, you know, shopping in the summertime, essentially, you know, to start putting some things back along the way just so the expense isn’t so much in one particular month or so. But I’m really afraid that I may forget. So I’m gonna have to go in. I made an Excel spreadsheet, but I’m still gonna have to go back in and double check myself because I’m like, I don’t want to overspend. That’s my biggest fear of kind of you know spacing it out over multiple months. So anyway, I think there’s it’s good for whomever, as long as you have a plan, I think, and you have an idea of how much you want to spend, that’s the most important part.

Casey Messer: 4:23

And I’ll say too, you know, not not necessarily starting this in October, but as you move forward, making a list and putting a number by everybody’s name so you can see the total. Yes. And so that kind of goes like to the beginning of the year planning if you want to look at it that way. Um, but it also gives you an idea of like how much you have to save every month to reach that total. And if that seems a little off for you, well then you have to take a step back and say, okay, well, I can’t spend, you know, $300 on every single person I know that’s pretty extreme, but um, you really do have to look at it that way as an overall.

Kelli Green: 4:54

Well, and we are sitting right now just under eight weeks until Christmas, which seems so wild. Um, and when, you know, right now, when this podcast airs this week, you know, we will literally be just under eight weeks. And it’s wild to think about it, but I think there’s pl still plenty of time if we’re mindful and we think about more so of the experience versus just, you know, the number of gifts and so forth. I think a lot of times some of the greatest gifts that I’ve ever received were really thoughtful and kind of right on time, you know, specific to what I really desired and wanted. It wasn’t necessarily the quantity of gifts that I received, but it was more of like the thought behind it. Yeah. I don’t know if you can relate to that too. Okay. So kind of thinking about this too in this vein. So, what’s the funniest or most extra thing you’ve ever spent money on during the holidays? And it could be for yourself or for someone else.

Casey Messer: 5:47

I know I’m not alone in this, but I would say matching pajamas, even including our dog. Yeah. So um, those are just fun for me, especially like my husband. You know, we we find some fun print and we’re all wearing it. I don’t know, it’s just fun.

Kelli Green: 6:00

So do you do this every year or like are you guys set on this is your gonna get it?

Casey Messer: 6:04

It’s getting really expensive. I feel like old navy pajamas like was the way to go, and now it’s like getting more expensive. So I don’t know. We have we rewear, so we’ll find something to kind of go together and it coordinates and it’s fun, but yeah, we try to do it every single year.

Kelli Green: 6:18

I love it. Oh, guilty. It’s charged. We’ve been doing that since our girls were born. Um, and it’s just funny, but I never thought about it. I mean, growing up, you know, we just looked a mess when we’re opening up our picture, opening up our presents, you know, the pictures looking back over the years, it never really was a thing. You know, we didn’t care, but supposedly, you know, I guess we’ve given in, we’ve been influenced to do things a little differently. Okay, so if you had to describe your holiday spending style in one emoji, what would it be?

Casey Messer: 6:47

Oh gosh. Um, I would say there’s a couple of different things that come to mind, but the little money stack with the wings is probably what I feel like. And I try to make that, you know, I try to get better every year, but I do feel like it’s it’s costly, but um, it’s fun too. So I would I would definitely say like the little shopping, little shopping bags uh also comes to buy.

Kelli Green: 7:08

So we need them. I’m with you. Mine definitely just flies right out, you know, and it’s just at the very end, whenever we do this every single year, we always say, you know, we’re going to do much better than we did last year. Like this was silly for us to do this much. And if I could give any advice, when your kids are small and they don’t really understand, you know, like the cost of gifts, the value of a dollar, don’t worry about meme brands, you know, don’t worry about trying to buy, you know, filling up your living room or what have you with these toys and creating that experience. Because here’s the thing whenever you start, you have to continue or else there’s going to be a major, like, whoa, what’s happening? What’s going on? kind of thing. So take it from me. I would have done things a little differently, to be honest with you, um, if, you know, we had to go back because, and someone told me that, they gave me that advice, but of course, I was just like, oh no, you know, I want to make their first Christmas, you know, their very first few Christmases, you know, just all they can dream of and more. And I feel like I’ve kind of gotten beyond that. So I’m really thinking about what is the meaning of giving and why that’s important, you know, what values are we setting for our families? I don’t know. Are you do you kind of feel the same way?

Casey Messer: 8:20

I do, yeah. There’s already been, I mean, my little girl will be five um this month, and then my little boy is six. So yeah, we’ve had those few Christmases where I’m like, okay, these are like their first couple where like you can just see that their eyes light up and you want to make it everything that it can be. Um, but definitely it’s very easy to go overboard with that. And and then you look back and you say, Okay, why they they didn’t need they didn’t need all of that, you know.

Kelli Green: 8:44

Sure didn’t. Because they look at it and they gravitate to one thing or the box that it came in. Yes. And that’s a real story. I mean, I know we hear people talk about that a lot, but it’s true. Yeah, it’s very true. It’s so true. Yeah. Okay, so let’s kind of talk about some new things that are out and about. We’ve had this available to our members since the first part of 2025, but we have some really unique budgeting tools that are right at our members’ fingertips, and it’s completely free to use. So kind of share with us how members can really use our budgeting tools or really savings challenges to plan for thoughtful giving.

Casey Messer: 9:19

Yeah, I would say um setting up just an automatic transfer, even starting now, um, even if it’s $25 a week, whatever you can do, and then you can add to that outside of the automatic transfer, but using that tool alone will help you because you don’t realize like how fast it will add up. Yes. Um, so that’s a huge thing. Um, and then the budgeting tools to be able to just set up a budget um or a goal, I should say, um, with our text alerts, it’s gonna tell you, you know, Kelly, you’ve reached this and none of your goal that’s percent, and it’s really nice. Um, you know, it’s nice to get that alert to say, okay, I’m actually reaching or heading towards my goal. Yes. And so obviously we’re on a fast track right now. And so you you want to to make that as quick as possible. But um, anything that you can do right now to help yourself on an automatic state uh sepoy is going to be helpful for this, right?

Kelli Green: 10:07

I agree, I love it. One to your point about the notices. So yesterday I got a notice that said, you reached 80% of your grocery budget. And I thought, thank you, Lord, that we are this close to the end of the month because it’s just gone by so quickly. Um it just seems like towards the end of the year, like that final quarter, there’s so many more expenses than what you typically see throughout the year. So anyway, just something to think about there too, you know, especially when we’re I know today we’re talking about Christmas gifts, but we still have Thanksgiving in the middle of that. So if your primary goal or primary responsibly, you know, responsible for your um huge meal, you may want to think about some different ways that you could kind of save for that as well, you know, and maybe buy ahead too. So, okay, so we know that the holidays can be stressful. So, what’s your advice for keeping a peaceful mindset when money feels really tight?

Casey Messer: 11:01

Oh, I would just say to focus on or try to under or understand really what Christmas is about to you or what the holiday season is about. Um, you know, money can be stressful when we’re talking about spending and buying for people. Uh, we talked about creating experiences over those gifts, right? And so trying to focus on that and um for me it’s family, you know, what can I do with my family during this time to make it even more special um instead of running around stressing about, you know, have I saved enough money for bad things? How am I gonna do all this that I want to do for them? Um, think about different ways that you can do that and just kind of sit in that and let that be your peace. Um, because if not, it will, it’ll just take the joy right out of it.

Kelli Green: 11:42

And it’s it can easily happen too. I love the way you said that. So you think about too, you know, as far as how can someone recover if they do overspend, you know, without feeling guilty or giving up on their goals, what is what is really something that you think they might be able to do if they do tend to have an overspending personality, or if they say, Oh, well, I’m listening to this, I already have overspend. So what do we do?

Casey Messer: 12:04

Yeah, well, I’ve been there, so I totally understand and I can say this without, you know, just don’t beat yourself up about it. Um, you can do something like a no spin January. You know, try and take like the next month off of all the things, right? How can you really cut back for a month or two to just kind of reset and then plan ahead, like right then and there. Go ahead and start planning for the next Christmas because you know the feeling, and it’s not going to be more powerful than right then to go ahead and plan.

Kelli Green: 12:30

I love it. And it’s okay. We’ve all made those mistakes before we’ve overspent, but you just think Christmas is on the same day every year. You know, our um our Dave Ramsey financial counselor, Kelly Brantley, that’s what she always says, is that Christmas is on the same day every year. So that’s really to our advantage. You think, okay, we know how many weeks we have to save and what are some ways in which that we can do that. And I genuinely believe, you know, if you just have a moment where you just slow your slow your roll a little bit, but then also thinking about it too is that you can go ahead and start putting some money back. Yeah. And you have to sometimes just say no, just to go get beyond that, you know. And so lots of things. I tell my girls this, you know, if we say yes to something, something’s gonna happen, we’re gonna have to say no to something else, whether that’s with our money or our time. So you just have to kind of think about it and put it into perspective. Okay, so this is super funny. I love this, and I just want to kind of wrap us up with some holiday cheer here, put a little joy in your day. But what’s your favorite money-saving motto for the holidays?

Casey Messer: 13:34

Oh, I would say, and this kind of wraps up what we’ve talked about, but it’s probably not about the spending, it’s more about the meaning. Um, and so I’ve really tried to hold on to that the last couple of years.

Kelli Green: 13:45

I’m gonna take it. I’m gonna do my best to hold on to that too. Okay, so finish the sentence for us. Okay. The best gift you can give yourself this Christmas is going back to what you said, I would say peace of mind. Yeah. Maybe a nap. I love it. Yes, absolutely. Do that. Okay, here’s some rapid fire things for you. Okay, so eggnog or hot cocoa, hot chocolate. Oh, I would say eggnog. Oh, nice. Okay. What about the budget app or old school envelope system? I would say the budget app, um, envelopes.

Casey Messer: 14:15

Yeah, I don’t know if I can keep up with that. No. I feel like I, yeah.

Kelli Green: 14:19

I’m not a cash girl. I don’t want I never have cash.

Casey Messer: 14:22

Yeah, I would say, yeah, our centric app.

Kelli Green: 14:24

A lot older. That’s right. Okay, Secret Santa are no gifts at all.

Casey Messer: 14:28

Oh, I think Secret Santa, just because I don’t know, it’s fun. It is and and maybe it’s less, right? That I’m gonna buy for everybody.

Kelli Green: 14:36

One of the greatest memories I’ve ever had with our girls, and they’ll tell you this they’re to this day. I think it’s just because they’re they were a little bit older when we did this, so that’s uh kind of like a core memory for them. But we did Secret Santa amongst us. And you know, they had a budget. You know, this is how much you can spend, and here’s the time frame of when you can purchase. So we all, you know, met dressed up in these fun little things and went shopping and we went to the same store, we had the same time frame, we had to be checked out around the, you know, within a certain you know, time frame, and um you had to buy something and be intentional about the person that you bought that you were buying for. So that was really fun. We were kind of that’s a secret Santa, but we kind of threw it in there as like, hey, you have a time limit, yeah, and this is the deal. So it was a lot of fun. That’s fine. Okay, and finally, is Santa Banked eccentric? What do you think he’d love most about it?

Casey Messer: 15:26

I would say automatic savings. Oh, right. I would think that would be the best thing. I think uh if you think Santa and all the L’s he has to buy for diamonds to play in our lives, yes. Um, that’s just the biggest tool I think would that would be helpful.

Kelli Green: 15:40

I love it. I think that’s exactly right. And you can do all those things and more right here with Centric. Our new Centric mobile app is really the greatest. I love it. I think it’s a great way for you to connect any and all accounts that you may have at other financial institutions, but it’s also a great way for you to set your goals and set your budgets, and you can set it for anything. Like we were talking about earlier. Our grocery budget is critical, you know, to have a name for that. Um, and it’s wonderful that if you name it, a lot of times it becomes a priority. Yeah.

Casey Messer: 16:10

Well, and two, we didn’t talk about this, but tagging your transactions is sad to be able to go back and say this is how much I’ve already spent on holiday spending or on the gifts. Um, you can break it down as much as you want to, I guess, on those tags. That’s that’s really helpful and insightful to see.

Kelli Green: 16:25

Yes, and it adds it up for you automatically. I love it. It’s a wonderful way to do that. To find out more information about our mobile app, you can visit us online at mycentric.org. And Casey, as always, it’s a pleasure. Thanks for joining us. Thanks so much. What a great conversation. And big thanks today to Casey Messer for joining us and reminding us that saving for the holidays doesn’t have to be stressful or boring. Remember, a little planning goes a long way, whether it’s setting up a centric savings account or using our budgeting tools, joining one of our savings challenges, or anything else. We’re here to help you reach your goals and keep your holiday merry and bright. If you enjoyed today’s episode, make sure to follow Live Better wherever you listen. Centric is federally insured by the NCUA.