Smart Secure Way to Use Banks for Saving Money


FDIC protected

Do you think, as many people do, that putting your money in a bank is the most safe and secure way to save? If your answer is yes, then you are absolutely right if for no other reason than the $250,000 insurance policy put in place by FDIC to protect you against loss. Yes, your money is safe and secure while on deposit in a bank, but you must be wise in your interaction with the bank in order to make sure you get the most out of this relationship.

Banks are not charitable institutions, they are profit-driven entities that charge a variety of fees and costs for all sorts of schemes to take away some of your money. That having been said, the amount savings you can derive just by utilizing some awareness in making bank transactions can really add up after a period of time and let you use your money where you want to. So included in the following paragraphs are some proven techniques you can utilize in your bank dealings and saving objectives.

Check the opportunity cost

Think about the factors that are affecting your money in the bank. Are there fees that the bank is asking you to pay for keeping and using your own money? How much? Are they requiring a minimum balance for holding an account? You might be interested in other alternatives which are available and simply awaiting your investment.

You should always factor in the opportunities that you are deprived of because your money is being held in a bank. Just sitting there and doing nothing else for you! You might also be interested in taking a look into the policies and terms of other banks. Probably the bank that can best suit your needs is out there waiting for you to discover it.

Checkbook balancing, ATM taming

Always keep in mind that you should have your checkbooks balanced at the end of every month. Issuing bounced checks can cost you a lot. The average fee for issuing checks with insufficient funds is $35. If you are not aware of the problem, you can easily issue several bounced checks in a certain period of time and this is very costly indeed.

The best practice in using ATM machines is to avoid using ATM machines at other banks, supermarkets, casinos? (definitely not those at casinos), restaurants, malls or any location other than your bank or any of its branches. Why? Because the cost of ATM fees has increased just like any other cost and can range from 1.50 to $3.50, depending on where you are. Of course it would help if to know other banks which do not charge fees.

Embrace ebanking

With the advent of globalization, everything is becoming electronic. This is also true in the banking world, and technology is quickly becoming a benchmark of competition. E-banking can save you some money from transportation costs and more importantly, it will save you time. The time you spend waiting at the bank can be used for some other productive activities.

Truly, putting your money in the bank is a safe and secure method of saving money, but only if you are smart and wise enough to prevent the bank from chipping away your wealth. In saving, it is not only the benefits such as annual returns which you should consider, you should always think about the costs involved in the process.

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Saving Money During the Holidays – A Practical Idea


Yuletide shopping

The holidays usually bring on considerable hype, activity and excitement, the result of which people usually have a tendency to buy more and therefore spend more without taking into consideration the consequences that their actions could bring. Such consequences can be devastating to the family budget.

However, it does not necessarily mean that because it’s the holiday season you have been presented with enough of a reason to buy whatever you want and spend however much you want to spend without regard for budgetary restraints. Some folks will have you know that, “…oh, it’s just once a year, so better to give what you have.”

Holiday budgeting

The problem with spending for the sake of holiday gifting is that giving something just to satisfy the holiday-invoked spirit of spending on gifts does not mean you have to spend gold. You can still give something that will be deeply appreciated without having to be overly extravagant. In that spirit, we’ve put together a few ideas on how of our own that we hope will prove helpful to you.

Make a budget and stick to it. The problem with most people is that they find making a budget relatively easy but sticking to it tend to be a monumental task. So what’s the point of making a budget when you do not know how to conform to what you have stated in the first place?

Making and using your budget should always go hand in hand. Therefore, when you make your budget this holiday season, it is best that you follow the things that are written in it so that you would be able to save more money.

Live within your means

Of course, everybody would want to give gifts because that is what the holiday season calls for. However, it does not necessarily mean that you have to spend more than what you can afford.

The trick to saving more money is to always live within your means. Spending more than what you can afford will definitely bring more problems than you can afford to solve, since most of these problems would be money-related and you won’t have any left.

Personalize, shop & compare

As the saying goes, “it’s the thought that counts!” Hence, there are no better ways to show how much you have thought of those people this holiday season than making personalized gifts. In fact, while everybody else shop for the usual gifts from department stores and such, your personalized gift will most likely be unique and may be cherished for years.

A little comparative shopping can go a long way in helping you to save money. It really pays to shop around; and doubly so when you compare prices. You will never know which items are better priced than the others are when you do not compare their values.

The point here is that you should not be confined to one shopping establishment. Try to look for other items, usually in thrift stores and consignment shops, where you can find the best items at a lower price. Indeed, shopping for the holidays can be fun, but you don’t have to go on a spending spree. Nowadays, you really just have to be practical.