TIP: Reuse your plastic ziplock bags

Wash your plastic zip lock bags! I can make a box of zip lock bags last a long time. It's really easy to wash them, just emmerse them in soapy water and hang them upside down to dry. The Daily Green agrees.

The Economic Crisis Simplified

I read an article online today about how most Americans don't understand the financial chaos we're encountering. Below is a video that illustrates what happened in easy to understand terms! This video was created by Jonathan Jarvis.

Earth Hour is tomorrow: Sat 3/28 at 8:30 PM

Earth Hour is tomorrow at 8:30 pm - that's the hour when we're supposed to turn off/unplug as much electricity as possible and save the earth a little energy. Last year I realized how many "things" I had plugged in that were using electricity, that I rarely ever used. For example, my fax machine! Once I unplugged them, they never got plugged back in. Only the stuff I use regularly got plugged back in. If everybody eliminated a few "energy vampires" like these, think how much we'd save.

Give it a try for one hour tomorrow at 8:30 PM. Maybe you'll discover how much you love candlelight. Or how putting on an extra sweater or snuggling under a blanket is a fun alternative to turning up the heat. I'd like to hear your experience with Earth Hour - what did you find out?

Check out these photos of the city of Chicago during Earth Hour 2008.

TIP: Save $1400 a year...drink tap water

TIP: You can save $1400 a year by dumping your bottled water habit in favor of tap water, according to an article on The Daily Green.

A couple years ago I installed a water filter in my kitchen, so now we drink filtered water straight from the tap. It's a great way to get better tasting water at a lower cost, and without the plastic that seeps into bottled water.

If you're concerned about the quality of tap water vs. bottled, here's an interesting article that makes the case for city tap water being better than water - the standards that city water is held to is much higher than water bottling plants. Check it out: http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/bw/exesum.asp

TIP: Cut Water Costs with a Rain Barrel

TIP: Cut your water bill this summer with a rain barrel that collects rain water from your roof to water your garden or wash your car! I installed one last year, it was really easy. And I almost always had water available to water my flowers. The only thing I didn't like is the water pressure is nearly zero, so it requires some patience. But still, it was free water compliments of Mother Nature! The Conservation Foundation in Naperville is offering a workshop on Saturday April 4 ($10) and they'll be selling rain barrels ($85) - get more info at http://tinyurl.com/d3ye4j

Our video!

A little video to tell you more about Hawthorne:

TIP: Buy in bulk for the best prices

SAVINGS TIP: Buy your items in the largest size container available for the lowest cost per unit. The same holds true for cleaning products and dog food too. Plus, larger sizes use less packaging and are kinder to the earth.

Everyone is always touting the benefits of buying clubs like Costco and Sam's Club. But I've found that I end up blowing my whole grocery budget on big quantities of items and I miss certain things on my list. Then, of course, I end up with a few extra impulse items, too. I wonder if it really equates to savings. Maybe it does if you commit to only buying the things you normally would buy.

What do you think?

Good news...Housing market could be improving

Good news! Over the past few weeks, the majority of our mortgage pre-approval applications have been for purchases, as opposed to the many refinance applications of the past few months. We are hopeful that this is an indication of the real estate market starting to move, at least in the Naperville and Bolingbrook areas. Realtors…they’ll be knocking on your doors next! At Hawthorne, we’re working to create a network of Realtors, attorneys, property inspectors, etc, to whom we can refer our mortgage preapproval applicants. If you’d like to be considered for our Network, contact Christine Roehrig at croehrig@ehawthorne.org or 630-983-2335.

PS. Today's rate is holding at 4.875% for 30 year fixed, no points!

Unemployment and inflation have been worse

Here's an interesting chart provided by miseryindex.us - which shows us that inflation and unemployment have been worse...much worse! Check out 1980 when unemployment was 20.76%! We finished 2008 at 9.61%.

Slivers of good news...bring 'em on!

Dan Mica, the President of the Credit Union National Association said on Fox News yesterday that consumers need to hear whatever "slivers" of good news are available, and that the Federal Market Open Committee needs to focus on the "green shoots" of positive news that is starting to sprout up. I agree...what we need is to focus on the positives! Below is Dan Mica on Fox. ">And here's some good news to focus on - housing starts were up in February!

Why you should belong to a credit union

This article on the Huffington Post by Remar Sutton, a consumer advocate and fan of credit unions, asks consumers why they don't belong to a credit union. He says it's probably because most consumers don't know they can. He attributes this to the credit union industry's less-than-great marketing savvy. As the lead marketer for Hawthorne, I have to admit that while we strive for excellence at Hawthorne (and I think we do a pretty good job with the modest resources we have), many smaller credit unions just don't focus on marketing. As a result, consumer awareness is low. We're working to change that via a taskforce through the Illinois Credit Union Leagues statewide awareness campaign, iBelong.

Here is Remar Sutton's take on why you should belong to a credit union...and if you're already one of our members, well, then we're preaching to the choir! Kudos!

http://tinyurl.com/cwk4ac

Some things never change

Credit unions sprouted up across the US during the Great Depression when consumers had no access to financial services. In a spirit of "people helping people" that still exists today, consumers pooled together what little money they had so that they could make small loans to each other to get through the tough times. Credit unions formed among people with a common bond - either they worked together, attended a church together, or farmed together in a co-op. Now most credit unions are open to everyone in the communities we serve.

Hawthorne started in 1935 at Western Electric's Hawthorne Works Plant in Cicero in 1935. Western Electric was laying off workers, reducing hours, etc. People were experiencing financial hardships so they turned to one another for help. Sound familiar? That's how we got started, that's what we're still doing today.

The Credit Union movement is 75 years old. This short, moving video shows the history of the credit union movement.

Hawthorne Members...you're ahead of the game

Hey Hawthorne members! You're ahead of the game, says the Wall Street Journal. An article in Sunday's WSJ says credit unions are a safe haven for your money at a time when consumers are fed up with their banks, credit unions are still going strong.

There's no question times are tough, but we think it's going to shine a light on credit unions. As a member, you can be proud that you already know the benefits. It didn't take a financial crisis for you to join...you're ahead of the game. Congratulations! And thanks for your membership.

Check out the WSJ article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123708535764231521.html

TIP: Get free salon services at training night

SAVINGS TIP: I learned today that you can get a haircut for free if you make an appointment on Training Night, usually Wednesdays at 5 pm. Next week, the Naperville Mario Tricoci is working on bobs and long layers. They tell me you have to be there for several hours, so if you have more time than money this could be for you. If you're in need of a cut and want a bob or long layers call Arianna at the Naperville location - 800-TRICOCI. Next week I'm going to be a "color model" for highlights and a root touch up for just $25...I'll report back on what it was like.

I know that many beauty schools offer discounted services to allow their students to get experience. I've been thinking about a manicure...maybe I'll check that out and let you know how it goes. What has your experience been?

TIP: Feed the gang for $2 pp!

SAVING TIP: Eating in is clearly less expensive than eating out. Our staff put our heads together to come up with some meal ideas that we estimate to be about $2 per person. Such as:

Mary J suggests: Grilled cheese, fries and salad. ½ Loaf of bread on sale ($1), half a pound of cheddar cheese ($2), Bag of frozen French Fries ($3), head of lettuce (75 cents), ¼ bottle of salad dressing (75 cents), tomato (50 cents), cucumber (50 cents) = approx $8 or $2 per person.

Sandy B suggests: Breakfast for dinner. Box of cereal ($4), ½ gallon of milk: ($1.50), 4 bananas ($1.50), 6 eggs scrambled ($1) = approx $8 or $2 per person.

Robyn S suggests: Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo. Pasta ($1), Jar of Alfredo Sauce ($2), Two large chicken breasts ($4), Loaf of garlic bread from the bakery ($1.50) = Approx. $8.50 or $2.15 per person.

What's your favorite cheap meal?

TIP: You car may not need an oil change every 3,000 miles

SAVINGS TIP: Member Services Supervisor, Robyn S. offers this tip:

"Check your car’s owner manual. Some newer car models make the 3,000 mile oil change rule a thing of the past. My car doesn’t require a regular 3,000 mile oil change. In fact, it keeps track of the oil life and TELLS ME when it is ready for an oil change. Amazing! The change oil light just came on this weekend. The last change I made was more then 5 months ago (Did I mention I have a 40 mile round trip daily commute?). At this rate, I will only to have 2 oil changes this year. Much less then my average of 6 per year in my previous car. This will save me at least $140 this year." Read more.

Vacation on the cheap this summer

Camping is likely to increase in popularity this year as consumers seek inexpensive ways to vacation with the kids. When I was growing up my folks couldn't afford a hotel vacation so we spent a lot of time tent camping. Some of my best memories are from our camping days and I have a great appreciation for the outdoors and for nature because of it. Tent campsites cost around $20 a night. What's your favorite place to camp?

Have you ever taken a volunteer vacation? I'd love to hear your experience. It's an intriguing idea presented today by the Daily Green. You volunteer to help out and you get free lodging and meals. You can bring older kids to many of them, too. Provide your own transportation and you've got a really inexpensive vacation and probably life-changing experiences too.

Home Depot takes burned out CFL bulbs

Follow up to my 12/07 post: I wrote about CFL bulbs and how the advantages of their energy and cost savings were great, but I'd had a couple burn out long before they were supposed to. I was frustrated back then at what to do with the burned out bulbs because there weren't any convenient drop off locations that would take the mercury-containing bulbs. (They can't be thrown in the trash because the mercury poisons our water supply if they get to the landfill.) As a result I have a collection of burned out CFL bulbs, but now there is a solution!

I just found out that Home Depot and Wal-Mart collect them.

CFL bulbs are supposed to last longer than incandescent bulbs and are more expensive than regular bulbs but they use less energy. According to TheDailyGreen.com, they pay for themselves in a few months. And if every household replaced just one regular bulb with a CFL bulb, the amount of energy saved could light 2.5 million homes for a year. Now with convenient ways to properly dispose of them, it's easier to justify buying them, I think.

TIP: Eat Leftovers

Even on a budget, you can justify eating out if you can bring home your leftovers and make a second meal out of it. Most portions in restaurants are big enough for two meals. Granted, not everything reheats well. You have nothing to lose giving it a try because the restaurant is only going to throw out your leftovers anyway. Just don't leave the box on the table when you get up to leave!

The same principle works for home cooked meals. If the dinner you make for your family of four costs $12 and you get two additional meals out of it, divide $12 by 6 meals and the cost is just $2 per person.

TIP: Local theater offers great entertainment

SAVINGS TIP: Check out local theater for entertainment. Parking is free and you don't have to drive to Chicago. The talent is great and tickets run just $15-25. I saw a production of "Company" this weekend at North Central College in Naperville. The performers were very talented and the tickets were only $15. NCC's Wentz Concert Hall is really beautiful. See the schedule. And also check out the Steel Beam Theater in St Charles. This intimate 80-seat theater attracts very talented performers and tickets are just $25. I've been to many productions at the Steel Beam and each time I'm impressed by the talent.