Archive for July, 2009

« Older Entries

A VIP Winner!

July 28, 2009

We love to give stuff away and we love to hear why our members love us. So we combined these two loves into a contest.

We offered two VIP passes to an Atlanta Falcons practice to the member who could most creatively tell us why they love the credit union in 100 words or less. We had some very creative responses, but the winner of our contest offered the most creative response.

Her name is Lee Graves and here is her winning entry:

I love Northwest Georgia Credit Union!

 Nice   Employees are warm and caring

Well-organized   It provides many ways to help as online banking, bill pay, and availability to members

Georgia   It is locally owned by us

Convenient   East and West Rome locations

Unquestionable   Professional in all areas

 I recommend NWGACU to you!

Congratulations Lee! Thank you for a very well worded entry!

We are thankful to have such loyal members!

Don’t forget! We are selling discounted tickets to all Falcons home games this year and you can pick them up at either of our locations!

Posted in Life at the Credit Union | Leave a Comment »

Back To School, Back To School

July 27, 2009

It’s that time again, and SO early this year!

back-to-schoolPreparing for back to school can be expensive. I recently heard a friend of mine (with 4 kids) talking about spending upwards of $500 for back to school clothes, supplies, and other August necessities. Whew! That’s a lot of money, so I started looking for good deals and tips to save money during this back to school shopping frenzy.

 

  • Go through your school supplies at home before going to the store. Only buy things you don’t already have at home.
  • Stick to the teacher’s list. The teacher knows what students will need, no need to pick up any extras.
  • Check out Staples and their awesome 25 cent deals.
  • Use hand me down supplies from older siblings.
  • Shop for clothes at outlet malls. You can find great deals at the end of the summer.
  • Set limits on clothes before heading out to the store.

Don’t forget the tax free weekend is coming up! You can shop tax free from Thursday, July 30 – Sunday, August 2. Another great way to save a little cash during this hectic time of year.

Posted in Making Cents | Leave a Comment »

Embark! Summer Session

July 22, 2009

Embark!-Summer-SessionAfter weeks of waiting, our first ever Embark! Summer Session was finally here! The plan was to invite students that are members of the credit union to join us for a few hours of financial education.

We used our Embark! curriculum and we made sure to choose the lessons with the best activities.

We divided the students into two groups. The older kids and the younger kids. The older kids hung out with Tiffany and they talked about different types of accounts, keeping up with transactions, and saving money. They also did an activity where the students got to choose a job and decide how to budget their income on needs and wants.

Embark! Summer Session 021

 The younger group hung out with me and we had a blast. After discussing the difference between needs and wants and how to spend wisely, we talked about saving. We talked about dividing money up between money you spend, money you save, and money you share. It’s a neat way to teach budgeting and to get them to start saving. They got to decorate a bucket for each category to take home and hopefully start spending, saving, and sharing!

Embark! Summer Session 009Embark! Summer Session 004

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Embark! Summer Session 012

Embark! Summer Session 013

 

 

 

 

Embark! Summer Session 015

Embark! Summer Session 014

 

 

 

 

Embark! Summer Session 019

Posted in In the Community, Life at the Credit Union, Making Cents | Leave a Comment »

Win VIP Falcons Training Camp Tickets!

July 20, 2009

Anyone a fan of the Atlanta Falcons?

I am.

No, seriously, I am.

Anyway, wouldn’t it be cool to see them practice up close and personal before the season starts? Totally!

falcons type

We’re giving away two VIP tickets to the Atlanta Falcons Training Camp in Flowery Branch. Tickets are good for a few hours of football action in the afternoon on Thursday, August 15.

A free BBQ meal is also included.

BBQ and pro football? Sign me up!

All you have to do is tell us why you love Northwest Georgia Credit Union! Click here to enter your 100 words now. Winner will be announced on August 3rd!

Good luck and go Falcons!

Posted in Life at the Credit Union | Leave a Comment »

Online Bill Pay Drawing Winner

July 20, 2009

In the latest edition of our eNewsletter, Change Direction, we told our readers about Online Bill Pay and how great it is to pay your bills online using no stamps!

After talking about how easy and wonderful Online Bill Pay is, we offered one lucky Bill Pay user $50.

Ah, another drawing. Love it!

The rules were that you had to sign up for Online Bill Pay and pay one bill before the cutoff day. We printed out a long list of members that did just that. And from that list we drew one name.

And the winner is…

Deborah Malone

Congratulations! Not only is your life getting that much easier with Online Bill Pay, you’re also getting an extra $50! Woo-hoo!

Posted in Life at the Credit Union | Leave a Comment »

Even the Pope Loves Us!

July 15, 2009

VATICAN POPE

 

 

 

 

 

On July 9, the Wall Street Journal Blogs quoted Pope Benedict XVI as saying:

“If love is wise, it can find ways of working in accordance with provident and just expediency, as is illustrated in significant ways by much of the experience of credit unions.”

Man, what an endorsement!

The Pope is originally from Germany, and it just so happens that credit unions originated in Germany in 1849.  The mayor of a small German town formed a credit society so that citizens could help themselves, rather than rely on the local land barons. Three years later, this credit society became a credit union…and the rest is history.

And in case you need a dictionary.com refresher, by saying “provident” and “expediency”,  the Pope is referring to the economical, advantageous, and unselfish nature of credit unions.

I don’t think we’ll see the Pope endorsing banks anytime soon.

Posted in Better than a Bank | 2 Comments »

Tip of the Day

July 14, 2009

money_jarYou have probably noticed the few small changes that we made to our website last month. In the middle of our web page we are now posting What’s New articles, Web Only Specials, and a Tip of the Day.

The Tip of the Day section is designed to be a quick hint or idea that will help us save a little extra money.

Tips include things like:

  • Plan weekly meals before grocery shopping. Base your meals around specials and coupons to save money.
  • With prescriptions, check to see if you can switch to the generic brand. They are as effective and safe as their name-brand counterparts but can cost 20 to 50 percent less.
  • Avoid buying prepared and packaged goods. For example, Consumer Reports found that two pounds of carrots cost $1.29, compared with $7.16 for the same amount of pre-cut carrot sticks.
  • Get a library card. Did you know that you can borrow DVDs from the library?

These tips are updated daily and we hope you’ll check back often to save an extra dime here or dollar there.

Let us know if you have any tips of your own and we’ll post them for everyone to see!

Happy saving!

Posted in Making Cents | Leave a Comment »

Brown Bag Luncheon

July 13, 2009

I’m spending most of my time right now preparing for an event that Northwest Georgia Credit Union sponsors every year called the Brown Bag Luncheon. Calling, planning, buying, asking, wrapping, and getting excited!

Formerly known as the Red Apple Luncheon, this is an event for new teachers in Rome City, Floyd County, and area private schools. Administrators are invited to attend as well. We love putting on this event for these new, very excited teachers.

The 2008 luncheon was held at the Forum and the keynote speaker was Leanne Maule, 2009 Georgia Teacher of the Year. She was an awesome speaker and encouraged teachers to think creatively in their new role.

BrownBag1

BrownBag3

 

 

 

 

 

Our speaker this year will be Northwest Georgia RESA’s Executive Director, Mr. Dexter Mills. On top of  great speakers and awesome food, the Brown Bag Luncheon always offers tons of free stuff.

We encourage businesses in the community to get involved with our educators by offering door prizes or giveaways for our guests. So far this year is shaping up to be like any other, lots of great gifts!  

We have seen great support already from Berry College, Shorter College, Georgia Northwestern Technical College, Starbucks, Sincerely Yours, Buffalo’s Cafe, The Forrest Interior Design, Christie’s Office Supply, Ford, Gittings, and Kane, Honey Baked Ham, Redmond Hospital, and more on the way!

We hope the new teachers are excited, encouraged, honored, and inspired by this event!

Posted in In the Community | Leave a Comment »

Take a Seat

July 13, 2009

If any of you have ever been on a diet, you have probably stumbled upon the ‘rule’ of dieting about sitting while you eat, not standing.

The thought here is that if you are standing up you are less likely to think about what you are shoving in your mouth. If you are sitting, it feels more like meal time and you are thinking about the food you are consuming.

Not a hard and fast rule, just a little tip.

Well, our friends over at wisebread.com shared an excellent tip today that relates this dieting rule to spending money. The blog mentions the fact that we do most of our spending standing up. Unless you are shopping online, you are standing up at the grocery store, the mall, and a plethora of other stores.

So, what if we took the sitting rule from our diets and applied it to our spending?

Budgeting, planning, and generally thinking ahead helps you spend less and make smarter decisions. So, sit before you shop and start spending less!

Check out the wisebread article here. Great stuff!

Posted in Fascinating Finds | Leave a Comment »

Meet Chris Ray

July 7, 2009

Some of you might have noticed our job posting for a Branch Manager on our website or on the Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce  website.  To calm your fears, no, we were not trying to replace Robin Acrey at the East Rome Branch.  (We love her too much to let her escape.) Instead, the credit union has been reorganizing our staff just a bit to help us serve our members even better. Part of this reorganization involved creating a new position, Branch Manager for our Main Office in West Rome. In the past, our Main Office has had a separate teller department and a financial services department. Now, the two departments at our Main Office have merged into one glorious “branch”, and we have officially hired a manager to lead this initiative.

After an extensive search of many talented people, we felt certain that Mr. Chris Ray was the man for the job.

Meet Chris:

Chris Ray

 

 

 

 

Chris comes to NWGACU with extensive experience in the financial services industry, a love for people, and a talent for helping others with their money. I asked Chris five all-important questions. Here’s what he had to say:

1. What do you love most about helping people with their finances?

I love helping members make and reach their financial goals, and I love helping them make the most of their money.

2. If you could only take one item with you to a deserted island, what would it be?

My Swiss Army knife.

3. NWGACU prides itself on being a trusted source for financial education for our members. What is your best advice on managing money?

Three things: have a smart budget, spend wisely, and save money.

4. Someone just gave you $100. How do you spend it?

$40 for a meal with the family, $40 for something to use on my house, $20 in savings for a rainy day.

5. And most importantly– how do you like your steak?

Medium rare.

 

Next time you come by our office in West Rome, say hi to Chris.  Shake his hand. Give him a hug. Bake him an apple pie. You know, whatever floats your boat.

Posted in Life at the Credit Union | 2 Comments »

« Older Entries
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.