Monthly Archives: December 2016

Best Part Time Jobs for Students

Student Savings

College is a time period in which you begin to choose your path in life. With decisions ranging from effort in class, extracurricular participation, and money management style, you will find yourself gaining more and more responsibilities each and every day. Continue to build your college experience with a part-time career to help you better manage your money, and support some fun on the weekends!

  1. Dental Receptionist: With one of the best hourly wages for college students, this part-time job will help you learn the basics of scheduling and time management while allowing you to maintain flexible hours throughout the school year.
  1. Library Assistant: On campus jobs are a great way to reduce transportation costs. Snagging a job at your university library can help you with your classes too! After being trained on all the offerings the library has available, you can have primary access to all the additional resources and study materials – not to mention great pay!
  1.    Restaurant Staff: Offering flexible hours, and potentially reduced food costs, this is a popular and reliable option for students. Especially useful for those looking to become restaurant managers or chefs, this employment can serve as a great stepping stone to future opportunities.
  1.    Tutor: Not only as a community service, but also as a career, this valuable job enables students to continue learning outside of their classes, and get paid doing so. By continually explaining processes and concepts to others, you can increase your knowledge on the subjects as well!
  1.    Bank Teller: Filled with customer interaction, number crunching, and accountability, this position will help teach you all about money management, and the responsibility of being accurate. Not only does this position offer a good wage and flexible hours, but it also boasts an added opportunity to network with impactful members of your community.
  1. Bartender: Favored by many students, a position at your favorite college bar can provide flexible hours, socialization, and nightly tips to add to your pay. Remember to choose a bar with high traffic flow, to ensure a steady source of tips, and an increased potential to move up the rankings.
  1. Fitness Instructor: Getting paid to workout, almost sounds too good to be true! For those select few who have fantastic charisma and a killer routine, this is the perfect employment for you! With many students and community members searching for exciting new workouts, most college campuses are searching for students to fill rotating fitness class roles. Pick and choose the classes you want to teach, and have some fun!
  1. Social Media Manager: Now that social media is practically a mandatory part of any business, the need to manage those accounts is climbing faster than ever. Put your online skills to use, and see which local businesses could use your help. This innovative career can be completed from your room, or the storefront, so working for multiple entities could be a great opportunity!

If you’re ready to start searching for your next job, try browsing your college careers page! With campus wide services, there are always opportunities to find employment. At Heartland Bank, we encourage students to learn about how to save and spend their money responsibly, using a monthly budget. If you’re curious on how to set one up for your personal finances, stop in today!

 

Teaching Your Children the Meaning of Giving

Seasonal

The holiday season is all about giving. Whether it’s through time, labor, or funds, philanthropy is the spirit of the season. This December, help your little one’s understand the power of giving with these four lessons, courtesy of Heartland Bank:

  1. Help Yourself by Helping Others

Did you know that every time you participate in “gift-giving behaviors,” your body releases positive chemicals in the brain? Referred to as a “Helper’s high,” these chemicals are released into the body while participating in perceived good deeds. The release of dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin is the body’s way of physically boosting your spirits during these activities.  While helping others has great benefits for the recipients, one of the most impactful things you can do to boost your mood, is to lend a hand!

  1. The Gift of Time is the Most Precious

Throughout the winter months, try offering a gift more precious than presents, by helping a neighbor in need. Whether it’s shoveling the walkway or blowing snow from the driveway, these gestures can make a world of difference. If you know of a family struggling during the holidays, offer to bring home cooked meals to help them along the way. Sometimes we overlook the kindness in a small act, so this season, see what you can do instead of what you can give.

  1. Financial Education is Key

To better understand how much to give, you first need to understand how much you have. If you give your child a weekly allowance, create three jars for them to store it in. One marked save, one marked spend, the last marked give. (You can practice this same exercise using envelopes for your monthly budget.) Each “payday,” you and your child can deposit the amount you would like in each. Be sure to let your little one know that the save and give categories allow them to continually accumulate funds for bigger items, but the spend category is specifically to use that week. At the end of a month see where you both stand. If there are funds for the save and give jars, help them choose a great organization or purchase to make it worthwhile.

Sharing the love of giving with your child is the perfect way to teach them about many life lessons, including finances! For everything from balancing a budget, to automating savings, there are many financial lessons that can prepare you to give more. If you’d like to grow your giving potential, stop in today and we’ll help you make it happen!

 

 

5 Ways to Save on Your Home Energy Bill

Seasonal

The cold months are here, and so is the increase in your home’s energy usage. Before the days get too chilly, put these key steps in motion to save some serious pocket change on your next utility bill.

  1. Swap out your 40 watt bulbs for a more efficient LED bulb. While the lights themselves may be more costly, they will save you money in the long run. Begin with one room in the house and every couple months splurge for another room’s new light bulbs. Slowly, your home’s lighting will become more energy efficient, dropping your electricity usage.
  2. Trade in those mesh curtains for an energy efficient alternative. Darkening shades can help to keep your house warm by trapping heat inside. As an added bonus, they also shield the sun, so sleeping in on the weekends has never been easier.
  3. If you have a family of four, doing laundry can add up quick! Decrease your energy usage by switching to a coldwash detergent and only using hot water when deep cleaning whites. For additional savings, hang items to dry in the basement or garage, eliminating the energy needed for the dryer.
  4. Fill your freezer. By keeping a full freezer, you make the appliance work less, once all the food is frozen. Each of the items inside of the freezer will help keep the space frozen, meaning less energy is needed to keep everything cold.
  5. Pile on the layers this season. Once the cold comes, instead of running to the thermostat, make your way to the closet. Adding sweatshirts, jackets, and cardigans to your wardrobe can help you stay toasty on those chilly nights, without spiking your energy bill. If the evening is particularly cold, enjoy the night in front of a warm kindling in the fireplace, and remember to add a couple blankets to your bed!

Whatever tactics you choose to save, Heartland Bank is here to help! Give us a call or stop by today!

 

The Envelope System 1-2-3

Budgeting

This age old budgeting system still offers valuable insights to individuals and families across the country. Simplistic in form, this budgeting tool can help you manage your funds through direct accountability and a simple tracking function. Get started today, and Heartland Bank will help you along the way!

  1. What is the envelope System?

The envelope system is a budgetary guide where each category of your budget is represented by a physical envelope, filled with the cash for that month’s spending. As you need to spend in a designated category, you only use the funds from its matching envelope. Once the envelope is empty, no more spending.

  1. How does it work?

This budget hinges upon your accountability to yourself, and not overspending in areas where there is no cash remaining. Before setting the amounts for the month, examine your current spending and see which areas perhaps you could cut back, and other categories that may need a few more dollars. This will help ensure that your monthly budget is an achievable goal, that won’t leave you wanting at the end of the month.

  1. Why should I try it?

Getting your finances together helps open opportunities that may not have been present before. By accurately and responsibly managing your finances you may have the potential to save for a vacation, pay off debt, or purchase that item you’ve been dying for. By trying this system you are creating a goal for you and your family to look forward to a debt-free and more financially secure future.

Getting started is as easy as 1-2-3. Stop in the bank today and we can work with you to withdraw the amounts needed for your individual spending categories, and we’ll even give you the envelopes to go with them. If you’re still curious on how to best set-up your monthly budget, we can help with that too – just drop us a line or stop by!