Bellwether Community Credit Union focuses on the financial well-being of its members and provides the necessary products, services, and tools to help them make the smartest financial choices. The credit union believes that a financially healthy member is more likely to achieve their goals, have less stress, and maintain sound money habits.

What’s the best way to become financially healthy?
Saving money should be the number one priority. Thinking of this as paying yourself first when you receive your paycheck or a monetary gift. If you wait, that extra cash will go toward other items you may want but not necessarily need. By establishing this practice, you will be making better financial decisions, and it’s simple to start this routine.

Why is saving so important?
This can vary widely from situation to situation. You may want to save to cover emergency expenses such as a costly vehicle repair, save for retirement, or use it for a specific goal like a vacation or a down payment on a new car. Whatever the reason, a nest egg can help you.

What’s the best way to save? Again, it varies. Look at what you want to achieve and set a goal. If it’s an emergency fund, your target may be a couple of thousand to cover those unexpected expenses. For a vacation or deposit on a car or house, the final amount may be much higher.

Here are some helpful ways Bellwether can help you save.

Automatic Transfer in Savings
You can take the decision-making out of the process by allocating a certain amount of your payroll to go into the emergency saving account. It can be as low as $10 to $20 weekly which annually adds up to $520 to $1040. It’s a start, and you don’t have to remember each time to make the transfer. After the first few months, you can see about increasing the amount to get to your savings goal faster.

Round Up your Spare Change
Another set-it-and-forget approach to savings is to sign up for a save-the-change program. At Bellwether, the Saving Makes Cents program allows you to save the change into a savings account of your choice. Each purchase is rounded up to the nearest dollar every time you use your debit card. Here’s where every penny really does add up.

Deposit the Cash Back Rewards
If you have the Bellwether Visa Smart Cash Credit Card that offers cash back on purchases, you can redeem those funds and deposit them directly into your savings account. Depending on your credit card spending, this could add up to a couple of hundred dollars each year.

If you add these easy saving habits into your everyday life, you will be better prepared.

Bellwether Community Credit Union 

7 Leavy Drive, Bedford, NH 03110 

www.bccu.org 

603-645-8181