Monthly Archives: September 2022

At Home Activities to Keep Your Kids Busy in the Fall

At-Home Activities to Keep Your Kids Busy in the Fall

Fall is here and that means it is time to start planning out those seasonal activities. If you haven’t started brainstorming or are stuck on ideas for your fall fun, no worries – we’ve got you covered with these tips to keep your kids busy! Whether you’re planning for the sitter, your own kids, grandkids, or just need something fun to do, take a few minutes to add some activities to your fall to-do list.

Fall Slime 

With the unpredictable fall weather, the best activities can be done in or outside. Slime is a kid favorite, so why not make it fall-themed! This slime recipe will keep them engaged for hours!

How to create Fall Slime: https://bit.ly/3B1HhNH

Sidewalk Chalk Murals

If you get a nice fall day, be sure to craft your very own sidewalk mural before they are covered with snow! Whether you create designs or some games with chalk, you are bound to have a fun time. Sidewalk chalk is a good way to not only have a blast coloring but incorporating some learning. Encourage your kids to write letters, words, and names, as well as draw items to count!

Pumpkin Sensory Bag 

Sensory bags are a blast! Create your own sensory bag by adding in the guts of a pumpkin and allowing your kiddos to engage in sensory play! To create yours add squishy pulp, juice, and pumpkin seeds into a plastic bag. You can even dye your pumpkin seeds with food coloring for additional fun!

Homemade Autumn Playdough

Kids love playdough so you’ll most definitely want to try out making your own – especially when it smells like fall! Check out this helpful recipe to get you started. Don’t wait until Halloween to decorate your pumpkins, use your playdough to craft pumpkins, ghosts, apples, and more!

Milk Carton Boats 

Milk carton boats are a fun craft that gives your kids an opportunity to brainstorm. Use an old milk carton and craft a boat. You can even go as far as painting and decorating it! Once your boat is crafted, pick a nice fall day to put it in water to see how it floats. You can even have a competition and add weight to see who’s stays afloat longest.

Paint Kindness Rocks

Painting rocks can be a colorful craft and an act of kindness. This idea is as easy as finding some rocks and painting them. Paint inspiring words, quotes, or designs so once they are dry you can deliver them to family or place them around your community. Add a fall twist to your rocks or even decorate pumpkins instead to deliver around your town!

Glow in the Dark Mason Jars

Crafting your own glow in the dark mason jars is a must! They are great to keep in the backyard throughout the fall to enjoy.  Here’s what you need to know about this craft to light up your backyard.

Organize Your Own Nature Scavenger Hunt

Get out and about to soak up the fall with your very own nature scavenger hunt. This can be as easy as creating a fall themed list for your kids to get out and find. From leaves to pinecones, this scavenger hunt will keep your kids busy! Keep your fall findings and incorporate them into your next craft!

Bob for Apples

Keep your kids cool and engaged by bobbing for apples. This activity is as easy as filling up a bowl with apples and water and let them bob away! Use this activity to work on counting and sorting. For young kids use this as an activity to improve their motor skills – here’s how. 

Pumpkin Potions

Put on your aprons it’s pumpkin potion time! This wouldn’t be a fun fall activity list if there wasn’t at least one messy idea. To create this messy fun start with the first potion – a typical baking soda and vinegar experiment, which is always a big hit with the kids. Then add shaving cream for an added squishy element.

These ideas are easy to achieve and budget-friendly to keep the kids having fun and engaged this fall!

Peoples Bank & Trust Co.

Member FDIC

Equal Housing Lender

How to Effectively Teach Your Kids Online Safety

How to Effectively Teach Your Kids Online Safety 

Having our kiddos grow up in a world that becomes more and more digitalized can be a scary thing. The best thing you can do for your kids is to teach them about cybersecurity and implement safe online habits early on. With summer coming up, there may be more people online when your kids are on their devices. Here are some tips to outline with your kids to ensure safe cybersecurity practices. 

Educate Yourself First 

There is not a one size fits all approach to teaching your kids cybersecurity at a level they understand. Each kid is different and wants different things from their online experience. If you can educate yourself and implement good habits both when you are and are not with your kids, you are on the right track. Having gadgets is great, especially for you to connect and communicate. 

Set Up a Routine

Having an enforced device routine is important to safe cybersecurity. A great way to monitor their device and usage is to have a charging station out in the open. It’s also great to set the times of the day they can have screen time. Having these times already enforced make it that much easier for your kids to follow and can work as a token for good behavior when the kids have earned some extra screen time. 

Set Up Basic Rules

It is very important to set basic rules, such as downloading apps, searching the internet, where they can use their device, and more. It is crucial to have a clean device, so be sure your kids understand the importance of having their apps and device updated. Apps are a great learning tool for kids, but they also can be very dangerous. It is important to teach them the importance of asking before they download and if the download is requesting access to anything. 

Basic rules can be easily monitored with parental controls to set rules within the device. It may be worth passcode protecting everything so only you can let them into a device and app you want them using. Rather than allowing them to use their device on their own, it can be of value to create a space where they can use it out in the open when you are able to monitor their usage. 

Use Child-Friendly Resources and Examples

As you teach your kids more and more about online safety, it is important to use examples they can understand. When instances come up, rather than getting upset, use it as a time to learn and walk through the correct way to handle the situation. Learning safe online habits should be continuous. Explaining to your children about hacking, phishing, identity theft, cyberbullying, etc. is important for them to thoroughly understand technology as they grow up.

Good cybersecurity habits are crucial to keeping ourselves, our information, and our kids safe. Summer tends to be a time where kids are on their devices more and more, sometimes when you are not home or with another adult. Creating a routine and expectation for them will only make it easier to implement your rules and continually educate them.

Peoples Bank & Trust Co.

Member FDIC

Equal Housing Lender

6 Ways to Cut Expenses this Fall

6 Ways to Cut Expenses During the Fall  

We all can probably agree that we’d love to have additional savings to go towards our holiday expenses. Whether you need to save extra for an upcoming vacation, want some Fall fun, or are trying to get your budget in-line before the holidays we’ve got some easy tips for you to reduce expenses for sweet fall savings. Shift your mindset to fall savings with these simple tips. 

Track Your Spending 

The first way to cut expenses is to see where your money is going. Maybe it’s time to hard-core track your spending and find the key expense that is busting your budget. Grab a piece of paper and write down every expense for 30-60 days to see what your money is going towards. Sometimes this tip alone is a great way to drop unnecessary spending because you see it and acknowledge how often you’re spending money on it.

Another tip when tracking your spending is to identify purchases as a need or want. Sometimes we need to think through our purchases to see how often we are spending money on things we need or want because that could be a key factor that maybe your budget is off. 

Comb Through Your Budget 

If you are already tracking your spending, you probably have a budget in motion. When you are looking to save extra, you need to comb through your budget to ensure it is accurate for your financial situation and the season. Create small goals to meet within your budget to reach. Monitor your spending categories to see if there is an area you don’t necessarily need as big of a budget for and can add that extra chunk to your savings instead. 

Remember these budget tips: 

  • Determine your monthly income. 
  • Determine your fixed expenses each month.
  • Determine your monthly budget for needs. 
  • Determine how much you need to set aside for your holiday expenses to stay within your set budget.

Scratch the Subscriptions 

Cleaning through the subscriptions is a great way to have some additional savings. When looking through your subscriptions it is important to ask yourself how much you use them and do you really need them. Gym memberships are great to cancel in the summer and fall because you can get your exercise outside or in the comfort of your home. Cancel those subscriptions sooner than later and you will see a great income for your savings. You may even realize you don’t need them back. 

Reduce Energy-Use

Fall is the best time of year to save money at home by reducing your energy use. Here are some ways to reduce energy at home to save on the energy bill:

  • Open the windows
  • Shut the fans off when you’re not using them
  • Run full loads of laundry and dishes
  • Shower in the early morning or night when it’s cool
  • Allow the sun to naturally heat your home
  • Use natural lighting
  • Manage your AC usage – shut it off completely when it cools off and open the windows

Love a List 

When you’re out shopping, particularly at the grocery store or on that unnecessary Target trip, bring a list and stick to it. This is a phenomenal way to control what you are buying and to plan how much you intend to spend. Learn to love a list this fall and challenge yourself to follow it.

Eat-In 

We all enjoy the ambiance and convenience of a meal out, but those most definitely add up. Rather than eating out too many times a week, stick to that grocery list and plan out meals and snacks to eat at home or bring with you on the go. Budget and plan those meals out to avoid overspending. 

Fall is here and we want your savings to be sweet! Start tracking your spending and finding a few things to cut to make saving easy.

Peoples Bank & Trust Co.

Member FDIC

Equal Housing Lender

What is a Credit Score and Why is it So Important

What is a Credit Score and Why is it So Important?

We have all heard we need to have a good credit score, but many people do not know what a credit score is – this is ok, we are here to help! Having a good credit score is a lifeline for your future, so it is very important to know what a credit score is, how it can be positively and negatively impacted, and why it is so important to everyone. Take a few minutes to brush up on your knowledge of credit and how you can have a good credit score. 

What is a Credit Score? 

Credit scores have the ability to affect a lot in your life, so it is crucial to know what a credit score means and what yours is. Credit scores are a financial tool that determines each individual’s creditworthiness. A credit score is a number between 300 – 850 that is determined by your credit history. A high credit score means you are a responsible person who will repay your debts. 

Your credit score moves as you use and repay debts you have incurred. A bad credit score could result in a higher payment due to a higher interest rate or missing out on a purchase you’d like – such as leasing an apartment, obtaining a loan or credit card, purchasing insurance or a vehicle, etc. You may be asking – What if I do not have a credit score? Not having a credit score means you have not tied anything to your credit profile. This can often be a bad thing as you have no history of good credit or debt payment to a lender. 

What Does Your Credit Score Impact? 

Your credit score essentially affects your financial life. There are many good and bad ways to affect your credit. Your credit score plays a huge part in a lender’s choice to offer you any sort of credit. A credit score may also impact the amount of the deposit you have to pay for utilities, phone services, rental properties, and more. Your credit score impacts your interest rate or credit limit. 

What Impacts Your Credit Score?

Your credit score is impacted by five main factors that are evaluated when you take out credit. Your credit score is reported and updated by credit reporting agencies in the United States. The five factors that affect your credit score are: payment history, the total amount owed, the length of credit history, the types of credit, and new credit you use. 

How to Improve Your Credit Score

There are many ways to improve your credit, so if your score is on the low end, do not worry! Here are 4 ways to increase and improve your credit score:

1. Pay your bills on time – on-time payments for six months will positively affect your score. 

2. Use a credit card – contact Peoples Bank & Trust to open a credit card today!

3. Don’t close your credit card account – stop using the card rather than closing it as this could negatively impact your score. 

4. Take out a line of credit and make consistent payments on time. 

Why is Your Credit Score Important?

As you can see, your credit score is very important to be able to do the things you wish financially. Having a good score can affect you in many ways, so if it is low, it is important to work on growing the number. An excellent score ranges from 800 to 850 while a poor score is between 300 and 579. The middle range can be considered very good to fair and can affect the terms of the credit you are offered quite a bit, even if you are a few numbers off from the next range. 

As we have you thinking about your credit score, please reach out to Peoples Bank & Trust to discuss where you are at and how our services can positively impact you.

Peoples Bank & Trust Co.

Member FDIC

Equal Housing Lender