Category: Budgeting

Person holding tablet displaying a credit score of 810 on the screen

Understanding Credit Scores: How to Improve and Maintain Yours

A good credit score is essential for securing loans, getting favorable interest rates, and even renting an apartment. Understanding how credit scores work and how to improve and maintain them can significantly impact your financial health. Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you navigate the world of credit scores.

What is a Credit Score?

A credit score is a numerical representation of your creditworthiness, based on your credit history. Lenders use this score to assess the risk of lending you money. Scores typically range from 300 to 850, with higher scores indicating better creditworthiness.

Factors That Affect Your Credit Score

Several factors contribute to your credit score:

  • Payment History: Your track record of paying bills on time.
  • Credit Utilization: The amount of credit you’re using compared to your credit limit.
  • Length of Credit History: How long you’ve had credit accounts.
  • New Credit: Recent applications for new credit.
  • Credit Mix: The variety of credit accounts you have, such as credit cards, mortgages, and loans.

Checking Your Credit Report

Regularly checking your credit report is crucial for maintaining a good credit score. You can obtain a free copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) once a year. Review your reports for any errors or discrepancies and report them immediately.

Improving Your Score

Improving your credit score takes time and effort, but it’s achievable with these steps:

  • Pay Bills on Time: Consistently paying your bills on time is one of the most significant factors in improving your score.
  • Reduce Debt: Aim to pay down existing debt, especially high-interest credit card balances.
  • Avoid New Credit Inquiries: Limit the number of new credit applications, as each inquiry can temporarily lower your score.
  • Increase Credit Limits: If possible, request a credit limit increase to improve your credit utilization ratio.

Maintaining a Good Score

Once you’ve improved your credit score, it’s essential to maintain it:

  • Monitor Your Credit: Keep an eye on your credit reports and scores regularly.
  • Use Credit Responsibly: Continue to pay bills on time and keep credit card balances low.
  • Stay Informed: Educate yourself about credit and financial management to make informed decisions.

Common Credit Myths

There are many misconceptions about credit scores. For example, closing old accounts can hurt your score, and checking your own credit report does not affect your score. Understanding these myths can help you make better financial decisions.

  1. Myth: Checking your own credit report will lower your score.
    1. Fact: Checking your own credit report is considered a “soft inquiry” and does not affect your credit score. It’s a good practice to review your credit report regularly to ensure accuracy.
  2. Myth: Closing old credit accounts will improve your credit score.
    1. Fact: Closing old accounts can actually hurt your credit score because it reduces your overall available credit and can shorten your credit history, both of which are factors in your credit score.
  3. Myth: You only have one credit score.
    1. Fact: You have multiple credit scores, as different credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) and scoring models (FICO, VantageScore) may calculate your score differently based on the information they have.
  4. Myth: Carrying a balance on your credit card improves your credit score.
    1. Fact: Carrying a balance and paying interest does not improve your credit score. It’s better to pay off your balance in full each month to avoid interest charges and maintain a good credit score.
  5. Myth: Your income affects your credit score.
    1. Fact: Your income is not a factor in your credit score. Credit scores are based on your credit history, including payment history, amounts owed, length of credit history, new credit, and types of credit used.
  6. Myth: Paying off a debt will remove it from your credit report.
    1. Fact: Paying off a debt does not remove it from your credit report. The account will be marked as paid, but it will remain on your report for up to seven years from the date of last activity.
  7. Myth: Using a debit card will help build your credit score.
    1. Fact: Debit card usage does not impact your credit score because it is not reported to credit bureaus. Only credit accounts, such as credit cards and loans, are reported and affect your credit score.

Resources and Tools

Take advantage of tools and resources available to help manage and improve your credit scores. Many banks offer credit monitoring services and financial education resources to support your credit health.

By understanding and managing your credit score, you can unlock better financial opportunities and achieve your financial goals. Stay proactive and informed to maintain a healthy credit profile. Visit Peoples Bank & Trust today to learn more about how we can assist you in achieving your financial goals and securing a brighter financial future.

Jar full of cash labeled Emergency Fund with stack of books in the background

How to Build an Emergency Fund: 6 Tips and Strategies

In uncertain times, having an emergency fund can provide peace of mind and financial stability. An emergency fund is a savings account specifically set aside for unexpected expenses, such as medical emergencies, car repairs, or job loss. Here’s how you can start building your emergency fund and ensure you’re prepared for whatever life throws your way.

Why You Need an Emergency Fund

An emergency fund acts as a financial safety net, helping you cover unexpected expenses without resorting to high-interest debt. It can prevent financial stress and provide a sense of security, knowing you have a cushion to fall back on.

6 Tips and Strategies for Building an Emergency Fund

1. Setting a Goal

How much should you aim to save? Financial experts typically recommend having three to six months’ worth of living expenses in your emergency fund. This amount can vary based on your personal circumstances, such as job stability and monthly expenses.

2. Starting Small

If saving several months’ worth of expenses seems daunting, start small. Even setting aside a small amount each month can make a big difference over time. The key is to start now and build gradually.

3. Automating Savings

One of the easiest ways to build your emergency fund is to automate your savings. Set up automatic transfers from your checking account to your savings account. This way, you’re consistently contributing to your fund without having to think about it.

4. Cutting Unnecessary Expenses

Take a close look at your budget and identify areas where you can cut back. Reducing non-essential spending, such as dining out or subscription services, can free up money to put towards your emergency fund.

5. Using Windfalls Wisely

Whenever you receive unexpected income, such as a bonus, tax refund, or gift, consider putting a portion of it into your emergency fund. This can give your savings a significant boost.

6. Choosing the Right Account

Keep your emergency fund in a high-yield savings account. This type of account offers better interest rates than a regular savings account, helping your money grow faster while still being easily accessible when you need it.

Building an emergency fund takes time and discipline, but the peace of mind it provides is well worth the effort. Start today, and you’ll be better prepared for whatever financial challenges come your way. At Peoples Bank & Trust, we’re here to help. Learn more about our savings accounts and other services that can help you effectively build your emergency funds.

Parents shopping in store with child

7 Ways to Save on Back-to-School Shopping

As the back-to-school season approaches, many parents and students are looking for ways to save on essential supplies. Here are seven tips to help you make the most of your budget:

  1. Create a Budget and Stick to It: Before you start shopping, determine how much you can afford to spend. Make a list of necessary items and prioritize them. This will help you avoid impulse purchases and stay within your budget.
  2. Shop Sales and Use Coupons: Keep an eye out for sales, discounts, and coupons. Many stores offer significant savings during the back-to-school season. Combine sales with coupons for even greater discounts.
  3. Buy in Bulk: For items like notebooks, pens, and pencils, consider buying in bulk. This can often be cheaper in the long run, especially if you have multiple children or can share supplies with other families.
  4. Take Advantage of Tax-Free Weekends: Many states offer tax-free weekends during the back-to-school season. Plan your shopping around these dates to save on sales tax.
  5. Use Credit Card Rewards: If you have a credit card that offers rewards, use it for your back-to-school shopping. You can earn points, cash back, or other rewards that can help offset the cost of supplies.
    1. Apply for a VISA Rewards Platinum credit card with Peoples Bank and Trust. As you shop for back-to-school supplies, get rewards points you can redeem on merchandise and travel. Enjoy fraud monitoring and zero fraud liability! Learn about the VISA Rewards Platinum today.
  6. Shop Online: Online retailers often offer competitive prices and exclusive deals. Plus, you can easily compare prices across different websites to find the best deals.
  7. Open a Savings Account: Consider opening a savings account specifically for back-to-school expenses. By setting aside a small amount each month, you can build up a fund to cover these costs without straining your budget.


By following these tips, you can make back-to-school shopping more affordable and stress-free. Happy shopping!

Financial Planning 2024

Get Ahead: Begin Your Financial Planning Now for 2024

As the new year approaches, there’s no better time to lay the groundwork for your financial success. Whether you’re aiming to save for a major purchase, build an emergency fund, invest wisely, or simply gain better control over your finances, careful planning and strategic decision-making are essential. In this blog, we’ll walk you through a series of insightful strategies to empower you to take charge of your financial future in 2024.

Assess Your Current Financial Situation

Assessing your current financial situation allows you to gain an understanding of where your finances stand. It helps you to get a clear picture of your income and expenses, how much you owe (debts), and what you own (assets). It is a starting point for your financial journey. By understanding these numbers, you’ll know how much money is coming in, how much is going out, and where you might have room for improvement. 

Define Financial Goals for the New Year

Defining your financial goals for the new year means laying out what you want to achieve with your money. These goals could include things like saving a certain amount of money, paying off debts, or investing in the future. When you set specific goals, you’re giving yourself a roadmap to follow. It helps you focus on where you want to go financially and gives you a sense of direction for your financial decisions. By having these goals in mind, you’re more likely to make choices that align with your priorities and move you closer to what you want to accomplish with your finances in the coming year.

Craft a Budget

Creating a budget involves making a plan for how you’ll use your money. You decide how much you’ll spend on things like bills, groceries, and entertainment. By setting limits and tracking your spending, you can make sure that you’re not spending more than you earn and that you’re directing your money towards the things that matter most to you. A budget gives you a clear picture of your financial choices and helps you make adjustments if you see you’re going off track. It’s a practical tool that puts you in control of your money, making your financial journey smoother and more organized.

Strategize Tackling Debt

Coming up with a plan to tackle your debt in the upcoming year involves creating a smart approach to paying back money you owe. It should be a step-by-step strategy to gradually lighten your financial load. You’ll prioritize which debts to focus on, whether it’s credit card balances, loans, or other obligations. By making consistent payments and considering techniques like consolidating debts or negotiating with creditors, you can make steady progress toward becoming debt-free. This strategy empowers you to take control of your financial well-being, alleviating stress and setting the stage for a more stable future.

Explore Investment Opportunities

Exploring investment opportunities for the upcoming year means investigating ways to grow your money over time. Whether you’re considering stocks, bonds, real estate, or retirement accounts, each option has its own potential for returns and risks. Diversifying your investments – spreading your money across different types – can help you manage risk while aiming for growth. By learning about various investment avenues and aligning them with your goals, you’re taking steps toward building a stronger financial foundation and potentially reaping rewards down the road.

Plan for Taxes

Preparing for taxes in the upcoming year involves getting your financial documents in order and making strategic choices to optimize your tax situation. By exploring deductions, tax credits, and tax-advantaged accounts, you can potentially reduce your tax burden. You can use various tax strategies to create a tax plan that works in your favor. Planning for taxes ahead of time helps you stay in control of your finances, ensuring that you’re not paying more than necessary and allowing you to make the most of your hard-earned money.

Taking control of your finances is within your reach and now is the time to put these insights into action, shaping your financial landscape for a brighter tomorrow. At Peoples Bank & Trust, we are here to guide you every step of the way. Connect with us to explore financial solutions that align with your goals, and let’s work together to make 2024 a year of financial achievements.

Financial Resolutions in Check

How to Get Your Financial Resolutions in Check for the New Year

If part of your new year’s resolutions was to reshape your finances and consolidate debt, this is the blog for you. Make your resolutions a reality with these top tips for the year 2023!

Preparing Your Financial Resolutions

If you have created new year’s resolutions, you know it can be extremely hard to stick to them if you don’t implement steps to adequately meet them. When you are identifying areas of your finances you want to improve, it is important to identify goals within your goals to help you stay accountable and committed to them throughout the year and on. 

Resolution 1: Analyze Your Financial Situation and Budget

Before you decide what financial resolutions, you may have that will actually improve your financial habits and situation, it is crucial to do a deep dive into your current financial situation and comb through your budget. Doing this may bring up some areas that you didn’t realize may be affecting your finances negatively as well as find areas you can improve. Tracking your current spending and saving habits are incredibly important for everyone to do, let your financial resolutions be clear and concise by identifying your money moves and behaviors. 

Resolution 2: Define Your Debt

Debt is a tool that depending on how you use and are managing it can inherently be a good or a bad thing. If you have found your debt to be more of a financial burden than a tool, chances are your debt need to be addressed and controlled. Here are a few key points to keep in mind as you address your current debt:

  1. Eliminate any debt that you can. Yes, this can be difficult to do – pay off credit card debt and avoid borrowing depreciating assets as it can add up quickly if you carry a balance. 
  2. Keep your total debt amount manageable. Just because you can borrow it, doesn’t mean you should borrow it. The rule of thumb is to keep your monthly costs below 28% of your pre-tax income and your total monthly debt payments. 
  3. Align your payments with your lifestyle and timing. When you are looking into taking out a loan, be honest with yourself about your time horizons, such as if you don’t plan to dig your roots somewhere consider a shorter maturity loan or an adjustable-rate mortgage over a longer-term loan

Resolution 3: Optimize Your Budget Financial Goals

Once you’ve addressed areas that need to be implemented or improved, you can begin re-working and refreshing your budget as well as carefully molding your plan to meet your financial goals. Tracking your spending and saving can be a useful tool with set guidelines to keep you on track, identify areas of improvement, help you safe more, and point out areas where you could cut back. Here are a few things to factor in when crafting your budget:

  • Fixed expenses
  • Rent/mortgage payments
  • Cell phone 
  • Monthly subscriptions
  • Groceries
  • Eating out 
  • Clothing
  • Entertainment
  • Daycare
  • Holidays 
  • Vacation 

Resolution 4: Create Your Financial Goals 

As you build this list here are a few financial resolutions to consider implementing: 

  • Save more money this year than you did last
  • Better your credit score
  • Better your budget – regardless of how you think your budget, this can always be looked over and changed to fit your lifestyle and goals as they evolve
  • Pay your credit card balance in full each month
  • Check your credit score more frequently
  • Implement a financial checkup as often as you see fit 
  • Improve your debt
  • Check your credit report more often
  • Find a way to build your credit that aligns with your goals
  • Start an emergency fund
  • Analyze your retirement savings
  • Open a savings account
  • Consider a Certificate of Deposit
  • Make a meeting with a financial advisor
  • Discuss your financial situation with your bank

Meeting and sticking to your resolutions can be extremely difficult. Building a strong financial foundation will carry you well now and, in the future, so the best time to put in the hard work is as soon as you can and continue to implement new goals and areas to work through as you become more and more financially literate. If you have questions, we are happy to help! Contact us here.

Peoples Bank & Trust Co.  

Member FDIC  

Equal Housing Lender  

Benefits of Online Bill Pay

Why You Should Be Utilizing Online Bill Pay

The week of February 5th is National Pay Your Bills Week! In honor of this holiday, we wanted to dive deeper into why you should be utilizing Online Bill Pay at Peoples Bank & Trust! Using Online Bill Pay is SIMPLE; keep reading for five reasons you should be using Online Bill Pay. 

1.    Safe and Secure Payment 

Some may be skeptical about paying their bills online. We are here to give you peace of mind that Online bill pay allows you to keep better track of your financial matters as you can set up safe and secure automatic payments from your bank account. 

2.    Save Money Using Bill Pay 

Using online bill pay not only saves you time but saves you money too. All the time and money spent on both postage and late fees can add up quickly.  By enrolling in online bill pay you are utilizing a tool that simplifies paying your bills all from the convenience of your computer. 

3.    Promptly Paid Bills 

If you think about it, mailing in your bills can take significantly longer than setting up automatic online bill pay. Doing so is faster and easier, and eliminates forgetting or procrastinating. Simply set up your monthly payments through online bill pay to make your automatic payments on time each month.

4.    Organized Bill Payment 

Using online bill pay allows you to declutter those bills and financial records in one swoop. Online bill pay is great for those who love organization or could use some tools to become more organized. When you use online bill pay you automatically pay out of the accounts you select on the date you designate. You can set up an online bill calendar to automate your payments and receive alerts once the bill is paid. A great feature in online bill pay is all your charges are kept in your online records, so you can go back and review them at any time. 

5.    Online Bill Pay at PB&T

At PB&T Online Bill Pay is simple and makes paying your bills hassle-free. Automate your payments and enjoy the convenience Online Bill Pay gives you: 

  • Pay monthly bills
  • Make one-time payments
  • Set up recurring payments
  • Make same-day payments to select payees (fees may apply)

If you want more control over your money, our Online Services allow you to not only pay your bills online but access your accounts from anywhere. Enroll today in our Online Banking to:

  • View account balances for checking and savings accounts, as well as loan and CD accounts
  • Make one-time or recurring transfers between your PB&T accounts
  • See images of checks
  • Keep an eye on your transactions
  • Download your account information easily into the financial management software you use
  • Pay bills using Online Bill Pay
  • Make Person to Person Payments using Zelle
  • Receive E-Statements
  • Take your financial management with you wherever you go with Mobile Banking

Learn more about Online Banking at PB&T! If you have any questions regarding Online or Mobile Banking or run into issues with enrollment, please contact Peoples Bank & Trust’s E-Banking Department for help.

Host For Less

Host for Less and Without Stress This Holiday Season 

Hosting is what many look forward to during the holiday season, but with the excitement, it can also bring stress. Whether you’re hosting Christmas or a small gathering, these tips will ensure your event is a blast. Take the stress out of hosting with these effortless tips for entertaining! 

Coordinate Schedules and Plans Early On 

When it comes to getting a holiday party on the calendar, it can often be extremely difficult. Before you get to planning dishes, décor, and more consider whom you plan to invite and a realistic budget you’d like to stick to. You are better off sending invitations early on and requesting RSVPs by a set date. Doing this will get your party on everyone’s calendar and give you a ballpark idea of guests attending. 

Create Your Own Invitations

Invitations are great; however, they are an additional cost. To lower this expense, consider creating your own invitation. You could utilize a Christmas Card as your invitation as well to knock out two birds with one stone. If you’d like to ditch the invitation altogether, consider sending out a virtual invitation or creating an event on Facebook with your friends. 

Plan Out Your Menu 

One of the best parts about the holidays is all of the wonderful seasonal dishes. When you get your RSVPs start considering the easiest and most budget-friendly options. If you plan to have cocktails, consider a few signature holiday cocktails or stick to the basics rather than having too many options or overcomplicating!

If cooking is not your favorite, consider catering or hosting a potluck-style party. A potluck can be an easy option for everyone attending to each bring a dish or side. If you’re looking for some ideas on food, consider:

  • Charcuterie night (each brings an item)
  • Themed charcuterie board night (assign a themed board to each attendee – cheese, Italian, desserts, dips, fruits, etc.) 
  • Dip night 
  • Traditional potluck
  • Nacho bar
  • Make your own pizza

Stop Doing Dishes

To keep it simple for you and your guests, stop doing the dishes. No one wants to be preoccupied at your party. It’s natural to want things to look beautiful and taste delicious, but you will be more likely to enjoy your time and avoid the hassle with dishes you can toss. There are great options you can toss that look identical to real tableware. A top holiday hosting tip is to get Tupperware or to-go boxes for guests to take home food. This is a great option for less cleanup and less food taking up space in your fridge. 

Utilize Transitional Décor 

Décor is so much fun to fancy up your event, but it can also eat up your budget if you allow it. When it comes to holiday décor, use items you already own or buy items you can religiously reuse. If you are thinking of creating a theme, go with a theme you already have décor for. Consider doing some DIY projects for décor options, a craft, and a table setting – bonus!

Make entertaining this holiday season effortless with these tips for less money and less stress. Happy Holidays! 

Peoples Bank & Trust Co.

Member FDIC

Equal Housing Lender

Money Mistakes to Avoid Around the Holidays

Money Mistakes to Avoid Around the Holidays

As the holiday season nears, it is important to make changes to efficiently budget for your expenses. Here are some holiday money mistakes to avoid this year, so you don’t have to start 2023 in financial regret!

1. Not Setting a Holiday Budget 

We’ve all been there and unfortunately have learned from our mistakes. Not setting a holiday budget will get you quick and set you back financially if you don’t better your budget. It is important to not only budget for gifts, but family events, holiday activities, supplies, and even décor. A $50 – $100 gift per person adds up fast – some of those people you’re closest to even potentially getting more than one gift. 

To overcome this, create a list of every person you need to get a gift for, as well as any grab bag/secret Santa gifts you know you’ll be partaking in. Next, set the maximum amount you will be spending. This is completely up to you, just be sure to be realistic with your amount accounting for gifts and such. After you set a maximum holiday budget, start allocating amounts to your categories, such as gifts, activities, hosting, supplies, etc. As you do this maybe you need to remove something or adjust your budget for that category. Jot down ideas you plan to get each person as soon as you can, so you have time to shop around for the best deal! 

Here are some common Christmas expense categories to consider: https://bit.ly/3OCxMb0

2. Not Saving Throughout the Year 

Not saving throughout the year will lead to stress, overspending, and a busted budget. To alleviate stress, start saving early by taking your budget and dividing it by the months you have until the holiday season. Doing this will ensure you are taking proper steps to reach that savings amount by the time the holiday expenses start rolling out. 

If you haven’t saved as much as you would like this year, don’t worry! What you can do is see what you have saved, available to add to your holiday fund, and make an automatic draft from your checking account to your designated savings – possibly more than before to reach your savings goal.

3. Splurging too Much on Yourself

As much as you’d like to, don’t splurge too much on yourself leading up to this holiday season. Many people end up buying themselves something for Christmas and that’s completely ok! After spending money on friends and family, we all tend to find items we’d like or would like a little spoiling ourselves. 

If you are thinking of buying yourself a gift this holiday season, here are a few pointers to be positive your budget is on track first. 

  • If you see something you like, don’t make a purchasing decision for at least seven days. In most cases, you’ll find that your desire for that thing has gone away.
  • Make an honest assessment of whether you can afford the item and how it will affect your next purchases and expenses. This purchase should not set you back!
  • Set up savings to save up for this purchase. Wait to get it until you reach your goal. 
  • Wait until after the holidays. Save up gift cards and cash earned to put towards it. 

4. Don’t Spend on Every “Good Deal”

Sales are all over during the holiday season, but it’s important to not jump at every sale you see. Even though you see a deal it is still costing you money. Before you are sold on a sale item, ask yourself these questions: 

  1. If this item wasn’t on sale, would you still want it?
  2. What will you be using it for? 
  3. How will you pay for it? Does it fit in your budget?
  4. Is there a better item to get or better use for your money? 

5.    Not Remembering Your Long-Term Financial Goals 

Remember, the holidays are not meant to be all about money. Focus on spending time with friends and family, creating core memories. No gift is worth derailing your long-term financial goals. It is important to remember your long-term goals outside of the holidays as well as what is to come in the upcoming months. Though you may feel it is ok to splurge here and there, it is important you keep your financial stability and goals in mind with each and every purchase. 

Stick to your budget this holiday season by not making any of these mistakes! If you haven’t worked through your holiday budget and started saving, here is your push to start now. 

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

How to Save When Eating Out

How to Save When Eating Out  

Eating out is sometimes more than just giving our body the nutrients it needs, it can be fun, different than the norm, and be a social outing. We all need to eat to live, but for those who live to eat out, here are some tips to lower your bill but still enjoy that meal out here and there.  

Change Your Drink Order 

As much as we all love a good fountain soda here and there, the extra money spent on coffees, tea, and soda adds up. Most of the time, water is free so if your goal is to save extra, try out water instead. A tip is to carry a water enhancer with you to add flavor or to order your water with a lemon for a citrus flavor. We all love a good cup of coffee or tea but remember you are there for the food. Specialty coffees over time add up to be just as much as a light meal.  

Lunch Over Supper  

This is probably a given, but we all know restaurants that have both a lunch and supper menu. Supper tends to be a much larger and more pricey meal. Lunch tends to be a lot cheaper, and you also get some extras like soup or a salad to fill you up.  

Opt for an Appetizer and Share  

If you are ordering off the main menu, scratch the appetizer for additional savings. If you are looking to save, sometimes splitting one or two appetizers with your lunch date can be more cost-effective than the main dish. Also peek at the side options, if you are looking for something light opt for a few sides for a low bill.  

Go Out During the Week Over the Weekend 

Restaurants tend to have some deals or specials they run during the week rather than on the weekend when more people tend to eat out. Earlier in the week may be your best bet for a steal as most places are looking to fill their booths. Some even have nights where the kids eat free.  

Go During Happy Hour 

Happy hour is a lot of fun and can be the best time to catch a bite or meet up with a friend and get the biggest bang for your buck. Many restaurants will have their happy hour menu set on their website. Whether you eat some appetizers (a great option for a large group) during happy hour to get your fix or start with something light to hold you over, try out a happy hour instead of going during mealtime.  

Prioritize Your Meal Plans 

If you are someone who enjoys eating out, it can be very hard to avoid it at all costs. Most people tend to really enjoy it here and there. The better you can make plans in advance and do your research, the more you will save on those one-off meals when you are truly in a rush.  

Summer is right around the corner, and we tend to get busier and busier with activities and often take the easy way out for meals. Save a little extra this summer and put some thought into your eating-out routine. Try out these seven tips and tricks to avoid blowing your budget on food this summer! 

Peoples Bank & Trust Co. 

Member FDIC 

Equal Housing Lender