Tag Archives: seasonal

Prep Your Home for the Cooler Months

Prep Your Home for the Cooler Months 

Fall is the perfect time to get your home clean, organized, and cozied up before the busyness the holiday season brings. Get these season tasks and household chores that may have been neglected during the summer marked off your cleaning list NOW! 

Winterize the Exterior of Your Home

Wash Down the Windows  

As winter days creep in, you’ll thank yourself for tackling this task in the early fall. Be sure to get one last wash on your interior and exterior windows and winterize them for energy efficiency. Freshen up your window treatments by cleaning any blinds or shades, wiping down windowsills, or dry-cleaning curtains. 

Fall-Proof the Backyard  

Get your exterior prepped for the cold by tackling these tips early on! As you are outdoors, be sure to give the exterior of your home a thorough inspection after the heat of summer. Look for loose or cracked shingles, any areas that need to be winterized, caulk windows, and get proper pest control.  

The Furniture 

With the unpredictable weather that fall can bring, it is in your best interest to attack the outdoor furniture before the cold weather hits. Give your outdoor furniture and cushions a thorough clean to remove built-up debris. If you are unsure how to best clean yours, here’s a guide. This is also a great time to give your landscape one final clean and power wash!  

The Grill 

As you are tackling your exterior cleaning, do not forget about your grill! Thanks to plenty of summer fun, I am sure your grill is sporting some grime. Give your grill and grilling utensils a much-needed deep clean as we exit grilling season. Here are some tips on how to best clean your grill. 

The Garage 

Do not forget to give your garage some love as you do your deep cleaning. Get rid of all the grass and debris that got in during the warm weather months. Now is also a good time to clean out a garage fridge or freezer, as well as yard tools so they are set for next year. Be sure to give your garage door any necessary maintenance to ensure its security during the colder months. 

Prep the Interior of Your Home

As fall approaches, do not forget to take proper steps to have your home looking and feeling its best as the days grow colder. Here are a few key tips to make sure you keep up on: 

  • Clean and reverse your ceiling fans 
  • Clean or replace HVAC filters 
  • Service your heating unit to ensure it runs efficiently 
  • Wipe down the baseboards  
  • Vacuum out closets 
  • Properly store away items that will not be used to avoid pests  

In the Kitchen: 

We use the kitchen daily, so it is important to give it a good clean, especially as we enter cold and flu season.  

  • Clear out your cabinets for a good wipe-down. This also gives you an opportunity to get rid of unused items and reorganize.  
  • The same goes for any drawers – take a drawer or two per day to empty, wipe down, and thoroughly organize.  
  • Wipe down and clean behind your appliances (refrigerator, stove, microwave).  
  • Plan a time to reorganize your pantry. 

In the Bathroom: 

  • Treat any mold or mildew in the shower.  
  • Clear out old or unused products from your bath and shower. Rid of any opened products that have gone unused in cabinets.  
  • Wash shower curtains and bathmats. 
  • Replace your toothbrushes.  

In the Bedroom: 

  • Vacuum under the bed and all furniture. 
  • Wash your heavier winter bedding before use. 
  • Vacuum and flip your mattresses. 
  • Clean your carpets, rugs, and closets. 

Peoples Bank & Trust Co.

Member FDIC

Equal Housing Lender

Water Your Lawn & Your Wallet Too

Savings

If you’d like to grow your landscape and your finances this season, Peoples Bank & Trust has the perfect tips for you! To jumpstart this warmer weather, we’re excited to share our top tips and tricks to maintaining a healthy lawn and garden without digging too deep into your budget:

Seed your lawn early on. Get the growing season started right, and give your landscape some food to help it grow. By not only seeding your grass, but adding fertilizer as well, you can help ensure that your roots grow strong and healthy to fight off intermittent weather changes and pesky pets.

Automate your watering routine.  Keep your landscape looking green by maintaining a daily watering routine without all the fuss of hoses and watering cans. By setting up an automated system, you can make certain you’re not wasting water, while also saving additional funds from no longer needing to replace malnourished plants.

Utilize alternative landscaping options. Reduce your overall recurring costs by taking advantage of helpful products such as landscape fabric, river rock, and various xeriscaping plants. By using these tools to grow foliage other than grass you can cut down on your time and expenses associated with mowing and upkeep.

Other Outdoor Savings Tips: While the above tips can aid you in keeping a green and healthy landscape, saving money isn’t  about maintenance only. To help continue your savings in other areas of lawn care, we wanted to share some further tricks in how to reduce other outdoor expenditures associated with your growing landscape.

  • Choose colorful perennials over less-timely annuals when planting flowers. While annuals can have prominent blooms that catch your eye, these flora varieties will need to be re-planted every year. Avoid paying for new seedlings each spring by utilizing returning perennials plants instead. These recurring blooms will hibernate underground each winter, and emerge where they were originally planted year after year.
  • Plant prosperous fruit trees for added shade and earning through plant production. By providing an escape from heated sunlight, shade producing trees can help decrease the cost of your home’s monthly cooling bill. If you choose a tree that also produces fruit you can typically accumulate $200 or more worth of produce that you have the potential to sell as well.

Make the most of this planting season, and create a garden that will give you both joy and savings. We can’t wait to see what you and your family create, be sure to post photos of your outdoor creations on our Facebook page. We’d love to see what ideas and hacks you use!

How to Tuck Your Coins Away by St. Paddy’s Day

Savings

St. Patrick’s Day is always reminiscent of older times, filled with meaningful songs and dances, delightfully filling food, and timeless jokes or antics. Each year we celebrate the livelihood of the Emerald Isle, and the heritage of the Irish culture, through a wide variety of events and gatherings. To help your bank account prepare for the festivities, Peoples Bank & Trust offers these tips and tricks to help you save without missing out on the fun!

 

  • Avoid Dining Out ($150/month): The key aspect to achieving this savings is patience! If you can take the time to plan meals ahead of time, and shop only for what you need to make them, you can not only reduce your restaurant spending but your grocery spending as well!
  • Cut Cable ($75/month): With technology like smart TV’s, Fire Sticks, Apple TV, Sling and more, there are now endless options to view and stream your favorite shows without the high cost of cable. By bundling some of these internet based services you can reduce your expenses without limiting your entertainment options.
  • Pack Your Lunch ($100/month): Instead of eating out for ten meals throughout the month, designate two days you’ll bring your lunch from home and save the extra $10 day. You can increase your savings even more by utilizing leftovers from your home-cooked dinner the night before.
  • Carpool ($50/month): While commuting to work may allow you to live in a certain area, it does come at a cost. See if you can reduce that amount by finding fellow co-workers to share the ride in with. While $50 may seem small for a month, over the course of the year that easily becomes $600 or more that you can put toward other saving ventures.
  • Automate Your Savings ($100/month): The phrase, “Pay yourself first,” comes to mind every time we share this tip. Did you know that you can invest in your personal development by contributing your savings goals? Once all the immediate bills such as housing and utilities are paid, we recommend contributing to your savings before budgeting how much to spend in other areas for the month. This way you can make your ongoing financial wellness a priority before deciding on spending habits for the month-to-month purchases.

 

Before the festivities begin, Peoples Bank & Trust challenges you to put these strategic saving tactics into place. If you’re curious how to get started, or want to set up a designated savings account for your extra earnings, our dedicated team is here to help!

 

Peoples Bank & Trust Co.

Member FDIC

Equal Housing Lender

Revamping These Holiday Traditions Could Save You Money

Seasonal

‘Tis the season of giving and, sometimes, that can mean the season of spending. This year make the holidays a fun and enjoyable event without all those last minute expenses. Our experts at Peoples Bank & Trust Co. recommend adjusting these common holiday traditions to help you and your family save money this season.

Adjust Your Menu

Instead of serving prime rib or rack of lamb, go with a more affordable cut of meat like spiral ham or roast turkey. These options still offer enough food for the whole family, and can cut your food costs by a good margin. In addition to choosing your proteins carefully, scanning local grocery ads can help you plan your meals while maximizing your savings.

Limit Your Gift Exchange

While the holiday festivities are a joy to be enjoyed by all, the annual family gift exchange can get expensive when presents are expected for each relative. This year make an agreement with your family to restrict individual presents to just the children. The adults can enjoy a secret Santa or white elephant exchange to reduce costs.

Set Realistic Expectations

While Santa may want to give every boy and girl all of the items on their wish list, there is only so much room in his sleigh! Sit down with your child before the big day, and speak with them about what is in store. It is important to let them know that not everything on their wish list may be under the tree, but you and your family will be there with them to enjoy it.

With these three tactics in mind, you and your family can work to save some additional money this holiday season. These funds can then be allocated to building emergency funds, contributing to your child’s education, or paying down credit card debt. No matter how you spend the season, Peoples Bank & Trust wishes you a happy one!

 

Peoples Bank & Trust Co.

Member FDIC

Equal Housing Lender

 

How to Have a Debt Free Holiday

Personal Finance

The holidays are filled with their own special traditions. From decorations, to gifts, feasts, and more, yule tidings never had so many ways to celebrate! While these gatherings are memorable to say the least, they often come with unwanted debt while working to achieve that perfect celebration. Throughout this time of year, many Americans turn to credit cards to help ease the burden of cost. There are some ways to maintain your ideal holiday, without the labor of debt. At Peoples Bank & Trust Co., we recommend the following steps:

  • Start Saving Early: While hindsight is always 20/20, this is a valuable tool when planning for next year’s events. If you set aside $100 a month, starting in January, your holiday savings will accumulate $1200 for this wonderful time of year! Alternatively, if you find yourself receiving a bonus, or bountiful tax refund, allocate those funds early on into your holiday savings, and put your $100 a month towards other savings goals. To help you save, Peoples Bank & Trust Co offers a Christmas Club account. This is a special, temporary account that is opened in November and comes with a coupon book prompting you to make small deposits all year long. Interest is paid on the account balance on the last day of the activity period and a check for the entire balance of the account is mailed to you the 3rd week of October, just in time for the holidays.
  • Create a Holiday Budget: Completely separate from your current monthly budget, this holiday budget will help you plan for the funds you have saved. Just as your household needs to allocate money for food, home supplies, and bills, so does your holiday spending. Consider segmenting your budget into categories such as presents, food, and other supplies. Continuing to separate your budget for presents can be especially helpful. To track your spending best, write down each person you plan to buy for, and how much you would like to spend.
  • Save Money Where You Can. Throughout the coming months there are an array of opportunities for savvy shoppers to save. Whether it’s shopping during the famous Black Friday or Cyber Monday, or simply scanning the week’s grocery deals, each opportunity for savings is well worth the effort. With many Americans now shopping online, there are added ways to save through Amazon Prime, free shipping, and online apps to help get you the best deal. Don’t forget about those credit card rewards too – those are great points to put towards holiday travel or additional gifts for others.

This season, savor the memories more than the gifts! No matter what your budget is this season, at Peoples Bank & Trust we believe anyone can have a wonderful holiday. If you’d like to learn how to further organize your holiday budget, stop in today and speak with one of our customer service representatives. We’ll help you create the best holiday plan for you and your family.

 

Peoples Bank & Trust Co.

Member FDIC

Equal Housing Lender