Archive for December, 2009
U22: Teens and Gift Cards
Posted by kathy in Blogs, Credit Unions, Money, Parents, Teens and Money on December 21st, 2009
Gift Giving Challenges at the Holidays.
Buying for tweens, teens and young adults can be incredibly challenging. Seems like it’s almost impossible to figure out what’s in style, what are the latest trends. Sometimes I’m almost certain I got it right with my kids just to find out “thanks mom but that was soooo yesterday!”
However, one gift that is always in style is a gift card from one of their favorite stores. They seem to provide a sense of freedom, an opportunity to do their own shopping and buy exactly what they like. Now maybe for you, gift cards seem a little impersonal but it got me thinking about what they really like about gift cards. Freedom! Independence!
Freedom and independence can come in many packages and money never goes out of style. Now, I don’t want to sound like a pitch person, but opening the GTE U22 account with my own teens has proved to be an important step towards their financial independence. While I can contribute to their accounts as well as monitor their spending and balances, I mostly sit back and watch them manage their money all on their own. (I’ve been quite impressed!)
So I’ve decided to do what may seem a little predictable and gift wrap a few U.S. Savings Bonds and U22 deposits because I’ve seen firsthand the rewards of educating my kids on money matters.
(Hopefully they won’t read my blog or it’ll ruin the surprise!)
Visit www.U224U.com for more information on GTE Federal Credit Union’s U22 checking account for 12 to 22 year olds. Because learning about money is important no matter what your age!
U22: Suite Caroline Cheers On the Top Finalists
Posted by caroline in Credit Unions on December 16th, 2009
I’ve been thinking about all of the amazing finalists in the Suite Caroline Strawberry Jam Open Talent Search. I am BLOWN AWAY by the talent!! I want to thank each of you for working SO HARD and for coming out for the audition. You brought it BIG TIME! It would be an honor to play with any one of you!!! I REALLY REALLY mean that!!!
Matthew, I loved the song you played and it showed a quiet strength that I really liked. I can tell you are serious about wanting to promote your career.
Jackson, your performance was so sincere. Your guitar skills are amazing and your singing is so good!!
Shelby, you played such a great song that YOU wrote!! Keep writing and it will really take you places!
Kaylee, loved your Dream Big necklace! Your voice is incredible and awesome!!!
Kassidy, Rascal Flatts would be proud of you and how well you covered their song!! You and your sister should start a singing duo!! U guys would be FAB!!
Savannah, Gunpowder and Lead is one of my fave songs and you knocked it out of the park!! Wow!!
Jenna, You are “Fearless”. I really enjoyed getting to know you and listening to you perform!!
Katie, you ROCK, girl!! You inspired me to come home and dust off my electric guitar and start jammin!
Connor, The violin and the guitar?? Too cool. Plus I know you are an awesome piano player too!!!
Sarah, Your voice is so strong and beautiful!! Just like u!
Rachel, I want to learn Cowboy Cassanova for my shows, and you have motivated me to get on it! Your voice is flawless!!
Shane, your guitar rifts and original licks are insane! I want to take lessons from you!!
Taylor, I love that your grandpa was with you. Did you see him cry? I love that you did a classical and a popular piece. You are multi-talented!!
Lynnaida-Michael Jackson is looking down on you smiling!! What a great version of his song. The tone of your voice is so rich!!
I am glad I don’t pick the winner because it would literally be impossible! I hope that all of you can make it to the Strawberry Festival this year to cheer on the winner and be part of a really fun day!!!
XOXOX
Suite Caroline
Brought to you by GTE Federal Credit Union’s U22 checking account for 12 to 22 year olds. Because learning about money is important no matter what your age.
U22: Suite Caroline’s Christmas Traditions
Posted by caroline in Teens and Money on December 9th, 2009
The holidays are here!! The holidays are here!!
Every year I put up a tree with my sister. We use the ornaments that my mom doesn’t want for her tree … you know, like the SpongeBob ones, and the one with Taylor Lautner’s picture on it?? LOL. So, my tree is covered in things with feathers, polka dots, glitter. All the fun stuff. (Target was a GREAT source last year!!) I like to put the presents that I buy for my family under this tree, until Christmas morning when I take them to the family tree downstairs. (My mom likes white lights, I liked the colored ones!) I was making my list to go Christmas shopping, and when I looked at how long it was I got a little nervous. Do I have enough money to do all of this and still have some savings?? (I have LOTS of cousins!!) So, I went on my computer and called up my U22 account to check my balance. It was as easy as entering the web address. I was pleasantly surprised that my balance was in good shape. I also told myself to spend carefully, though, so my savings would still be there for many Christmases to come!!! Easier said than done, I know!!! But I REALLY am going to try 
Visit www.u224u.com for more information the GTE Federal Credit Union’s U22 checking account. Because learning and saving is important, no matter what your age!
Tools for Teens to Track Money
Posted by alex in Uncategorized on December 3rd, 2009
Hello All,
Alex here! So, I’m not very good at math and I try to avoid doing it whenever humanly possible, but when it comes to saving for my car, I have no choice. Before I got my U22 account, I had to start writing down how much I was making and how much I would be spending each week so that I could avoid wasting money. I had to save receipts just to record all of the money I was spending. And at the end of each month, I’d tally up all of the money I’d spent. From that list, I came up with things I could cut back on, so I had an estimate on how much I could spend once I got my pay checks. But now that I have my U22 account, I have replaced all of those tedious chores with the GTE FCU Money Tracker!! It’s free for U22 members and extremely easy to use. The Money Tracker informs you of exactly where you’re spending your money and what you’re spending it on. You can even create a budget plan, so all of that hard work I was doing is over!! It also gives you a monthly report on what your spending habits are. I never realized how much money I was spending each month, and since I found out, I was able to make huge cutbacks. One of the biggest areas of overspending for me was food. I usually resort to eating whatever my stomach craves, instead of cooking and buying groceries, which not only leads to me overspending, but also eating unhealthy foods. So now that I’m changing that I guess you can say that saving with the Money Tracker has been good for my health.
Check out the U22 checking account at GTE Federal Credit Union, www.U224U.com. Because learning about money is important no matter what your age!