The Bottom Line
Small business is important to Central Oregon, and to Mid Oregon. Find tips and resources for business, and information about Mid Oregon’s commercial services and business members.

Budgeting for College Expenses
Are you planning for college? Getting a college degree is great investment, but it does come at a significant cost. In addition to tuition, there are a few other expenses you’ll have to plan for. While it may seem daunting, don’t let the cost prevent you from getting a degree. By planning ahead and putting money into an education savings account as soon as you can, you’ll put yourself in a better position to handle your college expenses. Budgeting for college expenses will make it even easier.
Already a College Student?
If you are already in college, you might know the biggest college expense items. Or, you may be moving out on your own for the first time, or into a different living situation. You may need to reduce your expenses to make it work.
Five Expenses Items to Budget
So, what are the major college expenses? There are five for which to budget:
- Room and board: Colleges offer a variety of dorm room options and meal plans for students who live on campus. If you’re planning to live off campus, you’ll have to budget for rent and your own food. View for COCC and OSU Cascades.
- Books and supplies: These expenses just keep going up. Books and supplies can cost between $1,200- $1,500 per year at a 4-year public college. To reduce expenses, buy used copies or see if they’re available to rent on Amazon or Chegg .
- Appliances and Equipment: You’ll need to get a laptop, but probably not a printer. Ask your college if they have printers available to students. If you’re living in a dorm room, you’ll need lamps, sheets, towels, a vacuum, a microwave, and a small refrigerator. If you’re living in an apartment, you’ll also need a bed, plates, cooking utensils, etc.
- Transportation: Owning a car is generally the most expensive option. You’ll need to pay for gas, maintenance, insurance, and possibly parking. If you can bike or walk to most places and use public transportation, you’ll be able to save here.
- Personal expenses: This includes everything else you’ll buy, like your cell phone service, money for the laundromat, haircuts, entertainment, etc. These expenses can really add up, so look hard at what you can do without, and what you can adjust.
It’s Work, But Worth It
Creating a budget and sticking to it can be a pain, but it will truly make your life in college easier. It’ll keep you on track financially – and when your finances are under control, you have one less stressor in your life.
Plan ahead for these expenses and use a budget to keep expenses under control. You’ll not only come out of your college experience with a degree, but financial skills you’ll take with you for the rest of your life.

Growing Your Own Fruits and Veggies
Save on Groceries by Growing Your Own Fruits and Veggies
As the price of fresh, unprocessed food continues to rise, you’re probably looking for ways to stretch your grocery money. You can save on groceries by growing your own fruits and veggies you love. A small garden, and growing your own fruits and veggies, can provide fresh food for your family and save you hundreds of dollars each year.
Getting Started
If you’ve got a sunny spot in your yard and are willing to put a little muscle into the project, you can grow your own produce. A sunny balcony will also work since a variety of plants grow well in pots and planting boxes.
Let’s break down the cost of starting your own food garden. Seedlings are about $4.00 each. Garden soil costs about $5.00/cubic foot and plant food is about $10.00 for a 6 lb. bag.
Local Resources Specific To Central Oregon
In Central Oregon, not everything will grow equally well. For a list of vegetables, check out the list from Oregon State University Extension Service. The list includes when to plant, and when to harvest.
OSU Extension Service also has a great list of publications on Central Oregon, including fruits and vegetables. A couple are “Selecting Berry Crop Varieties for Central Oregon“, and “Central Oregon climate and how it relates to gardening“.
Savings Vs. Store Bought
Say you plant just one tomato plant. You’ll pay about $7.00 for the materials and yield at least 15 lbs. of tomatoes from one plant during the planting season. If you bought 15 lbs. of tomatoes at a grocery, you’d pay about $2.50/lb., for a total of $38. That’s a savings of $31.
Lettuce is another easy vegetable to grow. A 10 oz. bag in the grocery will cost about $2.50. If you purchase 20 bags during the growing season, you’ll spend $50.00. If you grow your lettuce, not only will you be able to pick it fresh from your garden, but you’ll save about $43.
Raspberries are a great fruit to grow. They require full sun and a little patience – most varieties won’t begin producing fruit until their second year – but the payoff is worth it. It’s a perennial and very prolific, so if you begin with one plant, expect to see at least 5 more plants each year. At a grocery, you’ll pay $5.00 for just a 6 oz. pack of organic raspberries. With your own berry garden, you’ll have pounds of organic fruit that can be eaten fresh off the cane, turned into jam, or canned for the entire year.
Start Small to Save Big
If you’re a beginner gardener, start with a small garden to get used to the work. Plant one or two of each variety and see how you manage with the harvest. If you think you can handle more, plant more next season.
Growing your own vegetable and fruit garden is a fantastic way get healthy, organic food at a fraction of the cost of buying it at a store.

Tidying Up Your Finances
Tidying Up Your Home Clutter
You’ve probably seen or at least heard about the show “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo” which aims to help people clear the clutter from their homes. Hmmm, could we picture tidying up your finances?
Marie asks participants to assess each item and determine whether it “sparks joy” for them anymore. If it doesn’t, it goes to a charity shop or to the trash. By clearing the clutter in one’s life, Marie says it not only creates a better home environment, but it has beneficial effects on one’s mood, thought processes, and abilities.
Can You De-Clutter Your Finances?
The same exercise can be applied to your finances. Is your spending out of control? Do you have little to no idea how much you spend on food, clothes, or entertainment per year? Do you hate looking at your account balance because you’re afraid of what you’ll see? Then you may want to tidy up your finances.
Here are a few ways to help you get started:
• Create a budget. Start by adding up all the monthly expenses you MUST pay for – rent/mortgage, utilities, gas/transportation, groceries, credit card bills, out-of-pocket health expenses, insurance. Deduct that from your monthly take-home pay. What’s left is what you can either save or spend on non-essentials. Nerdwallet has an online budget sheet you can use to make these calculations. There are also many free apps, like Everydollar.com and Mint.com, to help you stay on budget.
• Get rid of credit cards with high interest rates. Their huge interest charges make them harder to pay off. For instance, say you bought a coat for $400 (on sale!) on a credit card with 16.99% interest. If you only pay $25 each month, that coat will end up costing you $456 because of the interest. The more expenses you put on that card, the higher your interest charges will go. Apply for credit cards with low interest and transfer the balances on these high-interest cards to the low-interest cards. Pay more than the minimum or the entire amount whenever possible.
Mid Oregon Credit Union has lower interest Visa Cards with no balance transfer fees. See our Visa Credit Card Webpage for details.
Spending and Saving Discipline
• Control impulsive shopping. Yes, that new (fill in your latest obsession) may “spark joy” at this moment, but is it really worth the financial stress it may create? Postpone the purchase for 24 hours and see if you still must have it.
• Save for big-ticket items. Instead of using credit cards for expensive items, plan ahead and save for them. Getting into a savings habit will help you live within your means and avoid the stress of deepening debt.
Mid Oregon has savings options to suit every purpose and amount. Visit our Savings web page for the choices.