The Bottom Line

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.

Teaching Teens Financial Responsibility

Teaching Teens Financial Responsibility

When your kids were little, you frequently heard requests such as “Will you read me a story?” or “Can we go for a bike ride?” Now that your offspring have morphed into teenagers, their pleadings often involve asking for money—your money. Along with that, teaching teens financial responsibility will go a long way.

Rising To The Challenge

How can you tame their cash demands and avoid the money wrangles, while also instilling a sense of financial responsibility? Here are a few ideas:

• Make the most of “teachable moments”—Look for opportunities in your day-to-day interactions with your teen when you can slip in a money “lesson.” For instance, if you’re out shopping together, you can talk about your own shopping choices or why you’re delaying a purchase.

• Provide hands-on experience—These types of experiences have more impact for teens than just listening to you talk. For instance, have your teenager make the grocery list for the week. At the market, he’ll see for himself how big a chunk of the family budget goes toward groceries.

• Model money monitoring—Sit down with your teen to go over her list of expenditures for the week. Discuss the following: Were these wants (things that just made you feel good) or needs (things like a new jacket to replace the one that no longer fits)? How could you have spent your money differently?

Using a Debit Card?

• Introduce plastic, perhaps—You’ll need to decide if your teen is mature enough to manage a debit card. You could give your teen a Mid Oregon Credit Union prepaid debit card with a spending limit. Again, go over transactions together.

• If a Debit Card works—We not only have the free checking account, mobile app and 30,000 ATM surcharge-free network they need, but you could use CardNav℠ by CO-OPBy downloading CardNav to your smartphone, you can:

  • Turn the debit card on or off
  • Limit locations where the card may be used
  • Set thresholds for transaction amounts
  • Specify the types of transactions and merchants where the card can be used

You can also choose to receive real-time alerts:

  • When the card is used in a location other than those specified by the member
  • When transactions are made over, or balances fall below, a pre-set amount
  • When the card is used for an unapproved transaction type. 

Talking About What Will Come

• Talk about the future—What will come after high school? If it’s college, what portion of expenses will the teen have to cover? Older teens also begin to think about career choices. This is a good time to talk with them about saving for retirement. It’s never too early to have that conversation.

Let us help at Mid Oregon Credit Union. We can set your teenager up with his first debit card and a Simply Free Checking account. Getting teens established with these tools can help them learn to manage money now—while the stakes are small—so they don’t get into financial trouble later. Call us today at (541) 382-1795, visit www.midoregon.com or stop by today.

Gear Up for Holiday Giving

Father & Son Making Christmas Presents- Gear Up for Holiday Giving

Gift Giving is a Year Around Activity

Do you remember the best gift someone ever gave you? What made it so special? Were you really excited? Giving gifts can make you feel the same way.

People give gifts for birthdays, holidays, and religious occasions. It’s also nice to give a gift to mark a special occasion: If your sister just earned a leading role in the school play, you may want to give her something to say congratulations.

Gift-Giving Planning

Giving gifts takes planning and saving. Here are some tips to help you along:

  • Make a list of all the people you want to give gifts to and how much each gift will cost. This will help you figure out how much money you need to save.
  • Help your parents and neighbors with odd jobs to earn money. Offer to walk dogs, mow lawns, or baby-sit. 
  • Save part of your allowance. Put 50 cents a week in your credit union share account and you’ll have almost $30 by the end of the year. You also could put the money in a Savers Club account, which helps you save just for buying gifts.*

It IS The Thought That Counts!

Thoughtful gifts are the ones people keep for a long time. They don’t have to cost a lot. Shop the sales, or check out second-hand stores for special and unique items. Here are some inexpensive gift suggestions:

  • Put together a photo album, or frame a picture of you and the person who will receive the gift.
  • Buy or make a calendar and fill in birthdays and anniversaries. Add small pictures.
  • Make a clay flowerpot or pencil holder.
  • Knit a scarf, or make a beaded bracelet or necklace.
  • Give chore coupons for a free car wash or night of baby-sitting.
  • Wrap your presents in homemade wrapping paper.

 *Mid Oregon Credit Union has great savings vehicles to keep you on track. A Savers’ Club, Save to Win account, Share Certificate or basic share (savings) account might be just right for your situation.

Visit Mid Oregon’s Savings webpage to see, call us at (541) 382-1795 or email our contact center, or visit a Mid Oregon branch to learn more!

Mid Oregon Launches Annual Holiday Dough Fundraiser

Mid Oregon Launches Annual Holiday Dough Fundraiser

Holiday Dough Helps Provide

This time of year can be especially difficult for many local families— especially when just putting food on the table is a major concern. That’s why so many generous Mid Oregon members donate to our Holiday Dough fundraiser, which helps to provide holiday meals and food assistance to local families in need.

We are encouraging the communities we serve to join us for the annual Holiday Dough Fundraiser in every Mid Oregon branch to support local charities that provide food, clothing and shelter for individuals and families in the greatest need during the holidays.

Donations Stay in their Community

Members and the general public can stop by any of our seven Central Oregon branches to donate to Holiday Dough through Friday, December 7, 2018. All contributions will stay in the community where they are collected and 100% of the donations will benefit these local agencies:

Benefiting Local Agencies and Communities

The Giving Plate of Bend, coordinating the Monthly Food Box program, Grab & Go Pantry, Kid’s Korner food bank, and Backpacks for Bend. Donations made at our Olney St. and Cushing Dr. locations in Bend will benefit The Giving Plate.

La Pine Christmas Basket Association, providing food during the Christmas holiday for people in the South Deschutes County area, supported through contributions at our Huntington Rd branch.

Jericho Road in Redmond, Providing hot meals, food packs, rental and emergency assistance to those in need in the Redmond area. Our SW 17th Pl. branch contributions, which this year we celebrated its 20th Anniversary, will support Jericho Road.

Jefferson County Food Bank (Madras), supplying food to families and individuals. Bring your financial support to our Madras Branch on SE 5th St. (Highway 97 North).

Crook County Holiday Partnership (Prineville), providing holiday support to seniors, children and families in need in Crook County. Recently, Prineville’s St. Vincent de Paul food pantry, which was the largest in Crook County, closed. Donors can help fill the gap through their Hickey Farms Rd. (Near Bi-Mart) donations to Crook County Holiday Partnership through Mid Oregon.

Sisters Kiwanis Food Bank – Distributing more than 60,000 pounds of food annually and helping more than 100 families each month, the Sisters Kiwanis food bank offers a shopping-style food pantry to patrons. Recently, according to The Nugget Newspaper of Sisters and Kiwanis board member Tom Hespe, donations have been down significantly this past year: “‘We lost a couple of major donors,’ Hespe said. ‘In order to continue the level of food distribution that we have at this time, we have to replace those donors.'” Donating at Mid Oregon on 703 N Larch Street will provide much needed funds for this holiday season’s needs in Sisters.

People Helping People

Giving back to the community is a core value of Mid Oregon Credit Union, aligning with our credit union philosophy of “people helping people”. Mid Oregon members responded generously during last year’s Holiday Dough effort, donating nearly $2,000 to local holiday food banks. With recent changes to the food pantry offerings in several local communities, we are hoping that support will be even greater in 2018.

As mentioned, you can make your donation in any branch or by phone. Your contributions stay in your local community, ensuring that your neighbors have a brighter holiday season.

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