Take Action to Save More Effectively

America Saves Week is February 28-March 2.

Motivation to save. RCB Bank employee Sarah Smith, of Pryor, says her family saves money by putting all their coins in a jar, which they will use to fund their upcoming vacation to Sea World.

Saving money doesn’t have to be a daunting task. In fact, it’s the little things that make the biggest difference when it comes to improving your financial health. Take it one small step at a time. Adjusting one spending habit slightly – like putting all your coins in a jar or skipping that morning coffee once a week – can bring in big savings.

    RCB Bank’s Customer Service Reps Robert Gettings, of Oklahoma City, and Terri Ross, of Pryor, along with AVP Corporate Retail Coordinator Jenni Pilgrim, of Claremore, share their personal savings strategies.

    “I give myself an allowance each week in cash. If I run out before the week is over, I’m out of money. If I have any extra money left over, I put it back into my savings, not my checking. Another thing I do is bring my lunch everyday instead of going out – saves at least $5 a day,” said Robert Gettings.

    “I drink water instead of soda when I go out for a meal, which saves quite a bit of money. Restaurant food portions are often larger than one person should have, so I occasionally share a meal with whomever I’m dining out with if they share the same savings and improving health goals. It’s a win, win!” said Terri Ross.

    “I coupon for groceries and household items. Sounds like a lot of work, I know, but it really isn’t. I visit Moneysavingqueen.com to get local daily coupons, money saving tips and meal planning ideas. It’s a great resource. I also grab the Sunday paper and clip coupons for products I use,” said Jenni Pilgrim.

    Set your savings on ­auto-drive with online banking, a ­no-sweat savings tool that can help you enhance your financial ­wellness. Use it to set up ­automatic money transfers from your checking to savings, like the money earned from your RCB Bank my Cashback checking account or other rewards cards. You can schedule automatic ­one-time or recurring bill-payments so your bills are paid on-time, every time, saving you from costly late fees. You can also set up email alerts to remind you when bills are due, account balances are getting low or your paycheck comes through. RCB Bank’s online banking program even allows you to set up custom alerts, including birthdays and anniversaries so you can have help remembering to bring home flowers.  

    “I use online banking to save money by setting up automatic transfers from checking to savings and save a certain amount of ­money from each ­paycheck,” said Robert.

    “I use online banking to save money by not having to write checks or pay postage. Goodbye to stop payment fees for lost checks in the mail and late fees for checks that arrived late,” said Terri.

    “I use the online banking check feature to save money. I have one bill that has to be mailed each month; the company doesn’t accept electronic payments, so I set up a monthly online auto-check payment and the check is mailed on time every month. I’ll never have to pay another late fee because I forgot to mail the check,” said Jenni.

    To learn more money savings tips, ask your friends what they’re doing to save or stop by any RCB Bank branch and ask us. We’d be happy to share our personal ­savings strategies.

    Read more Financially Fit money savings articles online at www.RCBbank.com in the Newsroom. RCB Bank is an Oklahoma-owned and operated community bank with 30 ­convenient locations stretching across Oklahoma and into Kansas. Founded in 1936, RCB Bank is committed to serving its communities with conservative banking practices and progressive banking products like our newest mobile check deposit service for iPhone and Android allowing approved users to deposit checks using their phones. For ­additional information, visit us online at www.RCBbank.com or like us on Facebook. Member FDIC.

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RCB Bank

www.RCBBank.com