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Many stores will also attach coupons to your receipt when you checkout. If your store ... A look at pop culture, movies, music and more! By Jordan ... Miley Cyrus.
#BuckarooBuzz

Published for the parents at Altra Federal Credit Union

A look at pop culture, movies, music and more!

A Simple Guide to

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Justin Timberlake or Jay-Z

Tuxedo and black tie.

Pretty high (just don’t let your kids listen to their lyrics).

Justin Bieber

Lots of hairspray and attitude.

Better hurry up ... Justin’s 15 minutes are just about up.

Katy Perry

Bright-colored dress, candy necklace, blue wig, microphone.

Miley Cyrus

Are you kidding? Of course we’re joking. ks. Aluminum foil, sequins, space mas

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We’ll give her a B+. Not cool. Not cool at all. Outta this world cool.

words or less

Preapproval

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A guarantee in advance that a lender will lend you money. A preapproval also determines the maximum amount a lender will lend. The preapproval process involves reviewing a potential borrower’s credit history, report and score, as well as other factors such as income and expenses.

The ABC’s of Finding FREE Homeschool Curriculum

By Jordan Mitchell

Using coupons and saving money doesn’t have to be an extreme sport. After all, who really has hours of free time to spend searching for coupons? With just a little effort (and a keen eye for deals), you can start using coupons and saving!

Start the coupon hunt Before anything else, you need to get your hands on some coupons. The good news is, coupons can be found everywhere. Some of the best places for coupons include:

Use your favorite

Newspapers: Check Smart Source, Red Plum, and Proctor & Gamble inserts found near the weekly ads.

find coupon websites

Online: The Internet has made coupon hunting easy. Use your favorite search engine to find coupon websites that gather printable coupons in one place.

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search engine to that gather printable coupons in one place.

In-store: Keep an eye out for coupons on store shelves or on the products themselves. Many stores will also attach coupons to your receipt when you checkout. If your store offers a savings card, check their website to see if they offer digital coupons. These are downloadable to your card for additional savings.

Take ‘em to the max Altra Secure ID offers Free Identity Protection for members with checking accounts or credit cards for you and your family. This is a free identity management service powered by ID Theft 911. Have you ever been a victim of identity theft or discovered your wallet has been lost or stolen? Altra’s call center can connect you to an advocate that can help you through this ID Theft solution. Your advocate will work with you through the entire process, from the first call you make until the crisis is solved. ID Theft 911 will notify the appropriate agencies, businesses, and institutions, all while creating a comprehensive case file for insurance companies and police. They will follow through on all aspects of the case until your identity has been restored. ID Theft 911 offers new preventative services, including social media and email compromise assistance. Use this service to help protect yourself from email hacking, managing your identity and your privacy in online communications. Get smart about managing standings on social media networks.

The articles in this newsletter are designed for informational purposes only and are not intended as financial advice. Neither the credit union, nor any of its independent providers is liable for any informational errors, incompleteness, or delays, or for any actions taken in reliance on information contained herein. Readers are always encouraged to check and confirm the information with other sources and through direct professional contact.

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Ways to Plan a KidFriendly NYE Party

Do-it-yourself: Mad Scientist Party

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Couponing

Cool factor

Costume

Daft Punk

“Not-So-Extreme”

t costumes! Put away the princess Just say no to expensive store-bough your little one be the coolest and pirate accessories! This year, help Here are some ideas: kid on the block—and save money.

Homemade ostumes C n e e w o l l Ha

Fall 2013

800-755-0055 • www.altra.org Federally Insured by NCUA.

Copyright © 2013 by Subcat, Inc.

Before you shop, check your store's coupon policy. Once you know each store’s policy, use the following tips to maximize your savings: Stack coupons: If possible, use one store coupon and one manufacturer coupon for a single item. This is called stacking, which provides maximum savings. Pair coupons with sales: Keep track of stores' weekly ads. Pairing a coupon with a sale item will save you even more money. Utilize double coupons: Some stores double or even triple a coupon's face value. Search your area for a store that does this, or ask your favorite supermarket if they run similar promotions. Take advantage of “buy one get one free” deals: Depending on store policy, you may be able to pair a "buy one get one free" deal with a similar coupon and receive both items for free!

So what are you waiting for? Clip away and begin your journey to a low monthly grocery bill.

Plan a Kid-Friendly New Year’s Eve Party

By Damyanti Biswas

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ping to make it to Since kids are ho much sugary snacks as midnight, avoid to em th don't want as possible: you tein ro -p o soon. Try high crash and burn to s, as tortilla roll-up appetizers such uffed st s m oo and mushr , rs ne ie w il ta ck co ffet se. Lay out a bu with cream chee e ur ch at their leis so kids can mun evening. throughout the

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Plan for a sleepover. Since New Year’s Eve is a risky time to be on the roads, it's best to plan a sleepover. Ask your young guests to bring sleeping bags and pillows, and have separate rooms prepared for celebrating and sleeping. That way, those who simply can't keep their eyes open can hit the sack whenever they like. The children who do make it to midnight will enjoy bragging rights the next day!

of Finding

Homeschool Curriculum

Once your children are old enough to stay awake past midnight, they'll beg to join the New Year's Eve celebration. But since most grown-up NYE bashes aren't kid-friendly, how can you responsibly entertain your party-happy children? The answer: host a party especially for kids. Here’s how to do it:

for Prepare food ing. all night party

The

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Select activ beforehandities .

How on earth are you going to entertain a group of yo ungsters for an en tire evening? No worries. O lder kids will probably not you hanging want over their shou lders all even Take a break ing. and retire to the next room enjoy grownan d up time. Help your children a list of fun ac m ake tivities before hand. They ca play games su n ch as charades or twister, or down with sing get ing and dancin g video games .

This year’s New Year's Eve can be a rewarding time for the whole family: you'll save money on a babysitter, enjoy a fun evening at home instead of fighting the crowds, and earn brownie points with the kids!

Do-it-yourself: Mad Scientist Party Looking for something different for your child’s birthday? A mad scientist-themed birthday party is fun, affordable and can be educational. By Genesis Davies

Many homeschoolers use free curricula as the academic backbone of their school year. If you haven’t learned how to design your school year to take advantage of these budget-friendly measures, then it’s time for a quick study of homeschooling with freebies. By M. B. Booth With so much free educational information available online, it can be difficult to know where to begin. Search engines are great, but it helps to know exactly what terms to search. Type “free curriculum” into your search engine and pair it with more specific terms like “literature”, “grammar”, or “vocabulary” instead of the more generic word, “English.” Using the word “fractions” will gain better results than simply typing “math.”

Smart searching.

Once the results start rolling in, avoid getting too excited and printing off everything you find. Bookmark web addresses and take notes on how much time each curricula allows, if it is heavy or light on using outside resources, if it would serve as a supplement or core course, and if a teacher’s guide is provided.

Smart selecting.

Time now to organize which freebies you wish to use and decide which ones you’ll leave for another year. Using your goals—as well as your children’s interests—return to the websites and download or print the selected curricula. It’s helpful to mark in your school calendar when you think you will start and stop the curricula, so you can see how it blends with activities, holidays and breaks.

Smart organizing.

Don’t forget to say “Thank You” If you use material provided for free, send a quick “thank you” email to the author. Sometimes it is easy to overlook how much time and energy went into developing the curricula, and what a service it is for a person or organization to offer it for free.

The Invite. Use science-themed art like beakers and other science icons for your invite. For an added creative touch, roll the invite and slip it inside a plastic test tube with a cork and ribbon.

The Decorations. Fill jars with water and add a few drops of yellow food coloring to

SAVING MONEY WITH ONE HIP DADDY

get that old formaldehyde look, then add whatever you want to the jars. You could have one full of plastic snakes or eyeballs. Hang cardboard cutouts of beakers and test tubes. Put some scientific posters up around the room and you have a space that is ready for some science.

The Activities. Party games and activities should be scientific. Search the web for age-appropriate experiments. Have an adult serve as “lead scientist” and help guide kids in fun experiments. Don’t forget the lab coats for everyone!

The Food. Fill clean test tubes with juice and set in a tray designed to hold them. Water bottles can be labeled with H2O labels. Create fruit molecules by making melon balls and connecting them with toothpicks. You can also do this with berries or cherries for a healthy snack. A good sweet snack is pudding with gummy worms on top. Don’t forget to label everything—this gives a lab feel and is fun for party-goers.

My six-year-old daughter is days away from earning her first paycheck. Well, sorta. Her front tooth is dangling precariously, and soon the Tooth Fairy will be making a visit. According to the Original Tooth Fairy Poll® (theoriginaltoothfairypoll.com), the average gift from the tooth fairy is $2.42, up 15% from last year. I figure I’m in for a cool $2—though the poll states that a child’s first tooth averages $3.49.

“Tracking the Tooth Fairy Poll.”

So here’s the big question: do I let her spend every last penny, or do I use this as a teachable moment and encourage her to spend a little/save a little? I’m going to let her go for it. I say spend it all! And why not? It’s her first tooth, celebrate! There will be plenty of opportunities for her to learn a lesson in saving money. After all, she has a whole mouth full of teeth, and I promise we’ll have a sit-down when the next one drops.

Daddy-0!