Last week, we asked who handles the bills/budget decisions in your house. A resounding 78 percent of respondents said they are the one to pay the bills, but that big financial decisions are made as a couple or a family. 11 percent said they handled the money and 11 percent said it was a job that was shared half and half.
Allow yourself to dream today on ‘What Do You Think’ Wednesday!
Last week on ‘What Do You Think’ Wednesday, we asked at what age you opened your first bank account. 67% of our voters said they started banking when they were in middle or high school. 20% responded that they started even earlier, and 13% started their accounts after high school, when they left home for the first time.
There may be a wide range of opinion on this week’s poll. How do you do it at your house?
We had a voter choose ‘Other’. She said, “Share half and half” to our What Do You Think Wednesday question this week.
If you are anywhere near the Midwest right now, you know just how hot it is, and there is no apparent end in sight. So, in honor of this sweltering heat, we’ve sourced some of the best tips on how to stay cool.
The Mayo Clinic staff produced this article on how to stay cool while exercising outside, “Heat and Exercising: Keeping Cool in Hot Weather.” Hot weather adds extra stress to your body, which can be troublesome when exercising and already raising the temperature of your body. In order to counter the heat, they suggest watching the temperature outside and exercising during the early morning or later evening hours. Also, acclimate yourself to the heat before going into an all out sprint. Wearing lightweight, loose-fitting clothing can also help, plus drinking plenty of fluids. Dehydration is the key factor in heat illness, and it’s best to drink lots and lots of water – yet avoid alcoholic beverages. 
>> How do you beat the heat, or at least deal with it? Let the community know by replying to this story.
See you at the pool!
Reach back into your memory for the ‘What Do You Think’ question this week…
It’s the age old question – Would it be better to pay off my loan or invest for the future?
Below we take a closer look at a few types of loans.
Mindy Fetterman, USA Today, in her article Pay off debt or invest? That is the Question, outlines the purely rate of return argument. She asks, “If you pay 16% interest on a credit card, could you earn 16% safely and consistently on an investment?” 
If you can’t, then the reasonable answer would be to pay off the debt. She does mention that not all debt is the same and some can be considered, “good debt.” Examples of good debt could be low-interest student loan, mortgage or margin interest on a brokerage account. These are considered good debts because the interest could be tax-deductible. Fetterman does go on to explain that everyone should be investing for retirement, and at a minimum investing in a 401(k) to get your company’s match. This is where a balanced financial plan comes into play and the decision should be based on what’s best for your lifestyle and long-term financial plan.
Now let’s say you don’t have credit card debt, but you have a car loan and could pay it off with the money you have in savings. Do you? Don Taylor, Ph. D., CFA, of Bankrate.com replied to this question by explaining that by drawing significant funds from your savings to pay off a car loan, you will not save as much interest expense as you think (depending on the cost, maybe around $500). He says it is a much smarter plan to keep the savings in reserve in case of an emergency. He does go on to say that if someone does pay off his or her car loan this way, the ideal situation is to use the extra money each month to replenish a savings account.
And what about the “good debt” of student loans? Many graduates start out with a considerable amount of debt, $20,000 or more. Should this be paid off as soon as possible? Lis Pulliam Weston, writing for Money Central on msn.com, says graduates should tackle credit card debt first, then other non-mortgage debt and then build an emergency fund, all while saving for retirement. Once you’ve reached this point, she says it’s time to consider sending extra payments in for your student loans. These loans typically have lower interest rates, so they aren’t as big a concern as credit cards.
Overall, the consensus among financial experts is that paying off high-interest debt is the first priority. Once that is accomplished, then move on to building an emergency savings account and paying off other personal loans. Finally, once in sound financial shape, you can look at making more payments to your mortgage or student loan debt.
At some point, you might decide you have too much coming from your herb garden and not enough people to give it to. When that happens, you might want to consider preserving your bounty for later use. Or maybe you want to enjoy your herbs year round. Here are a few tips on how to do this with some of the more popular herbs:
Freezing Basil:
The “A Pinch of” Blog suggests chopping basil and then freezing it into cubes. Once ready to use, thaw the cubes over a strainer, or drop them into a sauce or soup. Sandra Bowens, from the same site, also suggests creating pesto with extra basil. She explains the process here.
Drying Herbs:
PlanetGreen.com explains that you can dry herbs two ways. The first way is air dry and another way is to use a dehydrator. They don’t recommend using the microwave. Some herbs that dry well are basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme, sage, mint, tarragon, lemon balm and dill.
Storing Cilantro:
Real Simple Magazine says the best way to store cilantro is to treat it like a bouquet of flowers. Trim the ends of the bunch, place it in an inch high glass of water and place it on the counter at room temperature. This should keep it fresh for a couple of weeks. If you use the fridge, the leaves will turn black.
Enjoy the Plants Year Round:
If you want to enjoy your herbs beyond the warm months, you can simply relocate your plants indoors, says re-nest.com. You will just need to carefully dig around the plant, then move it to a pot or container. Be sure to place the plant in a bright window for good sunlight. See the detailed instructions here. Herbs that do well indoors include basil, thyme, marjoram, sage, oregano and parsley.
Get Crafty:
You don’t necessarily have to eat all of the herbs you grow; you could use them in bouquets, wreaths and displays or in gifts. To do this, Amy Jeanroy from About.com provides the steps to preserve herbs with glycerin.
>> Do you know of ways to preserve herbs, not discussed above? Share with the community by clicking the Reply button above.
‘What Do You Think’ Wednesday this week asks about family budgeting. Do you do it?
Click here for more information on putting together a household budget.
So, you’ve booked your trip, everything is set and you are ready for a little family (or personal) R & R. But, don’t let your mind drift too far into vacation-mode. You’ve got to make sure all your regular financial tasks are taken care of, like bills. The last thing you want to do when you get back from vacation is to find a late fee or missed bill. No need to fret, though, paying bills nowadays is simple. Just take a few minutes to review these options, and you’ll be set. The beach calls!
Use Online Banking
With online banking and bill pay, setting up automatic payments is easy. Bills that are the same every month can be set as recurring payments – automatically deducting from your account at your specified date each month. For others, set up the company as a payee and elect to make single payments of the exact amount that appears on the statement each month. With this service, you have as much or as little control of when your bills get paid as you want. The best part is, as a Capitol Federal customer, this service is free.
Set Up Automatic Payments
An alternative option is to arrange to have your bills charged to a credit card or automatically deducted from your checking account. This option will require you to set up each of these payment methods with the various companies for which you are billed monthly. You can check out each of their websites for more details. The process is a bit cumbersome, but once it’s complete, you’ll enjoy the peace of mind knowing they’re always paid on time.
Don’t forget the semi-annual or annual bills.
If you know these are due while you are away, be sure to make arrangements to have them paid.
If you have any questions about how to set up a True Blue Online® account, or enroll for Online Bill Pay, contact Capitol Federal’s Customer Service at 1-888-8CAPFED or email us at womensway@capfed.com.
Now that you’ve checked that to-do off your list – enjoy your vacation.
>> Travel Tip:
Alert your post office of your travel plans so they hold your mail for you until you return. This will keep you from having your bills and bank statements sitting in your mailbox for days.
Have a safe and happy 4th of July weekend! See the list below and enjoy one of the many fireworks displays in our area. Click Reply above to let everyone know about other fireworks celebrations nearby.
Thursday, June 30
Friday, July 1
Saturday, July 2
Sunday, July 3
Monday, July 4
July 4th in City Park
How ‘web savvy’ are you when it comes to bill paying – that’s the question for this ‘What Do You Think’ Wednesday.
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