{We, the Savers} March Post

Remember January's We, the Savers' post, when I won $100?! I was one of four grand prize winners! I recently saw that my article was posted on the official site. They did a wee bit of editing, but it's generally the same...

I started to write the below post back in March, but never finished it. I took a few minutes to finalize it, but I guess it's a little bit late to submit. Enjoy!

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Let's time travel, Savers. What's saving & personal banking going to be like in 100 years?

Thinking about 100 years in the future makes me think...What was it like 100 years ago? In 2114 will anyone care what banking was like in 2014?

When I Googled to do some research about 1914 the first thing that I found was that the Federal Reserve was created 100 years ago. I don't know much about the Federal Reserve or even 100 years ago. I do know 100 years ago they didn't have online banking or bill pay. Did they have free checking?

One banker wrote about his grandfather who opened a bank in 1913: "He wanted to help people save money to purchase their first home, send their kids to college, launch a small business or simply save for a rainy day." 100 years later I think those are the same reasons people use a bank today, and I think that will be the same in another 100 years.

My grandpa was born in 1916 so he would have 100 in another two years. My grandpa passed away in 1995, but he was a saver. I wish he here now for me to ask him about banking back just 80 years ago when he was starting out. When did you open your first bank account? When did you start your first savings account? How much did you open the account with? How big was your first paycheck? What was your biggest paycheck ever? When did you start saving for retirement? Would you do it anything different? Did you give my dad an allowance? 

My grandparents weren't necessarily rich, but I always considered them wealthy for more reasons than just money. I'm very thankful for the Christian heritage they gave me. The values they taught to their children have been passed down to multiple generations.

Speaking of family...I'm looking forward to a family reunion in just a few weeks. Even though my grandparents are no longer with us, I look forward to getting together with my aunts, uncles, and 1st, 2nd and 3rd cousins! We're meeting up in Kansas City. It's going to be fun!

But back to the 100 years in the future topic...Looking forward 100 years is tough to do, but I don't think you can do it without looking backwards. Now looking back (and re-reading this post) I see it leaves me with more questions than answers: What am I saving for? Or maybe, WHO am I saving for? What is my legacy?

Bekah was born in Kansas, raised in Wisconsin, and lived three years on Guam. Her Midwest roots go deep though, since she has been a Minnesota resident for almost seven years. Bekah commits daily to serve God, to be healthy, and strives to be financially fit.

This post was originally written in order to participate in CapitalOne 360s WE the SAVERS's blog contest, but was never submitted.

{We, the Savers} February Question

Before I get to the actual post, I have to share a piece of exciting news! For last month's We, the Savers' post, I won $100! I can hardly believe it, but it's true!! I was one of four grand prize winners! I think that was my first paid writing gig! What blessing! I am thrilled! So here's hoping for another $100! Enjoy! :-)

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Winter's been rough. Let’s hear about your spring/summer vacay plans & how you're saving up to make them happen.

To say "winter's been rough" is an understatement for most of us around the country this year. From subzero temps for days on end, to piles and piles of snow, we've had more than our fair share of winter. But what can we do? It's not like complaining will help. Neither will posting the daily temp on Facebook - um, not that I've been guilty of that...gulp!

So what *can* we do about the rough winter? We make plans for spring, of course! Well, in Minnesota, we plan for a few weeks of summer more than spring, because, let's face it, this part of the country doesn't really get much spring. And it certainly doesn't come on March 20th! More like May 20th - ha!!

But since other parts of the country get spring, we Minnesotans still like to talk about spring and plan for Spring Break Vacations. In fact, I'm planning a vacation of my own this year.

It so happens that my brother lives near a balmy beach in North Carolina. It also so happens that mid-January I booked a flight to visit him during his Spring Break. He's a teacher so he still gets one of those, you see. And you can trust me when I say, the countdown has begun!

I'm very blessed to have been able to pay cash for my ticket due to a very nice bonus that I received at the end of 2013. However, there are more expenses for a vacation than just airfare, as you know. To pay for the extra expenses, I plan to also use funds from one of my three CapitalOne 360 Savings account, my Travel Fund.

My Travel Fund could also be labeled my "Go see Lily and Ella" fund. My two nieces are the main reason for my trip and I couldn't be happier to spend the money! I get to see them once, maybe twice a year, so I'm very excited about this upcoming trip to see them (and my brother and sister-in-law).

So how do I build my Travel Fund? Very easily: I have set up automatic transfers each month from my checking account. This is really the only way to go. If something is this easy, then it's much more likely that you'll do it!

What are you saving for this spring? What's getting you through this rough winter? For me it's Spring Break, don't-cha know?!

Bekah was born in Kansas, raised in Wisconsin, and lived three years on Guam. Her Midwest roots go deep though, since she has been a Minnesota resident for almost seven years. Bekah commits daily to serve God, to be healthy, and strives to be financially fit.

This post was originally written in order to participate in CapitalOne 360s WE the SAVERS's blog contest.