IHCPL #58 Money and Finance: Banking, Budgeting and Spending

1. My Bank offers online banking and we use some of it. We use it to track our credit and debit cards. To me this is the most important feature at this time. Although I use direct deposit we still do some of our banking in person.
According to the bank website they will cover “100% of any unauthorized online use of my consumer deposit account if I tell them within two days of my discovery of the usage.”
Banking with my bank is safe, secure and guaranteed. The guarantee applies to transfers to or from my personal checking and savings account initiated through the Online Bill Payment and Transfer Service - everything that's within their control.
To protect myself online I would use a secure network, not a public pc or a wireless connection and make sure I was logged off and the window was completely closed when I completed my business.

2. Budgeting Tools: The tools offered would be good for someone who needed assistance with their budget. We have a spreadsheet budget created for our specific needs and we know exactly what we need to save in order to be ready to pay the bills when they come in. It includes saving for trips, upcoming purchases and grandchildren.

3. We are all looking at ways to save money. The websites listed are something to keep in mind. I do check prices online and compare with local prices. When doing this I take into consideration shipping and handling and will the item truly be cheaper to order online, pay shipping and handling or spend the time and purchase it locally for the same price while picking up several different items at a local store or mall. The time required for shipping also must be considered. If prescriptions are filled online you must be willing to keep track of how much is left so you can order it and leave the week to ten days for it to arrive. You can order overnight but then you pay extra for the shipping. I have found that sometimes I shop online because I do not want the hassle of shopping or I cannot find what I want locally.

We switched to internet telephone about 2 years ago. It is very cost effective, provides all the services for a much lower price. There are some minor problems with specific landline telephones, such as echoing but. Overall it is worth the money we are saving.