Posts Tagged: savings
Blue Sky Biochar
For Immediate Release July 7, 2014 BLUESKY BIOCHAR HELPS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CITY...
Mulch, Avocados and the Home Garden
I just raked up all the leaves under the avocado and it looks so nice. PUT THEM RIGHT BACK. The avocado is shallow-rooted and really depends on the natural leaf mulch to protect its roots. In fact the roots will actually colonize the rotted leaves as if it were soil. This mulch is also a first line of defense against root rot. The decomposing leaves create a hostile environment to the microorganism that causes the disease. The mulch also helps to reduce evaporative loss of water and therefore reduces water needs. Avocado growers will actually spread mulch in cases where trees are too young to produce adequate leaf drop for mulch or in windy areas where mulch has blown away. The key to remember is that the mulch should be kept at least six inches away from the trunk to avoid collar rot which can be causes by keeping a moist mulch against the trunk.
mulch
Latinos and Financial Access and Inclusion
Latinos continue to be among the most unbanked ethnic minorities in the United States. The report highlights the challenges confronted by the unemployed, differences in financial engagement by citizenship status and the use of bank technology by participants.
The report found an important link between naturalization (citizenship) and increased usage of financial systems—noncitizen Latinos were less likely to engage in banking practices. The report also found that 73 percent of the participants managed to put away some savings despite the down economy and that good customer service was paramount to deciding where to bank.
“As the Senate debates how to overhaul our nation’s immigration system, it is interesting to note the link between immigration status and engagement in our financial institutions,” stated Janet Murguía, President and CEO of NCLR.
“Many eligible immigrants have been unable to naturalize because of the cost prohibitive fees, while others may be struggling with finding a way to fully legalize their status under current law. There is no doubt that Hispanics are an increasingly critical consumer base, particularly in times of economic recovery when their full participation helps to stimulate the economy through purchases and savings. The more engaged and fully participating in our financial services they are, the more they and the nation benefit.”
The survey also delved into the use of technology for banking purposes, finding that younger Latinos were more likely to use mobile banking technology when compared to older Latinos. Those who had a bank account were more likely to have access to the Internet than Latinos without a bank account and were more likely to have performed a financial transaction using this medium. Those who demonstrated reluctance to using the internet for this purpose were primarily concerned with the security of personal information.
The report details a body of recommendations to increase Latino financial engagement, including expanding citizenship and economic integration, increasing account ownership through goal-based outreach and product development, promotion of personal savings and bridging the tech divide with trusted partners that can help assuage fears of privacy violations.
“Bringing Latinos into the practice of engaging financial institutions to create savings, make purchases and manage their personal finances will be of huge benefit not just to their long-term success, but to the nation’s short- and long-term economic growth and stability. We are encouraged that through building the right partnerships and engaging in purposeful outreach and educational efforts, we will be able to effectively reach the underserved Latino community,” concluded Murguía.
Source: Originally published on National Council of La Raza as Latino Financial Access and Inclusion in California, June 6, 2013
Hispanic women are smartest shoppers
The study, How America Shops MegaTrends report, Moving On 2012, reports that Hispanic women are the most passionate and proactive shopper segment searching for the best. Hispanic women are more actively using mobile devices, coupons, online searches, dollar stores and deep discount retailers to save money, as compared to other female demographics.
According to the researchers, "To achieve the American Dream of having it all, Hispanic women shop more creatively than other demographics, utilizing every savings opportunity to get what their families need at the lowest price."
Here are some of the findings:
- More than half of Hispanic women search online before going shopping.
- Nearly 60 percent use apps to search for the lowest price.
- Three out of four use coupons to get the lowest sale price
- Sixty-three percent will travel further to shop at a store where they can save money.
- More than half (53 percent) are using their mobile devices in the store to find electronic coupons, sales and discount codes.
- Fifty-four percent only buy items that are on sale.
WSL/Strategic Retail conducted an internet survey, that included 1,950 respondents drawn from a nationally representative online sample.
Source: HispanicBusiness.com, Hispanic Women Are Smartest Shoppers: Study, June 5, 2012.
/span>Are emergency expenses haunting you?
Not having enough money to pay for unexpected costs
---now that's scary!
Life happens—and it can be expensive:
![Ambulance at hospital emergency room Ambulance at hospital emergency room](http://ucanr.org/blogs/SSWHBlog/blogfiles/9081.jpg)
• A child throws a baseball through your window
• Ouch! You need an unexpected root canal
• Dad's sick---you need to fly home unexpectedly
• A power outage caused everything in the refrigerator to spoil
If you needed $1,000 for an unplanned expense, where would you get the money?
A recent national survey asked nearly 2,700 people that question, and only 36% had enough savings to cover the cost.
Here's where the others would turn for the money:
![car overheating car overheating](http://ucanr.org/blogs/SSWHBlog/blogfiles/9084.jpg)
• 9% would take out a loan
• 17% would borrow from friends or family
• 9% would get a cash advance on their credit card
• 17% would disregard other monthly expenses
• 12% would sell or pawn assets
How can you avoid going into debt when you have an emergency?!
According to America Saves, it only takes an e-fund of $500-$1,000 topay most unexpected expenses without going into debt.
Today's Small Step: Start your e-fund today.
Open a savings account and set up automatic deposits from your paycheck or checking account. Deposit $42 a month, and this time next year you'll have $500 saved up
![computer being repaired computer being repaired](http://ucanr.org/blogs/SSWHBlog/blogfiles/9082.jpg)
---then next Halloween just watch a scary movie!
Have you had unexpected expenses this year?
Tell us about it. How did you cover the cost?