By Bryn Ramjoue’, Utah my529 Marketing Director

​You’re paying for braces, sports and dance lessons. With as much as it costs to raise a child today, putting money away for college may be the last thing on a parent’s mind. 
my529, Utah’s official 529 educational savings plan, may be able to help. 

KristiLyn Wilkinson, M.S.
Empowering Financial Wellness Program Manager

Since 2007, America Saves Week has been an annual celebration. It is held the last week of February, and it focuses on helping people save more money. Who doesn’t want to have more money in savings? I certainly do, but it can be daunting to get started. If you would like to learn more about American Saves, you can check out their website at Americasaves.org. This is a great website where you can set savings goals and sign up to get email and text reminders to help keep you on track. Each day during America Saves Week they will be focusing on these different aspects of savings!

Guys, it is WRESTLING SEASON at our house!! Wrestling was always big in my high school and with my family, and now with a son that loves it, the tradition continues. Like many sports or extracurriculars, wrestling has some cost associated with it: Registration / Team Fees, Uniform and Gear Costs, Tournament Registration, Travel, Concessions or food (This one is a HUGE cost!), Team Swag for the participant and the family support, Fundraisers (every parents favorite). These add up fast and so do the collection of team t-shirts too! (TIP: For a cheap and fun way to save your t-shirts here is a step by step guide for a t-shirt quilt.) As a parent, I can see the benefits of any kind of extracurriculars for my kids, physically, socially, and emotionally and make sure to plan for them each month within our budget. Researching how to save on this cost, I have come up with some tips to get you through the season: 

Fall is here and it is amazing! The weather is gorgeous, the canyons are lit up with gold, oranges, and reds, and some of the best activities and food (hurray for pumpkin spice!) are here. There is however an uneasy feeling Fall brings too…gone are the days of summer, late nights, and carefree fun. Also gone is yard work, I have mixed feelings about this one! Fall is a reminder that Winter is coming and so are the extra expenses that come with it. 
Preparing for Winter sometimes brings expenses you do not think of: 

Guest Contributor: Christina Pay, USU Extension Assistant Professor

Most people will agree that the “dog days of summer” are usually slow, lazy, and hot.  This phrase took on a whole new meaning for me when I moved from Utah to the San Joaquin Valley of California. With temperatures in my new town ranging between 99⁰ – 114⁰ (F) each day, my heat tolerance was sorely tested. And, as temperatures rose, so did the power bill.  I couldn’t keep my head in the freezer all day (not practical) nor could I turn the air conditioner down to “arctic” (not economical). Instead, I learned a few tips along the way on how to stay cool without going into debt.