Tag Archives: Christmas shopping

Small Business Saturday Is This Weekend

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Small Business Saturday is held the day after Black Friday every year but it has grown into more than just a day to focus on small businesses. It has evolved into a movement designed to coax shoppers out of the big box stores and out of their online shopping carts into the small businesses that line the streets of their towns and that dot the countryside of rural communities every day of the year.

Supporting small businesses in your community is about more than where you buy your goods and services. It’s about supporting your neighbors and about what happens to your dollars paid at a small business as opposed to a big chain or an online store.

When you buy online, every penny you spend is leaving your community. You aren’t even paying local sales tax and that online vender most likely isn’t contributing anything to your community. They don’t belong to the Chamber of Commerce, they don’t sponsor a little league team or occupy a storefront that makes your town appealing to visitors. They don’t employ workers in your town or support your local schools.

When you buy at a big box store or a big chain, the story is very similar. While they have a presence in your town and pay local sales tax, any dollars that don’t have to be kept in the community will leave the community. So they will provide jobs and use services like electric and water. In some cases, they have budgets for supporting limited local community projects. However, once the bills are paid, the money is sent to a corporate office to become part of a shareholder report.

When you support a small business, the bulk of your dollars will stay right there in your community. Salaries, utilities, charitable contributions and any additional profit stay right there. Plus, many small business owners prioritize doing business and striking partnerships with other small businesses thus creating a chain of support! These businesses typically support local organizations and fundraisers and the owners are apt to donate when your child’s team needs uniforms or when the Christmas parade needs sponsors.

Shop at a small business and the owner will do a happy dance! Be the reason someone does a happy dance today!

Shop Now and Relax Later

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There’s nothing worse than the stress of last minute holiday shopping. Why not start preparing now so you can enjoy the holiday season without stress later? After all, Christmas shouldn’t be defined by crowded malls, shipping worries and hassle. It should be about time with the people who matter most to you and the things you love about the season.

What You Can Do Now

Gather Wish Lists – Ask your kids and spouse what they want for Christmas. Ask them to write it down or send you links now. Begin to brainstorm gifts for other family members, the mail carrier and coworkers.

Make A Game Plan – Start by making a list of all you need to buy and do. We all think about gifts but what about wrapping paper, tape, bows, cards and stamps? That favorite box of Christmas chocolates that you order from the local candy shop? Write it all down and start prioritizing. You can buy wrapping paper almost anywhere but your child’s one request may need to be ordered now to guarantee Christmas delivery.

Just Do It – Set aside some time to shop. Make a date with a friend to knock it all out on a Saturday and make it a fun day. Instead of scrolling endlessly on social media, use your downtime to order gifts. Spend your lunch break browsing the cute small business down the street for unique gifts that you won’t find in a big box store.

Set A Deadline – Make it a priority to have the bulk of your shopping done before Thanksgiving. If you love Black Friday or Small Business Saturday, you can still go pick up some things but there won’t be so much pressure to find the right gifts amidst the crowds.

What To Do Later

You may be surprised to learn how fun the holidays can be when you enter December with the shopping under control. You may have more time to spend with loved ones or to enjoy some me time. Here are some ways to use all that free time and celebrate the season:

  • Turn up the Christmas carols, make some hot chocolate and wrap gifts.
  • Bake cookies! Who doesn’t love warm cookies?
  • Attend a holiday event like a church service, play or school concert.
  • Load up the family in the car and drive the neighborhood looking at Christmas lights.
  • Decorate! Brighten your own neighborhood with a few lights and decorations.
  • Gather the family or some friends for game night, a holiday movie marathon or a potluck.
  • Brighten someone else’s season. Visit an elderly neighbor and take them a plate of food or a tin of cookies.

The list of ways to observe the festive nature of December is endless but you may also wish to simply enjoy quiet evenings at home. Most importantly, you can sit back and relax, knowing that you won’t be waiting for that last gift to arrive on Christmas Eve.

Giving Gifts That Aren’t “Things”

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Are you struggling for Christmas gift ideas this year? You aren’t alone. It seems that many are at a loss when it comes to the holidays. If you’re looking for something different, you might consider gifts that are a little harder to wrap.

Studies show that people are more likely to make memories with experience gifts than with merchandise from the store. Today we have some ideas that will take the focus away from buying and place it on sharing and on experiences that will create those warm memories.

Subscriptions – Give them a subscription to a magazine you think they would love or to a meal delivery service to save them time on cooking for a month. Are they into genealogy? An Ancestry.com membership might be a good choice. If they travel a lot, an auto club membership like AAA could be helpful.

Services – Some people simply don’t need or want anything but would very much appreciate help with needed services. Car washes, yard or housekeeping services and oil changes are all things most people need and gift cards are available from local service providers. Want something more personal? How about a gift certificate for a session with a local photographer?

Experiences – Want something more fun? How about a gift card for horseback riding, pottery glazing, an escape room or spa day? How about passes for national parks, miniature golf, an art gallery, the arboretum or the zoo?

Learning – Is your loved one an aspiring musician, artist, writer, chef, athlete or yogi? How about some kind of lessons or online learning? Our communities are filled with people who give swim, tennis, piano and guitar lessons. Many websites offer learning opportunities where they can go at their own pace while learning a fun new skill.

Themed gift baskets – Yes, this is a thing but you can give useful things that will be consumed or that can be used again and again. The baker in your life might appreciate a fancy new baking dish and the supplies to make some gourmet brownies. A gardener could find hours of solace in a pair of quality pruning shears, some gloves and seeds from their favorite catalogue.  Buying for a family? Give them a game night gift basket with a board game, snacks and gift card for pizza from the neighborhood pizza joint!

Do Chores – Often times an older person has an abundance of things but a real need for help with projects around the house. If you’re handy, you might be able to save them a lot of hassle by fixing a leaky faucet and winterizing their windows. Be sure to take lunch and plan to spend some time with them when you’re done!

Time – Speaking of time, plan a fun day doing what they enjoy like hiking, going to a museum or even cooking together. We heard a fantastic story about a grandmother who gifts her grandkids an experience every month. The kids receive twelve envelopes, each one containing a clue about what they will do or even the passes or cash to pay for it. Grandma and grandkids have fun together and mom and dad get some free hours once a month. This idea would work for all ages if you want to squeeze in more time with a loved one!

DIY Kits – If they’re crafty, consider giving them DIY kits for things they can use like lotion, candles, soap or ice cream. This will give them something to do, something to consume and maybe even spark a new hobby!

Gift cards – If you’re really stumped or in a rush for time, consider a gift card for something they really love like their favorite coffee shop, clothing store or photo printing service for all those pictures on their phone!

Now it’s your turn! Tell us the best experience gift you’ve given or received!

Reward Yourself With Rewards Checking This Holiday Season

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What’s on your holiday list and how much money will you spend? A VCNB Rewards Checking Account would reward you for all those purchases!

Tis the season of holiday spending and many savvy VCNB customers are ready to reward themselves while giving to others this holiday.

Think about how much money you spend during the holidays.

Maybe you’re buying gifts and stocking stuffers. Maybe you’re sending Christmas cards and need stamps and cards or family photos to share with loved ones. Do you cook special foods for holiday celebrations? Perhaps you leave a gift card for your mail carrier or use the holiday sales as an excuse to spiff up your wardrobe or update some things around the house.

Whatever your spending patterns this time of year, most Americans are spending money and a lot of it.

But our VCNB customers who use our Rewards Checking Account will tell you that they can pay for their purchases from their checking account while accumulating uChoose Rewards® points that can benefit them later.

It’s simple, really.

When you use your Rewards Checking account debit card, you will earn one point for every $3 spent. Use your card 21 or more times per cycle and receive an extra 200 points. You can also accumulate points for using Online Bill Pay, Direct Deposit and Automatic Loan Payments. We will even give you 1,000 points when you open the account and 500 points on your anniversary.

Sign into the uChoose Rewards website to find special offers for online purchases and for in-store purchases with offers you can activate.  

The website is also where you manage and redeem your rewards points. Here you’ll find it easy to request cashback or to order gift cards, arrange travel or shop for merchandise.

There are many benefits to using this account but also some important details to remember. First, there is a $7 monthly fee that is waived if you do one of two things – either make 15 or more debit card purchases per statement cycle or maintain a combined relationship of $5,000 or more with VCNB. That would include your personal checking, savings and CD balances.

Most customers find that they are easily using their card fifteen times per month.

Also, you must register your debit card on the uChoose website to begin earning rewards points. Purchases made prior to registering your card cannot be retroactively awarded points so be sure to get that done before you begin spending.

What are you waiting for? You can open this account online or visit any of our branches to have one of our Personal Bankers open it for you. Click here to get started!  

Already have Rewards Checking? We would love to hear how you use your Rewards! Comment below and tell us!