On Credit Unions

Cardiff Stuff, Doing my bit, Social enterprise, , , ,

I know, I know – I am spoiling you with three posts already this week, including the rather popular one on my total failure in the area of sleeping attire – however I just wanted to do a quick lunchtime post on something that almost passed me by.

Today is, drum roll please….International Credit Union Day! Do not adjust your sets, this aims to be a short and informative post, on something that can be a real benefit to YOU and the community you live in.

There are roughly 500 credit unions throughout the UK. There are some differences, but they all work along broadly similar lines – that is, they manage savings, and offer loans, to a group of people who have something in common. That something is usually, but not always a geographical area.

For the purposes of this article I’m going to talk about the geographically based credit unions, and why I believe people should consider them alongside banks when looking for loans,  current accounts and savings.

 

Loans

Credit Unions offer loans to their members, which do not have any hidden charges or secret costs, nor will they attempt to bamboozle you into taking expensive and useless loan protection. Interest rates are often lower than those advertised elsewhere, and credit unions will usually be happy to lend relatively small amounts, say £100,  whereas banks will often have a far higher minimum loan.

Credit Unions tend to be more ready to lend to those who are refused funds elsewhere. They will want to work closely with you to make sure you can afford to repay what you have borrowed, as well as meeting your other living costs, and they may ask that you save – even a very small amount – before being considered for a loan.

Current Accounts

Many credit unions offer basic current accounts, and again, these are available to those who are excluded from traditional bank facilities. These accounts will usually have far fewer bells and whistles than a bank account, for example debit cards may not be readily available. However, an account with a credit union may well offer other useful features, eg a ‘jam jar’ account to immediately ring fence the amounts needed for essential payments such as rent, when the account receives a credit. This can be a lifesaver for certain vulnerable groups of people, for example young people leaving care; adults with limited understanding of money management; or even just people who are having to manage their money for the first time due to the introduction of direct payments.

Savings

I am lucky at the moment in that I can afford to save a small amount every month. I choose to save with my credit union -the biggest selling point for me being that I know where my money is going – and more importantly where it’s NOT going. It’s not investing in the arms trade, being used to shore up dodgy food speculation practices, or buying some corporate fat cat a yacht. Instead, my savings are being used to make small loans to people in my local community. Probably to people who are excluded from traditional lending institutions, who are at risk of aggressive targeting by the frankly despicable payday loan companies.

So, there you have it. If you have been refused help or even not allowed to open an account at your bank, consider a credit union. If you need a loan, or know someone who does, please steer them away from payday lenders and get them to talk to a credit union. And if you are lucky enough to be a saver, please also think about saving with your local CU, because your money will be being used to help those in your local community.

You can find your local credit union here, and if you live in Cardiff, you can check out Cardiff and Vale Credit Union here.

Here endeth my speedy lunchtime post – back to work I go!

Disclaimer – I haven’t been asked to write this post, and I’m not receiving any incentives to do so.

 

 

On sleeping teeshirts

Trying to be Funees, , , ,

The Husband turned to me with a serious look.

‘I need to talk to you’

To me? What about? Are the kids ok?

‘They’re fine. They are all sitting on you, so obviously they’re fine.’

‘Oh. I hadn’t noticed. Well, what then?’

‘It’s about, well I’m not really sure how to say this. It’s about…’

Panic sets in. What is it? What’s happened? What on earth can be so serious that we need to TALK? Things are tough right now – but surely we’re not at THAT stage yet?

‘What??’ The kids are listening in too now, with wide, interested eyes.

‘It’s just…do you think you could do something about your sleeping teeshirts?’

Confused now. ‘Do what with them? You mean, like sew up the holes? Or label them so the kids don’t wear them to school by mistake?’

‘Um, I was thinking more of, say, burning them’.

‘WHAT’S WRONG WITH MY SLEEPING TEESHIRTS?’

‘Yeah, what’s wrong with Mummy’s sleeping teeshirts? They’re nice and soft and cuddly and they smell of her, AND you can see her bottom in some of them!’

Hilarity all round as the kids contemplate bottoms for a bit and pretend to be the bottom loving minion from Despicable Me 2. ‘Bottom. Bottom. Mr Ramsbottom. Bottom’.

‘Seriously, what is wrong with my sleeping teeshirts? They’re what I sleep in! Every night! What the hell ELSE am I supposed to wear in bed? My DAYTIME teeshirts?’

(Brief pause to consider whether this might make the morning routine less stressful. Decide that it would but it’d be a bit gross, so reluctantly dismiss the idea).

The husband is squirming a bit as I turn to face him.

‘Seriously, we’ve been together HOW LONG and NOW you are having a pop at my sleeping teeshirts?’

‘Seventeen years’ (mournfully). ‘And I HAVE thought about mentioning them before, but there never seemed to be the right moment. I just didn’t want to cause any upset’.

‘WHY DO YOU ASSUME I’LL OVER-REACT TO EVERYTHING?’ Deep breath. ‘I LIKE my sleeping teeshirts. My Campaign against Nestle one! My Mickey mouse one! My one with 21st birthday messages written on it! I’ve had them all since before I met you and I’m not ditching them NOW!’

‘Ok, ok, just a thought, calm down, here, have some chocolate, no, actually have some gin.’

And that, I thought was the end of that.

‘LIPSTICK TAZER!’ The kids have moved on now to acting out their second favourite Despicable Me 2 scene. Relieved that we’ve moved on from the whole sleeping teeshirt conversation, I join in.

‘Lipstick Tazeerrr!’

‘YEAH! Let’s lipstick tazer Mummy! We could get her right on her BOTTOM, you know, the big bit that hangs down from her sleeping teeshirts!’

The husband appears to have a coughing fit, and refuses to meet my eyes.

My spirit is broken. I am now on the hunt for something which is not a Sleeping Teeshirt. Any suggestions?

I’m linking up for the first time ever to Actually Mummy’s Wots So Funnee link…pop along and have a laugh at some other posts that are, you know, funny!

Wot So Funee?

On freebies

LearnerBlogger

The really crap thing about being the wrong side of 40 is that you start to fret about all the stuff you thought you’d do ‘one day’, and haven’t done.

Ok. Scrap that. Deep breath, because today I am going to be POSITIVE.

The really great thing about being the right side of 40 is that you start to think ‘Ok, well, if I’m going to do it one day, that one day might as well be now’.  So a few weeks ago I tidied up the ‘about me’ page on my blog, added the words freelance writer (ha!) to my linked in profile, and started putting feelers out to see if I could find projects that would allow me to stretch my wings and learn, whilst at the same time earning me some extra cash for the kids’ Christmas presents.

I did quite quickly get asked to write a very short piece for a ‘new community magazine’, which I took to mean a locally created publication, perhaps a spinoff from one of the hyperlocal blogs in the area. So I wrote it and sent it off, and was dead chuffed when they came back and said they liked it and would be using it. I didn’t ask for any money, mostly because I’d assumed the magazine was a labour of love for someone.

I was even more chuffed to receive an email this week saying ‘The editor really liked your article, would you like to contribute something to the December issue, perhaps on Christmas?’  Wow! Brilliant, I thought, and had already started to put something together in my head.

I wanted to know a bit more about the magazine, so I scrolled all the way down to the bottom of the email chain to the very first message I’d received, and googled the signature details, which as it turned out weren’t particularly local at all – ‘Hibu (UK) Ltd, One Reading Central’ – until recently the business known as Yell.

I don’t have any issues with the fact that the magazine is probably a directory rather than a community magazine – any experience is good experience, and also it’s down to me and nobody else that I didn’t do my homework the first time round. BUT I figured that since the magazine was published by a commercial business, with a pre-tax profit of £369 million, it would not be unreasonable for me to ask for some financial recompense for any further contributions. So I sent the following email:

I’m glad the article went down well and I’d like to continue contributing – as a Mum Christmas is certainly on my mind so happy to do something around that for you.

 I gather the going rate is £50 per 500 words, would this be acceptable?

I wasn’t expecting anything near the going rate, but I figured it was a good way to open the money conversation. However it was to be a short lived conversation, as I very quickly received the reply:

That would be great. Unfortunately I don’t have a writer’s budget for the magazine. Sorry about that – understand if that means you’d rather write for somewhere that was paying.

I’m not sure how I feel about this. I know all experience is good experience, and I know I am trying to get somewhere in a crowded profession. And I know I’m not that good yet, but I am clearly good enough for what the magazine/directory/whatever needs. I also know that the editor will be paid, the sales people will be paid, the layout people will be paid and so will the shareholders of this multi-national corporation.

I need some guidance on this, people. Should I climb out of my own backside, write stuff for free (to be fair what they want from me is not anything taxing, and they are happy for me to post the articles on LearnerMother after publication). Or should I try and place a value on my efforts, however small?

Please be frank!