There are still inexpensive ways you can put on and enjoy some haunted Halloween fun! Decorations and costume expenses can add up quickly, but here are some candy-pinching ideas while still getting a taste of that dark chocolate for some spook-tacular fun.

Stay local while shopping for decorations, accessories, and costumes. Check out stores such as Fun Services Arizona, Phase II, or Easley’s Costumes and Fun Shop. You may even consider digging through Grandma’s closet for some truly hidden treasures! 

Putting together a unique Halloween costume can be easier than you think. Do some hunting at consignment stores such as Buffalo Exchange or Plato’s Closet. Usually during October, they invite their customers to bring in their old costume(s) and accessories to use toward the purchase of a new one for this year! 

Need costume ideas? Late celebrities, news anchors, movies, music, and TV spark some very popular trends for this year. Spirit Halloween, the seasonal Halloween retail chain, has predicted the following will be best sellers this year:

• Michael Jackson
• Jon and Kate Gosselin
• Sarah Palin
• Bernie Madoff
• Robert Pattinson (from Twilight)
• G.I. Joe
• Pop stars including Britney Spears & Rihanna
• Transformers
• High School Musical 3
• Star Wars and Star Trek

Do you know of any other stores or websites for your one-stop Halloween needs?  Feel free to leave a comment and let us know! 

Stephanie Nishioka is the Marketing Coordinator for Arizona Central Credit Union, where she has worked since March 2008. She is an Arizona native and currently resides in Surprise with her fiancé and Shiba Inu.

It seems like there is a holiday for every occasion. There’s “International Talk Like A Pirate Day,” “Square Root Day“ “No Pants Day.” And Thursday, Oct. 15, just happens to be International Credit Union Day. Here’s why you should be celebrating …

The history of credit unions began in 1844 with a group of weavers in Rochdale, England. From there, the idea of a financial cooperative spread to Germany, Canada and the United States. Today there are 52 credit unions in Arizona serving more than 1.6 million members. That’s about 25% of the state’s population.

Enough with the history lesson. What matters is that more than 160 years later, and especially in light of today’s “Great Recession,” credit unions are more viable than ever. Here’s why you should be banking with a credit union:

• Saving you money – Credit unions help their members save money by offering lower loan rates, better deposit rates and fewer fees than other banking institutions. In fact in 2008 alone, Arizona’s credit unions saved their members nearly $190 million in direct financial benefits, which equals a savings of $229 per member household.*
• Money to lend – Despite the ongoing “credit crunch,” Arizona’s credit unions have money to lend for vehicle loans, mortgages, home equity loans and more.
• Locally owned & operated – The money we lend and hold in deposits typically stays in Arizona, which helps fuel our local economies.
• Member owned – When you join a credit union, you’re also an owner. As financial cooperative, credit unions are dedicated to serving their members, most of whom live here in Arizona, not stockholders or other outside interests located in other parts of the country.
• Helping small businesses succeed – Small businesses continue to be the lifeblood of our economy. Many local credit unions offer a full-range of business financial services to help fuel their success.
• Personal Service – While quality of service can vary from institution to institution, credit unions consistently score higher than their banking counterparts. The American Customer Satisfaction Index for fourth quarter 2008 scored banks a 75 while credit unions towered with an 84.

Let’s face it, most of us have multiple banking relationships. We may use one institution for our checking account and another for our auto or home loan. Why not simplify your life, save some money, and help the local economy all at once? Make the switch to your local credit union. You’ll be glad you did, but please, leave your pants on when you visit your friendly neighborhood credit union branch. [Comment]

* Source: Datatrac, National Credit Union Administration and Credit Union National Association.

David Kexel is the Vice President of Marketing & Business Development for Arizona Central Credit Union, where he has worked since 1999. He has 12 years of experience in financial services marketing and has lived in Arizona for 21 years.

During this economic downturn, it can be a challenge to find fun activities to do that don’t require a lot of money. The newest trend, that doesn’t cost a lot, is taking your pet out on a date!

There are groups you join that have weekly or monthly “group dates” for your pet to get some playtime in with other animals. It’s also a great way for you to meet other pet owners. There is usually little or no cost to join these groups.

Where can I sign up for a pet date?

• Find My Dog a Date – If you are located in the Phoenix area, a local man named Michael D’Elena started a group called “Find My Dog a Date.” Visit the website and get connected to other dog owners and sign up for the emails, so you know when the next meeting will be held. Owners can find dog dates by zip code as well as type of dog by using age, weight, breed, temperament and preferred activities.
• Meet Up – Another website to try is called “Meet-Up.” This website offers you an array of groups that “meet up” in your city. You can choose from many different types of pet groups, including ones exclusively for a certain breed of animal, small or large animal, and much more.

Do you know of other great websites for pet dates? Let us know!

Karen Myers is the Marketing Specialist for Arizona Central Credit Union, where she has worked since July 2008. She moved to Phoenix from Boulder, Colorado last year.

NACA (Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America) is coming this weekend, Oct. 2-5, to the Phoenix Convention Center. This is a HUD-certified, non-profit counseling agency that is doing a nationwide tour called “Save the Dream” to help people work with their mortgage servicer to modify their loan.

NACA started in 1988 with the goal of providing and assisting with affordable homeownership. These community advocates offer their services free of charge and will aggressively seek help for people experiencing a hardship.

Many of the major loan servicers will be attending “Save the Dream” with the goal of offering same-day loan modifications. Similar events have already been held in Cleveland, Chicago, St. Louis and Atlanta, and NACA claims they have helped thousands of homeowners permanently reduce their interest rates.

If you or someone you know is currently struggling with mortgage payments due to today’s economy, NACA may be able to help. If you are interested in attending “Save the Dream,” register at the NACA website – www.naca.com.

Kristi Miller is the Mortgage Loan Specialist for Arizona Central Credit Union, where she has worked since 2006. She’s an Arizona native.

The negative media coverage surrounding the economy, company layoffs, and dwindling 401(K) balances can make anyone start to feel down, but it’s important to remain positive. Keep a hold of your emotions to help you have more positive experiences.  

Emotional intelligence is often defined as the ability to monitor your feelings and emotions as well as the feelings and emotions of others and then to use this information to guide how you think and act. Research indicates that good emotional understanding can lead to increased social effectiveness. Characteristics of emotionally intelligent people include being better at perceiving, understanding, and managing emotions; being more open and agreeable; and having more positive social experiences. Are you interested in improving yours? Here are some tips for developing emotional intelligence:

1. Label your feelings rather than people or situations. Say, for example, “I feel hurt when you…” rather than “You are thoughtless and rude!”
2.  Take responsibility for how you feel. Analyze your own feelings and determine their source rather than your perceived motives of others.
3.  Validate other people’s feelings. Demonstrate empathy, understanding, and acceptance of how others feel even if it is different from yours.
4.  Avoid people who discredit you. This is not always possible, but it is possible to minimize your time with them.
5.  Get energized, not angry. Getting angry takes energy. Use what you may currently call anger to get energized or motivated.

Our belief systems cause us to feel the way we do, and even though many of us do not acknowledge it, how we respond to people and situations is a choice. When we are given the choice of feeling positive, neutral, or negative, nearly all of us would choose to feel positive. The good news is we can choose or change the beliefs that aren’t helping us feel the way we want to feel. So if you find yourself feeling negative, think about what beliefs are triggering these feelings. For example, if you believe that you always have to be right and you make a mistake, you will feel negative. The subconscious belief, “I always have to be right” is not empowering or rational. A more realistic belief is, “I will strive to be accurate, but when I make a mistake it’s not the end of the world.”

It is empowering to consciously choose how you want to feel. Analyze your beliefs periodically and make sure they are working for you, not against you.

Dave Kersey is the Training Manager for Arizona Central Credit Union, where he has worked since 2005. He’s from Indiana and moved to Arizona in 2000.