Did someone say free?  For the fourth year ELGA Credit Union is offering the Carmen Lee Wilber Memorial Scholarship.  ELGA will be giving away $500 Scholarships to four very deserving students. Students who are currently members in good standing of ELGA Credit Union are eligible to apply.The Carmen Lee Wilber Memorial Scholarship is in memory of Carmen Lee Wilber, the daughter of ELGA’s Executive Vice President Frank Wilber.  In August of 2008, Carmen passed away at the age of four in an automobile accident.

I just heard about the Michigan 2020 Plan.  It is a movement to bring prosperity and innovation to Michigan by investing in higher education for high school students.  The plan involves giving Michigan high school graduates the opportunity to have tuition and other costs paid for throughout their undergraduate program.  Even though the plan is currently only a proposal, there’s money to be made now! 

You’ve heard the old saying about dieting right?  If you want to lose extra poundage you just have to eat less and move more.  It’s a pretty simple idea, but can be hard to execute in real life. The same concept can be applied to saving money.  If you want to save, all you have to do is spend less and save more.  It sounds easy…spend less, save more…but oh how difficult THAT can be when real life happens!  You get a flat tire, you need emergency dental work, or your books for school are way more expensive than you anticipated.  Any number of circumstances can upset your piggy bank by causin

Last week I finally filed my taxes and it brought up a whole bunch of questions that I hadn’t thought of in a long time. Mainly, how much of an interest free loan am I giving the government? I always think of this when I hear other people tell me these huge amounts they get back from Uncle Sam, but I tend to hold my tongue because I don’t have a solution for them or even any way to know if they are in fact getting too much back.

Saving for college isn't easy. I've always known that I was going to go to college, and yet I never really saved. Most people my age expect that their parents will pay for it, and honestly I've always thought so. It's only been in the past year that I've realized how expensive it REALLY is. I have a friend who had to pay for it all himself, and it's a struggle. One of his relatives left him some money, and even then it's still difficult for him. It made me think about how my parents would pay for my education. From what they've told me, they barely have enough saved to cover my books.

Research: it's the age-old academic practice that conjures up dusty encyclopedias and endless footnotes. It's a cornerstone of critical thinking, yet can put anyone cooped up in a stuffy computer lab into snooze mode while the school librarian drones on about the proper way to access online journals.

I know we still have over a month before Mother’s Day, but let’s be honest, it will be here before we know it! If you love your mom as much as I love mine, you'll want to be sure to get her something nice to make her feel special on Mother’s Day. Here is a list of things that won’t cost you a small fortune.

            ~ Make her a homemade card

            ~ Make her a meal

            ~ Sit down and watch a movie with her

            ~ Get some flower seeds and plant them for her