We visited the doctor's today for Josie's 1 year checkup and while there I heard the most lovely words that ever were uttered: "You can go ahead and switch over to whole milk now."
<angels singing on high>
Of course, this does not mean that Josie will be in agreement with this. But I am planning on giving her the option of milk, milk, or milk, so hopefully that will encourage her.
Goodbye, $25/week in formula purchases. Goodbye, regular trips to the ever-dreaded Babies R Us, since they have a formula rewards program. Goodbye, stirring and mixing and attempting in vain to remove lumps. And hopefully soon? Goodbye bottles. But one thing at a time.
Just think, we will be an average of $108.33 richer a month! Minus milk costs, I guess. But still!!
Of course, we have another baby due in 5 weeks, but if all goes as planned (does it ever) we won't have the need for formula, if you catch my drift. I am so excited!
Anyone in New England know if Hood brand milk is growth hormone free??
Ever since the near failure (and actual failure, in some cases) of Big Banks on Wall Street, I have been increasingly interested -- and worried -- about the state, safety, and security of our financial assets. Not our as in "my family's," but our as in "this country's."
Big Banks -- J.P. Morgan/Chase, Citibank, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Morgan Stanley being the biggest -- really put the screws to us, and not just if we kept accounts with them. They took Americans' money and made bad investments, developed questionable lending practices, rewarded themselves handsomely, and nearly brought us into another Depression. Now that their bubble has burst, they still are handing out huge bonuses to "performing" employees while bankrupting small businesses and foreclosing on families' homes, not to mention they have tightened their lending purses to the point that it is quite difficult for the average person (with the average credit rating) to get a loan for a home or a small business.
Banks offer a service to you. If your plumber repeatedly took your money and destroyed your pipes, would you keep calling him? If your pediatrician kept misdiagnosing your children, would you stay with her? As a consumer, you have the ultimate say as to which businesses succeed and which fail; you exercise it by either giving them your money, or not. Big Banks have proven that they are not to be trusted with your money, so why are you still giving it to them?
Enter the case for small banks and credit unions. For years people felt that their money was more secure in large banks, but that's just not the case, as we have now clearly seen. In a small bank, your money is FDIC insured (currently up to $250,000; scheduled to return to $100,000 on Jan. 1, 2014) just like in a Big Bank. Small banks generally practice responsible lending, because they know they are personally responsible to you. They know you and you know them. You're not just an account number. Not only that, but small banks tend to invest in their own communities, which is to say, they tend to invest in your community. Their fees tend to be reasonable, their service tends to be good, and if you ever have a financial problem, they listen and help.
If you're not sure what small banks are in your area, visit the Move Your Money project's website. They have a search function where you enter your zip code and they return a list of small banks in your area with a "B" rating or better (credit unions are unfortunately not included in this search). You can also check Bankrate's search function to determine the rating of a particular bank or credit union.
Choosing a small bank over a large one is not a political issue; it is a consumer issue. It isn't a punishment for the large banks; it is piece of mind for account holders. It is also up to you where you keep your money... but it is certainly something to think about. For us, the decision was easy. We use a local credit union, which we are very happy with. We wouldn't give our wallet to a well-dressed-yet-shady seeming person with questionable ethics to hold, so why would we keep our accounts with one of the Big Banks?
