We now hear “Go Green!” and “Conserve Energy!” on a daily basis. It is the rally cry of mother earth. The awareness of a need for increased energy savings is in the spotlight thanks to pollution, energy shortages, obvious waste and abuse, as well as because of politics and human greed. But why it has come to the forefront of so many conversations is not as important as the fact that it has. Television ads, newspaper editorials, magazine articles, and informational internet sites have educated people around the world more in the last five years than in the previous one hundred years in regard to the conservation and saving of energy and gasoline in particular. Reasons for saving fuel and energy are many, but the two most predominant ideas that stand out are the destruction of our only home; the earth… through pollution and greenhouse gases, and secondly for financial savings and the cost of harnessing, producing, and using fuel and energy . Someone has to pay for energy and for gasoline, it has never been free and it never will. We will focus on the latter of the two. Can we raise the bar on energy savings by pushing the fact that less energy used equals smaller energy costs on a personal level? Is an individual’s personal wealth an easier sell when it comes to saving gas and energy?

Let’s look at the costs of daily life in an industrialized nation. The most obvious example is lighting which is powered by electricity. The invention of the light bulb has extended the usefulness of daily life well into the night and even through the nighttime hours until sunrise. There’s heat in the fall and winter seasons powered by various fossil fuels including oil, natural gas, coal, wood, and electricity (generated by fossil fuels). We need to cool ourselves in the summer months through air conditioning. It’s invention and widespread use has increased summer electricity use exponentially. Water flows freely from your faucet as well. However, water is far from free. To pump it from an underground well you need electricity. If you have access to public water, it is delivered through a system of public pipes and water lines. This water is pumped from strategically located pumping stations through the use of high capacity electric pumps but only after being thoroughly filtered and treated at a local water treatment facility, which of course requires a large amount of electricity to operate. Then there is the automobile… a staple of life in developed nations. Motorized vehicles require fuel like gasoline and diesel fuel to operate. Fuel is produced by refining oil which is pumped from well beneath mother earth. The process to develop gasoline is a process that requires energy and then that finished product is consumed as energy for our vehicles after we’ve purchased it from a filling station of course.

Some of us may conserve resources because we care about the future of our planet but unfortunately many do not. It is inconvenient for some to take a bus to work or to turn down the thermostat in your living room. However when we look at energy savings as a means of putting cash back into our pockets every month the idea of energy saving becomes much more appealing. A ride on the bus to work each day is not everyone’s cup of tea, but turning down a thermostat shouldn’t be an issue for anyone. As a rule of thumb, every degree above 68 that you set your home heating thermostat costs you an additional 3 to 5% on your heating bill. With today’s utility rates this could mean $200 to $400 dollars annually if you kept your house at 72 degrees. And in summertime, does your home air conditioner really need to run all day? In most cases no… In warmer regions where air conditioning is a part of daily life it could be just a matter of raising the thermostat a few degrees to realize hundreds of dollars of savings on your electric bill annually. How about the family car? Do the kids really need it to drive to school when the bus rolls past the house every day? Can you combine errands and eliminate some miles rom your driving? With gas prices fluctuating in relation to weather, natural disasters, oil prices, and the stock market, it is difficult to estimate the savings at the fuel pump for any individual. But there are plenty of online gas calculators available free of charge that can help you see your specific fuel spending as well as some idea of how much you can save yourself.

These are merely three of the many examples of how saving energy and fuel can directly affect your personal life and that of your family immediately. In tough economic times, the media should place more emphasis on saving your hard-earned money for other things beside utilities and handing over your hard-earned cash at the gas pump. The thought of rewarding ourselves in cash may be just what we need to spark even more energy savings worldwide.

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Online banks keep their costs lower because they don’t have the rent, the staff, and the ad campaign.  They pass these lower costs on to the depositor in the form of higher interest rates.  You benefit because you earn more on your savings.

No Cash Helps You Save
This is a savings account, not checking. You can’t just get cash out with an ATM card.  In fact, they don’t even send you one.  If you want cash out of the account you need to either wire funds into an account where you can get cash or request a check.  This takes about 3 days.

Now this may not seem like a benefit but having to wait a few days to withdraw funds helps you keep from spending on a whim.  Because you have to wait, it allows you time to cool off and consider if you really want to spend that money. You benefit because having to wait helps you save.

Out of Sight, Out Of Mind, Keeps Money in the Bank
Online banks don’t have physical buildings in our neighborhoods.  They also tend to have a lower profile because they advertise less.  This means that we are less likely to see the bank in our day-to-day lives.  

This helps us because it keeps the bank and the money we have with them out of our minds.  The less we see and think about the money the less likely we are to be tempted to spend it.  You benefit because you keep the money in the bank.

Conclusion
So as you can see when you open an online savings account it comes with its own specific features.  Lower costs, the inability to get cash, and lower profile means you earn more on your savings, keeps you from spending, and keeps your money in the bank.  This overall gives you a better ability to reach your savings goals.

One Tip: Once you open an online savings account get direct deposit.  Then you save money without even knowing it.

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Kelly stated, “Despite the fact that negative issues seemed to dominate the banking news, 2008 was another good year for Bristol County Savings Bank, with increased operating earnings, after additional investments in people and infrastructure.” Bristol County Savings Bank’s retained earnings closed the year at $158.3 million or 13.7% of assets, a key measurement of the Bank’s continued success. The Bank’s strong capital position ranks Bristol County Savings in the top 10% for banks with $1 billion or more in assets on the state and federal level.

Bristol County Savings Bank Board of Directors
Dennis Cody, Chairman of the Board, noted changes to the Bank’s Corporators with the retirement of Clifford Bodge and Paul Scanlon. “We thank them for their contributions to the Bank over the years,” said Cody.

The following new Corporators were elected:
In the Bank’s Dartmouth, MA market three new Corporators were elected: Jean M. MacCormack, Chancellor, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth; Kirk Franklin, President, Frank Corporation Environmental Services of New Bedford; and Kara Johnston, Vice President of Fall River Electrical Associates Co., Inc., Fall River. In the Bank’s Taunton/Raynham market two new Corporators were elected: Russel F. Martorana, President, Farrell Backlund Insurance Agency LLC, Raynham; and Attorney Jeanne Quinn, Partner of Silvia & Quinn, PC, Raynham. David A. Strauss, President of Key Container Corporation in Pawtucket was elected a Corporator. in the Bank’s Pawtucket, Rhode Island market.

Anawon Trust
Paul Tucker, President of Anawon Trust, a division of Bristol County Savings Bank, reported that 2008 was a challenging year. Despite the erosion in the value of equity and fixed income securities, assets under management closed at the end of the year at $173.7 million.

Bristol County Savings Charitable Foundation
2008 marked the 12th year of operation for the Bristol County Savings Charitable Foundation, which was established as part of the Bank’s 150th anniversary celebrations back in 1996. During 2008 the number of requests for assistance continued to increase and the Foundation was able to respond with a record $767,834 in total funding, assisting 115 different local organizations located throughout the Bank’s service area.

Bristol County Savings Bank
Bristol County Savings Bank is a full service financial institution offering commercial lending, personal and business banking, and mortgage services. The key words at Bristol County Savings Bank are: “Commitment, Stability, and Community,” values that are combined with state-of-the-art technology to meet the needs of its customers. A dedicated local community bank for over
162 years, Bristol County Savings Bank is actively involved in giving back to all the communities it serves both through financial support and the volunteerism of its people.

Founded in 1846, Bristol County Savings has $1.1 billion in assets. With the addition of Farrell Backlund Insurance, the Bank now has over 300 employees in Southeastern MA and RI. The Bank’s 10 full service banking offices are located in: Taunton, MA (2); Raynham, MA (2); Rehoboth, MA; Attleboro, MA; North Attleborough, MA; Franklin, MA; Dartmouth, MA; and Pawtucket, RI as well as a loan production office in Fall River, MA; and two Educational Branch Offices at Taunton High School and Attleboro High School.

The Main Office and Corporate headquarters of Bristol County Savings Bank are located on Broadway in Taunton, MA. For additional information please call 508-824-6626, or visit www.bristolcountysavings.com.

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Most relationships, no matter what happens, can be saved. Now, there ARE a few relationships that just shouldn’t be saved, like those that are abusive or one in which both partners are really miserable. But most relationships have the potential to be saved. That should be lesson number one in any Save A Relationship 101 class.

The main problem is that people give up too soon. They’re angry, hurt, upset and it just seems easier to get out of the situation that made them that way. It’s all too easy to focus only on what’s happening now, and not the past. It’s all too easy to focus on what was bad in a relationship – instead of what was good.

If the relationship was good at one point, and lets face it – most were good in the beginning or they never would have happened, then it can be that way again. But people have to look past the anger and the problems that are happening now, and remember those good times. People have to ask themselves what has changed to turn the relationship from good to bad. Have THEY changed? Has their partner changed? Is their more stress that is putting a strain on the relationship? Has their been a loss of trust? There are so many “things” that can make a relationship go from good to bad and it’s very important to find out what it is. Once you can do that – you can find a way to save a relationship.

To cause further problems, often one person is ready to work hard to save a relationship. But the other person won’t look past the bad to remember the good. That person is ready to chuck it all away. Maybe they were cheated on or maybe they lost all trust in their partner and feel that they’ve had enough? For whatever reason, one person is ready to throw in the towel – and the other isn’t. And can only person save a relationship?

Sometimes one person can do it, but it’s not easy. It’s hard to stay positive and hopeful when your boyfriend of girlfriend doesn’t act or feel the same. It can start to feel like you’re fighting a losing battle. You need to keep fighting that battle, however, because even if the relationship doesn’t heal, it will make you a better person. That’s because the things you’ll do to try to save a relationship are simply good for you, and good for the other person, too.

It’s very important to remember the way you behaved when the relationship was new and going strong. Compare that to how you behave with that person now. How do you react to the things that they say and do NOW, to how you reacted to those same things when the relationship was young and good. Turn things around by acting the way you used to, and doing the things you used to.

Strive to be polite again just as you were in the beginning. Be thoughtful and be a good friend to the person whenever you can, even if you’re not going to get anything out of it. Don’t beg them or threaten them with what will happen if they don’t come back. Use POSITIVE reinforcement – not negative. Follow the Golden Rule! (It DOES work ya know!)

Do your very best to show them the person that they want to be with again. Bring out the best “you” no matter what. Show them that you care enough to give them your very best. It’s a win-win situation all around.