Is it just me, or do you, too, succumb to the pressure of retail therapy? Have you had a bad day? Browsing the aisle of your favorite store will help. Were you not feeling great? Splurge on your comfort food; it's sure to work its magic. Did you get a promotion at work or find out your child got an A on a test at school and want to celebrate over a fancy dinner? 

Whether for happy reasons or sad, emotional spending is easy to do and can easily throw you off your budget. Check out the blog post below for tips to help you control your emotional spending and stay on track to achieving your long-term financial goals.

April is CUNA Youth Month, a time when credit unions around the country join together to promote youth financial literacy. When looking for literacy material for kids, there tends to be a lot of material for younger kids, including activities and stories similar to what we've shared on our CUNA Youth Month page. However, there's not a lot of material for older kids, who are reaching the age where they're starting to manage their own money and have to consider things like bills, credit, and taxes. 

Below is a BALANCE blog post with things your teen should know about their first job (but they probably don't). If you're looking for additional literacy resources for your teen/young adult, BALANCE offers entire tool kits for teens and those just starting out. 

Every April, credit unions around the globe join us in celebrating CUNA Youth Month. Youth Month is a great annual opportunity to engage with our young members and show them that Carolina Trust is here to help them throughout their financial journey.

The official theme for this year's National Credit Union Youth Month is "Unleash the Power of Saving at your credit union™." This theme makes saving for the future fun and encourages younger members to create financial dreams and work hard to see them through.

We know that talking to children about financial concepts can be challenging, as it's not always the most exciting topic, and they don't yet have money of their own to truly understand how to manage it. Here are a few tips that you can try to start the conversation about finances with your children at an early age and help prepare them to be financially literate adults. 

With school spring breaks in the next few weeks and summer right around the corner, you may be planning upcoming travel with your kids. 

In honor of Women's Month, I was joined on the March Financial Friday Community Panel by special guest, Henrietta Golding. 

This weekend is the 2nd Annual Waccamaw Sportsmen's Expo in Downtown Conway. The Expo focuses on the outdoor lifestyle along the banks of the Waccamaw River. 

The event kicks off on Friday, March 24, as DockDogs bring their high-flying competition to Conway's Town Green at 200 Laurel Street. On Saturday, March 25, the DockDogs events continue all day, and the full Expo opens at the Conway Marina at 4 Elm Street. Saturday's busy schedule of activities includes vendors, music, cooking demonstrations, a reptile program, an outdoor quick draw event, a wildlife rehabilitation session, and much more.

As a self-proclaimed "SportsWOMAN," I'm super excited about the event and wanted to give you all tips to navigate it if you decide to attend.

Eating out is a budget killer, especially if you do it constantly. The best alternative, of course, is to eat at home. However, while this will save you money, cooking every meal can be daunting for some people—unless you make a meal plan.

No matter how hard I try to focus on making the most of my money by saving or investing it, I also work hard for it, so it's only natural to want to spend it how I want to. Although it seems a bit counterintuitive to splurge, doing so in a budgeted way may help you in the long run. 

America Saves Week is an annual celebration and a call to action for Americans to commit to saving successfully. Over the past few years, America Saves has been exploring what it means to be financially confident. Financial confidence is inclusive in that it recognizes that Savers have unique circumstances. Even if you are in a scenario that makes it difficult or impossible to save at this moment — you are committed to doing the work, taking control of your finances, and becoming more financially stable. 

In honor of America Saves Week, I wanted to share this exclusive Financial Friday segment where Carolina Trust Chief Operations Officer, Christina Naylor shares some saving tips and tools with me on how to jump-start your savings and grow your wealth once you've developed healthy savings habits.

With the big game this weekend, there's one big question on everyone's mind; what snacks are you making? If you're like me, you're probably on the hunt for a delicious treat that's also budget-friendly.