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Holiday Traditions Made Easier with Chase #sponsored
Compensation was provided by Chase via Momtrends. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of Chase or Momtrends.
Holiday shopping season is here! We are hitting the shops with our Chase debit cards this season but we use Chase banking for so much more other than shopping during the holidays. Chase offers us accessibility, time savings, and peace of mind through their services and mobile apps. As we move through Thanksgiving and into December, I have lots of plans on my mind besides shopping: baking cookies and delivering them to friends and family; shipping gifts to our family back east and across the world; going on our annual ornament treasure with my kids, niece, and nephews; and more.
Holiday baking, visits, and shopping is easy with Chase Mobile® Apps and online banking
Passed down from my grandmother to my mom and now to me, we have a holiday cookie and candy tradition. We bake up the family favorites like spritz, fudge, Mexican wedding cakes, and pumpkin bread and package them up in pretty gift boxes like the ones I decorated in the photo above. Usually right before Christmas Eve, we drive all over southern California and deliver the gifts to family and friends. It is a time to meet up with those we haven't seen all year and share the joys of the season together. The last two years I was unable to do this tradition so this year I am really excited to get it back up! When people don't get their cookies, they get worried!
The whole process starts with shopping for baking supplies. I have to go to multiple stores and that means lots of trips around town to get everything I need from Cream of Tartar to Natural Vanilla Extract. I've got to get gas, shop at the stores, and make sure I get all my work done too. I don't always have time to go inside the bank to take care of business so that's why I love Chase's mobile apps and accessibility. I can save time by banking securely from just about anywhere. Visit www.chase.com/wayyoubank to see how.
A year ago Matthew got into the spirit by making gifts for all the kids in his class. I am hoping he or Katie will carry on with the cookie tradition with his or her own friends and kids.
With Chase Digital Banking, we get access to tools like online and mobile banking, Chase QuickPaySM , Chase QuickDepositSM, and the Chase Freedom® Mobile App. Xaver and I use the Chase Mobile® App all the time, but especially during the rush of the holidays. What happens when we're out and about and Katie needs to pick up dinner for she and Matthew? Well, Xaver or I just transfer money on the mobile app to her account. It's faster than a drive thru window at In-N-Out! Or if Xaver's at work and needs to buy a fruit plate because he forgot about today's potluck, no problem; he can check his account balance right there on his phone. It's easy for me to pay the bills from my computer or through the app on my phone or even Matthew's tablet.
One of the things I LOVE is the email and text alert, that lets us know when we are reaching spending limits. We set limits on our Chase accounts to alert us when our balances get below a certain level. When Xaver and I are both out shopping, we can forget to communicate about how much we're spending as a whole. The alerts help us avoid overdrafts and help us stay on budget. Since Katie is a teen, I get text alerts every time she makes a purchase plus, when her balance drops below the limit of $50 that we set, I get alerts with her current balance. The other day I got an alert that she had $4 left in her account so I made sure to let her know to stop spending. She needed dinner money, since she was the Stage Manager for the school play and they were live that night so I used the mobile app to transfer funds into her account to make sure she could pick up some food at the show.
A Christmas ornament tradition made easy with Chase QuickPaySM for transferring money
Another holiday tradition we have is shopping for Christmas ornaments. I started taking my kids plus my two eldest nephews shopping for a special ornament each year. I tag the ornaments with their names and the year and then keep them safe. We bring them out at Christmas to put on the tree. When the kids decide to start a home of their own, I will pass the box of ornaments we've collected over the years to them.
Since we started this tradition, we have shopped all over California for ornaments and have even gone shopping with other friends for ornaments. A few times we've made a whole day of it – going to lunch, shopping, and hanging out with friends. When we need to cover a bill or maybe a friend wants to chip in for parking, we use the Chase QuickPaySM app to pay each other without cash. If my sister wants to send me a little food money for the boys while she is away at work, all she has to do is use the app and the money is in my account instantly, even though our accounts are totally separate.
Deposits made easy no matter where you are with Chase's QuickDepositSM
We get so much mail during the holidays and it is complicated by the fact that there are so many fall birthdays in our family. Not only do I receive checks for my business in the mail but there are also birthday checks for Katie, Xaver, and me from family, checks from Xaver's mom for the kids' Christmas gifts, and more. I used to stress about getting to the bank on time to deposit the checks but since we switched to Chase a few years ago, everything has been much easier with Chase's QuickDepositSM. Take a photo of a check and use the app to deposit it to your account almost anytime, anywhere. I always seem to remember that I have a check to deposit when I am in line at the coffee shop or grocery store. I love that I can deposit the check right then when I remember, without making a trip to the bank.
We also send out a lot of mail around the holidays and receive lots of mail, like this crushed box I got last year (funny story, I shared on my blog last year!). Xaver's family lives back east so we ship two to three large boxes out each December. And then there are the 100+ handmade Christmas cards I send every year! It's a lot of mail and really adds up. We can earn points on purchases with the Chase Freedom® Card to use on future purchases. With the Chase Freedom® Mobile App, cardholders can easily redeem cash back rewards and pay at the register at 30 merchants. We can use the points to buy gifts at stores like Toys “R” Us, Gap, and Target, get poinsettias for the front yard at Lowe's, fuel up with coffee at Starbucks, and catch the new Star Wars movie at Regal Entertainment Group theaters, all using points from Chase Freedom®.
Check out Chase as a solution for your banking needs this holiday season and beyond. We made the switch to Chase a few years ago and it is the first time since I started banking in 1993 that I am really happy with my financial institution. It was 20+ years before I could say that but I am absolutely confident saying that about Chase. My sister and other friends and family have switched to Chase too, after hearing my experience.
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What's your favorite holiday tradition? Share in the comments!
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About the Author
Jennifer Priest is a 20+ year designer in the arts & crafts industry and home DIYer with a passion for creativity. An Army veteran raised on a ranch, from her experience, she shares smart DIY projects that save money and fun craft ideas that anyone can make. Besides blogging, Jennifer is a Master Practitioner and Trainer of NLP, Hypnosis, and MER, and coaches other online entrepreneurs on money mindset, business, and living an intentional life. When not blogging, Jennifer is having adventures in the wilderness, on road trips, playing with her cats, and making paleo food.
Sounds like a really useful app! thanks for sharing all the details!
It wouldn’t be Christmas around here without our family favorite Christmas cookies!
How interesting. Online banking has always made life convenient! I love the concept of the app. Thanks for sharing the information!
Looks like a very useful apps. I’m so glad you shared it.