Spending Wisely

For more information or to speak with a Financial Education Specialist, please contact us at FinancialEducationAFB@afbank.com.

Need help spending funds more wisely? Do this before and while you go shopping or make other purchases.

Before Shopping

• Check your account balance through Digital Banking (online and mobile),at the bank, or using your physical account register. Mobile carrier fees may apply.
• Make a note of any upcoming scheduled payments, such as utility bills, and deduct what you think the estimated amount will be from your account balance.
• Also deduct from your balance any amounts you may owe to others such as lunch money.
• Always subtract a little extra from your mental account balance in case an unexpected expense should arise.
• These practices will allow you to know how much you have available to spend before you head out the door on your shopping trip.

While Shopping

• With your budget in mind, do periodic estimates of how much the items in your shopping cart might be totalling.
• Once the cashier rings everything up, carefully look at the total amount.
• If it’s more than what you have available to spend, try to put back a few things you don’t really need.
• Once your purchase total aligns with your available-to-spend balance, you can confidently finalize the transaction knowing it won’t result in an overdrawn bank account.