Business Development Rep Samantha | blog.firstffcu.com

We get it – giving your home a complete “makeover” can seem like an expensive task, which often puts it on the backburner in place of seemingly more important items on the to-do list. However, we often fail to consider the impact of our surroundings on our day-to-day lives and mental and emotional well-being. Janet Sloan of Home Decor Wise says that a home decorated to resonate with your personality and identity can have profound psychological benefits, such as reducing stress and anxiety, promoting emotional well-being, and enhancing productivity. Thanks to DIY (“Do-It-Yourself”) enthusiasts who share their creative ideas on Pinterest, TikTok, and the like, there are plenty of sources of inspiration when it comes to redecorating – and for finding cheap alternatives, too. Whether it’s finding an affordable alternative to an otherwise expensive piece of décor, or getting your hands dirty and “DIY-ing it,” there are plenty of ways to redecorate without breaking the bank, especially if you’re redecorating every time the seasons change. Give these money-saving redecorating tips a whirl when giving your home a “refresh” this fall.

1. One Person’s “Trash” is Another Person’s Treasure: Estate sales, flea markets, and garage sales can all be a great place to start when you are in search of inspiration for your next redecoration or DIY project. Someone could be tossing a piece of furniture or a fixture that no longer serves a purpose in their home, only for you to discover that you can recycle and repurpose it into something you’ll love seeing in your home every day. When you’re roaming around, keep an open mind — you never know just how many creative spins you can put on an item you see!

2. Mount Wooden Crates: Wooden crates can easily be turned into wall-mounted shelves or displays! You can find wooden crates with a certain finish, such as those with a rustic feel, or unfinished if you’d like to paint or stain them yourself. Try using them as a makeshift bookshelf or display for your pumpkins and gourds. You can even lay some fall garland across the tops of the wooden crates to give them more of a festive fall feel!

3. New Uses for an Old Dresser: Among the many things you can find at a local sale will likely be a dresser that someone is letting go of. Dressers are a common piece of furniture that can be repurposed into supply storage. Simply swap out the drawers for fabric bins, sand and repaint the outside as needed or desired, and now you have a wealth of newly discovered storage space! If you’d rather leave the compartments open, you can display your items on the wood as opposed to putting fabric bins within.

4. Repurpose Your Pumpkin: A pumpkin is a common fall gift that keeps on giving! If you have one pumpkin too many and you’re looking to repurpose it, try hallowing it out and making a pumpkin planter or pumpkin vase. To make a pumpkin planter, simply drill or carve a hole at the bottom for drainage, fill it with soil, and plant the fall flowers of your choice. If you are going the pumpkin vase route, you can fill the hallowed-out pumpkin with fake flowers or hide a vase bearing water and real flowers. Now you have a beautiful table arrangement, and can use the insides of the pumpkin for a pumpkin dessert or bake the seeds in the oven for a snack, too.

To take your pumpkin planter to the next level, make it a hanging planter! We recommend swapping out the real pumpkin for a lightweight craft pumpkin such as this one, because they are typically too heavy to hang. Here’s some instructions on turning your faux pumpkin into a hanging planter.

5. Potpourri Can Double as a Simmer Pot: You might commonly hear people reference “pumpkin spice” during this season, and it’s not just because of the lattes! Aside from the countless decorative items fall is associated with, fall is also commonly associated with scents, such as pumpkin spice, apples, and cinnamon. Potpourri opens the door to an abundance of creativity, as there is no right or wrong way to combine natural plant materials to make a fall scent. A simple way to make a fall-inspired potpourri is by combining dried apples, cinnamon sticks, and fall leaves in a decorative bowl, and applying the same essential oils to magnify the scents. After you are done displaying this potpourri as décor, use it as a simmer pot to give your home that warm, cozy fall feel.

6. Reuse Old Throw Pillows: Whether you find throw pillows at a sale, or have a few laying around the house, reusing old throw pillows can be an inexpensive way to transform a room. There’s a couple of ways to repurpose old throw pillows that don’t require expertise in art – like trying out embroidery or fabric paint. Embroidery involves decorating fabric and other materials using a needle to stitch thread or yarn. You can order fall embroidery patterns and kits online, or find a tutorial online if you have the materials you need. If breaking out the needle and thread isn’t quite up your alley, you can use fabric paint to paint a design right onto the throw pillows. You can trace a design you find online, or use free-hand.

7. A Ladder is Not Just a Ladder: One of our favorite creative, and surprisingly functional spins on a common household item – is turning a ladder into a shelf or storage. Some of these functional spins include turning your ladder into a bookshelf, shelving space, or a clothing rack. DIY Enthusiasts details a few of these creative ways to reuse an old ladder at home, many of which include materials you likely already have. Give it a read and try to envision how one of these ladder shelf ideas can change the feel of a room in your home.

Not only are these inexpensive alternatives to traditional interior design, but they will leave you with a fun project and a great story to tell guests if you are hosting in your home this autumn.

We know that some redecorating ideas require more than just traipsing around a local garage sale until you stumble upon a piece of furniture or a fixture that inspires you. First Financial’s Home Improvement Loan is a great option for those looking to chase some of those bigger home improvement dreams, such as redesigning your kitchen. Our Home Improvement Loan features great rates, flexible terms up to 10 years, a fixed monthly payment, and more.* If you’re ready to get started, you can apply online 24/7. If you have any questions or inquiries, don’t hesitate to stop by your local branch or call our Loan Department at 732.312.1500 Option 4.

*Available on primary residence only. A First Financial membership is required to obtain a Home Improvement Loan and is open to anyone who lives, works, worships, volunteers, or attends school in Monmouth or Ocean Counties. See credit union for details. Rate will vary based off of applicant’s credit rating. Not all applicants who apply will be approved, subject to underwriting guidelines and credit approval. Visit firstffcu.com for additional information.

When trying to stay one step ahead of scams, knowledge can be a powerful tool. In this day and age where scams are getting increasingly more complicated and scammers are deploying creative tactics, you can never know too much about the nature of scams. At First Financial, there is nothing more important to our team than protecting the personal and financial information of our members, and that includes protection from scammers. Below are some common imposter scam tactics you could experience, and how to identify them before it’s too late.

What it is:

An imposter scam starts with an unexpected call, email, or text message from a person, supposedly working for a government agency, financial institution, or popular social media platform, or claiming to be a family member or friend. This person alerts you to supposed fraud or criminal activity occurring in your accounts, and proposes a solution that requires sharing verification codes or moving money. Once you entrust them with this sensitive information, they likely have all the information they need to defraud you. Divulging this sensitive information will always benefit them, and it will harm your finances.

Red Flags:

Request of Sensitive Information: A government agency, financial institution, or social media platform will not request that you divulge personal or financial information via call, email, or text. In the case of verification codes, these are used by institutions as a second step to prove that you are really you, so never give a scammer the tool they need to impersonate you and steal your money.
Sense of Urgency: The scammer will likely convey a sense of urgency, convincing you that some sort of action needs to be taken now to protect you. They are trying to get what they want quickly, and move onto the next person they can defraud.
Moving Money to “Protect” it: When there’s a scammer on the other end of the line, moving your money means losing your money. A legitimate government agency or financial institution will not have you moving your assets off their platform to “protect” them.

Staying Safe:

Do Not Divulge Information: If someone is coercing you to divulge your personal or financial information to “protect” you or act before it is too late, you likely need to protect yourself from that person. Simply end the conversation, block them on the platform you were communicating on, and report the interaction to the Federal Trade Commission.
Call the Person, Agency, or Company Yourself: Caller ID can appear to be real – but just like many other things scammers take advantage of, this too can be faked. Scammers have been known to spoof your bank’s phone number, and even major government agency phone numbers such as the IRS. If you are trying to call the real individual, agency, or company the person is allegedly calling you from – get that information from a statement, bill, or the company website.

Remember: First Financial will never ask you to share personal information, passwords, or verification codes via call, email, or text. The only thing we ask our members is to remain vigilant to scammers, and continually educate yourself on the evolving nature and tactics of scammers.

While these types of imposter scams have been especially prevalent in 2024, they are likely not going away and will continue to take place in the coming year. If you believe you have been the victim of an imposter scam, you can report it to the Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov, and/or your local police department.

Questions? Contact First Financial’s Member Relationship Center at 732-312-1500, email us at info@firstffcu.com, or visit one of our local branches.