Believe it or not, there are some people who have their Halloween costume picked out before the Fourth of July. For others, finding something spooky to wear is a last-minute scramble on the afternoon of October 31. If you’re reading this, it’s probably because you’re one of the latter and you need some quick inspiration. Here are some ideas for easy DIY costumes you can make on a budget.

Swamp Creature

Buy some inexpensive green and black plastic tablecloths from your local dollar store. Slice them into strips to wear on your head, shoulders & waist to become a mossy monster. Hey, we told you these costumes were going to be cheap!

Gumball Machine

Cut holes in large, clear plastic bag for your head and arms. Fill the bag with a bunch of brightly colored balloons and then cinch the bottom of the bag at your waist. Wear a long red skirt or pants for added effect. You could also use smaller balloons and become a bag of jelly beans.

Wanted Poster

Take a large piece of cardboard and cut out a large square in the middle. Write WANTED in thick western-style letters on top & your name and whatever you think the reward for your capture should be at the bottom. When someone asks about your costume, hold up the sign and pose behind it.

Flashback

Raid old boxes of clothes lying around your parents’ basement. Find a goofy outfit from the 60s, 70s or 80s or 90s, depending on how old your parents are and dress up as one of them. Or dig out some of your favorite old clothes and go as yourself in the past.

Flash Forward

If you’re not a parent, show people what you would look like if you were. Find a doll or two and borrow a baby carrier, car seat or stroller. Throw a diaper bag over your shoulder. Mess up your hair a bit and use some eyeliner to create dark circles around your sleep-deprived eyes. Add nametags on your fake children if you’re feeling inspired.

Time Zone

Use a marker to write the name of a time zone, such as Central or Pacific, on the back of a T-shirt. Buy a cheap clock, set the dial accordingly, hang it around your neck. If you have a group of friends, you could all dress up as the six U.S. zones.

The Other Holiday

Pull your Christmas decorations out early and wrap yourself in tinsel & lights. Put a star on your head—you are now a Christmas tree. Or find a large box, wrap it like a yuletide gift and make room for your head, arms and legs. You can even hang a tag from the festive box that reads, TOO SOON?

Credit unions began forming in Germany during the mid-19th century. Due to famine and crop failure, Herman Schulze-Delitzsch organized a cooperatively owned bakery & mill so local citizens could buy bread at discounted prices. The operation was so successful that, in 1850, he applied the same idea to the financial sector and created what he called the people’s bank.

Another German named Friedrich Raiffeisen established the Heddesdorf Credit Union in 1864 to give nearby farmers livestock and farming equipment purchasing opportunities. Raiffeisen based the group on philosophies of self-governance, stating that once you defeat dependency, you can fight poverty.

Expansion

This idea of credit associations extended across the Atlantic Ocean and took root in Quebec, Canada at the beginning of the 20th century. A man named Alphonse Desjardins was tired of loan sharks taking advantage of those in need, so he founded the first credit union in North America to make financing affordable for poorer families.

The first U.S. credit union was organized in New Hampshire in 1909. During the 1920s, not-for-profit financial cooperatives became more popular, because these institutions could offer smaller loans to people for things like appliances—the type of lending larger banks wouldn’t address at all.

Regulation

As the concept grew in the 1930s, the government implemented the Federal Credit Union Act to supervise the various cooperative financial institutions that were now spread across the nation. And as membership increased to over 6,000,000 in the 1960s, the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) and the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund (NCUSIF) came about to regulate the industry and protect members.

From the beginning, such cooperatives were founded on the principle of democratic governance, with all members having a say, regardless of deposit size. Members would elect a board of directors, who volunteered their time to help guide the credit union. And with a membership of more than 230 million, we still follow those practices today in 109 countries worldwide.

As the weather turns colder, heaters are kicking on and many folks find themselves paying higher energy bills. However, keeping your home at a comfortable temperature doesn’t have to cost a lot. Here are some tips on how to stay warm and still save money on heating costs.

Dress Appropriately

Don’t rely just on the furnace to keep toasty in the winter—dress in warm clothes. Wear socks or a comfy jacket and you won’t have to turn the temperature up as high. Use cushy blankets while watching TV on the couch and put thick comforters & sheets on your bed.

Audit Your Energy

Search for heat leaks. If you feel a cold draft in your home, it means the hot air is escaping. Windows and doors are the biggest culprits. Check the weather stripping and replace if it’s old and worn. Re-caulk your window panes if necessary.

You can also take advantage of the sun. Open curtains during the day to let it shine in and naturally provide heat. And, contrary to what you may think a ceiling fan on a low setting can help circulate warm air instead of making things cooler.

Boost Efficiency

Many professionals recommend a furnace inspection every other year and, if your HVAC system is more than 10 years old, you should get it checked annually. But you don’t need an expert to change your air filter, which you should do every month or two. Regular maintenance will increase efficiency.

Resist the urge to crank up the thermostat when it’s cold outside. Keeping it in the high 60s or low 70s will ensure it’s comfortable without costing you too much. In fact, each one-degree drop can reduce your energy bill by up to 3%. And lowering it when you’re not there or while you’re sleeping can also save money. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that lowering the temperature seven to 10 degrees eight hours a day will cut the bill by about 10% annually. Many modern thermostats are programmable and some smart-home systems will only warm rooms with people in them.

The change in seasons doesn’t have to equal higher utility costs. By dressing warmly, maintaining your furnace and preventing heat loss, you’ll stay warmer and spend less doing it.

If your password is 123456, qwerty or, even worse, password, you should probably stop reading and change it now. Despite all the security hacks and data breaches in today’s world, many people still use easy-to-guess logins, putting their information & identities at risk. Creating strong passwords is your first line of defense against hackers, so here are some tips to get started.

• Make it easy (for you)—Passwords you can’t remember are useless. Choose keywords or phrases you can easily memorize. But don’t make it so simple that someone else could quickly figure it out.
• Make it unique—Don’t use the same login on various accounts, because if someone gets access to one, they’ll have them all. Create a unique password for every site to ensure better security.
• Change cases—Many logins are case-sensitive, so using a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters will add an extra layer of protection. You don’t even have to follow the capitalization rules you learned in school—CapiTaLIze whateVER yOU WAnT, WHerEveR You wANt.
• Add numbers—Include numbers that mean something to you. Don’t just include a 1 at the end of your password, put a series at the beginning (8675309Jenny), at the end (Jenny8675309) or interspersed throughout a word (J867e53nn09y). You can even replace certain letters with numbers, such as 4m3r1c4 F1r57 Cr3d17 Un10n.
• Try special characters—Even adding a question mark at the end of your password can make a difference. You can add the pound sign at the beginning to make it hashtag (#PurpleToupee?) or put a word in quotes (Nowmadewith”real”cheese!). Be creative.
• Consider passphrases—Instead of just one or two words, try a sentence. Create a long phrase that means something to you, such as nevergonnagiveyouUP!nevergonnaletyouDOWN! or WhyDoesMyEmployerMakesMeChangeThisEvery6Months?
• Swap passwords often—Make a habit of changing your passwords periodically. This rotation will ensure that even if someone does discover your login, they won’t have it for long.

Following the advice above may not protect you from every cyberattack, but it will help strengthen your online security.