Amy's Blogo.

GO GREEN

2008-10-28T11:46:00.000-07:00

You don't have to have a lot of money to save the PLANET! SO, I figured I would give you some quick cheap ways to GO GREEN!

1. Change your LIGHT BULBS!: Change out your incandescent bulbs with compact florescent light bulbs (CFLs). This will not only help the planet but you will also save money on you light bill and wont have to worry about buying new light bulb for a while.

2. CARPOOL: Ride with some buddies....you wont burn as much fuel. The great thing is you

don't spend as much money on gas and you get to relax on the way to school or work.

3. Don't use PAPER!: Check your bank accounts online! Use your online account to check your credit cards and electric company bills. By doing this you can eliminate the need for paper bills.....you'll save some TREES!

If use at least one of these tips and YOU can make a major difference!

AmY

Website of the week!

2008-10-27T15:48:00.001-07:00

This weeks website is Blurb....a book publishing website. A lot of my friends use this website to create stories of their own.

One of them is making his own yearbook, it's pretty awesome! You can create a book of nothing but your blogs, put them together and make it into a professional looking diary to keep forever.

This would also be a cool way to record an amazing vacation you went on. They also make

perfect gifts! After you publish your book, you may also get a chance to sell it online to people who like your work. These books are really cheap to make too. Most books starting at only $12.95 for 40 pages! You can tell a lot in 40 pages. If I was you I would look this up and start making a book today! Who knows, maybe you'll make some money out of this too. Have Fun!

http://www.blurb.com/

AmY

MONDAY!

2008-10-27T13:03:00.000-07:00

Hey! Its MONDAY! Not always the best day of the week.... You always seem to compare it to the weekends, which tend to be way better then the week days. This past weekend was one that would be hard to compete with. The weather was nice, everything went as planned...no it went better then planned. Though the weather did changed faster then I could. Saturday morning I bundled up thinking it was going to be a cold day, but to my surprise it was a warm day and I spent the rest of it outside in a long sleeve t-shirt. I was really over dressed. Sunday was the same, warm and beautiful.....it made you wanna just stay outside all day, but this time I was in the proper attire. So now that brings us to this morning. Wake up, get dressed for a warm day, walk out side, and its cold. CRAZY. I cant keep up.

ANYHOO, I figured since it is the first day of the week, I would start a discussion topic. I thought that since we now know what young people want out of their financial institution, I would ask you if there are some things you would like to know about the financial institution? OR, is there anything you just don't understand? Post your question and I'll be happy to answer and discuss them with you.

BY THE WAY: There is a section on the Y&F Texas website for any financial questions you may have. Its the tab called "Makes Cents".....go check it out! There are already some good questions on there you may want to know about.

AmY

LAST DAY TO VOTE!

2008-10-24T12:40:00.000-07:00

Hey! Voting ends TODAY!! Thanks to all who has voted for me! Yall are awesome, keep going! They decide who the Y&F Texas spokesperson is on October 31st (HALLOWEEN) so keep a look out. Don't worry though, I'm not going anywhere! Ill still be posting, you can ALWAYS find me on Facebook, Twitter and I have some more videos coming up! SO, before midnight today make sure you cast your vote! AND remember to vote AMY ACREMAN!!

HALLOWEEN!

2008-10-22T22:32:00.000-07:00

Halloween is coming! I still don't know what to be though....I was never really into dressing up. I like more of the scary part of the whole holiday. Although, I have NEVER been to a real haunted house. I mean one of those they have set up for the public and you pay a ton to go through. I always thought it was funny to pay someone to scare me. There are definitely other things I can do with that money. Back to the topic though, HALLOWEEN is almost here....It's also the day they choose the next Young & Free Texas spokesperson....I'm so nervous. Everyone has been so good, its hard to tell who will get. Anyhoo, I figured I would just let all the readers decide what I should be for Halloween? So, go ahead, give me some IDEAS! :D

Making the MOVIE.

2008-10-22T21:49:00.000-07:00

O, I figured I would tell you a little bit about the making of the movie challenge we were given this past week.

In the video, my main goal was to find out what young people want out of their financial institution.

So, here's my concept: I wanted break it down a little so I didn't just have "huh" as my answers.

The first question I asked about was: Where do you keep your money? Most people said in their banks,

few said in a credit union and a bank, and a couple said their mom's keep it for them... and one person said a mattress, I had to hold back from laughing, but I think she was serious. Anyway, all of this feedback is good, because young adults don't really

know much about banks or credit unions today, so for them to even have it in a bank is awesome.

The next few questions were about what they like and dislike about their financial institution, most

people took this as 'bank' ....but that's what a bank is, a financial institution.

The answers varied from to how they liked the customer service and online service, to how they didn't like the fees that are taken out, and

surprisingly fees were a common dislike among my interviewees.

Sooo, once I found out what they wanted from it all, I took the time to tell them about the GO 2

Account TDECU offers. Many of them were really impressed that a bank would offer special services to their age group. I explained that TDECU wants to get more young people involved with their financial institutions. They were WOWED, most were wondering what the catch was? So I believe that after this challenge I actually helped people notice their banking or mattress accounts, and perhaps I might have even changed where a few of them do their banking. Overall, I feel this challenge was a successful fun way to find out what young people want.

During all of the filming, I was taking notes and snippets about what they said, and to sum it up on a positive note I had them restate what they liked with an enthusiastic attitude. It was a fun time! woo hoo!

Again, I'd like to thank all of my interviewees for taking a minute to talk to a stranger! THANKS!

AmY.

Video Challenge

2008-10-22T09:01:00.000-07:00

THIS IS WHAT YOUNG PEOPLE WANT OUT OF THEIR BANKS.

Young & Free Vid Challenge from Amy Acreman on Vimeo.

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

2008-10-21T21:16:00.000-07:00

This years election has gotten a lot of attention. Early voting alone has shown that this election is going to to get the most voter turn out its seen in a long time. With the democratic nominee being African American and the republican Vice President being a woman, everyone is wanting a piece of the action. Cause for sure, either way the votes go, it will be historical. So, I just wanted to remind people vote not based on just race and gender but who's plans you agree with more. Go find out what both candidates offer, or their plans for the U.S.. AND REMEMBER the vote you make will determine the president you will have for the next 4 years.

THINGS WE'VE SAID GOODBYE TO OVER THE YEARS

2008-10-21T20:18:00.000-07:00

Everything has changed so much over the past few years. Its amazing how we don't even realize the change either. We're all just going with the flow, or at least until something goes wrong. But really though, we didn't pay attention to the transition from portable CD players to MP3 players and IPods. What about the VCR? We have so many VHS movies at my house and a VCR that's hanging on by a thread. It scares me to think that soon the only place we will be able to find one will be at some garage sale or antique shop.

Oh, and cameras, wow. I remember my first one, I thought I was so cool to have a camera and I thought it was a really good one too. Man was I wrong, some of the best ones are digital. Having a camera that takes film is so "old school" now. lol Another thing I've seen slowly leave us is checks. Now this one I'm not so upset

about losing, I never really learned how to write a check anyway.....I know that you're thinking this is bad, but I've always had a debit card. Swipe and go. The final thing I'll leave you with is land lines, you know, the phone with the cord that no one uses anymore. Now everything is wireless, its crazy. After the last hurricane when all the lights went out, and the home phones, I was so happy we kept a land line, especially since my cell phone lost service too. OK, so now I was thinking since we never really noticed things leaving us....we should give them a proper goodbye. So GOODBYE old stuff, you were the beginning of so much more.

Google's Free?

2008-10-21T19:18:00.000-07:00

If you don't already use everything google, you should. I started off only using their email account, but then I started realizing everything else they offered. Other than there google search engine, they have Youtube, blogger, Maps, Google Earth.....the list just keeps going. The latest Google tool I found out about was their Google Documents. Its like having an online Microsoft Word and on top that its all stored online so you never lose any of your documents! You can make slide shows and spreadsheets.....I don't know about yall but this would be really handy for school. To be able to make a slide show that will work on any computer and you don't have to worry about transferring data off a USB drive. WOW, and to think this is all free. It makes you stop and wonder where they get all of their money.....if you're thinking about that right now, they get it from advertisers....lol Anyhoo, if you're someone who worries about losing papers and any other type of document or if you have ever lost something, go look this up. You wont be disappointed.

GAS PRICES

2008-10-21T18:41:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest problems in today's society would have to be the price of gas! I hate paying for gas.....sometimes it makes me want to just stay home. Now, I know everyone else cant stand the prices of gas either. I mean, when is it going to go back down? Is it ever going to go back down? Not just to "wow I'm glad its not $4.00 anymore", but to the old days.....when I first starting driving. Man, I would do anything to go back to those prices....and have them stay there. But for now, I found a website that helps you find the cheapest gas in your area....I found one that had gas for $2.19! When you get on you click on Texas and then on your city......it will then pull up all the gas stations in that area. AMAZING! GO CHECK IT OUT! AND remember, DRIVE SAFE!

http://gasbuddy.com/

CHECK THIS OUT!

2008-10-20T17:55:00.000-07:00

OK, so I did a quick survey among my friends, and people who came into the tea house I work at. I wanted to find out what people went online for....I was kinda curious, cause I'm never really sure what "surfing the web" means. Well, mainly cause I get on go straight to things I'm used to. Emails, facebook, myspace, twitter, youngfreetexas.com and then I repeat it all over again. I got so bored with that......its like nothing changes. So I figured I would find out what other people are online doing. It was awesome! Everyone didn't have just a normal site they went to, though a majority did say they get on and go straight to Facebook, but all of them are college students and Facebook is what keeps us linked together. But there were some cool, interesting new sites Ive never heard of. There is this one where you can go and play free online games....I played a few, and passed a lot of time doing it too. It was called Orisinal, awesome games....really nifty if your bored. The next one I have for you comes in handy when you wanna know how something work "HowStuffWorks", it actually surprised me that people would like this. And of course YouTube was on there....I should have known. Its just when I get on, I never know what to look up. SO....for this one I asked somethings they like to watch or what they usually search for. I got, music videos, SNL clips, movie trailers (COOL!), and shows they missed on T.V.. Now, I'm giving these sites to you to try, the game one is really fun. HAVE FUN!

www.orisinal.com

http://www.howstuffworks.com/

http://www.youtube.com/

MONEY SAVERS!!

2008-10-20T17:06:00.000-07:00

So everyone loves to spend money, I know I do. It is so easy to swipe your card and go, and its still easy to just fork over the cash for something you think you really want. But do you really want those things....the sweater that will be out of style in no time or do you really need to buy ten double cheese burgers? The answer is no, but I know, you just cant help it sometimes. Even I have to urge to buy things I know Ill never use....I just tell myself I will. Then it will go up in my closet or I give it away and never really think about the money I spent on it.

Well, NOW I think its time we take a stand! Against all of the stores that offer good sales on nothing....lol.... I found some things that you may find helpful.....I call them the

money savers.....the top 5 things to do to keep you from spending your money. Some are just to keep your mind off of thing.......they're working for me....enjoy!

5. Start a BAND: You can go to your own concerts! And maybe you'll be famous one day!

4. Take up a HOBBY: If your busy watching birds, you know your not thinking about money.....stamps and buttons are fun too!

3. Put it in a SEALED JAR: That way the only way you can get your money out is to break open the jar....you'll be less tempted....hopefully.

2. Give your money to you MOM! : If she has it, you know she'll tell you NO if your only wanting it for something ridiculous.

1. PUT it in a SAVINGS ACCOUNT: This is the BEST thing to do! If its in a saving account you cant spend it and your earning interest on it.....its a win win situation!

Amy's Favorite Things.

2008-10-19T20:35:00.000-07:00

Have you ever looked around the Internet and found some things you just HAD to share with someone??... Or have had food at an absolutely delicious eatery?... or better yet walked around a electronics store and found something you just had to buy? ... well I have.

BUT... there's one problem people.... you can't just call your friends and tell them how good that pizza place was, or recommend the cardio machine you used today. I mean, you can twitter it but that's twitter..... anyway, I'm getting off topic... the topic you don't have a clue of yet.
... actually I was way off topic. SO, here is a little list I composed, called Amy's Favorite Things.
#10. McAlister's Deli: YOU SHOULD GO! It's so good... I have one 2 minutes walking from my dorm, they have the best sweet tea, salads, and chicken clubs in the whole world! mmm. So, for number 10, I recommend McAlister's Deli.

#9. Twilight: the best book I have read in a long time....you should definitely read! The rest of the series too....Oh and the movie is coming out soon...I'm so EXCITED!!! Check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxjNDE2fMjI

#8. The Golden Girls: lol, I love these ladies.....I hope I'm just like Sophia when I get older!

#7. Facebook: Ive become addicted! I cant get on any computer without checking it.....its bad, but so good...lol
#6. Twitter: This fixes my nosiness, well sort of...lol

#5. Movie Trailers: I hate missing them when I go to the movies.... They are also what I want to make when I grow up...lol...or more like when I graduate.

#4. Roller coasters: who doesn't love roller coasters....the thrill you get when your flying around, wow.

#3. Wal Mart!: Some of the best times I've ever had were at Wal Mart. lol

#2. Cougar Football: Marching Band, you should always watch the show the band does....so good.

#1. Going to a Country Town for Homemade food....I love the Cafe! I have to go every time I go back home.

So...there you have my 10 favorite things! If we share any in common fill free to comment or you can just tell me something that you like to do!

TWILIGHT

2008-10-07T22:14:00.000-07:00

The coolest series I have read in a long time. Stephenie Meyer is one of the best authors ever...lol....well i think she is. The four books she wrote including Twilight were amazing. At time I felt like i was actually in the scenes with the characters.
Edward and Bella are the perfect couple! I wish I could be Bella, they way Edward would die for her and give everything he has just to keep her....WOW. Not to mention, the action scenes they have in the book...they are so realistic, yet you know they couldn't be real.
I am now on the last book....I'm afraid to finish it....I don't want it to end. Good thing the movie is coming out soon. So to all of you who likes a good book...I recommend Twilight. And also go watch the movie in December. It will be AWESOME!

My Family

2008-10-04T22:55:00.000-07:00

OK, so everyone has something wrong with there family....either they are embarrassed of them, don't get a long with them....what ever the case, you still love them. You will stand up for them no matter what.
With me....my family is so crazy. I get embarrassed of them all the time. They are very country people, not that I'm not, just some how they are way more hick then me. I belong in the city. So....this past weekend I realized that I belong to my family just as much as they belong to me.
We had a three in one birthday party....crazy fun!...Anyhoo, when I showed up, people were already acting all kookie. I loved it...I just joined in on the laughing, gossiping, and joking. And as the night went on, I realize that they made me who I am.....I tried imagining my life without them, I couldn't, not even for a second. All the arguing, drama, and craziness made me who I am today. If I didn't have them who knows what kind of person I'd be today.

MY BAD LUCK WITH CARS

2008-09-21T16:12:00.000-07:00

OK, so had a car accident in my mom's car.....not as bad as it

sounds, trust me. Well, after that I had my little Mazda

Protege, AKA: Steve....I loved him....my fist car. Anywho, it

didn't last long, maybe a year and a half, sad......and no i didn't

crash it...lol. So now my dad decided to get me a car, a

Galant....eh. Not my favorite, its been giving me problems since

the day i got it. So the car dealer place worked on it over and

over, but problems kept popping up about 30min after I left with

it. FRUSTRATING! I'm to the point to where i don't wanna drive

it anymore, but my dad insists that they will fix it and it will run,

and i believe him. I leave for vacation and told them I will be

back to pick it up afterwards, so it gave them a few days to fix it

and then I would have to go back to school. When I come

back to get it.....no problems.....i was happy. At least until I

reached 610 on the way to school, lol. Everything started

freaking out in the car, my lights started flashing, radio turning

off and on, my speedometer flipping back and forth, and

everything else on my dashboard. I tried calling my mom, but

she wasn't home....so i call my dad. I told him I was almost to

school and I think I can make it.......I was wrong. Right after I

got off the phone my car shut off and came to a complete stop.

The 18-wheeler behind me almost came crashing into me, but

moved just in time, then my car came on and started running

again. And with it stopping and going I made my way off the

freeway to a store, where it turned off and never came back on.

And my dad came and got it.
...........................................
My dad fixed it, swore to me that it was fixed, once again i

believed him. I take it back to school, no problems, but a week

later when I'm driving home, the problems begin again. I'm

freaking! I make it to my home town, and am almost home, and

a COP pulls me over....just my luck. I explained my issue and I

don't think he believed me until he walked up to my car and

seen it freaking out and told me I could go, but from me

stopping at this store for him, my car wasn't gonna move again.

To end this story, I'm not keeping the car, and I'm destined to

be car less.

Perfect Day.....

2008-09-19T21:32:00.000-07:00

Today was the most beautiful day I've seen in a long time. NO HUMIDITY! lol It was so hard to go to class, i just wanted to stay outside and enjoy the nice breeze and cool air. Its weird how one day you feel summer all around you and the next day it's Fall! I mean you can smell it in the air, see it in the trees...its crazy how time flies! Soon it will be winter....not that it will be much cooler then it is right now....lol... But it will be another season gone in a flash. I am so savoring this day...PICTURE TIME!
....................the rest of the week, not so great.OK, so right now I am so sleepy.....Ive had the craziest week ever, or stressful....cant tell. All I know is that at this very moment there is silence, and it is GOLDEN! I'm looking back and I can't believe I went through with everything I did, and on top of it all I stayed up to 2 am every night...not a good choice. WOW, have you ever sat really quiet and just listened to nothing? Its weird how at the same time you hear nothing you can hear everything. To let your mind just wonder forever...you can only wish. However, you did have the TWO weeks of no lights after the hurricane to hear nothing. Then I was begging for T.V.! Or any other noise. Those two weeks made me realize I could never make it if we had to go back to the old country days.....I dint even think I could even make it camping for to long now. NO Internet, I lost my phone service, there was no television. Geez! I'm glad that's over. Anyhoo, silence is really working for me now....PILLOW TIME

A Real Car Crash

2007-07-24T23:09:00.000-07:00

OK, this is how it goes...
About two weeks ago I lied to McDonald's and said I blew A tire and while waiting on someone to come and help me I got hit by a passing car। They were told I broke my leg and was still in the hospital, and I got out of working there. I WAS FREE!!

But tonight I experienced a real wreck... I just got out of work and I had called mama and told her that I was coming home and I would be there in a little while, I get to the car and everything was going good, it started up good and if you know my mom's car you know it turns off and on at first after it has been sitting for a while। Well I pull out and am heading towards the freeway, I stop at the exit of the mall to wait for it to be clear and when I got my chance I was about to go but I got something in my eye so I didn't move to go anywhere। When I look up to go I see its not clear and I go to stop the car which wasn't going fast at all and when the crown goes to stop its so heavy it goes a little bit and then stops।(this next part goes so fast I can barely slow it down in my head) At first I thought I stoped in time but then I start hearing the truck honking and then it slams up against the front end, right at the bumper and starts dragging me around and straight up on the hill, it toar the bumper right off the front of the car। My head was slammed into the window but over all I was OK at that point. I looked up and I see the truck swerving around and hit the tree in front of me. It felt so unreal, it was like watching a movie! Once everything had stoped moving, the only thing I thought about was the person in the other car. I jump out and just start running towards the truck. I was so afraid to find them really hurt or even dead! But when I get there she wouldn't look at me but as I could see from outside the truck she looked OK. Two girls showed up to see if we were OK and to call 911, one of the girls gets the door open on the truck but the lady didn't speak a lot of English and wouldn't talk to anyone. And just to let you know I was crying hysterically the whole time this was happening. I went back to the car and called mama, I don't even think she could tell what I was saying at first, but once I got it all the way out, she said she was on her way up to me।

All of it was happening so fast I couldn't think about anything. when the police got there he got the lady to talk and found out that her face was the only thing that hurt from the airbag. Then the firemen and the ambulance come, they come over to look at me and others go to the other lady. I tell them I'm fine that they should go to the other lady and help her but they insist on looking at me anyway. After they get done looking at me I sign a few of there papers for them and they take the other lady to the hospital and the only ones left was the officers and me. I was so afraid that I was getting in trouble, that I couldn't stop crying. The policeman kept having me run him through what happen over and over. Finally I asked him if I was get in trouble and he told me I was gonna be fine and it was all an accident. He said I would only get a ticket and that if I had been going fast out of there everything would be a lot worst than what had happen. My Aunt Kathy shows up with my mom and sister, my mom checks me out but the only thing starting to hurt is the side of my face and my head was pounding. We get home and my body starts hurting from the hit, I realize then that everything is gonna be even worst the next day. But I'm on here now cause my mind is racing and it can't seem to slow down fast enough to fall asleep. But as you can see my storeys over and my heads hurting worst from looking at the screen and now that I have to pay for all this crap I need to try to at least get some rest so I can go to work tomorrow. Bye!!