Money Smarts Blog

Welcome to October! While it has officially been Fall since September 22 – the cooler temperatures have us in the mood for bonfires, falling leaves and of course, pumpkin spice everything.  Fall may look and feel a little different this year.  But with a little planning and caution you can still enjoy some signature fall activities.

To get your creativity and imagination flowing, we’ve compiled a few ideas (some with member advantages, so you don’t break the bank 👍):

Apple picking or visiting a pumpkin patch

Most pumpkin patches and orchards will require their staff (and you) to wear a mask and use hand sanitizer before touching pumpkins or picking apples. Fall into fun with some options in both Iowa and Illinois that offer more than just pumpkins or apples.

• BOGO Cornfield Maze tickets at Pride of the Wapsi, pumpkin patch (14600 305^th Street, Long Grove, IA). Members can purchase a cornfield maze ticket at half price with the purchase of a regular priced ticket. There are 18 great attractions included with admission. Open times are Thursday through Saturday, until October 31.  Tickets must be purchase at the door to receive member discount.
• BOGO tickets to Corn Crib, Pumpkin Patch (6924 US Route 150 Coal Valley, IL).  Members can buy an admission ticket at half price with the purchase of a regular ticket.  Must show proof of membership.  Corn crib will be open weekends until October 31.  Tickets must be purchase at the door to receive the member discount.
• Be sure to check out Stone’s Apple Barn (16115 Hubbard Road East Moline, IL)  that has over 55 varieties of apples, apple cider, caramel apples, candies, pears, preserves, honey & more! You can pick your own apples seasonally or take a hayrack ride to the orchard of trees! Stone’s is open 7 days a week from 10 am -5 pm, and accepts cash or check only.

Trick-Or-Treating

Your city will determine if trick-or-treating is happening, it’s really about deciding as a family what you’re comfortable with and how you’ll protect yourself and those around you. Here are some options that cover all levels of comfort:

• Get creative by encouraging your child to think about how their face mask can be part of their costume.
• If you’ve opted not to go out trick-or-treating, but still want to pass out candy, consider leaving candy and hand sanitizer on a table at the end of your driveway. Sitting on your porch and waving hello will bring smiles to all involved and allow you to keep an eye on the kiddos not following the one treat rule.
• If you’ve decided that you’re not comfortable with Halloween outside of your direct household (which is perfectly OK!) host or attend a virtual Halloween party / costume contest.  OR, you could create a “Halloween hunt” – similar to an Easter egg hunt, hide candy/goodies around the backyard for your children to find.

Mem-“beer” advantages

Are you ready for some MemBeer advantages? IHMVCU members get $2 off in-house brewed beers every Wednesday in October at the following breweries:

• Crawford Brew Works (Bettendorf, IA)
• Great Revivalist Brew Lab (Geneseo, IL)
• Bent River Brewing Company (Moline, IL)
• Obscurity Brewing and Craft Mead (Elburn, IL)

Costume contest

recruit your neighbors to have a costume contest. Everyone pulls up a chair to their front lawn and taking turns, anyone in costume can walk down the street to showoff their Halloween finest. The person (or pet) with the most cheers wins.

Pro tip: Apps like NextDoor allow you to easily and safely connect with neighbors.

There’s still time to enjoy the great outdoors and local parks this fall – they’ll just look and feel a little different. If we all respect the safety guidelines, we can still experience things that bring us joy.