What's new at Pennies into Dreams

Hi there, and welcome to The Sunday Money Note — one short money tip, every Sunday, free. You're in from the very start, and that means a lot. Pennies into Dreams is a brand-new small business, still growing, and you're watching it happen in real time.

This week's tip: Pay yourself first — even if it's $5.

When money comes in, move a small amount to savings before anything else gets spent. Not what's left over at the end of the week (there's never anything left over) — first. $5 a week is $260 a year, and the habit matters more than the amount.

Good to know if you use SNAP in South Carolina: a change starts November 1.

Starting November 1, 2026, SNAP benefits in South Carolina can no longer be used to buy candy, energy drinks, soft drinks, or sweetened beverages — that's the state's new Healthy Food SC rule, and it applies at grocery stores, convenience stores, farmers' markets, and online orders alike. A few things that can save you a surprise at the register:

• Diet and zero-sugar soft drinks are still allowed.
• Protein bars and granola bars don't count as candy, and neither do bakery items like cookies, cakes, and muffins.
• Coffee and tea are not energy drinks — they're fine.
• You can still buy any of the restricted items — you'd just pay for those with another form of payment, so it can help to sort them in the cart before checkout.

Nothing about your benefits amount changes — only which items the card can pay for. Planning the list before you shop makes the change a non-event. Official details: healthyfood.sc.gov (South Carolina DSS).

Scam watch: First, protect your money.

You can't turn pennies into dreams if you're getting scammed — so every issue carries one scam warning, and this one is the most important we know.

If anyone ever tells you to withdraw cash and feed it into a crypto ATM (the Bitcoin machine at the gas station), or to hand cash or gold to a courier who comes to your door — it is a scam. No exceptions. No real bank, agency, or company will ever ask for that. Those two tricks alone cost people $389 million at crypto ATMs and about $312 million to couriers in 2025 (FBI). Once the cash leaves your hands, it is gone for good. Hang up, and hand over nothing.

And don't trust the name on the screen. Caller ID can lie: a call can show your bank's real name and real number and still be a scammer — that trick is called spoofing. No real bank will ever ask for your password, your full card number, or a one-time code by text or email when they call you. When you call them, it's different — they may text or email you a code to prove it's really you, and that's normal. But on a call they started, they already know who they called — they will never ask you to read a code back to them. If a call about your money feels off, hang up and make the call yourself — the number printed on the back of your bank card.

One more making the rounds this week: in Florida, scammers are using AI to clone a real sheriff's captain's voice — and his photo — for "missed jury duty" calls demanding payment, sometimes in crypto. At least 40 people there got that call. A sheriff's office will never demand money by phone, and a voice that sounds exactly right proves nothing anymore. Hang up, and call the office yourself at the number you look up.

One more, and it is aimed at anyone who gets Social Security: your 2027 cost-of-living raise — 3.6% — is automatic. Nobody has to activate it, unlock it, or pay a fee for it. The Social Security office warns that scammers are already calling, texting, and emailing about the raise, asking for a fee, personal information, or a change to your direct deposit. Real notices about the raise arrive in late November and December, and the higher payments start in January. If a message about your raise asks for money or information, it is not Social Security. Hang up.

One more, because the holidays are coming: watch for the package-problem text (real carriers don't collect fees through text links), the too-cheap store selling brand-name gifts at half price, the look-alike charity rushing you to give right now, and the message that looks like your boss or a relative asking you to buy gift cards and send photos of the numbers. Slow down, check it yourself, and every one of these falls apart. The full list lives on our Scam Alerts page.

What's new this week:

• Step-by-step guides for every product are live — written for total beginners, with clickable links for every app on Android, iPhone, and computer: penniesintodreams.com/guides
• A new Learn page lists free and low-cost money and business classes with clickable sign-up links: penniesintodreams.com/learn.html
• A new News page has weekly updates, daily micro-tips, and monthly recaps — you're reading it.

Two thank-yous running right now:

• LAUNCH25 — 25% off individual products in the store through November 15 (the big bundles are already discounted, so they stay at their bundle price)
• Our first 25 customers each get to pick a free product on us — we're still early, so spots are still open

New here? Start with the free One-Page Money Snapshot: penniesintodreams.gumroad.com/l/one-page-money-snapshot

Small change. Big dreams. ✨
— michael, Pennies into Dreams

On the way

• The Sunday Money Note, full edition — our weekly newsletter gets its first full edition on Sunday, October 25. It's free, and it always will be.
• Now live in Spanish — the Spanish editions of the Credit Builder Playbook and the 90-Day Money Reset Planner are in the shop now: Guía para Construir Crédito and Planificador de Reinicio Financiero de 90 Días.
• A tax-season learning series in January — get your money paperwork calm and ready well before refund season arrives.
• Our Vietnamese side is growing — the Vietnamese homepage and the free One-Page Money Snapshot in Vietnamese are live now, and we're building the line out from there. Tell us what you'd like to see translated first.

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