I actually landed this job because I would send out emails ranting about the debt that Americans were in and how we were spending more money than we were making. 

The average American spends more money than they make. When will this stop? It is going to catch up with us at some time or another.

I wrote that statement three years ago.  Indeed, it has caught up with us.  We are in a mess right now, mostly due to overspending and people borrowing money.  Trust me, I’ve learned my lessons along the way too.

Blogging has been a great experience for me.  It helped me to rediscover how much I enjoy to write.  Along the way, I’ve met some pretty amazing bloggers and readers.  Some great friendships have been formed.  I normally don’t like to toot my own horn (it’s just awkward), but here are some pretty neat things that have happened:

• I was interviewed on the nationally syndicated Cooper Lawrence Show several times.
• For a few months, I had a weekly Thrifty Mommy segment on the Cooper Lawrence Show each Thursday night.  Cooper would read some of my money saving tips.
• I was invited to attend a Pampers Mommy Blogging Event.  Last year, I flew to Ohio to tour the Pampers headquarters and meet with Pamper executives. I met some pretty cool blogging chicks too and learned about the good that Unicef is doing.
• I interviewed Teri Gault, founder of The Grocery Game and Michael Smith, chef on The Food Network.
• I was part of the opening act for the Clark Howard Show in North Carolina.  I’m a big Clark Howard fan, so this was a real treat.  I met Clark and at the event I spoke about saving money with coupons.
• I recently had my first article published.  I hope it won’t be the last!

Thanks everyone for reading my tips and encouraging me along the way.   I hope you’ll stick around and have some cake and read more of Thrifty Mommy.  

image sxc.hu

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Last month, we had an awesome prize for a $60 credit to RS Designs.  The winner of the prize was contacted yesterday and I’m pleased to announce that the winner is Lori from Moms by Heart.  Lori shares about faith, frugality, and family fun.  Sounds like a kindred spirit.  Congratulations, Lori!

Thanks again to Revka for offering such a generous giveaway.  I hope you’ll drop by her personal blog as well as RS Designs.  Revka is a self taught designer and she does a fantastic job of making cute headers, templates, mommy cards, and and so much more. 

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Today is the last day to enter the giveaway from RS Designs.  Revka has been generous and donated a $60 credit towards her store.  Don’t miss out on this opportunity.  For more information and to enter, go directly to the giveaway article.  A winner will be chosen tomorrow.  Good luck!

images from RS Designs

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Here are some stats for recent days:

• September 14 – 4.8 mammograms
• September 15 – 8.5 mammograms
• September 16 – 8.1 mammograms
• September 17 – 7.0 mammograms
• September 18 – 8.5 mammograms
• September 19 – 7.3 mammograms
• September 20 – 4.5 mammograms

I know we can help increase these numbers.  Will you take just a few seconds to click on their site?  Together, we can help.

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I’m just curious to know, how well do you protect your social security number?  Do you have it posted on your checks?  Is it on your driver’s license?  Do you give it freely when stores ask for identification?

I’m just warning you.  This is a very touchy subject with me.  I am really holding back on the things I have to say.  So, here’s the nicest way I can say it:

I DO NOT GIVE OUT MY SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER!!!!!!

If I were to date back to a time when this became a major issue with me, I guess it would be about 10 years ago.  My husband and I attended a meeting of some sort about identity theft.  My mind was like a sponge as I absorbed everything they had to say.  I had always been careful with my social security number.  In fact, one time I even left a store with my purchases on the counter because a store refused to take my check without my SSN.  I guess it was at the meeting where my SSN became even more precious to me.

Another significant event was when a close family member of mine suffered from identity theft.  One day the family member received a call from a credit card company telling her that she couldn’t activate the new credit card from anywhere but home.  She was like, “What credit card?”.  To make a long story short, someone had used her name, SSN, and other information to apply for a credit card.  And do you want to know who was committing the crime?????  A receptionist at the doctor’s office.  Yes, it’s true!!!! 

A few years ago I was listening to Clark Howard on the radio and he said that you don’t even have to give your SSN to the doctor’s office.  I’ve pushed this issue some and he’s right.  Last year I had the hospital check-in lady get mad at me for not wanting to give my SSN.  My son had to have some x-rays.  She gave me some sassy attitude, so I told her that was fine, that I’d use the other hospital down the street.  Amazingly, she was able to bypass the prompt asking for my SSN.  Usually all you have to do is be firm about where you stand. 

Did you know that for the past 7 years, identity theft is the No. 1 complaint filed with the federal government?  Clark Howard has just let us know about a site that can tell us if our SSN has been compromised.  It is called stolenidsearch.com. The site tries to push other ID theft prevention software that costs money, but don’t buy into those. Just enter your number and read what it says.

Stop Identity Theft is another article I wrote that may interest you.

Do you have an identity theft story you’d like to share or have you had issues with people asking for your social security number?  Let us know.

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Reader’s Digest

1.  Child Identity Theft – Yes, there are actually people out there so greedy that they will steal a child’s SSN and use it for their own good.

2.  The Latest Work-At-Home Swindle – These are people that want to wire money to your account and have you keep a commission.  Most likely, anything that says “money transfer” is usually a phony.

3.  Fake Jury Duty Con – This is a sneaky one.  They call you and claim that you’re going to be arrested for not showing up for jury duty.  Then they get you to give them your SSN so that they can fix the situation.  Very sneaky indeed.

4.  Medicare Fraud – The new Medicare prescription drug plan is confusing and has attracted a lot of cons.  Be aware of anyone that asks for your personal information as part of their marketing.

5.  Pretexting – Never give your personal information over the phone.  Beware of people calling with surveys or someone saying they’re from a bank.  If you get a call like this, then tell them you’re not interested.  If they say they’re from your bank then hang up and call your bank.  You can never be too careful.

6.  “IRS” Phishing Scam – Someone tried to pull this one on us a few weeks ago. My husband received an email from a person claiming to be the IRS.  It is also very common to get emails that seem like they are from eBay, Paypal, your bank, etc. 

7.  Pharming – Pharming criminals hack into your computer and implant software.  Then when you log onto your bank or other website, they send you to another look alike site.  There they steal your information.  It’s scary, isn’t it?!?  Keep your anti-virus protection up to date!

8.  Internet Telephony Trickery – These people call you trying to sell you internet phone software in order to save you money.  Somehow they are able to disguise their location.  It may appear that they are calling you from a company within the U.S., but really they could be calling you from Costa Rica.

9.  High Tech ATM Snooping – This is done with digital cameras that are hooked up near ATMs.  They may appear like they’re installed by the bank.  Be cautious of any devices hooked up to the front of ATMs or keypads missing their Braille markings.

10.  Scholarship and Government Grant Flimflams – This scam claims that you or your child has won a scholarship or grant.  You just have to pay a processing fee or give them your SSN. 

Well, well, well.  All this is enough to make a person paranoid, isn’t it?  This is scary for sure. 

Thanks to Max Alexander from Reader’s Digest for reporting on all this information.  Be sure and check out the actual article.  It contains much more information than these points than I have highlighted to you.

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Here are some tips for online shopping:

1. Whois.net is a site that lists the person or company registered the site and when it was registered.  Stay away from sites that were just registered.  They are probably phony sites.
2. Epinions.com and bizrate.com are sites that rate companies and their customer service.
3. Protect yourself by using checkout.google.com when paying.  This is the rival of Paypal.
4. Update your anti-virus and anti-spyware.  This will help protect you from hackers.  I do a spyware sweep before I enter personal information online.
5. Use a low limit credit card for shopping online.
6. Read the vendor’s privacy statement.  Some websites automatically sell your personal information to other companies. 
7. Shop reputable companies.  You’ve heard of Wal-Mart, Target, Amazon, and others.  Shop with well-known companies and you’re less likely to get scammed. 
8. Check and review a company’s return policy to avoid unnecessary or unauthorized fees.
9. Call the online company and place your order over the phone.  I have done this on several occasions.  Even if a website seems secure, I still feel better if I don’t give the information online.
10. Don’t give your checking account information.  If the vendor debits your account with the incorrect amount, you could face high overdraft fees.  Plus many of us have overdraft protection with our savings account.  Giving checking account information would allow companies to drain your savings account too.

Do you have any tips to share?

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Just type in your address information and Family Watchdog will give you a list of sexual offenders in your area.  They will also give you their address, the distance to their home, the crime they were accused of, and they also have pictures of some of the accused. 

It is a bit frightening to know that criminals are living close to you, but I still want to be informed.  This service from Family Watchdog is free.

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If you like the gadgets and gizmos you’ve seen on television, then you’ll like AsSeenOnTV.com.  We actually have one of these stores in our mall.  My husband likes to go in there and browse the tiny store.  If you’re looking for someone that has everything or someone that is hard to shop for, then you should try this site.  If nothing else, you’ll find something to laugh about or something that will make you say, “Now why didn’t I think of that?”

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LifeWay Christian Stores

While shopping at Lifeway, be sure and ask for their frequent shopper’s card.  Each time you make a purchase they will punch your card.  After 10 punches you will receive a percentage off your total purchase.  I saved my card for the after Thanksgiving sale.  I used it in combination with the merchandise that was already marked down and I saved quite a bit of money.  I got a $40 Bible for $15, Switchfoot cd for $3.75, Children’s illustrated New Testament for $3.75, and some other things. 

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