Folks unaffected by you registering may include companies you do business with, charities, political organizations, and telephone surveyors. One nice thing about this service is that you used to have to update your registration every few years. Now, because of the Do-Not-Call Improvement Act of 2007, which became law in February 2008, telephone numbers placed on the National Do Not Call Registry will remain on it permanently. You won’t need to re-register again.

Learn more about The National Do Not Call Registry or register your phone number now.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

The background of this mama / consumer blogger is fairly impressive too. Mama Cleo note…

I’m a 40-something mom and long time consumer advocate. My first job out of college was working for Ralph Nader’s Critical Mass Energy Project. After that, I went on to work for the National Consumers League, where my work as an advocate got me invited to be a guest on Oprah… twice! I am currently a full time wife, mother, and part time consumer advocate and consultant, serving on the board of directors of two consumer organizations. I decided to start this blog because I enjoy sharing consumer tips and information…and as a fellow mommy-blogger said, as an excuse not to clean my house.

So all in all, I’m guessing she’s got some smart tips to share. I like her money saving tips for back to school and her Take Back the Beep post, which is a topic I was unaware of.

In any case, it’s always cool to see a new mama around with money saving advice, so check out Consumer Mom and see what you think. 

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Before you place an item in your cart or on your credit card ask yourself the following questions…

1. Do I really need this?
2. Will the item improve my world? My family’s world? How?
   
3. Can I live without it?
4. Am I only buying this item because it’s on sale? Plenty of people buy items because they’re a deal, not because it’s something they actually need.
5. Do I have another item at home that would work just as well? EXAMPLE: You own a blender; you don’t need a baby food maker.
6. Can I borrow or share the item? Maybe you and your brother can share a set of specialty tools. Maybe your neighbors and you can share a lawnmower.
7. Why am I buying this? It might seem simple. You might think another set of dishes is totally necessary, but if you’re just bored with blue plates, that’s not the best reason to buy new. Really consider if boredom or trying to impress someone else is behind your purchase. A purchase should be about need if your goal is to save money.
8. Is the item recyclable? I know this isn’t a green blog, but often green living and saving money go hand in hand. Green living is a lot about buying less to conserve resources. When you stop to question the eco-value of an item, you also may stop to consider if it’s really necessary.
9. Is the item well-made? It pays to pay more for an item that won’t break in a year.
10. Do I really need this? - You should always start and end with this question. It’s the most important of the bunch.

Ten questions seems like a lot right? But all that stuff you have and never use is also a lot, both on your space issues and it’s a lot on your wallet. While you don’t need to use all the questions above when shopping, you should work out a list of questions that works well for you. It’s the practice of stopping to think that saves you cash, not the exact questions you follow.

What questions do you ask before you buy?

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

This may seem like only a green issue, but it’s also a money issue. Handmade toys provide a safe and often less expensive alternative to conventional toys. Also, parents who are toy-makers or who run or work for small toy companies will not have a way to support their own families if laws like this are allowed.

If you want green or handmade toy options available for your children you need to get involved.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Around the holidays, many folks turn to credit for at least some of their holiday shopping. That said, I figure it’s a good time to go over some basic tips that will keep your credit score in good standing.

Obvious tips:

Pay your bills on time all the time.

Credit is best used as a tool for ease of shopping, or to gather perks, not as a loan. If you can, pay off your cards in full each month.

Keep your balances low – high revolving credit affects your score negatively.

If you miss payments, catch up as fast as you can. The quicker you get back on track, the quicker your score will raise.

Extra tips:

Pay off credit cards before investing in other financial endeavors even retirement and your kids college savings. If you like, save for retirement while paying off creditors, but it makes more sense financially to put more money into credit bills than extra retirement funds.

Closing cards will not (in the short term) raise your score.

Store credit cards may be more trouble than they’re worth for you and your credit score.

The older your accounts (on average) the better your credit score. If you have three decent old accounts, opening two new ones will lower your accounts average age, and possibly your score.

Don’t open too many accounts at once, or make too many credit inquires at once, it can lower your score.

Don’t move your debt around too much. Paying off a card may help you, while moving the balance to a new low interest card and canceling the old can sometimes backfire and lower your score.

Know where you stand – knowing if there is any incorrect info on your report is important. Getting rid of the problem can raise your score. There are plenty of pay for credit score sites online. Two actual decent sites are MyFICO and Equifax; I personally use Equifax, but have pals who do like MyFICO. You can also get one free credit report a year from Annual Credit Report, but it won’t be so in depth as a paid site.

Do you have any handy credit score tips? 

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Is there any (good) reason why I have three or four telephone books delivered to my door, or rather thrown on my front lawn, every year?

There are phone books for just my township and phone books for the county. There’s a phone book just for local businesses and phone books for every business in the county. This is such a waste.

Personally, I think telephone books should only be sent to those who ask. I look online for all my phone numbers anyway. I’m putting an end to it right now. Want to join me?

If you want to stop receiving phone books call:

• ATT/ Yellow Pages: 1-800-479-2977
• Verizon: 800-555-4833, press 4, then 5, then 2
• DEX: 1-877-243-8339, press 2
• Yellow Book: 1-800-929-3556, press 2

(Hat Tip: Triple Pundit)

This is what I’m going to be doing today, and it will totally be worth all that time spent on the phone. Meanwhile, what am I going to do with all the phone books here?

Hmmm….sounds like a post. Check back shortly for some good ideas.

Image: stock xchnge

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

I’ve been writing a lot about proms lately for a few of my b5 blogs. In my neck of the woods, the last weekend of May is prom, and right now teens all over are booking hair and makeup appointments and looking for the perfect dress. Through my two year stint as a wedding writer, I learned about some great ways to find cheap prom dresses and other formal wear, and I’d like to share some of those findings with you today.

Here are some great ways to find inexpensive prom dresses:

• Vintage Shops -  Not only do vintage shops have some adorable retro-styles, but they also have some very inexpensive finds.
• Thirft Stores – A lot of women balk at the idea of second hand formal wear, but when you consider most formal dresses were only worn once – and for a few hours at that – it doesn’t seem so terrible.
• Consignment stores – Consignment stores won’t generally accept any merchandise unless it’s in tip top condition. For the best formal wear or designer duds, visit consignment stores in upscale neighborhooods.
• Ebay - You can find some great deals at eBay.
• Borrow from friends or relatives – Do you know anyone with prom dresses languishing in closets or attics? There’s nothing wrong with borrowing.
• Wedding shops – Wedding shops often have clearance racks where you can buy last season’s model at a great price.
• Make your own – If you’re handy with a sewing machine, buy a pattern and some material and make your own.
• Rent your prom dress – More and more formal wear rental places are springing up. This might be a better alternative than buying a dress you’ll only wear once.

A Note About Buying Second Hand Prom Dresses

Not all second hand clothes are in pristine condition. Always examine all merchandise thoroughly before purchasing because most second hand stores don’t allow for refunds. Check for rips, pulls, tears, stains and other damage. Ask yourself if you’re sure you can repair said damage, and if so, go ahead and buy the dress. You might even use that imperfection to haggle for a discount. You’ll also want to try on the dress before you buy it. The worst thing that can happen is that the dress doesn’t fit you and you can’t return it. If the shop doesn’t allow for try ons ask if you can return it that same day if it doesn’t fit.

Even though the dress might look clean, do dry clean your garment before wearing it, just in case.

A Note About Buying Prom Dresses Online

There are some great bargains on eBay and other online shops, but you can’t examine the merchandise. Ask the retailer for full disclosure on any damage and what happens if you receive the dress and it’s damaged or doesn’t fit. Unless you buy it with enough time to make repairs and alterations, it’s best not to buy formal wear online.

There’s no reason to miss out on prom because you’re low on funds. Plenty of shops have inexpensive formal wear – and the best part is – no one ever has to know.

Image:

Buy at AllPosters.com

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Any regular reader of The Consumerist knows there are really no supervisors standing around waiting for angry customer calls. If you’re not getting proper customer care and ask to speak to a supervisor, your call can be turned over to anyone from Joe in the cube next door to the pizza delivery guy. 9 times out of 10 you’re not speaking with an actual supervisor.

A few years ago when my husband bought me a new laptop for Christmas it wasn’t working properly. We called in several geek friends to take a look, and indeed the product was inferior. Mind you, this was no $200 laptop. It was a good, top of the line machine made by one of the best in the business. It received excellent reviews and we were willing to pay a lot for a trustworthy model. After all, it’s my livelihood.

We called customer service dozens of times. Each time a different person told us to do the same thing. We tried explaining this stupid procedure wouldn’t work, to no avail. The customer service people were in a different country, couldn’t speak English enough to stray from their script, and weren’t allowed to put us through to the same people we spoke with before. We soon realized the supervisors would be of no help and figured they probably weren’t even supervisors anyway.

In anger, my husband called the main office of the computer company and asked to speak to a certain executive. Of course he didn’t get through but he left a rather detailed complaint. The next day, the executive called us back, apologizing profusely and sent us an brand new computer with a major, major upgrade.

Now, it’s very rare I have to speak to a supervisor, but when I do you can be sure I’m going to get a real supervisor and not the pizza guy.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

If you’re a regular visitor of Simply Thrifty, you’re probably following the sad saga of our DIY fence project. Thins are moving along…slowly.

One of the hold ups involves a few trees growing around the fence we’re to replace. Before we install a new fence we have to remove the trees and grind down the stumps. We also have a very old and sick Maple tree falling apart on our front lawn. We decided to have that one removed too, just for kicks.

We called more than half a dozen tree companies and handymen to come over and give us estimates. So far, only two actually came by. The first was an independent handyman and the second was a reputable tree and landscape service, rumored to be very expensive.

Here’s how they measured out:

Estimate 1: The Handyman

• Returned my call three days later.
• Didn’t show up until three days after we set the meeting. At first he said he couldn’t find our house. Then he said he rang the doorbell but no one answered even though our cars where there. Then he said he came and no one was home and he couldn’t see the ribbons around the trees and didn’t want to come in the yard because of the puppy. We don’t believe him.
• Made it clear from the second he got out of his truck I was a woman and therefore had no clue. My husband should have made it a point to be home.
• Told me it was our fault the trees grew around the fences and now I have to pay the price.
• When explaining some of the issues we were facing said “yeah, right, beautiful” to cut me off and started talking again. I told him I was still talking and then proceeded to make the tale of our fence rebuilding into the sad saga of a busy couple too busy to maintain their back property. I added a new paragraph for every time he looked at his watch.
• He told me the fence would have to be torn down and shed removed before he would come out and remove the trees and grind down the stumps.
• Estimate: $1500 for removing trees and grinding all stumps except those behind the shed which he didn’t want to touch because there was a groundhog hole. I know. We would have to move the shed and take down the fence before he would come out to do the job.

Estimate 2: The Expensive but Reputable Tree and Landscape Service

• Returned my call in two hours.
• Showed up exactly when he said he would.
• Very respectful from the second he rang the doorbell.
• Listened attentively and didn’t make me feel like I was a woman who didn’t know what I was talking about.
• Offered an estimate to remove all trees and grind down all stumps – including taking apart and putting the fence back together and moving the shed out of the way and returning it back to its original spot.
• Estimate: $1500.

Guess who we’re choosing?

I made a mistake in thinking an independent contractor would be cheaper than someone with an established business. That’s not always the case. Plus, the representative from the landscaping company was neat, respectful and offered suggestions without being rude or condescending.

Sometimes it doesn’t pay to look for cheap, sometimes we should just look for the best and see who gives us the most bang for our buck. I know I’m pleasantly surprised.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy