Tuesday's Tips: Christmas Shopping, Already?

Yes I am one of those crazy people who stand in line at 5 am the day after Thanksgiving trying to get the best bargains possible. Do I like getting up at 3 am just to get in line for a reduced price Tickle Me Elmo or mp3 player? Not really, but anything to save a dollar.

So imagine my excitement to see that this year I have found an alternative to standing in line on that dreaded black friday. Online Black Friday!

Black-Friday.net will allow people to purchase Black Friday items online without the hassle of standing in line (most likely out in the cold) at 5am. Yes you heard that right... NO STANDING IN LINE! And not only that, but the site will send email alerts saying when new Black Friday ads have been listed.

I have already written down at what I want to get at stores like Old Navy, Target and Walmart. Heck there are even deals for those looking for plasma cutting. I can't wait to see what awesome deals and how much I can save all while I sit in the comfort of my office chair on November 23.

Tuesday's Tip: Photographing Children

For this week's Tuesday's Tip I am going to link to my awesome friend and amazing photographer Val.

Many of us have children, or even pets or other people we like to photograph. But are we always getting the best photograph of our topic? This week Val has posted 7 Tips on Photographing Children on her blog and I think some of these tips are the answer to getting the most out of our subjects.

I am going to put these tips into practice. I hope you soon will be able to see a difference in the many pictures I share.

Tuesday's Tip: Getting the Most Out of Batteries

How many times have you charged a cell phone, laptop or cordless phone battery to find it dead right away? Here are a few tips that I thought may help maximize your battery usage.

1. If you do not use your laptop for extended periods of time (a week or more), remove the battery pack from the laptop.
2. Do not expose the battery to high heat or freezing temperatures. Do not leave your battery in your car in the summer. Hot batteries discharge very quickly, and cold ones can't create as much power.
3. Make sure to plug your laptop charger adapter into a UPS and not directly into a power outlet or surge protector.
4. If you have a nickel-metal hydride battery, completely drain and recharge the battery once a month to maximize its capacity to hold a charge.
5. Fully charge new battery before use. New batteries needs to be fully charged and discharged (cycled) a few times before it can condition to full capacity. And don't interrupt the charge - you could permanently shorten the battery life.
6. For laptops that work as Desktop Replacement, the battery should be re-installed every 3-4 weeks and allowed to fully discharge.
7. Leaving a battery in a laptop while using an electrical outlet for long periods of time will keep the battery in a constant state of charging up and that will reduce the life cycle of the battery.
8. The easiest way to fully discharge a cordless or cell phone battery is to wait for the power to run out before connecting the handset to the base station or charging plug.

Tuesday's Tip: Remodeling Your Kitchen

My parent's big house project last year was remodeling the kitchen. It was amazing what a difference new cabinet facings, a new countertop, under cabinet lighting, a new sink, new appliances, pergo flooring and some paint made. The kitchen went from looking like a kitchen of the 70s –– complete with wall paneling and a green tile ceiling –– to a cute little country kitchen with white washed walls and a brand new look. It amazes me every time I go home. I can't wait to see what the bathroom will look like once that is remodeled later in the year.

The funniest part was my mom calling me from Ohio wanting my thoughts and opinion on what she should do. I would go home for a long weekend and we would visit different home stores for thoughts and ideas. I found a great article online for those who are thinking about or wanting to remodel their kitchen. I thought it would make a great "Tuesday Tip".

Kitchen 101: Remodeling Your Kitchen
By Jeffery Dodd

If you are getting bored on the appearance of your kitchen or you have realized that your kitchen is no longer appropriate for your growing family and your cooking lifestyle, it must be time for a kitchen makeover. Remodeling your kitchen may be quite challenging but if certain changes will give you a much better and a more functional place, it must be worth trying. These basic and useful tips can help you get started.

Come up with a workable and detailed plan. One of the most important things to consider in remodeling your kitchen is to come up with a good plan. You should have a workable and detailed plan of your project regardless if you are designing your kitchen yourself or you have hired a professional kitchen designer. This way, you will not only be able to point out what particular changes you want to take place in your kitchen, you will also be able to keep track of remodeling developments when you have already started with your project.

Look for kitchen remodeling ideas. This will help you get an inspiration how you want your kitchen decorated and arranged. Scouting for remodeling ideas will also keep you up to date on the latest trends in kitchen designs. You can glean ideas and information from Home magazines or you may search for them in the internet.

Search about kitchen products and accessories before buying them. This will help you know which among the products that are available in the market are best to use in your kitchen. You will also have an idea how much these products cost which will help you know if a particular kitchen design fits your budget. You will also be able to get the best buys and bargains by comparing which stores and products sell more affordable and better items.

Visit home stores. Many home depots and home improvement stores showcase real kitchen set-ups and products. By visiting these stores, you will not only see how a particular kitchen product looks like, you can also ask the sales personnel about its durability and functions. This will help you get an idea how certain kitchen appliances and furniture are used, which may help you know which products will be best for your kitchen. A visit to a home store is also a great way to look for trendy kitchen designs and set-ups.

Your kitchen is one of the most useful and most important areas of your house. Remodeling it to make it your cooking and social paradise may be quite taxing but this should not hinder you from making your kitchen much better looking and more functional. Try these kitchen remodeling tips and you will discover that a kitchen make-over project simply takes some handy tips and ingenuity.

Jeff Dodd is an accomplished writer with extensive knowledge in home improvements. For more information on kitchen remodeling, just visit us at http://www.kitchenchanging.com

Tuesday's Tip: Identity Theft

Last April I had the misfortune of being robbed at the zoo. Yes you read that right – the zoo. It was during Spring Break and Jamie and I decided to be nice mommies and take all 5 of the kids to the St. Louis zoo.

A man grabbed my purse as Jamie and I were carelessly taking pictures of all the girls with the beautiful tulips. I ran after the man (a huge no no, especially as we found out later the man had a gun) while all the other people stood and watched me screaming and running, but was too late as he hopped in a get-a-way car.

It turned out after a very long, stressful day and a ride in two police cars, one of the men were apprehended in a stolen car chase. They found my purse with a few of my credit cards and my cell phone on the guy. Everything else had been already dumped or taken. They also found several other items so I was not the only victim in this.

While the police officers were kind and helped me call and cancel all my credit cards, and the bank helped with our accounts, someone still managed to pass almost $5,000 in bad checks under my name in three states in a matter of three days. Thank goodness for the electronic check processing company because after three days a block was placed on all my checks so they were unable to pass anymore. (of course I still have a heck of a time writing checks in some places, but better safe than sorry)

Luckily I had a stop payment on the checks so they never got the money out of my account, but they did still get their stuff and screw over the stores. And of course I am the one carrying the burden of making sure all the proper paperwork is filled out and working with the places checks were written to avoid it going on my credit.

So today's Tuesday's Tips are what to do if your personal information has been stolen or if you think you are a victim of identity theft.

If you are a victim of identity theft, take the following four steps as soon as possible, and keep a record with the details of your conversations and copies of all correspondence.

1. Place a fraud alert on your credit reports, and review your credit reports.

Fraud alerts can help prevent an identity thief from opening any more accounts in your name. Contact the toll-free fraud number of any of the three consumer reporting companies below to place a fraud alert on your credit report. You only need to contact one of the three companies to place an alert. The company you call is required to contact the other two, which will place an alert on their versions of your report, too. If you do not receive a confirmation from a company, you should contact that company directly to place a fraud alert.

Equifax : 1-800-525-6285; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241

Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742); P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013

TransUnion:1-800-680-7289; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790

Once you place the fraud alert in your file, you're entitled to order one free copy of your credit report from each of the three consumer reporting companies, and, if you ask, only the last four digits of your Social Security number will appear on your credit reports. Once you get your credit reports, review them carefully. Look for inquiries from companies you haven't contacted, accounts you didn't open, and debts on your accounts that you can't explain. Check that information, like your Social Security number, address(es), name or initials, and employers are correct. If you find fraudulent or inaccurate information, get it removed.

Continue to check your credit reports periodically, especially for the first year after you discover the identity theft, to make sure no new fraudulent activity has occurred.

2. Close the accounts that you know, or believe, have been tampered with or opened fraudulently.

Call and speak with someone in the security or fraud department of each company. Follow up in writing, and include copies (NOT originals) of supporting documents. It's important to notify credit card companies and banks in writing. Send your letters by certified mail, return receipt requested, so you can document what the company received and when. Keep a file of your correspondence and enclosures.

When you open new accounts, use new Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) and passwords. Avoid using easily available information like your mother's maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your Social Security number or your phone number, or a series of consecutive numbers.

If the identity thief has made charges or debits on your accounts, or has fraudulently opened accounts, ask the company for the forms to dispute those transactions:

• For charges and debits on existing accounts, ask the representative to send you the company's fraud dispute forms. Write to the company at the address given for "billing inquiries," NOT the address for sending your payments.
• For new unauthorized accounts, you can either file a dispute directly with the company or file a report with the police and provide a copy, called an “Identity Theft Report,” to the company.
• If you want to file a dispute directly with the company, and do not want to file a report with the police, ask the representative to send you the company's fraud dispute forms.
• However, filing a report with the police and then providing the company with an Identity Theft Report will give you greater protection. For example, if the company has already reported these unauthorized accounts or debts on your credit report, an Identity Theft Report will require them to stop reporting that fraudulent information.

Once you have resolved your identity theft dispute with the company, ask for a letter stating that the company has closed the disputed accounts and has discharged the fraudulent debts. This letter is your best proof if errors relating to this account reappear on your credit report or you are contacted again about the fraudulent debt.

3. File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.

You can file a complaint with the FTC using the online complaint form located on their website; or call the FTC's Identity Theft Hotline, toll-free: 1-877-ID-THEFT (438-4338); TTY: 1-866-653-4261; or write Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580. Be sure to call the Hotline to update your complaint if you have any additional information or problems.

By sharing your identity theft complaint with the FTC, you will provide important information that can help law enforcement officials across the nation track down identity thieves and stop them. The FTC can refer victims' complaints to other government agencies and companies for further action, as well as investigate companies for violations of laws the agency enforces.

Additionally, you can provide a printed copy of your online Complaint form to the police to incorporate into their police report. The printed FTC ID Theft Complaint, in conjunction with the police report, can constitute an Identity Theft Report and entitle you to certain protections. This Identity Theft Report can be used to (1) permanently block fraudulent information from appearing on your credit report; (2) ensure that debts do not reappear on your credit report; (3) prevent a company from continuing to collect debts that result from identity theft; and (4) place an extended fraud alert on your credit report.

4. File a report with your local police or the police in the community where the identity theft took place.

Call your local police department and tell them that you want to file a report about your identity theft. Ask them if you can file the report in person. If you cannot, ask if you can file a report over the Internet or telephone.

If the police are reluctant to take your report, ask to file a "Miscellaneous Incident" report, or try another jurisdiction, like your state police. You also can check with your state Attorney General's office to find out if state law requires the police to take reports for identity theft.

Tell them that you need a copy of the report to dispute the fraudulent accounts and debts created by the identity thief.

Hopefully you never fall victim to identity theft, but in case you do follow these tips and it will make the process much easier. I wish a year ago someone had given me this information.

Tuesday's Tip: Reducing Your Electric Bill

I have seen on other blogs people offering advice or little tricks of the trade on being more cost effective. Personally I love it. So I thought I would "borrow" from them and do the same.

I have found a really cool site called Mortgage Lowdown. This site offers advice for those buying or selling their home and on mortgages, as well as tips for things such as home improvement and cost effective home-owning tips. I spent some good time reading through their articles at 2 am last night. (Val there is some really good stuff on here for you)

With the cost of electricity on the rise and with the hot summer months upon us, I thought I would share some tips on reducing your electric bill. Some are no brainers and others are things I just never think about.

How to Reduce Your Electric Bill
A lot of people rarely ever think about all of the energy that they are using in their home, and as a result they pay a much higher energy bill than they need to. By taking a few simple steps, you can easily reduce your electric bill by anywhere from twenty to forty percent. Consider these ways to cut your home electrical usage:

Unplug Appliances When Not in Use – Many appliances drain power when they’re not even turned on. Rather they’re sitting in a sort of a sleep mode which allows them to turn on instantaneously when needed. They suck a small amount of energy while in this state, and it might be better to unplug some of your appliances that you don’t use extensively rather than let them suck juice.

Compact Florescent Light Bulbs – These new light bulbs of the future might cost a bit more up front, but they consume dramatically less energy. They’ll also last much longer, and not generate any un-necessary heat. Incandescent light bulbs generate a lot of heat, which your air-conditioner has to overcome in the summer, and helps your heater in the summer. CFL bulbs don’t generate a lot of heat, so they don’t mess with your air-conditioning or furnace either way.

Temperature Control – The lower your thermostat is set, the more money you will save, it’s as simple as that. Consider dropping your thermostat a few degrees to save a lot of electricity that your furnace sucks up.

Optimize Your Vents – Consider going through your house and adjusting the vents so that during the summer the cool air from your air conditioner comes out the top story of your house, and during the winter, make it so it comes out on the main floor of your house. In the winter the heat will rise, and in the summer the cool air will sink to the bottom, ensuring an optimal spread of temperature throughout your house. If one of the rooms in your home is much hotter or cooler than the other, adjust the vents accordingly so that room can get either more or less heat.

Your Computer – Desktop computers suck up a lot of energy compared to other devices in your home. Be sure to enable power saving features on it, so that it will consume much less energy when it’s not being used. (Guilty of this!)

Manage Your Blinds – Try to keep your blinds closed during the summer so that the greenhouse effect doesn’t warm up your home and force your AC to work harder. Open them during the winter so the greenhouse effect does happen and your heater doesn’t have to work as hard.

Chargers – If you have a cell-phone charger, a battery charger, or a laptop charger, don’t leave them plugged into the wall when you’re not using them. They’re still sucking up energy, but it’s going to waste. (Another guilt!)

Lights – My room-mate has a terrible habit of leaving lights on in the house when he’s not using them, or when he’s not even home! Be sure to turn off any lights as soon as you leave the room and aren’t using them! (Imagine how much I could save if the kids actually shut lights off)

Ditch the Second Fridge or the Deep Freeze – If you have more than one refrigerator or freezer in your home, consider getting rid of the second and simply having less food at home. This way you’re not keeping un-needed food at home, and your second freezer or refrigerator isn’t sucking up juice. (This isn't happening. I need my meat and beer storage)