I had a reader ask a question about Debix and other identity protection companies so I thought I would say a little about them.

Identity theft occurs when someone gets a hold of your personal information and then tries to use that information in a fraudulent way to open up accounts with your information so that they can benefit (i.e. opening up a credit card and charging things too it, etc.). To help minimize the risk (almost impossible to prevent), there are companies like Debix, Life Lock, Identity Guard, and others, who monitor the three credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax) for changes in your accounts. Some of these companies will also check out known “black market” sites to see if your information is being hawked (sold).

I cannot speak for the other companies, but what Debix does is if they see any new financial accounts opened with your data at any of the three bureaus, then you are contacted immediately. So for instance, a few weeks ago my wife opened up a new store account (with my knowledge and approval!). As soon as that information hits at least one of the three credit agencies, we received phone calls asking us if this was legitimate. They have our home and cell phone numbers, there is a pre-recorded voice key message (that we set up) so that we know that this is really Debix, and we enter a pin number and let them know if this new activity was initiated by us or not. If it was, everything is good. If not, then we talk live with a Debix individual who gathers information, then they set up an on call investigation team with licensed private investigators, and they call appropriate law enforcement agencies while the case is still “hot”.

What I like about this service and why I feel that it is worth the money is that someone is monitoring my information continually, something I cannot do myself, nor do I have the time or inclination to do so. Also, if my identity is stolen, there is identity theft insurance and recovery services. A team of investigators will work on my behalf to clear things up. They do all the leg work including contacting law enforcement, etc. Plus I will not be liable for any of the charges or expenses.

I look at this as insurance, and to me it is a small price to pay for peace of mind.

 

P.S. I don’t get any remuneration for talking about Debix or the other companies I mentioned in this article.

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As I mentioned in a previous post, we switched our cell phone service from Verizon to AT&T. In our area AT&T just has better reception and fewer dropped calls. In our last official bill from Verizon something didn’t look right, and once I checked it wasn’t!

Verizon added a $105 early termination fee to our bill. So I called them up to get it removed. We had been with them since 2004, and we had not upgraded phones for 4 years! The customer service rep listened to my defense, put me on hold, then came back with a “it must have been coded wrong” and reversed the charge. Why is it when companies “code things wrong” it is the customer who always pays, never the company? I am not sure I buy the coded wrong excuse but at least they reversed the charge.

Once again it pays to read over your bills, and then make phone calls to push your case. Another penny saved from taking time to pay attention!

 

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So I have had my iphone for less than a month. And you know I had to see if there were any apps that could help me financially! So today I want to talk about two apps that fit the bill of saving money.

The first one is called ShopSavvy. It is a nice little app that comes with a barcode reader. When you are in a store, you scan the item’s barcode that you are interested in, and then it will display where in your local area you can find that item and at what price they are selling it for, and it will also check the web for online retailers and their prices. It will also let you go to reviews of that particular item.

I tried it out in Wal-Mart on an ihome alarm clock (stick your phone in and it charges it, plus lets you play music for an alarm). Found out that Amazon had a cheaper price (no surprise) , but after reading reviews found out that it was not what I wanted—I would have to take my iphone’s cover off every time to use it.

The second app  that I have used is called appsgonefree. Basically every day you check it and it lets you know of apps that are now free—sometimes the price has been lowered, sometimes it is just a promotional. I’ve downloaded multiple apps and have saved myself $1-$3 every time. And the app itself is free!

Nothing like saving money to make me like my phone even more! FYI–I get nothing for recommending these apps. Just two that I have liked using.

Hi there - could you help spread the word about A Penny Saved? We rely on word of mouth to get new readers. If you would send someone a link, email, or even mention it to your friends, I would truly appreciate it. Some apps to save you Money is a post from: A Penny Saved, the best darn personal finance blog around.

Went into Wawa (local gas /grocery place) the other day to treat myself to a cup of chai tea (gift card!). There was an older gentleman there cleaning up the coffee area, refilling straws and cups, etc. Then I went to Wal-Mart to pick up a storage item—basket for remotes (gift card!). Again, there was an older person greeting us—the classic Wal-Mart greeter. Both of these individuals (they both happened to be men) appeared to be well into their “retirement” years.

Now there is nothing wrong with what they were doing, but is what they were doing what you want to be doing when you retire? Not me! I still want to work part-time when I “retire” but I want the freedom to choose when and where I work.

So to make that happen I am saving. Are you doing what it takes so that you can retire the way you want? Everyone’s retirement dreams are different, which means are plans and saving need to be different. But if you haven’t started thinking about it, now is the time to get started. Actually, yesterday is the day we should have started, but the next best day is today. So let’s get started and start planning and saving! Wal-mart positions could get pretty competitive in a few years!

Hi there - could you help spread the word about A Penny Saved? We rely on word of mouth to get new readers. If you would send someone a link, email, or even mention it to your friends, I would truly appreciate it. How is Your Retirement Future? is a post from: A Penny Saved, the best darn personal finance blog around.

The day after Christmas we had to take our oldest daughter to a critical care unit. She had a high fever and body aches, and almost uncontrollable coughing.  It turns out she had pneumonia. Then the next day our youngest daughter got a stomach bug. So much for having fun during Christmas break!

For those of you who have children, while my wife was at the critical care unit, the doctor gave us some medical and financial advice—he told her that it has been proven that children’s cough medicines do not work and are in fact a waste of money. What you want to do is make the cough more productive. So he said that we should give her children’s mucinex (or a generic form of it).

That will help loosen the junk in the lungs, and then when she coughs she can expel it.

So, a health tip and a money tip. Anybody what to buy a slightly used bottle of children’s cough syrup?

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This week I will be doing some end of year financial things to get ready for the New Year. I have rebalanced my retirement funds to get them back in line with my asset allocation goals. I will set up my budgets for 2012 (at least my first attempt!). I will also begin to go through my files (always fun J). I will pull out the tax information I will need for doing my taxes, throw away documents no longer needed, and just generally clean up the files. Not real glamorous stuff but necessary. I do a little bit at a time so it is not so overwhelming (and so that I do not procrastinate). My wife and I will also begin talking about some financial goals for the coming year just to make sure that we are on the same page.

Hi there - could you help spread the word about A Penny Saved? We rely on word of mouth to get new readers. If you would send someone a link, email, or even mention it to your friends, I would truly appreciate it. End of Year Financial Stuff is a post from: A Penny Saved, the best darn personal finance blog around.

We finally did it. My wife and I got new cell phones (and a new carrier). Our phones were over five years old, and our carrier (Verizon) kept dropping calls in our “remote” area—it was getting so bad that we had to stand still with the phone to have a two minute conversation before the call dropped (if we moved it dropped sooner).

We checked around to see who the best carrier was for our area, and after talking with neighbors and going into multiple stores, it was hands down AT&T for our area. So we checked out of our family plan (we were with our niece and my wife’s sister) and switched over. So far no dropped calls!

As far as phones, after checking around a little, we decided to join the evil empire and go over to the dark side—we bought an iphone 4. So far we have been very pleased. Not cheap, but very easy for us “old people” to learn. Heck, I have even sent my first text message (I told you I was old!).

I have the phone set up so that I can get all my email in one place – work, home, and my gmail account. I also now have all my calendars with me so that I don’t double book or miss something. I even have an app so I can blog on the go!

Now that we have switched everything over, which was really easy, we are wondering why we waited so long!

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Last Friday Night our family had a nearly “free” fun night. I say nearly because the first activity we went to asked for a canned good donation to enter. So after 5 cans of corn we got in free to see an amazing toy train layout. We spent over an hour looking at the layout that had multiple trains, moving cars and pedestrians, lighted houses, etc. If you are ever in a little town called Strasburg in PA you will have to look it up or you can check it out on the internet – Choo-Choo Barn.

Then we went to a midnight madness sale (it went from 6:00 p.m. until midnight) at a local hardware store. It was great – free food, live music, even Santa Claus was there. Oh, and they had some good deals too! Like 50% off any one item in the store, etc.

Overall it was a wonderful family night that the kids are still talking about and that didn’t break the bank!

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For the longest time we used a local pharmacy for our prescriptions and our over the counter medical needs. Then early this past year we switched to Rite Aid because of better hours and a better selection of OTC items.

Well, after having been with them for awhile, we realize that we are saving some good money. Right now, because our prescriptions are with them and we have met their dollar/point threshold, we are getting 20% off of everything we purchase (including sale items). They also have this “one-up” reward where when you buy certain items you get a dollar off toward your next purchase at Rite Aid (which you can use that same day if you hold other items back and pay separately!).

So we have been pleased with our switch so far. At a penny-saved, we love saving money!

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Another Black Friday has come and gone. And once again I did not participate in the frenzy. I have gone out in some years. But when I do I usually have something very specific I am trying to get. And that’s the key for me.

I believe the whole Black Friday (sometimes cyber Monday) deals are way overhyped. Retail stores are not stupid (as a whole J ). They have a plan, and this whole marketing extravaganza is part of their plan. What a retailers dream – to have people lined up in front of their store at all hours of the night for the privilege of spending their hard earned money in their store! The hardest part of retail is getting you into the store, and here we line up like mindless zombies to buy (hey, I think this is my first Zombie reference in a post!).

Now it’s not that I don’t like a bargain, this is a penny saved right! But like I mentioned I think Black Friday is overhyped. There are better savings at other times of the year, depending on what type of merchandise you are looking for. TV’s for instance often have better sales in January or February (when the new models come out). And there are fewer crowds trying to grab the same item you want – which means you have time to think. There is just too much emotion, too much activity and pressure on Black Friday – and that is not a good combination for getting a really great deal.

Now, I have purchased some things on Black Friday. What I do is make up my list for Christmas (or even things I need personally around the house) before I even look at the flyers and advertisements. Then I see if there is anything on my list. If there is, and it is a good deal, I might venture out to grab that one thing. What I don’t do is look first – it’s amazing how suddenly you need something when you see it is on sale! And that is not how to save a penny!

Hi there - could you help spread the word about A Penny Saved? We rely on word of mouth to get new readers. If you would send someone a link, email, or even mention it to your friends, I would truly appreciate it. Black Friday Opinion is a post from: A Penny Saved, the best darn personal finance blog around.