They're in Debt up to Their Eyeballs

I am constantly reminded of that commercial where the man talks about all the great stuff he has and finally at the end he says, "I'm in debt up to my eyeballs. Somebody help me." Or something along those lines. I have actually turned that in to a little mental technique that I use to help me in my journey of debt repayment.

Just as a quick example, I was recently told about a woman who went to a store and found a great deal on a pair of diamond earrings. She called her husband and he came back to the store with her. He told her she could spend up to $1000. I believe she spent around $800, and this was considered her Valentine's Day gift. That is more money than my husband and I spent on each other for Christmas combined!! In relaying the story to my husband, he said, "well, that is a nice gesture if you have the money I guess."

Exactly, YOU GUESS! Most of the time we think, wow, those people must be doing really well. Or, I wish I could spend that kind of money on my spouse. In other words, we beat ourselves up because we can't afford to spend like that. However, I like to think that all of these wonderful gifts were put on a credit card that most likely was not going to be paid off by the end of the month. Now, I am not big on jewelery thank goodness, so it is not a jealousy issue. It just helps me to remember that you cannot tell what someone's finances are like by what they are able to purchase. Almost anyone can put a couple thousand dollars worth of merchandise on a credit card. And, a lot of people do so with no regard to how they will eventually pay it off. I used to be one of these people. Thankfully, now I am not.

I think this idea of pretending everyone else is going in to debt works for many reasons. The first one is that in many cases it is true. Most of the people that I know have similar incomes. If I can't afford it, they probably can't either. Another reason, and maybe the most important, is that it helps me focus on what is most important right now. Not stuff, but getting out of debt. I will do anything to keep from adding to that magic number that I am trying to pay off. It also helps me realize that some people have not had "the revelation" yet. They do not realize that eventually all this stuff has to be paid for, and their future is not secure until it is all taken care of. I am learning this at a fairly young age and I see this as a great opportunity for me and my family.

Now, I would never say this out loud to someone who just purchased something I think is frivolous. It is just not my place. But, I will continue to think this way when I see people throwing money away. And, hopefully it will continue to strengthen my own repayment efforts. So, the next time you feel down because you can't "keep up with the Joneses" just pretend they are about to file bankruptcy. It helps... I swear!!

They're in Debt up to Their Eyeballs

https://picturewealth.blogspot.com/2008/02/theyre-in-debt-up-to-their-eyeballs.html

Did I Ever Tell Ya About the Time I Had My Identity Stolen?

I recently polled readers and asked if any of them had been a victim of identity theft. I got a huge NO. Although some knew someone who had been a victim, they had not been themselves. I am very glad that for most of you identity theft has just been something you have heard of or read about. For me, it became a frightening reality in December of 2003.

I was the victim of a burglary and my purse was stolen. Luckily my debit card was in my possession, but the thief did get a credit card (which looked like a debit card) , a full book of checks, my driver’s license, and social security card. Let me take a very quick break and say NEVER EVER carry your social security card on your person unless you KNOW you will need it. It is not a necessary piece of identification and it is VERY tedious to get it replaced.

So, what were my first actions? While my husband notified the police (and he is an officer himself), I called my credit card company. I have a card that looks like a debit card because it is issued by my credit union. I had the option of setting up a PIN for it, but never did because I did not want the option of cash advances. When I called the company, the thieves were actually trying to get my card to give them money from an ATM. They had already tried it 30 times in 4 different ATM’s in the hour since it had been stolen. They were pretty smart. They would only go to ATM’s that allowed you to swipe the card so it would not be confiscated. However, the representative told me that it was locked after three unsuccessful attempts. It kind of made me feel good that they were wasting their time.

The next day I called out sick at work and went to the bank as soon as it opened to cancel my checks. Unfortunately, they felt that was not enough since the thieves had so much of my information. I had to close an account I had opened when I was 13 years old and get a new one with a new number, etc.

I thought that was enough. I thought I had done everything I could do to make this nightmare stop, but I was wrong. A few days after I closed the account, I began getting letters from Wal-Mart, and even a call from a lawyer representing a local restaurant asking me to make good on my bad checks. Everyday after that I would open the mailbox to 5 or 6 angry letters. Well, I began to get angry.

The cops had no leads, and I began to think these jerks were going to get away with it. I had gotten a list of the ATM’s that my card was tried at. I started calling banks and asking if I could have them send the security tapes to the police. They said they would only do so if the police requested it. As soon as the bad checks had been processed by my bank I went down and got copies. I can’t tell you how unnerving it is to see your signature in someone else’s handwriting. I broke down in tears in the middle of the bank. Then I got even more angry.

I called Wal-Mart and asked if THEY could pull some security tape. They said YES! I gave them some codes that had been on the back of my checks. They said their security guard would look at the footage and be on the lookout for the people in the video. My husband KNEW the head of their security. He was a reserve officer with the same police department. He looked at the footage and RECOGNIZED the thieves, a male and female, as a couple who frequented the Wal-Mart. Now it was all a waiting game.

On December 24, 2003, Mr. and Mrs. Identity Theft were seen in the store. They went around and shopped for quite a while (actually buying Christmas gifts) When they got to the register, Mrs. IT pulled out my checkbook and used my last check to “try” to purchase the merchandise. When she handed the check to the cashier, my husband’s friend told her she would have to come with him. They were arrested on Christmas EVE! The male was release that night, but the female (the one who had been forging my name) was not released until Christmas afternoon. I told my husband even if they didn’t serve another day in jail THAT had given me the retribution I felt I needed.

Well, the male was not charged in a deal that got my husband his off-duty weapon back (he had stolen that in the burglary also). The female was charged with felony forgery and finished serving her 1 month sentence on my husband’s birthday last year. (she was actually in jail for Christmas again) Had I not been so active in looking for these goons they might have gotten away with it. If you are ever the victim of identity theft here are some tips to help you:

• Call all credit card companies immediately.

• Cancel any checks that you are sure they got away with, if you are not sure your bank can help you determine what you should do.

• Work with law enforcement. Give them any store codes off the back of checks or any information from the ATM’s at which your cards were used. Your bank or credit card company will have this info but they probably will not immediately share it with the police.

• Also remember the police have other cases that may be more pressing. Normally what will happen is your case will be assigned to an investigator who will get to it when he/she can. The more work you can HELP them do the better. In my case if I had not done it, they would not have been caught because they had run out of checks.
  
  
• If you feel your social security number has been compromised call one of the credit reporting agencies and put a fraud alert on your card. It is an automated process that takes minutes plus they send you a free credit report.
  

Here are some tips to KEEP you from being a victim in the first place-

• Carry minimal ID- only your driver’s license if possible.
  
  
• If your state uses social security numbers for DL numbers have them change it (my state still does this and I am going to have it changed when it comes up for renewal again)
  
  
• DO NOT carry your SS card for any reason. You only need it when filling out paperwork after getting a new job or registering for school as far as I know. Take it with you only when you need it.
  
  
• Keep credit cards at home. You shouldn’t be using them anyway, but if you need to only carry them to the store and back home. Hey this tip will even keep you from impulse purchases. Kill two birds with one stone.
  

I hope none of my readers ever has to deal with this, but if you do, just remember it isn't the end of the world. Consumers have much better protection against this kind of thing now.

Did I Ever Tell Ya About the Time I Had My Identity Stolen?

https://picturewealth.blogspot.com/2007/07/did-i-ever-tell-ya-about-time-i-had-my.html

Supplementing Income Part 3- WOW! So easy!

I was over at volition just surfing around last month and I came across a thread for Cash4Books. A lot of the people said that none of their books were listed but (being a book junkie) I thought I would try some of mine. (you can search by isbn #)The first book was accepted, then the second, third time lucky too! I ended up sending them around 15 old books I had lying around and I got just under $70!!!

I thought okay, yeah it says I will get $70 but when I send them in they will all have "something" wrong and they won't pay me. NOPE! I sent them in with the pre-paid label I printed off my computer and within about a week, they deposited the money into my Paypal account (paypal does charge a small fee on your payment).

Well, I thought maybe I could turn this into a little side business by going to my local thrift store and finding books, checking them on my Blackberry while I was in the store and only getting books that were worth more than what I was paying. Well, I walked into my thrift store only to find that they were going out of business... nice. But I think I will hit up some of the local yard sales. People are always trying to get rid of old textbooks (one of my best sales was for an OLD textbook $20)

A few tips- They only take non-fiction books.

Also, if you don't like the price, check back in a week. Their prices change weekly. I had a Rachel Ray cookbook that they were not even buying the first time I put it in. Then I tried again later and they accepted it. ALso, I had a book that they were going to pay around $1.75 for, when I reentered it a week later to add it to the actual invoice it was worth almost $5!!

You only have one week from the time you submit your order to get the books to them because like I said the prices change weekly.

Try this out and if you have any questions please ask! I would be more than happy to give my experience!

OOPS, ALMOST FORGOT!!! You actually get a BONUS for using Paypal to accept payment. Like 3% I think!

Supplementing Income Part 3- WOW! So easy!

https://picturewealth.blogspot.com/2007/07/supplementing-income-part-3-wow-so-easy.html

Credit Agencies Make Me Sick

Last night I saw another commericial for "FreeCreditReport.com" This is where you go to get a "free" credit report. However you have to enroll in their "Triple Advantage" program which means the report is by no means free.

For those of you who don't know, everybody in the US can get a free credit report from all three agencies free once a year. The address for the free report is annualcreditreport.com

Here are some even better tips. You can get your report from all three agencies at once, but usually they will contain the same information. The best thing to do is get one every 4 months. (for example in Jan., May, Sept, then Jan again) This way you can keep track of your report for FREE all year. If you notice anything that seems out of place contact the agency. If they make a change they will report it to the other two.

CREDIT SCORE
Sometimes when I get my free credit report I will go ahead and check my score too. This is not free. It can cost anywhere from 4 to 7 dollars from the credit agencies but I like to pay a little more and get a better report. I get that from myfico.com

The last time I got mine it was around $15. Which is almost double the price above BUT it tells you what you are doing right AND what you are doing wrong. For instance, I had opened too many new accounts in the past year. Now that I know that I will be keeping it to a minimum. I only check my score about once a year.

I hope this information helps someone. I get so mad at those commercials. I feel like they should have to disclose the fact that you REALLY can get one for free. Something you rarely hear about anymore.

Credit Agencies Make Me Sick

https://picturewealth.blogspot.com/2007/06/credit-agencies-make-me-sick.html

Check out these awesome (free) money videos.

Wow, some great info here. I have just recently been seeing some stuff by Jean Chatzky. She is really dynamic and this is some great info. Don't worry about her stopping at the end of the first video just click (on the left not the right) on the next title and she will pick up where she left off. I loved watching these!!

http://coaches.aol.com/money/jean-chatzky/saving.html?defaultTab=1&defaultItem=1

Check out these awesome (free) money videos.

https://picturewealth.blogspot.com/2007/04/check-out-these-awesome-free-money.html

Oh yeah- Check these out!!

I just got an envelope from Sprint with a pre-paid postage sticker and an offer to buy my old cell phone for $25. I don't know if this is available for all types of phones but I am sure you can research it and find out.

Also, HSBC is offering 6% interest on new money from now until the end of April. I WISH I hadn't depleted my savings because moving it there would have really paid off. Oh well, I started an account with 20 bucks and if my garage sale pays off that will go in also. After the end of April it goes to 5.05 I think.

Want 100 dollars for FREE? Go to Saveyourselfplan.com and register using code 701 after 12 monthly deposits of at least $50 TD Ameritrade will give you $100!!! cool!

Oh yeah- Check these out!!

https://picturewealth.blogspot.com/2007/04/oh-yeah-check-these-out.html

Some things I did today to lower my monthly bills...

I called our home phone service and had several services we weren't using taken off that will save $10 a month. I also switched from unlimited long distance to a plan that will allow us to use it in a pinch but will not cost so much. We can just use our cell phones for long distance calls. That will save us $25 a month. Then I called my cell company and got my bill down by $10 a month. I am going to stop paying $100 into my deferred comp each month and the $50 that goes into the girls' college fund. I know that sounds horrible but if I don't do something we will just keep racking up debt. My husband has agreed to let me try to sell his motorcycle at my garage sale this weekend. If we can get rid of it that will free up $300 a month.

Some things I did today to lower my monthly bills...

https://picturewealth.blogspot.com/2007/03/some-things-i-did-today-to-lower-my.html