ConsumerMom

New Year – New Ways to Be a Smarter Consumer (and Mom too)

Here are some tips for a more consumer-savvy 2010:

1 – Know about recalls. Sign up at to get all notices from the government about any recalls – including those from CPSC.gov and FDA.gov – at http://www.recalls.gov/list.html.  This way, you will get information about both food and product safety recalls immediately.

2 – Read your credit card statements!  Review credit card statements closely on the day they arrive. Report any questionable charges to your card issuer as soon as you notice them. 

3 – Make – and use - a shopping list.  I have blogged about this before, and here’s a great article on how using a list – and planning your shopping trips – can save you 40 percent in savings, especially  if you take advantage of sale items and specials.

4 – Avoid being a victim of fraud.  Sounds easy, right? But it’s not.  Con artists make it their business to lie and to cheat you out of money. So they will do all they can to make their offers seem legitimate.  The BBB recently released their list of the top scams of 2009. And because of the tough economic times, con artists are taking advantage of the top headlines – the top 10 scams (which I think will continue to be big in 2010) included:

<    stimulus grant scams (including energy scams I blogged about) – where they promise to help you get rebates or federal grants after you pay them an up front fee. 

<    work-at-home frauds – often targeting work from home and stay at home parents.  Popular work from home scams included Google scams and becoming a “mystery shopper.”  In both cases, the key is remembering not to send money up front for a job or for materials to “work from home”. 

<    Mortgage Foreclosure Rescue/Debt Assistance – if you are in trouble with your mortgage or your credit cards, the first step is contacting the company that you owe.  Avoid any third party that offers to help you pay your debt or mortgage, but requires you to pay up front for the assistance. 

CONSUMERMOM’S BACK TO SCHOOL MONEY-SAVING TIPS, PT. 2

If you have older kids going to college, you have my sympathies. I just went to a rate calculator to see how much I would need to save to put my kids’ through college, and boy, it’s an insane amount of money. So savings matter, now more than ever. There are a few things college kids really can’t live without – I know, overly dramatic, but true.

Cell Phones. OK, we didn’t even have these when I was in school … But now, most likely, your child has one. If your college-bound kid has a wireless phone already, get out the last few bills and look at calling patterns and hours of use.

• Make sure you are on the plan that fits your needs – and that includes your changing needs as your child goes away to school. You may want to consider changing plans to accommodate increased calls or texts to home and to friends. Remember, most dorms no longer have pay phones available.
• If you are buying a new cell phone for you student/child, the nonprofit Telecommunications Research & Action Center (TRAC) issued a penny pincher guide promoted prepaid as a money saver. It’s worth it for you and your college bound kid to do the math and compare services, such as Straight Talk at www.StraightTalk.com. I looked at the $45 unlimited text/talk plan and was impressed. As one of my consumer colleagues said, “it almost sounds too good to be true.” Another bonus: Prepaid folks – whether on Straight Talk or other prepaid plans like those offered by Sprint or Cricket -- pay for minutes or by the month and can cancel anytime. That flexibility is great for college-bound and even younger kids – and for parents needing to manage budgets monthly. Finding a plan that offers unlimited texting may seal the deal for you when comparing phone services. From what I saw at the pool this summer, texting is where it’s at for the younger generation.

Computers. If you are going to buy your kid a new computer, there are a couple of ways to dial up discounts:

• See if the university or college has a computer-purchasing program. Many schools have a student store or a not-for-profit department to help kids buy books and computers. Check these out before you head to your big box store.
• If your child’s university doesn’t offer discounts, see if you can buy the computer straight from the manufacturer. Apple and Dell both have special pricing for students.

Full disclosure: I have done work with TracFone as part of my consulting business. However, the views and opinions expressed here are entirely my own and do not reflect those of TracFone Wireless, Inc., or any related party.

CONSUMERMOM’S BACK TO SCHOOL MONEY-SAVING TIPS, PT. 1

OK, it’s back to school time. My twins are going to kindergarten, and I just got the school supply list. Sixteen glue sticks. Sixteen – per kid. And that is just part of the more than 30 items needed. With lists like this, smart shopping is key. Here are some tips:

• Take your list with you – a list is hands down the best way to avoid impulse buying. We all know how easy it is to get stuck in the $1 aisle at Target – and leave with $5-$10 worth of non essential “bargains”. Make a shopping list and stick to it.
• Comparison shopping is worth the time! I use my cell phone “notebook” feature to keep track of some items, so I can remember what stores offer the lowest “non sale” prices. I also take pictures when I am comparison-shopping in stores for big-ticket items. Other great ways to comparison shop online are with shopping services known as “bots” (www.pricegrabber.com or www.bizrate.com), where you can compare prices on specific goods. Even if you don’t purchase the item you are interested in online, you will have a better idea of the cost and the product when you go somewhere to buy it.
• There’s a reason they are called “thrift stores”– they are money savers! I’m not ashamed to be thrifty. Flea markets, yard sales, second hand stores and businesses that sell “gently used” goods on consignment are great places to shop and save money. You can take your older kids along on the hunt for a good deal. High school and college-aged kids especially – who knows, maybe they’ll get bit by the bargain bug when they find some cool vintage clothes or funky furniture for their rooms.
• Use the coupons. One consumer group I worked with advocated for an end to coupons and rebates, urging companies to save the marketing and print costs and instead offer lower prices – but that didn’t work. Coupons are a fact of life – and they can save you money if you use them correctly. Some great coupon sites include http://krazycouponlady.blogspot.com/ and www.couponsuzy.com.

AVOIDING ID THEFT TRAP: CREDIT CARDS

The recent story about a Miami man who made off with more than 130 million credit and debit card numbers from late 2006 to early 2008 lead me to re-examine credit card protections and want to offer info on avoiding ID Theft. You really can not protect yourself when a hacker goes into the system of a huge company -- like TJ Maxx or Heartland, as was the case here.

But you can -- and should -- be well informed, so that you know what to look for as you monitor your own credit card statements. Some tips from the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse:

1 - Reduce the number of credit and debit cards you carry in your wallet. Fewer cards means less risk for theft or loss.
2 - Monitor account activity frequently. Report evidence of fraud to your financial institution immediately.
3 - Do not use debit cards when shopping online.

AMEN! LET’S TAKE BACK THE BEEP …

I love this: David Pogue, a writer for the New York Times has launched, "Take Back the Beep," a campaign to convince the four big wireless companies to eliminate (or make optional) those “time-wasting, redundant, airtime-eating, 15-second recorded instructions that you hear every time you leave a message for someone (or call to retrieve your own).”  Since it’s start, the campaign has been written up on 28,032 blogs (plus one!)…. As of August 13, AT&T announced they would change their “beep” messages.  You can read more about it here.