Freeze Your Credit! Save Yourself Some Heartache!

Posted at 5:21 PM, Sep. 19, 2007

Freeze your credit!

Freezing your credit report is relatively new.  In fact, you can only do it in 39 states right now, plus the District of Columbia.  To find out if your state participates (and what the procedures for your particular state are) visit Consumers Union.

In a nutshell: you simply "freeze" your credit so that identity thieves can not open new credit in your name.  Until you lift the freeze, nobody-- not even you-- can file for new credit with your social security number.

This would be ideal for me.

1.)  I have no intention of messing with my mortgage right now or anytime soon.  I have a good, fixed interest rate and I have no plan to refinance right now.

2.)  I have all of the credit cards that I could need.  In fact, I have way too many credit cards.  I haven't even been "using" my credit.  What if somebody else had wanted to?  I wouldn't have noticed for a while!

3.)  We still owe about 1 - 2 years of payments on each of our cars.  Once those are paid off, we plan on driving them to the ground.  (My husband and I don't have "car egos".)

Remember:  You can "unfreeze" any time you want.  I think it would benefit anybody (who isn't currently seeking credit) to freeze their credit report while it sits, unused.  Stop identity thieves cold!

The freeze will not change your credit score.

Do you have enough credit cards at this time?  No plans to refinance or buy a car for a while?  Gail Hillebrand of Consumers Union recommends that every consumer considers this option.  Again, here is the link:

http://www.consumersunion.org/securityfreeze.htm

www.MaryW.com  or  www.MaryWarren.com

September 11th - Let Us Never Forget

Posted at 10:23 AM, Sep. 11, 2007

September 11, 2001 - Let Us Never Forget.  This display can be seen at Palm Mortuary at 6701 N. Jones Blvd in the north part of Las Vegas.  The display will be up until September 30th.  There are almost 3,000 flags and each flags gives the history of each person who gave their life for US on that day.  

www.MaryW.com  or  www.MaryWarren.com

Get your flag ready for 09/11/2007

Posted at 10:17 PM, Sep. 4, 2007

It's unbelievable it's September 4th already...as I sat here this evening and went over my goals and business plan that I had set up for August, I could not believe that the month had come to an end already!  I try to do this every month, on the last day of the month, and I also set up my plan and goals for the next month.  I was thinking I only had to do this three more months and then I would be planning for the new year!

One day of importance to us every September is 9/11...how could we ever forget!  Let us not forget...I received the below via e-mail a few days ago and thought I would share it with you:

GET YOUR FLAG READY FOR 9/11/2007

Please join in the FLY THE FLAG campaign.  There is about 10 days to get the word out all across America and into every community in the United States.

THE PROGRAM:

On Tuesday, September 11, 2007, an American flag should be displayed outside every home, apartment, office, and store in the United States.  Every individual should make it his/her duty to display an American flag on this sixth anniversary of our country's worst tragedy.  We do this to honor those who lost their lives on 9/11, their families, friends, and loved ones who continue to endure the pain, and those who today are fighting at home and abroad to preserve our cherished freedoms.

In the days, weeks and months following 9/11, our country was bathed in American flags as citizens mourned the incredible losses and stood shoulder-to-shoulder against terrorism.  Sadly, those flags have all but disappeared.  Our patriotism pulled us through some tough times and it shouldn't take another attack to galvanize us in solidarity.  Our American flag is the fabric of our country and together we can prevail over terrorism of all kinds.

ACTION PLAN:

So, here's what we need you to do:

• Ask everyone you know to FLY THE FLAG, and then do it yourself!  Take a moment to think back to how you felt on 9/11 and let those sentiments guide you.
• Fly an American flag of any size on 9/11.  Frankly, Americans should fly the flag year-round, but if you don't, then at least make it a priority on this day.
• Spend a few minutes in silence and prayer for the families, friends, and loved one left behind...this will be a tough day for them.

God Bless You and God Bless America

www.maryw.com   or  www.marywarren.com  

Ice Cream: Sneaky, Sneaky!

Posted at 6:50 PM, Aug. 17, 2007

Ice Cream: Sneaky, Sneaky!

As kids we all use to 'chant'....'I scream, you scream, we all scream for Ice Cream'....we use to be able to go to the corner drug store and buy an ice cream cone (1 scoop) for a nickle and a double scoop for 10cents! 

Then there was the 'Good Humor' truck....are those even still around?  For those too young to remember these were trucks LOADED with ice cream in all different assortments and sizes.  What fun to listen for the music and stop whatever we were doing to get to the curb before the truck went past.  The man would jump out of his truck and meet us at the back and open the door to a HUGE assortment of goodies to choose from!  It was always mid-to-late afternoon when the truck would arrive and mom would stand at the door and tell us 'now only one so you don't ruin your supper!' 

Have you noticed how much ice cream has gone down lately?  No, not in price but in size?  Well, price is affected.  I bought the Dreyers 'half gallon' in the grocery store the other day for $5.69.  Only to get home and discover it's no longer a half gallon....it's 1.75 quarts!  I'm game for paying $5 a half-gallon...I know that today $5 is worth the same amount as a 5cents was in the 'old days'.  I feel though that the 'downsizing' of packaging is just a way of trying to pull the wool over the consumer's eyes.  This was done with coffee several years ago when it went from a full pound (16 oz.) to 12 oz. with barely a peep, I had not noticed it since...until I noticed this on the ice cream packaging.  (The Anderson ice cream is one I had in the freezer and says 2 gallons, I'm curious to see if they 'downsized' also.)

Popcorn Your Favorite Snack?

Posted at 2:43 PM, Jun. 23, 2007

Popcorn one of your favorite snacks?  Read this article posted on www.abc.com and also broadcasted on Good Morning America recently.  Be sure and read the comments to the article and then draw your own conclusions!