There's NO Such Thing as a Free Lunch (or Credit Report)

We are all guilty of getting excited when we see those four little letters F-R-E-E. But let's be honest, retailers and companies use the word (usually in big red letters) on purpose, just to lure you into the store or onto their website. But, you know as well as I do, that FREE, most of the time, doesn't mean FREE! Especially when it comes to credit cards.

I could write 100 posts on credit cards alone, and how people get mixed up with them....paying the minimum payment then getting served a boat load of interest charges, but I'll go off on that tangent another time.

Now I'm going to focus solely on credit scores, because I know everyone out there is curious to know what their's is...especially, when it comes to making a big purchase, like a house or a car. In fact, most loaning institutions make it mandatory for you to get a credit score with any such big investment.

But there are many ads out there that say free credit report, and you guessed i, it's not really free. So, before you know it, you're paying an unknown company for different numbers requested by the bank or mortgage company.

Jane Kim from the Wall Street Journal, writes that most companies that offer a free report, only give consumers a small glimpse of what their score truly is...then they charge them for the rest.

Check out her article here, to get an idea of how not to get "hoodwinked," on a so called, FREE Credit Report!

Need a Password? It'll Cost Ya!

How would you feel if I said to you, your password safe material online or on your computer is not really safe. Well, I'm sure you already know that. But how would you feel if you knew some people were making some extra dough just hacking someone's e-mail or Facebook account. Privacy right out the window, right?

For about $100, YourHackerz.com will provide you with any password you wish to have. Say for example you want to read your girlfriend's e-mail, (not like you would) but, bingo you'd have access.

Now, if you're at all like me, you try to make all your passwords alpha-numeric. Then you make each one different for every site (especially the important ones) to ward off all those identity thieves. But you know as well as I do, that with this well kept secret, all the precautionary measures you took are, POOF, gone!

Washington Post Staff Writer, Tom Jackman writes more on this. See his story by clicking here.

Outlet Shopping: Friend or Foe?

All girls love to go the the outlet malls. And why not? It's an excuse to shop till you drop, get good deals and spend the day with girlfriends catching up on the "need to know gossip."

We frolic down the pathways meandering into hundreds of designer stores, excited about the fact that we're getting 75% off a pair of designer shoes...or we're getting two bags for the price of one. We squeal looking at those possibly deceiving red signs that say" 50% off the retail price," or "buy one get one free!"

But, maybe we should think twice before we hand over the plastic, because it's possible that we may not be getting a deal.

MP Dunleavy, from MSN Money, writes in an article that outlet malls might actually be for suckers....and that many women are being hoodwinked the moment they set foot on the premise.

We all know we take a day of from work to go to the outlets, or plan a Saturday months in advance to hit the shops...but Dunleavy suggests that we have that "I'm going to take advantage of it," even before we get out of the car. He alludes to the fact that just because "us girls" have set aside a whole day for outlet shopping, that we are going to care less about the price, and make the purchase anyway just because we've traveled great lengths to be there.
To read more about outlet controversy click here.

My advice to avoid getting "hoodwinked:"

*Check prices before you go.

*Print and/or cut out coupons.

*Create a shopping list (and try to stick to it).

*Try not to make emotional purchases.

* With every wardrobe purchase -- make sure at least three things from your current wardrobe match it, otherwise you'll end up overshopping for just one piece. (From my co-worker Lisa DiVirgilio...Visit her Dating Diva blog here)

*Ask store clerks where the merchandise came from. (i.e. was the item created JUST for the outlets or did it originate in a retail store.)