Fraud Alert and Credit Freeze - what's the difference?

I've personally make sure to watch my credit, understand what hurts or helps it and protect my identity.


I thought it was a great explanation from TransUnion of the difference between a Fraud Alert and a Credit Freeze along with the pros and cons. Take a minute to understand the different - you may never know when you might need to me armed with that information.


How is a fraud alert different from a credit freeze? 

A fraud alert can help prevent an identity thief from opening any accounts in your name. It means that lenders must take extra precautions to verify your identity before granting credit in your name. A fraud alert is the typical first step identity theft victims take.

A fraud alert initially lasts for 90 days but can be renewed indefinitely. You can also get an extended fraud alert, which stays in your credit report for seven years, if you can provide a police report or other official record showing that you've been the victim of identity theft. You can place a fraud alert with any of the three bureaus, and the bureau you contact will alert the other two. 

Fraud alerts don’t prevent an identity thief using your existing credit cards or other accounts. It also doesn’t protect you from an identity thief opening new accounts in your name that do not require a credit check – such as a telephone, wireless, or bank account. And, if there’s identity theft already going on when you place the fraud alert, the fraud alert alone won’t stop it.  

A credit freeze (or security freeze) offers stronger protection, by blocking access to your credit history. If you are very concerned about becoming a victim of identity theft, a security freeze may be right for you. This could discourage identity thieves from getting credit in your name because most legitimate lenders would not extend credit without first reviewing your credit history. A freeze may not be worth it if you're about to take out new credit, but can offer strong protection for someone who worries a lot about identity theft, such as seniors who can't check their records regularly or consumers whose information has been stolen in a security breach.

A freeze could complicate things if you want your credit file to be accessible for inquiries or new accounts. Establishing utility service, a cellphone plan, or an insurance policy might require access to your credit record. In those situations, you would have to temporarily unfreeze your file by providing the credit bureau with a PIN or other access code by phone or online. 

For a freeze to be effective, you need to freeze your record at all three credit bureaus. Get instructions from TransUnion here. There is a charge of between $5 and $20 each time you freeze or temporarily lift the freeze depending on your state of residence. In many states fees may not apply for seniors or victims of prior identity theft.

As summer approaches...

I tend to want to spend more time outdoors. And, I should be careful because there are things that can bite and cause serious harm. Make sure you read up on the slide show of "Identifying Bugs and Their Bites" from WebMD. I was never in girl scouts and was never told what to look out for.

A couple years ago I got bit by a tick and that freaked me out! Being aware and informed is the first step in prevention! So enjoy the great outdoors and be safe while you're at it!

I must warn you, you may be a little scared to go in the wild after seeing this.

Summer is here, so now what?

School is out, it's brighter for a longer part of the day and I'm feeling the family spirit. I've been trying to spend some time with my little cousin, who is 7 years old, more often, but I find myself trying to figure out what to do!

Thank goodness for Right@Home Newsletter, they have reminded me of all the fun games I used to play before there were iPads or cell phone apps. In case you need to be reminded...

1. Tag/Freeze Tag 

  Peskowitz noted that readers of her book love talking about tag. "They say, ‘Oh my gosh, I forgot about tag,’" she said. To play, one kid is "it" and tries to touch or tag another kid. Whoever is tagged becomes "it." 

2. Jacks 

  You’ll need jacks and a ball to play this classic game. Toss the jacks onto the floor and then, using one hand, toss the ball up and grab one jack and the ball before it bounces again. Move on to "twosies" (grabbing two jacks), "threesies" (three jacks) and so on. To see the game in action, check out this video and keep these pieces away from little mouths.

3. Hopscotch

  Draw a traditional hopscotch design (watch this video for a visual and more instructions) and toss a rock or beanbag onto the first square. Hop over the bean bag or rock and jump onto each part of the diagram until the end and then turn around and jump back. 

4. Hide-and-Seek

  Just like it sounds. All players hide except the one who is "it." That child closes his or her eyes, counts to ten or more, and then seeks the other children. Adults can play too! Game ends when "it" finds the last hiding player who then becomes the new "it."

5. Marbles 

  Draw a circle on sand, dirt or concrete and take turns trying to knock your opponents’ marbles out of the circle with your big marble. For safety’s sake, keep the game and its marbles away from little ones. For a quick history and rules check out this site.

6. Jump Rope/Double Dutch

 This fun activity, which is great exercise, can be played alone or in a group, with two kids twirling a long rope and another child jumping. Double Dutch is more challenging, as you have to jump over two ropes twirled one after another. See these Double Dutch jump rope champions.

7. Kickball

 This game is similar to baseball only instead of hitting a small ball with a bat, you kick a larger ball and run the bases. Want to ‘kick’ it up a notch? Check out these advanced kickball tips.

8. Parachute

 You’ll need a large round parachute or an old sheet. Let kids take turns being the leader and giving directions. Kids can walk or jog in a circle, switch directions, hide underneath or play "popcorn" by putting light whiffle balls or beanbags on top of the parachute and ruffling it up and down. An adult should supervise this one, especially when small children are involved. For additional instructions, videos and parachute playing music, visit this site. 

9. Freeze Dance

 Everyone dances until the music stops, then everyone freezes. Whoever moves is out. The game continues until there’s a winner. Ready to play? Check out Freeze Dance, an app which turns your songs into freeze dance favorites.

10. Simon Says

 One person acts as "Simon," and tells other players to do something, e.g., "Simon says touch your nose." If the order is given without saying "Simon says," first, anyone who follows that request is out.

11. Red Light, Green Light

 Players run when one child (the traffic light or cop) says "green light." Players freeze when that child says "red light!" Those caught moving must go back to the starting line. The first one to tag the traffic light or cop wins. For more detailed rules, visit this site.

12. "Mother, May I?" 

 One person, the "mother," goes to one side of the room or yard. Players take turns asking, "Mother, may I take [insert number] steps forward?" The mother replies, "Yes, you may," or "No, you may not." Players may ask to take baby steps, giant steps, spinning steps or jumps. The first to reach the mother wins. For further instructions, visit this family friendly site.

13. Four square

 Draw a large square on concrete with chalk and divide it into quarters. Two, three or four players can participate by bouncing the ball into another player’s square. If a player allows the ball to bounce twice or fails to hit it back, they’re out. For tips on how to play four square, watch this video.

14. Capture the flag

 The more players the better for this game involving two teams, each having a flag or marker for the team base. Each team tries to capture the other team’s flag without getting tagged by opponents. 

15. Marco Polo 

 Usually played in a swimming pool, this game involves one person closing his or her eyes, calling "Marco" and trying to tag one of the other players, who must reply, "Polo." Make sure to keep this to the shallow end and have an adult or lifeguard supervise.

Perfect for the season...

As Graduation season is among us, it's the perfect opportunity to hear some inspiring speeches. Some are from your fellow classmates and other are from famous people - who didn't even graduate. Regardless of who they are, you're left with something new. A new chapter.

I recently came across this speech that I thought was very fitting for the occasion. Too often we're caught up with going from Point A to Point B and crossing off the things on our list that we forget to just sit and listen. Although this speech has been widely credited to Bill Gates, he did not give this speech. It was Charles J. Sykes, author of 1996 book: Dumbing Down Our Kids: Why American Children Feel Good About Themselves But Can't Read, Write or Add.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Some Rules Kids Won't Learn in School

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!
Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.
Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you a get a boss.
Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.
Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parent's fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
Rule 7: Before you were born, your parent's weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. so before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.
Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employees are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.
Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one. 

Think you know recycling?

Wait until you check out this article from Earth911! They list the 10 things that you NEVER knew you could recycle and I must say, the first one made me squirm. The rest of the list, however, made practical sense and I never thought to think of the impact it has on our environment.

It is taking "Being Green" to a whole new level for me.

Find more great Green Action tips from Recyclebank.

How to be green with all the extra school supplies...

I typically just store my school supplies until the following year, but what if you're done with school. Here are a couple great tips I came across from Recyclebank. Another thing to keep in mind is storing the items for a back to school donation drive. I know our local Rotary does that at the beginning of every school year. Here are a few tips in case you don't have anything like that. 


Also the biggest contributor to waste is buying more of what you don't need. If you're storing items for the next school, make sure you remember that you have it before you buy more.

Paper



RestoreRather than saving all of the papers that your children bring home, help them choose a few reports or high-scoring tests they're particularly proud of. A recycled-cardboard document storage box, color-coded for each kid and labeled for each school year, works great for storing important papers; recycled binders serve the same purpose in an even more accessible way. If you or your children are particularly crafty, you might consider binding the important papers into a single scrapbook.

Reuse

Use leftover papers that were only used on one side as an easy, makeshift notepad: with scissors or a paper cutter, cut the sheets into quarters, and then use a binder clip to turn it into your new notepad. The pad is the perfect size for jotting down messages, leaving notes for family members, or making up a quick shopping list. If you've got any paper that was printed on both sides, first mentally thank the teachers for not being wasteful, and then recycle it.

As for all those paintings and drawings your little artistes have created throughout the year, save a choice few in the aforementioned document box, and put the rest to good use: you can turn pictures into greeting cards, or laminate paintings and use them as placemats.

Textbooks and Workbooks
Reuse
Don't throw away used textbooks, or even put them in the recycling bin if you can help it. Textbooks can be reused through a number of channels. Some organizations, like Textbook Recycle will take old textbooks and either put them back into circulation or recycle them. You can also sell your used textbooks through Half.com, or at your local used bookstore. Local libraries, correctional facilities, Native American reservations, shelters, and thrift stores might also accept textbook and workbook donations.
Recycle
Workbooks that have been completely filled out might not be good candidates for reusing, but they are typically recyclable. Recycling textbooks is a bit trickier because of the glue used in their binding, but you can call your local waste hauler to see if they'll accept any of your out-of-date textbooks that couldn't be donated.

Backpacks and Schoolbags
Restore
That backpack that toted homework, textbooks, and miscellaneous show-and-tell items back and forth might be looking a little worse for the wear come June. If it's dirty but in otherwise good condition, clean it up now and put it away for the next school year. You can use a handheld vacuum or the crevice tool of your vacuum cleaner to get the crumbs and dirt from the insides and pockets, then use a sponge and some warm water mixed with a couple of squirts of dish washing detergent to wash away stains and grime from the inside and exterior. Let the bag air-dry completely. Stains and tears can be hidden with colorful iron-on or sew-on patches, which will also give the bag a new look.
Reuse
If you think you'll be replacing the bag for the next school year, find other uses for it, such as stashing it in your car to use for shopping trips, toting gardening supplies or beach toys, or using it to contain art supplies or sewing notions (the various compartments are perfect for organizing crafting tools). You can also cut out the pockets to make purses, or even make couch caddies, which can hold remote controls, eyeglasses, magazines, and other writing or crafting supplies — just sew the pockets onto a longer piece of fabric, and drape over a chair or couch handle.


Pencil cases can be used at home to sort and organize art supplies, hair accessories or kids' jewelry, or to organize small items when packing for a trip. Depending on how snazzy the pencil case is, you might consider adding a strap to the case for a near-instant and easy-to-make clutch. 

Writing Utensils and Other School Supplies
Reuse
Sort through pens, pencils, and markers to see what still works. Working utensils can either be saved for next year or stashed throughout the house — after all, how many times have you needed a pen and been unable to find one? Place extra pens in the kitchen, by the phones, in the car, and in all of your handbags.

Unfortunately, pens and markers are not recyclable. Your best bet? Next time, invest in pens that have refillable or replaceable ink cartridges. Although dried-out markers aren't recyclable, there are certain ways you can reuse them, such as dipping the dried-out tips in water to use as a watercolor pen, or using the colorful caps for mosaics and other art projects.

As for crayons, don't pitch random or broken ones. They can be donated to a recycling program like Crazy Crayons, which uses them to make new, shaped crayons, as well as fire starters, or recycle them yourself by melting crayons into new shapes.

Ice Cream Parlor Anyone?

I was just at a girlfriend's bridal shower and her sister took the time to make it a lovely affair. She had this whole theme going on called the "Ice Cream Parlor" and it was quite impressive. Who knew it was just a template and all she did was click print and used a pair of scissors. It made this elegant set up so easy!

Now there's no excuse for me to dress up any affair that I have! A little effort in thinking outside the box would make an unforgettable impression! Especially since it's getting hot around here!

Click here for the website.

One person can make a difference! It starts with you!

Literally! This is a must see Ted Talk!

A couple facts I picked up from earth911.


13 billion pounds of paper towels are used in the U.S. every year. If all Americans used one less paper towel a day, 571,230,000 pounds of paper would be spared over the course of the year. One man has a simple strategy to make it happen.


And believe it or not....


The problems with paper towels are many-fold: they don’t contain significant amounts of fiber for recycling and when they’re dirty or wet, they degrade even further and become non-recyclable. And paper towels soaked in oils, pet or baby waste or other harmful substances should be steered clear of the compost pile.


It all starts or ends with you! I love the concept and the action of everyone can make a change!