I got these from a pamphlet on 100+ Ways to Improve Your Electric Bill, but the others just bored me to death and were too full of acronyms and heavy text ;)  So I plucked out a handful of my favorites instead to share with y’all today, as some of them I had nooooo idea about and even thought that the opposite would be true!

So check them out and see if they help you out at all.  I doubt I’ll change much of my own habits after reading the whole thing, but it was nice to know at least a few of the things we already do make sense energy-wise :) Maybe you’ll get something out of ‘em all too? #1 and #6 were my faves…

The 14 Most Interesting Tips:

1. Run the dishwasher instead of washing dishes by hand. Overall dishwashers use much less water (6 less gallons) than washing them by hand if you have a full load. Luckily we already do this one, but who knew? I always thought it was the opposite… and maybe it was back in the day? But now technology made it more efficient?
2. Keep the doors of unused rooms shut, and then close the vents and/or AC units in them to conserve energy.  I think this one’s a bit too hardcore for me – I like floating from one room to the next without having to opening and closing doors all over the place ;)  I already have to keep one of them closed all the time (cuz one of our cats will pee all over the rug in there!), and even that is hard to remember to do every day.
3. NEVER put a refrigerator in the garage!  The temperature gets too crazy out there during peak winter and summer months, so if you need a 2nd one they say to put it in the basement instead.
4. Don’t place uncovered liquids in refrigerators either. Not only do they absorb undesirable flavors, but they also give off vapors that add to the compressor workload.
5. Use chest-type freezers when you can – they use anywhere from 11 to 27 percent less energy than upright freezers.
6. Use your microwave oven whenever possible. Microwave ovens draw less than half the power of their conventional counterparts and cook for a much shorter period of time.
7. As well as electric smooth top stoves - they’re much more efficient than both gas stoves (74.2% vs 15.6%), as well as coil cooktops (73.7%) according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
8. You’ll save more hot water by taking showers over baths – sometimes by even 50%! (Another thing I always thought was the opposite!)
9. When possible, put lamps in the corner of a room rather than against a flat wall as it has more surfaces to reflect light.
10. Also, be sure to dust lamps and bulbs often as it’ll impair lighting efficiency – something I NEVER do, oops!
11. The next time you buy a washing machine, consider getting a front-loading or horizontal axis washing machine (??) over regular ones – they’ll save you 30% less water and up to 50% energy as well on average (and are gentler on your clothes).
12. If you have no preference in TV types, go with rear projection TVs – they’re typically more efficient than both LCDs and plasmas (plasmas use the most energy).  Though who knows how much longer they’ll be around for, haha… we’re not getting rid of our 60″ one any time soon :)
13. Opt for light-colored roof shingles over dark ones to reflect more sunlight away (and thus keeping your place cooler in the heat). Though I suppose you’d want the opposite in the winter, no? Not much you can do about it anyways unless you’re about to build a house from scratch, haha…
14. And lastly, a quick fact: The average home uses 24 electrical products, accounting for up to 15% of household electricity. So when they’re not in use, keep them turned off!

Did you have any idea about all this?  Or am I just a complete moron over here? Haha… regardless, we can all be doing more to cut down on energy costs for sure.  Especially on house-hold related stuff.  If you have any of your OWN tips you’d like to share, please do! We could always use more ways to save some money, especially if they’re super easy to implement ;)

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PS: To download all 100+ tips on energy-saving, click here (it’s a pdf).

(Photo by nicolasnova)

YIKES! Almost forgot to tell y’all who the winners of last week’s book giveaway were!  The 3 lucky winners of Suze Orman’s latest update to The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom are… dum dum dum….

1. Cristalle
2. Sue
3. DebtsnTaxes

Congrats! You’ll be getting an email from me shortly :)  And to the rest out there, thanks for participating!  We’ll have another giveaway going up shortly for sure…. and remember you can always pick up this book over at Amazon too if you’d like, it’s going for $10.87 right now. ‘Till next time…

Whelp, it looks like I’m officially a victim of credit card theft.  Some asshat tried stealing my c/c number to make all kinds of purchases online, but was promptly REJECTED cuz they were going up against our beloved USAA (BAM!).  So bye bye went their $300 purchase failed attempt in Green Bay, Wisconsin, as well as their $2.00 trial out in the UK (probably to see if it would go through so they could forge ahead with larger charges). Needless to say though, I was both shocked, and the opposite of, at the same time.

You never see this stuff coming, but when you’ve got a killer company watching your back you tend to be a lot less stressed about it :)  Within 6 minutes I was notified of these jackass attempts, told they’ve frozen the account and no more charges will be made on them, and then re-issued a brand new card to be FedExed.  Not too bad! Of course it sucks and it’s annoying cuz now I gotta go back and update all my automatic bills all over the web and what not, but it’s a small price to pay (or not pay!) to be safe and secure again.  And I give mad credit to USAA for being so proactive about it all.

(Once they texted me when a weird $100 charge hit my account at an airport.  It was really just me blowing some money on some sunglasses, but still – it could have been a thief!)

It also helped that these jackals didn’t have my expiration date OR the CVC code or whatever that’s called. So they must have skimmed it off some site or got into some database somewhere and just ripped off the numbers.  I’d imagine that if you had physically taken the card from me at some point, that you’d be smart enough to take down the rest of the info too – so we’re ruling that one out ;)

All this just goes to show that it’s important to pay attention!!  With what sites and banks you trust, places you frequent with your business, and more importantly REVIEWING your credit card statements every month.  Even if USAA hadn’t picked up on these and had let them through, I would have caught it within a matter of days anyways – the next time I logged on and skimmed the latest transactions (I literally do it at least once a week cuz I’m pretty anal like that, but a good rule of thumb is once a month).  It honestly only takes a few seconds to eyeball down the transactions and make sure nothing funky is standing out.  Then when it does, all you have to do is call your bank/credit union/etc and ask what’s up.

So if you haven’t reviewed your accounts lately, go and do it now! It’s not a matter of IF you’ll become a victim, but WHEN. Take a few minutes and catch those jackals before they rob you blind. Don’t let them win! :)

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PS: If you ever wondered why I had 16 accounts with USAA, now you know.

(Photo by xJason.Rogersx)

Yup. It’s official – our shower area has black mold in it! Just when we think we’re in the clear for a bit, something else in this house jacks up. Reason #3,001 to set aside money for stupid house stuff! Arghhh…

But as much as I’d love to blame the previous homeowners on this one, I really can’t put it ALL on them… Yes, they did a shoddy job re-tiling the tub and grouting the whole dang thing, but we weren’t that much better in keeping it in tip-top shape either.  So naturally with a concoction like that you’re bound to come across a mess or two. Or in this case, mold :( So it’s a good thing the Mrs. got on it!!

It’s actually pretty funny – it seems the pregnancy has completely increased all levels of awareness within her :) Like, some new super power or something – mixed in with an unhealthy obsession of obsessing! haha… So every time something gets in her brain now, she can’t stop thinking and worrying about it until we physically DO something about it. Like with the water heater the other week (double arghhhh). And continually freaking herself out with 1,001 worries about our baby, and what could potentially happen to him too. (That part I’m not too thrilled about – cuz then it freaks ME out!). Overall it’s been a pretty interesting thing to watch though. Some people have cravings for weird food or drinks, and others can smell a problem a mile away :)

Which leads us into the “solving” of this new moldy bathroom situation. And how fast, exactly, we can make it happen – since the last thing we want is our baby bump breathing all that nastiness in!  I never personally thought it was a really *that* bad, but apparently people can die from it :(  Including one of my favorite actresses from back in the day, Britney Murphy!  So sad.

So we started the process of finding a good handyman in our area – once again – and after a couple of hours of superb research, the Mrs. found a good one to hit up and so we did.  And we figured we might as well ask about upgrades to it as well, since they’re already gonna have to start gutting stuff anyways, right? :) (Right).

These are what our options looked like by the end of our researching/meeting with him:

1. Do only the necessary work ($1,100).  This includes all demo work (the mold is in our bathroom ledge, not the walls), treating and clearing out all mold, re-building of this same ledge, re-tiling it all, and then fixing all other crap tiling/grouting issues around the rest of the tub – all compliments of the previous owner. Oh, and we’d need to pick up a few extra things outside of this too, like replacement tiles and new shower unit stuff – as those are also moldy :(
2. Do necessary work AND re-tile entire shower ($1,800).  This includes everything in option #1, but also going in and re-doing the entire walls with our own hand-picked prettier ones. And way more modern ones at that – which should def. help sexy up the house for a later selling of it too.
3. Upgrade again and put in a 2nd shower head! ($3,000).  This one we threw in just to see what would happen. We obviously don’t *need* another one, but I’d be lying if I said we wouldn’t enjoy the hell out of it ;) How awesome would this be??

All in all it wasn’t *as* expensive as I honestly thought it would all be, but it’s still a lot more than $0.00 which is where it was at until Super Wife picked up the scent ;) And either way, we HAVE to at least do option #1 and get rid of that mold anyways- ESP with the baby on its way, so def. better to do sooner than later here.

After a lot of thinking and going back and forth with all the pros and cons, etc, we decided to run with the middle ground.  It’s no fun at all dishing out $1,100 for pretty much the EXACT same thing we already have right now (except with less mold), so we might as well spend a little more and be EXCITED about it.  Get new tiles and make it a “thing” ya know? That way not only could we enjoy it all going forward and get it all done at one time (rather than upgrading later at a different point), but it would also have major re-sell value too.  As long as we don’t do anything crazy like pimp it out and scare off the conservatives or something ;)  But the Mrs. wouldn’t let me even if I tried, haha…. (how bad ass would it be to put “J. Money” in mosaic tiles though?? Or dollar signs all over??)

Also, while it kills me yet AGAIN to pull from our cash savings, I did promise Super Wife that we could allot some of it towards house improvements.  I just didn’t want to do that now before the baby comes out and what not…  but what are you gonna do?  Every day can be an adventure with home ownership so you might as well sneak in some perks while you can and not drive yourself crazy.  It’s a good reminder too to be blessed with the amount of money we’ve been able to save up over the past few years as well… it would have been a nightmare had we been caught 5 years ago!

Any one else have anything break since I last asked you 2 weeks ago? ;)

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PS: When it’s done I’ll show pictures!!!!  At least I get some interesting blog posts outta it, eh?

(Photo by aka Kath. Tweaked by J$)

Yup, it’s official: The Blog Agency is now open! ;)  And pretty funny considering we literally JUST thought this up in our heads a few weeks ago, haha…  But what better way to combine my love of “the game” and helping others, while making money all at the same time? It’s like the perfect concoction for me right now, and we’ve already been blessed with over 10 awesome clients so far. Not a bad way to start a project :)

And honestly, 3 weeks ago it wasn’t even on our minds…

The Back Story

A while ago I had played around with the idea of doing 1 hour call sessions as a side gig, but back then I was more joking around about it than I was serious. And I knew it wouldn’t have been a good time anyways as I needed a lot more experience (and failures!) under my belt to really be able to bring some value and make it worth people’s money.  Something I still, to this day, have a hard problem with actually – charging people for something I can easily give away for free! (But then so can plumbers and dentists and other service professionals too, eh? It’s hard to remember *time” is just as valuable!)

So when my good friend and business partner, Nate St. Pierre, called me up the other week (The same Nate St. Pierre who fooled the internet this week that Abraham Lincoln invented Facebook!*) asking me about new projects we keep pushing to the side – and what it’ll take to get them off the ground – I kept thinking that the real reason we hadn’t was just cuz I wasn’t all too excited about them much. I mean, I think they’re great, and we WILL launch them at some point in the future, but at the moment my heart just wasn’t into them as yet. He then asked me what my “perfect” gig WOULD be, then, like if all my sites exploded and I had to come up with something totally new right away, and the first thing that came to mind again was that “1 hour call” idea.

“Let’s do that!!” I said.  “It captures a bulk of everything I enjoy!  Blogging, projects, brainstorming, helping people, working AWAY from the computer, meeting new people, talking on the phone, AND getting paid!” I could tell he was still as leery about it as he was when I brought it up the first time, so I said “F it – I’m just gonna tweet it out there and see what happens” – even though it was like 5pm on a Friday night, haha…

And guess what??  People responded!  Positively! :)  Now of course we were giving away a FREE hour so we can test it out and all that, but still – it meant that there could be a market for what we were offering out there. So we quickly did our first two or so free sessions to see how the process would work (Nate gave away some too to further help our testing), and the more we went along, the more we realized it was a good fit. We were having FUN talking to people and sharing our ideas and insight, and they were getting pages and pages of notes at the same time :)

So we decided to start charging and building out the site.  And you know what?  That worked too. People were just as happy to pay as those who got our time for free  – pretty incredible.  And that’s where we are today.  Spilling the beans of our last 3 weeks of being all giddy offline ;)

What we’re offering

In a nutshell, Nate and I jump on a 1 hour phone call to help people grow and monetize their blog, project, or product. It can be as focused, or general as they wish, and the entire time it’s just us and them talking and figuring stuff out (all we need is some info before hand so we can research and prep for the call – reducing any wasted time).

And I think what makes it work the most is that there are TWO of us on the call, with our own set of opinions and experiences to share. Allowing us to give a much bigger variety of ideas and successes the entire time – it’s great. Then afterwards we connect them with our own personal network of professionals who can further help them along depending on their own areas needing improvement (say, with SEO or graphic design). It’s all rather fun :) And Nate pretty much becomes the “bad cop” of the duo, dishing out harder (but true) critiques, and I’m more of the “good cop” focusing on the potential as well as ways to improve stuff once it’s all laid out on the table.

Here’s one of our latest testimonials: (you can see more here too)

“Nate and Jay are incredibly knowledgeable, intuitive and helpful. When they’re working with you, your project is theirs – they care about it as it if were their own, and they don’t pull any punches to make sure it’s successful. Good or bad, they’re going to tell you the truth, and you’ll be glad they did. I highly recommend Nate and Jay as consultants and advisors on any project you really want to make an impact with.”

What we charge

You can read more about everything here, in our work with us page, but we pretty much have 3 packages right now ranging from $150 an hour to more bulk stuff with multiple calls and correspondences. And so far our feedback has shown we’re right about on the money – especially since there’s two of us. In fact, a couple of our clients have said they’d have paid anywhere up to $400/hr!!  So who knows, maybe we’ll increase it later ;)

But as I mentioned before, this is the hardest part for me. Charging people when I’m so used to giving away everything for free.  I’ll still continue to do so on this blog, and in emails y’all send, etc, etc – especially since those are more money-related questions than businessy anyways – but now it’ll feel good having a main place for all those who REALLY want to step it up a notch with their own hustles. And those that are more excited about too.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve spent 2-3 hours a PIECE on an email helping someone strategize, only to have them never write me back or even say a quick “thank you.”  Most people are good and appreciate your time, but I can tell you that when you PAY for something you’re a lot more focused and “into it” than when it’s free. It’s all rather fascinating ;)

Lessons learned so far

For those of you who are already bored with this post, or who would never take us up on our offer anyways (not that I’m trying to sell you on it or anything), there are a handful of takeaways here that could be applied to many things in life – even money:

1. You have to ASK for what you want.  Until you do that, you’ll never get an answer!  In our case here we threw it out on Twitter and Facebook to gauge interest, but my wife just did something similar with asking her library to cancel her late fees she felt wasn’t her fault. She was charged $8 bucks for an overdue book that she didn’t know about (long story), but she called up and asked nicely (the key!!) to please have it removed.  90 seconds later, they did!  So ask for stuff. It’ll automatically be a “NO” if you don’t…
2. Follow your dreams every now and then!  I know we all *think* about some of this stuff, especially making lots of money and nabbing that ultimate job of yours, but just like with asking you also have to TAKE STEPS towards them if you ever want ‘em to come true.  Anyone can dream, but it’s much harder to take action.  Which is why the rewards are so high when you do!
3. Consider marketing a project/company/etc before it’s built.  I don’t know where I first saw it (some book?), but I once read that you can market a product two totally different ways:  1)  By making it and THEN offering it out for the world to consume, or 2)  By sharing it as if it’s already made (when it’s not), and seeing what happens.  The latter doesn’t work for *all* products, of course, but the takeaway here is that you can test things in REAL LIFE right now to see if you have a winner on your hand, rather than 6 months later after you’ve already build the whole thing – and/or spent hundreds of hours of time on it – *hoping* to have a winner on your hand. Two different mindsets that could make or break an idea, depending on what it is (you also don’t want anyone to steal an idea before it’s made too, so pros and cons to either route).
4. Your time is worth money!  I’ve already touched on this a little bit, but there’s nothing wrong with offering a service or product out there and asking to get paid for it.  Even though it’s hard and you’ll feel bad like me ;)  Not *everyone* will be willing to pay for what you’re offering, but there might be an audience who WILL.  And those are the types you’re catering too. Your “target audience.”  We’re all skilled in different things, and just because you’re an expert in something (or it comes naturally), doesn’t mean everyone else is. And that’s exactly why they’re paying YOU – to learn and get better (and avoid all the heartaches you came across in the process! haha…). So if you have a skill that someone can use, be open about allowing them to pay you for it if they want. It’s a free market out there, and if there’s a demand try supplying it!

In Summary

In summary, we launched a new service, and we hope it’s successful :)  If you want to check it out, you can go to it here: NateAndJay.com, and then hopefully tell me what you think. All opinions and impressions are gladly appreciated!  And if you think we could help you, or someone you know of, we’d love for you to pass on the news to them too…

So far all our clients have come from word of mouth, and I’m kinda hoping it stays that way so we can continue to grow our own little family here :) Thanks for reading today!

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* That whole Abraham Lincoln/Facebook thing?  Check out WHY Nate created the whole thing here, and how far it went before people finally caught on…. it’s not every day you can bring 100,000 people to your site in under 24 hours, OR have CNN knocking on your door to “break” the story, for that matter.  Guess we’ll be able to offer that too at our agency! ;)

(Awesome doodle by lorraine santana)

What up, what up!  Another sexy a$$ Friday here, right before the wonderful Mother’s Day weekend :) I’m actually off to a wedding this weekend which will awesomely include my parents too – so it’ll be a perfect way to spend some time w/ the fam.   Hope y’all will have some fun with yours too!

Here are this week’s awesome posts I enjoyed:

• You’ve Got to Use Your Head, Son! @ Pinch That Penny
• Eeyore Phrases I Can’t Stand @ Cordelia Calls It Quits
• Earning $50,000 Will Make You Happy @ Savvy Sugar
• A New Look, Just in Time For The Party. @ Donna Freedman
• You Don’t Solve Money Problems with Money @ Enemy of Debt
• 10 Car Shopping Mistakes And How To Avoid Them @ Clever Dude
• Scary Facts About Your Favorite Foods [Infographic] @ College Candy
• How to Save Time & Money at the Post Office (By Avoiding It!) @ Bargaineering
• Financial Rant: Ferocious Dogs, Four Wheelin’ and Purty Teeth @ Good Financial Cents
• Budget Bloggers Tell-All: The over-the-top lengths bargain shoppers will go to in order to save @ Retail Me Not

(Guest post by Alan Corey – author of one of the very first books I ever reviewed on this site! Woo!)

Landing at your dream job is, indeed, a dream for many people. But it remains a dream unless you start working on it.

There are countless ideas on how to land your dream job, but choosing the way to start is sometimes confusing. To keep things in trouble-free perspective, start thinking about what employers want. Bosses and employees are human just like you, so this won’t be a difficult thing to do.

1. Always present your qualities in a concise manner

Employers always expect something from prospective applicants, which they try to find out via resumes and interviews. But they don’t have the luxury of reading a 4-page-resume along with a 2-page cover-letter for 30 minutes; make it easier for them by revamping your resume in a concise time-saving way, and filling it with info that employers need.

2. Don’t be a negative person

Improve chances by having a positive attitude – that is in-scale with reality. Negative people (also known as skeptics) tend to spend most of their time worrying when they face challenges, while positive people worry less and do more.

It all starts with positive thinking; about yourself, the present situation and your future situation. Positive people can accomplish more things and are happier in their jobs compared to negative-thinkers.  Also positive thinkers look at obstacles as challenges, while negative thinkers look at challenges as obstacles.  You will a much better chance at success with the mind-set of the former.

If you were a business owner, would you want negative-thinking people to work for you? Since employers are partial towards positive thinkers, keep in mind that there needs to be a balance, you don’t have to be a ‘yes-man’ all the time.

3. Be knowledgeable

Take classes that will put you closer to your dream job. If you dream of being a photographer, take up photography courses and put your collection online for everyone to see. Continuing education is also a factor that will help you increase your salary, so don’t take it for granted.

Take up proficiency tests, relevant seminars and workshops in your free time, not only it will improve your chances of landing your dream a job, it will also increase your know-how so you won’t appear like a rookie in interviews.

In my opinion, as long as they are related to your dream job, any extracurricular activities and unique continuing education certifications look more impressive on a resume than a Masters degree.  And it’s much cheaper to obtain!

4. Create relevant work history

If your dream job is a completely different line of work than what you are currently doing, then you have to create relevant work history.  The fastest and easiest way to do this is to freelance on websites like elance.com or odesk.com.  Sure you’ll be working at a reduced rate, but the payoff in the end is an increased chance that your resume will lead to an interview at your dream job.   Also, you’ll have earned exceptional client-management skills and real-world experience which can pay off handsomely.

5. Clean up your image online

Never assume that older people don’t know how to use Facebook; many employers seek information from prospective employees using social networking sites. Online presence is very important today because a few clicks and key strokes will yield information on any person.

Make it easier for employers to see or find information about you! If you spend lots of time in Facebook and Twitter posting trivial photos and nonsense jokes, make it worthwhile by updating educational attainment, career highlights and positive experiences. Clean your accounts of discriminating evidence of bad behavior (you know what I am talking about).

Also, in your online profiles make it clear you are business first.  Of the two, would you hire the Twitter bio that read “dog-lover pining for Paris” or the one that read “Senior Account Mgr, Paris expert, and dog aficionado.”  Both say the same thing, but one clearly stands out as professional.

6. Learn to fare well in bad times

Perseverance is also important in job-hunting and career advancement, because there will be times when things get difficult; like when you’ve sent hundreds of resumes without receiving a decent reply, or if you’re rejected in all of your interviews.

Take a look at the bigger picture, you are trying to live your dream! There is nothing wrong with that.  If your dream interview didn’t land you the gig the first time, follow up 3-6 months later and check in on that job you didn’t get.   Express your interest again and inform them what you have accomplished since you last spoke.   And repeat until they either hire you or refer you to their competitor so you’ll leave them alone. Either way,  just keeping at it is the best thing you can do!

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Alan Corey is the author of the entertaining personal finance memoir ”A Million Bucks by 30.” You can learn more about him and his financial advice at www.alancorey.com.

EDITOR’S NOTE:  First off, I can’t agree more with the difference BEING POSITIVE makes. People want to feel GOOD around you and the more they do, the more they’ll be on your side with whatever it is you’re working towards! And secondly, that Facebook/Twitter image stuff is no joke either.  People get fired (and not hired) left and right cuz of crazy stuff people put online… If you still wanna be all feisty with your friends and what not – that’s fine, just create a separate, more hidden, account and do it there – but leave your main one drama-free!  Unless you’re applying as a blogger somewhere (we tend to like that kinda stuff), it’s not good when employers dig it up ;) Thanks for the post, Alan!

(Photo by matt512)

Or rather, her new REVISED book I should say: The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom. If you’re a fan of good financial management, or of the popular guru Suze Orman, this is the book for you. (Even if she did ruffle some feathers the other month in blog land… ;))

I just got my own copy in the mail so haven’t had a chance to peruse it yet, but considering she sold over 3 million copies of the original one, I’m pretty sure this one will be just as helpful – if not more now. Here’s what’s posted on Amazon about it:

With a new preface that reflects personal finance today, New York Times bestselling author and leading financial expert Suze Orman shares a refreshed version of The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom, the revolutionary, groundbreaking classic that changed the way we think, feel, and act about money. Unlike traditional money management books, 9 Steps approaches money from an emotional and spiritual point of view, emphasizing that fear, shame, and anger are the main obstacles to wealth.

Now, in these turbulent economic times, Suze’s life-changing message from fifteen years ago is more important than ever. This reissued version of shows you:

• That debt is bondage and how best to break free of it
• Why the less you have, the more you need a revocable living trust
• How to find the best financial adviser (look in the mirror!)
• How to avoid being taken advantage of when buying life insurance
• Which retirement accounts make sense and which do not

In nine simple steps, you’ll learn all you need to know to be responsible with and respectful of the money you have and the money you don’t have. Embrace Suze’s groundbreaking philosophy—that you are worth more than your money—and understand the true meaning of wealth so you can live a life without regrets. If you do not have control over the money in your life right now, Suze’s nine steps to financial freedom are for you.

How to win your own FREE copy:

Pretty powerful stuff :) If you’re interested in one of the 3 copies we’re giving out, all you have to do is answer this one question:

What does financial freedom mean to YOU?

Put your answer in the comments below, and we’ll Random.org three lucky winners this Sunday, May 13th (Mother’s Day!). So make sure your answers are in by midnight that night before. GOOD LUCK!! Hope those of you who need it the most wins! And for those who can’t wait, you can buy it on Amazon right now for around $11 bucks it looks like. To financial freedom!

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GIVEAWAY OVER: Click here to see who won :)

I don’t know why I’m so late to the parties these days, but color me a new fan of Credit Sesame – a place where you can get your credit score for free and then have ‘em email you when it changes (so you can tell ASAP if something wonky is happening!).

I usually don’t trust the “new players” to the game when it comes to anything financial online (cuz I’m pretty stubborn and/or busy as balls), but I gotta admit I need to quit being that way ;) Some of these companies popping up are helping all kinds of people with interesting products these days to make our lives easier. And even though they ARE in it to make a profit (or what kind of business would they be?), it doesn’t mean they’re not awesome. In that case I’d never be able to visit TJ Maxx or Target, or even use USAA or Mint or anything! Haha… But that’s not the point of today’s post – just me rambling a bit on a distracted Tuesday morning…

The 1-2 Punch!

What I really want to get into is that of the awesome Credit Score. Not only because it plays such a huge factor in any and all loan processes (thereby affecting your interest rates and the extra money you may end up paying for the exact same thing!), but also for reasons such as identify theft and just overall financial goodness.

Even if you’re not in the market lately for a new car loan or mortgage or credit card or whatever, it’s still good to know where you stand. Which is where places like Credit Sesame and Annual Credit Report excel. The latter one, btw, being my usual go-to place to download my ENTIRE credit report at – which you can also do for FREE once a year! :)

So it’s nice 1-2 punch: Hit up Credit Sesame for your free score, but no report, and then Annual Credit Report.com for your entire report, but no score (which I used to end up paying $5 or $10 for each time). Pretty cool, right?

When I sent this around to my V.I.P crew last week, here’s what people sent back to me (Oh, what’s that? You’re not a member?  Well sign up already, homey!):

“I love, love, LOVE Credit Sesame.  Been using it for about six months – Awesome rec, buddy”

“Cool website, my wife and I are looking to buy a condo early next year so this will be a great resource to make sure there are no surprises when trying to secure a mortgage. PS – 802, I win!!!”

“Thanks for the share J. Money. I’ve always hoped for a site that can give you quick and easy access to your credit score without any fees or gimmicks. It seems like Credit Sesame is it.  With that said, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that my score is a hefty 811 =)”

The Credit Score Challenge

As for my own credit score, the last time I blogged about it we were soaking up a 791 :) This time around though, it looks like I dropped a few points and we’re now at a 788 – which is still killer, of course, but I want it to go UP not DOWN over time! Haha…  Anything above 740 is pretty dope though and usually qualifies you for the lowest rates out there, with the highest you could ever hit being a 850 (at least on Experian’s National Equivalency Score). If someone has ever gotten that close, let me know how!  I can’t seem to break the 800s…

If you wanna take me up on my challenge today, go check out YOUR score now and then let me know how you’re doing!  Even if it’s not too hot, always remember you can improve it! It takes a little time and patience to do so, but it’s surely possible.  It’ll save you TONS of money down the road too!  Not only in terms of better interest rates as I mentioned, but also in late fees and general financial no-no’s (cuz if your score is high it means you’re paying attention and staying on track!).

So that’s your mission today if you haven’t done it recently.  Go to Credit Sesame or your own favorite free score place (and if there is another one let me know about it so I can check it out too!), and then to Annual Credit Report to download your free *report*.  They all use the appropriate security online to make sure all is good, but of course if you’re not comfortable doing it then don’t.  You just won’t know if you’re beating me or not ;)

At the end of the day, though, the only score that matters is your own. It’s fun to compare it with others to see how you’re doing in the grand scheme of things, but it’s really just for YOU.  Keep working at it to improve your overall finances, and you’ll be one happy (and sexy) camper down the line.  Keep workin’ it!

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PS:  While it only takes 60 seconds to sign up to Sesame, there’s a part in the process that’s kinda annoying: It asks you to tell them an area you’d like to improve your finances in (which you have to do if you want your free score).  I just did eenie-meenie-miney-mo, but of course if you DO need help in other areas you may find it useful.  Either way, just thought you should know… and also that I’m now an affiliate with them cuz I’m a huge fan!

PPS:  My wife wanted to remind you all that she has beaten me, yet again, for the 2nd time in 3 years ;) This time with an 811. Which she finds hilarious as I’m the money guy!

Remember that social experiment Ramit was doing with giving away $1,001? I won it!! And can’t freakin’ believe it – I rarely win anything. None the less a check for a thousand bones! Haha… So thanks, Ramit – I owe you a case or two of beer at FINCON 2012 ;)

And I gotta admit – there’s a part of me that REALLY wants to change my mind too with what I said I would do with this money… It’s funny cuz it’s totally 100% FREE all the way, but as soon as you KNOW it’s yours, all of a sudden your conservative side kicks in and makes you double think everything.  Even though I swore up and down (on this blog, even!) that I wouldn’t!  Which I’m pretty sure was the point of giving away this money to begin w/ at Ramit’s site – he wants to know if people say one thing but do another when the dream becomes a reality ;)

So I’m torn!  Especially now that we just plopped down over $1,000 on our new water heater AND we’re about to tear down part of our bathroom now (more on that in a few days, what a mess…). But then the other side of me says, “Hey $hitbrain – you said you were gonna *enjoy* this money and treat it differently if you won, so stick with the plan!  How often does someone just hand you a check for $1,000??”  And that side of me has a point too.

In case you missed it, here’s what I said would do if I won (NEVER thinking I ever would!):

1. Put $500 into our future baby’s 529 college fund. Because I have to start it *sometime*, and $500 would be a killer way to get me motivated! Esp when it’s free :)
2. Use $300 for a anniversary weekend at a bed and breakfast in wine country.  I figured we’re gonna be spending money anyways for our and up and coming 4 year celebration, so this would be an even sweeter deal not using our OWN money for it all.
3. Then another $200 towards a charity of my friends’ choice (since I don’t really connect with any myself).  This part being the hardest, of course, cuz it’s $200 we’re talking about!  But then again, I have even MORE responsibility to give back now that I’ve been so blessed, right?
4. And lastly, throw the remaining $1.00 towards a fresh lottery ticket :)  Since I’m now on a roll w/ luck, haha… this won’t be hard for me to do now that my lottery ticket moratorium is now over ;)

So what to do?  Stick with my guns and what I truly wanted to do in the beginning? Or be boring and just use it towards repayment of our damn water heater and/or future bathroom work I’ll be blogging about soon?  Tough one for sure, but at least it’s a GOOD problem to have for once this month :) And the more I think about it, the more I’m leaning towards my initial list there. If I can’t have fun with someone else’s money, how the heck can I have fun w/ my own?

What would you do in my shoes?  Has any of YOUR goals changed in the past 3-4 weeks for those who played along w/ this game back then?  And more importantly, does it really MATTER?  At the end of the day it’s all extra, so as long as you use it towards *something* important to you, I feel like it’s all a big freakin’ WIN, right?  Last week I had $1,001 less! :)

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PS:  Since I’m now sticking to my original goals here, tell me your all-time favorite charity! I have $200 to spend one one (or a few?) now, so convince me to contribute to YOURS :)