Shredding

Shredding documents with any information about you is one of the ways to avoid identity theft. This includes credit card offers, utility bills, credit card bills, communications of any kind from your health insurance carrier, old canceled checks you're throwing out, anything with financial information, any kind of brokerage report, department store bills and anything with your social security number. You should also shred old creidt cards and any CDs with any kind of personal and/or financial information.

You can buy a shredder just about any place these days. The big box stationery stores such as Staples or Office Max or Office Depot, Target, WalMart and lots of other places. There are constant sales and rebate offers so buy one when they are on sale. Get a crosscut shredder that will do eight to twelve sheets at a time.

Some UPS stores will also do shredding. They charge by the pound.

There are also some companies that have trucks that come to your home or office and shred your documents.

Saving Money 2009 -- Free Breakfast

This may not be much of a way to save money but IKEA is offering a free breakfast till 10:30 am from Friday, Februay 13 thru Monday, February 16. It's their small breakfast and a cup of coffeee. See more info at http://info.ikea-usa.com/seizethedays/.

Depending on the distance to IKEA, the cost of gas and whether or not you spend money there this could be a savings or a loss.

Missing Money

Could you use some extra money that you never knew you had. Who couldn't? About a year ago I wrote about the website http://www.missingmoney.com/. It is a great site.

When money is unclaimed, such as utility deposits, dividend checks, bank accounts, store refunds and a host of other things, after a certain amount of time it "escheats" to the state. Each state in the United States has an office for unclaimed money. The site missingmoney has taken the lists for most states and computerized them in such a way that all you have to do is put in your name and see if there is any money out there for you. If there is money due to you go to the listings for the state office and fill out the form and mail it in and then wait for your check.

Most amounts are small but even so it is your money. And it's money. Even small amounts are great to come upon unexpectedly. So go to the site and enter your name and see if you have some money coming to you.