Identity Theft And Credit Card Fraud Can Happen To You. Protect Yourself.
The holiday season is one of the busiest online shopping times of the year. It’s also one of the most dangerous times for your financial safety because online criminals are in full force during the holidays. Even so, you can stay safe, protect yourself and your money and enjoy your online holiday shopping by taking some basic, simply and easy precautions.
Of the 3.2 million identity theft and fraud reports received in 2019, 1.7 million were fraud-related, about 900,000 were other consumer complaints and about 651,000 were identity theft complaints.
Of the 1.7 million fraud cases, 23 percent reported money was lost. In 2019 consumers reported losing more than $1.9 billion related to fraud complaints, an increase of $293 million from 2018.
Insurance Information Institute, Inc.
The III Facts + Statistics: Identity Theft and Cybercrime Web Page:
Following These Tips Will Help You Keep Your Identity And Financial Accounts Safe From Scammers And Prying Eyes:
1. Watch Your Smartphone Carefully.
Do you use your Smartphone to make purchases online? Before you let a friend, family member, or stranger borrow your phone, ensure you’ve logged out of every program and website.
- It’s easy for someone to steal your identity online by using your logged-in credentials on a Smartphone.
- You may want to set up and download apps that lock your phone if it’s lost or stolen.
- These apps can prevent thieves from stealing your information.
- Search your favorite app store for security apps designed for your phone.
2. Watch Out For Fake Shopping Websites And Emails.
Fake websites and emails can steal your personal information before you even realize that the website isn’t real. BAM! Men know that if the deal seems too good to be true…
- Verify every website you use to do your online shopping.
- Be careful before you click on any links in your email. These may be scams created to harvest your personal data.
- Ensure the websites you use are secure and have security certificates that are up to date. Secure sites encrypt your personal financial information to help you keep it safe.
3. Pay Attention To Your Accounts.
Identity thieves have learned that they can make smaller transactions online, and you may not notice them. These small transactions also verify active accounts. If these small transactions go unnoticed, they go on to steal even more.
- Keep an eye on all of your online accounts. If you see any transactions you don’t recognize, call your bank or the merchant that holds the account immediately.
4. Avoid Public Computers And Networks.
It’s safer to shop online during the holidays at home on your personal devices.
- You may not be able to tell if a public computer or network has been hacked by identity thieves. They may have set up key logging software that can capture every bit of information you type. They may have also infected the machines with malware or viruses to steal your data.
5. Avoid Using Your Debit Card. It’s Safer To Use A Credit Card For Shopping Online.
Credit cards generally have stronger safety and consumer protection measures than debit cards.
- If a thief gets hold of your debit card number, they can drain your bank account in minutes, yet it can take days, weeks, or months for your bank to replace your lost funds.
- On the other hand, with a credit card, they run up your balances, but the fraudulent charges are usually taken off again when you report them right away.
- If you have spent a day out shopping at the mall or have been shopping online, check your online card account daily to check and verify the charges on your card. You should be checking your accounts anytime of the year!
6. Pay Attention To The Privacy Policies.
Legitimate websites have privacy policies that state that they protect your financial information.
If you’re using a website to shop during the holidays and don’t see any type of privacy policy, then it may be a sign of a scam.
7. Print Your Online Receipts Or At Least Save Them.
Saving all your receipts enables you to keep track of your purchases. You can compare these receipts to any charges you don’t recognize on your accounts.
8. Be Very Careful On Social Media.
Your social media friends may share amazing deals during the holiday shopping season.
It’s smart to check these deals out ahead of time with your friends to ensure they are really deals that they recommended to you. Again, if a deal seems to good to be true…
- Social media networks are also vulnerable to identity thieves.
You can shop online safely and protect your identity at the same time. Stay safe as you browse for gifts and enjoy the holiday season.
Now that you have protected your funds, here are some ways to save money this holiday season.
10 Gift Ideas For Holiday Shopping On A Budget
Despite what retailers want you to believe, the holiday season is all about good will, good times with good friends and family. Unfortunately, we’ve been conditioned to believe that the best way to show these feelings is through elaborate gifts. There is no need to become a slave to consumerism this Black Friday or holiday season.
If you’re strapped for cash this year, but don’t want to give up the giving aspect of the season, look no further! And you just may wow a special someone with your creative gift ideas!
Here Are Some Great Gift Ideas For When You’re Pinching Pennies During The Holiday Season:
1. Gourmet Tea And Coffee.
Create a gourmet tea or coffee basket combining a hand-picked mug with a favorite flavor or two of coffee or tea. Add in other items as desired, such as honey, sweetener sticks, specialty creamers and marshmallows to suit the gift recipient.
2. Homemade Cocoa Mix.
Create a homemade cocoa mix by combining powdered sugar, cocoa, powdered milk, and other desired ingredients. Layer the mix in a jar to create a unique gift and include instructions for making the hot cocoa on the gift tag.
3. Homemade Baking Mix.
Follow the same idea as the homemade cocoa mix, but this time with cookie or brownie mix. Layer the individual ingredients like flour, sugar, and chocolate chips in the jar to create a unique gift. Include clear instructions so the recipient can recreate your favorite cookie recipes.
4. Gourmet Gift Baskets.
Combine gourmet cheeses, meats, crackers, mustards, jams, and other ingredients to create your own gourmet gift baskets. Buy the individual items yourself and save a great deal of cash in comparison to buying pre-built gift baskets from specialty stores.
5. Gardening Gift Basket.
Combine flower seeds, vegetable seeds, and other gardening goodies – like trowels and hand shovels – to create a gift basket for someone who enjoys gardening. Add other goodies as desired, like plant markers, pretty containers, and homemade soil mix.
6. Home Movie Basket.
Combine a gift card for movie rentals with popcorn and butter spray or seasoning and a box of movie theater style candy to create a gift basket for enjoying movies at home with the family.
7. Breakfast Gift Basket.
Combine pancake or waffle mix with a bottle of real maple syrup and any other gifts that you think would suit a “breakfast in bed” theme such as a relaxing CD or a nice book.
8. Muffin Baking Basket.
Combine muffin tins with a couple of different store-bought or homemade muffin mixes and some fresh berries or chocolate chips. Include the recipe for each muffin mix.
9. Recipe Box And Cards.
Put together a handmade recipe box with some of your favorite recipes inside. Put the recipe cards together yourself, decorate them to suit the recipient and add in extra cards for their own recipes. Use stickers, colored pens, and calligraphy to create unique recipe cards or dividers for the recipe box.
10. Favorite Candy Jar.
Buy and decorate a glass jar and fill it with some of the recipient’s favorite candies. Layer different colored candies to create a colorful effect. For example, separate gummy fish by color and layer them from bottom to top, then hand paint an aquarium scene on the outside of the jar.
You can customize all of these gift ideas to suit the recipient, and each gift is meaningful because you put it together yourself. You just may surprise yourself and someone else! Wink Wink!
To give gifts that truly matter, make them yourself and put your heart into them. You’ll be surprised at how much money you can save when you create homemade gifts yourself!
Save Money On Holiday Parties And Entertainment
If you plan to throw a holiday party, you’re probably aware that the cost of entertaining others can be pretty darn pricey. Lucky for you, there are a number of fun and interesting ways to throw a holiday soiree without breaking your seasonal budget.
Experiment with creative and cost-effective holiday party themes to enjoy the company of your loved ones without stretching yourself thin. Step and impress your friends and family. BAM! Men are not Scrooge.
Different Types Of Holiday Parties.
Rather than hosting a giant get-together just before Christmas, consider smaller seasonal parties any time during the winter months to enjoy the presence of friends and family members. The benefit here is that by spreading out your entertaining needs, you’re taking away the stress and expense of a single large party to accommodate everyone.
Try These Inexpensive Holiday Party Themes:
1. Holiday Open House.
Invite your guests to drop by anytime they like during certain hours. Offer them hors d’oeuvres and keep drinks available throughout the day. A holiday open house is a fuss-free, stress-free and casual get together without strict commitments or a great deal of planning required.
2. Dessert Party.
Ask each of your guests to bring a favorite dessert or craft a few of your own. Combine a spread of desserts and other sweets with a pot of coffee or a batch of cocoa and enjoy a low-key get together. Pair the dessert party concept with a rented movie or another theme such as tree trimming, gift-wrapping, crafting or caroling.
3. Gift-Wrapping Party.
Invite friends or family members over to help wrap gifts. Play good music or put on a movie, then set everyone up with a wrapping space, paper, scissors, scotch tape and gift tags. Encourage guests to bring their own wrapping supplies and gifts, and then tackle all your wrapping in a single fun-filled evening.
4. Tree-Trimming Party.
Catch up with your friends while doing your holiday decorating with this low-cost holiday party theme. Use whatever decorations you already own; then the only cost for this party theme is the snacks and refreshments for your friends.
5. Potluck Party.
This is the classic inexpensive party theme because it encourages each guest to bring a favorite food or drink, cutting down on your costs. Provide the plates, utensils and napkins and you’re good to go. Choose a theme for your potluck, such as desserts, soups or fondue to make things interesting.
6. Caroling Party.
Caroling is free entertainment for your friends and loved ones. Take everyone caroling, and then bring everyone back home for warm cider, hot cocoa, and fresh baked Christmas cookies. This simple get together can be truly enjoyable for everyone involved.
7. Baking Party.
Grab your friends and family members and ask each to bring an element for baking such as sugar, flour, chocolate chips, sugar sprinkles, and so on. Get together for an evening in the kitchen. Keep warm cider and hot chocolate handy and Christmas music on the radio while you and your loved ones bake holiday cookies.
8. Crafting Party.
Provide supplies for different inexpensive holiday crafts or ask each of your guests to bring the materials for one of their favorite crafts. This party is ideal for smaller groups but can help you make gifts for family and friends just in time for Christmas.
Small, simple ideas can go a long way toward creating enjoyable holiday get-togethers with those you love, yet without the expense.
Each idea offers an inexpensive way to spend time with friends and family during the holiday season without breaking the bank, extending past your budget, or stressing yourself out unnecessarily.
Saving Money On Holiday Meals
The concept of frugal holiday meals may sound like an oxymoron, but it really isn’t as impossible as it may seem.
Even though holiday meals express the great value of abundance, you can still avoid stretching your finances beyond their capabilities.
How Can It Be Done?
There’s nothing stopping you from serving up delicious holiday meals without destroying your budget in the process. The key to saving money on holiday meals is planning and forethought. When you put time and effort into planning your holiday meals, the results are nearly always positive.
Follow These Strategies To Save Money On Your Holiday Meals This Year:
1. Consider Your Portions.
Consider your guest list to ensure that your portions match how many people will be eating. Limit waste by only buying and cooking what your guests will actually eat. If you want to have generous leftovers, simply figure them into the math as well.
2. Remember The Leftovers.
Plan out your leftovers so you use them effectively and nothing goes to waste. Package your leftovers in portions sized for meals and store them based on when you plan to serve them. Meat and many side dishes can be frozen, so consider how you will use your leftovers to promote frugality and prevent waste.
3. Know When To Shop.
The day after Thanksgiving is ideal for stocking up, especially if you plan a repeat performance for Christmas. Turkeys, hams, and many of the fixings from Thanksgiving will be available at a steep discount the day after the holiday. Stock up on anything that you can freeze or store to cut down significantly on Christmas holiday meals.
- Turkeys often go on sale for as little as 25% of their original price, and hams are often sold in a similar fashion. If you plan to cook something similar for Christmas, make some room in your freezer and take advantage of this sale to cut costs for your upcoming holiday meal.
4. Know Which Conveniences Matter.
Some conveniences are worthwhile and will save you money while others will not. Canned sweet potatoes cost less than fresh, for example. Pre-baked rolls are often less expensive than making your own during the holiday season. Plan ahead to learn which convenience items will help you save money in the long run.
5. Cook From Scratch.
When it’s possible to do so, cook from scratch. Stuffing and gravy are two staples that you can create at home more cheaply than you can buy them. Boxed mashed potatoes are cheap, but the real thing costs even less and tends to store well.
- Start on your stuffing ahead of time, since you can use the heels from bread loafs or leftover stale sandwich bread. Let the bread dry out on a cookie sheet and you can use it as breadcrumbs in your homemade stuffing.
- Your guests will appreciate your from-scratch cooking.
Holiday meals are meant to be enjoyable. You and your guests will enjoy the meal all the more when you’re not stressed out over the cost. Plan ahead, cut costs where you can, and have a wonderful holiday meal that fits within your budget.
Conclusion:
We have told you how to protect yourself when you shop online and in the stores. Basically pay attention to what you are doing and keep track of everything you spend and every charge that you make. As soon as you see a charge that you are one-hundred percent sure that you did not make, report it to your card company right away.
We have given you ideas on fun and interesting holiday gift ideas to save some bucks and still look like the hero that you are. Even if your gifts may not be perfect, if you have given the right gift to the right person, there is no doubt that your efforts will be appreciated (and rewarded?).
We have offered you some cool and fun party ideas to help you save a few more bucks.
And we have suggested some cost savings tips for food and meals for the holidays.
Aside from writing you a check (we won’t) I think that we have covered more than enough to allow you to have an interesting, fun and not so expensive holiday. What more do you want?
BAM! Be A Man. Do The Right Thing. Enjoy the holidays, but enjoy them frugally and wisely!
BAM! Be A Man. Do the Right Thing.
Be the DtRTy Guy.