The Free Thrifty Thanksgiving eBook

When thinking about holiday spending, most people typically fast-forward to December’s big budget busting holidays. However, it pays to think thrifty all season long—starting with Thanksgiving. While a turkey alone might not tip your financial scale, holiday food, travel, decorations, and entertainment can really add up. Thankfully, Thrifty Thanksgiving includes a lot of ideas to help you trim the fat from your Thanksgiving budget. In addition to ideas on how to stretch your dinner and budget, Thrifty Thanksgiving covers:

• Step-by-step instructions for decorating on a dime
• 5 ways to keep tradition
• 5 ways to break tradition
• Travel tips
• Tips for staying in the black on Black Friday
• How to make the most of leftovers
• Ways to incorporate “thanks” into your Thanksgiving

Thrifty Thanksgiving also offers a holiday checklist to help you organize your plans. After all, a little planning can help you enjoy and tasteful and thrifty Thanksgiving.

What more could you ask for? It’s a free eBook that helps you plan out hosting Thanksgiving while saving money without compromising traditions. If you’re cooking the turkey this year, this eBook is a must read.

Download it for free: http://thanksgiving.moneymanagement.org/
Read more at: http://blog.moneymanagement.org/free-thrifty-thanksgiving-ebook/

A few days ago, I wrote a post sending some love to Craigslist.org for their efforts to combat job-related scams.

This morning, I received an e-mail from Monster.com warning me about job scams when searching “online.” It didn’t go so far as to say scam ads are alive and well at Monster.com, but we take what we can get. (Pssst! Hey, Monster. The first step in recovery is admitting you have a problem.)

I would like to see a little stronger language from them, and more important, some policing of ads posted on their site. But this is definitely a step in the right direction so kudos to Monster for that. Yahoo? It’s your turn now.

Here is the email in its entirety. I copy it here because of its good information about online scams revolving around jobs.

3 Scams to Avoid In an Online Job Search

“If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.” Whether you are searching for a new job through Monster or other websites, keep in mind that the same technological innovations that help in your job search may be used by cyber-criminals looking to lure job seekers into questionable job “opportunities.”

Monster, the worldwide leader in the online recruitment industry, makes protecting job seekers a top priority. While Monster continually monitors its network and database to detect and terminate fraudulent access or job postings, keep in mind that Monster’s primary purpose is to serve as an open forum for employers to advertise open positions and a service for job seekers to broadcast their qualifications to interested employers. We work hard to ensure that only appropriate parties (such as employers) have access, but neither we nor any other online recruitment company can guarantee that inappropriate parties will not gain access to a posted resume. Accordingly, we’d like to remind you of what you can do to help keep yourself safe during a job search.

Know What to Avoid

Some employment scams appear as job postings or classifieds while others may target victims with an offer through an unsolicited email. Below are the most common scams you may see:
Money-Laundering Scams
Money launderers often create job descriptions that offer commissions or pay as high as $2000 per day to process checks on behalf of foreign nationals. They are recruiting local citizens to “process payments” or “transfer funds,” because as foreign nationals, they can’t do it themselves. The image below is an example of a money laundering scam hidden behind what appears to be an offer of employment.

Reshipping Scams
Reshipping, or postal forwarding, scams typically require job seekers to receive stolen goods in their own homes– frequently consumer electronics — and then forward the packages, often outside the United States. Those who fall for reshipping scams may be liable for shipping charges and even the cost of goods purchased online with stolen credit cards. Read more about reshipping scams here. »

Pre-pay/Work at Home Scams
Although there are genuine jobs working at home, many “offers” are not valid forms of employment and may have the simple goal of obtaining an initial monetary investment from the victim. Using claims such as ‘be your own boss’ and ‘make money quickly’, Work at Home scams will not guarantee regular salaried employment and almost always require an “up-front” investment of money for products or instructions before explaining how the plan works.

Protect Yourself

What seems like a lucrative job offer could cost you your savings and more. Learn to identify the signals of an employment scam to protect yourself. When conducting a job search:
Look for signals in a job posting or email offer, which could serve as an indicator that what is being presented as employment is not legitimate. Don’t get involved with an employer that can’t make its business model perfectly clear to you or one that’s willing to hire you without even a phone interview. Do your own research on any employer that makes you feel at all uneasy.

Never put your social security or national ID number, credit card number, bank account number or any type of sensitive personal identification data in your resume. You should never share any personal information with a prospective employer, even if they suggest that it is for a “routine background check”, until you are confident that the employer and employment opportunity is legitimate. Use Monster’s resume visibility options to ‘Be Safe’.

Do not engage in any transaction in which you are requested to transfer or exchange currency or funds to a prospective employer. Remain alert for the Work at Home employers who require you to make an up-front investment.

Be cautious when dealing with individuals/companies from outside your own country.
If you see a questionable job posting or suspect misuse of the Monster website or its brand, please report the suspected fraud to Monster.

If you think you have been a victim of fraud, immediately report the fraud to your local police and contact Monster, so steps can be taken to ensure your safety. We also recommend that you file an online report with The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C). For more information on how to conduct a safe job search, visit Monster’s Security Center. You can also check out LooksTooGoodToBeTrue.com.

Holiday Mail for Heroes

Red Cross started a program two years ago that delivered your letters to service members throughout the holiday season. Cards are delivered to both veterans and those on active duty. The Holiday Mail for Heroes program allows you to “send a touch of home” to those in the armed forces.

We have established an extensive process to ensure all cards sent to our service members are safe and arrive in time for the holidays. Holiday cards will be collected through a unique P.O. Box address from Monday, November 2 through Monday, December 7*.

First, cards from across the nation must be sent to this address:

Holiday Mail for Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

Every card received will be screened for hazardous materials by Pitney Bowes and distributed to participating Red Cross chapters nationwide. Once the cards arrive at the Red Cross chapters, they are sorted and reviewed by volunteers who then distribute them to service members, their families and veterans in communities across the country.

Your card must be received by December 7th for it to be delivered. Otherwise the card will be returned to you. Other than that, the Red Cross has just a few more guidelines for you to follow.

Do…

• Sign all cards
• Entitle cards “Dear Service Member, Family or Veteran”
• Limit cards to 15 per person or 50 for school class or business group
• Bundle groups of cards in single, large envelopes

Don’t…

• Send letters
• Include personal information such as home or email addresses
• Use glitter – excessive amounts can aggravate health issues of wounded recipients
• Include inserts of any kind as they must be removed in the screening process

That’s all! I’ll be mailing out a batch of cards later this week. Let us know if you send out any as well!

Read more at http://www.redcrosschat.org/

This is an update for those of you not following the story at carepages.com. The family now asks that no more cards be sent:

Wow! The outpouring of love and concern for Noah is just amazing! Scott and I never in a million years thought that so many people would want to send Christmas cards to Noah. However, please note: We did already celebrate Christmas LAST Sunday — November 8th.

PLEASE STOP SENDING CARDS AND GIFTS!!!!

Noah is very ill. He is not getting out of bed and it’s time for Scott, our families, and I to concentrate on our son. His time is very short and he needs us.

Scott and I would like to say thank you so much for the support and continued show of love. However, we are asking that everyone please stop sending cards and gifts.

Also, everyone please post the stop order on Facebook and any other websites or organizations that you belong to. We need the peace right now.

Thank you for your understanding in this request.

How much mail did Noah get? On Nov. 11, the family announced:

We received 80,000 pieces of mail on Monday alone!

Eighty. Thousand. Cards. Wow. God, are you listening?

Thanks for your support, folks. You’re a good bunch of people. Makes me wonder what else we could accomplish in this little corner of cyberspace with the holidays on the horizon.

Any ideas? Speak up in the comments.

When you responded to the ad, you were told to pay money up front for a “membership” or for “training” or special software or whatever. Our mantra, never pay for a job, started back then.

The scammers and their tactics have only changed slightly. They still pretend to be offering you a job when what they really want is to sell you crap, but now, big names in cyberspace are fighting back. Google cracked down on scammy ads; the FTC is pressing charges. The good guys have won some victories.

Craigslist is one of the good guys. Our e-book teaches you how to find legitimate jobs through Craigslist while avoiding the scams, and now, Craigslist is helping fight the bad guys. If you go to a Craigslist site and click the Jobs heading to browse the job listings, you’ll see this warning:

SCAM ALERT – affiliate scammers are posting bogus ads promising (nonexistent!) employment, paid research trials, or other compensation, but then notifying repliers that they’ll need to jump through a hoop first…all in hopes of earning affiliate marketing commissions or otherwise profiting at the expense of persons seeking employment.

The warning then goes on to list some of the tactics we have been warning about from the beginning. Again, we have nothing against affiliate marketing. But we draw the line at deceptive practices that pretend to offer you a job while taking your money on the sly.

This is excellent news. It means that, FINALLY, one of the big ad listing sites is taking another step toward responsibility for the crap posted on its pages. If Monster and Yahoo and other sites would follow suit, we would have fewer victim stories.

Let’s make this Noah’s best Christmas ever by sending him Christmas cards!

Five year-old Noah Biorkman is in hospice and we need your help to make this the best Christmas ever by sending him Christmas cards! His family will be celebrating Christmas this weekend.

Noah was diagnosed with Stage IV Neuroblastoma in February 2007. He went into remission in August 2007. In September 2008, Noah relapsed with lesions in his right arm and right leg. After going through six different trials, the cancer continues to spread. Noah is an angel and we are blessed to have him in our lives.

Please help the fulfill the Biorkman family’s wish to make this the best Christmas ever for Noah. You can send your Christmas cards to:

Update Nov. 17: Noah’s family requested via Carepages.com that no more cards be sent. They were grateful for the outpouring, but now they need to focus on him.

My card is already in the mail. Be sure to leave a comment below if you send a card out as well.

Confirmed by Snopes and Noah’s CarePages website.

]]> http://www.ivetriedthat.com/2009/11/06/noah-biorkman-a-5-year-old-dying-from-cancer-wants-a-christmas-card-from-you/feed/ 8 http://www.ivetriedthat.com/2009/11/02/read-the-fine-print/ http://www.ivetriedthat.com/2009/11/02/read-the-fine-print/#comments Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:54:10 +0000 Steve http://www.ivetriedthat.com/?p=4130 How often have you checked that little box next to the statement ‘I agree to the Terms and Conditions’ without ever reading over the terms you were agreeing to? I know I’m guilty. But, you can save yourself a ton of trouble by simply spending a few minutes reading over the fine print of a sales page. I know the countdown timer says there is only 14 seconds left before the offer runs out FOREVER, but ignore it for now.

Is AcaiForceMax a scam?

I don’t know and I have no intention of finding out. Instead, I want to take a look at their sales page and their fine print.

The sales pitch behind AcaiForceMax claims that the little Acai berries will help you lose weight, tone muscles, burn fat, and increase your energy levels. The page is littered with testimonials and pictures of these jacked dudes lifting weights and looking good while trying to maintain nonchalant and carefree poses.

If I was trying to lose weight, the sales pitch has me sold. I get to lose weight, build muscle, and have girls throw themselves at me from every possible angle the minute I step out in public. What more could you want?

However, I’m going to keep reading after I reach the bottom of the sales pitch. I’m going to go where few have gone before and I’m actually going to read the fine print. It starts off with…

* These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please consult your physician before beginning any program. If there is a change in your medical condition, please notify your counselor immediately.

Hmm, that’s kind of disappointing. But just because the FDA hasn’t evaluated their claims doesn’t mean it won’t work, right?

1 Results not typical for any and all claims.

Crap. So all that stuff you said above probably won’t happen? But the testimonials looked so promising!

** All celebrity images were found on and obtained from public websites and are believed to be in public domain.
***Picture does not contain the likeness of the customer that submitted the testimonial.

Not even the testimonials were real! Well at least I can trust Fitness magazine, CBS, ABC, and Wall Street Journal for looking into AcaiForceMax.

+ Fitness Magazine, CBS News, ABC, and Wall Street Journal are registered trademarks of their respective owners.
2 Media elements deployed are those of paid actors.

IS ANYTHING YOU SAY REAL? You say as seen on ABC, but only because you paid ABC to advertise! I’m skeptical as hell at this point, but hey, it’s a free trial. What could go wrong about free?

If you do not cancel your Trial Membership during the applicable fourteen (14) day period as set forth in Section 7 herein below, your Active Credit Card will be charged the monthly Membership fee of Eighty-Seven Dollars and Sixty-Two Cents ($87.62) (”Monthly Fee”)

I. Give. Up.

Now do you see why we urge you all to read the terms and conditions? In about 2 minutes I found out that AcaiForceMax doesn’t work, the testimonials do not feature real people, and the free trial will cost me $87.62 every 30 days.

And that’s why I now take the time to read the terms and conditions to which I am agreeing to. You should too.

]]> http://www.ivetriedthat.com/2009/11/02/read-the-fine-print/feed/ 4 http://www.ivetriedthat.com/2009/10/30/hate-spam-this-is-the-guy-you-hate/ http://www.ivetriedthat.com/2009/10/30/hate-spam-this-is-the-guy-you-hate/#comments Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:40:55 +0000 Joe http://www.ivetriedthat.com/?p=4124 Back in the 1990s, when email was new and cool, this loser sent 30 million spam messages per day.

If you hate spam like I do, there’s a good chance Sanford Wallace is responsible for your attitude.

The good news? He just lost a big legal fight with Facebook. A court has ordered him to pay Facebook $711 million for hacking members’ accounts and using them to send phony posts and messages. And the court referred the case to the US attorney’s office for possible criminal prosecution. (Read the story.)

YES! It’s Bozos like him that have given Internet and email marketing a bad rap. They are the back-alley underbelly of a legitimate business that just about anyone can do.

Will he ever pay the full penalty? Of course not. But today is still a good day for the Internet.

]]> http://www.ivetriedthat.com/2009/10/30/hate-spam-this-is-the-guy-you-hate/feed/ 2 http://www.ivetriedthat.com/2009/10/29/probably-not-seen-on-cnn-abc-fox-and-msnbc/ http://www.ivetriedthat.com/2009/10/29/probably-not-seen-on-cnn-abc-fox-and-msnbc/#comments Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:00:01 +0000 Steve http://www.ivetriedthat.com/?p=4096 I really hate it when scammers use the logos of major networks to try and pass off legitimacy. The only thing I hate more is when people write to us asking us, “why would these news companies back this program if you’re saying it’s a scam? I trust CNN more than I trust you so I’m going to send my $2500 to Make-Billions-Online-Doing-Nothing.com.”

If a website was featured and backed by a major news organization, you could be damn sure they are going to be linking to the news article or video as proof. It would be great publicity and a surefire way to bring legitimacy and authority to their name. Any website can put up a picture of a CNN logo, but not any website can actually be featured at CNN. Odds are, if you come across a website claiming to be featured somewhere and they don’t link you to said feature, they’re lying to you.

Why You Can’t Believe Everything You See Online.

Perhaps you’ve seen I’ve Tried That’s newest spokesperson. He’s an old friend that goes by the name of President Obama and has been on a national campaign to bring awareness to our website.

No, you haven’t heard of him? Well then maybe you’ve been to the new I’ve Tried That arena in the south. It’s being hailed as the 9th wonder of the world (FYI the fact that we’ve been operating this long and still haven’t been sued is the 8th).

Not a sports fan eh. Well then surely you’ve had to have heard about I’ve Tried That’s space program. We’re sending Joe to Mars in search of life in April 2010.

And thus concludes my segment of why you can’t trust everything you read online.

]]> http://www.ivetriedthat.com/2009/10/29/probably-not-seen-on-cnn-abc-fox-and-msnbc/feed/ 5 http://www.ivetriedthat.com/2009/10/20/ive-tried-audible-com-and-love-it/ http://www.ivetriedthat.com/2009/10/20/ive-tried-audible-com-and-love-it/#comments Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:23:00 +0000 Joe http://www.ivetriedthat.com/?p=4025 This post wanders a little from our usual territory, but it might be useful to some readers, anyway. If, like me, you spend a lot of time commuting or walking, jogging, or threshing grain with your MP3 player, this post is for you.

I listen to music and audio books on my Zune 30. I get the audio books from Audible.com, where a gold membership gets me one audiobook per month plus access to thousands of others at low prices.

I love that I don’t have to rip books from CD to my Zune…a simple download and I’m there, all for about $15 per month. The Web site works flawlessly for me every time, and unlike some people have experienced with Kindle, I own the audio books I buy. In case you’re curious, here are the books playing on my Zune:

• The Year of the Flood, Margaret Atwood (my current listen)
• A Mercy, Toni Morrison
• Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan
• The Hunger Games & Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins
• Catch 22, Joseph Heller
• Home, Marilynne Robinson
• The Sparrow, Mary Doria Russell
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie

Get a Free Audio Book

Audible is running a promotion just for friends of members. (Don’t you feel special?) You sign up for a free, two-week trial of its service and you get to download one free audio book to see if it’s a good fit for you. If you stick around, it’s only $14.95 per month for a Gold membership and that includes one audio book each month.

Click here to check out the offer. Instead of listening to Fergie or something while you jog, you could be getting smarter with audio books!

And remember, the first one is free and there’s no obligation to extend your membership beyond the free trial. Take a look at Audible today.

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