It sure is a topsy-turvy economy and I’m feeling a bit like this hamster right now, flung around by the Wheel of Mayhem. Here’s three items to help us all survive.
Watching your back at the ATM
While I’m starting to get “fraud fatigue” from all the many items warning us about identity theft, phishing, password pirates, etc., I do usually read the latest item and then cross my fingers it won’t happen to me. These cautionary tips from the Wall Street Journal’s handy The Wallet blog help arm us against ATM fraud. (And, no, I don’t mean the $3 that my neighborhood BoFA bank recently charged me to take out $60.) Who knew that a slow ATM may not mean it’s tired at the end of the day, but rather that the machine has been tampered with? And other necessary warnings…
If only I had some frequent flier points
In my 10/6 posting I shared how to sign up for fare alerts. This New York Times article tells you that Yapta.com, one of those fare alert services, now offers a way to track if a frequent flier seat opens up on your plane. If the fallout in travel happens as predicted during this economic storm, this could really prove useful, for both those with frequent flier miles and the airlines who want to fill seats. Read which airlines Yapta will work with at the outset to offer this service.
Taking advantage of eBay (shoppers)
Think it would be cool to turn your kid’s castoffs or yard sale or thrift store finds into a nice side income? The Natural Mom blog directs you to the eBay Toy Selling guide which tells you how to make surprisingly good money selling “hot” toys. I, for one, am not an online auction junkie but keep hearing that it can be a real way to scare up cash in a scary economy. I don’t have any “hot” toys lying around unused (except my Nintendo Wii Fit) but do have lots of holiday-given gadgets and tableware still in their original boxes. It’s not like selling a mint Spiderman action figure, but maybe worth some money? (But is it worth my time?)
Laughing’s better than crying
"The U.S. Mint announced this week they are redesigning the penny. Have you seen it? It looks exactly like the old dollar." —Jay Leno
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