Saving Time and Money in 2007
Saving Time and Money in 2007
The Wall Street Journal has a great article on how to save time and money in the New Year. Some of the highlights from the article include how to back up your cell phone address book, fixing errors on your personal information, and setting up services like electricity, cable, gas, phone, and internet when you move.
Back Up Cell Phone Data: Susteen Inc’s DataPilot ($79.00) and FutureDial Inc’s SnapSync ($29.00). Both programs let users enter, edit, and sync contacts between their cell phone and computer. You never know when or how your cell phone might get damaged, especially working in Law Enforcement, so backing up your personal/business contacts stored in your cell phone is definitely a good idea and well worth the investment of your time and cash.
Fixing your personal information: Start the New Year by doing a background check on yourself. Order your free credit reports from www.annualcreditreports.com or call 877-322-8228. Review your reports and if you find errors follow them up with complaints to the three major credit reporting bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion).
Find out if someone’s been writing bad checks in your name by going to www.consumerdebit.com. Also, check you’re your social security number activity by going to www.ssa.gov and ordering a copy of your social security report. Someone may be using your number without your knowing it. Report any discrepancies by calling 1800-772-1213.
To go to the extreme, you might want to order a complete background check on yourself to see if anyone has been using your name to get out of trouble. A legitimate background-screening company will charge you $30-$100.00 to run a check on yourself. Go to The National Association of Professional Background Screeners, www.napbs.com, and find one.
If you ever have had your personal information used without your knowledge, I definitely suggest following all the steps to include a background check. Better safe than sorry.
Moving and Setting-Up Utility Services: Websites like www.connectutilities.com, www.whitefences.com, and www.allconnect.com let users type in their Zip Code and review deals from most of the major utility providers: cable, electric, internet, and phone in their area.
Some of the sites do charge a fee (connectutilities.com) and not all the service providers on each website are available in all areas. But the sites do allow you to price shop and compare notes on who is offering the best bargains. The sites are worth a look and could save you some money on your next move.