Illegally Sighted » Budget

Accessible Credit Reports Are Here!

Amber — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 16:52:50 +0000

Today I received some great news in my email box. After negotiations between the ACB and the credit reporting agencies, we can receive our credit reports in a format that is accessible to us!

You can receive your 3 free annual credit reports by either by phone or online. If you choose to obtain your reports via the toll free phone number you will go through a short verification process. After this the automated system will ask you if you need your free annual credit report in an accessible format for the visually impaired. You then certify that you are visually impaired under the ADA. After that you pick which format you want the credit report in. You will do this process for all three credit reports.

If you choose to go online to obtain your credit reports you still don’t have to worry about a thing! The website https://www.annualcreditreport.com/ is designed to meet priorities 1 and 2 of the web accessibility standards. If you do choose to obtain your credit report online this is the official site and is the best way to obtain your credit reports.

Knowing what is on your credit report is very important. It can affect not only the obvious things like obtaining credit cards but it can also affect your ability to obtain employment in many states. It is a good idea to check your report once per year to make sure all information is accurate and correct. This is the best way to guard against identity theft.

I am going to find my phone and call for my large print credit reports today. If you are visually impaired make sure you do this. Not only is it good for you, it shows these agencies that accessible information will be used by those who need it.

You can read more about ACB’s
accessible credit report agreement at www.lflegal.com/2008/12/credit-announce/.

Putting My Goals Into Motion By Making Extra Money

Amber — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:11:17 +0000

OK so that sounds like the spammiest of titles but I swear on my iPhone it’s not! I am just extremely excited about the ways in which I am funding my future goals. I am currently living with family members. We’re mutually helping one another out with finances right now. My goal is to get back on my feet and get into an apartment again, on my own, not living with other people. This takes time and money. I don’t have much of either but I’ve been doing a couple of side jobs that will help me realize these goals a little faster.

The first thing I have been doing is doing transcription for a company called Quicktate. Basically, what you’re doing is transcribing voice mail messages. The pay isn’t amazing but it does add up. There are times when the volume is high and times when it’s not so much. You’ve just got to stay in contact with them and they’ll tell you when there is a heavy demand.

You have to fill out an application then follow the steps in the email that you are sent to apply. After you do the steps there’s a test you have to pass. It took awhile from the time I filled out the application to the time i got the email but after that I got through everything pretty fast.

You can sign up for Quicktate by going here.

Another egg in my work at home basket is KGB_! I am loving this one as well. It’s a service where you can text a question to a certain number and you will get an answer back to your question. I’m a Special Agent with them so I answer all kinds of questions. It’s really fun work and you get to work on your Google-fu skills! Again the pay isn’t super exciting but every little bit helps!

To apply you have to first pass a trivia test. They then put you through a few levels of Special Agent training to see if you have what it takes. It took me about 2 weeks to get though the whole thing. You can apply here. l

I’ll continue to post opportunities like this one. I think everyone could use a little extra cash flow.

Easy Ways To Keep Cool When You’re Broke

Amber — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 01:41:46 +0000

In Southern California, the weather starts getting extremely hot in August and September. It’s like summer is saying “Fine kiss my butt I’m leaving and gonna make ya miserable in the process.”OK well maybe not so much but it feels like it sometimes.

I live in a house without air conditioning. Oh, we have one of those window air units! The problem however, is that it was probably built in like 1965 or something and eats electricity like Pac Man eats power pellets!

So what’s a girl to do when she’s melting away on at the computer? Here are my picks for the top cheapo cool down methods! These are in no particular order…

Make a water baby! A friend of mine used to freeze water in a 2 liter bottle and wrap it in a towel or sheet. She called them “water babies” because they are snuggled close like you’re holding a baby.
Freeze up some grapes! You can even stick toothpicks in them and pretend they’re “grapecicles”
If you want to head outdoors, find a shaded park and go ice blocking! You need to find a park with a rather large hill and bring one of those big blocks of ice with you (which you can make yourself if you want by freezing water in a small plastic tub. You sit on the ice blok and slide down the hill. It’s a real bum chiller!
Make salad for dinner. Why heat up the house when it’s unreasonably hot? Put together a huge salad with your favorite veggies, cheese, dressing and whatever else. Cold chicken that’s already been prepared or prepackaged can be thrown in if you desire. It’s healthy and keeps you cool!
Use the kiddie pool. Those of you who have kidlets probably have a small “kiddie pool” that you put the kids in during the summer. Well, if they’re not using it (and even if they are!) fill it on up and at least dunk your feet in. Make yourself a “grown up drink” if you want and sit in a shady part of your yardo r patio.
Get Misty With it! Get a water spray bottle and put some ice and cold water in. When you feel like you’re gonna melt spray yourself. Those with cats will find it amusing to see the cat scurry away thinking they’re gonna get in trouble for something!

Question – What are your cheapo cool down tips?

Savings Sunday – Some Tips I’m Putting Into Practice

Amber — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 05:10:51 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

I’ve been reading a lotabout budgeting and savings. I want to be prepared for this holiday season so I’m thinking about it now. Last year I was so ill prepared that i had as many half made craft projects lying around as I do pairs of flip flops. Those of you who know me certainly know that I have a strange love affair with flip flops so that should tell ya something!

First off I will be putting $84 away per month. By the time it’s shopping time this should leave me with a pretty good chunk of change This will help me to get those odds and ends that I am going to add to my handmade gifts.

I am also starting early with my crafting. While it may look like the best craft sales are around holiday season it’s not the case. Craft chain stores KNOW that people procrastinate and they also KNOW that most crafters will purchase those forgotten items they desperately need no matter what the cost.

Closer to the holidays I am going to make my menus. This will be the first full holiday season I will spend with my family in 2 years. If all goes well (meaning my mother lets me do ANY cooking!) I will have the menu planned and can start shopping the sales as they hit.

I think I have a pretty good start. What do you think?

On a side note I am combining Thrifty Thursday and Savings Sunday. I’ll keep the posting to a Sunday since that’s when the majority of the ads come out.

My question to you is What are your pre holiday planning and savings tips?

Thrifty Thursday Free Money Saving Resources

Amber — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 18:21:00 +0000

Today’s Thrifty Thursday has to do with keeping track of your bank account.
As a person with low vision it is really hard to read and write in one of those teeny weeny check registers. I have tried and every time the results are disastrous! Overdrafts, illegible writing, mysterious transactions that I’ll never know what they were. It’s ugly Ali-l around. I’ve been told my check register looks like a 1st grader’s first attempts at math and printing. Wow! really? that bad? Yep!
So I have 1 site and 1 IPhone app to recommend today.

Mint is the perfect money management website! Your bank account information is imported and then you can see exactly how you spend your money. It lists your transactions and shows you where you’re spending your money. Then it gives you tips on how you can save money. The best part about this site is it’s FREE! Why PAY money if you’re trying to save money right?

The next cool thing I have to share is the Bank of America IPhone app. If you are a BofA customer you can take full advantage of having your account information at your fingertips. You can do everything that you do on the BofA website straight from your IPhone. It has kept me out of several sticky situations and I’ve only had it 2 weeks! This is a free app and it’s accessible with the zoom and voice over programs on the IPhone!

Stay tuned for my next post which will be my first ever blog giveaway!

Sunday Savings

Amber — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 01:44:00 +0000

Today is ad day! We all know it well. It’s the day we grab our cup of coffee and spread out on the couch or at the kitchen table with the huge Sunday newspaper to go over all of the coupons and sales for the week.
This Sunday’s paper has started back to school season with a bang! There are so many school supply deals out there that you could be set for the semester or for the year! This goes for college students as well as moms trying to help their kids get what they need for school.
The best thing about shopping during the beginning of back to school season is that you can easily fit the school supplies into your budget. You can find things like highlighters and pens for pennies compared to the $2 to $6 you would spend mid semester.
So let’s get right in to the amazing savings this week.

.09 apiece
Penway Highlighter
#2 Pencil
Penway 2 Pocket Folder

.19 apiece
Penway rulers
100 ct Paper clips
2 pocket poly folders with prongs

.29 apiece
Penway erasers
Penway 10 pack pencils

.39 apiece
Penway Poly binder or glue

.59 apiece
Scotch mailers or clasp envelopes

.99 apiece
3 subject Penway notebook 120 sheets
It’s Academic stretch bookcover

Staples

For the lowdown on the great deals to be had at Staples check out Couponing 101 I just can’t get enough of this blog!

There are so many more deals to be had and if i listed them all I’d be blogging for days. Comment here with any deals you have found to be amazing.
Also stay tuned to next week’s Thrifty Thursday post for a couipon giveaway!

Thrifty Thursday – Talking About The Dreaded "B" Word!

Amber — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 04:38:00 +0000

I’m not talking about that word that some people call me because I’m highly opinionated. Oh no! There is a much worse word that I am going to talking a lot about today. One that I have never really learned about but truly need to start doing.
That word, my friends, is BUDGET! You can all start horror movie shrieking now. It’s OK.
I don’t live on a very large income. Being visually impaired I get under $900 a month from Social Security. I have a part time job but I won’t see what my true take home pay will be for 2 weeks due to the fact that I worked some holiday pay hours and a couple extra besides that.
I need to start budgeting y money and keeping track of it better. When I was living in Las Vegas I was making 3 times what I get a month now. I was working a 40 hour a week job at $16 an hour. Since the cost of living wasn’t too high when I was living there it worked out quite nice for me. I got into bad habits though. I just shopped, ate out and went out constantly. If something broke or went missing I would just buy a new one. So what if i found the other one or fixed it whatever it was! I would also buy crap for other people for no reason. It was one of those things that I did just because. If I saw someone I knew needed something I’d just get it for them (within reason of course.)
Now I am living at home but I have expenses. I am working and going to school with plans to find my own place next year sometime when the public housing list opens up again. to do these things I need to make sure I am prepared financially.
I plan on putting together a spreadsheet. I will list my income and what expenses I have. Once I find or make a spreadsheet that works well I can post it here for anyone that wants to use it. I plan to post budgeting tips that I learn along the way every Thursday. I’ll call it thrifty Thursday. I hope that others on a fixed income (or any income really) can learn along with me!