What's my Credit Score?

Do you know what your credit score is? Most people don't have a clue until they get ready to open a new credit card, buy a house, buy a car, etc. Don't be surprised, plan ahead. Many credit bureaus offer your credit information including a score for a fee. However, Credit Karma is offering your credit information including score for FREE! How do they do it? The advertisers pay for this service. NICE! Credit Karma also tracks your score when you come back to the site, shows you how you compare to others in your age category, people in your area, etc. This is an amazing tool to take charge of your credit. It also lets you simulate actions such as paying off a card, being late once on a payment, etc. The score is not a FICO score but it is within 5% of what that score may be. So, don't take it as a hard number but rather an idea of where you stand. It also does not show your actual credits but a summary of the total: total debt, total accounts open, etc. Take charge of your credit by the horns and tell 'em whose boss!

Knock off the horns and gimme the beef!

Be at fan of Woody's on Facebook and enjoy a FREE super juicy burger compliments of TGIF! Sweet! Bring on those hot fries and honey mustard!

Luv the babies!

Have a new little one and want some gorgeous professional pics? The Picture People are having a special good until October 4, 2009 for a FREE Portrait Pack including a 8x10, two 5x7, and eight wallets. There's no sitting fee and their pictures look so wonderful. So grab that baby, kid, dog, or even grandma and head over to the Picture People to take advantage of this awesome offer. Hint for the kiddies: dress them up in bold, simple colors and plan around the time when they will have the most energy like after a nap. Remember that even a wail or a quick glance can provide some of the best memory shots. Enjoy!

Let's go Krogering!

Let's face it! The wallet is getting tighter and everything is costing more including food. I used to go to Publix for my groceries where I enjoyed the shopping experience. After all, Publix subs were da bomb! But lately, I've been feeling the pinch along with the rest of the country and I needed to make the switch. I journeyed to every store possible to claim the "best grocery store":

1. Trader Joes-not enough selection for a full grocery trip
2. Super Target-not that much less expensive and the meat department was ho-hum. There is no seafood department.
3. Super Walmart-most of the prices were good, meat selection-not good, and I had to beat down the hoards! Back off that head of lettuce! It's mine!
4. Whole Foods-they don't call it whole paycheck for nothing-LOL
5. Super H Mart-fantastic meat, seafood, and produce department! If you want some fat (phat) chicken breast, this is THE place to go! However, only Asian dry goods. Don't get me wrong. I love asian noodles (I am after all Vietnamese) however, I need some cereal, spagetti noodles, etc too!
6. Ingle's-My husband told me to check it out and I certainly went kicking and screaming. I thought it would be "icky" but to my pleasant surprise, it was OK. They do have the BEST chicken salad out there. But not the staple place to go......
7. Costco/Sam's Club-they are great for bulk cleaning products, drinks, and toilet paper but I don't need 10 Ribeyes or 20 filets of salmon.




So the winner is Kroger! Yeah! Why? They have a huge selection of food in each category. You can find 5 different brands of diced tomatoes. The pricing is cheaper than Publix by $.20-$.50 depending on item. The deli meat is sliced to order. The meat /seafood department has great selection. The produce glistens with the daily misting. And on top of everything, if you sign up for the Kroger card, you can get $.10 of each gallon of gas! Now, that's the clincher for me! And I save about $20 per week by making the switch. Nice!



So, clip out those coupons. Look over the weekly ads before making out your grocery list for the week. And save, save, save!

Hint: To save time in the store, I put everything in a category. So let's say produce. Put all of your produce needs in that category and get it all in one stop. No more running around the store. Easy peasy! And let's go Krogering!

Weight Watchers for Free

I'm back from vacation in Mexico and those all inclusive resorts as so nice! 4 huge buffets, restaurants, and all of the margaritas I can handle! Whew! Looks like gaining some lbs is surely in my future. So why not kick off the 2nd half of summer with a life style change. Note I didn't say the word "diet". Diets are short term and most diets don't work. I have certainly tried the South Beach and Atkins diets but you can't maintain those diets. And then the lbs are coming back to haunt you with a vengeance. Eeeeek!

So, it's time to change the lifestyle and eat in moderation which is key to longterm success. You didn't put on 20 lbs in 3 weeks. Don't expect to lose that much in 3 weeks! So where to I turn to help?

One of the most popular programs is Weight Watchers. And many people have used this program to lose weight by tracking the food you eat. Well, I really like the idea but I don't want to pay a monthly fee of $47.



I found Sparkpeople that offers the same program as Weight Watchers for FREE! Yippeee! It is free to sign up and Sparkpeople will ask you how much weight you'd like to lose and when your goal time frame. Then, it calculates how many calories, fat, protein, etc that your frame needs to lose that weight. Cool! Everyday you plug in what you eat and Sparkpeople tracks everything for you. You can choose the automatic menu if you'd like, however I think the self select eating is easier with your current lifestyle.



Sparkpeople also has an exercise plan which includes cardio and strength training. And this doesn't mean running a marathon. Just 30 minutes on a treadmill or they give options for strength training even if you have no weights. Try the towel training :) My hubby laughs at my beginner skills but hey it works!



What is so cool about this program is it teaches you how to eat better. You realize how much that Quarter Pounder with Cheese is costing you and find another alternative. It gives you 3 meals a day plus snacks so you don't starve. And if you fall off the wagon 1 day, no worries! Jump back on it the next day! Plus it tracks your water intake! I hope you like water!




There are sister websites too like Babyfit (for those who are expecting), Spark People for Teens, and Spark Recipes for healthy recipes. So get off that tush, drop that bag of chips, and sign up for free! And get ready to lead a healthy lifestyle!

Is that a Coach Bag?

Everyone loves Coach bags! They are so popular that even counterfeit purses are manufactured overseas and sold on the streets of New York for ridiculous prices for a fake bag. If you think that I'm going hand you a Benjamin for a fake bag in a back alley, you are out of your mind Mister! So dilemma, I want a real Coach bag but don't want to pay hundreds of $ for a bag at the Mall. What's a girl to do?

Here's a test for you. Which one of these bags is real and bought at less than retail price?

Bag A

Bag B

Bag C






Bag D

The answer is they are all real, genuine Coach bags however Bag B is the only bag I bought for retail (love at first site, I couldn't resist). The rest were brand new for 50-60% off. Where?

Not on Ebay, but right here in Georgia at the North Georgia Premium Outlets in Dawsonville. About 30 minutes north of 285 off GA 400. For all of you who don't know, there is a Coach Outlet that is AMAZING! They were so popular that they expanded this year to be bigger and better. All styles are current (later in the season) or last year's style. But to tell you the truth, I couldn't tell that they were "older" styles. They looked fabulous! There are wallets, belts, shoes, watches, and of course bags in every style both fabric and leather all for at least 30% off retail pricing PLUS they always have additional markdowns: 30-60% depending on style. They have Carly bags, Hampton bags, Legacy bags, etc. Don't pay retail at the Mall, go to the Outlets!



NGPOs is my fave place to go clothes shopping as well because they have J. Crew, Banana Republic, the Gap, Ann Taylor, among others. Even designer styles for guys like Polo, Nautica, Tommy Hilfinger, Brooks Brothers, etc. For the home designer in you, Pottery Barn, William Sonoma, and Restoration Hardware stock many items from duvet covers to furniture at discount pricing.

And for the real savvy shopper, there is a VIP club. You get extra special discounts by visiting the information booth in the food court and picking up a coupon booklet. BTW, the food court isn't that good so eat lunch beforehand.

And for shop purse-aholics that love Kate Spade, there is a shop right around the corner from the food court! Discount pricing on Kate Spade? Gotta love it!

Hint: NGPO is having a huge sale over July 4th weekend. There's always coupons to be found to stack up on the deals! Bring your walking shoes and a drink! There's some shopping to do this weekend!

Chocolate Cake in 5 Minutes

Ok, this is not a deal per say but it is SWEET! When I saw this recipe from Dizzy Dee, I got so giddy I couldn't wait to try it out! I gave it a whirl this weekend and it actually came out pretty good for microwaved cake! Now, whip up some frosting and you are good to go when you have a hankering for some cake!

Ingredients:

4 Tablespoon cake flour (I used normal flour)
4 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons cocoa (I used chocolate syrup)
1 Egg
3 Tablespoons milk
3 Tablespoons oil
1 Mug

Instructions:

Mix flour, sugar and cocoa ( a mug is shown here, but I used a small fluted corningware so that my mug doesn't break-just in case):

Add the egg, milk, and olive

Stir it up really, really well....keep stirring until it is like chocolate pudding consistancy

Microwave on the highest setting for 3 minutes. Take a peek. I put mine back in for 60 more seconds- just in case.

It's forming! It's forming!

Enjoy! Mine came out in 1 piece. Flip upside down on a plate. Add some frosting! Voila!

Chocolate cake in 5 minutes! Fun! Let's do it again!

For variety, add nuts, canned cherries, coconut flakes, the possibilities are endless!

Enjoy!