Michael Finney's Consumer Blog

Finney's date night deal

This is like soup and sandwich or horse and carriage: Baseball and a concert… without breaking the bank.  This is great for a couple with one baseball fan and one music lover. This is a good deal even if you don’t have the code, but you do, so it is even a better deal.

Go to this website and use coupon code, ‘Jordin’. In two of stadium sections prices drop nearly 50%. 

Finney’s Friday Free Stuff

Hunt’s Ketchup, this is the real deal, no little tiny sample, but a 24 oz. bottle.

www.simpleanddelicious.com

Swap your kids' old stuff online

It is a long-standing mom tradition -- handing down, swapping or donating your kids’ outgrown clothes and too-small gear.  The whole process has gone online.  So now you actually have a chance of getting exactly what you want in return.

Pass these along at the next baby shower you attend.  They may actually be the best gift given to the mother-to-be. 

totsswapshop.com
www.handmedowns.com/los-angeles
kizoodle.com

One warning:  Some of these sites offer car safety seats, don’t ever trade for those. Only new brand-named seats should be used.

Credit repair is a scam

Credit repair scams have been around for years but are really taking off in this bad economy. They are a rip-off, don’t fall for them. Truthful information on your credit report cannot be “removed.” However, here’s what you can do:

1. Get a free copy of your credit report from each credit reporting bureau by going to www.annualcreditreport.com.
2. Check for errors. If you find any, use the bureau’s online form to challenge the information. By law the agency has 30 days to correct it.
3. Pay your bills and pay them on time.

With bad credit reports, time heals all wounds. The longer you go without messing up, the better your report will look. Most bad entries stay on the report for seven years. That is a long time, but your credit score will start going up right away, reflecting the new “good” information as soon as you clean up the report and clean up your act.

AirTran's huge airfare sale

Finney's Fare Sale. There are travel bargains popping up out there, it’s just finding them before they expire.  AirTran has just announced a huge sale that lasts for a week and you can fly through the end of October.  San Francisco to Miami $124, Dallas to Philadelphia $94, Boston to Baltimore, $34! (AirTran loves ending prices in a 4, don’t they?) Tons of destinations. airtran.com

New scam involves fake Jamaican lottery

Jamaican gangsters are now working the scam made famous by Nigerians and extremely profitable by Canadians: the fake lottery scam. Americans are sending millions of dollars to this Caribbean nation every year believing they have won the Jamaican lottery. They are told they must pay taxes or insurance to get their winnings. Here’s the problem: There is no Jamaican lottery.

This works, in part, because this is a country not noted for its international scams. So be forewarned, if a notice of big winnings is on its way to you, via Jamaica, it is a lie.

Father’s Day on the cheap!

 

TCBY liked its Mother’s Day give-a-way so much, it is following up with a free Father’s Day Frozen Yogurt. TCBY www.tcby.com

Hallmark gave away free cards for Mother’s Day, allowing consumers to personalize, stamp and send a paper card through snail mail for free. No such luck for dad, but the company is offering up some very fun e-cards. Why not start sending one a day to Dear Old Dad beginning a week or two before Father’s Day.

Make fast money selling your photographs

Many publishers buy photographs to illustrate their stories.  There are companies that do nothing but sell those photos and that’s your “in"; they need pictures, you have pictures.

Generally the photographer -- in this case you -- gets paid a small amount every time your photo is sold. Some photographers make big bucks, most pick up pocket change.  Either way; money and a photo credit aren’t a bad way to pay for that next Starbucks.

www.istockphoto.com
www.shutterstock.com
www.smugmug.com

How to get a great seat every time you fly

 Most airlines allow you to select your seats when booking travel. Most of us know to avoid the middle seat, but after that we just take what pops up on the screen -- bad move. Instead, log on to www.seatguru.com.

The website rates just about every seat on every plan used by nearly every airline.  Take a moment to check it out before booking and your next flight may be a whole lot more comfortable.

 

Good news for renters

Here’s what the mainstream media didn’t tell you about the housing law signed by the president last week: There are protections for renters.

Many renters have been thrown out of their units because the landlord was foreclosed upon.  Now, lenders will have some rules they have to follow.

Renters without a lease must be given 90 days before they have to move. Renters with a lease will get till the end of their lease and then an additional 90 days.