Go to AnnualCreditReport.com and sign up, if you have not already.

Request a credit report from one of the three credit bureaus (Equifax, Trans Union, or Experian).  Make sure you are only requesting one of the bureaus and not all three.

Every four month come back to the site and request a different bureau.

This will allow you to continually monitor your credit without paying anyone a monthly fee to help you.  It has been a while since my wife and I pulled our credit so we will be doing this in the next few days to make sure no one is causing mischief.

This does not apply to alcohol.  There are almost never really good deals on name brand alcohol.  I am not a big drinker and can't even remember the last time that I consumed alcohol but I get an e-mail from time to time asking me what I know about getting inexpensive yet quality alcohol (because you can always find stuff that tastes like rubbing alcohol for cheap).

What I have found is that different vendors are starting to offer store brand alcohol.  The first I had heard of was Trader Joes who has seen tremendous success with their store label wine Charles Shaw (nicknamed two buck chuck for its low price of $2).   The new store brandsI have seen most recently are Costco and 7-11.  Both of these retailers are now offering their own brand of beer.  I have not seen prices on the 7-11 brand but I know that Costco sells their 24-pk case for $18.  I have even seen in some states where these beers do not get the same punitive tax treatment as the major brands.

I hope this helps with those of you who have been looking for cheaper alternatives to the expensive name brands of alcohol.

Well, not since I found Dial a Human

With questions at the end the workshop only took an hour and 15 minutes so we were done by 8:15 PM.  Just in time to put the kids to bed.  I hope to see you there.

We were flying back from Kansas City and were in the Atlanta, Ga airport.  Our final flight home was delayed and then it was canceled.  It was obvious that they canceled the flight because there were too few passengers.  This greatly inconvenienced us because Joe had to be at another city later in the day to deliver the Financial Learning Experience.

What eventually transpired is that the next flight  the put us on was also delayed so instead of taking a chance of missing the speaking engagement we had to hitch a ride with my brother, Black Sheep (he may not be great at saving money but he is a great brother).  Black sheep drove Joe to Columbia, SC where he met another member of our team and rode off to Florence and then took me back to my home before driving another 3.5 hours back to his house ( a total of 8.5 hours of driving).  However, before we left the airport Joe demanded to be compensated for the inconvenience and cost that Delta had caused him.  By doing so  he received an extra $100 credit toward the next time we fly Delta.

So the next time someone does not live up to their end of the deal make sure to talk to someone who can make it right.  I saw way too many people just sit in the airport and take it instead of making Delta act correctly.

Total Retail Price:            $67.72
Bloom Specials Savings:  $23.09
Regular Coupon Savings: $7.70
Savings From Tripling:     $11.40
Total:                             $25.53

This works out to 63.4% off of the regular retail price.  This ratio would have been a good bit better had I not purchased 2.75lbs of Angus porterhouse steaks, but I am willing to make the sacrifce .  So check your fliers and make sure you match the best deals (usually buy one get one free) with your coupons that are less than 99¢ so you can stock up on some great bargains.

Gamefly has 50% off of  its pre-played games with prices starting at $5.99 on xbox360, Wii, PS3, PS2, and DS games. (click on link for gamefly store on right hand side).

Amazon.com has up to 80% off men's and women's designer shoes.

JC Penney has 40% off original price plus an extra 10% off the sale price using code "BSOTS9"

Banana Republic has 25% off a $100 order using code "SUMMER"

ColdWater Creek has 30% off with no minimum using code "WKH4849"

Shoes.com has 20% off with no minimum using code "SALE" (some brands excluded)

So take one more year and watch the game on you 19" tube or head on over to your cool friend's house who has every gadget under the sun (plus then he has to clean up the mess). Next year you can boast the biggest, brightest, coolest tv you can afford because you waited a few weeks to get a deal.

What most people do not realize is that the cost of Diesel has been cut in half.  Yes, gasoline is important to the average families budget but it does not really affect the cost of consumer goods.  Diesel is the blood of the trucking industry.  The trucking industry is still the main way we deliver goods to retail locations.  So when the cost of diesel goes down dramatically (or increases dramatically) the cost of goods is directly affected.  It has only been about two months since diesel prices started plummeting (down to 2.32 from 4.76 on the national average) so we should start to really see the prices of goods start to drop sometime next month.  So not only are Americans feeling a little richer because their gas prices have gone down but the price of goods should allow them to buy more.  And you thought nothing good comes out of a recession.