Identity theft is a serious crime that affects millions of people. Just last year hackers were able to obtain over 45 million credit and debit card numbers. The Department of Justice finally nabbed most of the criminals involved, but you have to protect yourself from potential thieves. I don’t even worry about being mugged in a dark alley, but having my information stolen from an online hacker is a very real threat.

The good news is there are ways you can protect yourself. I check my credit report at least once a year to make sure nothing suspicious is on it. When I shop online, I always check to make sure the page is secure. I also don’t have my Social Security Number published on my Driver’s License.

Another great way to protect yourself is to get life lock. This is a great service that will guarantee their service to keep your protected up to a million dollars. They have been featured on shows like the Today Show and are members of the Better Business Bureau. They also will reduce the amount of junk mail and credit offers you receive. If you lose your wallet then they will help you by sending you to a certified Recovery Specialist. Your children can also get protection from identity theft. You have insurance for cars and houses, but no one thinks about their identity. This is one insurance you can’t afford not to have.

My baby went to back to school yesterday. It is his first day back, and I can’t believe how fast he is growing. I admit I do miss him not being here with me all day. He was very excited to go back to school and see all his friends. He’s excited now but we’ll see how he feels in May. Here is a picture of my little man back for his first day of school.

I know I’ve posted before about how I give away some of the great deals I find to charity. But I came across a great blog called Coupon Cravings. She had this great giveaway about how much could you buy at CVS for just $5 for charity. I wanted to post about it earlier, but I was kinda busy so it ended before I could.

I think this is an awesome idea so it inspired me today. I already had plans to get the Pert Plus shampoo and Sure deodorant that is B1G1F this week. I bought 18 bottles of Pert Plus and 6 Sure and my grand total was a -.63! I had to buy a candy to get my total over 0, and it was a whopping 20 cents! I have NEVER done that well before. I normally have a $1 or right around a dollar total or higher. I was psyched! I promise I didn’t clear the shelves and left plenty for other shoppers so please no nasty comments. This was $85 worth of items before sale prices for FREE! I didn’t post this to brag, but to show that a lot of good can be done getting these great deals. If I gave the shelter $20 then that money wouldn’t go very far. Instead I can take that same $20 and buy $100 or more of items to give to them.

Today’s thrifty tip is if you get sugar ants then spray a mixture of vinegar and water. You mix half vinegar and half water in a spray bottle and shake. Then just clean the surface as you normally would and just spray the infested area. Don’t wipe it but let it dry on it’s own. It takes a day or two but it works for me.

I get this in my mailbox on Monday and was a nice surprise. I love getting mail and I really love freebies. PayU2Blog sent out these T-Shirts to many of their bloggers. These guys ROCK! This is a picture of the shirt that my sexy husband is modeling. He is headless per his request.