lifeinmycubicle

Thinking of buying a new TV or computer this coming holiday season? Are you going to upgrade your cellphone, dvd player and other electronic device? You can earn money from your electronic device/s by trading them in. At the same time, you’re saving the environment.

1. Here are a few places that accept a wider range of electronic device:

a. Toshiba - With the Toshiba Free Electronic Program you can recycle your old electronics regardless of the brand and at no cost to you. They also provide a trade in option for cash.

b. Costco Trade-In and Recycle Program accepts computers, MP3 players, monitors, game systems, camcorders, cameras, PDAs, etc. for cash trade-in.

c. Apple offers free recycling program that will take back your iPod or any cell phone, regardless of manufacturer or model. You will also get a 10 percent discount on the purchase of a new iPod.

d. Gateway accepts trade-in or free recycle of your old Gateway products. Their Trade-In & Recycle Program is powered by Dealtree. They offer cash for your old electronic device.

e. HP offers trade, return for cash, recycle or donate program for your unwanted HP or non-HP products.

f. Myboneyard - Recycle your old PCs, cell phones, and laptops online at Myboneyard.com and get monetary rewards for your products.

g. Venjuvo - Trade in your old or unwanted electronic device for cash or store credit at http://www.venjuvo.com

h. Buymytronics buys your used, new and broken electronics.

Places that accept cellphones and ipods:

a. Flipswap offers trade-in program for your old cell phones and ipod for CASH or store credit like Amazon.

b. Evergreen Electronics offers same-day payouts for your working or broken iPod or iPhone.

Places that accept cellphone Trade-Ins:

a. Recyclewirelessphones.com helps you locate a local donation center, find a charity you want to support, direct you to a mail-back program or direct you to an on-line auction where you can sell your old cellphone/s.

b. Sell your cellphone for cash at Pacebutler.

c. Wirefly also offers cellphone recycling trade-in program for cash.

d. Cellforcash

e. Cellphone2cash

f. PhoneIsCash

With the holidays around the corner, it’s the time when people think of gifts, huge sale, Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales and of course, electronic upgrades. When we upgrade our TVs, computers, cellphones, radios, and other electronic device, the next question is “How do we properly dispose of our electronic devices?” Scrapped electronics become electronic waste or what we call e-waste. E-waste contains hazardous substances like lead and mercury that contaminate landfills and our drinking water. Here are a few tips on how to properly dispose of electronic devices.

1.  Find out what electronic device can be recycled. Examples are:

Televisions
Computer Monitors
Computers (CPUs)
Laptops
Keyboards
Printers
Mice
Hard Drives
Fax Machines
Microwave Ovens
DVD Players
VCRs
Cables and Cords
Telephones
Cell Phones
Radios
Shredders
Stereo Components
Power Supplies
Tape and Zip Drives

2. Consider leasing before you upgrade your electronic device. Some manufacturers offer leasing options such as Apple, HP, IBM, NEC and Sun.

Check the model of the device you are planning to buy. Is it the latest model? Remember, new models are released frequently. If you think a new model will come out soon with better features, it might be worth to wait and lease first.

3. Donate your old electronic device. You can give it to a family member or friend who needs it and will treasure your unwanted device. You can also donate to schools and non-profit organizations (e.g. Goodwill) that accept old electronics. Remember, donations are tax deductible. Check if your city offers programs to collect electronic waste.

4. How about make money by reselling them? Here are a few places that offer Electronic Device Trade-In Program for cash:

a. Toshiba - With the Toshiba Free Electronic Program you can recycle your old electronics regardless of the brand and at no cost to you. They also provide a trade in option for cash.

b. Costco Trade-In and Recycle Program accepts computers, MP3 players, monitors, game systems, camcorders, cameras, PDAs, etc. for cash trade-in.

c. Apple offers free recycling program that will take back your iPod or any cell phone, regardless of manufacturer or model. You will also get a 10 percent discount on the purchase of a new iPod.

d. Gateway accepts trade-in or free recycle of your old Gateway products. Their Trade-In & Recycle Program is powered by Dealtree. They offer cash for your old electronic device.

e. HP offers trade, return for cash, recycle or donate program for your unwanted HP or non-HP products.

f. Myboneyard - Recycle your old PCs, cell phones, and laptops online at Myboneyard.com and get monetary rewards for your products.

g. Recyclewirelessphones.com helps you locate a local donation center, find a charity you want to support, direct you to a mail-back program or direct you to an on-line auction where you can sell your old cellphone/s.

h. Venjuvo - Trade in your old or unwanted electronic device for cash or store credit at http://www.venjuvo.com

i. Flipswap offers trade-in program for your old cell phones and ipod for CASH or store credit like Amazon.

j. Sell your cellphone for cash at Pacebutler.

k. Wirefly also offers cellphone recycling trade-in program for cash.

l. Other places that accept cell phone trade-ins for cash:

Cellforcash (http://www.cellforcash.com/)
Cellphone2cash (http://cellphone2cash.com/)
PhoneIsCash (http://phoneiscash.com/scripts/win1000.asp)

You may have received a mail from your Credit Card Issuer that your credit limit has been reduced. There are a few reasons why your credit limit has been lowered. It could be caused by late or missed payments, going over your credit limit, a sudden drop in your credit score and high outstanding balance. Another common reason is due to a change in financial situation. You may have filed bankruptcy or due to short sale or foreclosure. Lending standards have tightened and Credit Card Issuers are taking a closer look at their clients’ creditworthiness. They are looking at their clients’ jobs, if they are or will be affected by the weak economy and where they live. If Credit Card Issuers see reasons that you may potentially default, they will lower your credit limit to protect them and you as well. Here are a few tips on how to protect your credit card limit from being reduced.

1.  Make sure you read your monthly statements. Do not only check the balance portion and account activities. Check if there is a letter enclosed or a notice added to the regular monthly statement.  Credit Card Issuers notify you via mail that your credit limit has been reduced. It is important that you are aware of this change to avoid an overcharge.

2. Always pay on time. Remember that timely payments account for 35% of your FICO score. All you need to do is show that you are responsible. You do not need to pay lots of money each month. If you don’t have extra money to add to the minimum payment, it’s okay to pay just the minimum balance. Just make sure you always pay on time.

3.  Manage your debt-to-credit-limit ratio which accounts for 30% of your FICO score. For example you have 2 credit cards. On credit card A, you owe $3,000 and credit card B, you owe $5,000. Your total debt is $8,000. Your credit limit on credit card A is $7,000 and the limit on credit card B is $9,000. Your total credit limit is $16,000. What does this mean? The total of what you owe which is $8,000 is 50% of your total credit limit which is $16,000. You have 50% debt-to-credit-limit ratio. It is recommended not to use more than 50% of your credit limit. Remember, the lower the ratio, the better.

4. Pay more than the minimum requirement so you can pay off your debt quickly.

5. Don’t apply for a lot of credit cards all at once. Credit Card Issuers will consider you as “Risk”. Multiple credit inquiries in one month will also bring down your FICO score. Also, have a good mix of credit cards, retail cards, loans where you make timely monthly payments. Combining these two (new credit activity and mix of credit cards) accounts for 20% of your FICO score.

Did you receive a letter from your Credit Card Issuer informing you of interest rate increase? You may probably wondering why your interest rate is going to increase. You may have been late on your credit card payment and even payment on your other credit card. Going over your credit limit and if your credit score dropped, these could be a few reasons why. Do you have a lot of credit cards with high outstanding balance? Did you recently file bankruptcy? Did you short sale your home? These may be the other reasons why your credit card issuer is increasing your interest rate. Now, you want to know what to do, right?

1. You may choose to Opt-out of the increase in rate. Credit card issuers send you 15 days notice before they increase your interest rate. You must act fast if you decide to choose this option as you are only given a short period to opt-out or reject the change in interest rate. What does this mean to you? If you opt-out, you can continue paying your balance at your current interest rate and once you’ve paid off the balance, you will no longer be able to use your credit card as your account is closed. What are the disadvantages of choosing to opt-out? When you close a credit card, it will hurt your credit score. That is the biggest disadvantage. You may have a high credit limit on the card and once it’s closed, you can no longer be able to use it again. Meaning, you are losing one of your credit cards with high credit limit.

Also, if you choose to opt-out, make sure you respond in writing. Write a letter to your credit card issuer letting them know that you are opting out of the higher interest rate. When you mail your letter, make sure send it via certified mail with return receipt request. Why? You need proof that you responded and mailed it to your credit card issuer within the period of time given to you and proof that
they have received your mail. Make sure too that you have a copy of the letter that you sent to them. Make it a habit that you always keep proof whether it’s personal or business. This is a good way to protect yourself.

2. If you choose not to opt-out, pay off the balance before the date of the increase takes into effect.

3. You can also lower the balance on that card before the new interest rate takes effect. Then, once the new rate has taken effect, continue making payments and make sure you’re always on time and do not go over the limit. If you can stop using that card, much better. After six months, call your credit card issuer and request for a lower interest rate.

4. If you think the reason why your credit card company is increasing your interest rate because of one late or missed payment but you have been previously paying on time, you may call your credit card issuer and negotiate with them. Remember, there is no harm in trying. It’s better to ask.

5. Another option is to transfer your balance to a lower interest rate card. When you make balance transfers, keep in mind the balance transfer fees you will have to pay. Figure out whether balance transfer is a wiser move than keeping the card that you have now. You might end up paying more on transfer fees than paying off the balance on the card with the higher interest rate.

We see ATM machines everywhere we go. Convenient stores, fastfood chains, donut shops, department stores, gas stations, and even nail spas have ATM machines inside. ATM theft has been a big problem and will always be. Did you hear about the Arco gas station and Lunardi’s Supermarket ATM scam incident back in May 2008 where customers of both establishments were victims of identity theft? The card reader / scanner at the check out counter has been tampered and customers’ debit card information (card and PIN numbers) were stolen. This is a type of card skimming scam wherein a device is inserted into the card slot on an ATM to capture your card information. Here are a few tips to protect yourself from ATM scam or theft.

1 Refrain from using your ATM / debit card when shopping. Use cash or credit card. If you have a check card, select “credit” instead of “debit”. Selecting “Credit” requires your signature instead of using your PIN to authorize your purchase. Major credit cards have 100% Fraud Protection. With a debit card, you may have limited protection depending on how soon you notify your bank about the fraud. You also cannot cannot request stop payment on a purchase you are trying to dispute. Another drawback of a debit card is you do not establish your credit rating.

2. Change your pin regularly. Make it a habit to change your PIN regularly. This also applies to your email and online bank accounts as well. When you change PIN, do not use your birth date and digits taken from your telephone or Social Security number.

3. As much as possible, do not use non-bank ATM machines as the risk of ATM theft scams is higher than machines at your bank.

Start going to one bank branch and use their ATM machine for all your future transactions. This way, you can get familiar with the machine (card slot or card reader) and its surroundings (number of security cameras and where it is located).

Another tip is find out the phone number of the branch and its 24 hour service number and save the number/s in your cell phone.

4. Before you use an ATM machine, check for dubious devices like extra video camera mounted to the ATM machine. This is another type of ATM scam in addition to skimming where thieves mount a wireless video camera inside the ATM area so they can watch you as you enter your PIN. Check the card slot. Do you see a plastic strip or film sticking out? Is there anything glued to the card reader or cash dispenser?

5. If your card is stuck inside the card slot, do not leave the machine. Call the branch or the bank’s 24 hour service number and report the incident by using your cell phone.

Also, never ever let a stranger help you in retrieving your ATM card. If somebody comes near you and offers help, say NO and make sure they leave you alone. This is another type of ATM scam. The thieves insert a blocking devise (a thin film inserted inside the card slot so that your card gets trapped inside). They come up to you and offer help. They will ask you to enter your PIN a couple of times. They may also hold the cancel button while you enter your PIN. This is just their way to memorize your PIN. Once you leave the ATM area, they will come back and take the glued film out. They now have your ATM card, PIN and money.

6. Use your body or hand to shield the ATM keypad from anyone standing behind you or next to you as you enter your PIN. Do the same if you decide to use your debit card at the supermarket or department stores. Don’t let the store clerk and people behind or next to you watch you as you enter your PIN.

7. When you shop online, do not use your debit card, if possible. Also, take note that online shopping does not require you to enter your PIN.

8. When you receive an email from your bank, do not click on any link. If you are being asked to update any information, delete that email and open a new browser and type your bank’s website yourself instead. It would be better if you delete your cache and cookies before going to your bank’s website. When you’re done checking your bank account, delete your cache and cookies again even if you’re using your own computer.

9. Make it a habit to check your account often. Check for any unauthorized transactions and at the same time see to it that the amount debited to your account is correct.

10. Report any stolen or lost ATM card immediately.

Save, save, save…. everybody is looking for ways to save money on gas, grocery and utility bills. Here are a few ways to conserve water and lower your water and energy bills. Water is a precious resource! Start conserving water now!

1. (My father’s advice ever since) Don’t keep the water running while brushing teeth, washing face, shaving and scrubbing/soaping dishes.

2. Adjust your water heater temperature to 130 degrees.

3. Fix leaks and drips immediately.

4. Switch to water-saving fixtures like low-flow shower head, toilets and faucets.

5. If you have an old toilet, fill a plastic bottle with water and place it in the tank. Some put a brick or two in the toilet tank. The tank uses less water to refill as the water bottle or a brick takes up space.

6. Take shorter showers and turn off the water while soaping up.

7. Wash full loads when washing clothes and dishes.

8. Water your lawn as needed. Better yet, use a rain barrel to collect water from your gutter to irrigate your garden. Use your sprinkler system according to the season.

9. When you wash your driveway, use a broom instead of a hose.

10. When washing your car, use a bucket instead of a hose. If you want to feel good, support your church, schools or other organizations that offer car wash. You’re not only conserving water but you’re also helping your church and local organizations.

Layoff is not something new to us anymore. We hear melt-down, downsizing, mergers, layoffs everyday in the news, from our friends, family and co-workers. A lot of people are worried about losing their job. I’ve gone through two layoffs. First was in 2001 (one of the major Auditing Firms) and the second one was in 2005 (one of the major Internet companies). What I have learned about this experience is to learn to accept, let go and move on.

1. Accept, let go and move on. Anger, denial, worry, shock, grief, frustration, hurt, embarrassment are a few emotions you may or let me say “you will” experience when you get laid off. These are emotions that are hard to control but normal reactions to a loss of a job, someone or something important to us. Keep in mind that these feelings are normal and natural. Learn not to blame your company, boss, family, friends or even yourself for what has happened. Don’t waste your time and energy dwelling on the past. Instead, start creating positive perspective. Learn to accept that things happen for a reason. End negative thoughts and start thinking positive. Let go of the past and move on. Life goes on. 2. Browse through job boards and see what’s out there. Since I’ve gone through this twice, I already know what to expect. I work for a high tech company and we all know that it’s one of the industries that’s hardly hit by weak economy. While I still have my job, I browse through job boards like Yahoo! Hotjobs and Craigslist everyday (lunch break or at home after work). I do this just to see what’s out there. What do I benefit from checking the job boards? Knowing what jobs are being offered out there prepares me emotionally and mentally. it opens my mind to the unknown. I also learned more about myself, what I want and need in a job.

Our company may or may not layoff employees but I know we’re not doing well. From my experience, I have to prepare myself. I have to think of myself, my family and my future. I have already learned from my past experiences. My company will not be there for me when they lay me off.

When I browse through job boards, I look at both full-time and part-time jobs. This is how I came across eHow. I have always dreamed of working from home, either full-time or part-time. I have always wanted to write, help people and create training manuals.

3.  Keep your resume updated and save or print out kudos from managers or customers.

4. Attend in-house trainings offered by your company, if any. Our company offers in-house trainings or classes and I make sure I attend those classes. After each class or training, I update my resume.

5. Save your vacation hours. This tip may or may not work for others but it definitely works for me. I realize that we all seek for “work life balance”. I do too but I still manage to save my vacation hours. When I first got laid off, I was not expecting extra money besides my severance pay until I received my last check. I got more than what I expected. This extra money has helped me a lot. From then on, I’ve been extra careful with the use of my vacation hours.

6. Make sure you utilize your company’s medical benefits. You pay for it each month, so use it.

7. Have you accumulated sick hours? Convert your sick hours to cash or vacation hours.

8. Another way to prepare yourself in the event of a job layoff is to build up emergency funds or cash reserves. Your goal is to have 3 to 6 months of emergency funds. If you have a part-time job, put that money towards your emergency fund. If you can convert your sick hours to cash, put that extra cash towards your emergency funds as well.  Click here to see more ways to save money and build emergency funds fast.

If you like cookies with cinnamon, snickerdoodles are for you. A snickerdoodle is a sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon sugar. Its surface is cracked and can either be crisp or soft.

Things You’ll Need:
bowl
2 cookie sheets
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup Crisco
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 and 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbsps sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees.

2. Cream 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup shortening and 3/4 cup sugar in a bowl until fluffy.

3. Add the egg and beat until smooth.

4. Mix in 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour, 1 tsp cream of tartar, 1 tsp baking soda and salt. Mix well and form into balls.

5. Combine 2 tbsps. sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon and roll balls in cinnamon sugar mixture.

6. Place balls on baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes until crisp.

Enjoy!!

You just got back from a wonderful vacation and now you dread to go back to work as you know that you’ll be swamped with numerous emails, outstanding issues, etc. Follow these steps to make your return to work as smooth as possible.

1. Finish what you can before you leave. However, there are times you won’t be able to get everything done before going on vacation. If you have unresolved or pending issues, parts scheduled to ship out while you’re gone, ask a co-worker to cover for you. Provide him/her a “To-do” or “Follow-up” list with all the information (e.g. where you left off, how an issue has to be resolved, due dates, contact information) he/she will need. To make it easier for the person who will back you up, copy him/her in all the emails so he/she could just continue the email thread until an item gets resolved.

2. Inform your customers about your leave either by calling them or via email. Let them know that you’ll be out of town. If you’re informing them via email, add the name and contact information of the person who will back you up while you’re on leave.

3. Make sure you set your Out-of-Office (OoO) notification. Inform them of the date when you’ll be gone as well as your return date. Add the contact information of the person who will be helping you while you’re gone.

4. When you go on vacation, try to return a day early before you go back to work. Use this day to run errands, do some house chores, check personal emails, or even relax and get more sleep. If you are curious to know what’s going on at work, you can either check your work emails from home (if you have access) or call your co-worker. That way, you know what to expect when you return to work.

5.  When you are actually back at your work desk, the first thing we usually do is check emails and voicemails. You may either turn the Out-of-Office completely off or modify your message by letting them know that you’re back and you need some time to catch up on things and you will get back to them as soon as possible.

6. Have a mini meeting with your co-worker to refresh you on outstanding issues, deadlines to meet, etc.

7. Browse through your inbox. If you were gone for a long time, you may want to start reading your new emails down to the old ones especially if you are already aware of what’s going on. Flag the ones that need follow up or still outstanding. It’s really up to you how you want to read your emails. Everyone has his own system. I just find this easier as I don’t need to waste my time on things that are already taken care of. I can read those later when I’m finally caught up.

8. You then need to prioritize tasks and focus on the urgent ones first.

I’ve written an article before about saving money and building savings fund fast. One of the things I have mentioned is to watch movies at home instead of going to a movie theater. Here are some tips on how to save money on movie rentals or even get them free:

1.  Sign up for Movie Rental Programs. Movie rental stores offer programs like “Movie Value Pass” for example at Hollywood Video. Their “Movie Value Pass Basic” lets you rent 3 movies out at one time for a certain monthly fee but due in 5 days. The “Movie Value Pass Premium” lets you take 2 or 3 movies out at one time for a higher monthly fee with no due dates. I’ve signed up for the Premium program last year. It seems like I’ve seen the majority of the movies they have and I am not a big fan of seeing movies for the second time, I am thinking of switching to another rental place where I can save more money.

2.  Netflix - I’m still debating whether to sign up with Netflix or go with my option #3 below. Netflix has different plans. You can pay as little as $4.99 a month depending on how many DVDs you want out each month. You rent online, Netflix delvers to you free, keep the movie as long as you want and return DVD using their prepaid return envelopes.

3.  Movie Kiosks - Last week, I noticed 3 or 4 people in line to rent a movie from a kiosk outside Lucky grocery store. I thought this was a better option for me as I can actually kill two birds with one stone. it would be very convenient for me as I’m already out doing my grocery shopping so why not rent a movie for a buck! Saves me money and gas! What’s more? No late fees! I also found out that Safeway supermarkets have DVD kiosks as well.

4.   Another way of saving money on movie rentals is to trade movies with your friends or co-workers. My friends, co-workers and I trade movies that we own or rent.

5.  Go to the library to get free movie rentals. My sister and my co-workers get their movies at the library. Although the movies being rented out are not the latest films, your local library carries a lot of older movies that are worth seeing.

6.  Some people prefer video-on-demand through their cable provider, Netflix or Amazon.