Beating Broke

My Credit Card Rewards Were Stolen!

April 3, 2023 By MelissaB 1 Comment

I do an excellent job of keeping my credit secure. Over 14 years ago, my husband and I froze our credit; we only thaw it for a day or two when someone needs to make a credit inquiry for a new line of credit. In addition, we use a credit monitoring service, and I check our credit cards at least once a week to record transactions in our budgeting software, You Need a Budget. Yet, despite my best efforts, my credit card rewards were stolen!

How I Discovered the Theft

I thought about traveling internationally and decided to check my rewards balance. I knew I had tens of thousands of points, but I couldn’t remember how many. So imagine my surprise when I looked and saw only 9,000 points!

I looked at my redemption history and saw a 30,000 redemption for $300 worth of gift cards. The redemption took place on March 1^st. I had been in my credit card account at least three times since the redemption, but I didn’t notice the theft because I didn’t check the rewards points. I’m embarrassed to admit that it took me three weeks to realize someone had cleaned my account of $300 in rewards points.

Called the Credit Card Company Immediately

I immediately called the credit card company. While the agent was friendly, she asked me several times if I had redeemed them and didn’t remember or if my husband had redeemed them.

I live in New York, but the redeemed cards were addressed to my name in Houston, Texas. I told the agent that I never redeem my points for gift cards; she could look through my history and see that.

Steps the Credit Card Company Took

In the end, the credit card company took two steps.

First, they put my 30,000 reward points back in my account.

Second, they canceled my current credit card and sent me a new one.

Steps I Took

I also took steps to protect my account further.

First, I went to my other two credit cards, confirmed the correct number of rewards points, and then I cashed them out.

Second, I changed my passwords for all my online credit card accounts.

Third, I am investigating signing up for AwardWallet. This free program helps people manage the points for the many reward programs they signed up for. Best of all, users can set an alert to be notified if the balance changes. This program will help me realize the theft immediately instead of three weeks later.

Final Thoughts

While thieves have compromised my credit card several times, I was shocked to discover they stole my credit card rewards! I never thought of those as ripe for theft, but they are. Hopefully, I can ensure my credit card rewards are not stolen again by taking more protective steps. However, if they are, hopefully, I’ll realize the theft more quickly than I did this time.

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4 Ways to Reduce Your Energy Bills This Spring

March 27, 2023 By Erin H Leave a Comment

Spring has arrived, and warmer weather is right around the corner. As the seasons change, now’s the time to consider how the weather might impact your energy costs in the coming months. Here are a few ways you can reduce your energy costs this season.

1. Clean Your Air Ducts

Cleaner air ducts mean that your air conditioner will work a lot more efficiently, and this is a clear way for you to save both money and energy. The National Air Duct Cleaners Association recommends that air ducts should be cleaned once every three to five years. Doing this can go a long way in ensuring that you not only pay lower energy bills but that your family also stays more comfortable as well. If anyone suffers from allergies, they’re bound to have an easier time when they breathe air that’s not full of dust, pollen, and other allergens that tend to collect in your air ducts over time.

2. Patch Up Any Missing Shingles

If you’ve ever experienced the chimney effect during the summer months, you know how your roof can significantly impact the energy use in your home, and this is why you need to make sure that it’s in a solid state throughout the year. Missing shingles or poor insulation can cause your home’s heating or cooling to escape to the outside, which causes your HVAC system to work twice as hard to keep your home comfortable.

With the friendly weather in spring, this is the best time for you to work on your roof. The roofing industry is expected to grow 4% annually, so you should be able to find an experienced roofer in your area to inspect your roof and replace any missing shingles they come across. This can help you seal your home a lot better and lose less treated air to the outdoors. As a result, you’ll be able to make do with your AC set at a reasonable degree.

3. Clear Your Water Heater

Next, drain your water heater of any sediment so you can improve its efficiency. If your water heater has to work through layers of accumulated particles, it will need more energy while giving a lower output. Since water heating accounts for 18% of the energy used in an average property, the implications of cleaning your heater should be evident. According to Bob Vila, it’s recommended to drain your water heater at least once a year.

If your water heater has additional issues or it’s simply reached the end of its lifespan, you might need to call a professional. Weigh between fixing it and replacing it to see which is the more reasonable expense for you. Making the right call can help you save on energy and get better service, so do some research on top of talking to the relevant professionals.

4. Switch to LED Bulbs

Last but not least, change all the bulbs in your home to LED bulbs. This is a measure that will help you save not just now, but for a long time to come. This is because LED bulbs generally need less energy to run and so they’ll cost you less to keep on. They also have a longer lifespan than normal bulbs so you can also do away with the cost of making frequent replacements. To boot, they give off less heat while running and so they won’t heat your house up and call for more cooling efforts on your part. Given the affordability and ease of this tip, it should probably be the first one that you put to work.

These four tips can help you reduce the energy you use in your home this spring. When you make it more affordable to enjoy modern conveniences, you’re bound to enjoy every moment you spend in your home. You can make some more improvements each season so that in the end, your home is efficient and affordable for you, not to mention attractive and cozy!

4 Meals from the Pantry to Save Money

March 20, 2023 By MelissaB 2 Comments

If you’re like me, you may find it harder and harder to stay within the grocery budget as food costs skyrocket due to inflation. So I try to find nutritious recipes that aren’t expensive. In addition, to save money, I try to have one week where I don’t make a complete grocery shopping trip and instead only buy some fresh fruits and vegetables and make my meals from the pantry to save money. Doing this allows me to use up what I have and stretch my grocery dollars.

Our Favorite Meals from the Pantry to Save Money

These are the pantry meals we make during the weeks I skip grocery shopping:

Spaghetti

My kids don’t mind a pantry meal when the meal is spaghetti. So I buy pasta and pasta sauce when they’re on sale, and I purchase canned mushrooms at Costco. I mix them together for a quick, cheap meal.

We recently upped our spaghetti game by making Pizza in a Bowl (I left out the creamed soup and only used half the cheese.) I was amazed at how this meal stretched—we had it for two meals!

Breakfast for Dinner

Another favorite is breakfast for dinner. We might have omelets with green peppers and cheese and a piece of toast. Or, if we have many bread heels in the freezer, we make French toast and eggs. Sometimes we make a breakfast sandwich with ham, egg, and cheese on toast or an English muffin. Another economical recipe is Ham, Broccoli & Cheddar Frittata. (If money is tight, I leave out the ham, and it still tastes good.)

Broccoli, Potato, & Soup

I recently found this delicious recipe for Broccoli, Cheddar & Potato Soup. I like it because I can use frozen broccoli. (This recipe and the broccoli frittata recipe are the only ways I enjoy eating frozen broccoli.) Like Pizza in a Bowl, this recipe stretches and easily feeds the four of us for two meals. Oh, and while I am talking about soup, another good recipe for meatball soup is here.

Fried Rice

Another frugal yet filling meal is Chicken Fried Rice. We use a rotisserie chicken from Costco and save the bones to make homemade chicken stock. Since rotisserie chicken at Costco is only $4.99, the meat is cheap, and we add rice, frozen vegetables, a few eggs, and seasoning.

How We’re Able to Keep Our Meals Frugal

For years, I’ve stocked up on items when they’re on sale, so I pay the lowest price for groceries. We have a pantry in our basement, two deep freezers, and two refrigerators so we can keep a full supply.

When ground beef is on sale, I may buy 20 or 25 pounds. We have food intolerances and can’t eat dairy, so when our favorite vegan cheese, Daiya, goes on sale, I may buy 20 bags. Then I won’t buy any more until it’s on sale again. If we run out before it goes on sale, we do without until the next sale.

Shopping this way makes having a pantry cooking week easy.

Final Thoughts

Keeping within our allotted grocery budget is getting more challenging every month. One way we rein in expenses is by making meals from the pantry to forego a weekly shopping trip once a month.

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