PSA: Free Registration for Your Pet's Microchip

Last year, I told you about great deals for registering your pet's microchip that ranged around $20. This past week, I learned of a new registry that is even cheaper. Found Animals offers free registration for all pets.

If you have a pet, you know that microchips are a popular way to protect your dog (or cat) if he goes missing. Microchips are not a GPS system and will not give you the exact location of your missing pet, but they are extremely handy in reuniting a lost pet with its family.

Almost all shelters and vets have a scanner so when an animal is brought in, the first thing they do is scan for a chip. The scanner will display a unique code which can then be entered in a microchip database to retrieve the owner's information. That's a problem though because statistics show that not every owner has submitted or updated their information in the databases. 

When you first have your pet microchipped at either the vet or a clinic, they should give you paperwork on how to register and update the data associated with the chip. Check the paperwork and if you're unsure about the procedure, call the 800-number associated with the company. Some chips come with no registration information, some come with a free year of registration, and others include lifetime registration. It depends on the brand, package, and other factors. If your pet's chip does not include lifetime registration look for registry, such as Found Animals, to make sure if your pet gets lost they can find the owner's information.

Great Drunk Driving PSA/Prank

A friend of mine posted this prank on Facebook and I thought I would share it with my readers. A bar set up a prank in their bathroom to show men the dangers of drunk driving. While you'll laugh at the video, the message is very clear. Never let a drink ruin your night or your life.

Get $25 LivingSocial Credit When You Make a $5 Donation to Toys for Tots (Or Buy Any LivingSocial Deal)

LivingSocial has teamed up with Visa to help promote their new method of online payment called v.me. Make any purchase on LivingSocial from now through December 22, 2012 using v.me and you'll get a $25 LivingSocial credit to use on a future purchase.

Just in time for the holidays, LivingSocial is offering a deal to help children in need. They have a deal for $5 for a $10 donation to Toys for Tots. Based on the rules for the promotion, this donation will count for the v.me promotion if you pay using the new service. Therefore, you will spend $5 for a $10 donation to Toys for Tots and a $25 credit on LivingSocial. Not a bad way to help out children during the holiday season.

Promotional offer valid 5:00AM EST December 16, 2012 to 4:59AM PST December 22, 2012. Following Eligible Purchase during Promotional offer using V.me on LivingSocial, 25 Promotional Deal Bucks will be deposited in LivingSocial account of purchase on or before January 3, 2013. Eligible Purchases include “All Deals” and “Nationwide” Daily Deals (as displayed on www.livingsocial.com) and excludes purchases in Escapes, Shop, Takeout and Delivery, purchases made via mobile app or mobile web, or transacted on a third party site. LivingSocial’s time records shall be determinative and final. Deal Bucks are subject to restrictions at http://help.livingsocial.com/articles/the-basics-of-deal-bucks and will expire thirty (30) days from the date of deposit. LivingSocial reserves the right to revoke any Deal Bucks issued for Eligible Purchases that are subsequently refunded or cancelled. Limit one (1) issuance of Deal Bucks per LivingSocial account. Multiple accounts per user prohibited. (Source: Living Social V.me deal)

If you didn't already know this, Toys for Tots is an annual program run by the Marine Corps. Their goal is to provide toys to kids that otherwise wouldn't have presents for the holiday season. They have drop off locations all over the country in businesses and you can also make financial donations directly on their website.

Please Take a Moment

Today a sad event happened in Newtown, Connecticut. A twenty year old man walked into the school where his mother taught kindergarten. He opened fire killing a total of 26 people, many of whom were only children.

I am shocked and saddened by this senseless act of violence. This tragedy reminds us all that we can't always control what is coming. I send my condolences to those families in Connecticut. I hope that those that lost their lives rest in peace and that the survivors will carry on their memories.

Free (Red) Sticker

(Red) is an ongoing project to raise awareness and money for AIDs research. Today, you can request a free sticker from the (Red) campaign.

Preparing an Emergency Kit for Your Car

September is National Emergency Preparedness Month. Throughout the month, I am going to post a series of articles about saving money while preparing for emergencies.

Most people have a road assistance kit containing things like jumper cables and flashlights, but what about if you're stranded and it was going to take a few hours for help to arrive? Or your phone has no service to call for help?

I'm not sure I ever thought about this before, but you might want to have a small emergency kit in your trunk. Most of these items can be purchased cheaply or you can just "recycle" items that you don't use everyday anymore. Items to include:

• sneakers with socks - If you need to walk for help, you might be stranded in painful heals or sandals
• bottled water - Keep a bottle or two so you have water if you're stranded for a few hours
• energy bar - Something to eat so you don't get light-headed or pass out
• blanket - If you're stranded in the cold and your car won't start, you might not have heat

Wholly Heroes

Today is National Guacamole Day. What better way to spend it than opening up a package of Wholly Guacamole and enjoying that delicious, fresh flavor. Wholly Guacamole wants to use National Guacamole Day as the beginning of a great new promotion.

Wholly Heroes is a great new promotion that was designed to help give back to the families of American heroes. Every day, our brave men and women risk their lives to protect the freedoms that we as Americans grew up with.  While they're fighting in wars, their families remain home.  Wholly Heroes has teamed up with Operation Purple.

Operation Purple, a program of the National Military Family Association, are a nice group of people who made camps for military kids like me. And you can even go to camp with your family, so no one gets left out.

They make camp really fun and I am very happy when I am at camp. We get to do cool things like check out the inside of a helicopter. You can help other kids go to camp by donating. If everyone gave some of their allowance maybe everyone will get to go to camp.

From now until October 31, 2012, you can donate money or purchase t-shirts to help Wholly reach their goal of sending 100 military children to camp. You can purchase a really cool t-shirt for $10, with 100% of the proceeds going to the goal. To reach the goal of sending 100 kids to camp, they need to sell at least 5,000 shirts. I received on of these t-shirts and I have to say it's a fun little graphic on a nice quality white shirt. The design, by Brad Meltzer, is two soldiers lifting an American flag with the caption "Ordinary People Changing The World" underneath.

 
Additionally, each order will arrive with a coupon for a free Wholly Guacamole product. That's a great addition for such a good cause. Help Wholly reach their goal and help support our service members and their families.

Disclaimer: I received a cooler full of Wholly products and a t-shirt in exchange for writing this post about Wholly Heroes. I did not receive any other compensation. All opinions are mine. Any facts about the program come from Wholly Heroes.

Free Pancakes at Perkins Today (September 15, 2012)

Today is Perkins annual Give Kids the World Pancake Day. They will give everyone a free short stack of pancakes today only (September 15, 2012). The hope of this promotion is that you will have some extra change in your wallet to donate to this great cause. Please consider making a donation even if it's small.

If you've never heard of Give Kids the World, it's a resort in central Florida which helps children with terminal illnesses and their families enjoy the magic that Florida has to offer. The resort is located near Disney, Universal, Sea World, and more. Families never have to pay for this opportunity and often the travel arrangements can be made in less than 48-hours.

Give Kids the World opened in 1989 after a small child wished to see Walt Disney World but past away before the travel plans could be finalized. It's a great place where sick children can forget their illnesses and just enjoy being a child for a while.

How to Keep Perishable Food Safe

September is National Emergency Preparedness Month. Throughout the month, I am going to post a series of articles about saving money while preparing for emergencies.

What happens if your power goes out and there's no electricity going to your refrigerator? Do you know how to check if the food is still safe? Here are a few basic rules of thumb for keeping your perishable food safe during a power outage.

1. Make sure you keep the doors closed. The refrigerator and freezer are designed to insulate and keep the food cold using minimum energy. When you open the door, you'll allow the cold air to escape.

2. If you know a storm is coming, fill containers with water and fill in as many empty spots of your freezer. A packed freezer is more energy efficient and the ice will keep the food cold longer, just like a cooler.

3. Check the temperature when the power returns. If the fridge stayed under 40 degrees you're alright but after two hours above 40 degrees, you'll want to throw the food out.

Last year, Giant Food Stores came out with a great PDF for keeping or trashing perishable food safety. It lists common foods with how long they stay safe in different temperatures.

Preparing an Emergency Kit/Supplies

September is National Emergency Preparedness Month. Throughout the month, I am going to post a series of articles about saving money while preparing for emergencies.

I've decided to take this opportunity to update the information I posted last year regarding preparing an emergency kit that wouldn't cost a fortune.

Emergencies can range from natural disasters to terrorist actions or even just plan old accidents. Yes, accidents can really cause citywide emergencies. Whether you live in an area that gets lots of storms or somewhere that you never expected to have a problem, I recommend having an emergency kit that will last at least three days in an emergency but four or five days would be better. Why three days you ask? FEMA has stated that in the event of a catastrophe, it can take three days for emergency crews to arrive. While they might arrive in three days, it could take longer for them to set up and start helping.

Once you've prepared your emergency kit it's important to check it once in a while. If you're lucky and don't have an emergency, food might expire and batteries might die. Therefore, just like changing the batteries in your smoke detectors, I recommend checking your kit every six months. If anything is close to expiration then replace it.

Below I have created a list of must haves and suggestions for your kit. You don't need to buy a special container but if you are going to purchase one, I recommended something plastic so it's waterproof if the disaster is a flood. A plastic container with a lid will also keep bugs out if you are storing your kit in a basement or garage. I personally keep the food on a shelf in my pantry and I have flashlights in most rooms of my apartment. Perhaps I shouldn't call it kit, as much as a plan.

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The items I am recommending can all be purchase for $1 or less on sale. A full emergency kit shouldn't cost more than $20. Less if you live alone, more if you have multiple mouths to feed.

Flashlights - Make sure to store the flashlights without the batteries because you don't want the batteries to crust and damage the flashlights. This type of problem is even more common with dollar store flashlights and batteries.

Radio - Battery operated radios are great for keeping up on what's going on. Play around with the dials and you'll find a station somewhere, probably on the AM channels, where the emergency messages are playing. Dollar stores will have really small radios with earbuds. You don't need something fancy, just something with a tuning dial.

Batteries - You should have any batteries that you will need for items like flashlights, radios, and other necessary electronics. Most flashlights take C or D batteries while portable radios might use AA if small and D is larger.

Non-perishable food - Whether you have a few cans of tuna fish or something else, remember that if there's no power you won't be able to refrigerate or heat food. Most canned foods are good for a few years, but they do still expire which is why I suggest checking your kit every six months and replace food that is close to the end.

Pet food - You're preparing for yourself, what about your pets? If you use dry food you should already have it around but if you use wet food, keep a few extra cans around, the smaller size if possible. Since you won't have a refrigerator, you can't store leftovers for the next meal and will need a fresh can.

Hand can opener - Having cans of food is great. Not being able to open them because you have an electronic can opener isn't. You can get a cheap can opener at the dollar store, so keep it around for an emergency.

First Aid Kit - Basic first aid items like assorted bandaids, alcohol wipes, instant ice packs and heating pads, and OTC pain killers.

Entertainment - No computers, no video games? Make sure you have something to keep you mind occupied like playing cards, books, or puzzles.

Water - Emergencies might contaminate water supplies or freeze the pipes, so keep bottled water around. The most common recommendation is one gallon per person per day. So for a three day emergency kit, keep three gallons per person.

If you have any additional suggestions, please leave a comment. Remember this is just a bare minimum emergency kit. Depending on where you live, other items might be necessary for an emergency kit. Check out ready.gov for all of FEMA's recommendations.

September is National Emergency Preparedness Month

September is National Emergency Preparedness Month. Throughout the month, I am going to post a series of articles about saving money while preparing for emergencies.

As these posts go live, I will be linking to them from this original post so that you can easily find them. I will also take them with the label "Emergency Preparedness Month" so that you can easily find them in the future.

• Preparing an Emergency Kit
• How to Keep Perishable Food Safe
• Keeping Your Pets Safe

For more information on National Emergency Preparedness Month, please check out Ready.gov which is set up to answer questions you might have.

PSA: Great Deal on Lifetime Registration for a Animal's Microchip

If you have a pet, you know that microchips are a popular way to protect your dog (or cat) if he goes missing. Microchips are not a GPS system and will not give you the exact location of your missing pet, but they are extremely handy in reuniting a lost pet with its family.

Almost all shelters and vets have a scanner so when an animal is brought in, the first thing they do is scan for a chip. The scanner will display a unique code which can then be entered in a microchip database to retrieve the owner's information. That's a problem though because statistics show that not every owner has submitted or updated their information in the databases. 

When you first have your pet microchipped at either the vet or a clinic, they should give you paperwork on how to register and update the data associated with the chip. Check the paperwork and if you're unsure about the procedure, call the 800-number associated with the company. Some chips come with no registration information, some come with a free year of registration, and others include lifetime registration. It depends on the brand, package, and other factors.

To help you decide which company to register your pet with, I have provided a few options.  These are not the only companies around but they are the most common. Remember, you only need to register your pet's microchip with one service.

American Kennel Club Companion Animal Recovery (AKC CAR) - Offers lifetime registration for only $17.50 ($19.95 if you register by mail). You can upgrade your package to include poison control ($15 lifetime).

Microchip Registration Center - Offers lifetime registration for $19.95.

Home Again - Has an annual fee of $17.99. Includes additional service such as airfare if your dog is found over 500 miles away from home.

Whatever company you register your pet's microchip with please make sure you keep the information up-to-date. You don't like to think about the what ifs however it's important to have things taken care of before an emergency happens.

Do you have any tips for pet owners? A heartwarming story about pet recovery? Please feel free to share a comment with our other readers.

PSA: Is Your Computer Protected?

Did you know that thousands of people might lose their internet connection on Monday? The FBI is doing a massive sweep to remove malware from servers after they arrested the hackers back in November. Once the sweep is complete, any computer still infected will be blocked from accessing the Domain Name Service (DNS), a necessity to prevent a massive re-infection.

Computers could have been affected over a year ago and not even know it. To make sure your computer will continue to work after Monday, take a second to check your DNS Settings. The website for people in the United States is http://www.dns-ok.us/ and is linked from the FBI's official website.

If your computer is affected, you can contact your ISP to find the correct steps to remove the malware.

Update on March 12, 2012: To assist victims affected by the DNSChanger malicious software, the FBI obtained a court order authorizing the Internet Systems Consortium (ISC) to deploy and maintain temporary clean DNS servers. This solution is temporary, providing additional time for victims to clean affected computers and restore their normal DNS settings. The clean DNS servers will be turned off on July 9, 2012, and computers still impacted by DNSChanger may lose Internet connectivity at that time.

Check out the FBI's website for more information.

While you're checking that your computer is safe, I recommend also checking your current virus protection. If it's expired you are not getting the most up-to-date protection. New viruses are released every day. There are a few free protections available and you can almost always find a rebate at your local office supply store for inexpensive protection.

PSA: Consider Making a Donation to The American Cancer Society

I've never asked my readers something like this before, but my mother and step-father are participating in the upcoming Relay for Life in Ocean City, NJ. Please help us raise money to fight this horrible disease. Any donation will be greatly appreciated.

And now for your entertainment, the men from Springfield will tell you why early detection is important.



Please note that the link will take you to my mother's donation page. If you look at the domain, you will see that it is acsevents.org which is the American Cancer Society. Please feel confident that your donation is going directly to the ACS.

If you would prefer to make a donation offline, you can print the offline donation form which has the address for The American Cancer Society of Ocean City, NJ. While I am unable to walk with them, I would love to help my parents reach their fundraising goal. Thank you to all my readers!

PSA: Wear Sunscreen and Protect Your Skin

A friend of mine just posted the following video on Facebook and when I watched it, I thought that it was something I wanted to share with my readers. In the past you've seen me post offers for free spray tans and consumer reports about sun screen. It is so important to protect yourself when you're young, because that's when the most damage is done to your skin.




I personally love sitting on the beach with a good book, but I always wear sunscreen and reapply often. Remember to apply your sunscreen at least fifteen minutes before going out for the day.

Most adults should use about 35 ml or 1 oz. of sunscreen to cover their whole body. That's the same amount that would fit into a shot glass. It's also about the same as an adult handful. Remember, most people don't apply enough sunscreen. It's OK to use more than you think you should. (Source: About.com)

Skin cancer is one that is easy to catch early if you pay attention but spreads really fast. Keep an eye out for changes on your skin and see a doctor if something looks concerning.

For more information, check out The Skin Cancer Foundation.

Source: David Cornfield Melanoma Fund

PSA: GiveBack Allows You to Create Your Own Foundation

I recently learned about a new website, GiveBack.org, which allows you to create your own foundations. Therefore I would like to formally introduce you to Making Cents Goes the Extra Mile. While you can't currently set up a donation box for your selected charities, there is a reason I am posting this site on Making Cents of It. GiveBack is running a referral promotion right now called 100 Days of Giving. Each day during the promotion, one random person will win $1,000 for the charity of their choice. At the end, the highest referrer will earn $50,000 for their charity.

Similar to social network sites, you can "like" your favorite charities. Any money you donate or earn will go towards those charities and you have complete control. I can choose to split it evenly or let it all go towards one organization.  You can earn money through sponsored activities or using GiveBack instead of eBates or Shop at Home.

There is a huge page of FAQs but these two questions are the ones I think most people will be interested in so I will post them here. If you are interested in starting your own foundation, please use my GiveBack referral link for the purpose of the promotion.

What does it mean to have my own "personal foundation"?
GiveBack gives you a free, simple way to organize and manage your charitable giving. When you open an account at GiveBack, you're becoming part of the Give Back Foundation, a public charity that is registered with the IRS (EIN 26-2449481). Your account becomes your own personal foundation. You can accumulate dollars over time and when you're ready, give the money away to one charity or many.

What is the difference between a charity and a foundation?
A foundation, especially a GiveBack foundation, is different than a working charity. Think of your foundation as your charitable savings account. Your foundation account centralizes your charitable giving experience. Funds you deposit into your foundation account are immediately tax deductible. When you find a charity you want to give to, it's just a click away.

For the referral contest, every referral will earn impact points. At the end of the promotion, the person with the most points will win.

Disclaimer: Additionally, the One2One Network is sponsoring a separate giveaway where writing a blog post about the 100 Days of Giving promotion will enter me to hopefully win an additional $100 for my charities.