FReeper Canteen ~ Online Shopping 101 ~ November 22, 2005

Gummy Style!

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Newsflash: Gummy Hates to Shop
November 22, 2005

I hate to shop. I know. You are thinking, "She's not normal." Perhaps I should clarify. I hate to drive to a busy mall or store, get out, fight the crowds, look in umpteen stores for the best bargain, and come home with nothing but achy feet and head. When Al Gore invented the internet, he did it for me. Honest. (Psssst....He would have told you that, but he's afraid you wouldn't believe him.) OK, you've guessed it...I do all my shopping online. Below are my best tips for online shopping. Oh, there is ONE drawback, gentlemen...you can't wait until Christmas Eve to shop. It's a good thing I believe in Santa Claus! He brings me my present EVERY year.

(Hint: if the animated background bugs you, hit the "stop" button on your browser.)

We Support Our Troops!!!! Thank you for your service!!!

Shop Online Safely

Use credit cards. The big three credit card issuers, American Express, MasterCard and Visa, have a zero liability policy. You pay nothing for unauthorized transactions if you notify your financial institution.

For extra fraud protection, sign up for MasterCard's SecureCode or Visa's Verified by Visa. These are password challenge programs for online shopping.

Look for signs that online purchases are secure. At the point that you are providing your payment information, the beginning of the Web site address should change from http to shttp or https, indicating the information is being encrypted. Your browser may also signal that the information is secure with a symbol, such as a broken key that becomes whole or a padlock that closes.

Never enter your personal information in a pop-up screen. When you visit a company's Web site, an unauthorized pop-up screen created by an identity thief could appear with blanks for you to provide your personal information. Legitimate companies don't ask for personal information via pop-up screens.

Keep your computer secure for safe shopping and other online activities. Protect your computer with spam filters, anti-virus and anti-spyware software, pop-up blockers and a firewall, and keep them up to date. Go to http://www.staysafeonline.org and http://www.onguardonline.gov to learn more about how to keep your computer secure. Or use El Gran's wonderful site: Canteen Resource Center.

Disclaimer: Not suitable for Grinches or Scrooges. Santa reads this news, too!!

Tips for Saving Money and Sanity

Try online coupons. Many online stores provide regular customers with promotional codes. These codes are entered during the online checkout process. They save you money, just like a traditional coupon. Coupon Cabin, Current Codes and Naughty Codes are three websites that list promotional codes for online stores. (Google "promotional code" and the name of the store from which you are purchasing. Others may show up.)

Promotional codes usually offer free shipping or a reduced price. Often, online stores offer multiple codes, but you'll probably have to use one or the other.

Use disposable e-mail. You must register an e-mail address with stores when you purchase online. The store e-mails a confirmation of your purchase and, often, tracking information. Additionally, it may send you promotional codes. But it may also send you unwanted e-mail.There are a couple ways to handle this. You could create a new e-mail address. A number of sites offer free e-mail, including Hotmail (www.msn.com), Yahoo (mail.yahoo.com), Techemail (www.techemail.com) and Netscape (www.netscape.com).

Or, sign up for a disposable e-mail address. Free services such as spamgourmet and Sneakemail allow you to create a temporary e-mail address. They forward mail to your "real" one. Sign up for a temporary address before making a purchase. When you've received your purchases and are satisfied with them, you can eliminate the temporary address.

COMING NEXT WEEK:
All I want for Christmas is..........

Gummy News is produced as a service to our troops. Volume 1, Number 1.

grinch

Comparision Shopping 101

Yahoo, Inc., Shopzilla, Shopping.com, Google Inc.'s Froogle.com, PriceWatch, PriceGrabber, NexTag and ShopLocal are a few of the top contenders for online comparison shopping. Take the time to see how each one works. Most will sort by price, look for items within a price range, and look for specific brand items which you specify.

Many of the above sites have ratings for you to check the product. Other sites are cnet.com, zdnet.com, consumersearch.com, epinions.com, PCMagazine, BusinessWeekOnline, ConsumerGuide, and many others. Also, many of the consumer online sites offer customer reviews. Use those in conjunction with other reviews. For example, Amazon.com and Circuit City's online store are two sites with customer reviews.

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A free Burka? WooHoo! Wait a minute...I'm not so sure that was a "good" prize!

Or should I scrub the floor with the Burka???? Hummmmnnnn....lol!

1,161 posted on 11/22/2005 7:40:10 PM PST by AZamericonnie (~www.ProudPartiots.org~Operation Seasons Greetings~Serving those who serve us!)

"We were thinking about passing the hat around here at work for the Pack....thought we'd do that to see if the Pack could even BUY a win!"

Don't worry, they can't.:(

But that's okay. They've had a good long run. Every team has a stinky year now & then. Or, in the case of Da Bears, several ;^)

1,162 posted on 11/22/2005 7:41:07 PM PST by MozartLover ( My son, my soldier, my hero. Protect him, Lord, wherever he goes, and keep him strong.)

Hello and Welcome to the Canteen.

Please feel free to post any time. Please thank you son for his service to our nation.

1,163 posted on 11/22/2005 7:42:59 PM PST by Soaring Feather

To: EsmeraldaA; Kathy in Alaska

Yes, it was! Wow! I really enjoyed this one. They're gonna keep on and Tony's going to be.....Oh! But I can't give anything away! :o) heh-heh!

1,164 posted on 11/22/2005 7:43:20 PM PST by luvie (Our will is strong, our nation is united, and we will settle for nothing less than victory. GWB11-11)

To: AZamericonnie

LOL! That's great! I wish you and your family the Best Thanksgiving Connie.:)

1,165 posted on 11/22/2005 7:44:11 PM PST by GodBlessUSA (US Troops, Past, Present and Future, God Bless You and Thank You! Prayers said for our Heroes!)

To: Diva Betsy Ross

LOL! Only if you live in Florida or Hawaii! Brrrrrr!

1,166 posted on 11/22/2005 7:45:03 PM PST by luvie (Our will is strong, our nation is united, and we will settle for nothing less than victory. GWB11-11)

I picked up a bunch of cards from the "Prince of Peace" preschool today for the Troops...they were sooo precious!

I was pulling them out & reading them in the car...now the car & me are covered in glitter! LOL

1,167 posted on 11/22/2005 7:45:09 PM PST by AZamericonnie (~www.ProudPartiots.org~Operation Seasons Greetings~Serving those who serve us!)

Lots of paperwork and chattin' on the phone, LOL! We have changed some dates for a couple of shows in January and February so I have to call everyone and let them know. Sheesh!

1,168 posted on 11/22/2005 7:45:21 PM PST by laurenmarlowe

To: Diva Betsy Ross

I like it a lot! Care for a spin? And you must live in quite a warm place to get away with that outfit ;)

1,169 posted on 11/22/2005 7:45:23 PM PST by Colonel_Flagg (Inertia: It's not just for breakfast anymore.)

To: laurenmarlowe

It's smaller than usual. This year we go to my sisters. I just have to make mashed potatoes and do a lot of dishes. LOL!

1,170 posted on 11/22/2005 7:46:06 PM PST by GodBlessUSA (US Troops, Past, Present and Future, God Bless You and Thank You! Prayers said for our Heroes!)

To: laurenmarlowe

Isn't it great to only have to make one or two things. :)

1,171 posted on 11/22/2005 7:46:30 PM PST by GodBlessUSA (US Troops, Past, Present and Future, God Bless You and Thank You! Prayers said for our Heroes!)

You too Gracie! We have a lot to be thankful for don't we!

1,172 posted on 11/22/2005 7:46:54 PM PST by AZamericonnie (~www.ProudPartiots.org~Operation Seasons Greetings~Serving those who serve us!)

To: LUV W; Colonel_Flagg

I am a slave to fashion.. hehe!

1,173 posted on 11/22/2005 7:47:44 PM PST by Diva Betsy Ross (Code pink stinks)

To: AZamericonnie

That was nice of her to help my son out like that.

Schultz is our evidence remover in our house.

1,174 posted on 11/22/2005 7:49:21 PM PST by txradioguy (In Memory Of My Friend 1SG Tim Millsap A Co. 70th Eng. K.I.A. 25 April 2005)

YES! I am looking forward to a little turkey and dressing, and LOTS of pie! It's nice when everyone pitches in.

And we'll all get our turn at clean-up and the dishes, LOL!

1,175 posted on 11/22/2005 7:49:33 PM PST by laurenmarlowe

LOL! You are wicked!

1,176 posted on 11/22/2005 7:50:24 PM PST by EsmeraldaA

Is your son a Marine? I'd like to fly his flag and don't want to presume.

1,177 posted on 11/22/2005 7:52:10 PM PST by Kathy in Alaska (~ www.ProudPatriots.org ~ Operation Season's Greeting~)

To: AZamericonnie

1,178 posted on 11/22/2005 7:52:16 PM PST by GodBlessUSA (US Troops, Past, Present and Future, God Bless You and Thank You! Prayers said for our Heroes!)

To: AZamericonnie

How sweet and what a memory.I have letters from 5th graders-they are all in their 30's now.I think I'll whip them out:)

1,179 posted on 11/22/2005 7:52:21 PM PST by fatima (Never do anything.)

To: laurenmarlowe

Are you gonna be home in an hour, or tomorrow?

1,180 posted on 11/22/2005 7:53:15 PM PST by Kathy in Alaska (~ www.ProudPatriots.org ~ Operation Season's Greeting~)

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