FReeper Canteen ~ Online Shopping 101 ~ November 22, 2005

22-NOV-05 | Gummy News

[GummyIII]

Gummy Style!

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.

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. Best viewed at 1024x768,  medium text size

[GodBlessUSA]

Oh, CSI is on. :) Good thing I'm quiet tonight.LOL!!!

[GodBlessUSA]

You know what I had for supper, Peanutbutter and Jelly on a roll. :) Family had left overs. :)

[GodBlessUSA]

Where did everyone go? Is everyone watching CSI? LOL!

[luvie]

Yep, comes on in about 25 minutes....ES has already seen it and says it's really good! I'm gonna have my pizza and watch it and talk to you, too! :o) Can you say greasy keyboard? LOL!

[luvie]

PB & J? LOL! I'll stick with the pizza. Sausage and black olive....mmmmmmmm! :o)

No, CSI isn't on yet....there's Monday Night Football. I know at least one guy watching it! LOL!

[luvie]

Hey...what did you do that made you so tired? I'm off tomorrow so I was hoping we'd party a little tonight!

[luvie]

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[luvie]

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[luvie]

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[luvie]

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[MS.BEHAVIN]

Thanks for today's thread Gummy!
Good evening everyone!
Hugs alla round!
Ms.B

[The Mayor]

November 22, 2005

Difficult Days

Read:
Psalm 23:1-6

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. —Psalm 23:6

Bible In One Year: 1 Corinthians 1-4

We buried my wife's father 2 days before Thanksgiving, and every year the holiday is tinged with the sorrow of losing him. No doubt your calendar contains some of these difficult days that roll around once a year, bringing fresh reminders of losses that still hurt and people you still miss. A Wall Street Journal article calls these dates "emotional land mines" and says they may be even more difficult to face when they coincide with national holidays or anniversaries of significant events.

Grief counselors point out that taking a positive step can help us deal with grief. One year we planted a tree to mark the anniversary of a parent's death and the birth of a grandson on the same day. A scholarship fund or a memorial gift can benefit others while honoring the memory of a loved one. But a deep healing of spirit is a gift from God.

You may know Psalm 23 by heart, but try reading it with new eyes today. This familiar passage of comfort proclaims: "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life" (v.6). Not just some of the days—all the days.

When we traverse the emotional minefield of painful memories, the Good Shepherd is with us on every difficult day. —David McCasland

Savior, please stay close beside,
Be my comfort, Lord, and guide,
When I'm troubled, tempted, tried,
May Your love and grace abide. —Brandt

The sweetest experience of God's love can be found in times of sorrow.

FOR FURTHER STUDY
How Can I Live With My Loss?

[luvie]

MS.BEEEEEEEE...you here now? Just wanna make sure I'm in the right place at the right time! :o)

[GodBlessUSA]

Yeah, I would go for the pizza too. LOL! Not an option here tonight. :)

[MS.BEHAVIN]

Yep!
;0)
Where'd everybody go?
Ms.B

[luvie]

Good evening Rus! How are you this fine evening! Is it getting colder up there already?

Thanks for our lesson from God's Word. Yes things can be dificult, but we have the comfort of a Savior to help us cope with these difficulties!

[AZamericonnie]

{{{{{Luv}}}}}} I'm trying to get all my ducks in a row for Thanksgiving....I detest having having to rush the day before! Shopping is done. House is almost all scrubbed. Carpet cleaned on Friday so Christmas decorating can begin on Sat. I cannot wait to get the decorations up!

[luvie]

Man! I dunno...I looked around and everyone was gone...just you, me and GB makes three! LOL!

The ballgame is on but big deal....(no offense, football fans! LOL!)

[Colonel_Flagg]

No, CSI isn't on yet....there's Monday Night Football. I know at least one guy watching it! LOL!

Yes, and as usual I am underwhelmed by Mike Tice. Nothing new there.

[GummyIII]

Hi, Ms. B!

I just found out the teacher who teaches next door to me (we do a lot of stuff together) had her baby tonight! 9 lbs. 3 oz! His dad is a football coach. He's taking after dad. They have two 5 year old twin girls already, so this little feller is going to have a lot of doting.