This Year's "Resolutions"

Alright, aside from trying to be better at blogging, I have two main goals for this year.

1. Be paraben free for all shower, hair care, skin care, and makeup products. I would greatly appreciate any product recommendations.  I am hoping to hit this goal by around September because I have a surplus of stuff to use up before then. I have been stock piling The Body Shop's Rainforest Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner as well as their  Earth Lover's Watermelon & Eucalyptus Shower Gel.

2. Get my neck pain under control without lots of medication.  As of right now, if I went to the chiropractor three times a week, I would be set, but who can afford that? So I'm going to talk to my orthopedic surgeon next week about lidocaine or botox injections to relax my neck muscles (if you are just tuning in, I have degenerative disc disease in my cervical spine). Any pain management tips for this would also be great!

Well, that's about it. Wishing you all a Happy (although belated) New Year!

Favorite Things: Credit Monitoring

Ok, so today’s post is going to be a little bit serious. It’s about debt and getting out of it. I know with the economy being how it is, we are all spending less, but a lot of us may be digging out of the debt we incurred a while back. Due to lack of raises or pay cuts in some cases, it may be difficult for you to get out of debt. Or buy a new home or a car.  Here are two FREE websites I have been using for quite a while now that help with credit monitoring. 

Credit Karma

Requires your social security number

Uses Transunion’s formulas to calculate an estimation of your credit score

Suggests deals on credit cards, loans, mortgages, and banking to help you save money

Credit Report Card helps you track your debt-to-income ratio and the “temperature” of your credit report

Can be updated for free daily

Quizzle

Does not require your social security number

Uses Equifax’s formulas to calculate an estimation of your credit score

Helps you set financial goals and tracks them

Gives you a full credit report

Can be updated for free every 6 months

Can be updated monthly for $7

Personally, I prefer Credit Karma because you can update it more frequently. It allows you to see if a new account has been added and if you have an increase in hard inquiries, both of which can help you indicate if someone is trying to commit credit fraud with your information. CK also shows how your debt is broken down, whether it is credit cards, mortgage, student loans, personal loans, or car loans.  It also tracks month to month so you can see how your debt has been trending.

Either way, both sites are free, so use them to your advantage!