ID theft is a real threat to everyone, to avoid theft; Deter, Detect, Defend. Here are the steps to fight against identity theft. Identify theft is a serious crime. It occurs when personal information is stolen and used without our knowledge to commit fraud or other crimes.
 
According to the Federal Trade Commission here are the Common Ways ID Theft happens:

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.

1.When I get a raise I put the amount that actually shows up in my pay check (after taxes etc) in savings rather than in checking.

2.If I am writing a check I round up to the next ten and either put that in savings or let it build in my checking account. (IE: If the item was $45.79 I would record in my check book $50.00).

3.When I want something at the store that is an impulse decision I don't buy it. If I keep thinking about it; I go back later and buy it. This way I know if it is something I really want/need or just think I do at the time.

I remember driving from Oregon to Utah every summer in a small old car. My mom would pack up the back seat with boxes and suitcases and place on the top a mattress. It must have been a crib size as it was a small 1940's Ford. That is where I rode during the LONG trip.

We would play I spy games, sing and I would chatter until I am sure my mom was anxious for the trip to be at its end. This was before freeways so we traveled through every little poe-dunk town and around every river bend so it took much longer that it does today. But kid still are kids and no matter how far the destination, they want to be there NOW.

 Do you have a hard time keeping everything and anything someone gives you. Here are six tips on deciding what to keep and what to let go.

"We often keep items longer than we should for sentimental reasons", says Fugen Neziroglu, Ph.D. in Woman's Day magazine 6/05/07. Her surefire solutions in helping us to let go:Find the best tribute: Instead of holding onto every single memento—greeting cards, playbills and ticket stubs—chose favorites, store in scrapbooks and toss the rest.

My daughter who works for the Peace Corps was visiting three of the countries in Africa which she is country desk for. (I have no idea what that is other than it is a lot of responsibility and work which she loves). She wrote: "being in Burkina is awesome! I feel so far away! I feel like I've been gone for a long time and it's really only been one week and a few days".

"I have been to the West and the North and of course the capital. It's been great. The West is really lush, cool weather and so green. I spent my first several days there, where we were surrounded by mango groves and sugar plantations. It was amazing! I swear it was around 70s or low 80s - it felt perfect. The earth is so red and colorful. I love the colors! It's so refreshing to be in a place with a slower and more mellow pace. Everyone here rides a bike or a motorbike. The people are lean and muscular. They look healthy. It has inspired me to whip my butt into shape and get my lean body back".

Containers are the answer to a clutter free world.  Well, that may be over simplifying it, but containers go a long way when you have an organizing dilemma.  Do not go out and just start buying containers thinking then you will be organized. Containers can become clutter too.  Here are eleven tips to help you select and use the right container in your home.

My grandson who had just turned two was at the doctor's with his mother. The doctor was impressed as he immediately started putting the toys away when she told him it was time to put them in the basket. He does the same thing in his home. I am also impressed with the way he is being taught so young. Starting young is part of the solution to helping children to be organized and keeping their rooms tidy.

Often children's bedrooms are messy and they get the blame when it might not be entirely their fault. Kids can't keep their rooms straight if they don't have homes for their toys, clothes, art supplies and other treasures.

Two years ago a good friend of mine gave me a book for my birthday. I love reading books and I put it aside into my reading queue thinking what a nice gift she had given to me. When I did pick it up to read I saw it was personally signed for her and to her by her friends. I was not sure what I should do, if I should tell her and just keep the book or tell her and risk her being embarrassed. I decided since friends of hers had given it to her she would appreciate getting it back, whether she was embarrassed or not.

I told her I had her personal autographed book and I asked her if she would like it back or should I keep it as I did intend on reading it. She said to give it back to her and she would give me another of the same book. I gave it back and she gave me another copy of the book, only this time it was personalized to her by someone else.  I had a good laugh but I never told her she had done it the second time.

I was with my rug hooking group the other day working on our rug projects and because my friends know I am a professional organizer they started asking me how to organize various problem spots in their homes. One dilemma for several of them in new homes was what to do with linens when the wannabe linen closet is about a foot and a half wide which means narrow shelves and not enough space for storage.

There are solutions to every problem so let's take a look at each one of them. It seems the larger the home the smaller the closet and storage places are becoming, at least for linen closets in many of the homes being built today. We all have beds so we need sheets, we all need towels yet linen closets are shrinking and the shelves are also getting narrow.

Garages seem to become the dumping ground for everything we want out of our homes but can't part with so we stick it in the garage. Clutter can pile up until there is no longer room to even park the car.

Here are some simple no cost solutions to clutter clearing the garage and keeping it that way. Just like in the home everything needs a designated place and then it lives there when not in use. Designate areas or zones for all things that do belong in the garage. There are ways to organize a garage without having garage systems or expensive shelving.

One of the most important jobs you have as a parent is keeping your child safe when riding in a vehicle. Each year thousands of young children are killed or injured in car crashes. Proper use of car safety seats helps keep children safe. But with so many different car safety seats on the market it is hard to know what one to choose.

Car seats have manufacturer expiration dates. Dates can be as many as eight years and in some cases as little as five years. Parents should know that NHTSA instructs it's techs and both Safe Kids and the Juvenile Product Manufacturers Association agree that no seat should be used for more than a period of six years from its date of manufacture.  Both experts and seat manufacturers agree that seats do have a finite lifespan. Best practice would be to retire that seat after six years.  That is of course unless your car seat manufacturer states that its lifespan is five years.  Always consult your seat markings, labels and manual for this information.
So why do car seats expire? Here are three reasons why they expire.

If you have small children in your home here are 12 safety devices to protect your children. The information comes from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Division (CPSC's).

About 2-1/2 million children are injured or killed by hazards in the home each year. The good news is that many of these incidents can be prevented by using simple child safety devices on the market today.
Any safety device you buy should be sturdy enough to prevent injury to your child, yet easy for you to use. It's important to follow installation instructions carefully. In addition, if you have older children in the house, be sure they re-secure safety devices. Remember, too, that no device is completely childproof; determined youngsters have been known to disable them.

You can childproof your home for a fraction of what it would cost to have a professional do it. And safety devices are easy to find. You can buy them at hardware stores, baby equipment shops, supermarkets, drug stores, home and linen stores, and through mail order catalogues.
Here are some child safety devices that can help prevent many injuries to young children.