Sustain the Planet, Rising Interest Rates, and Online Orders

This week I’m sharing ways to sustain the planet, how to prepare for rising interest rates, and precautions to take with online orders

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Mother’s Day is around the corner (Sunday, May 8th) and one of the most popular gift items you can get in any year is the traditional gift of flowers. The Better Business Bureau sees lots of scams that focus on Mother’s Day holiday shopping, and it is warning consumers to proceed with caution before falling victim to Mother’s Day vendor scams, especially when shopping online. The BBB urges consumers to take extra precaution with placing floral orders.

Do your homework before ordering flowers or any other gifts for Mother’s Day and check out the company’s BBB business review at bbb.org.

Here’s how to make sure your online orders go smoothly!

Make sure you allow time proper time for shipping and delivery. Ordering now, ahead of time, means delivery and other charges will be less than any last-minute or overnight shipping. Some florists offer discounts for deliveries a couple of days before any major holiday since that helps them deal with the rush.

Security matters, too. Make sure you do not enter any of your personal information on a pop-up screen. When you visit a company’s website, 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.

Make sure you print or save the information on your order confirmation page in case you need it later.

Make sure you understand the retailer’s guarantee. Find out how customer complaints are handled and what recourse you will have if the arrangement is not satisfactory. It’s best to use a credit card when ordering online, because you can dispute charges if the vendor doesn’t come through.

When it comes to flower delivery, there are times when delivery instructions need to be confirmed or a delivery driver needs additional directions. Make sure the florist has a callback phone number or your cell phone to help be sure your mom gets what you expect.

Now, have a great Mother’s Day holiday and enjoy the flowers!

Earth Day 2022 - How You Can Sustain the Planet and the Economy

Today is Earth Day, the annual celebration of sustainability. It’s the day that Americans and people around the world can foster and bring the health of the Earth to the forefront of their minds with environmentally friendly practices.

The goal is to help preserve the planet. Now, after 50+ years, consumers are more focused on sustainability than ever before. And they’d better be. If not, we may just become a footnote to universal history. So how can you sustain the planet and the economy, too? It’s that question people have been asking themselves since my college days back in 1970!

Earth Day Is Not Just a “Good Idea”

Why is it that whenever the emergency red light flashes “warning, warning”, somebody out there reacts with an “oh yeah, that sounds like something we should do” or “that sounds like a good idea” and then yet nada, zippo, zilch—nothing

Rising Interest Rates Are Going to Burn You If You're Not Prepared

If you are getting nervous about your money, inflation, and rising interest rates these days you are no different than most people. There has been so much discussion about all of it on the news and on the net that you’d have to be living in a cave or independently wealthy not to be nervous. So hearing and reading about all of it like I do every day is not helping me sleep at night…and I am not sure what will.

The numbers indicate right now that money is about to take a ride in the near term and this isn’t the kind of ride that will calm your nerves. With inflation peaking (maybe) and interest rates about to explode, what is one to do to feel good about the economic news?

What Condition Is Your Condition In?

As Kenny Rogers and the First Edition said over 50 years ago, you need to check your condition now to make sure you will be able to handle the near-term rocky road ahead for

Super Saving Tip of the Week:

Online shopping these days has an added benefit: saving you the cost of gas and car care. As long as you aren’t forced to pay energy surcharge fees or high shipping costs (many companies offer free shipping with a minimum purchases), why not save the time and expense of in-person shopping, as long as the cost of gas is high and online ordering is so easy?

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