50 tips to avoid being mugged

1. Don't go out at night.
2. Especially by yourself.
3. Travel with a group of people.
4. Or at least one really, really big person. Hey, it might help.
5. Don't walk down dark alleys.
6. Or any alleys.
7. Carry a gun.
8. Or two.
9. Or ten.
10. In the open.
11. Carry your gun in your hand when walking down a dark alley.
12. Pepper spray. Yeah, whatever.
13. Talk really loudly to yourself.
14. Preferably about crazy stuff, such as, "Sheep! Sheep! Elect the sheep for cardinal!"
15. If you have to take a bus or subway, sit in a corner hunched up and look really tough. Give your best Clint Eastwood impression.
16. Be a cop.
17. In uniform.
18. Bitch really loudly to yourself about how broke you are or how you just got mugged and all your money is gone.
19. Don't carry obvious electronics that are expensive, such as a laptop or iPad.
20. Better yet, don't carry any electronics.
21. Other than maybe a cell phone. Everybody's already got one, so who'd want to steal yours?
22. Plus you can keep that cell phone handy to call for help.
23. Just make sure it's a cheap cell phone.
24. Like one of those big ones from the '80s. You know, the one's that weigh a ton and the phone is connected to a big, black box by a cord.
25. Better yet, keep anything that looks valuable out of sight.
26. Walk a really big dog.
27. Or a grizzly bear.
28. Or a komodo dragon.
29. If you think you are being followed, go someplace that has lots of light.
30. And lots of people.
31. And cameras, too, wouldn't hurt.
32. If you're out at night, don't leave your car.
33. And keep the doors locked and the windows up.
34. Don't stop at stop lights or stop signs if you're in a shady part of town.
35. Or if you see someone who looks shady hanging out near the lights or signs.
36. Be aware at all times of people who are around your vehicle, especially at stops.
37. Make sure you are in good shape physically.
38. So you'll be able to run.
39. Or fight, if you absolutely have to.
40. Don't be stupid and where sunglasses at night just because you think it's cool. It hinders your eyesight, doofus.
41. If you carry a bag, keep it strapped around your neck and not just hanging from your shoulder.
42. Don't go into unfamiliar areas late at night by yourself.
43. Carry some change for emergency phone calls.
44. If you are out driving late at night and see an accident or crime, do not become involved. Drive to the nearest place of safety and then call the proper authorities.
45. If you are out walking, walk with confidence.
46. And make eye contact with people. It'll show you are serious.
47. If you become involved in a physical confrontation with someone, your main goal should be survival, usually by escape. If you see a chance to get away, then flee the situation.
48. Don't go up to an ATM late at night.
49. Especially by yourself.
50. Carry a glass bottle in your hand while walking. To make it look more natural, have it be a soft drink or something. You don't want to have to use a bottle as a weapon, but a potential mugger might see the bottle as a threat and pass you by.

10 ways to prevent identity theft

1. Watch the watchers: Whenever in public you enter a card PIN or a credit card number on a screen or keyboard, make sure that no one is paying close attention to what you are doing.
2. Shred it!: Before you toss into the trash important printed documents, specifically ones that contain personal financial information about yourself and/or your family or business, make sure those documents are shredded. It is not impossible someone could dig through your trash to find important information that could be used.
3. Check those statements: At least once a week you should check the balances on all your bank and credit card accounts. Better yet, check them once a day. This way you will stay informed about all charges on your accounts, and this will help you watch for anyone using your accounts without your permission.
4. Check your mail: Every day you should empty your mailbox. Do not let mail build up in your mailbox, nor sit there for very long. Often your mail, even that which is unsolicited, will contain financial or personal information about you. The longer that mail sits in your mailbox, the more chance there is someone will come along and take your mail. You do not want that to happen.
5. Don't leave receipts: Paper receipts from gas stations, stores, restaurants and other establishments often times contain information about your credit card for bank accounts. Don't leave those receipts behind at the stores or restaurants, and don't just haphazardly drop them into a public trash can. Even if full information is not available on those receipts, slick crooks can take partial information and use it to their benefit.
6. Keep an eye on your cards: When you are using your credit, debit and bank cards in public, try to keep a watch on your card at all times. Sometimes you have to hand over your card to a clerk or server, but try to watch where they take the card and what they do with it. More than likely they are an honest person, but some identity thieves only need a card for a few seconds to make use of it; they could either quickly write down the information on the card, or they could skim it into a machine which will record the information.
7. Pay in cash: Yes, paying in cash might seem old fashioned, but it is one of the best deterrents against identity theft. There are no numbers to steal, no information to grab. Cash is the safest. Remember it.
8. Check your credit report: At least once a year, make sure to get a copy of your credit report and look it over quite well. Your credit report will reveal a lot of information, so make sure what you know about your finances matches your report.
9. No phones: Do not ever give out personal or financial information about yourself over the phone. You do not know for sure who you are talking to. Just because a person on a call tells you they are a representative of a company does not make it true. Also, there are a lot of scammers who work over phones nowadays, so be careful.
10. Cancel and cut: If your purse or wallet contains old credit or bank cards or cards that you never use, get rid of those cards. They are just sitting there waiting for someone to steal them or use the information off of them. Take those old cards and shred them before trashing them.

More helpful finance links

10 Tips for Saving Grocery Money

10 Ways to Save Money on Electricity

10 ways to save money on air conditioning

10 foods to avoid feeding a baby

1. Honey: You would think honey would be perfectly safe to feed a baby, but it's not, at least until the child is a year old. Why? Spores that can cause botulism can hide within honey. These spores are not a threat to adults because an adult's intestines can stop these spores from growing, but the same can't be said for a baby because the child's digestive system is still developing.
2. Swordfish: You can also add mackerel, shark and some other fishes. Check with your pediatrician. These types of seafood tend to be high in mercury, a danger to both children and adults but especially to babies.
3. Peanut butter: The American Academy of Pediatricsrecently changed its stance on peanut butter and other potential allergic foods, suggesting it is not necessarily dangerous for a baby or young child to try peanut butter and other foods common to cause allergies. The parent just needs to be aware of symptoms of food allergies, such as hives or rashes or nausea, etc. If a baby shows such signs, then a parent needs to contact a physician. Still, why not err on the safe side and wait until your child is older before exposing them to such foods? Also, because of its stickiness and gumminess, peanut butter is often difficult for a baby to eat and swallow.
4. Nuts: Not only are there potential allergy problems with nuts, all kinds of nuts, but as a hard and crunch food nuts are a possible choking hazard for babies. Wait until your child is older before allowing them to eat nuts.
5. Soft candies: Especially small marshmallows. Include other soft edibles, such as jelly beans, in this category. These foods are a choking hazard because they could easily lodge in a baby's throat.
6. Cow's milk: A baby can not digest the protein in cow's milk. It's that simple. Also, cow's milk is potentially dangerous to a baby because the milk could contain minerals in such high quantities it could be harmful for the child. Stick to formula or breast's milk.
7. Chocolate: Chocolate usually has a fairly high amount of caffeine and sugar, two things a baby does not need and, in fact, could be unhealthy for a small child, especially in large douses. Also, most chocolates that are candy contain cow's milk (see #6 above).
8. Deserts: You might like pudding and cake and pies, but it's not good for a baby. For one thing, those deserts usually contain high levels of sugar, and while natural sugars from fruit are okay in the right amounts for a baby, the sugars found in most baked goods bring only calories and no nutritional value. Plus, all those sweets can set a bad example for an infant and lead to unhealthy eating habits.
9. Citrus fruits and juices: Oranges, grapefruit and similar fruits contain citrus acid, which can cause a baby to have an upset stomach. Also, these fruits could lead to rashes.
10. Cooked greens: Collard greens and spinach, even beets and turnips, that are cooked have high levels of nitrates, which can make a baby anemic.

10 bicycle safety tips

1. Wear a helmet: This is so obvious, so I thought I'd get it out of the way first. But truly, a helmet can safe you not only from a nasty bump, but possibly even brain damage or death. It's better to have it on and not need it than to need it and not have it on.
2. Obey traffic rules: A bicycle is a vehicle. Not only is it somewhat a matter of respect for others on the road, but it's also a matter of your own safety and that of others for you to obey traffic laws. Often, car drivers can't see bicyclists very well, and often they're not looking for bicyclists. By obeying the rules of the road, you increase your own safety by far.
3. Keep your bike in good condition: Nothing's easier to have an accident on than a bicycle needing repair. Maybe the brakes need replaced or a tire with a slow leak needs patched or a new chain needs to be put on, but whatever it is, you need to have it fixed. If you can't for whatever reason, you probably shouldn't be out biking. Something as simple as weak brakes could cost you your life, especially in an area of high traffic.
4. Keep both hands on the bicycle handlebars and ready to brake: You've seen it a thousand times. The guy riding real cool-like down the road with only one hand on his bicycle handlebars, or maybe even no hands. That guy is headed for an accident. By keeping both hands on the handlebars, you are much more prepared to brake if you need to. And don't fool yourself into thinking one hand is good enough, because one brake is not good enough. In an emergency situation, you might have to be able to brake quickly, and that's much more possible if you can use both brakes.
5. At nights, use lights and reflective gear: As I mentioned above, vehicle drivers often can't see bicyclists and aren't prepared to see bicyclists, mainly because they're so used to seeing other vehicles near the size of their own vehicle. This is tough enough during the day for bicyclists, but is even more so at night. Save yourself some trouble, and possibly save yourself, by wearing reflective clothing and having a headlamp on your bike. Also, make sure the reflectors on your bike are not broken and not covered by dirt or mud. If you don't have any reflective garb, most bike shops will sell reflective tape you can put on your clothes, and they usually sell vests and other clothing with reflective strips on them.
6. Know your bike: Not all bicycles are created equal. Some have better brakes than others. Some are lighter or heavier than others. Make sure you are familiar with your own bike before taking it out into high traffic areas. Knowing all the little ins and outs of your own bike could save you from getting hurt or accidentally hurting others.
7. Make eye contact with drivers: This is the best way to ensure that vehicle drivers can see you and know you're there.
8. Glance behind you: You can't do this one all the time, because you do need to keep your eyes out front, too, but you should try to scan behind yourself every few seconds when possible. This will let you know if their is a car or truck or something else flying up behind you. Rear view mirrors for bicycles are helpful, but just like in a car, mirrors can't show you everything.
9. Never have more than one person on a bike: This might have been fun to try as kids, but it's also dangerous. More than one person on a bicycle puts too much weight on the bike and it highly increases the chances of the driver losing control or something else going wrong. Unless you have that bicycle build for two, just don't do it.
10. Give pedestrians the right of way: Bicycles can go really, really fast compared to someone walking or jogging. And those walkers and joggers often can't react as fast as someone on a bike. Save yourself some possible trouble and give them the right of way. Keep in mind that just because you're on a bicycle doesn't mean you rule the road, or the sidewalks.