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Shameless Katrina Scams
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The Federal Trade Commission has a good explainer available online here.
There's always a catch. While you can get your credit reports for free, your credit scores are not gratis. You still have to pay to see your scores (you have one for each credit bureau report). The costs vary, so check on the Web sites for the three bureaus.
Today's Color of Money Column
I used my column today to answer questions about a column I wrote recently about real estate and taxes. That column -- "Think Location and Taxation" -- focused on the tax mistakes rookie real estate investors make.
Read today's column here: "An Expert Weighs In on Housing Tax Issues."
Advice From Penny Pinchers
Before I list my favorite penny-pinching tips for this week, I suggest you read a well-penned account by David Hagedorn, chef and owner of David Greggory Restau-Lounge -- "On Cheapskates and 'Scams.'"
Hagedorn's account of diners' rude and miserly behavior is quite interesting. It's a view from the people who own and serve us at restaurants. After 25 years in the restaurant business, Hagedorn says he's breaking up with the dining public. And why is the relationship falling apart?
"The plain fact is that diners do not carry their weight in the diner-restaurateur relationship. My own shortcomings aside, restaurateurs everywhere face this problem," Hagedorn writes.
The following are just a sample of customer practices that Hagedorn said offend him and others in the restaurant business:
* The Bottled Water Scam: Bottled water is not free in restaurants any more than it is in sandwich shops or gyms.
* Stealing: Many people rationalize theft with the belief that restaurants build its cost into their budgets. Not true. Taking a book of matches is accepting a gift; taking 20 is stealing.
