Consumer Reports

I read a interesting blog post from the Baltimore Sun recently about a holiday savings program Toys R Us is starting. The idea of the program is to encourage people to start saving for their holiday shopping now, so that buying presents won’t be as much of a burden later in the year. While it’s great that a store is encouraging people save money for big purchases, the author of the blog post points out that you may get a better return on your investment from a bank or other type of savings plan. Here are some things to consider when trying to figure out which savings option is best for you: Are there hidden fees? Is there a fee to join the store’s program or are there fees associated with different bank option savings plans? What’s the interest rate? Check to see whether you’ll make more in interest with a savings account at a bank or through the store program. What’s easier for you? Which program makes it easiest for you to contribute to your savings? You don’t want to jump through hoops to set aside money. If you’re wondering where you can pinch pennies to start setting aside money for your big purchases, read 66 Ways to Save Money . You’ll find ideas on how to cut back and trim costs in your everyday life, without making saving a burden. How early do you start saving for the holidays? Are you more inclined to try a store savings program or look at options through your bank?

Have you recovered from the long weekend yet? Thrown off schedule by the holiday on Monday, I completely neglected to DVR this week’s episode of the Bachelorette. Curses! As I said last week , I spent the weekend in Chicago. I am happy to report

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and like last year the Corporation for National and Community Service honors Dr. King’s legacy by asking Americans to make the King Holiday a national day of service at Serve.gov . Haiti continues to recover from the devastating earthquake that struck last Tuesday. Serve.gov suggests that in addition to doing something in your community, you also do something to help those in Haiti. The best way you can do this is through a financial contribution. The Federal Trade Commission blogged about how to donate safely last week . Below are some ways you can make a donation. Donate $10 to the American Red Cross – charged to your cell phone bill – by texting “HAITI” to “90999.” Contribute online to the Red Cross Contribute online to Mercy Corps Other resources can be found at the Center for International Disaster Information Finally, if you are looking for a loved one, The State Department Operations Center has set up the following phone number for those in the U.S. and Canada seeking information about U.S. citizens in Haiti: 1-888-407-4747. You can also send an email to the State Department .

According to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)

Ginger’s Note: Our guest blogger is my co-worker Sarah Roper from USA.gov .

You know that person on your holiday shopping list who has everything, which makes them pretty much impossible to shop for? I have a few people like that on my own list this year and it always takes some serious outside the box thinking to come up with something that they’ll like. In my search for unique gifts, I stumbled across this list of ideas from FEMA, which includes tons of gift suggestions around the theme of emergency preparedness . Here are some of my favorites. Enrollment in a CPR class — My friends would be able to save my life Car kits — shovels, ice scrapers or flares. Honestly, shovels are a great idea, my friend couldn’t get his car out of a snow pile last winter, but if he’d had a shovel in his trunk he would have been able to. Pet Disaster kits that include food, water, leashes and a carrying case. What kind of gifts do you buy for people when you can’t figure out what to get them? Do you try to find something useful?

The United States Postal Service estimates that roughly 97 million customers visit the post office during the holidays. Are you going to be one of the many standing in line this year to buy your Christmas stamps, purchase your boxes, or mail your gifts to your loved ones? Well, you don’t have to! The USPS Holiday page is organized to help you streamline your holiday postal tasks. Unless you have decided to send an alpaca from the Andes to your Aunt Agatha in Anchorage (try saying that fast 3 times), almost everything that you need to do can be done online. My husband does a lot of shipping, so he ordered multiple-sizes of the free flat rate boxes and had them delivered to our home. With the flat rate boxes, you choose the proper size box to mail your item for one flat rate, regardless of the weight. I suppose if you were shipping very heavy gold bricks, there might be a problem, but as the USPS says, “If it fits, it ships.” Two days ago, hubby wanted to ship a gift, so he went online to print the postage and scheduled the package pickup. The next day, our postal carrier came to the door to pick up the package. That is how easy it was. The USPS has some Mailing Tips to Avoid Holiday Glitches and Quick Tips for Holiday Mailing that will ensure your package makes the journey smoothly. If you are sending a gift to a loved one in the military, the USPS has a Shipping Gifts to Military Addresses page that has some helpful guidance and USA.gov Search has links to additional resources when sending gifts to military personnel . Did you know that the USPS has a Letters to Santa Program ? Every year the USPS gets many letters from children that are addressed to Santa. In 1912 the Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock authorized a program called Operation Santa that allows local postal employees and citizens to respond to the letters. Today, postal facilities in cities around the country allow charitable organizations, major corporations, local businesses and individuals to adopt letters to Santa. Although the Postal Service Mailing Statistics page doesn’t have any statistics about how many Andean alpacas have been sent to Anchorage during the holidays (a statistic that I was very curious about), it does have some other amazing numbers. Let’s just say there is a whole lot of activity for the USPS during the holidays, so be smart and take care of your holiday mailing early. P.S., here is a bonus photo of the Andean alpaca.

Identity theft claimed 10 million victims in 2008, a 22 percent increase over 2007. Better Business Bureau warns that the holiday season provides many new opportunities for identity thieves to ply their trade and offers the following advice on how to keep your identity safe and secure both online and off. Read more…

My Black Friday shopping expedition last year was a little intense. I can understand that my Black Friday commando-camouflage could seem a little odd and possibly raise some eyebrows, but really? Apparently, some folks find a woman shopping in a mall with branches taped to her head to be a little threatening, but being tackled by a mall security guard and forced into a straight-jacket seemed a little extreme! Well, I have learned my lesson and I won’t be doing that anymore! From now on, I will stick to more acceptable methods for preparing for Black Friday. Because of the economic downturn, a lot of stores and other businesses are really offering significant savings to draw in shoppers the day after Thanksgiving. A lot of experts recommend that you do your homework when shopping this holiday to get the most for your money. Know your budget and do research ahead of time to find the best prices. You may even want to plan to get to some stores early. Some stores offer early bird specials and extra discounts to folks that get there first. Here are some resources that I found that have some useful shopping tips and offer information on some great Black Friday deals: Before Black Friday:Where the Holiday 2009 Deals Are Right Now Black Friday News How to Plan for Black Friday Preventing Holiday Shopping Headaches Tips for Smart Holiday Shopping Note: For those of you who are concerned that I am crazy… I didn’t actually go to the mall in that get up. Well, I did play out that scenario in my head and it was pretty funny, but I am, more or less, sane. Just ask my good friend Harvey . LOL!

In this season of hope and giving, the American Red Cross and Pitney Bowes Inc. have joined forces again to invite the public to “send a touch of home” to United States service members and veterans across the country and abroad through the Holiday Mail for Heroes campaign. Now in its third year, the Holiday Mail for Heroes program provides Americans with the opportunity to extend holiday greetings and thanks to service members and veterans. Last year the program received more than 1.4 million cards for military men and women, their families and veterans. The public can participate in the campaign by sending holiday cards with personal messages to a special post office box from Monday, November 2 through Monday, December 7.