Free Mother’s Day Celebration Ideas

Just because you’re broke this Mother’s Day doesn’t mean you can’t do something great.
Here are some of our favorite ways to treat your mom for Mother’s Day without breaking out your piggy bank.

Make Her Something

Making mom something says more than a store-bought present ever could. For a crafty person, there are boundless opportunities to make mom something she’s going to cherish for years to come.
But if you’re not so artistically inclined, don’t worry. You can make her a mix CD, Spotify playlist, or load a thumb drive with some of her favorite tunes on it. She’ll think of you every time she looks at or listens to what you’ve made for her.

Cook For Her

Those who know their way around a kitchen have a ready-made way to make mom happy on Mother’s Day. You might have to shell out a little cash to buy food, but cooking mom a nice dinner at home can be done for a fraction of the cost of taking her out to a fancy restaurant.
Best of all, it gives the two of you time together in a comfortable and relaxed setting — just make sure to clean up your place before she comes over.

Go Day Tripping

If you and your mom both live in the same city, taking her on a day trip might be a great way to spend time together on Mother’s Day. Even if it’s just a drive up the coast, a short getaway gives the two of you some time to spend together.
Throw on some music and take the time to really catch up with her en route to a scenic destination and bring a picnic for lunch along the way.

Give Her a Call

In the 21st Century, it’s easier to communicate than ever before. You might text or email your mom several times throughout the course of a week but how often do you sit down and have a conversation with her?
Make it a point to give her some one-on-one time. That’s easy enough – especially in the age of Skype, free cell phone minutes, and VoIP.

Play Maid

How many times has your mother cleaned up after you in the course of her lifetime? Now it’s time to return the favor.
Tell her in advance that you’re coming by with all your cleaning products in tow — and that you’re not taking “no” for an answer. Let her know that this is her day and you’re going to be doing it all on your own, just like she did for you for so many years.
Remember: All your mom really wants for Mother’s Day is a little bit of your time, attention and appreciation for all her hard work. Give her that and it’ll be hard to go wrong.

Artical From:- mint.com

3 Signs You’re About to Be Ripped Off By the “Government”

If you’re a business owner in Indiana, maybe you received a recent invoice from the Secretary of State’s office. It’s a bill for a $125 annual fee for “record keeping and processing of a company’s annual minutes.”
And it’s bogus, according to the Secretary of State. There are no fees for record keeping, and the payments are mailed to a UPS store, according to a report.
The fraudulent form is just the latest in a series of scams in which criminals impersonate a government organization. Here are three signs you’re about to be ripped off by the “government.”

Someone says, “Trust me, I’m with the government.”

That’s not just a movie cliche. Scammers are posing as government officials in an attempt to get your personal information — and they’re getting away with it.
South Dakota’s attorney general recently issued a warning to be on the lookout for telemarketers claiming to be government representatives and tricking victims into giving up personal identifying information.
“Consumers and businesses alike tend to take phone calls or emails from government officials very seriously,” said Marty Jackley, South Dakota’s attorney general. “These unscrupulous attempts to obtain personal or sensitive information is just another example of what lengths these scams artists will go to make a buck.”
Armed with the information, the scammers commit all the basic ID-theft crimes you’re accustomed to. The only way to avoid it is to verify the caller’s identity and never to click on a link that comes from an unsolicited email.

They flash a government logo and then ask you to pay up.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recently shut down two mortgage-loan modification services. One of the operations claimed that they could help people get benefits from programs offering government-sponsored relief for homeowners, for a price.
In fact, you don’t have to pay anything to get the benefits of these programs, according to the CFPB. You just have to qualify.
Anyone who flashes a seal, logo or badge with one hand and has another hand outstretched, waiting to be paid, should be suspect. The mortgage-modification operations closed by the CFPB were so successful because they found people who were desperate and wanted to believe they could get government aid.
Had they taken a few minutes to investigate the government-sponsored relief programs for homeowners, they would have known they were about to be scammed. Another tip: It sounded too good to be true.

The President promises to pay your utility bill

Last summer’s big “government” scam involved a hoax that the President would pay your utility bill. Untrue, of course.
A Public Service Electric and Gas Company warning spells it out in painful detail: It starts with utility customers getting a phone call that the federal government has a program to pay utility bills on a one-time basis. The thieves then ask for your Social Security numbers to “apply for the program.”
They also provide you with a Federal Reserve bank routing number to use when paying their bills online. Customers who use this number are led to believe that their bills are paid. But they aren’t.
What made last summer’s scam so awful is that it might have been true. It was an election year, and the federal government had a well-established track record of generous aid programs, like cash for clunkers and the stimulus program.
Plus, it was one of the hottest summers ever. Add a little social media to the mix, and people could be forgiven for thinking that President Obama would pay their utility bill.
Instead, the scammers made off with people’s Social Security numbers and set out to steal their identities. The only way to figure out this was bogus was to call the utility company before taking advantage of this federal “program.”
These are just three warning signs, but the scammers continue to innovate, so watch out. Anytime someone tells you they’re with the government and they’re here to help, don’t take their word for it.
Christopher Elliott is a consumer advocate who blogs about getting better customer service at On Your Side. Connect with him on Twitter and Facebook or send him your questions by email.

Artical By:- mint.com