Absolutely FREE Credit Report!

No gimmicks, scams, hidden fees, or sign-ups.  You can obtain your credit report from all three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) for FREE once a year on AnnualCreditReport.com.

Very simple; you put your information on the secure website and request to view the reports from one or all three bureaus.  I highly suggest checking all three credit reports because many times they do not contain the same information.  You will then be transferred to the website of each credit bureau to view your report online, and print it if needed.  It’s important to write down your report/transaction ID number so that you can go back to the report if you need to look it over (or print) at a later time.  Please note that for security purposes all 3 bureaus will request some information from you regarding items on your credit report.  They will all ask you some questions to verify that the person looking at the report is YOU, so make sure you are aware of your past addresses, phone numbers, lenders, etc…

All of the credit bureaus have sections outlining what you need to do in order to report any inaccuracies in your report.  It is very important to go through each credit report with a fine tooth comb and make sure to fix any mistakes even if they seem minor.  It’s important to stay up to date on your credit report so you can avoid any identity theft or fraud against you.  

Super Cheap dresses, only $5 each!!!

Dominican Sunday Inc. has TONS of dresses left over from this year’s “Prom Dress Giveaway” and is selling them all for only $5 each! They have no room at the office so everything must go!  They have all sizes and styles!  All dresses are NEW or GENTLY USED.

***High School seniors can get a dress for only $1 IF they provide a letter from their school stating that they are in need of a dress for prom and/or graduation***

Anyone else, feel free to come to the office from 1-3pm Monday thru Friday.  For all other times, please email them at: DominicanSunday [at] hotmail [dot] com

The office is located at:

175 W 107^th Street (between Amsterdam and Columbus avenues)

New York, NY 10025

(www.hopstop.com for directions)

FREE Social Media conference in NYC

SCORE, The Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, and other agencies are hosting a FREE Social Media conference in NYC.  The conference will span 3 days, beginning on May 17^th with a kick-off networking event.  The following 2 days will be filled with informative workshops on ways to improve your business and attract more clients!  

If you’re a small business owner, or on your way to become one, this conference is VITAL for you.  You don’t want to miss the FREE opportunity to expand your knowledge on social media, which is an important tool to use to achieve maximum business success!

Register NOW, space is limited!

http://getdowntobusiness.ning.com/ 

Hold fast to dreams...

How much is a dream worth to you?  With just $9 you can help me get closer to my goal.  $9 is a drink (or 2 depending on where you live) at the bar; possibly a movie ticket, a meal…but the $9 (or more) you invest in my dream will put me one step closer to achieving my goal. 

Business Plan Competitions

Updated 8/11/11:

AMAZON Web Services just launched a GLOBAL Business Start-up Challenge!  Enter for your chance to win $100K for your start-up! 

***

Starting a business is hard work.  It can be physically, emotionally, and even financially draining.  One of the best ways to obtain start-up funds to get your business off the ground, and ease the burden on your wallet, is through ‘Business Plan Competitions’.  These types of contests are hosted by many Business schools, large corporations and nonprofit organization, as well as state funded.  One of the easiest ways to search for a competition in your area, as well as nationwide and global ones is by checking out BizPlanCompetitions.  They list a variety of competitions and you can search for ones in a specific state/region, or by type.  This website is especially helpful for those of you who are not enrolled in a Business school, which usually provide lists of competitions their students may be eligible for.

Many of these business plan competitions offer monetary rewards as well as assistance with business development.  Aside from winning “free” money you may also receive resources for your business such as office supplies, classes, marketing assistance, and exposure for your business.  You should check out the list of competitions you are eligible for and give them a try, you never know.

FREE resources for Low-income + Homeless individuals NYC

It's heartbreaking to see people suffering everyday, especially those without the basic necessities of food and shelter, like those who are homeless.  You can do your part by spreading the word about free resources for people who need the most help. 

The Interfaith Assembly on Homelessness & Housing offers a detailed list of free resources all over NYC including free clothes, places to take showers and free toiletries, free haircuts, and free laundry facilities.  These resources are especially useful when trying to get back into the workforce. These "street sheets" can be found on their website and also posted to community bulletin boards and churches.  You can contact Amanda Parrish Block, the person in charge of creating this list at: 917-517-3203, for more information.

File your taxes for FREE

If you made up to $58,000 last year, chances are you can file your taxes for free.  If you go to the IRS website (http://www.irs.gov/) you can click on the “Free File” section to the right hand side of the site. You  will be shown a list of verified companies where you can easily e-file your state and federal forms.  Make sure to check which company files both, to save you a headache. 

I personally recommend ICANFREEFILE (www.icanfreefile.org) which I used to file my taxes.  You create a free account and then you basically answer a series of questions, based on your income and the information on your W-2 and the answers are complied to file your return.  At the top of the site you get to see how much funds you will get back, based on your answers.  Everything is done on the website, there’s no software to download.  At the end you get your forms as PDF files, to save to your computer.

If you feel more comfortable having someone else file your taxes for you, look at your city/state’s website for information on local agencies which will file your taxes for free.  Make sure to check if you are eligible first.  In New York City for example you can find a center which will file for free by visiting this page on their site: http://nyc.gov/html/ofe/html/poverty/taxprep.shtml

Do your research on what FREE or LOW COST option will work best for you.  DO NOT get ripped off by paying someone $40+ to file for you when you can get it done for FREE!

FREE Chipotle!!! Offer ends 3/10/11

Hey guys!  So 'Chipotle' Mexican Grill is having a promotion as part of a new show that is airing on NBC called "America's Next Great Restaurant".  The show airs this Sunday at 8/7c.  As part of the promotion Chipotle is offering a "buy one/get one" coupon, which you can apply towards their burritos, bowls, tacos, or salads.  All you have to do is watch the promotional video at this link and then your coupon will appear at the end: 

http://apps.facebook.com/videocoupon/

Enjoy!

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FREE STUFF for your Apartment or Office!

Ok this post is very simple – Craigslist (http://www.craigslist.com/) is my friend!  If you want free stuff for your apartment, this is the best site to start with.

Go to the Craigslist site and choose the city you live in.  Obviously the bigger the city, the more options you’ll have to get free stuff for your apartment or office.  Go to the “For Sale” section and click on the “FREE” link.  You can find so many items here to fill your apartment/office, and if you’re crafty you can redecorate these items to make them your own.  You can search for a specific item or just browse through the listings.  Most of the items listed here are from folks who are moving out and do not want the hassle of getting their items out of the apartment.  The main thing to keep in mind is that these items go very quickly so you have to be ready to get to the location to pick up the items (most of the items can only be picked up) once the person contacts you with their address.  Also sometimes the people who list free items leave them on the curb so again you have to be quick to grab them first.

Use your common sense and best judgment when surfing the CL ads.  If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  Never go alone to someone’s house to pick up free items; always go with a friend.  With the current bed bug epidemic I would caution against picking up free clothes, mattresses, sofas, and wooden bed frames, among other things.  I also suggest cleaning the items you pick up OUTSIDE, before placing them in your apartment. 

In my experience the best time to pick up free stuff for your apartment/office is in May when college is out!  The college kids have to clean out their dorm rooms to go back home for the summer and boy do they get rid of some quality stuff!  I’ve seen brand new printers getting thrown away, office chairs, bookshelves and so many other quality items.  If you have any friends living on a campus, go visit them when it’s time to move out, and be sure to empty your car for the trip =)   Even if you don’t have any friends living on a college campus, just walk by any off-campus houses where a lot of students live and you’ll see some great items on the curb.  You might also want to browse through the Craigslist "Free" section around this time.

April is also a good time to find some free stuff for your apartment or office.  With Earth Day events happening at the end of April, many not-for-profit agencies and local politicians host “green awareness” initiatives.  Many of these events/initiatives involve refurbishing home/office items and giving them away to be reused.  I had gone to an event two years ago in NYC, hosted by the Manhattan Borough President’s office, where they had a “swap” event of old office supplies.  You would give them your old/broken item, a fax machine for example, and they would trade you for a working, refurbished fax machine. 

Just make sure to be aware of everything happening around your community and city/town, so you can know of what events you can benefit from to get some awesome free stuff for your apartment or office.  Again I recommend joining as many newsletters/newsfeeds, Twitter profiles, Facebook groups as possible to maximize your “free stuff” knowledge.

FREE STUFF - Books

If you love to read like me, then you wouldn’t mind getting some free books!  First off you can always take a book out from your local library for free; only thing is you have to give it back eventually.  Some people (like me) love to keep the books they read, especially if they are phenomenal!  You might also want to keep your book because you may have written some notes in it, highlighted some passages, want to keep it for reference, etc… The first website I recommend to get some free books is www.bookmooch.com. 

Bookmooch is a free book swapping site.  You basically register for free and make an inventory of all of the books you have (and are willing to part with), then you also make a wish list where you list all of the books you want.  Bookmooch will notify you when one of your books is available, and once it is you ‘mooch’ off of the person who has it, but you can only ‘mooch’ if you have points to do so.  You earn points by people mooching off of your list, and you ship the books to them (you pay for shipping).  It’s free and easy.  If you choose to you can also donate some (or all) of your points to charity.  The only downside to this site is that you can only get a book from your wish list if someone else has it listed on their inventory, so you may have to wait a while, but since it’s an easy way to get free books, it’s worth it to try.

Swap.com is another book swapping site, but they also have other categories which can be traded such as CD’s, Games, and DVD’s.  This service used to be free but now they charge a nominal fee per transaction.  The good thing is that this site does all of the work for you and you can get items from your wish list much quicker than on Bookmooch.  You just make a list of all of the items you have to trade and a list of the items you want, and Swap.com performs a search for you then notifies you once the item is available.   In essence you end up saving a lot of money on books, especially the more expensive hardcover ones because you’re only paying the Swap.com service fee and shipping at your own expense, so a book which would cost $20 to buy at a bookstore will only cost you about $5 to get there.

There are also tons of ways to get free books all over NYC and other states.  Many community-based organizations/agencies, and churches have flea markets or book fairs, where they sell everything super cheap or give items away for free.  These events take place year-round but especially in the warmer months.  Visit or call your local organizations for their calendars of events, or check on their websites.  Many organizations which collect books often host free book fairs, so just be on the lookout for those. 

You can also try joining a book club for the types of books you like to read, and host your own swapping event.  You can get a group together on Facebook or Yahoo Groups, or try a website like Meetup.com where you can meet people who share the same interests as you. 

There are so many other options to get free books, but the ones mentioned here have worked for me.  Feel free to add any other suggestions!

FREE STUFF for the Ladies!

Ladies I don’t know about you but I LOVE getting free stuff!  I love free makeup and beauty samples, free clothes, whatever I can get my hands on! 

First of all, if you’re looking to update your wardrobe the easiest and cheapest way of getting some new clothes is to have a “Clothing Swap”.  Get your friends together, who have similar tastes and are similar to your size, and choose a date and location for the swap (ideally your apartment).  Next make a list of rules for the swap, such as #1 – All items must be in New or Gently Used condition (no stains, tears, or fading), #2 – All “used” items must be CLEAN (washed, dry cleaned, or polished right before the event).  If you want you can limit the swap to a specific type of item or designer, for example a “Shoe” swap or a “Prada” swap.  You can turn the “swap” event into a fun ‘Girls’ Night’ by offering some cocktails and appetizers.  Everyone has items in their closet that they never got to wear, only wore once, or doesn’t fit anymore.  I suggest targeting your shop-a-holic friends who are guaranteed to have some brand new items they never used.  At the end of the swap event you are guaranteed to get some new, free stuff for the season!

Another tip for getting tons of free stuff is going to beauty-specific events in your area.  I suggest subscribing to websites such as www.prettycity.com, www.freebeautyevents.com, www.sheckys.com, www.dailycandy.com, among others, to get alerts on events in your area where they give samples and goodie bags.  Some events may charge a small fee, so I suggest reading the reviews on the events to find out if it’s worth it to pay.  I also suggest following your favorite beauty brands on Twitter, Facebook, or subscribing to their newsletters, for alerts on coupons, contests or free samples.

I also want to mention that many department stores (and small businesses as well) host events to promote a new product or line.  You can learn about these events on any of the aforementioned websites or going to the company’s website directly for events in your area.  They always give away a limited amount of free stuff at these events so you want to make sure to get there early.  And by the way, if you ever shop at a department store or a specialty store like Sephora, you can receive a free sample with your purchase, you just have to ask the cashier for a free sample. 

Finally there are tons of websites with access to free and/or deeply discounted beauty treatments and products such as: www.vitaljuice.com, www.livingsocial.com, www.lifebooker.com, and www.buywithme.com. My motto is to never pay regular price for ANYTHING, and after following these steps I'm sure this will become your motto as well.