I remembered the song, "It's A Hard
Knock Life" from the Broadway play
Annie recently. I got a "hard knock"
as a result of being lazy. I did not monitor my checking account regularly. This task is boring and a nuisance.
Even if your bank has staff trained in fraud detection, bad things can happen beyond their control. Fact is, no one can keep up with my "frequent shopping miles" better than me.
LESSON LEARNED:
MONITOR MY CHECKING & CHARGE ACCOUNTS DAILY!!
MY PENNY PINCHER CHARGERS
My bank called me on a Sunday morning because they noticed $2 charges from Florida! A hacker was testing my account to see if my bank would allow his small dollar transactions to go through. The bank clerk said the hackers began to transmit large dollar amounts if the small ones go through. I assured him I was not Florida. He immediately cancelled my debit card to avoid further hacking.
I often partake in Value Menus at my
local fast food restaurants. So, my checking account has lots of dollar amounts under $10. This is why I need
to pay close attention! I make sure all
of those small charges and fees were made by me. Some hackers could have their scamming dollars mixed in.
STRANGE CHECKING ACCOUNT VISITORS!
My friend's checking account was hacked for 6 months without her or her bank noticing. The hackers had fun and made transactions totalling $7,000. This hacking would have continued until her debit card
denied a charge when she was out shopping. She was alarmed because her pay check had just been direct deposited.
Another friend was traveling in Europe didn't take the time to monitor his checking account. The hackers had made $15,000 of transactions before he or his bank noticed.
Their banks worked with both of them
and law enforcement was notified of
the fraud/hacking. They were blessed
because their banks said that most customers are usually responsible
for fraudulent transaction over $500. These horror stories really frightened
me. Now I make sure I monitor all of
my bank accounts daily . I check for transactions from unfamiliar stores or
purchases I know I didn't make. I keep
all of my receipts and don't discard them until I verify them in my bank accounts.
http://galleryhip.com
I believe in sharing information.
Especially information that will
help fellow senior ladies stay as
savvy as possible. We senior
ladies also need to be savvy
about computer scams and hacking.
I am not computer tech savvy. But,
I have been the victim of computer scamming and hacking. So, I have
learned a few lessons that will help
me avoid being a victim in future.
I DON'T GO FISHING!
There are criminal minds who love
to phish ( pronounced fish). They
send me fake email addresses and
spams messages. They really need personal information about you from
your computer. Their ultimate goal is
to steal money. I never open e-mails
I receive in my spam in box. I just delete all of them every day.
PLEASE HANG UP ON ME!
I've seen and heard too many horror stories about seniors being scammed
on the phone. I don't talk to strangers
or telemarketers on my phone. I hang
up the phone immediately. Some are scammers who are fast talking wolves. There are also robocall scams now.
The voice tries to get you to say, "Yes"
to there questions. Then the system records your response and uses it to
make it sound like you agreed to their service. Some of the robocalls try to
get personal information from you to
use for identity thief. Some seniors
have received unexpected charges in
their bank accounts.
I visited the following websites for
more details on these issues:
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/P/phishing.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phishing
http://www.aarp.org
FEATURE STORY:
PROTECTING YOURSELF:
Profile of a Scam Victim
http://www.nbcnews.com
FEATURE STORY:
Tips for Fighting ‘Can You Hear
Me Now’ and Other
I think I have come to terms with aging now. I exhaled and learned to deal with it. I had a long talk with my older girlfriends and realized I was not alone. I went into my prayer closet, had a pity party, and came out a better woman. Aging does
not mean I'm not intelligent and have no value in this world. Some young people have needed my wisdom and advice.
I cherish each birthday and changed my priorities. I realize happiness is a loving relationships with the Lord, my family,
and my friends. Some of you senior
ladies might feel like saying, "I feel you!"
I've had some of the same issues". Should I believe, the saying, "You are as young as you feel?"
I have found some coping mechanisms.
I meet with girl friends often and we have
a laugh-in. We discuss all of the senior
moments we've had during the week.
I have visited a few websites for senior women and they discuss aging gracefully.
Some of their advice on aging was good.
Please visit this blog for my :
https://seniorladieskeepingitreal.blogspot.com
" MY SENIOR LADY SURVIVOR RULES"
SENIOR'S BIRTHDAY CAKE!
There are so many things my friends didn't tell me about getting old!! There
is an echo in my mind. My mom said,
"You laugh at me now, but you'll get
old one day!" Of course, I thought she
was just old and wrong! Well, I've had
to apologize to my elders!
I laughed when she said, "Turn that music down!"She wasn't satisfied until the music was so low, I doubt my dog hear it! Now, I abhor all loud music! It seems that average music volume is piercing and irritating. I even have to cut my own music down in the car sometimes. I admitted to mom that now I understand about the music.
I used to laugh at my aunt who had
cotton in her ears on cold and windy
days. I would tell her, "Please take that cotton out of your ears!"I thought she
was acting "county hick". I apologized
to her because now I see why she used the cotton.I found out the hard way about cold or windy weather. I got a terrible sinus headache because the cold air and
wind went in my ears.
http://www.ebay.com
I wouldn't dare use cotton in my ears
as a remedy. I bought some cute ski ear warmer headbands to wear on cold or windy days. I have to save my fashion savvy reputation!
I thought that getting dressed would be a breeze now that I am retired. I recalled when I multi-tasked with dressing my kids, fixing their breakfast, and putting on makeup before going to work. I couldn't multi-task now if you paid me.The old trick, walking, rubbing your head, and chewing gum at the same time would be an ordeal for me. As a matter of fact,
it takes me longer to get ready to go shopping or to go to church now. I have so many things to check on. I discovered
that I make a mess if I rush. My blouse make be on wrong or I may leave stove on. I understand now why I must put keys, remote, and cell phone in the same place
everyday. I smile now, when I see seniors with a shopping car at checkout with only one item in the cart.
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I've seen some older men with huge ears and an affinity for suspenders and plaid and striped clothes. I don't feel sorry for the men any more. My senior lady friends and I, have our own aging issues! I've noticed too many older women with moustaches and creepy skin. I had to come to terms with aging this year. It
takes time to cover up and enhance
aging body parts! I didn't seem to notice things "going south" until I reached my 60th birthday. I guess I was in denial.
My aging has left me with unforseen
health problems. I develop a new allergy monthly. I was heartbroken when I recently became allergic to shrimp and hair color.
Hey, I declared I would color my hair until I turned 70! I'm 60 and my mom is 80. She has pretty grey hair but I was not ready to look like her grey haired sister! I have dyslexia now, so, I THANK GOD for spell check! Boy did I have a wake up call. There are a lot of things that happen to aging bodies that's inevitable!!
I discovered years ago that wearing sheer fabric provided comfort during the summer. One summer the trend was wearing a sheer print dress with a
matching sleeveless dress as a liner.
I really loved this style because the dresses had pretty print designs. My
week-end shopping trip was successful.
I bought two dresses in leopard print
and navy floral print. Unfortunately the liner dress frayed after several washings. I recycled my sheer dresses. I used the print dresses as a house dresses after
the trend went bye-bye.
The next summer, I decided to look for sheer blouses and tops for the summer.
I already had plenty of tube tops to wear underneath. I was disappointed in the
sheer blouses available in the department stores. I only found a few of them in solid colors which were too fancy for casual attire.
Believe it or not, I found a variety casual
blouses and tops at thrift stores. They were available in pretty colorful print patterns. Every year, I am able to add
to my collection of sheer blouses and tops.
I found lots of sheer blouse this year
in several sizes. Some I kept and others
I featured on ebay:
(Member id purplesellerabundantfinds)
Here are images of the sheers I found
this year:
I couldn't seem to find any clothes
that helped me stay cool when I went through menopause. That period of my
life is over now-Thank God! I still hunt
for COOL and comfortable clothing to wear during the summer.
My mother and I used to argue about which clothing was cooler in the summer. She like dresses and skirts. I liked sheer blouses and Capri's. Now that I am a hot
senior citizen, I agree with her. Dresses and skirts do seem cooler. I do not want
to hear mom say, " I told you so."
I browsed in several department stores
in the early spring. I had trouble finding
my style of summer dresses. I also
searched online and didn't find a wide
selection to choose from either. My main problem was finding dresses that were long enough and had short sleeves.
I avoid sleeveless, above knee dresses
with plunging necklines. I felt like was
I was on a scavenger hunt! Was I looking
for a diamond in the rough?!
Here are some dresses on my wish list:
I began gardening on a small scale after numerous food recalls.The recall on lettuce one summer made me mad! I was thinking, try to grow your own vegetables.
At least I would know where they came from and that they were pesticides free.
There is one vegetable I can grow
successfully every year, lettuce! I buy lettuce seeds called Black Seed Simpson from a dollar store @ 4 packs for $1.00.
They do quite well in simple sink dish pan. The Black Simpson is a leaf lettuce. I have a pan full of lettuce leaves in about 30-50 days. This lettuce can be sowed in a garden plot. I prefer the container method on my porch. I can avoid bending in the hot sun harvesting lettuce.
I do buy red sail and romaine lettuce from garden center. These are also planted in dish pans.I buy a 4 pack of each type of
lettuce. I plant them in dish pans also.
Here are the items I need to get started:
Seeds
PLASTIC DISH PAN
POTTING SOIL
WATERING CAN
I make holes in bottom of the dish pan then add potting soil. I sprinkle seeds
all over the soil. I cover the seeds with
thin layer of potting soil. Then I water
soil gently to avoid disturbing the seeds.
I make greenhouse by taping clear plastic over top of the dish pan. I place dish pan on my porch out of direct sunlight after last danger of frost has passed. In about two weeks weeks seedlings appear. I thin out seedlings after they reach 3-4 inches, so lettuce has growing room. My lettuce gets 4 hours of full sun. I water it every other day in the morning.
BLACK SEED LETTUCE SEEDLINGS
I harvest the outside leaves after they reach 6-7 inches for best flavor. I leave
the center leaves so lettuce can continue to grow. This variety of lettuce is hardy enough to grow in the winter too.
I usually sow more lettuce seeds in the
fall so I'll have lettuce all winter. Consult YouTube if you want tips for growing lettuce in a garden plot.
BLACK SEED LETTUCE READY TO HARVEST
