This Week’s Challenge: Protect yourself.

Identity thieves can be lurking around every corner trying to get a piece of your personal information, especially during the holidays. ‘Tis the season for giving, but there’re some things you don’t want to give out - like your personal information.

When you’re shopping this holiday season, keep these things in mind to protect yourself.

Know where you’re shopping. When shopping online, limit your purchases to the places you know and trust. Make sure you're using a secure web connection - the beginning of the website address should read https - when making a purchase online.

Save your receipts. Be sure to keep all receipts and check them against your bank statements. If something doesn’t match up, contact the merchant and your financial right away. The sooner you find a problem, the better.

Keep an eye on your card. When shopping or grabbing a bite to eat, take your time at the checkout to prevent others from getting your card or your information. Never let a restaurant or business employee take your card out of your sight to process your transaction. Once your purchase is complete, put the card back in your wallet or purse before you leave the checkout or restaurant

Skip on special credit card offers at your favorite store. Opening additional credit cards can increase your chance of identity theft. Try limiting yourself to one card. Not only is it easier to keep track of one card, it can be a lot more affordable. The initial discount on special offers is appealing, but you’ll most likely pay more interest than you’ve saved in the store. Plus, having too many cards can hurt your credit score.

Check the mail. Credit card bills contain a lot of valuable information for identity thieves. Check your mailbox every day for bills or offers. Documents that include your personal information - like your account numbers and your signature - should be shredded before you throw them away.

For more tools to help protect yourself from identity theft, visit protecting yourself from identity theft. Share your ideas with others by commenting on this week’s play at home challenge.

This Week’s Challenge: Gear up for the holidays.

The holidays have already kicked into high gear, which means additional spending to a lot of us. Here are some ideas to stretch your dollars this holiday season.

Know your limits. Once you know your budget, make a list of gift recipients and decide how much you want to spend on each person.

Shop with cash. Leave your credit cards, checkbook and debit cards at home. Spending cash will force you to stick to your budget and make overspending more obvious. Once it's gone, it's gone.

Track your spending. Plan what you’re going to spend before you shop and keep track of your expenses. Remember to keep a tally of what you've spent each time you shop so you’re staying within budget.

Give memories. This week, Rachel, Kari and Darek mentioned that connecting with those who matter most to them and making lasting memories mean much more than a gift.

Most people don't remember the gifts they got last year, but they do remember family traditions. You'll often find the most memorable traditions don't even cost a dime.

For more tools to help with your holiday expenses, visit budgeting for the holidays. Share your holiday savings ideas with others by commenting on this week’s play at home challenge.

This Week’s Challenge: Break free from living paycheck to paycheck.

Last week, Rachel talked about “escaping the paycheck- to-paycheck living” – and she’s not alone. According to CareerBuilder, around 61% of the US population lives paycheck to paycheck just to make ends meet.

These simple tips can help you bring in some extra income, so you can stop counting down the minutes to your next payday.

Capitalize on your talents. The current job market is slow so getting a second job isn’t always an option. Think about using your talents to start your own business on the side to earn some extra money. For example: if you’re a great decorator, offer your skills to decorate some homes for the holidays.

Adjust the amount being withheld from your paycheck. Filing out a new W-4 form and decreasing the amount being withheld from your paycheck can quickly increase the amount you’re taking home each pay period.

Contribute to a flexible spending account. Some employers offer flex spending accounts, which allow you set aside money for certain expenses like child or health care. The amount set aside is not taxed, which also increases your take-home pay.

Contribute to your 401K. Contributing to your retirement savings also reduces the amount of taxes taken out of your check. Cassie and Willie started contributing 3% to Cassie's 401k and instantly started seeing the savings for their future and extra take-home pay that can help them out today.

Take an “interest” in saving. Regular contributions to an interest earning savings account can add up over time. Save the change from your paycheck each pay period - even small change ads up! You’ll be surprised how much your money can grow with regular deposits to your savings account.

Making minor changes to what you’re currently doing can have a major impact on your take-home pay. Share your ideas on how to escape living paycheck to paycheck by commenting on this week’s blog.

This Week's Challenge: Stick to your Halloween Budget.

Halloween is the third-most expensive holiday of the year, right behind Christmas and Valentine's Day. Halloween can take a toll on your budget. Keep spending under control with some of these simple tricks.

Costumes. Costumes consume the biggest chunk of the average Halloween budget. Save a bundle by uncovering hidden treasures in your own closet, exchanging with friends or scouting out bargains at your local thrift store.

Candy. Purchasing candy to hand out to all the trick-or-treaters can quickly become an expensive proposition depending on how you approach the buying. Buy just what you need. It's easy to go overboard and spend more than planned when buying Halloween candy. Use last year's turnout as a guide for how much to buy this year. Or if you're new to the neighborhood, ask your neighbors how much Halloween traffic your street gets.

Décor. Save money and have fun by gathering family or friends to make your own decorations. Hold a pumpkin carving contest or create clothespin bats to hang. For just a few dollars, you can create a memorable annual tradition with your children and decorate your front porch or window at the same time.

Entertainment. Many schools, churches and community organization host free festivals and events around Halloween that are open to the public. Check the local calendar section in your local newspaper to find hayrides, haunted houses and pumpkin patch events and even admission coupons.

This Week's Challenge: Find the thrifty you!

Being thrifty doesn’t mean you have to scrape away everything on your “want” list. It’s about making choices. Thrift could mean passing on getting your hair done at your favorite salon and instead saving for a weeklong spa retreat - or skipping Packers tickets in lieu of a flat screen TV, so you can watch the team all season long from the comfort of your couch.

Here are some examples from our Project Money families that show how just making different choices can really add up.

Kari and Derek bought a state park sticker that cost them $25 and allowed them to visit their favorite Wisconsin state parks all year. Spending family time going to the park one day a week vs. going out to dinner with the family once a week can make a difference of about $1,275 - and that’s if you only spend $25 each time!

Rachel used to give into her spending urges thinking “What’s $30?” Well, if you use that excuse once a week, it adds up to $1,560 by the end of the year. “What’s $1,560?” A lot of money!
 
Anglinia switched her car insurance and is saving $50 a month! If she stashes away the extra money she previously spent on insurance each month, she’ll have an extra $600 to spend on something else within a year!

Cassie and Willie started contributing 3% to Cassie's 401k. Not only are they saving for their future, they're also getting an extra $100 a paycheck. If you’re getting paid twice a month, that’s $2,600 extra in take-home pay a year!

Just think, making different choices like these four families have could mean an extra $6,035 in your pocket in one year! Share your thrifty ideas with others by commenting on this week’s Play at Home challenge.