Houston Consumer Blog

Black Friday Deals

It's that time again!  Time for serious shoppers to map out their Black Friday plans.

To help we have a few links to web sites that got an early look at the Black Friday sales papers.

http://www.blackfriday.info/

http://bfads.net/

12 tons of debris!

On tonight's "Action 13 Angel's" we met Evelyn Thompson. The 76 year old great-grandma has piles and piles, actually 12 tons, of hurricane debris in her yard. Ike's powerful winds blew down her garage and blanketed her yard with shingles, nails, tree limbs and splintered wood. She tried to bag up the mess by herself, but the huge job proved to be impossible. She called for help and got plenty or promises, but no results. Then, two months after the storm, she called us. We called on Angels from The City of Houston, and in came help from the city's solid waste department, neighborhood protection, citizens assistance and volunteer office- and the job was done. "What a difference, Mrs. Thompson said, what a difference."

Houston has a program called Neighbors Helping Neighbors- if you would like to volunteer and help people like Mrs. Thompson get ride of storm debris that's still in their backyards,www.houstontx.gov/volunteer

Have a good weekend

Lori

Free Hurricane Legal Aid

If you have been denied a disaster claim by FEMA you are not alone.  You may think the denial letter is the last word, but it is not.  Now the lawyers at Lone Star Legal Aid are offering free clinics and advice for Hurricane Ike victims.

The clinics will put you in touch with an attorney who will look at your case free of charge and if they take your case, you still will not owe anything.

The clinics are free for everyone, to have an attorney take your case forward, you must meet income requirements.

Families of four can't make more than $42,000 a year to have free attorney representation.

Here are the locations and times for the next few clinics:

Houston Clinic Information

Hurricane Help Clinics in Houston begin Monday, November 17 and Tuesday, November 18 at the downtown Houston office, located at 1415 Fannin, Houston, TX, 77002. Clinic hours are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Weekly clinics will continue each week through December 16 and resume after the holidays on January 5, 2009.

Galveston Clinic Information

A Hurricane Help Clinic will be held on Wednesday, November 19 at Galveston's Holy Rosary Church, located at 1420 31^st Street, Galveston, TX. The clinic will be held in Classroom #6. Clinic hours are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Other clinics on the island and around Galveston and other counties will be announced shortly.

Foreclosure Help Coming to Houston

If you are struggling with foreclosure, a seminar is coming to town that could help you.

Here are the details:

What:               HOPE NOW Foreclosure Prevention Workshop

When:              Saturday, November 15, 2008

Time:               8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Location:         Lakewood Church

                        3700 Southwest Freeway

                        Houston, TX 77027

Sponsor:          HOPE NOW Alliance (www.hopenow.com)

Bring:               Homeowners can complete a free mortgage evaluation & checklist form at http://www.homesafepmi.com/bif/ to prepare for the workshop.

                        Other helpful items include:

·         Mortgage statement

·         Pay stub

·         Delinquency / foreclosure notices

·         Personal budget estimates

·         Itemized list of debts and living expenses

Extra Help:       Homeowners at risk of foreclosure unable can find more help by:

·         Contacting the HOPE NOW Alliance at (888) 995-HOPE

·         Access information on alternatives to foreclosure at PMI’s educational

Early Black Friday Deals

Today on Eyewitness News at 4 we talked about the early arrival of "Black Friday" deals.  In normal years, retailers wait until Thanksgiving day to post deals for the next day.  This year the economy is forcing retailers to start discounting early.  Most stores saw fewer customers in October and so they are cutting prices.  WalMart is offering door buster deals tomorrow.  You can see WalMart's deals HERE.

Lowe's is also posting it's deal on it's web site.  You can find those HERE.

Meanwhile the deal tracking web sites are busy keeping an eye on deals offered by other retailers.  You can find those HERE and HERE.

Another tip, if you see something you like that is not on sale, ask the manager if they will discount the price.

Tax Cuts Coming?

Now that Barack Obama is the President Elect, voters are starting to wonder when they will see the promised tax cuts.

Experts we spoke with say it will take several months to get the tax plan into tax law.

The reason lies in how long it takes to write, then debate, then pass the legislation.

CPA's tell me the most likely scenario for the tax plan to become law would be sometime next summer.

While the details of the plan can still be changed, there are Obama Tax Cut Calculators on the web that can give you an idea of what to expect.

http://taxcut.barackobama.com/

book angels

In Galveston, The oldest Catholic school in our state was one of the many victims of hurricane Ike. Classrooms and books were wiped out by the storm. But, Action 13 Angels are helping the school get back on track.

161 year old O'connell High lost it's entire library of 8 thousand books to water, heat, humidity and mold. School sports rivals helped by bringing clothing and books. In addition the book angels at Barnes & Noble, will hold local book fairs at their stores where you can buy a book for any school destroyed by Ike. The book store says it will also donate books and ask it's vendors to do the same.

The Texas Book Festival and Barnes & Noble are also collecting books for hurricane affected libraries through the state book fair in Austin this weekend. Grants from the festival will also go to the devastated libraries . It's a start on the road to recovery.

texasbookfestival.org

Thanks to the kids at Beaumont Legacy Christian Academy, Brazosport Christian Cornerstone Church in Katy and Fellowship at Cinco Ranch- for helping.

on another subject- if you, or someone you know, needs of an electric hospital bed, an assist lift bar or a scooter without batteries let me know. click on consumer, angels then e-mail leave your day, evening and cell phones.

Have a good weekend.

Lori