NYTimes.com - Guide to blocking spam on your cell
VRBO.com - Vacation rentals by owner
Quizzle.com - Get your FREE credit score (Experian)

Regular listeners know that Clark often trashes the nation's cell phone companies because they gain so much profit from spam texts. But he never likes to just harp on a problem without offering a solution.

Today he's pleased to tell you that David Pogue, a technology blogger for The New York Times, has unearthed some hidden procedures for eliminating spam texts that should help AT&T and Verizon customers. T-Mobile is working on ramping up similar opt-out capabilities, while Sprint has no procedures in place at all.

So check it out today and stop paying for every spam that comes to your handset. Of course, those who are on unlimited texting plans never have to worry about paying for spam.

Syndicated financial writer Kathleen Pender has calculated that 65 million Americans are paying for credit monitoring or fraud alert services right now. That's about 1 in 4 adults!

These "services" can cost you from $6 to $15 per month. They're marketed very effectively on radio, TV and the Internet and try to play on your fear.

But the real problem is that fraud alerts are routinely ignored. And with credit monitoring, you'll only learn after the fact if unauthorized lines of credit are opened in your name.

In reality, there's only one effective way to prevent criminals from using your credit to make purchases. It's called a credit freeze and Clark has prepared a guide to help you navigate the process of applying for one.

With a credit freeze, you shut down a criminal's ability to do anything with your info -- even if it should be compromised. That's because you get a secret code that only you know.

The one-time cost of a credit freeze varies by state from free to $10 per credit bureau. Compare that to a monthly fee for monitoring or reporting! Should you have to apply for new credit, you'll need to "thaw" your records. Again, the cost will be from zero to $10 per bureau.

Many talk-show hosts are currently doing spots for one popular credit monitoring/fraud alert service called LifeLock. While this is a legitimate company, Clark wants to emphasize that you shouldn't waste your money.

Our senior producer Kim froze her credit with all 3 bureaus. She used the info contained in Clark's guide and found the whole process only took her about an hour. It's all been very painless so far; she didn't even need to thaw her credit when she opened a new checking account or switched her auto insurance.

The attorney general of the state of New York has gone after CVS and Rite-Aid for repeatedly selling expired goods on their shelves, including OTC medications. This has long been a problem in retail, but this is perhaps the first time that it has ever resulted in a lawsuit.

In 2005, Clark himself found OTC medications that were 5 years past their expiration dates on the shelf of a third chain drugstore. He was so fired up that he brought it to the manager's attention. Unfortunately, the manger was underwhelmed by Clark's complaint and didn't seem to care.

Recently while in a warehouse club, Clark discovered expired soft drinks on the shelf. He found an employee and showed them the items. But when he came back a week later, they were still there.

Clark doesn't believe there's any conspiracy to sell us spoiled food. But you must be your own police officer and check expiration dates before you make a purchase.

In fact, the penny-pinching guru describes himself as "obsessive compulsive" when it comes to checking dates. He routinely digs around on the shelves to get the latest possible date on milk and medications.

One caveat: It's difficult to tell if the date is a "marketing expiration date" or the real deal. Some drug makers put an early date on their products to get you to throw them out and buy more.

One of the greatest marketing successes of all time has been American Airlines' Advantage Program. This was practically the genesis of the frequent flyer model that's been adopted across the travel business.

However, most other industries have been slow to try out similar loyalty programs. The office supply superstores are among those that actually have experimented with them. Now Best Buy is really stepping it up with its own new program in the world of electronics retailing.

Best Buy has long had its Reward Zone program, but now the company has introduced Premier Silver member status. Customers who make purchases that exceed $2,500 in a calendar year are automatically enrolled. Premier Silver members get access to a special call center, no restocking fees, a price-matching policy and other perks.

This seems to be mostly carrot and no stick, especially when compared to the banking industry's use of profitability index scores to determine whether they'll treat you right as a customer or not.

Consider this: When your call goes into a banking call center, your "score" pops up on a screen before you speak to the rep. There's also typically a color-coded identifier that accompanies it.

"Green" means do whatever it takes to make the customer happy; "yellow" means it's up to the rep's discretion whether to help you or not; and "red" means don't help this customer under any circumstance.