Lifehacker has a great tutorial on how to use the free software called “Prey” to track and recover your stolen laptop or Android. What’s cool is that the program can silently locate the laptop via triangulation and take pictures and screenshots, or you can more aggressively lock the computer down and send whoever is using it various warning messages. [More]
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How To Use Facebook's New Privacy Controls
By 5.26.10
Lifehacker has a handy guide to and analysis of the new, streamlined privacy controls just announced by Facebook. There’s also the full version posted on Facebook. The new controls are simpler, but fall short in some respects. [More]
Do A Total Background Check On Yourself
By 2.25.10
Now you can know what Big Brother knows about you and get access to the same dirt everyone from your boss, landlord, insurance agent, to your favorite casino has on you. Here is a comprehenisve list of websites and phone numbers for most of the “specialty” consumer reports, like your employment, rental, and check writing history. Be sure to check them out and correct any errors, before a crisis hits. [More]
Make, Serve, And Preserve Your Own Homemade Ice Cream
By 7.18.09
Ice cream makers may not be worthless pieces of junk, but they’re not absolutely necessary, either. Check out this most delicious roundup of ice cream-related tips and projects from Lifehacker. Make your own ice cream in a plastic bag, keep your store-bought ice cream fresh, learn new scooping techniques, and turn strange-colored liquid medicine into a tasty hangover cure. And more!
By 7.7.09
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Tired of Big Sunscreen profiting from your love of the outdoors? Instructables shows you how to make your own sunscreen, with a few fun ingredients and some safety equipment. Alternately, sunscreen-ify your favorite premade lotion by adding zinc oxide or titanium oxide. (Via Lifehacker)
What Do Deal Site Acronyms Like "YMMV" And "AC" Mean?
By 3.18.09
If you’re new to hunting for deals online, you’ll start seeing all these funky acronyms used as shorthand. Here’s some of the most common ones and what they mean:
Ladder Your CDs For Fun And Profit
By 3.6.09
Here’s a way to get around the worst part of CDs (certificates of deposit) which give you a higher guaranteed interest rate but lock your money in for a certain period of time: Make a ladder!
Your Digital Camera In A Travel Soap Case
By 2.22.09
A hard plastic travel soap case makes it a snap to keep your digital camera safe from getting bonked around. If your camera is small enough, an Altoids tin works too. Spotted this in the March issue of Real Simple (which I found a copy of left on the train, so I get +5 frugality points).
Calculate How Long Till Your Portfolio Recovers
By 2.16.09
How long will it take your portfolio to recover from this financial Armageddon? NYT’s cool calculator tells me it’s going to take about three years. Check it, just punch in how much your portfolio was worth at its peak, its current value, how much you contribute on a regular basis, and play with the annual return. It generates a nice Times-quality graph of how long it’s going to take you to get it all back, and what the outlook is for years to come. Good way of putting the whole shebang in perspective.
Unstick Your Ears After A Flight
By 2.12.09
Sometimes your ears get stuck during airplane rides and even an hour later, you’ve still got a painful pressure built-up and difficulty hearing. Here’s some things you can do to unclog the works.
Battle Bank Fees
By 2.7.09
Banks love fees. Want to wire money? Need to pay a fee. What to stop a check? Need to pay a fee. Need to use the bathroom? Gotcha!
Save On Credit Card Bills By Paying Earlier
By 2.4.09
By making one simple change, you can use the same amount of money to pay off your credit card faster.
Newly Frugal Cut Back On Outsourced Services
By 1.21.09
People are cutting back from outsourced services and opting to do things themselves, like cleaning the house, walking the dog, making their own coffee, cutting their hair, or packing their lunch. Those who do say it saves money and gives a feeling of self-reliance. What have you started doing yourself lately that you used to pay people to do?
4 Ways To Lose Your Rewards Points
By 1.20.09
Part of the new year and the new year is getting rid of unnecessary clutter, like rewards points! Here’s 4 ways to increase your chances of losing your credit card rewards points.
Get An Employer Discount With Any Cellphone Company
By 1.7.09
Save money on your cellphone bill by checking out to see if you can get an employer discount! Here’s the necessary info for every major cellphone provider:
49 Banks That Refund All ATM Fees
By 12.22.08
Why pay people for your own money? Via FatWallet, here’s a big daddy list of all the banks that refund your ATM fees, regardless of who owns the ATM.
Pump Up Your Savings With High-Yield Online Savings Accounts
By 12.21.08
Are you earning at least 4% in your savings account? If NO, do yourself a favor: Open a high-yield online savings account and start adding some serious muscle mass to your savings. Here’s the skinny:
5 Last-Minute Ways To Reduce Your 2008 Taxes
By 12.15.08
USAA Mag has 5 good ideas for getting in good shape for tax season before the closing bell rings on 2008:
