Ten unusual websites you may not know about

1. Google SMS

I’m only guessing at this number -- but I have a feeling that approximately only 50 percent of cell users have web capable cell phones or use the Internet potential on their cell phones. However, there have been times where I sincerely wished I had a laptop as I sat in the passenger seat hoping to come by something of interest for lunch or dinner.

With Google SMS you send a text message to 466453 ('GOOGLE' on most devices) and they will send you back results. I text messaged Art Supplies 91423 and found two in my immediate area.

For a demo and more info go to Google SMS

2. Retail Me Not

Your not cheap you’re a savory shopper and with Retail Me Not you can locate coupons for web merchants and services.

Most popular stores included

Papa Johns

Gap

Amazon.com

Retail Me Not

3. Grand Central

I was doubtful of the usefulness of Grand Central but than I saw the Google bought them so if Google bought them it must be an “I must have it’ item …right? Grand Central takes all of your phone numbers and combines them by providing one single phone number for all your phones and a web-based centralized voicemail system. Features include

• Call Screening: Know who's calling and screen unknown callers
• ListenIn: Hear why someone is calling before taking the call
• Block Callers: Unwanted callers won't be able to reach you anymore
• Notifications: Receive voicemail notifications via email or SMS

My first favorite was ListenIn because I believed it would send the caller a message asking them why their were calling you. In truth ListenIn lets you listen to voicemail as it is being recorded.

I got a call last night at 2:20 am. Thankfully my phone was on vibrate otherwise they would have gotten a sleepy angry women. If there was a feature I could use Sunday through Thursday where I could pre record a message asking why a caller was calling I would sign up in a New York second! The callers may not like my “why the heck are you calling me” message but it would be amusing.

Grand Central

5. Mosio

• Sitting in a doctor’s office waiting….
• Sitting in the hallway of a court house waiting for traffic court, waiting and waiting
• Listening to the twenty people ahead of you in traffic court waiting waiting waiting waiting

No cameras, no iPods, no laptops ad your bored stupid. Use Mosio to keep you entertained. Using your mobile phone text a question and receive up-to 4 answers by real people online who are just as bored as you.

You don’t have to be bored anymore -- Mosio is here!

6. Bringo

A phone directory that lists direct human access numbers to support employees in hundreds of companies. Compared to how many companies are actually out there it is a small list, but at least there is a list. WaMu is listed! – I hate their phone tree!

…and Bringo was its name-o

7. Nutsie

Share a copy of your iTunes library file by placing a storage copy online. You can access the library from any PC or mobile phone.

Get your Nutsie Library

8. Qipit

I’m evil in harmless non threatening kind of ways. This one will someday get me in trouble. Every now and than I see road signs or graffti signs or just something whacky that makes me giggle because the creator wasn’t really thinking of secondary meanings. With Qipit, you can take a document picture and turn them into properly formatted PDFs. Save it online, you'll receive a link to the online digital copy of your document and than you can email, or fax the picture…. Or create a nice t-shirt of it.

Qipit

9. eSnailer

Are you so freaking lazy that you cannot fathom leaving your precious keyboard to actually write a letter… you know the pen and paper kind of thing? At eSnailer you can send free US postal mail (to anywhere in the US) right from the desktop. No need to spend 38 cents of your hard earned money – it’s free!

Why? eSnailer is supported by ads and will ask you to accept one of their free offers…. However I believe they also send your letter in Spam decorated envelopes.

Have fun with your eSnailer

10. Yapta

Get a refund (or credit) from the airlines on a purchased ticket in case its price drops.

Yapta dabba do

Bonus

Keyxl

Online databases of keyboard shortcuts

Shortcuts

What Can I Do To Save Money?

4bucks - Drink less expensive coffee. Make your own gourmet coffees. Cutting out one latte a week can save three to five dollars a week.

Breakfast - Always eat something in the morning before you leave. It will help you not buy the $4 McBreakfast meal that will only leave you hungry again at noon.

Bulk - Bulky is better If you have a family, buy in bulk. Bulk savings can be as much as $20 a month.

Cable Vampire - Cancel cable, buy a DVD player and read books. Watching television is one of the most expensive monthly habits. I wait until quality shows go on DVD and than rent them from Block Buster. You can easily save over a hundred dollars.

Computers - Turn your computer off every night. Not only does this save money on your electricity bill, but also rumor says that it prevents personal information from being stolen from your pc while inactive.

Deflating Money - Once a month make sure all of your car tires have the correct amount of air. Tires with less air than they should have costs more gas.

Fast Food - Prepare your own “fast food.” Check out these two links for ideas

• Homemade Fast Food
• Fast Food Fix, Cookbook of the Day
  

Free Fun - Find fun / interesting / relaxing projects that doesn't burn money. Volunteering for entertainment organizations is a great way to experience the event from a completely different view. You gain a much more in-depth of appreciation for everything that goes into the planning. Plus you get to see the entertainment for free.

Freebies - Most large cities have free events. They're not always highly advertised because the organizers are trying to save money as well as attract a more appreciating crowd. Go online and look for free events, you'll be surprised at what you find.

Grocery Stores - Before getting in line to pay, do a scan of everything in your cart and use the ten-second rule - do you really need it?

Grow Vegetables - A great hobby that could save a few dollars is to try growing your own vegetables. If you live in an apartment, try growing tomatoes in a big terracotta pot.

Library Love - Does the library have it? Remember those places your grade school walked you to? They still exist and often they have the book you want to read for free. Public Library Locator

List Writer - Keep a list of what you spend. Keep a small notebook inside my jacket along with a pen, and whenever I spend money on anything, I write it down. I have done this in the past and I always feel guilty or stupid (sometimes both) when I go over my list and see all the little things I bought that I didn't really need.

No Pop - Bypass sodas and designer waters. Keep a water bottle full at your side and take a big drink every time you feel hungry or thirsty. Buy a water filter, fill up and add flavor:

• Slice of lemon, orange or cucumbers and lemons
• Add powered drink mix
• Mix a pitcher of water with mint leaves
• Cut a nice slice off off ginger and put in hot water for a great tea

Pause - Use the ten-second rule. The ten-second rule basically states that you should pause for ten seconds before making a purchase and spend that time asking yourself if you really need what you’re buying.

Stay Healthy - Every time I go to the doctor I spend fifteen dollars on a co pay alone. Since I've been going to the gym (forty a month) I have been sick a lot less, use less over the counter medicines and have more energy to do things I love.

Stone Soup - Also known as potluck dinners. A great way to spend time with friends and have a big meal for a fourth of the price.

Thrift Stores - A great treasure hunting hobby. I find the most entertaining things at thrift stores. It constantly amuses me to see what people have bought and than donated. Often I find brand new clothes that still have the tags attached. I've also found furniture and home accessories that were donated by stores because they didn't sell. Thrift store shopping is a modern day treasure hunt.

No gas on May 15th, won't work

Don't boycott gas on May 15th . It just wont work.
The only way to make a difference and show companies that we can do without gas is to use *less* gas.

I've started parking my car a couple of blocks away from work. This way I get a bit more exercise and I save a few extra pennies in gas. Plus, if my car isn't readily available in the garage than I wont make car trips when I could easily walk.

Other ways to boycott gas prices effectively

Carpools / National sites

1) Carpool Connect

Carpool Searches, Message Center and Forums

2) eRideShare

A good website with a lot of tools that inlude correspondnce safety, driving traffic stress suggstions, groups, events, where to buy cheaper gas and many other options.

The website is still pretty low key in format and eye candy, but the tools make it a great drive by site.

3) Carpool Match NW has better eye candy than eRideShare and it offers new members a choice bewteen regular commutes and one time trips.

However, you must verify your address before continuing. I used my PO address, my work address and than make up a residential address and every time it said the address could not be found. I also used two major intersections and nothing came up.

So I stopped trying.

Other Suggestions

Look up your local public transportation and see if they have a Rapid Express bus that makes few stops

Some metropolis cities offer vanpool programs for large companies.

Try to work with your company to set up a company vanpool program.

The May 15th boycott myth will not lower gas prices:

Boycotters who drive their cars on May 15th -- their overall gas consumption will remain exactly the same. Boycotters will simply pump more gas on or before May 14th or after May 15th.

The dollar savings calculations are wrong:

May 15th boycott emails claim that if 73 million people chose not to fill up on gas on the 15th of May, it would save approximately $2.3 billion dollars ($31.50 per person). Simple math and even my bad math calculations knows that the calculations are almost $700 million away from $3 billion.

Second, we can not even get one million people to recycle 7% of garbage, how in the world can we expect 73 million to not use a gas pump?

See Snopes for more information on why the May 15^th boycott wont work.

Snopes