We've all done it. Ran out (or point and clicked) and got that great new gadget that you thought you couldn't live with out. I'll admit it, this problem has plagued me pretty much since I have had a job. (As I am typing this post, I am looking over a desk littered with things that I couldn't live without but seem to never use.) 43 Folders has a great post about using a wish list as a shopping placebo. The author even goes so far as to name the file he uses as "crap I just don't need.txt". While the article suggests a text file, online wish lists (such as Amazon's) can serve the same purpose. I personally use this method (but never really realized it) every time I get the hankering to build myself a new PC. I spend a few hours filling my shopping cart with carefully selected components, and a the end I see a few thousand dollar shopping cart full of parts that will be obsolete in 6 months. That usually does the trick. If you need to save some money, or would just like to reign in your gadget spending then give this a try, I know I will.

The stuff we do and don’t buy ourselves [via Lifehacker]
Technorati Tags: gadgets money budgets

With gas prices already on the rise, hurricane season just around the corner, and continuing unrest in the Middle East (and any other excuse oil companies can think of to jack up prices) saving on gas is becoming more and more a financial necessity. Unless of course, you have piles of money laying around. In which case can you please send me some. Anyhow, I digress.

You don't necessarily need to run out and buy a new car to save money at the pump. All you need to do is think before you drive. Before you leave for the day and try to plan the most efficient route possible. Now I don't mean sit down and plug your stops into a mapping service and calculate the absolute shortest route (but you can if you like, Yahoo Maps and Ask both have multi-point routing built into their mapping services), just visualize your stops and try and plan a route that doesn't have you zig-zagging across town, unnecessarily burning gas.

Planning when and where you are going to fill up, is another great way to save. Driving around until you see that your just about out of gas can end up costing you extra money, especially if you end up needing to fill near a highway. Instead keep an eye out for the cheapest prices around town or use a site like GasBuddy.com to find the lowest local prices and plan to fill up before you're in a crunch, forced to pay through the nose at the pump. I usually like to plan to fill up when I have around a quarter of a tank left, so I have plenty of time to get to the gas station of my choice. You don't have to fill up right at a quarter of tank, but if you can fill at your preferred station it could save you up to 6 cents or more a gallon (which adds up fast).

So, think before you drive. A little bit of preplanning and common sense (it doesn't take much) can save you a bundle at the pump.

Yahoo Maps Beta
Ask! Maps
GasBuddy.com [via Achieve-IT!]

Technorati Tags: cars driving gas save money fuel economy

Geeks love saving money, regardless of their financial situation. Especially on things that are overpriced to begin with. If you or a friend have traveled to Europe recently or you have friends or family across the pond, then you know one of the most overpriced services in America is cell service. American cell companies love bending their customers over a barrel and having their way with them. All for more or less sub par service and hardware to boot! Well, there is hope. Life Outtacontext has a great article showing how leveraged bargaining helped lower the authors cell phone bill by 42% and got him 2 free phones to boot. The cell carrier in question is Sprint, but his methods should work for other carriers as well as other contract negotiations too boot.

The Art of Leveraged Bargaining, #2 [via Lifehacker]
Technorati Tags: money cell phones contract negotiation

It's no secret the keyboard shortcuts can improve productivity. Especially if the program you are using has a poorly designed user interface with common tasks burried in tool menus. Intelliadmin has a great list of general keyboard shortcuts that should work with most programs for all you Windows users out there. From the list:

• Windows Logo+BREAK Display the System Properties dialog box
• Windows Logo+D Display the desktop
• Windows Logo+M Minimize all of the windows
• Windows Logo+SHIFT+M Restore the minimized windows
• Windows Logo+E Open My Computer
• Windows Logo+F Search for a file or a folder
• CTRL+Windows Logo+F Search for computers
• Windows Logo+F1 Display Windows Help
• Windows Logo+ L Lock the keyboard
• Windows Logo+R Open the Run dialog box
• Windows Logo+U Open Utility Manager

Windows keyboard shortcuts you never knew existed! [via Lifehack.org]
Technorati Tags: productivity computers keyboard shortcuts Microsoft Windows