FitSugar

Track Your Progress Online: The Google 15

FitSugar — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 12:30:00 PDT

I recently came across a nifty little weight tracking device created by Google, of course.

The Google 15 is basically just a simple tracking tool that calculates your average weight and puts it into a graph for your viewing pleasure. All you have to do is visit GoogleModules.com and add it to your Google homepage (what you see when you go to Google). Then you enter your goal weight and log your weight daily. Once you have data it will create a little graph to show you how things are looking and you'll even get warning messages when you're moving too far away from your goal weight. This is a great little tool for anyone who uses Google a lot as well as for those of us that like to see things in graphical form.

Keep in mind that The Google 15 is simply a tracking tool and does not offer tips or advice, but who cares because that's why you come to FitSugar!

Earn More Money By Changing Up Your Office Space

LearnVest — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:15:07 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

Most of us spend about 40 hours per week at work - in other words, the majority of our waking hours.

And nearly all of those hours are spent sitting at our desks. It’s a definite problem - and not just because we’re missing happy hour or quality couch time at home.

There’s no shortage of discouraging research pointing out the evils of a sedentary lifestyle and claiming that sitting will actually shorten our lives.

But, conversely, making a few tweaks to the way you sit - and the space you sit in - all day has been proven to make you a happier, healthier worker, busy earning your killer salary.

And, scientists say, the happier you are, the more you tend to earn.

In an effort to make the time spent at our desks as productive (and as profitable) as possible, we’ve combed the research for the easiest, most effective tips to soothe your mind and body when trapped in a cubicle . . . or corner office.

Just follow these four steps.

1. Make It Comfy

When we say “comfy,” we mean “ergonomic.” It’s an unfriendly word for a friendly concept: basically it means “intended to provide optimum comfort and to avoid stress or injury.” Friendly, right? Besides, an awkward workspace can lead to major health issues, including disorders in your joints or tendons, so a little tweaking of your cubicle can go a long way for your well-being. Line up your body correctly by following these two principles:

Your feet should be flat on the floor and your elbows should be even with your desk. This can be achieved either through adjustable chairs or - if chairs are a hot commodity at your office - a combination of step stools and pillows.

Read on for more tips.

18 Ways to Save (at Least) $1 a Day

SavvySugar — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:00:28 PST

It's true: the little things add up. As anyone who ever had a piggy bank knows, small everyday actions can help you save big. Hoping to create a financial cushion for yourself this season? Follow these 15 easy tricks to help you save at least a dollar a day:

Hold the milk. In your coffee, that is. If you regularly stop at the coffee shop on your way to work, order it black to avoid any extra costs.
Go generic. At the grocery store, pick the generic variety of different foods to save big on pantry staples.
Keep the change. Sure, sometimes it's annoying to have change littering your purse or jangling in your pocket, but you'd be surprised by how quickly those nickels add up.
Swap soda for water. If you can't give it up altogether, vow to sip water instead of soda during at least one meal each day.
Trade CDs with a friend. Hoping to add the latest Rihanna song to your workout playlist? Reach out to a friend and burn CDs for each other to gather new music for free.
Fuel up for less. Unless it's required for your specific car model, nix the premium gas habit and use gasbuddy.com to find the cheapest gas in the area.
Find free WiFi. Work in cafés or libraries with free WiFi. Not sure which spots offer Internet? Use the Free Wi-Fi app to scope out local places with wireless access.
Practice your sewing skills. Skip a trip to the tailor and learn to do the simple adjustments yourself, like shortening a hem or taking in a blouse.

Keep reading for more tips to save $1 a day.

25 Easy Organizing Changes You Can Make Today

Wise Bread — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:15:00 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart Wise Bread story here on Savvy!

I have a bad tendency to let things - paperwork, tasks, laundry - pile up. That's why I'm often not as organized as I should be. By the time I go to put things away, I feel like I'm dealing with clutter so powerful it could defeat Godzilla (I've already started on the screenplay for Godzilla vs. That Pile of Stuff I Still Haven't Put Away Since Moving).

Thus, I am a huge proponent of making little steps towards organization. Below are 25 ways to organize your home, your finances, and your life that are quick and easy enough to attempt today. Seriously, start making a dent in your disorganization before it turns into a movie-worthy monster.

Organize Your Stuff

From the fridge to the filing cabinet, here are some ideas for organizing your things.

1. Identify What You Want to Organize

Yes, I am telling you to organize your organizing. Make a specific list of what you want to organize - the bookshelf? Your closet? Your drawers? If you have time, start to formulate a plan. Now, when you have a couple of hours over the weekend, you're ready to attack.

2. Buy Masking Tape and a Marker

Masking tape is a great way to create temporary labels for everything from storage containers in the basement to Tupperware in the freezer. Buy a roll of masking tape and a Sharpie, and always keep them in the same place.

3. Buy Containers and Dividers

If you're planning an organizing project, buy any containers or other organizing tools you need now. Just as with making the list, you're now totally ready to tackle the project when you have a moment.

Read on for more organizing tips.

Daily Tech: Would You Wear an iPod Bracelet?

GeekSugar — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:33:58 PST

Are wearable Apple devices next? - SlashGear
Nine reasons you were unfollowed on Twitter - Cracked
Get ready for touch-less TVs - Newser
Amazon Studios announces first three film projects - Slashfilm
15,000 Czechs list "Knights of the Jedi" as their religion of choice - GeekTyrant
Britney Spears is the first to reach one million Google+ followers - Geekosystem

15 Web Sites For Finding Deals Online

Kiplinger — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 12:59:08 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart Kiplinger story here on Savvy!

We've tested and picked 15 Web sites we think are easy to use and will help you save money all year. Even if you don't end up buying online, it never hurts to find the best deals on the Web before you hit the stores. Then you can comparison shop and make better choices. We also list three smart-phone applications that will help you get deals in stores. Take a look:

Find deals

If your number-one goal is to score deals, start by checking out sites that do the bargain hunting for you. Deal sites scour the Web for discounted items - saving you both time and money.

Our favorite deal site still is dealnews, which has a team of deal hunters keeping their eyes on a million products at more than 2,000 online retailers. Plus merchants and the site's visitors tip them off to bargains. The deal hunters hand pick the best deals among the thousands they get daily and update the site at least 200 times a day, says Dan de Grandpre, founder and chief executive of dealnews.

The site also bans stores with poor customer service. Plus, you can sign up for e-mail or RSS alerts for products or stores you're interested in and get gift ideas from the site. Dealnews also has added a local deals section to help you find discounts at brick-and-mortar stores near you.

GottaDeal.com is another great source of deals. You may find some here that you won't find at dealnews (we did recently).

A reader favorite is Slickdeals.net, a user-driven deal sharing site. It features a few deals on its homepage daily, but its forums are where you'll hundreds of deals posted daily.

Read on for more great deal websites.

13 Signs You’re Too Busy

LearnVest — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 00:15:38 PDT

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

There’s busy.

Then there’s too busy.

Busy is running from one appointment to the next. Too busy is running over someone on your way to the next appointment (physically, vehicularly, whatever). Busy is leaving your cell phone behind at the grocery store. Too busy is leaving your kid behind at the grocery store.

And then there’s the biggest of all ironies-we want to cut back, but frankly, we just don’t have the time to figure out how to do it.

Sound familiar? Well, we’re here to do an intervention-a time intervention. Today, we’ll help you figure out if your life is starting to burst at the seams when it comes to your time. If it is, you need a wake-up call to reset priorities, because there is no shakier foundation for healthy, balanced living (and healthy, balanced money management) than not having the space and breathing room that time provides in our lives.

If you’ve crossed over the line into too busy, you’ll need to reset your foundation: Maybe it means taking a day off from work to reassess your life priorities. Maybe it means evaluating what your time is worth and outsourcing chores like housekeeping or laundry. Maybe it means taking a break from social engagements for a little while to focus on building the right foundation.

Here are 13 signs that you might need a time overhaul in your life-and easy tips on how to get started, today.

You Spend a Good Amount of Time Worrying About Your Time

If your time is preoccupied with, well, your time, you might be: endlessly cycling through your to-do list in your head, spending a lot of time arranging and rearranging your schedule, or wishing throughout the day that you had more time.

If you've worried about your schedule or wished you had more time more than three times a day, you need a break from time itself as a stressor in your life.

Try this: Take a mental break. Remove one thing from your schedule for today that is the least important-it might be putting off doing the laundry or postponing a work call. Spend that time instead totally luxuriating in something in the present moment (like eating a macaron or listening to your favorite song) and not thinking about your schedule, or future plans, at all.

Read on for more.

Do One Thing: Consolidate Your Credit Card Debt Onto One Card

Bundle — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 13:15:17 PDT

We're thrilled to present this smart Bundle story here on Savvy!

Struggling under a pile of credit card bills? Reducing your multiple monthly payments to one may seem tempting. Just one payment to keep track of! Just one balance! If you're in the market for decluttering your finances, walk this way.

This is for you: If you're juggling multiple credit card payments every month and would rather make one payment on one large balance.

This isn't for you: If you don't have your spending under control. Consolidating your debt only makes sense if you have a sensible payoff plan. If you're still charging things to plastic and adding to your debt every month, moving your debt around won't make a bit of difference - and reducing your monthly payments could actually make you feel like you have the license to charge more. Get your spending under control before embarking on this plan.

Hands-on time: Less than two hours to research cards, apply for a card, and transfer your balances onto that card.

Total time: Up to a few weeks for the balances to transfer from your old cards to your new one.

Cost: $0 if you're really, really lucky, but probably 3 to 5 percent of the balances you're transferring-that's the average balance transfer fee being charged these days. As long as you're lowering the total interest rate on your debt by more than 3 to 5 percent, you're saving money in the end. (If you're moving the balance to a card with a similar interest rate, you won't save money. Consider how much you're paying for the convenience of one monthly payment.)

Read on to find out how to consolidate your credit card debt.

Miramax Adds More Streaming Video Options to Facebook

Kelly Schwarze — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 11:23:57 PDT

Good news for those wishing to stream movies online: Hollywood movie studio Miramax joins the streaming media crowd with the launch of a Facebook app called Miramax eXperience. For $3, rent any of the available movies, like Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill (in addition to previously mentioned Doctor Who episodes) for commercial free viewing on Facebook, iPad, and GoogleTV.

Miramax's foray into Facebook video streaming is just one addition to the many streaming options consumers can choose from for their entertainment needs, including the following:

Netflix - With access via gaming consoles, TVs, iPhones, and Android smartphones in addition to computers, the popular classic doesn't seem to be going anywhere despite the competition and controversial new pricing structure.
Hulu Plus - The $8 monthly subscription fee for Hulu Plus allows access to the most current episodes of TV shows and has an even larger catalog of movies available than its free Hulu counterpart. Available via iOS, Android, select gaming consoles, Samsung TVs, and computer systems.
VUDU by Walmart - The service is accessible through the VUDU page on Walmart's website or from VUDU-enabled devices like certain HDTVs, Blu-ray players, or PlayStation 3. Customers do not sign up for a subscription, but rather pay per film viewing. Rentals begin at $3, with new releases starting at $4 and higher for HD-quality streams; many movies can be purchased for unlimited viewing for $15.
Blockbuster Total Access - Pricing models give customers the option to rent DVDs for home delivery with a subscription plan for $10 or $15, choose to rent DVD without subscriptions, or stream films online on demand.

For those who love the freedom of choice, check out more streaming options after the break.

What You Need to Know About Ereading

Kiplinger — Tue, 31 May 2011 12:41:04 PDT

We're thrilled to present this smart Kiplinger story here on Savvy!

It's cheaper than ever to snuggle up with an e-reader. But finding bargain-bin books is a challenge.

1. Look for big deals on the big three. You can now buy an Amazon Kindle, a Barnes & Noble Nook or a Sony Reader for $150 or less. Plus, if you were going to buy a tablet computer anyway, the Apple iPad ($500) and Motorola zoom ($600) make excellent e-readers.

2. Read the small print. Some low-cost smart phones, including the Apple iPhone 3GS and Samsung Continuum, make decent e-readers. But you'll need e-reading software. Both Amazon and Barnes & Noble offer free apps to download for most major mobile devices. The iPad also comes with iBooks, a Kindle competitor. Want to read e-books on your PC? No problem: The leading e-reading apps are free for laptops and desktops, too.

3. No bargains on bestsellers. Most current titles cost $10 to $15 - less than a hardcover edition and comparable to the cost of a trade paperback. You can find older titles that will set you back $5 or less, but to find free e-books, you'll have to work a little. Kindle users can browse the Top 100 Free eBooks list on Amazon.com or type "free Kindle books" in the Amazon search window. Barnes & Noble has a similar freebie page for Nook users on its Web site. Sony also has a free section for Reader fans, plus Sony has teamed up with Google to offer more than one million free e-books that are off copyright, which you can read on a PC as well. Project Gutenberg, Google Books, Free-eBooks.net and Mediabistro's free e-books page are also good resources.

Read on for more things you need to know about e-reading.