Last week, you got a list of free tools to help you manage your money. This week, you’re getting a list of free tools that will save you money. Enjoy.
Entertainment
Not going to dwell on entertainment too long, because you’ve probably found oodles of free entertainment online already. Just wanted to make sure you’re aware of these two great services:
Pandora – free streaming music that does sophisticated analysis based on the songs and music you already like, and serves you more stuff it thinks you’ll like.
Hulu – free, legal, ad-supported streaming television. I use it to watch new episodes of Dollhouse as well as vintage TV, like old episodes of Buffy and MacGyver. There are even some movies available to stream!
Productivity
RescueTime – will knowing how you spend your time on the computer save you money? Maybe, if it makes you more productive! This little utility sits silently in your taskbar and monitors what programs and websites you use, so that it can tell you about it later.
Remember The Milk – the best online to-do list manager I’ve ever seen. If you suck at keeping to-do lists (like me), this will help. You can add tasks from your cell by text message, by email, or on the website itself. And of course, there’s an iPhone ap (but you’ll need a pro account to use that).
Pidgin – wouldn’t it be cool if all of your friends used just one instant-messaging client? It seems like AIM is the tool of East-Coasters and that West-Coasters love MSN. And then some of your older relatives might be on Yahoo! Add in Google Talk, and you need one program to manage all of those accounts. Pidgin does that, awesomely.
Digsby – manages multiple instant messaging clients, like Pidgin, but also adds in email notification and social networking, like Facebook and Twitter. Developed by some guys who went to my college, so RIT represent!
Firefox – you know what makes you more productive? Not using Internet Explorer. I’m just saying!
LinkedIn Рif social networking and your r̩sum̩ had a love child, it would be LinkedIn. More and more employers are looking at LinkedIn during the application process, so make sure you get a profile up there before they go looking for you!
Replacing Paid Services or Expensive Software
Google411 – why pay for 411 when you can just call Google411? Put this number in your cell phone, because it works great. I used it last month to find a restaurant that had an open table on Valentine’s Day.
Skype – super easy voice and video chat. The boyfriend and I use it to talk to each other when we’re in different cities, and it’s a great way to talk to my mom when I’m away from her, too. For free. Or you can pay for a calling plan, and use Skype to make and receive calls to landlines and cellphones.
OpenOffice – no money for Microsoft Office products? Use OpenOffice instead! Great for throwing on a flash drive, so that you can be sure you have access to your documents on any computer.
AVG Free Antivirus – works great, protects your computer for free.
Spybot – tracks down malicious spyware on your computer and eliminates it. Excellent.
Paint.NET – edit your graphics and photos for free. A powerful little tool!
Coupons
RetailMeNot – I always check this site before I order anything online. I never want to miss a coupon that I could have used!
FatWallet and Dealhack – great for finding a deal, just be careful not to buy a bunch of stuff you don’t need because it was “on sale.”
Come on guys, you know you have stuff to add to this list! Put it in the comments.
RescueTime sounds kind of scary. I am not sure that I really want to know how many times a day I check my email, site stats, etc. 😉
Thanks,
Nate
You might want to note that you can’t use the Remember the Milk iPhone app with a free RTM account.
@Tamara: Thanks! I don’t have an iPhone, so I didn’t know that you need a pro RTM account for it. If I had an iPhone, I would definitely pay for the pro RTM account, because I love RTM so much that it would be one of the reasons I’d consider getting an iPhone!
Pandora is great; I’ve found a lot of music there that I otherwise would probably never have heard. I wish their playlists ran a bit deeper, but I can’t complain too much about a free, quality service.
I love what Firefox is capable of, but for a lightweight internet browser, I’ve fallen in love with Google Chrome. It’s pretty darned good. My only concern is how dependent I’m becoming on Google’s products! 😀
great list of resources…. hulu is awesome and so is RTM!
There is a new online deal and coupon code listing site
Mydealdashboard.com
It is an online bargain listing site that helps shoppers save money, time and make educated purchases. On the site you will find online coupons, products, sales, and rebates. The site is updated throughout the day. The site has some unique deal not there in any other site.The site has very easy navigation links to browse through different deals and coupons and offers good search functionality. Users can search for any deals or coupons by using any keyword(s).The site offers deals and coupons in Digital products, Electronics, Computers, Laptop, Digital Camera, iPod, MP3 player, HDTV, Rebate Deals Discount on electronics, jewellery, clothing, toys and sports products at lowest price.
Especially check out their coupon code listing page
Some great tips there. The one that pleased me was finding out about open office. That just saved me a heck of a lot of cash. Thanks.
This list needs a “tangible goods” section.
Craigslist! If you need furniture, a VCR, or other miscellaneous stuff make sure to check craigslist first. Just find your city, and look under “for sale” to find the “free” section. I’ve gotten tons of stuff from there, including two complete sets of the Encyclopedia Britannica (Encyclopediae Britannicae?) that once made a bookshelf look quite impressive.
And for folks who already use craigslist: check out this awesome firefox plugin that will allow you to see images without clicking on individual listings:
http://craigstoolbox.com/
I have been a regular user of fatwallet for years. I also use slickdeals.net. SD is just easier for me to navigate than FW. Although I do use the cashback on fatwallet, and ebates sometimes.
another site i use for movies and shows is tvshack.net. This site is questionable on legality. Their is no p2p, and if the receive a legal notice the remove content. IT is set up similar to hulu or youtube.
Thanks for the ideas.
I’m off to explore now.
Good stuff! Thanks for the tips.
Do have a list for movie studios or production houses that accept short feature films or documentaries from freelancers?