SavvySugar

Savvy Travels: Find Your Local Soul Mate For Free on Tripping

Emily Co — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 13:50:42 PST

Before a trip, I spend hours poring over sites like Yelp and TripAdvisor and asking friends for the best places to go. It's always the advice from locals that's the most valuable, but that can be hard to find. However, there is a new way for you to meet your own local tour guide when you're traveling on Tripping.com, a social media site that hooks up travelers with native residents who will share a meal with you, teach you their language, show you around, or even offer their home for you to stay in. The best part is, the service is free of charge, and as you probably know, we do love freebies here at SavvySugar!

Of course, there are safety concerns, which the website says is helped by Tripping's reference, rating, and validation system. Tripping has to verify you are who you say you are via a Skype interview, and you can read testimonials and ratings of Tripping users for more security. What do you think - is this a service you would use on your travels?

Don't Mistakenly Send Late-Night Emails to Your Boss

Emily Co — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 14:30:59 PST

If you're an avid user of Gmail like I am, there are plenty of protections against accidentally sending your boss an email. First, there is the great Undo Send feature that can delay the sending of your email for up to 30 seconds, then there's the Gmail feature that's like sobriety test for emails - Mail Goggles.

Although this neat feature is meant to prevent another, "Oh my god. Don't tell me, I drunken emailed him again!", it can actually prevent some office no-nos. For example, when it's really late at night and you're really tired, you might not realize that you're typing your boss's email address in the sender field. If you enable Mail Goggles, it'll give you some simple math problems to do to make sure you're in the right frame of mind before sending an email. The best part of it is, you can time it so that it's only active during certain times like after midnight.

Although Mail Goggles is a really useful tool, my best piece of advice to prevent this email blunder from happening is to stick to the rule of only sending emails during the day.

Professional Development: Learning a Language Via Webcam

Emily Co — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 13:45:40 PDT

When reader SamBourdain said he wanted to pick up Spanish as his professional development goal, I thought it was a great idea - a second language can strengthen your global understanding and increase job opportunities. Not to mention, you'll also have a lower risk of developing dementia. I decided to take an online language lesson, and of course, I tried to keep it low-cost, so I picked one that offered a free trial lesson. I also wanted to take the lesson late at night, and it seemed to be one of the few sites that was able to accommodate my schedule. That's because the teacher was halfway around the world, in China.

To find out how my cross-continent web lesson went, read on.

Undo the Email You Mistakenly Sent to Your Boss

SavvySugar — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:00:00 PDT

If you use Gmail, heave a sigh of relief if you accidentally sent an inappropriate email to your boss, or if you realized the morning email you wrote was full of typos. The service's Undo Send feature has been upgraded to delay the sending of your email of up to half a minute (it used to be a five-second window). All you have to do is go to Gmail Labs and add it on through your Gmail settings. Do you find this feature helpful?

Runner's World Shoe Finder

FitSugar — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 03:00:00 PDT

Looking for a new pair of sneakers can be overwhelming. There are so many different brands and styles, so how do you know which one is the best? Check out the Runner's World Shoe Finder for some help.

If you want to know how a specific sneaker rates, just type in the name. If you want to know which shoes they recommend for your type of foot, they'll give you a whole list of sneaks with a review of each one so you know what you're getting for your money. Speaking of money, if you don't want to spend more that $60 on your new sneaks, you can also get a list of shoes in your price range. Or maybe you're loyal to one brand of sneaker, so you can also check out how the different styles compare. I love this shoe finder - it's a great place to do some sneaker research.

6 Top Web Tools Small Business Owners Should Rely on

Emily Co — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:31:14 PDT

Starting a business ain't easy, especially if you're working on it alone. Thankfully, there are a lot of handy tools on the Internet that will make your work life easier. Here are a couple you should check out:

BookFresh: Referred to as the OpenTable for small business owners, this online scheduling website lets customers schedule their appointments on the web and even make payments online. Using this tool will help you keep track of other details, such as client history and calendar syncing, and it will help you customize emails for customers.

Dropbox: Dropbox lets you store files such as photos, docs, and videos online, which means those large files won't take up space on your computer. It makes it easier for you to share files with others as well. Other benefits include accessing the files from anywhere in the world and the ability to access it when you're offline.

FreshBooks: Not to be confused with BookFresh, FreshBooks offers up a different service. The site helps manage invoices and automates several steps in the record-keeping process, making it easier for you to keep track of and create professional-looking invoices.

Read on for more helpful tools.

6 Tech Tools to Spring Clean Your Life and Save Money

Emily Co — Wed, 02 May 2012 03:05:07 PDT

I can't tell you how indispensable my smartphone and laptop is to me. I no longer organize my life on little bits of paper (that have a high risk of accidentally being thrown away), but instead rely on the best organizing tech tools on the web. Find out what apps to download or sites to visit that will keep your life and wallet organized to a tee!

How to Make DIY Detergent and Other Savvy Hits of the Week!

Emily Co — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 03:05:20 PDT

How to make DIY detergent.
Save 30 percent off your engagement ring by opting for a man-made diamond.
What hiring managers are thinking during your interview.
Here's how to get a leg up on the competition and get a job before graduation.
Thrifty yet meaningful gifts for mom.
Ten tips for nailing an interview.
The best web tools for small businesses.
Saving tips from Disney princesses.
Where to go this Summer for cheap travel deals.
The most frugal Summer vacations: road trips, national parks, and more!
Shrink your restaurant bill with these 12 tips.

Snag These 15 Spring-to-Summer Wardrobe Essentials - on Sale Now

Marisa Tom — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:49:26 PDT

With seasonal change comes a significant wardrobe shakeup, but we'll make the switch a little bit easier on you. From exchanging heavy knits for barely there coveralls and replacing your warm wool-infused frocks with silky sundresses, we've scoured the world wide web for classic pieces - on sale, no less - you'll want to wear again and again once the warm weather sticks. A chic white shirtdress will serve as a key layering tool and beach-ready overlay, perfectly slouched boyfriend jeans will add laid-back cool to your weekend wares, and an ultrapretty floral cocktail dress will work double duty as a Summer wedding go-to and a cute afterwork drinks option. To see (and snag) even more of our marked-down finds, just keep clicking.

6 Tips to Spend Less on Health Care

Kiplinger — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 00:15:48 PDT

Many people pay a lot of money for medical expenses. Kiplinger shares a couple of ways to cut your health bills.

Spend less on drugs

Switching to generic drugs is one of the easiest ways to save - especially now that some big-name medications, such as Lipitor, have gone generic (see Brand-Name Lipitor at Generic Prices). Some brand-name drugs don’t have a generic clone but do have a therapeutic equivalent, which is in the same class of drugs but is a little different chemically. You can look up generics and therapeutic equivalents at www.drx.com (or through your insurer’s Web site) and also see how much you can save by using mail order. Ask your doctor about lower-cost alternatives.

Spend less at the hospital

Physicians often work at outpatient surgery centers as well as hospitals, and the cost of treatment can vary widely by location even though you’re getting care from the same doctor. Before scheduling a procedure, ask whether the doctor works at any other facilities. Then call the hospitals or outpatient centers to compare costs. Fees for the doctor and the anesthesiologist might be the same, but you’re likely to save on the facility fee.

Read on for more.