Archive for May, 2009
50 Free Web Apps to Help You Kick the Recession In the Balls
The recession has been tough on many, but that doesn’t mean you have to just take it. You can fight back by using a variety of tools and resources available to you, many of them online. Here we’ll take a look at 50 tools on the web that can help you show the recession who’s boss.
Investing
Stocks are down and if you’ve got the funds, it’s a great time to get into the game. Make the most of it with these tools.
- Tip’d Social Tickers: Tip’d Social Tickers are an incredible tool for finding out about the buzz around stocks on the social web.
- GStock: Use GStock’s virtual supercomputer to get alerts with stock market analysis.
- BullPoo: Check out this community where you can organize your stock trade information and interact with others in the investment community.
- Zecco: Through Zecco, you’ll get free online investment trading as well as a knowledgeable financial community.
- CAPS: CAPS from Motley Fool is great for participating in an investment community as well as tracking and predicting stock outcomes.
- Wikinancial: In the Wikinancial community, you can share watchlists, charts, and more.
Personal Finance
Better manage the money you have by using these personal finance and money management tools.
- Zopa: Get and give short term loans for consumer debt and more on Zopa if you’re in the UK.
- How Much Am I Spending?: Take a hard look at your finances and figure out where you can cut with this tool.
- Mint: Through Mint, you can not only manage your personal finances, but also find better financial products that can save you money.
- DimeWise: Use DimeWise to track and manage multiple accounts such as your savings and checking all at once.
- NetworthIQ: NetworthIQ will allow you to monitor your net worth, debts, assets, and more.
- Foonance: Foonance is a flexible tool for users to manage personal finance, net worth, and more.
- Wesabe: Use Wesabe for web-based personal finances with a helpful and encouraging financial community.
- Thrive: Thrive’s online financial planning platform offers free, personalized advice and recommendations for your finances.
Real Estate
If you’re struggling and interested in downsizing, or taking advantage of good market timing to invest in real estate, make use of these web apps.
- Trulia: With Trulia, you’ll get a really useful real estate search that shows not only properties but comparables, interactive price trend maps, and more.
- Homethinking: Using this application, you can find agents and properties that are right for you.
- Rentometer: Use Rentometer to find out if you’re being charged fair market value for rent, and find out if you can save by moving elsewhere.
- Zillow: Zillow provides buyers with value estimates for potential homes, and sellers with a comparable estimate for their home.
- iiProperty: iiProperty will make it easy for you to manage all of the real estate in your investment property.
Calculators
These calculators will help you make smart recession money decisions.
- Rent or Buy?: With this calculator, you can figure out if now is the right time to take advantage of low interest rates and a down market.
- Grace Period Calculator: The Grace Period Calculator will show you how to save money by making your payments before your grace period is up.
- One Income Calculator: Use this calculator to find out if you can make things work, even with a layoff.
- Miles per Dollar Calculator: Make use of this calculator to find out exactly how much each mile costs you.
- Lunch Saver: Find out how much money you can save by brown bagging your lunch every day with this calculator.
Expenses
Carefully track where your money goes by using these excellent web apps for expenses.
- Spending Diary: Track your expenses and get a good look at your money flow by using SpendingDiary.
- Xpenser: Using Xpenser, you can track your spending just about any way you like-SMS, IM, voice, or email.
- iOWEYOU: Use this expense sharing calculator to determine who owes what for different expenses.
- billster: The billster service will help you figure out just where all of your money goes.
Deals
Sniff out the best deals online and off by using these web tools.
- BeatThat: Use BeatThat to find the absolute lowest price for products online.
- BargainChecker: With this tool, you’ll be able to find bargains on mistyped eBay items.
- RetailMeNot: Land awesome deals with coupon codes you can find on RetailMeNot.
- Dealighted: Use Dealighted to monitor deals on the best money saving forums.
- WhiteFence: WhiteFence will make it easy for you to find the best deal on utilities providers.
- AbsurdlyCool Freebie Finder: Get your hands on some free stuff with the help of this tool.
- PriceGrabber: Use PriceGrabber’s comparison shopping power to find the best price, reviews, and more for what you’re looking for.
- UltimatePricecheckerToolbar: This toolbar allows you to check the price of an item on four well-known sites at once.
Money Savers
These tools will help you save more of your hard earned money.
- Tech Support Guy: Don’t spend your hard earned cash on tech support-get it for free online.
- My Open Bar: Check out My Open Bar to find free drinks in selected cities.
- SuperCook: Use SuperCook to build recipes using ingredients you already have.
- PriceHub: Check out PriceGub to find out the going rate for new and used cars.
- Beat My Price: Enter the name of the product you’re trying to get a deal on, and see where other people found it for less.
- NeedyMeds: Whether you’ve lost your insurance or just want to find cheaper health care, you can locate free and low cost clinics through NeedyMeds.
Career & Business
Whether you’re laid off, upgrading your career, or growing your business, make use of these tools.
- JibberJobber: JibberJobber is an excellent relationship manager and job search tool for those who are looking for a job.
- PayScale: Use PayScale to find out whether or not you’re being paid fairly for the work you do.
- Worksolver: Worksolver will help you keep your networking and job hunting information organized and easy to track.
- VirtualJobCoach: Use the VirtualJobCoach as a job search assistant with a contact database, job listings, and to do list.
- Side Job Track: If you’ve taken on a side job to make ends meet, get your finances organized with Side Job Track.
- Bplans: Laid off and decided to start your own business? Make use of Bplans to get a free business plan.
- Free CRM: These days, good customer relationships are worth their weight in gold. Make sure you’re cultivating good relationships with this free CRM tool.
- Clip Clip Save: With Clip Clip Save, you can create and share nice looking, printable small business coupons.
100 Free Web Tools to Compare the Price of Anything and Everything
Getting the best deal has practically become a sport for some serious shoppers. And now, thanks to innovative web tools, mashups and websites, price comparison has never been easier. Look below for 100 tools that let you compare the price of anything and everything, from cars to outdoor gear to college tuition to spa days.
General Comparison Websites
Follow these sites to better deals. Shop by category or look up specific products.
- PriceGrabber: Look up specific merchandise or browse by category to compare prices.
- mySimon: mySimon helps you compare prices on hobbies, home decorating, baby items, clothing, and more.
- Epinions: Find reviews and price points for music, movies, electronics, cars and gifts.
- PriceWatch: Find out "who has the lowest price" on electronics, computer equipment, shoes, jewelry and clothing.
- PriceScan: PriceScan shows you price trends, vendor ratings, price comparisons and more.
- DealTime: Here you can read reviews, search for specific products, and browse shopping categories.
- Shopping.com: Shopping.com boasts many shopping categories, plus a Shop Green section for eco-friendly products.
- Shopzilla: This simple, cute shopping search engine has many different "departments" like health and beauty, and jewelry and watches.
- Yahoo! Shopping: Yahoo! users can compare prices and shop online while checking e-mail and more.
- Street Prices: Find out the lowest prices on popular items, from electronics to video games to musical instruments to alternative energy.
- NexTag: NexTag lets you save recent searches, maintain a shopping list, and keep a wish list.
- Amazon.com: Shop for the lowest deals on everything from tools to groceries.
- Froogle: Froogle is Google’s answer to price comparison shopping.
- RoboShopper: RoboShopper searches other price comparison websites to find the best deals.
- Shop.com: Search departments, find buying guides and discover low prices on books, home products, beauty, shoes, and more.
- BizRate: Departments on BizRate include toys and games; sports and outdoors; home and garden; furniture; and more.
Auto
Compare fuel economy and overall car price on these sites.
- FuelEconomy.gov: Compare the fuel economy of different cars to find out which one will get you the best deal on gas.
- Kelly Blue Book: The Kelly Blue Book compares new car prices and used car prices.
- CarPrice.com: Here you can compare up to three different cars.
- TrueDelta: This site features an "apples to apples" car price comparison guide.
- Car Rental Express: Compare the reputation and value of different car rental agencies around the world.
Homes and Property
Look up market price and home values here.
- Home Price Comparison Index: Coldwell Banker’s tool lets you compare your house value against up to three different markets.
- Zillow: Zillow is a real estate tool that lets you compare home prices, among other things.
- Yahoo! Real Estate: Learn all about home values and the market on this comparison site.
- Trulia: Trulia features a home comparison tool in addition to its market stats and advice pages.
- HomeValues.com: Compare the price of your home to recently sold homes in your area.
- HomePages: HomePages is another site that features a home value comparison tool.
- Realty.com: Look up and compare mortgage rates on Realty.com.
Electronics
Here you can compare the prices of and find reviews for computer parts, digital cameras, printers, TV, home entertainment accessories, and more.
- Shopper CNET: Search digital cameras, cell phones, MP3 players, TVs, printers, and more.
- Hawkee: Hawkee is a technology social network that features reviews and comparisons of video games, TVs and a lot more.
- ShopCartUSA: Find all sorts of deals on electronics, binoculars and other items.
- SmarterDeals.com: Here you’ll find deals on everything from fax machines to DJ equipment.
- dealram: Find computer products and supplies on this site.
- Computers 2 Grab: This site finds deals on graphic cards, desktops, security devices, microphones, monitors and more.
- SaveCrazy: SaveCrazy finds deals for you on all sorts of products, but especially on video games, computers, cameras and other electronics.
- Shop.PCMag.com: This tool offers price comparison on GPS, TV and video, CD and DVD burners, software, monitors, printers, and more.
- Test Freaks: Find reviews and product information on all kinds of electronics on this site.
Entertainment and Hobbies
These tools and sites help you have fun for less.
- CliffGear.com: Outdoor enthusiasts can compare deals on sleeping bags, tents, harnesses, rappel devices, and more.
- DealOz: DealOz is a great place to search for books, movies, music and video games.
- Toy-Pricer.com: Search for baby toys, puzzles, arts and crafts, dolls, stuffed animals and more.
- StubHub: StubHub gets you the best deals on user-sold tickets for sports events, shows, concerts and more.
- DVD Price Search: Compare DVD prices here.
- Coast to Coast Tickets: Here you’ll find "great tickets from nice people," at good prices.
- Cabela’s Fly Fishing Reels Comparison Chart: This chart compares prices of fly fishing reels, from $24.99 to $400.00.
- A Movie Area: Here you can actually search deals for DVDs, books, magazines, music, and more.
- SortPrice.com: Find low prices on pet items, sports, games, music, toys and more.
- AllBookstores.com: Search for a specific book or browse by subject, like literature and fiction, mystery, outdoors and nature, romance, science fiction, and more.
Food and Beverage
Compare grocery shopping deals and wine prices here.
- GroceryGuide.com: Search grocery store sales in your area at stores like Albertsons, Family Dollar and more.
- MyGroceryDeals.com: Enter your zip code to start searching for the best food deals in your area.
- Wine Searcher: This tool searches over 9,600 wine store price lists.
Health
For price comparison on health insurance, doctor’s visits and prescription medication, turn to these tools.
- Vimo: Get product reviews and comparisons of health insurance here.
- InsureMe: This tool can help you find free insurance quotes to compare.
- Pharmacy Checker: Get drug prices from "verified online pharmacies" on this site.
- Destination Rx: This tool finds lower cost prescription drugs.
- PillBot.com: PillBot.com is another prescription medication comparison shopping site that lets you search by specific drug or allows you to search the drug index.
- Health Grades: Find hospitals, dentists and doctors on this rating site.
- UCompare HealthCare: Here you can find good nursing homes, doctors, insurance and hospitals based on value, certification and more.
Investments, Credit and Interest Rates
Compare stock quotes, credit card rates and more using these sites and tools.
- NASDAQ Quotes: Get real-time, flash, summary, pre-market and after hours quotes for the NASDAQ here.
- Compare Mortgage Rates: This tool helps you compare mortgage rates and more.
- Quote.com: Quote.com is another tool that helps you compare stock quotes for the U.S. and around the world.
- Compare CD rates: Find and compare CD rates in your area.
- Credit Card Analyzer: Here you can compare interest rates for all kinds of credit cards.
Clothing and Beauty
For better deals on clothing and beauty products, check here.
- ShopStyle: Browse categories or type in your own search to find such items as "black skirts" or "blue blazers" from retailers from around the web.
- Overstock: Compare regular sale prices from traditional retailers with the deals on Overstock.
- Mile Hi Mall: This site brings you information on sales, discounts and more.
- Pronto.com: Pronto.com is most popular for comparing deals and revealing the best prices on clothing and accessories.
- SalonSearch: Compare salons and spas using this tool.
- apparel Search: Find clothing and more via this search engine.
Mobile Applications
Check out these price comparison tools that help you find deals from your phone.
- Mobsaver: Mobsaver helps you find and compare deals on eBay and Amazon from your cell phone.
- Gas Prices: Compare gas prices on your iPhone with this app.
- Slifter: iPhone users can use this price comparison tool to search over 300 million products.
- Save Benjis: Save Benjis is an iPhone app that supports price comparisons for over 15 million products.
- PriceFinder.mobi: This tool searches Amazon’s prices on the iPhone.
- Price Comparison Calculator: Find out if you’re getting the best value on your package or product with this tool.
- Jimli: If you have e-mail on your iPhone, use Jimli to get product information and price comparison support.
- Price Canada: This iPhone app searches Canadian stores for the best prices on your product.
- Tic Tap: Tic Tap compares prices with Amazon.com via your mobile phone.
- Frucall: Mobile shoppers get comparison shopping support via text message and phone calls.
Travel
These tools help you compare airline deals, hotel prices, vacation packages and more.
- HotelsBot.com: Compare deals on hotels around the world.
- Trip Mama: Trip Mama searches three out of five travel deal websites for you–like Kayak, Priceline, Orbitz or Fly.com.
- SideStep: This meta-search engine lets you compare travel deals.
- Kayak: Kayak searches over 200 travel sites to find you the best deals.
- TripAdvisor: Compare vacation ideas, hotel rates and more on TripAdvisor, a site that uses real advice from real travelers to share information.
- Travel Supermarket: The price comparison site helps you select the best flights, travel insurance, vacation packages, rental cars and more.
- Hotelicopter: Compare hotel prices and locations with this tool.
- SkyScanner: Use SkyScanner to compare flight prices.
- Fare Compare: This site not only helps you compare prices, it also tells you when the best time to buy your tickets is.
- BookingBuddy: BookingBuddy finds deals on hotels, plane tickets and more by searching Expedia, Fly.com, Hotwire and other travel sites.
- Yapta: Yapta is a Firefox add-on that shops for good deals on airline websites.
Miscellaneous Add-ons and Tools
For even more web tools that connect you to the best deals on college tuition, textbooks, eBay listings, and local services, check here.
- BuyBuddy: This Firefox toolbar tags items that appear on a website and saves them on Amazon.
- ActivShopper 1.0: This free toolbar add-on helps you compare prices online.
- College Cost Comparison Tool: View college cost reports on this site.
- Browser Highlighter: This browser add-on helps you compare listings on eBay.
- Waitable: If the price Waitable finds for you isn’t low enough, set your own price, and if it dips that low, you’ll be notified by e-mail, RSS or SMS.
- Big Words: Big Words searches for the best deals on textbooks and more.
- Local.com: Read reviews and compare prices on local businesses and services.
- 1-Stop Travel and Retail Shopping Engine: Firefox’s shopping engine tool lets you compare prices and shop 40 travel sites and 20 retail sites for the U.S. Europe, Canada and India.
- DealMine: Install the DealMine add-on to Firefox to compare discounts and rewards points.
- Coupons24.com 1.1: This browser add-on notifies you when new coupon codes are available.
- PriceAdvance 1.5.2: Get price comparison support with this add-on.