GeekSugar

Website of the Day: Buy Your Friend A Drink

GeekSugar — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 11:00:46 PDT

To start off, it's really fun to say "you beta buy your friend a drink!" and even more fun to go online and actually buy your friend a drink.

Started in 2005, when its creator graduated from business school and realized his friends were scattered across the county and he could no longer toast to all those special moments with them, buy your friend a drink allows you to create a profile and buy a cold one for your friend in a bar across the country.

Because it's in beta right now, the bar choices are rather limited, but all you have to do is fill in your a profile and select "buy your friend a drink." Your friend will then be sent an email (and a text message at your option) from you with your personal message and the gift code. To redeem the drink all you have to do is go to any bar in the network and give the bartender the gift code.

I'm at the disadvantage of being in San Francisco, where the bar network for this site hasn't been developed, but the boys at Crave were able to test it out and after a bit of confusion at the bar, gave it a nod of approval.

"I give BuyYourFriendADrink a thumbs-up," says the tester. "Sure, it's gimmicky, and it's still very limited. But now when I win bets with my West Coast-based colleagues, I don't have to wait until I'm traveling out there for my "you owe me a beer" agreements to be fulfilled."

To learn how to post your favorite sites to the Website of the Day group,

I know that this long list looks scary, but trust me, once you get the hang of it, it'll be a snap the second time around.

First of all, join the Website of the Day group
Click "Create and Share!" on the left hand side
Choose "Blog"
Give your photo a Title
Leave the category as "general"
Change the channel to "technology and gadgets"
Add keyword(s) (for example mine for this photo was "Website of the Day")
Click on the "Add Image" link below the "body" box
A popup window will happen - click on "Browse" to find your image on your computer
Once you have the image chosen, click "Submit"
The popup will show you your image, choose size: "normal" - if you want, you can give it a title (which will show up as a caption)
Click "Insert" and the popup will go away
Your "body" box will now have some text in it. Leave it as is. If you want to add some text before the picture telling me why you love the website, do it before the code that has appeared.
Click Submit

So join the Website of the Day group and share information about all your favorite sites! Yours just might end up on the geeksugar homepage!

12 Tips to Shrink Your Bill When Eating Out

Emily Co — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:04:07 PDT

Although staying in to eat is a lot cheaper than going out, foodies can't help but indulge in their favorite restaurants once in a while. Food is one of the biggest joys in life, and nothing is better than sharing a good meal and conversation with the ones you love. In fact, the restaurant industry in America makes about $1.7 billion on a typical day, according to the Restaurant Association. That's a lot of money we're spending meals out! On your next food outing, be sure to keep these tips in mind to shrink your bill:

Use Coupons: Go to Restaurant.com and enter in a coupon code for restaurant.com that'll get you a $25 voucher for only $q0. You can find the coupon code by searching online at sites like RetailMeNot.com. Buy a local Entertainment book worth $15 that will give you lots of buy one get one free coupons for restaurants.

Earn Rewards: Do your research on sites like Mint and Credit Card Guide and figure out which credit cards give you the best rewards for your diner bucks. Oftentimes, if you're a loyal member of a mileage program, you can even earn some miles by eating at the restaurants the airline partner up with. For example, Southwest has a Rapid Rewards Dining program that credits three points for every dollar spent with their restaurant partners.

Skip the Drinks: Sodas, alcohol, and other non-tap water drinks tend to be overpriced at restaurants. Get water with your meal, and if you're really itching for a particular drink, wait until dinner's over and head to a convenient store to buy it.

Order the Kiddie Meal: The meals for kids are generally cheaper and most of the times are the perfect size for adults! This option is also great for portion control and your wallet.

Read on for more tips to save when dining out.

Secrets to Saving on Your 7 Favorite Indulgences

Emily Co — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:25:48 PDT

We all have our weaknesses, and yours may be a Starbucks addiction or even an avid book reading habit. Although we advocate saving, we're also a big fan of being able to indulge on occasion. After all, if you keep denying yourself, it might be counterintuitive because you may end up buying on impulse. Here are some ways you can still enjoy your favorite purchases, yet save at the same time:

Starbucks: Sign up for a Starbucks card and you can accumulate rewards such as free drinks. Once you buy five drinks, you get free syrup or soy milk and free refills on brewed coffee, iced coffee, or iced tea. You'll also get a free tall drink if you buy a bag of coffee beans. Once you buy over 30 drinks, you get a free drink for every 15 drinks you buy. As a card holder, you'll also get a free drink of your choice on your birthday.

Frugal secret: You can make your own Starbucks drinks in your own home. Check out Squawkfox's recipe for a homemade Starbucks Frappuccino that costs only 32 cents to make. Don't forget to also check out YumSugar's Starbucks-inspired pumpkin spice latte recipe.
Books: If you got a thing for books, there's always the library of course. But for those who just love permanent additions to their budding book collection, you can consider joining book clubs like Barnes & Nobles, which sends regular discounts and coupons to your inbox. You can also get really cheap indie ebooks for free or for 99 cents on Amazon. Some of the books are actually really good, but check out the reviews before buying if you don't want to waste your time on a dud.
Frugal secret: Shhh, don't let anyone know, but you can get free books from authors, even the acclaimed and famous ones, if you try this trick. A lot of times, you can even get the book ahead of its release. All you have to do is start building up a nice repertoire of really solid and detailed book reviews on Amazon or Good Reads, the social network for book recommendations. If your Amazon reviews are good, people will start voting on them, which may qualify you for Amazon's Vine program, an exclusive club that "invites the most trusted reviewers on Amazon to post opinions about new and prerelease items." And if you're a popular Good Reads reviewer, authors will start reaching out to you to review their books.
Yoga: You can save on yoga classes by subscribing to daily deal sites and keeping an eye out for discounts at your local yoga studio. Lululemon also offers free yoga classes, so you might want to check out your local shop. A lot of studios have free or donation-based classes on occasion, so you might want to check with them, too.
Frugal secret: Become a yoga teacher to get access to free classes. You don't have to worry about teaching taking up too much of your time because I have friends who teach only once or twice a week and still get the perks of a full-time teacher, such as being able to attend classes for free. You can also offer to trade services (writing, graphic design, admin, or whatever skill you can provide) with the studio in exchange for free classes.

Read on for more.

How Women Should Save at Every Life Stage

Wise Bread — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:15:50 PDT

We all face different money issues at every life stage, so figure out what you need to save for with this helpful Wise Bread guide.

The recession has pushed almost all of us, regardless of age, a decade behind in building personal wealth. Don’t beat yourself up if you’re in your 20s and haven’t paid off student loans, or in your late 30s or early 40s and still paying off debt or saving up for a down payment. If your retirement account isn’t where you’d like it to be in your 50s, do the best you can to build it up. What matters is doing the best you can to make sound financial decisions so you can enjoy the important things in life without worrying too much about money. Here are few tips for women in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s on saving and building wealth.

In Your 20s

I can’t stress this enough - start saving early. Even if you think you’re broke, give up lattes twice a week and put the $25 a month you save into a retirement account. The hilarious truth of the matter is that the earlier you start saving, when you can least afford it, the harder that money works for you to earn interest. Investing just five percent of a $40,000 salary annually from age 25 to 65 can pay off big in the long run. Assuming a six percent rate of return, at age 65, you’d have $479,241 in your 401(k), thanks to the magic of compound interest. Invest 10 percent of a $40,000 salary, and that number grows to $830,678 by age 65.

On to credit card debt, especially important in your 20s. I know about this one first hand. I thought I had a great handle on my credit card spending in my early 20s. So great, in fact, that over the next several years I didn’t bat an eyelash at charging multiple plane tickets to Europe, rounds of drinks with friends, and several pairs of new shoes.

Several years later, I was still paying it off. The only way I dug myself out of debt was to get a second job in addition to my full-time job while I was finishing school. That meant a 60-plus-hour workweek, no social life, no excess spending, little sleep, and a lot of headaches for over a year. Trust me, you do not want to put yourself through the stress that excess debt causes. Before you whip out the credit card to travel or go out or buy a new gadget, ask yourself if you really need it. Force yourself to spend responsibly. If you want to travel, set aside 10 percent of your earnings and take one great trip a year.

Read on to find out more.

22 Cheap Ways to Treat Yourself

Emily Co — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 00:15:30 PST

You've worked hard this whole week, so it's time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the weekend! Give yourself a treat this weekend to feel rejuvenated and to make yourself feel good. Don't worry, treating yourself doesn't always mean pricey massages at the spa or weekend getaways. Here are plenty of wallet-friendly suggestions:

Relive your Charlie and the Chocolate Factory memories and treat yourself to a bar of chocolate. Remember how Charlie savored each Willy Wonka chocolate bar? Eat yours in the same manner and relish every bite.
Buy yourself a steak and cook it. It's much cheaper than going to a steak house! Eat it while drinking a glass of affordable red wine.
Grab a few friends and go on a picnic in a nearby park.
Watch reality show reruns or shows saved on your DVR with a bowl of chocolate ice cream.
Explore a museum you've never been to.
Reread your favorite book (maybe The Hunger Games?).
Go to your local coffee shop and try a new coffee flavor. Bring your laptop with you and catch up with friends and relatives over email.

Read on for more.

The Siku Cam: A Live Show So Cute We Can't Bear It

Sara Yoo — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 06:00:00 PST

Siku fever has hit, and we'll admit it: we're afflicted! The lovable baby polar bear is just 3 months old, but he's already claimed the hearts of animal lovers, environmentalists, and fans of cute. We've seen plenty of adorable photos, but if like us, you just can't get enough, now through a joint effort between Explore.org and Polar Bears International, you can watch Siku live!

Every day from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. EST, the un-bear-ably cute baby polar will appear live via high-definition video from his home at Denmark's Scandinavian Wildlife Park. The live cam's backers hope that he will become an ambassador for his roughly 25,000 relatives remaining in the wild whose survival is threatened by the melting of polar ice. Siku, whose name means "sea ice," would like us all to remember to shrink our carbon footprint in the hopes of saving the polar bears' Arctic home!

For five easy ways you and your pet can help reduce carbon emissions, just keep reading.

15 Fun Things to Buy For Under $5

Wise Bread — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:30:46 PST

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

You know what's fun? Pampering. Eating. Learning. Drinking. Socializing. Helping People. Basically - lots of things. And while there is a lot of free fun to be had out there, it's not unreasonable to buy yourself a little bit enjoyment on occasion (as long as you're spending consciously). With that in mind, here are 15 fun, (mostly) useful things that can be yours for a five spot.

RELATED: 25 Great Gifts for $5 or Less

1. A Magazine Subscription

You could blow your $5 on one magazine at the newsstand, or you could take advantage of one of Amazon's frequent magazine sales and snag a full year's worth of issues for $5. Don't see something you like for $5? There are usually plenty of $7 subscriptions too.

2. The Ubiquitous Latte

If you read enough frugal living websites, you know that you're not supposed to regularly buy lattes (because, yeah, those little savings make a big difference over time). But an occasional latte - especially if you're sharing conversation with a good friend - can be a very worthwhile treat.

3. Fresh Flowers

I consider fresh flowers to be one of the ultimate indulgences - they're not practical, and they have a very limited lifespan. That said, I love the vibrancy they bring to a room. On my birthday this year, I spent $4 to buy fresh Gerbera Daisies, and it made me really happy to see them in my kitchen over the next week.

Read on for more.

5 Ways to Make Moving a Habit

Leta Shy — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:52:25 PST

We all should take time to relax, but sometimes we don't realize just exactly how sedentary our lives can be. Even if you devote an hour to exercise most days, if you're not moving a lot the rest of the time, you can be doing more harm than good. So start making moving a habit with these five tips.

Keep track: One of the best ways to encourage yourself to move is to get a fitness monitor that tracks your steps. You don't have to invest a lot - while more sophisticated trackers (like these five fitness monitors) track your steps as well as your exercise (some can also distinguish between walking on flat ground and when you're going up steps), you can buy a basic pedometer for just a few dollars.
Try a one-minute move: Whether you're folding laundry or watching TV, multitask by building muscle while you work. Take a one-minute break to dance around or do squats, lunges, or planks, and you'll raise your heartbeat as well as your energy levels.

Read on for three more ways to making moving a habit.

How to Avoid Awkwardness When the Bill Arrives

SavvySugar — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:30:32 PST

When you're dining out with friends and the check arrives, things can turn uncomfortable quickly. Is the tip included? Should the cost be divided evenly? Some people just ate appetizers, some people just had drinks, and only a handful brought cash - what do you do? Follow these quick tips to keep things pleasant when the bill appears.

Make a date with the ATM. Unless you regularly keep cash in your wallet, you should always stop at the ATM before meeting up with a group. Some restaurants are picky about charging multiple credit cards, so think ahead and stop by the bank before any group get-togethers. Better yet, buy something to break all those $20 bills.
Communicate early. As soon as everyone is settled in and preparing to order, initiate a casual conversation about their bill expectations. Find out whether your friends plan to order appetizers, full meals, or just drinks, then talk about tip options and come to a consensus on how you'll handle the tab.
Pass the bill. It's polite to pass the check folder around the table so that everyone has a chance to look at the bill. Once each person has seen the tab and made their contribution, take charge and count the cash to make sure enough money has been added. If the total comes up short, don't single out any one person - instead, kindly let the entire group know how much more is needed and let each person decide whether she needs to chip in a bit more.

How to Prevent a Bad Running Day

Jenny Sugar — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:56:02 PST

Some days I slip on my sports bra and sneaks and I feel so light and strong - like I could keep going and going. Other days it seems like my legs are trudging through mud. What gives? We can't prevent bad running days entirely, but here are a few things you can do in order to have more good days than bad.

Get enough sleep the night before. Hit the hay early enough so you get seven to nine hours of shut-eye.
Make sure you're hydrated. Not drinking the appropriate amount of water before and during your workout can lead to dizziness, headaches, decreased energy and performance, dry mouth, and cramps. A few hours before running, drink about 15 to 20 ounces. Drink another eight to 10 ounces 10 to 15 minutes before heading out.
Eat before your run. Remember that food is fuel. If you're not working out for five or so hours, enjoy a meal that contains protein, fat, and carbs. Several hours before a run, eat a meal that's under 500 calories. Thirty to 90 minutes before you head out, enjoy a carb-loaded low-fat snack. If you're working out first thing in the a.m., fuel up with easily digestible carbs that are low in fiber. Getting too much fiber can cause major cramps during your run.
Hit the ladies room. There's no need to carry unnecessary weight with you, so if you can relieve yourself before your run, you'll feel much lighter and will be less likely to experience belly aches.

See more tips after the break!