GeekSugar

Where's My Cell Phone Reunites Phones With Owners

GeekSugar — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:00:07 PDT

If you ever misplace your phone and don't have a friend nearby to give it a ring, a site called Where's My Cell Phone will call your phone so you can actually hear it hiding under that pillow. I guess you could even use it if you lose your phone and don't have a landline to ring your phone, although fingers crossed someone picks it up and answers it! Thankfully a whopping 90 percent of you said that you would return a lost cell phone or camera to its owner, so maybe you wouldn't have to use this handy site after all. Keep in mind, this site won't work its magic if your phone is on silent or vibrate!

Website of the Day: Where's My Cell Phone

GeekSugar — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 14:46:20 PDT

What do you do when you misplace your phone somewhere in your house, you are home alone (no other cell phones at your disposal), and you don't have a landline? Tough one, isn't it. Promise not to laugh, but this has happened to me a few times after various sleepwalking episodes. I've seriously gotten up in the night, moved my phone, and it's nowhere to be found in the morning. That's when I turn to an awesome site called Where's My Cell Phone where you can enter your number and it will call your phone for you!

Currently this service is only offered in the US and they swear that they don't keep a record of numbers dialed.

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

read more.
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 the pink "Share" menu on the top left side of the page.
Choose "Blog" and “Regular Post.”
Give your story a “Title.”
Fill in the “Body” with a link to your favorite website and the reasons why you love it.
Click “Next."
Choose the audience for your story to “Website of the Day” in the drop-down menu
Add keyword(s) (for example mine for this photo was "Website of the Day").
Change channel to “Technology and Gadgets.”
Fill in tag field with relevant tags.
Click “I’m done” to submit content.

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! Source

11 Things You Need to Throw Away

Emily Co — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:05:07 PST

The first step to taking care of yourself and de-stressing is to make sure that your environment is in order. Seeing your house full of clutter can affect your mood negatively and make your personal space seem like a place you want to escape from, rather than something to look forward to coming home to. Organize a "throwing out" day every month to make sure that you don't have clutter building up. Here are some things you should consider purging from your home:

Old magazines. Get rid of old magazines you have lying around because chances are, you aren't going to read them again. Find places where you can donate your magazines to such as child care centers, doctor's offices, nail salons, nursing homes, and libraries. If there's an article that really speaks to you, scan a digital image of it and keep it in your computer. Or keep a folder of magazine clippings if you like saving magazine articles.
Receipts, bills, and documents. Throw away receipts for items that you aren't planning on returning, and ones that you won't need to use come tax time. If you're wary of throwing away receipts, you can make a digital copy of them with a basic scanner, a pricey specialized receipt scanner ($174), or a smartphone app ($2). See here for a full list of documents you should keep forever or temporarily.
Clothes. Use the two-year-rule for clothes - get rid of apparel that you haven't worn in two years. Sell them to a thrift store (find a thrift store at thethriftshopper.com) or donate them to the needy.
Books. Go through your bookshelf and gather together books you haven't touched in months and ones that you aren't planning on rereading. Be realistic and make sure you're ruthless. If you haven't touched it in a year, you're most likely not going to read it again. Sell the books on Amazon, Craigslist, or eBay. You can even trade them for something else on swap.com. You can always donate them as well!
Medicine and vitamins. Take a look at your medicine closet and clear out drugs that have expired, medicine that has sat on your shelf for too long, or ones that you no longer use. First, check to see what the proper disposal methods are for the medication, and if you can't find any, check to see if your community has a drug take-back program. If there isn't a program near you, then the FDA advises mixing medicine with "used coffee grounds or kitty litter" in a container or sealable bag before throwing it away to make the drugs less appealing.

For more things to throw away, read on.

How Often Do You Compare Yourself Financially to Others?

valeriekw — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:55:45 PST

Ever find yourself comparing your finances to other people? OnSugar blogger Beauty and the Budget talks about this dangerous habit.

In a society where everyone wants to keep up with the Kardashians, it's hard not to covet a fancy lifestyle - success, money, material possessions. When you find yourself in a financial rut, it's easy to compare yourself to others. Even if you don't give a hoot about the Kardashians, you might be comparing yourself to other people you know, and that could be a dangerous habit.

Because I've dealt with financial hardships for the majority of my life, I've practically based my entire life around this entire ideology that just about everyone has more than me. In high school, all of my friends had nice cars, and I didn't even have a car - I shared an old beater with my mom. While my friends' parents took them on shopping sprees, I had to work for anything I wanted. But through it all, I gained integrity and learned the value of hard work. That's not saying that my high-school friends aren't hardworking - they really are! It's just that I had to work a little bit harder to get what I wanted.

Even now, as I struggle to find the perfect job that will kick-start my fashion-career aspirations, I face financial hardships through student-loan debt. And let me tell you, making a few dollars over minimum wage at my current job it isn't easy!

When you get down about your finances or feel like you don't have enough, you have to remember that it could be worse. As a self-proclaimed "glass half empty" pessimist, I can assure you that the idea that things could actually get any worse doesn't seem possible. But in all honesty, we have it pretty good as Americans. Just look around you. Not only do we have food on the table, we also have cell phones and iPods, and if you're reading this article, you've got a laptop and an Internet connection, too. When I reflect on those tumultuous times growing up, and even now, I realize that I never actually needed for anything. Aside from financial difficulties, all of my needs are met daily. I just sometimes can't get the things I want, which leads me to comparing myself to others.

What about you - how often do you compare yourself to others?

Want to see more? Start following OnSugar blog Beauty and the Budget or start your own OnSugar blog for a chance to be featured on the PopSugar network.

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.

Battery-Saving Tips For Your iPhone 4S

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 03:11:25 PDT

Over the past week, iPhone 4S owners have been complaining about poor battery life on their new devices. Apple is currently investigating the issue by reaching out to customers for information, but there are a few things you can do to lengthen the life of your iPhone 4S battery (or any cell phone) in the meantime. See our tips for prolonging your iPhone 4S battery life below.

Lower your screen brightness - Just like on your laptop, you can lower the screen brightness on your iPhone to increase battery life. Just head to Settings > Brightness to adjust.
Use WiFi where you can - Instead of downloading apps, making Google Voice calls, or browsing the web over your cellular or 3G connection, find a WiFi hotspot or use your home's WiFi network instead. This will keep your data charges down and will improve battery life since your phone won't be searching for a data signal.
Block GPS tracking in apps - If you're using lots of apps that include automatic GPS location and tagging (a la Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter), your phone is working overtime to locate you. If you don't need to geotag your posts and updates, keep the GPS off.
Turn your iPhone's "Fetch" and "Push" off - I have my iPhone set to "fetch" my data every 30 minutes and a ton of apps set to push new messages and alerts as they happen. This is great for keeping up with news and messages when I'm at home, but bad for your data and battery. To turn your "fetch" functions off on your iPhone, just go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, and Calendars > Fetch New Data > Manually. You can also turn off your email and calendar "push" from this screen. To turn off app "push" notifications, head to Settings > Notifications, then switch to off.
Shut down apps often - Do you shut down your apps after you're done using them? If not, you're using up lots of battery by allowing those apps to run. To shut down apps after use, double tap on the home button to get to your app drawer. To close open apps, just hold down on one until you see the wiggle, then click on the "X" to shut down.

Have any tips of your own to keep your iPhone battery juiced up?

Before Trail Running Alone, Read This

Jenny Sugar — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 01:19:28 PDT

Running in the woods by yourself sounds a little dangerous - especially to your mom - but depending on where you live, your running ability, and your personalty, a solo run in the woods is the perfect idea. Here are some ways to ensure your safety when hitting the trails on your own.

Bring your dog: OK, so technically you're not alone if you bring your pooch, but if you're nervous about hitting the trails by yourself, a furry friend will offer you company and protection. Put a bell on the collar so the noisy jingle can help scare away critters.
Tell someone where you're going: If you saw the movie 127 hours, you know that the whole ordeal might have been prevented if he just told one person where he went. Pick up the phone on your way out the door and tell a close friend or relative where you're running and what time you should be back. Make a deal that you'll call, text, or email them once you return, and if you don't and they can't get in touch with you, they should seek out help. If you're heading out before anyone is up, leave a note with your route and ETA.

Keep reading for more solo trail running safety tips.

10 Things Worth Paying More For

Bundle — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 00:15:34 PDT

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

It is better to save, than it is to spend - that's usually a winning (and smart!) mantra to live by. But there are actually some things that are worth the extra dollars in cost. Here are 10 of them.

Service. Consumers like to complain about the terrible service they get from certain companies - cell phone and cable TV providers, for example, or dry cleaners and tailors. Ever have to fight with customer service on the phone over a dispute on your cell phone bill? Ever pick up a pair of pants from the tailor only to later discover that your hemlines were uneven? Had a bad haircut? It's worth it to pay more for quality service. People who are skilled in their craft generally charge more for their expertise, and people are willing to pay for a good experience - especially if that means having a bad experience that the service provider is willing to quickly make right for you for free. That's priceless.
Direct flights. We're used to going onto sites like expedia.com or kayak.com to find the cheapest airfare for wherever we want to go, but it's often worth it to pay the extra money for a direct flight. Not only do you avoid the hassle of having to transfer planes at a layover, you save the precious time you could be spending more efficiently at your destination. I'd pay $50 or $100 more for a flight in a heartbeat if that means six extra hours with my family and friends during the holidays instead of snacking on overpriced airport food in the middle of nowhere waiting to get on the second leg of a flight.
Closet basics. There's absolutely no reason you should spend $200 on a pair of designer jeans. But a good, durable pair of jeans from a retailer like Levi's, which produces them for around $50, can last much longer than cheaper brands from big box stores. The key word here is basics: You don't want to spend a lot on whatever is "in" now, but stuff that you can wear no matter what year it is: A nice suit that will work for both a job interview or a wedding. A nice pair of shoes that can be dressed up or down. A white dress shirt you can wear to work or a night out. One nice coat to get you through many many winters. Spending money on quality basics means you'll have things to wear for a long time without ever going out of style, and that actually saves money in the long run.

Read on for more things worth paying more for.

Geek Tips For Keeping Your Cell Phone Bill in Check

Kristy Korcz — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 09:30:51 PDT

We never need an excuse to save a few bucks, and if your cell phone bill has been spiraling out of control recently, it's likely that you're going over your data allotments and sending too many texts. Keep it all in check by following these simple tips every day in order to save some cash each month.

Use WiFi where you can - Instead of downloading apps, making Google Voice calls, or browsing the web over your cellular or 3G connection, find a WiFi hotspot or use your home's WiFi network instead. This will keep your data charges down.
Turn your iPhone's "Fetch" and "Push" off - I have my iPhone set to "fetch" my data every 30 minutes, and a ton of apps set to push new messages and alerts as they happen. This is great for keeping up with news and messages when I'm at home, but very bad if I'm out and about (or worse - traveling abroad) since it uses 3G data instead of my known WiFi networks. Turn your "fetch" functions off on your iPhone, just go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, and Calendars > Fetch New Data > Manually. You can also turn off your email and calendar "push" from this screen. To turn off app "push" notifications, head to Settings > Notifications, then switch to off.

See more tips when you read more

How To: Keep Track of Your Traveling Bachelors

Kristy Korcz — Thu, 26 May 2011 14:52:47 PDT

The Hangover Part II opens in theaters today, and if your fiancé's BFF is planning a weekend to remember like you'd find in the movies, remember one thing: someone always gets lost. Don't let your boys turn out like the Wolf Pack and lose a member of your wedding party - send them on their way knowing you've outfitted them with the latest in GPS tracking technology. It's not spying if it's saving a life . . . or wedding.

Zoombak Personal GPS Locator - Never lose your guys when they're outfitted with the Zoombak personal GPS device. Initially, these babies were made for your pups to wear so you could always find them when they escape the yard, but the lineup's been expanded to include people and things like backpacks, laptops, anything you want to know the location of. Not recommended for snooping spouses, just concerned brides-to-be.
PocketFinder - This tiny GPS locator is waterproof and small enough to fit in your shirt pocket, and it can relay GPS coordinates to your home computer, cell phone, or land line.
Find My Phone - If your man's got an iPhone and gets separated from the party group, tell the guys to log in to his Find My Phone feature. This handy tool locates his device via another linked laptop or iPad, and easily tells them where he (or his phone) can be found. Of course, you'll have to activate the service before the bachelor party in order for this plan to work.