Attention Chic Geeks: Technology Tips for Today's Economy
No need to completely cut the Internet cord or pack away the laptop as we travel down today's tough economic road. I've compiled a few tech tips to help you can stay "chic geek."
Need a new computer? Keep the bottom line in mind.
- Buy a laptop. The savings will come from your energy bill. A laptop will give you annual computer-related energy savings of as much as 50 percent over a desktop. Keep in mind that it's what's inside that counts. Certain processors make computers more energy-efficient, such as those powered by the Intel Core 2 Duo. Also, a good trick for laptops and desktops alike is to look for the ENERGY STAR label.
Consider a new class of PCs called MIDs (mobile internet device) or Netbooks
- These miniature laptops are affordable and the processors inside (Intel's new Atom processor) make them waste much less energy. If you use your computer mostly for email, word processing and surfing the Web, this is a great affordable option and many PC makers, such as Asus and Dell, have stylish options available for the holidays for under $500.
Use power management options on your computer
- This means setting your computer to "go to sleep" when you aren't using it, turning the screen brightness down and turning off printers, speakers and scanners when you aren't using them. Sleep settings alone can save more than $60 a year in energy costs.
Get dialed-in to your cell phone bill
- Are you using all the minutes you've signed up for? You might be able to save a lot of money each year by scaling back your plan or switching to a family plan.
- Make sure you're a match. It's a possibility that a different carrier would be a better fit for you, depending on your needs (better service, more text messages, a data plan, etc.) Letstalk.com and phonedog.com will compare carrier plans for free.
e-manage your budget
- Keep your credit score in Mint condition. Sites like Mint.com allow you to manage your budget for free online (instead of buying software). It securely pulls all your purchases from any and all of your financial sites (credit cards, savings accounts, etc.) and will show you spending trends, highlighting when you've exceeded your normal budget. This is a good way to keep you and your spending in-check.
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Comments
Nov 25 | kenekaplan said:
I always love catching the latest helpful "tips." Mint.com is very cool.
Another site I like -- maybe not as budget-wise as Mint -- is PageOnce.com. It lets you collect many of your online account from financial services to social networking, shopping and travel sites you use...and have them pulled all together into one secure site.
Happy holidays!
Nov 25 | Jason said:
this is a test comment
Nov 29 | aries said:
:D
Dec 01 | Becky Emmett said:
These are great tips Alison. I saw today that the U.S. is indeed 'officially in a recession' and personally keeping costs down is a priority for my household. I'm looking into the power-management of my machine now.
Dec 01 | kieshacochrane said:
Mint.com is great! I read your post and tried it out over the weekend. It's a real wake-up call to see where all of your money goes. Great advice!