eInfoPlace

You and I both want a new computer. But that is just not in the budget right now. There are lots of places to find free and cheap help for keeping these older models in shape. One of my favorite places for free software is Snapfiles.com. This site has lots of freeware and shareware and it tells you if something has adware in it. Another good place to go is CNet.com. CNet is a highly respected site for software and hardware reviews (for that glorious day when we can afford a new box HALLELUJAH!).

If you are having issues with Microsoft products (and who doesn’t), you can access their Support directly. As a former support agent for Microsoft, I know that this is a valuable resource. Simply type in your problem in the first box, then select the product you are searching for. A suggestion: Be as brief as possible in the first box, then you can narrow the results by adding additional words later.

Many other computer products have support sites that may solve your problems without a call to the support line or an expensive home visit from the Nerd Herd. Try just going to google.com and searching for the product name and one or two words about your issue. Many times someone else has already resolved the issue and posted the answer in a forum somewhere.

Hope this helps save you some cash! (Which of course you can stash away for that new computer!)

Tip of the Day: Sun Microsystems offers a free alternative to Microsoft Office. It is called Open Office and has a word processor, a database, a spreadsheet application, a presentation application and a publishing application. It is completely compatible with MS Office: you can open Office documents and save as Office documents.

In today’s economy, it is getting harder to justify spending $40 for 2 people to go out to eat. And if you have kids, forget it about it! How about cooking some of those great restaurant meals at home? Here is a little recipe book that will keep your family happy and keep that hard-earned money in your pocket. Official Secret Restaurant Recipes has recipes from all your favorite restaurants: Cheesecake Factory, Olive Garden, Applebee’s, T.G.I. Fridays and many more.

So this weekend, eat out at home!

Tip of the Day: Have you seen the Entertainment book? These are a great bargain if you eat out a lot. They are usually around $25 dollars when they come out each fall (although if you wait til January, you can usually get them 1/2 price). They have literally thousands of dollars worth of coupons! And are targeted at your specific area. I have already used enough coupons for the book to have paid for itself.