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30 Tips & Tricks
1. 28 Tips & Tricks
to
Save $$ Using Your Computer
Steven Kieley
July 7, 2009
2. Revive your Old PC
• It still might save you some money
• Older PC’s, while too slow for speeds that
we’ve gotten used to, can still be useful and
save us from buying other technology
• Fitted out with a new operating system and
used as a single-purpose machine, you won’t
notice its age
3.
4. Revive your Old PC
• Wipe the hard drive and install Linux
– Makes an old Pentium feel like a dual-core PC
• Convert it into a DVR by adding a TV tuner
– Install MediaPortal for free
– Save the cable box monthly rental
5. OR….
• Plug your old PC into a router
• Add a TV tuner card
• Install MediaPortal software
• Record your favorite TV shows or download
Netflix movies
6. Buy Big Ticket Items Online
• HDTV’s can be hundreds of $ cheaper online
vs. big box stores, like Best Buy
• 46” LCD as much as $500 cheaper
• Check sites such as Nextag.com, Amazon.com
• Sales tax savings alone may be as much as
$200
7. Buy Little Items Online
• Bought a cable in a store recently?
– 6’ HDMI cable can be $60-70
• Monoprice.com sells same for $10
• Meritline.com sells two for $11
• PC World tests confirm same quality
8. Stop Buying Music CD’s
• Mall prices run around $15
• Deepdiscount.com sells for $11
• Amazon.com MP3 store sells for $9
– Individual tracks as low as 99¢
9. Buy Refurbished Hardware
• Dell’s Outlet Store (dell.com/outlet) discounts
some laptops by 25%
• May have some cosmetic blemishes, but 90
day warranties
• HP, Lenovo also have similar sites
• Blu-Ray players, GPS devices, universal
remotes all available (Buy.com, Newegg.com,
ecost.com)
10. Wait!
• Don’t do anything
• Just go to wishradar.com or pricegrabber.com
• Register and select an item
• You’ll be notified when the price drops
11. Sign Up
• If you routinely shop at certain retailers, sign
up for their email newsletters
– Borders, eReader, others provide exclusive
discounts for registered subscribers
12. Save on Shipping
• Go to freeshippingon.com to see which
retailers are currently offering no-charge
shipping
• Or go to dealtaker.com
– Click on “stores & coupons” for alphabetical listing
– Or type in “free shipping”
13. Live Search for Savings
• Go to search.live.com/cashback for price
comparisons on item you want
– Sponsored by Microsoft
– Cashback from participating stores
– Actual site name has been recently changed to
bing.com
14. Don’t Print
• “Print” only to PDF instead
• Cutepdfwriter.com
• Free download
• Save your paper and ink by “printing” to a file
in your computer
• Then send as an email attachment
• Recipient does not need to have same
software as you
16. Printing
• Print two sheets on every page
• Fonts are large enough to read easily
17. Print Both Sides
• For most programs:
– Go to “print”, “properties”, “finishing”, “both
sides”
18. Use Third Party Ink
• Often has been shown to yield more prints per
cartridge than brand names
• OK for printing text; may not be good for
photo printing
– Quality and fade-resistance probably less than
name brands, but for printing short term
documents, is adequate
19. Get Rid of Cable
• Download your shows via. the internet
– Many are already on TV network websites
– Other sites include:
• Fancast.com
• Hulu.com
• ESPN360.com
20. Forget the TIVO
• Use your computer
– Windows Media Center already installed on newer
PC’s
– TV Tuner card costs $50-$100
– TIVO costs $150-600 plus monthly or annual fee
21. Free Text Messages
• Usually about $.20 per message
• Telco plans cost about $5-$20 per month
• GizmoSMS.com one-way or two-way premium
• Cherple.com two-way
22. Manage Your Money
without Spending it
• Quicken and MS Money need periodic
upgrading, if for nothing else, to get tech.
support
• Gnucash.org imports Quicken files, does
online-banking, imports stock quotes
• Other web-based apps include:
– Mint.com
– Rudder.com
23. Pay Bills Online
• Use automated bill pay through your bank
– Most are completely free
• Use Quicken or MS Money
– May cost $9.95/month
– Breakeven with 22 bills paid each month
• Automated reminders may save late fees
25. Internet Security
And this
Also check for this
Check for the green background in IE 7 & 8
(not just http)
26. Internet Security
• Use a virtual credit card account
– Good only for single use or single vendor
– Handy when you don’t want to have to remember to
cancel a subscription
• Use a card with a lower limit
• Avoid using your checking account card
– Credit cards allow more time to discover fraud
– Important payments (mortgage, etc.) could bounce if
overdrawn
• Don’t shop over an unencrypted wireless
network (including your own)
31. Laptop Batteries
• Don’t Overcharge
– Constant charging reduces battery life
• Will need replacement sooner
– Pull the battery and use without it when possible
– Fully discharge before recharging
32. Cut Your Landline
• Use VOIP instead
– Skype.com
• Free computer to computer calls anywhere in world
• Includes video
• Low charges for calling a landline phone
– Viatalk.com
• $199/year ($16.58/month)
• Keep existing number
• Caller ID, voicemail, call forwarding
33. Dirt-Cheap International Calls
• Truphone.com
– Check it out via. the internet
– Use your current cell phone without any changes
– Currently for i-phone, Blackberry and Nokia users
only; others being added
– Eliminates Skype phone charges to landline
phones
– International calls costs a few cents per minute
– 97% discount over AT&T charges
34. Add a Second Line
• Save on phone company charges
• Magicjack.com
– Free voicemail
– Caller ID
– Local & Long Distance
– $20/year
35. Free Slingbox
• What’s Slingbox?
– Watch your TV or computer files everywhere
• Go to orb.com
• Enjoy all your computer’s files on any other
device
• Watch your TV on other devices
• Save the cost of a Slingbox ($179 & up)
36. Create charts, diagrams, floor plans?
• Microsoft Professional Visio costs about $559
• Standard version is about $259
• Gliffy.com is free
• $5/month for ad-free version
37. Use Open Source Software
• OpenOffice takes the place of MS Office
• Paint.net can replace Photoshop
• Linux can replace Windows
38. Try It Before You Buy It
• Such as cutepdfwriter.com can be obtained
from cnetdownload.com
• One stop shopping for downloads
• Judge the quality of the download by the
number of previous downloads
• Steer your way past numerous misleading
attempts to pay for more costly alternatives
39. Burn CD’s If You Have to
• Don’t buy Nero or Easy Media Creator
• Use InfraRecorder.org
• Open Source software
40. Want to Learn More?
Check us out at www.ewingsnet.com
The Computer Learning Center at Ewing
999 Lower Ferry Road