eBay Alternatives

eBay is the age-old classic auction website. You can get almost anything there through auctions and Buy-It-Now transactions. But eBay may not be your first choice. eBay does have its share of problems, ranging from shady sellers and fraudulent merchandise to an outright scandal that involved top execs. So here are some eBay alternatives: eBid … Read more

McBroken

Someone actually devised this little website, called McBroken, to show on a map which McDonald’s restaurants have functioning ice cream machines. And which ones have out-of-service machines. How ingenious! This tool came about because of the high frequency of breakdowns with Mickey D’s ice cream machines. And there’s a whole story and debacle to read … Read more

Chewy’s Pet Portraits

If you’re a patron of the Chewy website, here’s some feel-good news for you: Every month, Chewy surprises random customers with portraits of their pets! You can’t request or buy Chewy’s Pet Portraits, but you can feel lucky if one happens to arrive on your doorstep. Chewy reportedly sends out 1000 of these each week! … Read more

Finding the Best Gas Prices

Here are various ways to use technology to find your best price on gasoline: Dedicated Gas Search Tools GasBuddy may be the best-known fuel-savings company, and boy howdy have they added lots of options and gimmicks to their site. You can skip all the hoopla, and just use their search tool or app, if you … Read more

JustWatch – The Streaming Guide

If you use various streaming services, JustWatch is a useful tool to consider. Search for any movie or show, and JustWatch will tell you where you might stream it. You can see all of your Rent and Buy options, as well as prices, and click through to any provider you want to patronize. If you … Read more

Why Is My New Computer So Slow?

When you buy a new computer, you probably expect it to be fast! Or at least, faster than the previous computer…. But that’s not always the case. Some new computers disappoint with sluggish performance as they are first turned on. “Why is my new computer so slow?” Here are some common answers to this: Windows … Read more

The Mystery Shopper Scam

If you receive a letter hiring you to be a “secret shopper” at a big-name store, please understand it is almost certainly a scam. The letter may be extremely detailed, and it may be accompanied by a cashable bank check. But both are illegitimate and you stand to lose a lot of money if you … Read more

Your Local Gift Economy

Freecycle was started some 18 years ago as a way of networking, in order to give things away. No sales or deals permitted, this was a tool for people to give things away with no fees or strings attached. And Freecycle is still around today, with groups spread all over for people to find & … Read more