and Twitter.
Get your save on, thanks to online e-coupon search Retail Me Not! Retail Me Not collects coupon codes from around the web, giving you % discounts at everything from NewEgg.com to PapaJohns.com, tracking everything from success rates to user ratings. Why pay full price?
Save more: Retail Me Not
Dare I say that Gmail is close to being the perfect webmail service? Sure there are ads specifically targeting the contents of my email that freaks me out a little sometimes, but I can look past that in exchange for the great services that Gmail (and Google) provide me. I and many others have begun transferring all of our email to Gmail, so the more I use it, the more I begin looking for shortcuts and hotkeys, which I was sure existed. Thanks to our pals over at LifeHack, we’ve found them, and in a handy printable form to boot! In order to use these shortcuts, you must have keyboard shortcuts set to “On” in the Gmail settings and then get used to the new shortcuts (it’s funny to forget you had them enabled and then accidently open or send an email by accidentally hitting a key on your board).
Read more: Printable list of Gmail shortcuts (Via LifeHack)
The Foreign Service Institute is the US Government’s primary training institution for officers and support personal of the US Foreign affairs community. Through the use of language programs and studies, the FSI prepares future diplomats and other professionals who are advancing US foreign interests overseas and around Washington, via communication and whatever else those people do. These foreign language courses are published using federal money, which basically means they are public domain, and thus, available to any citizen who’s interested in learning a new language. So enter FSI Language Courses.com, a community-driven site, collecting, scanning and distributing the Foreign Service language program documentation and audio-tapes to anyone interested in learning Cantonese, Spanish, German, French and Portuguese, among many other languages, all on the government’s dime (well, your dime really).
Read more: Foreign Language Courses (many thanks to Stiv for the updated link!)
A quick and easy way to save a little money by lowering your electric bill and help the environment by reducing the amount of CO2 emissions you’re responsible for is by replacing your normal incandescent bulbs with low-wattage compact fluorescents. Replacing four 60-watt incandescent bulbs with 11-13 watt (60-watt light equivalent) soft-white CFLs can reduce your electricity consumption by 1,500-1,800 kilowatt hours over the life of the bulbs and eliminate up to 2,500 pounds of atmospheric CO2 emissions you would have normally produced using the incandescents. Not only that, but CFLs last on average, 10 times longer than a normal incandescent bulb. Right now, Energy Federation Incorporated is trying to encourage adoption of CFL bulbs by offering those in the U.S. a 4-pack of 60-watt-equivilent CFLs at the amazingly low-price of $11.99 including shipping. Sure, the costs are a little higher up-front, but, over the life of the bulbs you’ll notice a higher return on investment and you’ll be doing a small deed towards helping the environment survive another year, or two (at least!). For readers in other countries, EFLs are certainly available at your local grocery or hardware store or through Amazon, among many other outlets.
Read more: 4-pack of CFL bulbs for $11.95 w/ free shipping | CFL savings calculator
If you’re like me or half of the vacationing world, you end up with 2 or 3 bags full of junk when travelling, especially on long holidays. But thanks to Doug Dyment, my next trip will be lightweight and hopefully a little less stressful when it comes to check-in time. Doug has created a travel how-to named One Bag, covering what he calls the art and science of travelling light. His site is full of useful tips and how-tos on travelling light for your next holiday or business trip, such as different ways of doing laundry while on your trip (it seems every smart traveller plans on doing laundry on their trip!?) or the most efficient ways of packing and bundling just about everything you could imagine. Bon voyage…
August 21st in 