Get Rewarded For Shopping Online

Wouldn’t it be great to earn money for things you do every day online, like shopping, e-mailing and playing games? Well, here are two sites that will actually reward you for things many of us do online every day.

First on the list is a site called Mypoints.com. Basically, you earn points for shopping, reading e-mails, playing games, searching the Web, taking surveys and more!

The more you do, the more points you earn. You redeem those points for gift cards to more than 100 different stores and restaurants. Signing up is free.

Another similar site is Jellyfish.com. This site is a shopping search engine.

But here’s where it differs from all the others on the Web. Jellyfish will actually share their revenue with you. The company takes a percentage of what it makes off your purchases and gives it back. The site says it shares at least half of every $1 it earns.

Both Jellyfish and Mypoints makes shopping online a little more enticing and both sites make it extremely easy to do.

But remember, these two sites might not always offer you the lowest price available online. So, don’t disregard your other favorite shopping sites. Jellyfish and Mypoints just give you an additional search option.

Virtual “To Do” Lists

The old-fashioned “to-do” list remains one of the best productivity tools around.
You use them around the house or for errands you have to run, or at work… and of course, there’s always the “honey do” list.

I don’t know about you, but I live by “to-do” lists and getting your errands done, making your appointments and paying your bills on time has gotten a whole lot easier thanks to the internet.

RemembertheMilk.com is a free organizational site that reinvents the to-do list by categories. You can create a task like “call mom Tuesday” or “make sure to put recycling out Friday” plus you can list any appointments you may have.

Then under each task, you can enter the date, time, and location. Get reminders via email, instant messenger or text. You can also email tasks to other family members, like your “honey do” lists. There is also the option to print, and you can access the site from you mobile device.

On TaDalist.com, you can also build multiple to-do lists for free. You won’t find tags, categories or time elements, just lists of tasks with check boxes. Enter in what you need to do and then check it off when you’re done.

And finally, Hiveminder.com is another free site, but it relies on tags rather than categories to group tasks. With this site you can’t set the time and date for tasks by typing them in. Instead, you choose from a drop down calendar. Hiveminder also lets you email tasks, but the only notification you’ll get is a once a day reminder.

What’s great about these sites is that they are FREE, so there’s no harm in checking them out.

Let’s be honest, anything that can help us manage our busy lives is an added benefit.

Cash In On Old Gadgets

Every time the next big gadget comes along many of us simply must have it! But you usually end up stuffing that old MP3 player, digital camera or cell phones in a drawer somewhere.

Well, there’s an easy way to make money off ‘em. Using a few new sites, you can clean house and cash in on those old gadgets.

Buymytronics.com is a site that makes it pretty easy to get cash for music players you no longer use. Just tell them which model you have, what kind of shape it’s in and how many of the original accessories you still have. The site quotes you a price instantly.

There’s also secondrotation.com. This site buys about every kind of electronic you can think of.

Just punch in which device you want to sell, along with its condition and get an instant price quote.

SecondRotation even pays for your shipping and you’ll get your check in the mail within a week or two.

Log on to Lose It, Two Free Diet and Fitness Sites

The Internet is just packed with sites aiming to help you eat right and exercise. The two sites I’m going to plug you into are packed with resources AND give you the ability to connect with others just like you.

Traineo.com is a free health and fitness support site where users report their weight, diet and exercise daily to a group of four friends or family members who receive reports on your progress.

You’ll find a selection of weight loss tools and fitness trackers with profile pages, messaging and much more.

What I like about the site is the ability it gives you to set your fitness goals and track your daily progress without any difficult mathematical calculations. All you have to do is give an estimation of how you think you ate each day on a scale from poor to fair, good and very good.

SparkPeople.com has just about everything Weight Watchers and eDiets offers without the monthly fees.

You’ll find meal suggestions, calorie and fitness trackers, a diet program to follow, printable workouts videos, recipes and more.

Using SparkPeople.com, you can create a personal Spark page.

You can also chat with people who share your diet goals or fitness plans by joining SparkTeam’s message board.

On the right side of the page you’ll find a list of Daily features which include message board topics, an exercise of the day and a featured recipe.

SparkRecipes.com also offers 15,000 healthy recipes that are rated by the site’s users.

Even if you’re not interested in losing weight, these sites are great tools for people who are just interested in leading a healthy lifestyle.

This is just a little taste of the resources you are going to find on these sites.

I have to say I was really impressed by what both of them have to offer. I created my own account with SparkPeople.com and plan on checking in each day to see what’s new on the site and to track my workout schedule, plus I love the recipe section.

ebay’s "Neighborhood"

Ebay, the world’s largest auction site, is launching a social networking service called “Neighborhoods,” attempting to change the way you experience ebay.

“Neighborhoods” are like groups you’ll find on MySpace or Facebook. They are places for people to connect through shared passions for products, topics, certain brands or even trends.

You can post photos, product reviews, listings, bidding tips and more.
For example “Shoe Heads” is a neighborhood intended as a haven for footwear fashionistas. Other “Neighborhoods” range from Apple to Jewelry even Coffee Lovers.

Under each “Neighborhood” you’ll find related items up for bid, a message board, reviews, blogs and other related neighborhoods.

So what’s the reason for ebay’s attempt at social networking? Well, over the past several months, ebay has lost a little of its spunk. Many users complained that the site is just too BIG.

So people have turned to rivals such as Amazon, Overstock and uBid. Ebay’s hope is that “Neighborhoods” will keep people coming back to the site for deals, and now for the social aspect.

Travel Sites Worth Exploring

There are thousands of travel sites out there making it easier than ever to book your next trip with just a couple clicks of the mouse.

I have reported on plenty of travel sites in the past and will continue to in the future, because there are just so many great resources out there to use and so much of the world to explore.

I figured since temperatures are finally beginning to drop, at least to a normal fall temperature, it means winter is on the horizon and it’s time to think about a warm getaway.

Whether it’s a long weekend or an entire week, this list of sites will help plan your next vacation with ease.

Are you unsure where to start or where you even want to go? Away.com can help. This site is great for travel ideas and all the tools to get you there.
Just click on the region of the world you may be interested in visiting. Then search through a list of features or popular destinations. Watch videos, or check out the photo galleries.

if you’re tired of browsing through multiple travel sites to find the best deals, then bookingbuddy.com is made for you.

The site is free to use. It lists all the good travel sites out there for you to search like Kayak (my personal favorite), Expedia, Orbitz, Ultimate Fares, Cheap Tickets, Travelocity, Priceline, Hotwire, Farecast and others.

Just enter your dates and destination, and BookingBuddy will do the rest.

Shermanstravel.com is also worth visiting. You can enter your destination, or search by travel dates. Make sure to check out the Top 25 deals of the week and the deals of the moment.

And while you are searching through these sites, make sure to sign up for their free newsletters. These weekly/biweekly emails will list some of the best travel deals around. Even if you’re not looking for a vacation, something might pop up too good to resist.

Find A Handyman And More With Angie’s List

Even though it’s still warm outside, it’s time to start thinking about winterizing your home. Are you looking for someone to hire but don’t know who you can trust? Finding a good contractor, landscaper or plumber can be difficult.

Angieslist.com is different from the other sites on the web. It lets members write reviews on more than 250 different categories including plumbers, landscapers, auto mechanics, handymen, painters, roofers, carpenter and interior designer. The list goes on and on.

What I like about the site is that contractors don’t pay to be on the list. The site relies on members to write reviews.

Listings of contractors will pop up displaying company names and contact info, the grade they received, number of reports listed, distance from your home, discounts available and any Angie’s awards they may have received.

Click on a company’s name to get its profile. Each company on Angie’s List gets a “report card” which can be good or bad. They also get an overall grade that is made up of price, quality, responsiveness, punctuality and professionalism.

Within a company’s profile, you can also read about services included, operating hours and whether or not it offers free estimates.

You can also read reviews from other Angie’s members who’ve had real-life experience with the company.

The only downside to Angie’s List is that it’s not free. A one year membership is $59 plus a $15 signup fee, but it may be worth it to get the best contractor for the job.

To learn more about the site, take the quick virtual tour or click here.

Meet The Flip

This is one of many inexpensive cameras out there that are great for those of you who are looking for something simple and affordable.

Pure Digital has introduced the Flip Video Ultra Series. I’ve featured Pure Digital’s products in the past, but the Flip Ultra Series has improved audio and video technologies, making this camcorder line even better!

There are no tapes or memory cards needed. Everything comes built in.

What I like about the camera is that you won’t find too many extra features. It’s kept simple, making it easy for anyone, any age, to use.
The main buttons include record, zoom, playback and delete.

The pocket-size device uses just two AA batteries and comes with built-in software. You can plug it into your PC or Mac with the USB arm that swings out from the side.

The software lets you organize and edit your favorite videos. You can also upload them to just about any video sharing site or simply email to friends and family.

There are two types of flips available to choose from.
60 minute (2GB) $179.99
30 minute (1GB) $149.99

The downside to the camera is the video resolution isn’t the best and I do wish the zoom was a little better.

Overall, the Flip is a great device for every day use.

Sale Tracking Sites

The key to shopping online is finding the best deals. This list of sites will track down all those discounts, clearances and one-day sales to save money.

Kicking off our list of sale tracking sites is SalesCircular.com.

This site does a good job of tracking everything on sale at any moment at the big retail stores like Best Buy, Target, Office Depot and Wal-Mart.

Everything is broken down by state, so just click on Pennsylvania and the site will reveal what’s on sale that particular week.

Clipfire.com (which is probably my favorite) is a fairly new site to the Web. Think of it as the search engine for bargains.

Just enter in what you’re looking for and it will give you a list of the current sales happening at online retail stores. The key to using this site is to know what you want to buy in advance.

Next on the list– Hot-deals.net Everyday a new list of discounts is posted! Even though it’s not the best looking site it is worth checking out.

And finally, there is Froogle, recently renamed Google Product Search. It looks exactly like Google except it searches for prices. This is a great way to find the retailer offering the best deals.