In this moment, a lot of people are paying attention to how much things cost. They are evaluating products, services and time for the value each possesses. Following are some tips to help in that area I’ve found on the web.
1. Save on printer ink by using the Century Gothic font, which a recent study showed consumes about a third less ink than industry-standard Arial. That saves about $20 a year for a home user printing 25 pages a week. [1]
2. Free photo editing online is available at citrify.com, where your uploaded photos can be tweaked with nifty effects like teeth-whitening and wrinkle-removing. Pixorial.com provides free video online editing and up to 10 gigabytes of free storage. [2]
3. Volunteer techies give free advice on common computer problems at fixya.com. [3]
4. Turn Your Equipment Off – If you are using your office equipment and will be using again in say twenty minutes, it’s okay to use “sleep” features on office equipment. The sleep feature powers down equipment when it is not in use. You should actually turn it off the devices during longer periods of non-use in order to cut energy costs and improve longevity. So if you don’t already turn you computer off at night, start now. Don’t just turn the power switch off, unplug the device. Power supplies and led’s on equipment still use energy so “unplug from your work” mentally AND physically.
5. Use domain registrars and hosting providers that cost less if not free. Godaddy.com has provided numerous people with low cost solutions to registering domain names and web hosting. Search the internet for lower costs for these services. Some web hosters will provide a free domain registration or transfer when you host with them. Godaddy and other hosters offer free webhosting but you have to allow for bold advertisers on your website. So make sure to check what “free” means and if you can live with it. Domaindo.com is an affiliate of Godaddy and offers domain registration for less than Godaddy does. Do a search for the top domain registrars and top web hosters and compare services. Also some web hosters like Hostgator.com allows you to multiple websites on one “hosting account” for a few pennies more so share that with a friend, family member or business partner.
6. Register for a free blog if you don’t have a website and forget the web hosting. Just because you have a blog doesn’t mean it has to look like one. A blog actually is a “website” in a specific format – which can be modified to some degree. Free blogs (websites) give you a lot less leeway for formating them though. So see what they have to offer. WordPress and Blogger are two of the top known blog hosters. Check out a list of 40 top free blog hosters that are offered. If you already have a website hosted on a domain, chances are you have free blog software available on your control panel. Make sure you check out what your web hoster offers.
References: [1], [2] & [3] July 2010 AARP Bulletin, Cut Costs at Home. [4] Budget Cuts: Money-Saving Tips for Home or Office.