Blackberry Without Blackberry

Don't have a Blackberry, want the Blackberry experience but can't afford the upgrade from your plain ol' cell phone? Then look into push e-mail.

We'll admit, we don't know that much about this stuff and are only aware of it thanks to a tech-savvy pal. But if you need it and can't afford to pay for it, check it out. Some providers suggested by our source are emoze and funambol.

[Photo by John W. Macdonald]

Decrease Credit Card Debt with Multiple, Earlier Payments

If you're carrying a balance on your credit card, check out this post at Consumerist.com for details on how paying more than once a month -- even small payments -- helps beat down the interest and ultimately save you money. They also have links to spreadsheets that will help you calculate a payment schedule.

$aveNYC Tax Refund Savings Account

El Alcalde Bloomberg announced today that some New Yorkers may be eligible for a savings account that they can open with their tax refund. You get 2 to 3 percent interest on the savings, and if you save for at least a year, the City will match 50% of your savings (up to $250).

Search the nyc.gov site or call 311 for the "select Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites" where you need to go to be eligible (not everyone will be, of course) to receive this benefit.

Read the full release here.
Or, if you have 17 minutes to kill, watch the video (low bandwith) (high bandwith)

Photo by Gracey Stinson via MorgueFile.com

Quick Tips: More Free Ringtones

We know, we know: you bought your iPhone before the economy went in the crapper. That's why we're not blaming you for the expense. But at least save some money on the ringtones.
Last October we posted this how-to on making your own ringtones with iTunes. Now, via Lifehacker, we have a plethora of resources for making free ringtones. (Works for non-iPhone cell phones, too.)

Photo by Andalusia via MorgueFile.com

We Are Not Alone: UK in Recession

Although the Recession This! team saw this coming as early as July, today the news is on the BBC wires that the United Kingdom is now officially in a recession. This is the first recession to hit Britain in about 18 years, and the worst quarter-to-quarter decline in almost 30 years.
Take whatever comfort you can in knowing that our friends across the pond are now saying "Please, sir, may I have some more?"
[via ForeignPolicy.com]
Photo from New York Public Library digital collection

Get Yer Nerd On for Free

For the rest of January and February, you can browse the content of Edinburgh University Press's journals to your nerd heart's content. [via About.com's Medieval History guide -- I'm a huge nerd too, obviously.]

Photo by Kevin Rosseel via morguefile

Cross Country Drivin'

Now that Obama is officially president and is going to start cleaning up the place, maybe you will want to take a road trip across this great land of ours. Use rental car comparison site Vroom Vroom Vroom to get the best price on your rental. And they even pony up the money for carbon offsets for your rental. [via Thrilllist]

Don't forget to properly inflate your tires for the best gas mileage!

If you need to fly, check out this previous travel post. For other tips on saving on flights or rideshares, check out this previous travel post.

Photo by Clarita via Morguefile.

Denim Deals

Last year I discovered Uniqlo's great and reasonable jeans -- and I've been spreading the word. Though normally some of the cheapest jeans around at about $40, now most of their styles are on sale -- starting at $19. Their fantastic skinny jeans (I couldn't believe they fit so well) are $29! Get to Soho, ladies! And gents! (The men's jeans are winners too. And they even have men's skinny jeans... is that a good thing?)

Free Suze Orman book

We could all use some advice from an expert financial counselor and who better that Suze Orman to tell you how best to manage your money in these recession times? I've always been a fan of Orman's since reading 9 Steps To Financial Freedom way back when. I could barely pay my then-Astoria, Queen's rent, which is why I picked up her book in the first place. Now, Oprah has Suze's new book on her website which you can download for free for one week which started January 8th. So, get crackin' and get to feeling better about our economy -- or at least your place in it.

Fill Your Fridge To Save Money

Save energy -- and thereby money on your utility bill -- by filling up your fridge and freezer as much as possible. They are more efficient when they are filled (keep things loose in the fridge so air can circulate, pack 'em tight in the freezer). [via Ideal Bite]

If you don't have that much food, you can fill up old bottles or covered pitchers with water (I use a 1 liter tonic water bottle leftover from a party).

Once you fill it up, set the fridge to 40 degrees and the freezer to zero. Vacuuming the coils also helps efficiency which saves money.

It's a little thing, but along with other energy-saving habits, you may be surprised at the savings on your energy bill!

(PS: In a power outage, a full fridge will stay cold twice as long as an empty one, so you don't have to spend money replacing your food)
Photo by Noel Clark