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Who doesn’t like ice cream? How about when it’s free? I thought so. Well, in case you hadn’t heard, today only participating Ben & Jerry’s shops around the U.S. are giving away free ice cream cones. To find out if your local creamery is participating, click here (be sure and check off the “participating in free cone day” button). Now get out there and enjoy some ice cold treats. ‘Cause nothing beats free!

Popularity: 18% [?]

Almost anyone will tell you that being organized will increase your efficiency, reduce clutter and help you remember assignments and errands better. There are innumerable ways to organize your life, from writing out to do lists, carrying a day planner or having a blackberry or other mobile device with a lot of those features rolled into one. Since I am without a blackberry and often misplace my to do list before it’s completed I have decided to go with another option: iGoogle.

Since creating an iGoogle homepage for myself, I have found it much easier to keep track of my day-to-day affairs as well as plan for long-term events. Every day at work I fire up my laptop, open the Internet and my own personalized online workbook opens right up. My personal iGoogle configuration is pretty simple, containing a to do list, some news feeds, my Gmail inbox, a clock and a calendar. For me, that’s all I need to keep track of almost everything. One of the best parts of iGoogle though is its customizability.

You can include virtually anything on your homepage, from games and horoscopes, to news feeds and various planning widgets. Should your initial page get too crowded, you can create multiple tabs, just like in your Internet browser, and categorize your tabs according to content. I have the main page described above and then a tab dedicated to searching, with Google, Wikipedia and Weather search bars, as well as MapQuest and some other helpful tools.  The options are seemingly limitless and I find that iGoogle is a great way to keep myself organized and on task. Why not try it out for yourself and customize your own homepage?

Also as an additional social networking note, I’ve recently joined Twitter, so if you are already following Luke and were desperately waiting for your other favorite Internet author to join up – the wait is over! You can follow my tweet feed at:  www.twitter.com/ncleveland.

Popularity: 20% [?]

According to a recent MSN Money article, “If you begin saving for retirement at 25, putting away $2,000 a year for just 40 years, you’ll have around $560,000, assuming earnings grow at 8% annually. Now, let’s say you wait until you’re 35 to start saving. You put away the same $2,000 a year, but for three decades instead, and earnings grow at 8% a year. When you’re 65 you’ll wind up with around $245,000 — less than half the money.”

So it’s obvious that the key to a wealthy retirement is to start early. But I think it’s equally obvious that the number needed to retire comfortably is unique to every individual or couple, and depends upon their personal retirement goals. The number changes based on factors like marriage, children, and pre-retirement income, but as the above example demonstrates, if we start saving in our twenties, the better off we will be.

At a time when people are living longer, health care costs are rising, and traditional sources of retirement income are disappearing, Americans — even those of us in Generation Y — are heeding the call to plan wisely for their future; however, most people don’t know exactly how much they should be saving for their retirement, or how to go about achieving this number.

This is something that’d been kicking around my own mind for awhile, as I’m about to sign up for my company’s 401k plan. So I was excited when I received an email from reader Allison alerting me to a new program from ING Direct called “Your Number”.

I had seen a couple of “Your Number” commercials on TV in recent weeks but didn’t really get it. Apparently, the goal of the “Your Number” campaign is to “create awareness and help consumers better understand this essential part of retirement planning” (i.e how much they specifically need to retire comfortably). Apparently, the new site from ING leads visitors through an interactive, user-friendly experience that helps calculate their “number”. It also features a description of ING products and services, and links to financial advisors if they are interested.

For more about the “Your Number” view their TV commercial (via YouTube) below, or visit their website at ingyournumber.com

Popularity: 24% [?]

A very important piece of finding a job, be it your first or not, is submitting a good resume. This simple document briefly sums up your qualifications and compactly and concisely tells a prospective employer what you can do. This is great, and still a very valid part of the equation in finding a job; but that equation is changing. While having a good resume will make sure you get past the first round of cuts, it won’t ensure you get hired.

More and more employers want to see some evidence of things you’ve done, in addition to what your GPA says you should be able to do. Articles like this one demonstrate that having a good academic track record is only a step in the right direction towards getting that lucrative job. You need to bolster your credentials by having some sort of portfolio or record of things that you have done. This poor guy has a 4.0 GPA in his master’s program and a 3.9 in his doctoral program and still relies on his mother for support. Odds are he is just letting his resume do the talking with no additional work to support it.

Depending on what you want to do for a job, any additional submissions you want to make with your resume will vary. If you want to be a financial analyst, show your employer your own portfolio or pick some stocks and track them for a 6-month period, providing analysis along the way. Submitting your personal blog about bird watching probably won’t be relevant here. If you want to be in digital media, graphics design or a similar field, why not have a personal website to display your work?

What if you don’t have a blog or a website to demonstrate the things you’ve been doing? Go register yourname.com, or yourname.org if it is still available and even if you have no real web-building experience, with a little persistence you can get the basics up there. Maybe your resume looks similar to 15 other candidates for a journalism job, but you’ve had a blog you’ve been operating for 3 years – show your employer!

Even if you don’t have a lot of experience on the web, or don’t think a blog would be relevant to your intended career, do something that shows initiative and passion. Spending a few hours on a Saturday afternoon setting up a personal website or beginning a stock tracking project could be all you need to separate yourself from the pack. Doesn’t that sound worth it?

Popularity: 27% [?]

Here’s the situation - you reallllly want to leave any traces of Natty Lite in your life behind after graduation but you also can’t afford to shell out $65 for a good bottle of single-malt scotch, either. You realize that liquor and spirits are both classy and enjoyable but you can’t afford to break the bank choosing the highest end booze. So, what do you do?

1. Change your brands: Pick something in the middle. There really is no difference between Smirnoff and Grey Goose beyond fancy packaging. Oh, and about $20. There’s no need to settle down with a bottle of $70 Laphroaig scotch after work when a $40 bottle of Glenfiddich will do the trick.

photo credit: kalwa

2. Change spirits: Rather than shelling out of premium vodka or scotch, think about bourbon or rum. Good, sippable bourbons start at $10 to $15 cheaper than scotch, and except for the absolute top-shelf, the premium bottles top out at a price-point where scotch and cognac are just starting to get respectable. Meanwhile, premium rums are incredibly cheap when compared to similarly aged spirits (such as whiskey and cognac), with sippable rums starting around just $20 a bottle.According to Paul Clarke of Imbibe Magazine,

Even better, the quality and range of excellent sipping rums has taken off in recent years, and some truly exceptional rums can be found for about the same price as a basic single-malt scotch or reposado tequila—think Ron Zacapa Centenario 23 Anos, which retails for around $35; or Barbancourt 15-year-old, which goes for around $40. Explore the rum category, and walk out with two bottles of top-of-the-line spirits for less than what you’d pay for a single bottle of mid-range cognac.

3. Become one with the cocktail: When you’re having company over (in large or small numbers) don’t go directly to breaking out “the good stuff”; instead, think about mixing some cocktails. You’ll find that cheaper premium stuff works even better in a cocktail than the top-shelf booze and you can prepare awesome drinks for a fraction of the cost. As Clarke explains,

Instead of opening that $40 bottle of Macallan, try mixing some Manhattans: you can pick up a bottle of Rittenhouse bonded rye—a double-gold winner at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and one of the best bargains out there—for around $15, plus a bottle of decent sweet vermouth for another $6; toss in some Angostura bitters—$6 for a bottle that’ll last for years—and you’ve got perfectly respectable drinks for a crowd for much cheaper than what you’d spend on a single bottle of good scotch.

There are plenty of fun cocktails to be made when throwing a party which won’t break the bank. If a Manhattan isn’t your style and margaritas are a little out of budget, think about making daiquiris. You can get a bottle of decent white rum, some fresh lime juice and sugar to make a great daiquiri for less than one bottle of decent tequila.

photo credit: Gunter Panzerfaust

Or even better - for your next party, try mixing the “Poor Man’s Sangria”. A staple in Spain, all you need for Poor Man’s Sangria is a punch bowl, a bottle of diet orange soda and a box of red wine. If you want to at least appear classy, slice a lemon and an orange and throw them in the bowl as well. I promise your guests will be asking for the recipe after the first glass.

Source: “Cheap(er) Drinks: Tips For Enjoyable Drinking Without Going Broke” [seriouseats.com]

Technorati Tags: money saver, cocktails, alcohol, frugal tips

Popularity: 23% [?]

I recently read a very interesting piece in the March 17th issue of Newsweek entitled “Not Just for Tree Huggers” (I know, I’m way behind in my reading). It talked about the housing market and how although the market itself is down, green homes were still hot commodities.

While I am sure most recent grads aren’t looking to buy or build a home at this point in our lives, there was a lot of useful information in the article. It’s also good to know that being eco-friendly is becoming a more attractive option in housing construction, as it is a great way to reduce both costs and wasted resources long-term. When the time comes to start looking at potentially getting your own home, going green could be something to consider.

photo credit: taberandrew

Here were some of the highlights of the article that you can implement in your current housing situation, or ask your landlord to look into.

- Installing low-voltage lights, which use less energy their normal-volted counterparts. This type of lighting can be installed both inside and outside the building.
- Couple those low voltage fixtures with fluorescent light bulbs, which last longer up to 10 times longer and use 2/3 less energy than a standard incandescent bulb.
- Using a ceiling fan to circulate air throughout the house, especially in large common areas keeps your home cooler and can be a much cheaper replacement for using your A/C unit.
- Maximize the windows you have, and let in as much natural light as possible. Not only does it reduce your reliance on artificial lighting, it doesn’t make your house feel like a cavern anymore!
- Low-flow faucets – especially in the kitchen sink – utilize less water and still will get your dishes just as clean. As for going low-flow in the shower, if you haven’t seen this Seinfeld episode, well, tread carefully. I’ll stick to shorter, high-flow showers myself.
- Installing Energy Star appliances that are certified to use less energy.
- Recycling: This can be as simple as returning cans & bottles (for a cash refund where applicable) or restoring and renovating older furniture instead of buying new.
- Specialized windows that reflect heat, keeping the house warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

Not all of these options are necessarily cheap, or ones you should be implementing yourselves – especially if you are renting – but all are relatively easy ways to save some money and energy in your home by increasing efficiency.

For those social-networking addicts among us, you can even use the “I Am Green” Facebook application to display to your friends how environmentally friendly (and money conscious!) you are.

Popularity: 24% [?]

It’s been a long time coming, but — in a sure sign of the times — Sallie Mae has just officially announced that they are no longer offering student loan consolidation services. The company claims they are no longer profitable.

photo credit: Keren_

According to SmartMoney, if you have variable rate loans (recent grads might, although all current and future federal loans will be given with fixed rates) you need/want to consolidate, you should check out the government’s consolidation offering. They claim,

“You’re likely to pay the same consolidation rates you’d pay if you did so with Sallie Mae.”

As for the 1.5% loan origination fee, students will no longer enjoy having that waived by Sallie Mae. Instead, you should now start shopping around for lenders who are still willing to pay them (J.P. Morgan Chase being one, but I’m sure there are more).

“Sallie Mae Halts Student-Loan Consolidation” [SmartMoney.com]

Technorati Tags: Sallie Mae, student loans, college, graduation, debt

Popularity: 23% [?]

This is a guest post from the folks at slickricky.com - Affordable Website Design & Maintenance

Many people want to break away from the traditional 9 – 5 desk job so that they can work flexible hours out of their home. The web offers many opportunities especially for freelance web designers, developers and copy writers.

There are so many opportunities available that it can be difficult to know where to start looking. The problem you will find is that a lot of freelance job opportunities that are posted online do not compensate well. Others, you have to pay for (and it’s hard to know which services are worth paying for and which are not).

Since all time spent weeding through jobs board postings is time you are not able to bill we’ve narrowed your search. Here are our top freelance job board picks, based on number of projects available, pay scale and quality of jobs.

odesk.com
Jobs are constantly being posted to this website. Some jobs pay a fixed price, and others pay an hourly rate. Either way, you bid on the jobs that you are interested in. You can also showcase your skills by taking tests that validate your knowledge and capabilities. ODesk also has software that monitors your work activity to make timekeeping a breeze for your hourly projects.

elance.com
Elance has an amazing amount of opportunities available for web designers and programmers.

freelanceswitch.com
Freelance Switch requires $7 a month in order to apply for jobs. You can browse a list of available jobs before deciding whether or not to subscribe.

authenticjobs.com
Authentic Jobs is a job board for “standards-aware designers and developers” and “the companies seeking to hire them.” There is no cost to apply for these jobs. Most of the time the employers post their direct email addresses on the project announcements.

sologig.com
SoloGig is excellent for finding any kind of freelance work, whether it be for web design, or nursing. There are no project fees, and there is no bidding. You just choose which projects you are interested in and negotiate the pricing directly with the employer.

guru.com
Guru.com lists a ton of freelance opportunities on anything from web development to illustration or accounting. As a basic free member you are only allowed to apply for 10 jobs a month, but as a subscriber (between $29.95 and $99.95 a quarter) you are allowed to apply for 100 jobs a month, and Guru.com charges you a smaller project fee.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

Popularity: 21% [?]

As I was perusing the Internet recently I found a couple of great of pieces I wanted to touch upon today. The first is a quote from a Colby College grad talking about her experiences after college. The whole piece was a filled with advice from graduates to their undergraduate counterparts – you can read them all here – but this one was the most pertinent to me:

“Every grad should know that, unless you’re going on to grad school, the first year out of college is one of the toughest you’ll face. Someone told me at my graduation party that it’s the hardest of your life. I’m not sure it made it easier, but when things were challenging, at least I knew it was normal. Why is it so hard? It’s something to do with having no structure and having infinite choice when you’ve spent the previous 18 years in an academic structure with many fewer choices.”
-Kimberly Schneider ’01

Adjusting to the post-college lifestyle can be very challenging for many people. I know I, for one, have had a huge problem with my sleep schedule since a 10:30AM meeting isn’t “optional”, the notes won’t be put online and you generally can’t schedule every Friday off. Many grads find the first year after college one of the toughest of their lives, for a number of reasons. A lot of these reasons are all the things we here at RealWorldReally.com talk about all the time: credit card debt, budgeting, building a savings, finding a job, dealing with roommates or doing your taxes.

The important thing to remember is that while things might be tough now, you aren’t alone and plenty of other people are out there on their own trying to make it work too. If things get overwhelming, talk to some of your friends or colleagues about what they did to get by and get settled out of school. After a short time dedicating yourself to making good financial decisions you can start clearing out debt, freeing up more income and eliminating a lot of the early sacrifices recent grads end up making. And of course, stay tuned here for tons of great info as well.

The other cool piece I found online was a short NPR radio clip talking with two young professionals living in NYC about their savings habits – they hit both of the extremes here. I thought it was a good listen and you can probably garner some great tips from both of them that will help you build financial assets, even without the benefit of a $200,000/year income like Mr. Levy.

Popularity: 21% [?]

Since the price of gas continues to skyrocket and not all of us are lucky enough to have public transportation options for our daily commutes, finding “affordable” gas is an invaluable money saving endeavor.

photo credit: kbaird

Short of cruising around your town looking for the cheapest station, or siphoning gas from a neighbor, there are several websites that will search out the cheapest station in your area for you.

One such site is part of Mapquest – gasprices.mapquest.com – and not only provides search options for gasoline and diesel fuel, but alternative fuel options as such as Ethanol-85 and Biodiesel fuel too. Once you have searched your particular corner of the world for the cheapest gas, you can click on the link to the station and use mapquest to get directions right to the pumps. This is a pretty neat feature, since oftentimes the cheaper stations aren’t on right on Main St. and it would be a shame to get lost and burn gas looking for the place.

Another useful site to check is GasBuddy.com which, according to their website:

“can help you find cheap gas prices in your city. It is a network of more than 181+ gas price information websites that help you find low gasoline prices.”

This site is based on an extensive network of other gas pricing websites and relies on volunteer information from “Gas Price Spotters” who submit information to GasBuddy about low prices in their area. The site also has some other cool information, such as national gas price average, top 10 lowest average price lists by state and city as well as many others.

If you have a substantial commute to work like I do, or just want to save a few cents a gallon, do yourself a favor and check out one of these sites next time you need to fill up the tank.

Popularity: 19% [?]