FYI

Keep those New Year's resolutions: Strategies to lose weight, manage debt, quit smoking and accomplish other goals, www.usa.gov (type "New Year's Resolution" in the search box, then click on the first link).

Winter emergencies: What to do before a storm hits...vehicle emergency kits...self-defense against frostbite and hypothermia...frozen-pipe prevention...more. www.Emergency.cdc.gov/disasters (click on "Winter Weather").

Gift card exchange: Sell unwanted gift cards — or buy them at a discount. www.PlasticJungle.com and www.SwapaGift.com  

All-in-one genealogy resource: Links to more than 275,000 Web sites to look up surnames, obituaries, ports of departures and entries, military records, wills, census information and more. www.CyndisList.com

Word power success: Medical, legal and other specialized dictionaries...thesaurus...acronym lookup...hangman and other word games. www.TheFreeDictionary.com

Privacy-protected Internet searches: This search engine does not collect or share personal information. www.DuckDuckGo.com

Special Deals On Kids’ Meals

KidsMealDeals.com has a simple premise: Type in your ZIP code, and the site tells you if any restaurants in your area are offering special deals on kids' meals.

The site offers free mobile applications for when you don't have time to go home and look up a deal before taking the kids to basketball, football and soccer practices. And, the site also has a Twitter feed with updates on national and local deals, so be sure and check that out if you're sick of paying so much to keep your children fed.

Use The Web To Find The Cheapest Gas

Gas prices are greatly influenced by state gas taxes. A website operated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, www.fueleconomy.gov, gives national and regional average prices. More helpful are sites like Gasbuddy.com and Gaspricewatch.com, which use tips from consumers to rank the lowest and highest gas prices in a particular area. Note, though, that the information on these sites can be outdated, so it's best to use them as a general guideline.

Pay It Forward

Random Acts of Kindness Week is February 13 to 17. Shovel a neighbor's driveway... offer to pet sit or babysit...have flowers delivered to someone anonymously...collect canned goods for food banks. More ideas: www.RandomActsOfKindness.org (click on "Kindness Ideas").

Discount On Baby Stuff

First-time email subscribers get 20 percent off a single item in-store certificate at at buybuybaby.com/circlulars.asp.

Compare Prices

If you have an iPhone or Android smartphone, download the free ShopSavvy app, then scan the bar code of a product. You will be able to see the lowest price in stores nearby and online, make and share wish lists, find local deals and read reviews from users like you.

Stickdeals.net

You can log in and join the conversation with other people, sharing finds in a variety of categories, including apparel and games. Also featured are local offers for most major cities.

Listen For Free

Get audiobooks for free from LibriVox.org, a worldwide digital library with more than 4,000 unabridged classics in the public domain, from “Great Expectations” to “The Return of the Native,” plus drama and poetry. Read by volunteers (you can be one, too), they can be played on your computer, MP3 player, cellphone or, burned to a CD, on your car stereo. Free audiobooks are also available through literalsystems.org and audiobooksforfree.com.

Nextag.com

This site shows a product's price history and lets you set up price-drop alerts on items you're planning to buy. You can find discounts on cars, flights and hotels through the Travel tab, as well as the day's top offers from across the Web via the Deals tab.

Bizrate.com

This comparison-shopping site not only lets you search for products on the Web, it also is a great source of candid reviews from fellow buyers about online retailers. So you can find the best price on an item and the most reliable companies to buy it from, as well as which sellers to avoid. Plus, current coupons appear next to listings, which means you don't miss out on deals.

Online bargains don't stop at the lowest price. Start shopping from a cash-back site, like ebates.com or shopathome.com. Then, before you buy, visit freeshipping.org for free-shipping codes and retailmenot.com for promo codes, and buy a discounted gift card from giftcardgranny.com or plasticjungle.com.

Sites To Sell Books, DVDs, CDs And More

Half.com: This sister site of eBay specializes in books, music, movies and games. Simply enter your items by ISBN or UPC (no start-up or listing fees) and choose to have them appear on eBay at no additional charge.

Sell.com: Post goods and services (even bulk items) on this classifieds website. Your first listing is free, and buyers and sellers finalize the transaction privately.

Glyde.com: List a CD, DVD, book or video game on Glyde in seconds, then send the sold item to the buyer in a pre-addressed, pre-stamped mailer. Next step: Receive a check in the mail!

Paperbackswap.com: On this site, avid readers post unwanted books. When someone requests one, you pay to ship it. Then you receive a credit that you can use to acquire a book from another seller.

Listia.com: On this free auction site, people can post anything they don't want. Users then bid on items using credits they earn for signing up, referring friends or listing their own stuff.

Turn Tax Refunds Into Savings

Turn tax refund money immediately into savings by requesting US savings bonds. The Series I bonds are sold in increments of $50. Interest will accrue at an inflation-adjusted rate that resets every six months. To purchase the bonds, include Form 8888 with your tax return. They also, can be delivered as a gift to whomever you designate.

Recycle And Save Money

Don't throw away that old laptop, cell phone or MP3 player! The sites below provide free shipping to recycle gadgets. If the device is worth something, they send you the item's cash value.

Get a check: Sell empty ink-jet and laser toner cartridges at advantagecartridge.com; Send old phones to greenphone.com; Recycle a wide variety of electronics at yourenew.com, which also donates to renewable energy initiatives or plants a tree for every device you recycle.

Get a gift card: Gazelle.com also recycles camcorders, digital cameras, movies and video games. You can save a trip to the bank by opting to receive your payment as a gift card, redeemable at amazon.com.

Get instant gratification: Take your musical instruments, video games and select electronics into a local participating Best Buy and receive a gift card for the product's estimated value or a check for a lesser value.

Keep Printer Costs Down

To keep printer costs as low as possible, use black ink whenever you can. It costs less than color ink. Ignore low-ink warnings. You can print up to 20 percent more after the warning appears. Look for a "Draft" or "Fast" mode after you hit print or under the "Properties" button on a PC, or an image-quality setting under "Print" on a Mac. Printing in draft mode uses about half as much ink and is fine for many jobs. What else to do? (Windows only) Use a free utility such as GreenPrint (www.PrintGreener.com) to avoid printing web pages that are blank, contain only a URL, or have unwanted images.

Help With The Law, Recalls, Deer

Navigate the law: How to protest a traffic ticket...prepare a financial power of attorney...determine liability in an accident...avoid foreclosure...resolve disputes with neighbors... and more at www.Nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia

Recall notices: Find out about recalls of appliances, medications, toys, and so on at www.Recalls.justia.com

Deer defenses: Products to keep deer away from your garden...deer-resist ant plants...other deer-proofing strategies. www.Gardening.Cornell.edu/factsheets/deerdef

Feed A Friend

Friend-to-friend: Free online service to coordinate meal deliveries for new parents, sick neighbors and others. http://MealTrain.com

Just For Fun

Online fun: Play Cyber Darts, IQ Trivia, Wheel of Fortune, card games, etc.—even multiplayer games. Free. www.Riddler.com

Bargain Finder

Find out where you can get good deals on laptops, video games, TVs, cameras and more. www.SlickDeals.net

Eco-Friendly Disposal Of Electronic Waste

Take rechargeable batteries to Best Buy or Staples stores. Donate old cell phones by finding a drop-off location at www.Recellular.com (click "Donate Used Cell Phones" under "Donate Your Phone"). Or recycle them. Find out how at www. RecycleWirelessPhones.com. To donate a computer that is less than five years old, find a list of refurbishers at www.epa.gov/plugin.

You can find a recycler through www.Reconnect Partnership.com or, for older computers, through www.Earth911.com. Recycle old TVs up to 32 inches at Best Buy. You will be charged $10 and will receive a $10 gift card to offset the cost. Or locate recycling locations by brand at www.epa.gov (search for "eCycle Televisions").

Name Your Treats

Find hundreds of illustrated recipes for cakes, cookies breads, biscotti, muffins and other baked goods at JoyofBaking.com.

Do It Yourself

Find out the steps involved in a home repair or improvement project. Then compare costs of using a professional versus doing it yourself. www.DIYorNot.com

Move Outdoors

Plan walking and running routes with detailed aerial maps, or find routes that others have created. Routes include estimates of distance traveled and calories burned.Go to www.WalkJogRun.net.

Flood Safety

What to do when flood watches and warnings are issued... cleaning up after a storm...more. From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.bt.cdc. gov/disasters/floods,

Four-week countdown includes packing information, a moving-day checklist, and other ways to keep things under control. Go to www.Movers-Edge.com.

Family Health History

Easy-to-use online family tree to share with relatives and health-care providers. From the U.S. Office of the Surgeon General, http://FamilyHistory.hhs.gov

Clinical Trials

Search among more than 100,000 medical research trials to find one that may benefit you or a loved one, www.ClinicalTrials.gov

Summer Jobs

Short-term positions at parks, hotels, resorts and other places, www.SummerJobs.com

You can buy or sell gift cards online at sites such as www.Card Pool.com and www.PlasticJungle.com. Other sites, such as www.SwapaGift.com, let you trade cards.

Card values vary by site. So do rules for purchases or trades. Some sites offer a limited guarantee in case a card you buy turns out to be invalid.

What to do? Check each retailer's site for its rules on reselling its cards. Check each reselling site for available cards and the site's rules governing their sale or purchase. Compare deals from several sites, and buy only from sites that offer a guarantee.

Finding The Best Deals

To find the best deals at secondhand stores, go to thrift shops in wealthier neighborhoods. Donations typically come from local residents.

Shop early in the week. Donations often come in on weekends.

Look for category bargains for example, all shirts may be priced at $3 regardless of brand.

Find thrift shops at www.TheTh.riftShopper.com, and look for consignment shops which often are more upscale at www.ConsignmentShops.com.

Find Missing Money

MissingMoney.com is a database of unclaimed property, such as bank accounts, stocks, bonds and insurance policies.

PBGC.gov, run by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, tracks pensions owed to retirees who have worked for companies with defined benefit plans.

IRS.gov keeps a list of unclaimed tax refunds.

TreasuryDirect.gov offers a "Treasury Hunt" where you can find out if there are savings bonds that you have not claimed.

Unclaimed.org looks for abandoned checking and savings accounts, uncashed dividend and payroll checks and more.

What to do? Visit all the sites. There is no charge for any of them.

Be prepared to type in plenty of identifying information, including name and maiden name, if applicable, states, where you have lived, and Social Security number at government-run sites.

Very Useful Websites

Doing good: Directory of more than 800 stores that donate to the charity of your choice when you buy online, www.IGive.com.

Coupons to help military families: Certain military bases overseas accept expired manufacturers' coupons for food and nonfood items, such as detergent and paper products, that help members of the armed forces save money. Some bases accept coupons that are up to two months past their expiration dates. Go to the website of the Overseas Coupon Program, www.ocpnet.org, to find out about specific bases that accept particular coupons.

Public record locater: Property records, foreclosures, sex offender/ fugitive reports, government salaries, etc. http://PublicRecords.onlinesearches.com.

How healthy is your county? Longevity, obesity, binge drinking, crime rate, air pollution and other facts and figures. www.CountyHealthRankings.org

Happier cruises: Ship and port reviews, special deals, information for first-time cruisers, message boards, "Roll Call" to meet other passengers on your ship. www.CruiseCritic.com

Labor of love: Knit, sew or crochet baby blankets, hats and other items to help people in need. www.CraftSiteDirectory.com/charities

Smarter home improvements: Easy bathroom fixes, interior painting, choosing power tools, deck care, and more. Includes how-to videos. www.DoltYourself.com.

Fix it yourself: How to repair cameras, game consoles, iPods, toasters, washing machines and other devices. Instructions are posted by other users, who also answer specific questions. www.IFixlt.com.

Credit union locator: Find out which organizations you are eligible to join and how they can save you money. www.CreditUnion.coop/cu_locator or www.CULookup.com.

Very private e-mail: Free service to encrypt messages, prevent forwarding and set times for them to self-destruct. www.StealthMessage.com.

Drug Recall Alerts

To stay up-to-date about drug recalls, regularly visit the Website www.Recalls.gov. This free site compiles information from federal government agencies that initiate or announce recalls, including the Food and Drug Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Product Safety Commission.

You also can go to individual agency sites to sign up for e-mail alerts that will be sent directly to you. Examples: www.fda.gov or www.epa.gov. The e-mails may include safety advice in addition to recall announcements.

Find Every Bargain

Are you getting the best deal on your cell phone plan? Clothing? Peanut butter? These online services promise they can find you better prices.

BillShrink.com says it can start saving you money "in under a minute" on your cell phone and cable TV by comparing your current plan with the website's selected offerings. And you can always take BillShrink's best offer and try to beat it on your own.

Billeo.com flags savings opportunities when you search for products on the Web. Its Offer Assistant, part of a suite of browser add-ons, matches any results with its database of online coupons. When any discount is available, a Billeo icon appears next to the listing.

Turn favorite photos into usable postage stamps for holiday cards or to give as gifts. http://Photo.Stamps.com

Better Writing

Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University offers free writing resources to improve business communications, job search documents., grammar, and more, http://Owl.Engish.Purdue.edu/owl

Think of it as Aunt Mary's groceries paying for Biology 101. Thanks to Upromise, now in its ninth year, part of your everyday spending can go into a tax-free 529 college savings account. Participants register credit and debit cards with the plan. When you buy eligible items from Upromise's partners 600 online retailers, 21,000 drugstores and groceries, 8.000 restaurants 1 percent or more (occasionally as much as 25 percent) is socked away for college.

New-Car Negotiating Tool

Look up how much people actually paid for a particular make and model in your region. Prices are updated weekly. www.truecar.com

Winter Warmer-Uppers

Soups-www.foodnetwork.eom/topk:s/soup

Hot toddy-http://allrecipes. com//Recipe/Hot-Toddy

Other hot drinks-www.cdkitchen.com/ recipes/cat/si

Holiday Head Start

Made-to-order merchandise. Choose among thousands of designs that sellers can apply to hats, T-shirts, mugs, pet clothing and more, www-zazzle.com

Cheaper Education

American Opportunity Tax Credit lets families take a credit for the first $2,000 in qualified education expenses and 25 percent of the next $2,000��for a total potential credit of $2,500. The credit is good for only 2009 and 2010. Single filers are eligible for the full credit if their modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) is up to $80,000. Married couples can get full credit with MAGI up to $160,000. Partial credits exist for those earning up to $90,000 (single) and $180,000 (couples). The credit applies only to tuition, fees, books and supplies, not room and board.

Safer Home

Look up safety and proper use of potentially toxic air fresheners, computer cleaners, paint primers, stain removers and other household products, http://hpd.nlm. nih.gov

Easing Old Age

Web radio network helps you age better. ElderLaw Radio (www.elderlawanswers.com) features experts to help older seniors and their families handle legal issues and health matters.

Safe-Product Websites

GoodGuide.com rates personal care, household and packaged food products based on safety, health, environmental and social impacts. Cosmeticsdatabase.com scores personal-care products based on their hazardous ingredients. Climatecounts.org evaluates the impact on global warming of companies that produce apparel, food, beverages, electronics and household products. Healthytoys.org provides information about toxic chemicals, such as lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury and PVC in toys.

Today's Headlines

Front pages from more than 700 newspapers around the world. www.Newseum.org/todaysfrontpages

Wall Street&Beyond

Selected stories from The Wall Street Journal online for free. The Journal covers market news, personal finance, careers and more, http://online.wsj.com

Your pet questions answered

Veterinarians, animal behaviorists and other experts answer questions online. The free service is available 24/7. www.televets.com

Crosswords

bestcrosswords.com Rather than buying a book of puzzles for your three-hour flight, choose from a wide selection of free printable crosswords (with solutions) or fill them in right on your computer.

Music

pandora.com This radio site plays music based on your personal tastes. If you're a serious rock aficionado, check out last.fm

Books

questia.com Scroll to the bottom of the home page and click on �Free Books.� There you can access more than 5,000 full classics, from Mark Twain'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: to Charlotte Bronte's �Jane Eyre,� to enjoy right on your screen.

Games

pogo.com When the itch to play Monopoly or Texas Hold'em strikes, there's no need to run to a toy store or even pay for a download. Pogo.com boasts more than 100 games that you can play alone or with friends.

Bag It

To eliminate crusty buildup on a showerhead, fill a plastic sandwich bag halfway with white vinegar and submerge the showerhead by tying the bag to the pipe leading to the showerhead. Wait one hour, remove the bag and run the shower to flush out the buildup.

Curtain Capers

To clean washable curtains and drapes, take them down and shake them outdoors to remove surface dust. Machine wash on gentle and dry. Hang immediately to avoid ironing. For sheers: First wash according to the care label instructions, then dip them in a solution of one cup of Epsom salts and one gallon of hot water. The Epsom salts will give them body. Hang them over a shower rod to drip-dry without twisting or wringing out. You won't have to use an iron.

Easy Health Reminders

Choose any date you want to receive a free e-mail reminder to schedule your screening tests, such as mammograms, Pap cholesterol test and PSA tests. From the College of American Pathologists, www.myhealthtestreminder.org

Sudoku Fun Billions of free puzzles, from �easy� to �evil,� to play online. Includes interactive tutorials, www.websudoku.com

Treatment Tips When you must see a pro, do it on the cheap. Trim costs at the salon. Beauty schools such as Empire (find one at empire.edu) offer way-low prices (shampoo, cut and style, $8; highlights, $37). Nab a free facial. Seek out the Shiseido and � de Peau Beaut� counters at the department store. Their skin experts provide facial services gratis. Score a no-cost manicure. Beauty 360 stores by CVS/pharmacy offer relaxing hand messages, pro polish changes or both. Walk-ins welcome.

Start Here For Fast Relief These websites make managing your health easier than ever.

ZocDoc.com In the New York City area (with plans to expand), ZooDoc lets you make appointments with doctors or dentists just by going online. Like OpenTable.com for foodies, it allows you to create �reservations� with a doctor and take advantage of last-minute cancellations.

Americanwell.com Launched in the summer of 2008, American Well offers virtual doctor visits��the ability to talk with a clinician, even a specialist, in real time, 24 hours a day. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Hawaii was the first to pick up the service; now, other major insurance companies are expected to offer it as well. iMedix.com Like Facebook for health care,

iMedix is a community-based website that allows you to create a profile and add whatever health issues interest you. Then you can chat with other members who share the same concerns. Is it normal to have bad monthly cramps at age 30? Are there any great home remedies for fighting a migraine? Post your question and be prepared for answers, stat.

Healia.com This consumer-health search engine lets you narrow your inquiries with a filter to find clinical trials related to a topic that interests you, as well as the latest studies in academic journals.

Beans: A Vegetable with More� Why are beans the Vegetable with More? Visit www.VegetableWithMore.com to find the answer, plus 1,000 bean recipes your family will love!

How You Can Go Global Run? Like to travel? Get the 411 on trails, training and everything else you need to stay on course. Check out Road Runners Club of America at rrca.org. Click on the �clubs� tab to be linked to nearly 1,000 running clubs in almost every U.S. state and Guam.

Spring Into Fitness Easy-to-use activity and nutrition diary from the American Heart Association. http://mystartonline. org

Small Business Success State-by-state listings of free resources for both start-ups and established businesses. www. buzgate.org