Got Milk?

The Young Cash Cow does.

Recently, I stumbled on a website called Remember the Milk. All I can say is that this site is pure genius.

For those of you that have blackberries or iphones with all of the bells and whistles, this site probably won't give you anything you don't already have. But my guess is that the vast majority of you would benefit greatly from this site.

The concept of Remember the Milk is really quite simple. It is a task and time management tool that allows you to manage all of your tasks in one place and have reminders sent to your email inbox or cell phone (via text messages) just before the task is due.

For example, just yesterday I checked out a movie at the library that is due in one week. When I got home I went to rememberthemilk.com and entered into my task list "Bourne Identity due back at library." Then I set the due date as Friday, March 27th, at 6pm.

The site recognizes all kinds of abbreviations, so I might just write "next fri" for the date and "6p" for the time. That makes it quick and painless. My settings are such that I receive a text message reminder one hour before the task is due. So, next Friday at 5pm I'll receive a text reminding me to get that dvd back and avoid a late fee! It's awesome! Especially for forgetful people like me.

For those of you that have internet on your phones, you can set up tasks right when you hear about them rather than waiting until you have access to a computer. You can also print off a weekly planner that outlines all of the tasks you have set up that week. Another cool feature is the ability to send reminders to more than one place (this works great if you have a spouse that needs to be reminded as well).

But the coolest feature for me is the ability to create revolving tasks. That is, you can set tasks to repeat on a schedule. For example, I always try to pay off my credit card around the 15th of every month. So when I first created the task, "Pay off credit card," I set it to repeat "every 15th" and now it reminds me on a monthly basis! This is also great for birthdays, anniversaries, staff meetings, etc.

If any of you used to use the iwantsandy website, this is a great substitute since iwantsandy.com is no longer available. And it's a great alternative to the expensive jott.com service.

As you can tell, I'm sold on this site. And it's FREE. I'm out - YCC

Yes, Za Really Is A Word

I don't know about all of you, but I love scrabble.

It's been one of my favorite games since I was around seven years old when my grandad taught me how to play. Naturally, when I found out there was an online version I jumped on it. You can download it here.

There is only one problem. It's a trial version so after an hour or so of continuous game play, it only allows you to play in increments of 5 minutes before kicking you out and making you re-open the program. BUT, it saves all of your information from the previous game.

So, rather than forking out the $19.99, I've decided to play it in 5 minute increments and just log in again when it boots me off. Hey, it's FREE!

Another great option is a game called Literati. It's a Yahoo game available here. You do have to have a yahoo account to use it, but if you are into Scrabble it has very similar gameplay and there is always someone online willing to challenge you. You can choose to play without a time limit, or you can set a custom time limit. It's always been a top 20 game on Yahoo and for good reason - it's very cool.
SO, that's all for today... although I'm still waiting for my first followers... Oh, and according to scrabble, za is a word. I'm out - YCC

I Love My Library Card

So, today's post is going to cover something extremely simple. Do you want an easy way to save money?

Stop Buying Movies, Books, Magazines and Music!

Instead, go to your local library and check out any one of those items for FREE. Books are dang expensive, especially if you go to high end places like Borders or Barnes & Noble. Even on eBay and amazon you won't be able to beat the free nature of your local library. Cds, even used, cost a pretty penny.

Most libraries let you check out books or CDs for 3-4 weeks, which is plenty of time to read the book or listen to the cd. I even know some people who rip the cds to their iPods (I'm not endorsing that... I'm just saying...).

We all know how expensive DVDs can be and magazine subscriptions can also take a hearty chunk out of your bottom line. So, if you haven't been to the library in awhile, dust off your library card and head over there. You'll be surprised how up-to-date they are with new material.

If you're feeling a bit sentimental, check it this old Sesame Street video which documents the Cookie Monster's trip to the Library.

Oh, and I'd really like to see who my first followers are. I just added the following widget today. So, if you like what you are seeing so far (and I can promise you it will get better), then start following my blog. I'm out - YCC