Timeshare computer

A few months back, the desktop computer that my husband did most of his web design work on crashed beyond repair. Rather than purchasing a new one, we decided to take turns using the laptop with separate log-in profiles. This has put quite a strain on the laptop memory, which causes it to run very slow. Simply booting up and logging on takes a good 5-10 minutes, and switching users takes just as long.

I think a better idea would be for us to go down to the library while the kids are in school, so one of us can use our laptop and the other can use one of the library's computers. Then we can knock our work out at the same time, and spend less time overall on computers and online.

Do you want car insurance cheap?

Cost-U-Less is a progressive insurance company that has been answering this question for their customers since 1980 and they have been growing since then. The company started in Northern California, and now have over seventy locations throughout the state.

The customer service can be reached three different ways, to ensure you get the information you need. For example, you can get a quote online by answering a few questions about your current policy, or you can call via telephone if you prefer. There is even live chat assistance on their website.

The site design is very bold, with a striking blue as the primary hue. The tabs at the top of the page make navigation very user friendly. There is currently no information in the "Tools and Tips" tab, so hopefully more will be added there because customers value this type of information from their insurance company. Sure, there are other sites offering insurance tools and tips, but it's nice to get it from your own provider.

Overall, Cost-U-Less offers many options for customers to save money on their car insurance and their website gives you all the information necessary to contact them. So if you live in California, "For the rate that's best call Cost-U-Less."

Shopping cart savvy

Whether you are new to creating online businesses, or have been doing it for years, if you have an online store you need shopping cart software. Nowadays consumers won't shop online without a reliable shopping cart on the site. Since it is so easy for businesses to set up shopping carts, there really is no excuse for running a store without one. Not only does it make shopping easier for customers, it makes record keeping easier for merchants.

Ashop Commerce hosts shopping cart software with a variety of options to fit any business. Their software is web based so no installation is required. The software also allows businesses to accept credit cards for online purchases. They even offer a ten day free trial to try all the shopping cart features before deciding to purchase it for your company. The Ashop website clearly lists the prices with all features, so there is no question about what you are signing up for.

Custom signs and more

One of the best gifts we ever gave were personalized magnetic car signs for my father-in-law with his business logo and web address on them. He was very surprised and he has used them every day for the last couple of years since he received them. We went through a local print shop at the time to have the magnets made and we had to give them the logo on a disc to be printed out on the magnets.

Anyone looking to do this sort of thing now has a much simpler option. Going through Build-A-Sign.com lets you download your image, design your sign, proof it, and buy it in under five minutes. In addition to the magnetic signs, you can also design yard signs, real estate signs, street signs, parking signs, political signs, and even decals and banners. Best of all, they guarantee their work. If you are not 100% satisfied, they will work to make it right until you are happy. That's something you don't always see with traditional sign franchises.

Search specific

Successful affiliate marketing is all about a targeted audience and very specific keywords and search terms. If you don't have all the right keywords in your advertising campaign, someone may not see your sight even though it is relevant to their search. The key is getting into the brain of the searcher, put yourself in their shoes and think of any and all keywords they may search for.

For example, if someone were looking for a lawyer, they would have to be very specific since it is such a broad subject. A key phrase like "medical malpractice attorney New York" would bring back much more targeted results than just "New York attorney". When the search is this specific, the user will find exactly what they are looking for and will be more likely to patronize the sites within the results they get from their search.

The kindness of strangers

My husband has been selling some of his old record albums on Ebay over the last couple of weeks. One guy won an album on auction for only $.99, plus $3.99 shipping, which makes the total just under $5. Well, he paid us $10 via PayPal for it. We were very confused and wrote him a message about refunding the extra $5 he paid, figuring he meant to send an even $5, instead of $10.

He responded and said that he didn't want us to go through all the trouble of mailing a record for only $.99, so he wanted us to have the extra $5 for our trouble. We were shocked. You just don't see kindness like this today, which is unfortunate. So we put some "freebies" in the package to show our appreciation for his generosity.