Monday, November 24, 2008

Trim Your Holiday Shipping Costs [Shipping] . The holiday season is already underway with the peak shipping days of the year right around the corner. How can you get your holiday packages to distant friends and family without breaking the bank? At financial blog Blueprint for Financial Prosperity they've put together a thorough—although admittedly United States Postal Service oriented— list of ways to save money and time when shipping. Understand the different shipping products. Priority Mail is not guaranteed to be delivered in 2-3 days, it’s simply First Class mail for packages greater than a pound! Media Mail is a shipping class that’s very cheap but available only if you’re shipping books or other media (they say they will check, but they never have). That same 2 lb. package from NY to CA costs only $2.58 by Media Mail but will take 7 days. If, like myself, you're not a USPS guru the list is full of insights into shipping cheaply. If you've already used his tips on scoring cheap packing materials and you're ready to get that package out the door for as cheap as possible check out ShipGooder and Shiptool, shipping comparison engines. Photo by Willie Lunchmeat. 11 Sure-Fire Ways to Save on Shipping [via Five Cent Nickel] [Lifehacker] 9:53:16 AM     Participate in the National Day of Listening [Holidays] . November 28th has been designated the National Day of Listening by StoryCorps, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving oral history. This Thanksgiving, StoryCorps asks you to start a new holiday tradition—set aside one hour on Friday, November 28th, to record a conversation with someone important to you. You can interview anyone you choose: an older relative, a friend, a teacher, or a familiar face from the neighborhood. Daily culture in the United States has moved strongly away from oral traditions, StoryCorps is seeking to change that. Check out their web site for a guide on conducting interviews for the National Day of Listening. If you're using video to record your interview, check out 8 ways to shoot digital video like a pro. If you're using a computer to record the interview, check out WavePad. Share any tips or tricks you have for budding interviewers in the comments below! National Day of Listening [Lifehacker] 9:50:59 AM     Get Your Act Together Thanksgiving Week [Holiday Productivity] . If you're at work today here in the U.S., things are probably pretty quiet: your bosses and coworkers took vacation days to piggyback on the holiday, meetings are canceled, clients are out of the office, and come Wednesday afternoon everyone will bolt for the door by 3PM to get on the road or start roasting their turkey. That makes today, tomorrow, and Wednesday morning the ideal time to get your act together. Just before the holiday buying frenzy and last biz deals of the year, this week's the time to clear off your desk, review your lists, make new ones, take stock of where you are on big projects, throw out the crap you don't need, clear your email box, shred all that useless paperwork, sort that pile of mail, clean out that filing cabinet, and knock down your read-it-later list. While it's easy to envy your coworkers' week-long European vacation (and I'm looking at you, Kevin)—this week is actually the best time to be at work. It's a slow time for you to catch up, take stock, and get things in order without the pressure of ringing phones and hovering coworkers. How are you spending this short, quiet week at work? Tell us what you'll get done between now and Wednesday in the comments. [Lifehacker] 9:45:54 AM     Run Off Your Thanksgiving Turkey! Turkey Day is this week and Nancy will be here to assist you with all your Thanksgiving needs (you need to provide your own dinner, of course). If you're like some of my friends, you're already wondering how you are going to work that dinner off your body. Might I suggest going for a jog? It may seem like an odd suggestion coming from someone who's not a runner, but I've noticed recently that running is a good way to work off any meal -  big or small. My girlfriend always wanted to run a marathon and she ran the Richmond Marathon last week. After she signed up for it in August she averaged 25 miles of running per week, along with exercises to strengthen her core. She did this in addition to her demanding job as a fifth grade teacher (seriously - not an easy job). I played the role of Mickey Goldmill by cooking, cleaning, and getting a bike to help her train on some of her longer distance runs. She had a diet she followed during her training, but she was able to eat a lot more than usual. You may not want to train for a marathon but, at the very least, running provides a way to work off those (sometimes) excessive holiday meals. There is plenty of government information on exercise, but there isn't a lot regarding running. I did find information about running by searching Healthfinder.gov from the American Podiatric Medical Association and American Academy of Podiatric Sports. As you might imagine, running causes a lot of stress on your feet and it is important you select the right shoes. In addition to taking a look at those links, you should check with your doctor about how you should approach running to make it a permanent hobby so you can always say yes to that second helping of turkey. - Jake [Gov Gab: Your U.S. Government Blog] 9:41:50 AM

© Copyright 2008 Jocelyn Shaw. Last update: 12/2/2008; 6:40:36 PM. Photo curtesy of Marjorie O'Brien