FW-89 -- Useful and Free Online - A New Roundup

* * * * * * * * F R U G A L W A T C H * * * * * * * *
A weekly roundup of how to be frugal in the world's most
expensive country to live (unless you read this!), written
and compiled by Wendy J. Imura.

Regular edition, February 28, 2006 Issue No. 89
+++ INDEX

- Useful and Free Online - A New Roundup
- Credits

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*** Useful and Free Online: A New Round-up ***

Dear Frugal Readers,

Every six months or so I search my "Favorites" list on
my web browser for email links to interesting and/or fun
websites that deserve sharing. So, without further ado,
please find the latest verion of "Useful and Free Online"
websites. The Frugal/Fun Top Five follow:

1) http://www.gethuman.com
Ever find yourself cringing at the thought of calling a customer
service representative in your home country? In addition to
the sky-high phone charges, what's more frustrating than staying
up way too late to meet overseas business hours, only to find
yourself navigating through 10-15 minutes of push-button menus
to get a REAL PERSON? Well, before you call next time, look up
the company on "Get Human.com". Get Human is a free consumer
advocacy website that features the secret phone numbers and codes
to get a human whenever possible when calling a company for
customer service. The website features credit card, finance,
banking, insurance, and other companies. Also, add your own
advice to the every growing data pool. At the moment the site is
featuring US and UK tips.

2) http://www.onelook.com
Are you a translator, editor, or writer? Or just a student of
English? Well, even if you aren't one of the above, you'll benefit
from onelook.com. This amazing website searches for definitions
and synonyms from a variety of dictionary websites, all at once.
Kind of a "meta" dictionary/thesaurus search - this quick
resource is incredibly valuable.

3) http://www.wordsmyth.net
Along the same lines as No. 2, but narrower - Wordsmyth is the best
online thesaurus I've come across. It also features neat functions
like a glossary maker, quiz builder, anagram solver, and crossword
puzzle helper. Great for both English professionals and students.

4) http://www.demae-can.com (Japanese)
You'll need Japanese language ability (at least some reading)
to take advantage of this site, but it sure is worth it! Ever
been sitting at the table on a rainy, cold night thinking,
"There's no food in the house, it's too nasty to go out: who
on earth will deliver?" Demae-can is a one-stop search engine
for shops that deliver, including pizza, sushi, curry, and
even housecleaning services! Simply click on your
prefecture, then your city, and then your address, and
then the type of food/service you would like to receive.
Demae-can lists the shops/services that can deliver to your
area, AND a rough estimate of how quickly they can come
to you. Neat, and much simpler than searching through individual
websites of pizza and sushi shops. Note that orders are
taken through email!

5) http://www.landandfarm.com/lf/
And now for the time-waster website of the bunch, Land and
Farm.com. If you've ever dreamed about owning your own little
patch of earth in the mountains, your own seashore estate,
or even your own virgin Brazillian timberlands (10,763 acres for
$199,000 US), this is the site for you. The focus is rural
real estate listings not featured anywhere else.

Enjoy!
Frugally yours,
Wendy J. Imura

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Written by: Wendy J. Imura (frugalwatch@japaninc.com)
Edited by: JI

Copyright 2005 Japan Inc. Communications Inc.