Evernote and dropbox have saved me!

I never really understood the use of Evernote until now. Occasionally I would be at my computer and find a recipe that I want to use, so I'd paste it into Evernote and open it on the iPad to take to the kitchen. (20% of my iPad use is as a recipe book in the kitchen)

Recently, things changed. I'm in the process of opening a shop and have found the reason for Evernote. I can do research at home, purchasing, license information, etc. paste it into Evernote and have it available anywhere. When I finally had the computer set up, it was great to have all my info right there. The only thing Evernote doesn't do well is maintaining files.

Dropbox is a program I've been using for a long time as an online backup. Now I find it invaluable to hold files like ordering forms and spreadsheets that I can work on anywhere.

It took a while to learn how Evernote is set up bu it is worth the learning curve.

Frugal Food: 5 things to do with a bag of potatoes

I saw a 10 lb bag of potatoes on sale for 1.99 how much cheaper can it get? I know that potatoes can have a bad rap for being carb loaded but if you keep the skin on and don’t go too crazy with the toppings you can have a nutritious and filling meal for very little money.

1. Potato salad:
4 potatoes boiled for 15 to 20 minutes and cut into cubes
4 hardboiled eggs peeled and chopped
1/2 cup of mayo, light mayo or similar substitute
1/4 cup sweet relish (optional)
2 tbsp of mustard
Garlic powder, salt, pepper to taste
Mix all together and serve warm or chill potatoes and eggs first then mix for cold potato salad

2. Oven fried potato wedges:
Heat oven to 400
5 medium potatoes cut into wedges the long way (about 8 cuts per potato)
1/4 cup olive oil or any oil you like
Garlic, salt or other spices. You can get really creative using curry powder, or herbs de province etc.
Mix all in a bowl
Spread out on a cookie sheet topped with tin foil or use non stick sheet
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, use a spatula to turn them over and bake 10 more minutes

3. Good old fashioned baked:
In the chilly season, what better excuse to warm up the kitchen?
Heat oven to 350
Rinse potatoes and poke a fork in the side a couple of times.
Bake till soft in the middle.
Top with anything! Leftover veggies, cheese, chili, black beans or whatever you have on hand. Try something new or unusual besides sour cream and bacon bits. Kids love it when you put out several options and let the family “build their own”

4. Mashed potatoes:
I know, this is obvious but it’s so easy.
6 medium potatoes
1/2 cup milk
1/2 stick of butter
Salt, pepper, garlic to taste
Boil potatoes in a large pot of water until soft. If potatoes are large, cut in half and they will cook faster.
Drain and return to pot. Mash with milk, butter, garlic, salt and pepper.
You can add other things like chives or rosemary or other spices if you like.
Note: the vegan version is pretty good. Substitute plain soy or almond milk and substitute vegan butter, a bit of olive oil or coconut milk. Just don’t use vanilla soy milk, yuck!

5. Potato skins:
4 potatoes
Olive oil
8 slices of cooked bacon cut in half the short way
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded.
Preheat oven to 350
Rinse and dry potatoes poke with a fork
Coat skin with olive oil and bake until soft
Remove from oven and cut in half lengthwise – leave oven on
Scoop out potato halves leaving a little bit attached to the skin
(save the excess potato and use for mashed potatoes)
Place potatoes, skin side down on a baking sheet
Distribute cheese into each potato half
Place two slices of bacon halves on top and bake until cheese is melted.
You can use imitation bacon bits, or soy cheese for a vegan version.

Potatoes are versatile, forgiving and easy to make. They are a great food for the budget challenged. Get creative!

It’s like a restaurant but without the tip

I love to eat at restaurants. Rather, I used to love restaurants. With the exception of some sushi places, and a few small chef-owned jaunts, it’s just not worth it. I’m especially tired of eating at the chain restaurants. The quality of the food, and often the service, has declined while the prices have gone up! Everything looks good on the menu but the real dish never measures up. Don’t even think about the ridiculous amounts of fat and calories. Then there is the sticker shock of the bill and you still feel obligated to tip a less than attentive waiter. Lately, I’m just finding restaurants to be disappointing and expensive.

There are lots of ways to save on eating out. Order water instead of soda or pricey drinks, skip dessert and stop for ice scream on the way home etc. Many blogs and articles have been written on early bird and coupon dining. Instead, I’ve been looking at recipes for my favorite dishes and stepping up my cooking skills as a way to enjoy good food without the cost of a night out. So far I have found allrecipes.com to be the best recipe site. The instructions are generally easy to follow and the reviews are really helpful. I also love thekitchn.com. Faith has a great writing style and interesting recipes.

I’m a huge fan of ethnic food. Italian is really easy to make. In the summer, tomatoes, peppers and squash are easily found at farmers markets and local stands. In the winter, you can pick up canned tomato on sale and still reap the benefits. Ratatouille and great sauces are not difficult. Make a big pot of really good tomato sauce on the weekend and you have a couple of dinners for the week. You can have spaghetti with sauce one night, then make an easy eggplant or chicken parmesan another. Pan fry thin slices of eggplant or chicken thighs till they are cooked through. Then then place them on a sprayed baking sheet. Top with mozzarella or provolone cheese and bake at 350 till the cheese melts. Top with some warmed up sauce and shredded parmesan and your done. Actually, most leftovers topped with cheese and a good tomato sauce are tasty.

Asian and Indian are two of my favorite restaurant standards. I’m working on gaining some skill at these. I found a fabulously easy recipe for Chana masala, a chick pea based Indian dish that is easily made spicy or mild. There are, as with any Indian dish, some spices you don’t have in your pantry, but if you like Indian food, you should invest in them. Get familiar with small ethnic grocery stores. Many “exotic” ingredients or spices can be found really cheap there.

Japanese Soba noodles with peanut sauce is really good, and easy to make. So are stir fried frozen veggies with curry powder and coconut milk.

Check the web. Look for a good recipe book at the library or thrift store, or dust off one of your own. You’ll be surprised at what you can do in the kitchen.

On the subject, some recipe sites have an ingredient search. You enter the ingredients you want or have on hand, and the search will return results based on your entries. This is really helpful when you are on a budget and trying to cook from what you have without an extra trip to the store.

10 Things to do Instead of Shopping

It’s so tempting to shop during the holidays, you are bombarded by media: radio, tv ads, the Internet, even friends. There are sales, events and specials everywhere. The holiday’s are upon us and in much of the country it’s cold and the weather isn’t cooperating, tempting you to go to the mall. DON’T! I’m always barking about  the psychology of shopping. This is the time of year that marketing goes into full force. It’s safer to stay away. Here are some alternatives to mall mania.

1. Go to the library. Head straight for the self-help or finance section and look for books that will help save you money. I recommend these. (Your money or your life; Don’t sweat the small stuff; Tightwad Gazette)

2. Clean your house. Whether you have company coming or not, cleaning up will make you feel good about what you have and less likely to want more. Clear the Clutter

3. Take care of those small details. Little things bother us but we don’t realize how much. I was always annoyed that I couldn’t find the cordless phone.  The base would ring and all of the handsets were dead or missing. I finally put an old-fashioned wall phone in the kitchen. Now, when the phone rings at least I can answer it. If something is broken, get it fixed or get rid of it. I don’t really need a clock in my office. I have a computer, a watch and my cell phone. Broken clock = gone.

4. Clean up your email, address book or do some computer maintenance or other task you’ve been putting off. Perhaps that half finished craft needs to be done, or pile of Christmas cards.

5. Phone or visit a relative or friend. This could be a nice thing to do for someone you haven’t spoken to in a while, a friend who is ill or an older relative who you would love to hear from you.

6. Get out – anywhere but the mall. If you have nice weather, take a walk, a hike, a picnic or other activity. If the weather is bad, get a group together and do something fun. Bowling and ice skating rinks can be relatively cheap if you have a group. Or just invite a friend to a local independent coffee shop.

7. Do something selfless. Pick a local charity or church group and volunteer. This time of year they need more help than ever. Food banks and other services are swamped. Offer to babysit for a busy mom or do some chores for an elderly neighbor. You’ll feel good about helping others.

8. File that pile of paper you’ve been avoiding and start getting your financial info together for next year. It’s close enough to the end of the year to organize and get ready for your taxes. If you have most of it together, you will be less stressed come tax time. Now is also a good time to start your budget for next year. Review your spending and see where your budget needs revising. Don’t have a budget? You already have most of the year’s receipts, credit card bills etc, so start on the road to living within your means.

9. Try some new recipes. See what you have in your pantry, then come up with new ways to make frugal meals. Need help? Check recipe sites on-line. Avoid the ones with exotic ingredients. Or, you could just organize the pantry or fridge. Clean out the freezer and get ready for the holidays.

10. Take a break. Take a nap, do some yoga, meditate or just read a good book. Find something a bid self-indulgent. Try a home-made facial recipe. There are plenty of recipes on-line with things you already have at home.

If you absolutely have to shop, go online. Look for coupon codes and discounts. You shouldn’t pay anything for shipping this time of year. Make your list, figure out your budget and decide where you are going to shop. Find you must go to the store? Take one day, preferably not the weekend if you can manage and choose one store. Go to the thrift store, local boutiques or discount department store (ie marshalls or tjmax) and get all your shopping done there. Or, choose a local craft fair. Whatever you don’t find at that store, on your list, go home and do the same on-line. Choose a site like Amazon and order whatever gifts you need to. Make sure you stay in your budget and set a time limit.

iPad 2 (refurbished) is on the Apple clearance rack!

The online Apple store had lowered it's prices on the iPad 2.
I'm surprised to see a price drop but I have to admit, its a really good deal, for Apple that is. I have an iPad 2 and really love it. If you are looking to buy one, now is the time. These will go fast. As for the refurbished thing, it's a no-brainer. I bought my iMac 3 years ago from the refurbished section and have never had a problem. I bought my first iPad refurbished and it too worked perfectly. I have also bought ipods refurbished and only had good experiences. They come with the same warrantee as the new ones, and are just as good. Ah, but where to find these secret deals?
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/ipad

Organic Produce, is it worth the cost?

Organic food can be expensive. I can’t always afford to pay extra even though it’s supposed to be healthier. However, sometimes it isn’t necessary to buy organic.

For produce, I use this rule of thumb: anything that has a thick skin you are going to peel or remove doesn’t really need to be organic. Bananas are a common one. There are very few pests that bother bananas so there aren’t too many pesticides used. You are going to peel it and eat only the inside anyhow, so why buy organic? You can save a few cents per pound by buying the regular ones. Oranges and other citrus are typically peeled so buying organic citrus is not that important. Just wash them before you slice them. (actually you should wash all produce, then wash your hands before eating, but I’m not always that neurotic)

Thin skin fruits and veggies are a better place for you to spend your organic dollar. Berries, carrots, celery, broccoli and the like may get sprayed more often because they have more pests to combat. If organic cucumbers or carrots are too expensive, I buy the regular kind and peel them well.

The most ridiculous organic item is real maple syrup. To make any real maple syrup, the sap is drained from mature maple trees and cooked to bring out the sugar. That’s it! So there is no point in spending extra money for the organic label when it’s probably the same syrup.

Organic canned and frozen foods as well as pasta can be more expensive than the regular versions. I look for the store brand organics first. As with anything, if there is a sale, stock up. Organic canned diced tomato is usually cheaper than organic tomato sauce. I buy these from Costco by the case and use them to make an easy tomato sauce, or just drain the liquid and throw them into pasta just as they are. You can also use them in many recipes that call for fresh tomato.

Organic or not, it’s generally cheaper to make things from scratch. It’s a good idea to learn to make simple recipes like pasta sauce and soups.

I am lucky enough to live near a farm stand that is open 4 days a week. All the produce is organic and still cheaper than the regular grocery store produce. Check local co-ops. Sometimes they buy local produce and can sell it cheaper. This depends on where you live in the country. Another great place to find cheaper foods is the ethnic markets. I like Asian and Mexican foods. By shopping in these stores you will find certain items much cheaper than the regular supermarket.

In all, I think the health benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables probably exceeds the dangers of pesticides. Buy organic when it makes sense, wash the heck out of everything else.

You can't loose weight on the Wii

I use the Wii as a scale to see how much I weigh once in a while. Here's a wakeup call! This is my 1046th day. I did not achieve my goal of losing 10 lbs in a month. I weigh exactly 1.1 lbs less than 1046 days ago. (That's overweight) My Wii Fit age is 32 (that's good news) and according to this stupid machine, whose opinion I seem to care so much about, my body is "still" in good shape. But, my mii has a belly that sticks out. Ugh!

Black Friday is a Farce

Lifehacker’s article on Black Friday is right. It’s just not worth the time to get up at a ridiculous hour on a holiday weekday to get in line to try to save a few dollars on something you don’t need, only to find that it’s out of stock. You should have been one of the first five people in line who were camped out since the night before if you wanted to get that deal. Even if you do get there early enough, how many hours of your life have you wasted waiting? Plus, “special sales” will be running all month. Friday is just the hype.

From my experience, you can easily buy a really cheap tv or computer, but that’s what you will get, a really cheap tv or computer. If you need large electronics, you are better off doing some research, checking reviews and pricing and buying a quality item that will last longer and have all the features you want and may need in the future.

Here’s another trick. Many stores will offer special discounts that last only a few hours. Major retailers have spent many years and millions of dollars in research on human nature and shopping trends to figure out how to get you to buy more. If you can save and extra 25% from 5am to 9am, you will spend more than 25% extra on things you didn’t know you needed. You are tired, or wired on coffee and stressed out and will get caught up in the frenzy these stores create. Uncle Fred doesn’t really need the rainbow gloves and hat, even if it’s 50% off.

Do your holiday shopping the right way. Make a list of the people for whom you want to get gifts. Now, make a budget. Think carefully about each person and decide what to buy. Shop online and use discounts where you can. I use Ebates for savings and search engines for research. Then, when I find the item at the best price, I search for coupon codes. Sometimes it’s easier and cheaper to buy at the physical store, or you just want that Christmas shopping tradition. Stay away from the big box stores and malls and look at Thrift shops, Antique stores and local boutiques. You can find high quality items and some really good deals. Another bonus, you’ll be supporting charity and small businesses. If someone on your list is brand conscious, or for last minute gifts, try Marshalls or TJ Max. Not sure what to get? Check here for some easy ideas.

You’ll be less stressed and your gift recipients will notice the extra attention.

The iPad 3 is coming!

Yes, the iPad 3 is coming out, so is the iPhone 5 and a new updated Macbook Air. When is anybody's guess, but we all know they are going to be announced eventually.

I've been asked a few times, recently, about wether to buy a computer, ipad, iphone, etc. or wait until the new version comes out. No matter what you buy or when, there will always be a better, faster and cooler update that comes out right after you buy it. I recommend buying the latest you can afford when you actually need it. Is your iPhone 3gs working fine? Keep it until it doesn't work, then buy the latest version you can. Who knows, by then the iPhone 5 might be available. Is your laptop failing? Get the best you can afford now. You could wait until the next version comes out, but since there is always a next version, you will wait forever.

I found a quote from The Apple Blog that sums it up perfectly:

"The best gadget in any given category is the one that you can use right now, in terms of most people’s needs."

Spendthrift Spouse

What do you do when all your money saving strategies are being sabotaged by your spouse or partner?

You are doing everything you can to save money. You’ve made a budget, reduced expenses, cut back wherever you can only to find your dear one has used the credit or debit card, or spent money on things you didn’t plan for or you think are frivolous.

First, take a look at what you’re goals are. Are you are trying to gain control of unruly finances? Are you saving for a specific reason, like a new house or vacation or are you suddenly forced to make cutbacks from job loss or other major change in your income? Make a simple financial overview. Write down on paper your income, expenses and where the shortfall is.

Now set some time aside to talk about it; not during the big game or favorite tv show, or date night either. Pick a time when you and your partner are not tired, a weekend afternoon perhaps. Find someplace away from the kids or other distractions.

Next, be honest. Show them your written budget and discuss what you are doing and why. It’s much easier to see on paper. Many times when one person handles the finances, the other has no idea what’s really happening. Don’t be threatening or accusing. Explain that this takes both of you and ask for their “help”. Try to set a goal together. Listen to what they have to say. Negotiate if necessary. You might be willing to cut back on the coffee shop if they agree to take lunch to work a few days a week. Make sure you include some discretionary spending in your budget. It gives you both a sense of freedom but keeps you from surprises. Give your spouse a specific amount of cash each week, to spend as they please, no judgement from you.

Finally, if all else fails, you may need to get professional help. (couples counseling, not those awful credit counselors). Whatever you do, don’t let money problems fester. It will only hurt your relationship.

The Rule of Half

One of the easiest ways to save money and use less is to try cutting things in half. You will be surprised at how much you overuse when you start this process. One of my favorite books, The Tightwad Gazette, mentions this idea and I’ve been using it ever since I read about it.

Take whatever you are about to use and cut it in half. My first attempt was with dryer sheets. I started tearing the dryer sheets and using only half a sheet per load. I found that there is no difference in the result compared to a whole sheet. That was easy so I tried it with laundry detergent. Again, success! Next, shampoo, toothpaste and other personal items worked well. Automatic dishwasher detergent did not work with less. I still fill the cup, but I did find the store brand works just as well as the pricier stuff. Sugar in my coffee and butter on my toast worked well by using half and are probably better for my health too.

On the subject of food, look at the serving sizes. Start measuring out the serving sizes and you will be surprised at how much you over use. Creamer in the coffee is one that shocked me. I measured out a tablespoon and it is much less than the amount I was using. I tried using less coffee but I have to draw the line there.

Use your judgement, of course. Do NOT try this with prescription medicine, but do this with mundane things and see what happens.

Clear out the Clutter

Apartment therapy’s 20/20 Home Cure episode today got me started in clearing out the bookshelf but I took it a bit further. Instead of just clearing out the books I went for the whole office. 

The best way to clear out a room is to do exactly that. Empty it completely. Remove anything you can, leaving only the bare furniture, shelves and walls.  Arrange the furniture in a way that opens up the room and provides the functionality you really need.

Once its empty, think about the purpose of the room. Visualize what this room should look like and what you really want in it. Now, start putting things back. Only put back the items that are useful, aesthetically pleasing and have a purpose there. The purpose may just be that you like it but think in terms of the perfect room.

Once you have only what you really want in the room, take everything left outside and put it away. Not sure how to deal with what’s left outside? Make three boxes: another room, donate and out. No boxes? Don’t loose momentum here. Trash bags or even piles will work, just don’t bring it back in the room. If it belongs in another room, put it there, if it’s broken or useless, throw it out/recycle it. If it can be used, donate it or put it in a box to go out and give it away.

Every time you walk into this room you will feel good.

Holidays on the cheap

I know you will see a million articles and blogs on how to do things for the holidays in frugal ways. Here are the ones I’ve found to work without making all your gifts out of used potholders.

Holiday Meals: If you have a large gathering, or even a small one, ask each of your guests to bring their favorite or “specialty” dish. It’s not wrong to ask what they’re bringing or suggest a dish. “Aunt Mabel, everyone loves your pecan pie, would you consider one for this year?” That way you don’t have four string bean casseroles. Planning ahead is also important. Look at the store specials and buy what you can on sale. Frozen turkey, thawed in the fridge three days beforehand is way cheaper than a fresh one. If you’re not a traditionalist or having just the family, consider a chicken or just the turkey breast, or not a turkey at all. If you are really strapped, and invited somewhere else, accept the invitation and ask what you can bring.

Christmahanakwanzika: Okay it’s Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanza put together, but it is gift giving season no matter what. Among our friends I’ve told them we are just giving to the children this year. Most parents do appreciate this and are happy to save a bit of money too. You can still give a card addressed to the family.

If someone’s having a party, it’s customary to come with a hostess gift. These are easy, a few pretty soaps, dollar store ones are nice enough wrapped with rolled wash cloths and a ribbon are a nice gift. Use a pretty leaf or twine for festive additions to the wrapping. Baby gifts like bibs or a plush toy or rattle are easy to find in most places. For small children 3 to 6 year olds, a couple of match box cars, or dress up toys are great from the dollar store.  7 to 12 year olds: playing cards like uno or old fashioned gifts like yo yo’s, paddle balls or a small box of legos can be found cheaply. Over 12 is a bit tougher. If you’re not absolutely sure, stay away from the latest trends. Chances are the trend is old by the time you know about it. This age group is picky. I hit the office supply store:  a new set of earphones, a usb drive in a fun shape or color, cool pens, pads, journals etc. The dollar section at Target is a good place for this but you have to have some discipline to stay away from the rest of the store.

Office exchange: While your at the office supply store, get a good deal on some nice pen sets. If you are really broke, a mug from the dollar store with some tea or hot chocolate pack with a ribbon is always your best bet.

Don’t forget the thrift shop. There are always nice candle holders, dishes and mugs for super cheap. Buy a few pretty china dishes and then bring cookies, brownies or other food gifts. It’s a great place for baskets too. I’ve found so many name brand dishes from noritake to crate and barrel. You will be surprised.

Sunday morning ritual

My favorite Sunday morning. It's early. Everyone is still sleeping and the house is quiet. I tip toe into the kitchen to make coffee. I use the French press so I dont make too much noise. Coffee in hand, I set it down by my favorite cushy couch and head outside to get the paper, cold and barefoot. I find my spot on the couch and spend the morning reading the paper cover to cover. The Miami Herald when I was young, the Washington Post later on, then the Union tribune. It didn't matter, just me, the peace and quiet, my hot coffee and a portal into the rest of the world.

Wait! That used to be my favorite Sunday morning. I still make my coffee and creep quietly to my favorite spot, only I no longer get the paper. I read all my favorite news and blogs on the iPad. I like skipping the cold sidewalk and wet plastic sleeve on the news. I like not having to remove the sports section to get to the editorials. I like that I can sit and drink my coffee without newsprint on my hands and cup.

I now read: USA Today and Google News, The Washington post, Unplggd, Facebook, Twitter and a few others, all aggregated in flip board. It looks a bit like my familiar newspaper, but without the trip to the recycle bin when I'm done.

Get Support!

Your friends or family may be influencing your spending. If you are spending, shopping, eating out too often, etc. Look at the reasons. Are you keeping up with the Joneses? Are your friends spendthrifts? Are they in debt too? Are you looking to fill a void in your life? Is it an emotional release? Associate yourself with people who have the same intentions; Living within their means. Talk to your spouse, family and friends and include them in this process. The more support you have, the better.

Find inspiration on the Internet as well. Subscribe to money saving newsletters. http://www.stretcher.com and http://www.thefrugallife.com both have great and inspiring newsletters and forums to meet other people who are living within their means. Join in on frugal and money saving forums. Watch out for get-rich-quick schemes. They will never make you money.

Of all the books I read, I have found two of them to be most helpful. The first book is “Your money or your life”. As with any self-help book, you will find points in this one that no longer make sense in our economy. However, the first few chapters are eye opening. Changing your view of money is critical in changing your financial picture. The second is “The tightwad gazette” this one is fun to read from cover to cover. It’s full of great tips and stories to keep you motivated. I don’t rewash plastic Baggies, but I love the pizza dough recipe and it’s written in an easy to read manner.

One last thought; everyone has an opinion, advice, tricks and tips to help you. Pick and choose what works for you. Not everything will be right for everyone. You control your own destiny and financial future. The hardest part is to get started.

iTunes fail, UGH!

Sunday afternoon, the whole family is at home, relaxing.

I rarely download any movies from iTunes. Usually, I can find what I want on Netflix or cable. The family room TV was in use and my daughter wasn't feeling well. She really wanted this movie and it wasn't on Netflix, so I thought, "Easy enough, I'll download it from iTunes and she can watch it on the computer."

I started the download in iTunes and it seemed to be going fine. I know you can watch it as you're downloading so I clicked play. After about ten minutes, just as she was getting into the movie, the whole mac froze; I mean, no keyboard, mouse or anything. My only choice was the button in the back.

I restarted the computer and opened iTunes to find that the movie was not there, it was not available in the "purchases" and if you click Store, Check for available downloads, it wasn't there either.

After some research, (google, apple support pages, etc.) I found that my only hope was to "report a problem" on the Account, Purchased section. This lead to an automated email that said my problem would be addressed within 48 to 72 hours.

Now, if you're downloading a movie, it's an impulse buy. You want to watch it right then.  I can re download all kinds of media in iTunes, except movies. I will probably not do this again.

The final result was an email stating that Apple had reset my download and I could re download anytime. By then, it was the next day and my daughter was in school. The movie was now irrelevant. Bummer.

A series of unfortunate events.

I'm an apple fan for the most part but this is really sucking up more time than it should.
I'm running out of space on my hard drive and trying to clean it up. I have a few video events of some length that I don't really need but should be given to someone else.

I exported the first one to a quicktime format (.mov) to keep the highest quality and tried to  save it on a thumb drive. Sounds easy enough.

It took 4 hours to export this iMovie project.

The file is over 4.7 GB in size. Even though the usb drive holds 8GB I can't save this file to the external drive!

It turns out that you can only move or copy a file less than 4GB onto a FAT 32 formatted drive. (Yeah, that's what Error 0 means in mac land). I need the FAT 32 format because the person I'm giving it to has a windows pc.

It won't fit on a standard DVD either.

Not sure why they limit the file size to 4GB but I'm not happy with them, whoever they are.

Making space on the Mac

Geek alert: This post is a bit technical and I'm not telling you to delete stuff off your drive unless you are sure but you may find this post helpful.

I've been researching ways to make the mac faster by making more room on the hard drive. I have found a few goodies I'm going to share:

First, open up finder and right click on the hard drive (mine says Macintosh HD)
Select get info and look at "Available" Leave this window open so you can see what you're gaining in space.

1. Empty your trash. Right click on the trash can and select "empty trash" If you haven't done this in a while (or ever) you should gain a fair amount of space and speed.

2. If you use iPhoto, here's a tip. Open iPhoto and select the trash file on the left. Right click and empty that trash too. Apparently, it is separate from the main trash and doesn't get emptied at the same time. Big space saver for me! If you have multiple users, make sure they do it too.

3. iMovie projects and events take up a ridiculous amount of space. In finder, open your home drive (probably your name). Open the movies folder and you will see two files, iMovie projects and iMovie events. Right click and get info on these folders. You may be surprised to find they take up more than anything else. This is where it gets tricky. I found that one movie took up 7 GB. I'm now in the process of exporting movies via quick time and saving them elsewhere. Don't touch the movies from these files, you should work within iMovie to move events to another drive. DO YOUR RESEARCH. Don't start deleting without knowing what you're doing or don't blame me if you mess this up!

4. Downloads. It's another folder in your home folder. Open this up and see what's there. Every time you save something it gets saved here unless you tell it otherwise. If you find a lot of files that end in .dmg you may be able to delete them. These are application installation files, not the programs themselves. If you download and install an application, these .dmg files (disk image) files get left behind. Again DO YOUR RESEARCH but you may no longer need these if the application is in your Applications folder and working fine. You could always save these somewhere else if you're not sure.

5. Email. I get loads of photos from friends and family. I've been saving the ones I want to keep in my iPhoto. However, now they are taking up twice as much space, once in the email, and again in iPhoto. New habit. Delete the email after I save the photo.

Good luck. Hope these tips help.

How to speed up your mac.

Two interesting things I learned about speeding up my mac.

1. If you have a lot of clutter on the desktop, it will slow things down. I deleted a bunch of files I no longer needed and moved the rest of the files off my desktop into the documents directory.

2. If you don't have  enough space on your hard drive it will slow your system down. In finder, go to your hard drive and right click to "get info" you will see the Capacity and Available. If Available is not at least 10% of Capacity, your system will be slow.

One extra goodie: Use the new "reading list" feature on Safari. I used to drag websites I wanted to go back to onto my desktop. This takes up more space than if you drag them into the reading list (it's the little sunglasses below the address bar).

To Do today: Upgrade to iOS 5

10/15/2011

To Do today: Upgrade to iOS 5

iPad 2. download, install, restore took about 45 minutes. Of course, I didn't try to do it yesterday while the other 5 billion people were busy overloading apple servers. duh. 

I still haven't upgraded my iphone 4, I don't see the benefit to rushing in. Also, iCloud is only available for os x Lion and I haven't upgraded to that either. Mobile Me is still working so I'll keep the old system for now.

By the way, the reason I haven't upgraded to Lion is that my quicken 2007 doesn't work on Lion. I'd have to switch my finance program again. I wish Apple would make a finance program I could stick with. I think the rest of the Mac world would agree.