TRICK#1: Contractor Stress Prevention Kit!

Need a contractor to fix a cabinet, to replace some glass -- anything you need done around or in the house? Usually we uncover sites that deliver good resources without cost. This one comes with a modest monthly fee but, if you've ever gone through the stressful job of hiring a contractor, you should find this site invaluable.

The contractors are rated by those who have hired them and most ratings are brutally honest. Each review includes detailed information about the type of work done, the cost of the job and grades for responsiveness, quality, punctuality and professionalism. In addition there are vignettes describing the details of the experience with the contractor -- often laudatory but sometimes downright hostile.

This web resource can save you a ton of grief the next time you need some work done around the house.

TRICK #2: Get The Discounts You Deserve!

You may not know this but everyday there are discounts galore available to you that you probably pass up .These folks track over 30 discount programs and there's a good chance you belong to some of them - whether you know it or not.

If you belong to AAA, AARP, American Express, Visa, Delta SkyMiles, American AAdvantage or any one of many more listed there, you can go here, enter the product you want to purchase and get price comparisons covering the discounts available to you. For example, bet you didn't know that AAA members get a 10% discount on all their shopping at Target.

Good place to check before your next shopping trip.

GREAT PLACE #1: What in Blazes Is That File?

Ever receive an email with a file that won't open? Want to find out what program to use to open the file? Here's the place to find out.

You can also get a lot more information on the file type than you will ever use. All the good basic information is there along with links to the program vendor where there is sometimes a free evaluation copy available. You can also often find a way to view the file contents that by-passes the required program.

A bit techie -- but invaluable when you need help in a hurry.

GREAT PLACE #2: Check That Dealer First!

Stop by this great place before you pull out your wallet at a car dealership to buy a car or to have one repaired! With the information here you can go in armed with the experience of previous customers.

Customers visit the site and rate the dealer on a scale of 1 (the lowest) to 5 (the highest). Each dealer is rated on the basis of Customer Service, Quality of Work, Friendliness, Overall Experience and Pricing. The most enlightening evaluations (and often entertaining) are the customers' vignettes describing their experience doing business with the dealer.

There is one little glitch. You will find reviews where customers praise the dealer to the heavens but appear to indicate that they would not recommend the dealer. A little searching reveals that this occurs because the default to the "recommend" question is "no." We'd guess that this may be remedied by press time, but this certainly doesn't diminish the enlightenment and entertainment value of this great place.