5k5k Improving your life through personal fitness and personal finance
Why Buy When It's Free?
Last spring I continued to work on my CFP (Certified Financial Planner) certification. In the course my professor, an estate planning attorney recommended I check out INC Magazine as I shared with him some of my entrepreneurial itchings. The price for the subscription worked out to about $1.00 per issue, so I figured for the cost I could definitely find some information worth keeping. September's issue contained a wealth of useful information but one of the huge bonuses I wanted to share with all of you is the free software mentioned on page 54 of September's issue.
Ten years ago people paid hundreds of dollars for powerful software to help them with everyday life. Now, if you know where to look, you can find it for free.
(From INC.com)
BEST FOR BASIC ACCOUNTING: QUICKBOOKS SIMPLE START FREE EDITION
The free version of QuickBooks lets you create invoices, print checks, handle payroll, and manage up to 20 customer accounts. There are plenty of free bookkeeping tools on the market, but QuickBooks is the best option for growing companies, because it's easy to step up to the paid version ($99.95), which lets users track more than 10,000 customers.
BEST FOR SYNCING WITH OUTLOOK: GOOGLE CALENDAR SYNC
Many businesses are switching to Google Apps because it's cheaper than Microsoft Exchange. But not everyone wants to abandon the familiar look and feel of Outlook. Use this tool to sync from Google Calendar to Outlook or vice versa. Or perform a two-way sync based on a schedule you set. Unfortunately, some of Google's features -- like e-mail reminders -- won't work in Outlook.
BEST FOR ORGANIZING OUTLOOK: XOBNI
Think of Xobni (pronounced ZOB-nee) as a supercharged search engine for Outlook. Search for a name in the Xobni sidebar, and it will find the person's contact information, previous e-mails, Facebook and LinkedIn profiles, Hoover's data, and recent attachments. You can search for keywords as well and even place Skype calls without leaving Outlook.
BEST FOR TRACKING TASKS: DOOMI
Simple but elegant, Doomi allows you to create a to-do list and check off tasks when you are done. To keep yourself on schedule, you can customize a completion time for each task. Finished tasks are stored in a separate list until you clear them -- great for viewing the day's accomplishments. We just wish Doomi synced with Outlook.
BEST FOR WORD PROCESSING: ZOHO WRITER
An excellent alternative to Microsoft Word or Google Docs, Zoho Writer lets users collaborate on a document online, in real time. It also has an offline mode, so you can work on documents even without Internet access. Zoho Writer can also be used to post directly to a blog. Zoho's 18 other free apps include a customer relationship management tool, database software, and an applicant tracking program.
BEST FOR VIEWING PDFs: FOXIT READER 3.0
Foxit is one of the best programs for viewing and modifying PDFs. It uses less memory than Acrobat Reader, launches almost instantly, and allows you to convert PDFs into simple text files. Plus, unlike Acrobat, it lets users annotate documents (draw graphics, highlight text) without paying extra. Now, if only Foxit's PDF Creator and PDF Editor programs were free, too.
I wish I would have found this next one about a year ago, before I purchased an external hard drive to back up pictures and documents and files I wanted to save. Lightening has struck our computer twice in the past year (That's why I couldn't post on Thursday) and file back up has become more important than ever as people save more and more important documents to their computers.
BEST FOR AUTOMATIC BACKUP: MOZY
Mozy will store 2GB of data online for free; just choose what you want to save, and Mozy automatically backs up the files whenever changes are made. It's a great way to protect your most sensitive information in case of an emergency. Plus, you can access your documents from anywhere. If you want to store more, upgrading to an unlimited account costs $4.95 per month.
Has anyone found any other free or cheap applications that are useful? How could you use some of these in your everyday life/business?
Ten years ago people paid hundreds of dollars for powerful software to help them with everyday life. Now, if you know where to look, you can find it for free.
(From INC.com)
BEST FOR BASIC ACCOUNTING: QUICKBOOKS SIMPLE START FREE EDITION
The free version of QuickBooks lets you create invoices, print checks, handle payroll, and manage up to 20 customer accounts. There are plenty of free bookkeeping tools on the market, but QuickBooks is the best option for growing companies, because it's easy to step up to the paid version ($99.95), which lets users track more than 10,000 customers.
BEST FOR SYNCING WITH OUTLOOK: GOOGLE CALENDAR SYNC
Many businesses are switching to Google Apps because it's cheaper than Microsoft Exchange. But not everyone wants to abandon the familiar look and feel of Outlook. Use this tool to sync from Google Calendar to Outlook or vice versa. Or perform a two-way sync based on a schedule you set. Unfortunately, some of Google's features -- like e-mail reminders -- won't work in Outlook.
BEST FOR ORGANIZING OUTLOOK: XOBNI
Think of Xobni (pronounced ZOB-nee) as a supercharged search engine for Outlook. Search for a name in the Xobni sidebar, and it will find the person's contact information, previous e-mails, Facebook and LinkedIn profiles, Hoover's data, and recent attachments. You can search for keywords as well and even place Skype calls without leaving Outlook.
BEST FOR TRACKING TASKS: DOOMI
Simple but elegant, Doomi allows you to create a to-do list and check off tasks when you are done. To keep yourself on schedule, you can customize a completion time for each task. Finished tasks are stored in a separate list until you clear them -- great for viewing the day's accomplishments. We just wish Doomi synced with Outlook.
BEST FOR WORD PROCESSING: ZOHO WRITER
An excellent alternative to Microsoft Word or Google Docs, Zoho Writer lets users collaborate on a document online, in real time. It also has an offline mode, so you can work on documents even without Internet access. Zoho Writer can also be used to post directly to a blog. Zoho's 18 other free apps include a customer relationship management tool, database software, and an applicant tracking program.
BEST FOR VIEWING PDFs: FOXIT READER 3.0
Foxit is one of the best programs for viewing and modifying PDFs. It uses less memory than Acrobat Reader, launches almost instantly, and allows you to convert PDFs into simple text files. Plus, unlike Acrobat, it lets users annotate documents (draw graphics, highlight text) without paying extra. Now, if only Foxit's PDF Creator and PDF Editor programs were free, too.
I wish I would have found this next one about a year ago, before I purchased an external hard drive to back up pictures and documents and files I wanted to save. Lightening has struck our computer twice in the past year (That's why I couldn't post on Thursday) and file back up has become more important than ever as people save more and more important documents to their computers.
BEST FOR AUTOMATIC BACKUP: MOZY
Mozy will store 2GB of data online for free; just choose what you want to save, and Mozy automatically backs up the files whenever changes are made. It's a great way to protect your most sensitive information in case of an emergency. Plus, you can access your documents from anywhere. If you want to store more, upgrading to an unlimited account costs $4.95 per month.
Has anyone found any other free or cheap applications that are useful? How could you use some of these in your everyday life/business?
Add a Comment
About
Events
Buy Your 5k5k Gear Here!
Find a 5k in Your Area
Videos
Forum
4th of July 5k race 1 Reply
Started by Dan. Last reply by Chett Jul 6.
Getting started 8 Replies
Started by Chett. Last reply by Dan Jun 3.
What is your favorite motivational quote? 13 Replies
Started by Chett. Last reply by Chett Apr 14.
© 2009 Created by Chett on Ning. Create a Ning Network!
You need to be a member of 5k5k.org to add comments!
Join this Ning Network