I love Pandora. For my money, it’s the best free online radio station you can find. Create an account, create a new station, recommend artists, give thumbs up and down, and it “learns” the style of music you like and recommends music based on your tastes. It’s a great way to hear your favorite classics and be exposed to new music. You can’t listen to select songs on demand like you can with some other online radio stations, but I love the wide variety of music and the new artists I get exposed to on a regular basis. I’m sure I never would have been exposed to some of them, were it not for Pandora. My current station is simply called David Gray – one of my all time favorites. The station on Pandora plays nothing but David Gray and similar artists; folk, acoustic rock, etc. I love it. Sign up for your free account at http://www.pandora.com/.
Herbal Coffee from Teeccino. A couple months back I realized I was drinking too much caffeine, so I cut back on my coffee. Well, I started back up after our daughter was born because she has been keeping us up at night. A couple weeks ago I wrote about how I was drinking coffee again and a reader mentioned an organic herbal coffee alternative made by Teeccino. The main ingredients are carob, barley, chicory root, and other flavorings. It’s not coffee, but it’s pretty good. The reader recommended cutting it half and half with regular coffee if I still wanted a little kick from the caffeine, but not the full dose. It sure beats cutting regular coffee with decaf! You should be able to find it at Whole Foods Stores, select health food and other grocery stores, or get a free sample from their website (requires signing up for a newsletter).
The Top 50 Ways to Make Money in College – eBook. What do most college students have in common? Thats right, no money. (at least that’s how it was when I went!). Jon Ray has a free eBook with 50 ways for college students to earn money while attending college. I’ve read quite a few eBooks, and this is one of the best I have read. This book is a 110 page PDF, full of real tips, humor, insight, humor, creativity, humor, and passion. Seriously, I recommend it to anyone in high school or college, or just looking to make a few extra bucks. Not every tip works for everyone, but there is something in there for almost anyone. You can get it at Studybreaks.com, you just need to enter your e-mail address and you are good to go.
Recommended Financial Articles:
- Does your salary match your hourly wage? A $50,000 a year salary sounds great – until you realize you are working 7o hour weeks and really earning less than $20 per hour.
- 7 Things That Make Good Financial Cents For College Students. Sticking with the college theme… Several tips to help college students make it through without being covered in debt
- What Do Dividend Cuts Mean For Mutual Fund Investors?. Many companies have slashed dividends in recent months – meaning there are big changes for mutual funds.
- How to Avoid Inheritance Tax. Estate planning is something many people put off because it is difficult to think about. But it is also extremely important.
- Good Questions on $8,000 First Time Homebuyer Credit. House shopping? You may just be able to get an $8,000 first time home buyer credit.
- Their hands are worth $1,200 a day. CNN has an article about an interesting profession – hand models.
- COBRA Benefits Subsidy in the 2009 Economic Stimulus Recovery Act. The 2009 stimulus plan calls for COBRA and unemployment subsidies – important information if your position is cut this year.
- Spend Time to Save Money. Sometimes this is the best way; other times I prefer to spend money to save time. I guess it’s all about balance!
- Saving On Prescription Drug Medication. I think just about everyone can use this article!
This week’s carnivals:
- Carnival Of Twenty Something Finances Beauty Edition @ My Beauty and Fashion.
- Carnival of Money Stories – “Back from the Beach!” ed. @ Budgets Are Sexy.
- Carnival of Financial Planning – Edition #102 @ The Skilled Investor.
- Economy and Your Finances Carnival Aug 16th 2009 @ One Mint.
Related Articles:
- Roundup – Religion and Money Edition
- H&R Block at Home Giveaway
- Spend $10. It’s Worth It!
- Don’t Be A Tightwad: Give Generously
- Berkshire B 50-1 Stock Split
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
My buddy just told me about Pandora last week, but I’ve yet to try it out. Hearing from another source now means I have to give it a shot. Besides, “free” always fits in my budget, too
Jeff, you gotta try it out. You can’t beat it!
You absolutely cannot beat Pandora as far as free goes. Also, it learns what you like so the longer you use it the better it gets. I always have it streaming in the background on the computer or running on my Blackberry.
Zeke, I haven’t run it through my cell phone yet (though I have the capability), but I often have it running while at work or when I’m working on my websites. I love it!
Pandora is the best thing on the internet tubes. I love my huge music collection on my computer, but I still love going back to Pandora for a unique mix of songs and discover new artists.
Oh, and pandora on my blackberry is probably the coolest thing ever.
I often listen to Pandora instead of my own music… just to have some more variety. Although, I tend to be more of an album guy instead of a single guy… So I switch back and forth.
Thanks for the information on Pandora. I signed up immediately and am now rocking to Jimi Hendrix. When I invited friends, I found out many were already subscribers (who did not invite me!).
Bucksome, Love me some Hendrix. I’ve got a channel called “Hendrix,” and it plays non-stop blues… Hendrix, Stevie Ray, Led Zeppelin, etc. Definitely one of my favorite channels!
Yep, Pandora is aboslutely awesome. I’ve found a lot of new artists to listen to through Pandora. I usually have it on when I am on the Internet and I also have it on my Iphone.
I’ve found quite a few new artists through Pandora as well. It’s amazing how much quality music doesn’t make it to the airwaves because Clear Channel doesn’t think it is marketable enough.
I tried Pandora a few years back and it was interesting but I think I got annoyed that I couldn’t skip through songs I didn’t like (there was a limit I believe?). I might have to give it another look. I had an Elliott Smith channel that was pretty good.
Still, I use my iTunes with either the Genius or DJ function to let it pick.
Ohh, and Clear Channel is evil for music! I live in NYC and we should have some of the most diverse music, so you would think! But it’s all the same stuff because the stations are all owned by maybe three companies. Once again NYC is without a hard rock station…GRRR.