Last-Minute Gift Doesn’t Have to Be Costly (USA TODAY).  Shopping in a hurry often leads to overspending, but not if you follow this advice.

5 Tips for Being a Fabulous Holiday Host (Main Street).  Got company staying with you over the holidays?  Here’s how to keep ‘em happy while keeping your sanity.

10 Myths About Job Hunting During a Recession (US News).  Feel like you’re fighting an uphill battle in your job search?  Don’t let these falsehoods hold you back.

Year-End Reality Check: 71 Percent of Americans Don’t Have a Retirement Plan (Financial Planning).  A good place to start is with this simple retirement calculator.

5 CD Dos and Don’ts (Bankrate).  I’d add one more “do” to this list: Do consider a credit union when shopping for a CD, including my long-time sponsor, Christian Community Credit Union, which offers better rates than I believe you’ll find anywhere else.

And from the blogosphere…

15 Dynamo DIY Projects That Cost Less Than $20 (Apartment Therapy).  Thanks to my wife, Jude, for bringing this one to my attention.  Some great, inexpensive ways to spruce up your home.  Rug painting, anyone?

The Top 10 Best and Worst Communicators of 2011 (Ragan’s HR Communication).  Great communication skills are essential for excelling on the job and in life.  There’s a lot to be learned in studying the best…and the worst.

Free Apps To Help You Recover a Lost Phone or Laptop (Clark Howard).  With so much important information stored on our digital devices, we can’t afford to lose them.  Here’s how to put them on an electronic leash.

25 Ways to Make This the Best Christmas Season Ever (Pick The Brain).  Hat tip to Trent at The Simple Dollar, where I saw a link to this post.  It’s not too late to incorporate some of these great ideas.  Or, if you read this after Christmas, there’s always next year.

A Peace That Transcends Understanding (Matt About Money).  As with last week’s roundup, I thought a post from the Christmas archives would be in order.  This one certainly speaks to me this year.  I hope it does to you as well.

Here’s wishing you a wonderful Christmas. And to my Jewish readers, Happy Hanukkah.

Got a question or a response to any of the above?  Be sure to leave a comment.

Who else would benefit from this post?  Why not forward a link to my site? And if you haven’t done so already, you can subscribe to this blog by clicking here.  Two or three times a week, you’ll receive ideas and encouragement for using money well.

In this sixth installment of our look at the personal finance implications of “Good to Great,” the focus is on technology.  Author Jim Collins found that for each of the remarkably successful companies he profiled, technology was never the creator of their momentum; it was an accelerator.  By the same token, technology by itself won’t give you a great financial life (unless you invent the next Internet), but it can certainly be a big help.

Choose the Right Technology for Your Financial Needs

An important key, Collins found, is to avoid technology fads and bandwagons, focusing instead on the application of carefully selected technologies.

There’s plenty of whiz-bang tech stuff out there today, and you could spend plenty of time keeping up with it all.  Or, you could make sure you’re using the tools that have already proven themselves to be helpful.

For example, one of the most important ways to get and maintain a high credit score is to pay your bills on time.  Some ways technology can help include signing up for e-mail alerts that remind you whenever one of your bills is due or setting up automatic bill payments.

Automatic deposits work wonders for those who have a tough time mustering the discipline to put money into their retirement plans or savings accounts.

And, if you want a simple way to track the performance of your investments across multiple investment accounts, technology like Wikinvest can provide a good free solution.

How Technology Can Really Accelerate Your Financial Success

Collins says the companies that made the leap from good to great got the most out of technology by using it to support their “Hedgehog Concept.”

As you may recall, that’s the name Collins gave to one of his primary insights about outstanding companies.  They all focused on one thing that they could become the best in the world at and oriented all of their efforts around that single organizing idea.

As we’ve discussed before, a personal finance application of “The Hedgehog Concept” is to identify one thing – just one – that would make the greatest positive difference in your finances this year, and then focus on accomplishing that goal.

How Technology Can Help You Stay On Top Of Your Finances

Is this the year you’re finally going to figure out where your money actually goes each month?  There are several free online tools available that will track most of your financial transactions automatically.  We use Mint.com.

Sure, it takes a little time to get it set up.  You have to be willing to enter your bank and credit card information, and then you need to set up a budget, determining how much you plan to give, save, invest, and spend each month (you may find my recommended spending guidelines helpful). But once you put in that time, Mint makes it incredibly easy to see how you’re doing financially.

Most mornings before I begin my work, I log in, check to make sure recent transactions have been categorized correctly, and manually enter any cash transactions.  Then I can instantly see how our actual use of money compares with our plan at that point in the month.  I love having that information so readily accessible.

How Technology Can Help You Get Out of Debt

If getting out of debt is the most important goal you’re pursuing this year, use the debt calculator on my site to map out a plan for its elimination.  You’ll be able to see how much faster you’ll be out of debt if you pay various extra amounts toward your debts, which can be a great motivator to find the money.  Or, if you’re using Mint, they’ve created a new debt tool as well.

What technology do you find most helpful for managing your personal finances?  In particular, I’d love to know what personal finance apps you’re using on your smartphone.  What other technology are you thinking about adding?  Please leave a comment below.

If someone forwarded this article to you, please sign up for your own subscription.  Two or three times a week, you’ll receive ideas and encouragement for using money well.

Other articles in this series on the personal finance applications from “Good to Great” include:

Level 5 Leadership

First Who… Then What

Confront the Brutal Facts (Yet Never Lose Faith)

The Hedgehog Concept

A Culture of Discipline

I was a frequent and very happy user of the service.  I always appreciated the fact that it allowed me to avoid paying the fees charged by our cell phone and landline service providers.  Our cell phone provider, Sprint, charges $1.79 per directory assistance call; our landline provider, AT&T, charges $1.50 per local directory assistance call and $1.99 per national call.  Other providers charge even more.  Plus, unlike competitive services, GOOG-411 didn’t require that you listen to ads.

The Real Reason for GOOG-411

Apparently, Google’s intention all along with GOOG-411 was to use the service to gather voice samples in order to hone its voice recognition capabilities for smartphones. Now that Google has learned what it needs to learn, it has shut down GOOG-411.

The company’s enhanced knowledge base has enabled it to develop smartphone applications such Voice Search and its recently released Voice Actions for Android.  With Voice Actions, you can use your smartphone to call any business just by saying the name of the business.

For those who don’t own a smartphone, Google still offers a text-based directory assistance service.  Text Google at 466453 and they will text you back the phone number and address for the business you’re looking for.

A GOOG-411 Alternative

Of course, texting while driving is not a great idea.  Fortunately, for those without a smartphone, there is a really good alternative to GOOG-411.  It’s Bing-411 (1-800-Bing-411).  On this free voice-recognition directory assistance service for business listings from Microsoft, there are no ads to listen to and the service can connect you.  You can also get traffic reports, driving directions, and more.

If you need a residential listing, 1-800-YELLOWPAGES and 1-800-Free-411 offer business listings and residential listings for free.  However, you have to listen to two ads each time you call, and not only that but the ads are presented in the annoying tone of those late night television commercials that breathlessly implore you to “Rush $19.95 before midnight tonight.”  Yes, free is better than fee, but the ads are a bit painful on the ears.

I’m thankful that I hardly ever need residential listings.  And I’m especially thankful that Bing-411 does everything GOOG-411 did, and more.

Of course, Bing-411, 1-800-YELLOWPAGES, and 1-800-Free-411 can be used from cell phones as well as landlines.

What about you?  Are there other free directory assistance services that you prefer?

For devices that need bursts of power such as digital cameras and frequently used toys, CR recommended taking the green route with rechargeable batteries and singled out Sanyo Eneloop and Sony Cycle Energy.  Another option is a single-use lithium battery.  CR recommended the Energizer Ultimate.

For devices that draw very little power such as remote controls and flashlights, CR suggested using single-use alkaline batteries, which should last for several years.  CR singled out the Panasonic Evolta and the much less expensive Kirkland Signature brands.

Karp pointed out that sometimes a cheaper plan might not be the way to go, especially if the recommended new provider has poor coverage.  To check the coverage of various cell phone companies, Karp recommended CellReception.com.

Neither Validas nor BillShrink considers low-cost prepaid plans, where you buy the phone and then purchase minutes as you need them. The main drawbacks of prepaid plans are that coverage areas may be limited, you won’t get the latest phone, and some services do not offer e-mail or Internet.  Prepaid providers include recognized companies like AT&T, Sprint (through its Boost Mobile division), T-Mobile, and Verizon, along with lesser known players like Net10.  You can buy phones directly from the carriers or from Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Target, and other retailers.

This reinforces the importance of accountability in trying to achieve a goal. One of the most effective steps you can take toward getting out of debt, building savings, or accomplishing any other financial goal is to tell someone else about your goal. Invite them to ask you about your progress and to encourage you. A friendly text message from time to time reminding you about your goal and cheering you on wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

Another common question has to do with refrigerator and freezer efficiency. Do they work best when full or when your frozen peas have some breathing space? It’s better to keep them fairly full. The larger the mass of cold items inside, the less work it takes to keep everything cold.

Lastly, what’s the most energy efficient way to clean dishes–wash them by hand or put them in the dishwasher? Put them in the dishwasher. Washing by hand, at least if you’re the type who leaves the hot water running, is less efficient than using a dishwasher.

In our house, we’ve been on a kick to change as many regular light bulbs as possible to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). They use less energy and last a lot longer. However, after our kids knocked down a lamp and broke a CFL, we’ve decided not to use them in areas where they play frequently. The hazards and the challenges of cleaning up a broken CFL are not worth the energy cost savings.

I bought an external hard drive a couple of years ago after my trusty Mac froze up, leaving me pacing the floor at a nearby Apple store hoping and praying that the teenage tech behind the counter could ressurect my family photos, workshop presentations, and, oh yeah, the manuscript for my first book. But even after surviving what felt like a near-death experience I’ve used the drive so infrequently that it took me a while to remember where I put it. I’ve now scheduled monthly backups on my calendar.

For about $5 per month, several online storage backup sites, such as MyOtherDrive and Carbonite, will back up your files automatically. You could also copy important files onto DVDs or flash drives. Do you have a system for backing up your computer files? If so, what approach do you use and how well you like it?

Thousands of cell phones end up in landfills every day. Far better to recycle them. Even better, since many discarded devices are still in working order, simply hang on to your electronic gear longer. It’ll be better for the planet and your pocketbook.

The Environmental Protection Agency also has a comprehensive list of web sites with information about recycling electronics. If your TV set is still in working order, you might also consider keeping it and getting a digital signal. Or give it to someone else via Freecycle or Craigslist.