Phone Phun

Back in the day, you used to get all bundled up and head on down to the big fancy department store in the center of town and line up for a chance to sit on Santa's lap to tell him what you wanted for Christmas. Things are busier now and much more spread out, so maybe you can't take care of this important holiday duty. Well, Santa understands, and that's why he has come up with a newer, high-tech way to get your message out.

Point your web browser to TelSanta.com to find out how leave him a voicemail message. Because he's a plugged-in guy, he'll take your message and forward it via email to some of his helpers (like maybe mom and dad) so that they're all on board as well. They can listen to your wish list, and maybe give that Right Jolly Old Elf a hand in making your Christmas wishes come true.

TelSanta is a free service brought to you by Santa's helpers at TollFreeForwarding.com

(A tip of the phone phun phedora to Bill Russo for this one!)

Did you ever notice that whenever you buy some high-tech do-dad, it becomes obsolete the moment you walk out the door? Shiny new computer? Now it's yesterday's news. Smartest new smart phone? Seems pretty dumb by the next day. So we go ahead and use the thing–after all, you did have to pay a pretty penny for it–but you know that within some relatively short period of time, maybe a year or two, you'll have to replace it.

Now we all know that there's all kinds of nasty, environment-unfriendly stuff inside these cool electronic goodies, so you don't want to just drop it in the trash along with the kitty litter. But it can be a pain to try to find an appropriate place to recycle it.

Gazelle is a service that will pay you to recycle your old electronics. How much you get back will depend on the make and model of your electronic goodies, with fancier items with all their accessories likely to score you a bigger payday. But in addition to that, they'll supply you with all the shipping materials you need, so it's not going to cost you anything. They'll make you an offer, which you can accept or reject. And once they've cut you a check, depending on your item, they'll turn around and re-sell it through their retail or wholesale channels, or if your device is really old or has no resale value, they'll responsibly recycle it.

Now you've done your bit for the environment and maybe put a few bucks in your pocket, that you can put toward your next purchase.