Every three years or so, your computer will die, or it will become so slow and buggy you'll want to kill it. Starting over with a new computer can be a painful, costly, time-consuming headache. Here are three ways to save yourself money and time.

1. You'll need to transfer between 10 gigs and 80 gigs worth of documents, photos, and program data (like your Quicken backup) from your old computer to your new computer. Afraid you'll lose an important document? Consider buying a 16Gb Flash drive ($65.99 at BestBuy) or 1 TB extrernal harddrive ($99 at BestBuy) as a half-way house for precious archives.
   
   
2. Before purchasing Microsoft Office for your new computer for US$300, consider OpenOffice -- an open source (free) alternative to Microsoft Office. Simply download the "installer package" at OpenOffice.org and install it. OpenOffice's compatibility with Microsoft Word is almost seamless. You can save any OpenOffice text document as a ".doc" file and open any ".doc" files in OpenOffice. We've been testing it for two months, it's been a satisfactory substitute for Microsoft Office, though we've noticed three pesky issues:
   
   
   1. When a Word user (your colleague) opens a ".doc" file created with OpenOffice, its formatting doesn't always render as you intended.
   2. We still can't locate the "Track Changes" function.
   3. When opening Word doc inside Open Office, sometimes bullets are altered into an unrecognizable character. It's easy to fix, but tedious.
   
   
3. Consider upgrading to a new computer before you absolutely have to. In other words, don't wait until your hard drive crashes to figure out what computer you're buying next, how you're going to transfer your files, and what software you'll need. By thinking ahead, you'll have luxury of running two computers simultaneously, finding the best software deals and moving files over at your own pace.

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Need affordable web help? Who doesn't. From full website builds to small code tweaks, websites always need something. Fortunately, there's a lot of talent available. Here are a few things to consider when hiring freelance web contractors:

• If you're working with someone for the first time, start with a low cost, low risk project. Gradually ease into larger projects. Don't be afraid to discontinue the relationship if you're not satisfied with the work, or the communication. Communication is just as important as execution.
• It's good practice to pay a portion (30%?) of the project fee upfront, but don't pay the full fee until the task or project is complete.
• Document every detail. Don't assume that your intern or contractor will interpret the task as you intended. We recommend sketching on paper exactly what you want, scanning it and emailing it. Count on misunderstanding -- it's part of the process and you need to manage it. You are responsible for ensuring that they understand what you need them to do.

Not sure who to hire? Here are a few places to start:

Hire an Intern with Urban Interns

Urban Interns ( www.urbaninterns.com) is an online marketplace that connects employers with college students and grads looking for part-time work and internships. In a recent email exchange with their founder Cari Sommer, we learned that many employers contact them looking for help with website updating and Twitter. Though UI us technically "in beta in NYC," many of their interns can work remotely, and therefore can be hired from anywhere. Here's a sample intern description from the UI website: Whitney Kate Sullivan Education: college degree Hours / week: 31+ Bio: After graduating from the University of Hartford with honors in 2008, I moved to New York City, where I currently reside. I am a published freelance writer. I create polished reviews and press kits for a monthly magazine and a major publisher. I also blog, twitter and am active on facebook. Additionally, I have six years of retail experience as a Borders book seller. At my current book store, I am consistently selected to assist our Corporate Sales Representative at off-site events for my professional attitude and up-beat demeanor. I also aid him in the office with my content and copy editing skills. I am currently seeking experience to aid my transition to a more career-track position. Click here to search for interns on Urban Interns.

Amanda's Personal Recommendations *
As someone who spends eight hours a day building websites, be they DailyWorth.com or client websites, I've amassed a diverse collection of reliable contractors. Here are two of my favorites, and I know they're looking for more work. Feel free to contact them directly.

Prabhat Sandheliya, CEO of CodeRevolts

Prabhat runs a small Web development company called CodeRevolts based in India focused on PHP and LINUX. We love how he employs so many women engineers (5!). Prabhat's company bills $25/hour. His English his impeccable. You can email him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and then continue communicating on instant messenger. I've given him probably 15 projects in last 2 years. In only one instance he couldn't complete the work, and he refunded my money. You make payments to him via PayPal.

Rushabh Patel

Rushabh is an independent PHP freelancer, also based in India. He's very service oriented and responds rapidly to all of my requests. His English is good, but sometimes details get lost in translation. He appreciates when you explain everything to him with as much detail as possible, in email (not via IM or Skype chat). He charges $10/hour. You can email him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and then continue communicating on instant messenger. You make payments to him via PayPal.

* Disclaimer: You are responsible for your working relationship with anyone we recommend to you in this email, or any other DailyWorth. While I adore working with Prabhat and Rushabh, they cannot handle every task all the time. If things go sour, please don't come after me! Hire anyone at your own risk.

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If you're trying to stick to a budget, but managing only to stick every bill, statement and sheet of financial correspondence into a large, messy pile on the kitchen counter, maybe it's time to digitize your efforts, reorganize your finances and take to the Web. There are many Web services designed to hand-hold you through this transition.

We scoured Google, Twitter and the blogosphere for reviews of the best online tools, and we liked this round-up at Mashable.com most:

HOW TO: Reorganize Finances Using the Web by Ben Parr

Concerned about security? The New York Times blogged about Mint.com's security practices here. Mint, a personal finance application and online community serving more than one million people, has put an exceptional amount of thought and energy into security (as one would hope). It's a good idea to understand how it works before handing over the usernames and passwords to your bank accounts. Read Addressing Security Concerns on Mint.com by Virginia Heffernan.

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