When buying fruit at the store, buy some pieces that are already ripe and some that are not quite ripe. By doing this you minimize having to eat over-ripe fruits and reduce chances of the fruit going bad before you can eat it. By the way, people don't realize that you can break up a bunch of bananas when you're in the store.

My current favorite gadget is the One Touch Can Opener. This little battery-operated can opener can fit in your hand. You simply put it on top of your can, hit a button and the device automatically moves around the top of the can. It doesn't leave any sharp edges. The best thing is when you're through with it, you just stick it in a drawer. No more leaving the ugly corded unit out on your counter. The product costs less than $20 and you can find it at your local kitchen store or at Amazon.com. To see a live demo of the product, go to YouTube.com.

There are some people who don't have a bank account. For these people, the only way they can get their work checks cashed is to go to a very expensive check cashing store. No more. Walmart now offers a service where you can get your check deposited to a pre-paid Visa card for just $3. You can use the card anywhere. Speaking of Walmart, you'll find this interesting. The reason Walmart trucks seem to go slower than other trucks on the highway is because the company put electronic speed governors on all of their vehicles. The number of accidents reduced, too.

Are you thinking about giving to a charity? Unless it's a nationally recognized charity, you may want to check it out on one of these two Web sites: give.org and charitywatch.org.

If you have poor vision, trying to use the Internet can be a hassle. There's now a free software program you can download that will enlarge all of the Web sites you visit. The software will even read the page for you. It's called LowBrowse and you can find it at Lighthouse.org. You will have to use the Firefox web browser for it to work. If you've never used Firefox, the Lighthouse Web site will tell you how.

Tim Thompson lives in Gainesville. E-mail Tim your ideas for tips, tools or tricks.