Have you ever seen the scam likely notification when your phone rings? It can be pretty frightening. Fortunately, there are ways to block these calls and others like them. We'll show you how.

Wouldn’t it be nice to know how crowded an area is before going? You can with Google Maps. 

• Just open the app and navigate to your destination. 
• Zoom in or out until you see highlighted patches with a “busyness” indicator. It’ll say something like “Not busy,” “Busier than usual” or “As busy as it gets.”
• Tapping on the Busy area label will bring up a chart that shows how busy the area is at different times of day, along with a directory of nearby restaurants, shops and recreational places. 

🕒 This is a really smart way to find the best time to stop by a store you’ve been meaning to check out. The busy indicators work for restaurants, too. Check out more Google Maps tricks.

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Laptops are expensive! You want yours to last years and years, and rightfully so. But what do you need to do to properly care for your beloved laptop? We'll tell you how to clean and maintain your device both inside and out. The best part? It only takes a few minutes here and there. Follow these seven essential maintenance tasks every month and your laptop will thank you.

Get Apple tips, tricks and updates to your inbox twice a week. Coming up soon: How to hide files and folders on your Mac. Handy!

What are you feeding your dog? Chances are, even if it’s premium or organic dog food, it contains 50% to 64% processed cereal byproducts with little nutritional value. For 45+ years, Dr. Marty Goldstein has been a pioneer in pet nutrition. Nature’s Blend is a premium freeze-dried, raw dog food made in North America, designed to mimic what your dog would eat in the wild. Get this: 81% of the food is made from real cuts of raw turkey, raw beef, raw salmon and raw organ meats. The rest is omega-3-rich seeds, superfood veggies and fruits. They offer a hassle-free, full refund within 90 days of purchase if your dog doesn’t love it.

For a limited time, save 54% on your first order, plus get a free bag of Dr. Marty’s bestselling dog treats.

Ah, vacation. We could all use a break, but there's no denying the stress that comes with all the moments leading up to reaching your destination. I can help! In this column, I've got smart ways to save you some time, protect your privacy and get where you're going comfortably.

Is there anything worse than getting to checkout and realizing you have to pay an exorbitant shipping fee? Never fear. We've got five great ways to minimize your shipping costs this holiday shopping season. Many of these sites work with major brands, including Macy's, Nordstrom and Kohl's.

When you own your own business, you're the CEO, the marketer, the IT person and the data analyst. Don't go it alone. Get Kim's must-read small biz tips every week.

Do you tend to forget important things when you're busy? Try this quick trick. Plus, use these simple tips to protect your packages from porch pirates during the holiday season, top tech stories of the year and holiday gift card scams to watch out for.