(MONEY Magazine) – TIP 1 Ski in a T-shirt Late-spring skiing means longer days, fewer crowds and better deals. But you have to know where to find it.

• CHECK THE STATS Elevation and northern exposure help places like Whistler/Blackcomb (British Columbia) stay white into the green months. Scan the Season Progress Report at Bestsnow.net, an obsessive snow-monitoring site, to see where the fluff has been falling.

• SURF RESORT SITES After April 24, one-day lift tickets at Whistler drop from $63 to $40 (whistlerblackcomb.com). At Mammoth (California), whose 2005 closing day was July 4, two-night stay-and-ski packages start at $82 through May (mammothmountain.com).

• TRY LAST-MINUTE TRAVEL SITES When Arapahoe Basin (Colorado) gets one of its trademark late-spring dumps, visit travel clearinghouses like Site59.com and Ski.com for cheap ski packages.

• SKI UTAH Each day more than 400 flights land in Salt Lake City, a 45-minute drive from primo hills like Snowbird, which just pushed back closing till Memorial Day. Who needs winter? --PHILIP HIGGS

TIP 2 Gather ye appliances while it's May If you've been putting off replacing a large appliance that doesn't quite apply itself like it used to, this is your lucky month: Prices are slashed for Mother's Day and Memorial Day sales. Here's how to score an even sweeter deal.

• COMPARE Visit comparison websites like Froogle.com and ShopLocal.com to see how other stores are pricing that dishwasher.

• NEGOTIATE If you spot a lower price online, ask your store to match it. Or at least try for the extras: free delivery, free installation or no interest for a year.

• ASK ABOUT OUTLETS Dig for less-than-perfect units by asking a retailer where it sends damaged (but still functional) merchandise, by scanning outlet sites for closeout models (GE's is at geapplianceoutletstore.com, for example) or by inquiring whether the store's floor model is for sale.-- KATE ASHFORD

TIP 3 Track your health spending--and save Even if you really could keep track of all your family's doctor bills, drug receipts and insurance claims--and who are you kidding?--you still might have no idea whether you're meeting your deductibles or leaving unclaimed money in a flexible spending account.

• THE FIX The updated version of Quicken's Medical Expense Manager ($49.99; quickenmedical.com) allows you to track expenses, but it's more than just an organizer: It follows your progress toward meeting deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums, flags overlooked tax deductions and alerts you to possible billing errors. One flaw: It isn't integrated with other Quicken products.--CYBELE WEISSER

...Boomers are smart! In an Ernst & Young survey of HR execs, 63% of those worried about the aging work force say their biggest fear is a "brain drain"...

...Because the IRS doesn't have kneecaps you can break: Wondering where your tax refund is? Track it with the "Where's my refund?" link at irs.gov...

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