UNDATED - We all want to keep in touch with friends and family, especially at this time of the year. But those long distance phone calls can quickly add up.

Instead of picking up the phone and racking up long distance charges, invest in a web cam. They range in price from $20-130. You can get a cam with a clear picture and good audio for less than $50.

Once you have a web cam head to a skype.com where you can make calls from your computer - free - to other people on Skype. And you can make cheap calls to landlines and cell phones around the world.

You can also stay in touch through a site called smugmug.com. You have to register for the site, but it's free to upload your photos and share albums. Other free sites to share pictures include Snapfish, Shutterfly and Kodak.

Instead of sending cards through the mail, use free e-cards from Hallmark, American Greetings or Bluemountain.