By The Editors of Real Simple magazine

Like nothing before it, the Internet has brought the world to our doorsteps, giving us access to all sorts of information and amusements. But access is one thing; efficiency is quite another. That's why seasoned searchers tend to rely on a handful of tried-and-true specialized sites, most of them free to use. Here's Real Simple magazine's sampling of sites that will help you get the information you need just the way you need it — and all at the click of a mouse.

E-mail or postal addresses

www.addresses.com

You won't find Jon Stewart or Bill Gates (at least not the ones you're thinking of) in this directory, but you might find your childhood neighbor.

Phone numbers

www.whitepages.com/9901/ reverse_phone

If you have a pocketful of paper scraps with scribbled phone numbers — but no names — you'll appreciate this reverse-directory service.

» Places

Driving directions

maps.yahoo.com

This site has zoomable maps and driving directions for the United States and Canada. You can also view current traffic info for your route.

ZIP codes

zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp

The package is wrapped and ready, but what was that ZIP code? Ask the U.S. Postal Service.

Weather reports

www.weather.com

Get hour-by-hour forecasts or a 10-day outlook for just about any location in the world from the Weather Channel.

» HOME AND GARDEN

Home-improvement advice

www.lowes.com

Find thousands of DIY project tutorials here, with photos and step-by-step instructions.

Everyday cooking

www.allrecipes.com

With more than 30,000 recipes, many submitted by the site's visitors, Allrecipes.com is a terrific source of information about timesaving shortcuts and practical ingredients. (Can you say "frozen pie shell"?)

» SMARTS

What a word means

www.merriamwebster.com

For a thesaurus, a dictionary, etymologies and pronunciation tips, try this definitive source.

General knowledge

www.bartleby.com

This site combines the Columbia Encyclopedia, quotation anthologies and a number of classic fiction and nonfiction texts.

Crossword puzzle help

www.oneacross.com

It's the closest thing to having New York Times puzzle editor Will Shortz on speed dial.

» MONEY

Financial know-how

www.moneycentral.msn.com

MoneyCentral provides interactive tools to help you get a grip on the worlds of banking, investing, financial planning, portfolio management and taxes.

Stock market investing

www.fool.com

On the Motley Fool Web site, financial experts and authors David and Tom Gardner give humorous, easy-to-digest investing tips that may have you laughing all the way to the bank.

Mortgage calculations

www.mortgage-calc.com

This site's easy-to-use calculators answer everything from "How much can I borrow?" to "Should I rent or buy?" You can also compare up to three different loans side by side.

Courtesy of Real Simple