Times are Tough on Google Maps

In these belt-tightening times many of us need to stretch the dollar in our pocket just a little bit further. Here are some Google Maps that can help you with your stretching:

MetroSEEQ

MetroSEEQ maps local deals, discounts, promotions and introduces location relevance to advertisements/coupons. The map thoroughly searches the Google Local database and displays the results on a Google Map. Therefore you can use MetroSEEQ to find a restaurant, a local plumber or any other local business.

However, what I really like is the 'Deal Hunt' view. If you choose to look for deals the map will show all the businesses in your area currently offering special deals. If you click on one of the markers an information window will open displaying the special offer coupon. Registered users can then add this deal to their cart and return to the map to search for more special offers.

The site also includes a fun 'Wheel of Meal' that randomly selects a restaurant that suits your chosen type of cuisine.

Latest Stock Quotes Map

If you want to find out how much your stock has fallen today then you should check out this Latest Stocks Quotes Map. This Google Maps mash-up will show you the latest stock quotes from Google Finance on Google Maps. The map lists all the popular searches on Google Finance, and includes the 'Price Gainers' and 'Price Losers'.

You can type in a company name directly into the url of the page to get that company's results.
For example, to get the current stock quote for Google you would type in http://www.mibazaar.com/googlefinance/index.php?ticker=goog. There is, of course, also a search form. The results of a search are then shown on a Google Map where the corporate headquarters of that company are located.

Gentrify

Even when money is too tight to mention we still need to indulge ourselves occasionally. At least I assume that's what the guys behind Gentrify are hoping. Otherwise they have picked the wrong time to launch.

This site is aimed squarely at those who can't be too far from cheese shops, dermatologists, and pilates instructors. Or as Gentrify itself says, if you are 'tired of stepping over homeless people on your way to Bikram, Jonesing for a Yacón root smoothie (then) Gentrify helps the elite urban bourgeois find their natural habitats."

In essence the site is a Google Map of San Francisco with an amazing array of layers that will let you search for 'Acupuncture', 'Buddhist Temples', 'Cannabis Clinics', 'Cheese Shops', 'Chiropractors', 'Chocolatiers', 'Creperies' and a whole lot more.

I hear rumours that the site is proving popular with the employees of one particular small company in Mountain View.

Finding Cheap Gas

• GasPriceWatch.com - search US gas prices by zip code.
• GasBuddy.com - a handy Google Maps mapplet that will allow you to search Google Maps for the cheapest gas prices.
• AltFuelPrices.com -Alternative fuel prices and fill stations for the entire US.
• WhatGas.com - the UK's cheapest petrol.
• WAPetrol - cheapest places to buy petrol in Western Australia.