As Carole King was hitting the charts in 1971 singing "You're so far away...doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore?" Mary Levy, decked out in a proper pair of white gloves and eager to change the world, began her life of public service.

Nothing wrong with starting at the top. So Mary did just that, investing the first two years of her career at the White House's Office of Consumer Affairs. And as she answered consumer complaint letters from all over the country, Mary discovered her calling: to help people get the government consumer information they need to make their lives better.

In 1973, that calling led Mary to the brand new Consumer Information Center (now the Federal Citizen Information Center, home of Gov Gab and part of the General Service Administration's Office of Citizen Services and Communications). Mary quickly rose in leadership at FCIC and for the last 36 years, she's proven that a lot can be accomplished by staying in one place.

Mary oversees relationships between FCIC and dozens of federal agencies to create government consumer publications. Under her developmental leadership, FCIC has distributed hundreds of millions of copies of print consumer publications, as well as online information, on topics like avoiding scams, saving and investing money, finding good health care, and getting a higher education. And through the public service advertising program that Mary oversees, media outlets have donated hundreds of millions of dollars in free ad space to let people know about pueblo.gsa.gov, USA.gov and GobiernoUSA.gov.

Mary's penchant for perfection is legendary (you know those English majors). Every edition of the Consumer Action Handbook and the Consumer Information Catalog, every news release and every Gov Gab entry has passed under her red pen. Everything...except today's blog entry, and everything that will come after it.

Tomorrow, Mary retires.

It's a blessing to be able to step into the next phase of your life in good health and with lots to look forward to. And with travel plans, involvement with church and family, and a garden in the DC suburbs begging for her attention, Mary has an awful lot to look forward to. But you know, you can't stop a consumer education pioneer from pursuing her passion any more than you can stop a shopaholic from charging. So I don't think it'll be long until Mary finds a new venue for sharing her wisdom.

Staying in one place for so many years makes it hard to say goodbye, though. And as I've been watching Mary close out a career she cherishes in a place and with people she loves, I'm learning a lot about grace this week. And I'm feeling awfully grateful to work where we're not the stereotypical "faceless bureaucrats." I'm thankful for the relationships and for the mission to serve people that we all share here.

Congratulations, Mary. We'll miss you. And it's good to know that you won't be so far away...

Are you finding this holiday season rushed, stressful and confusing?

I am! And my being sick isn’t helping. (Would you believe that I have laryngitis AGAIN? ) Third time this year. The last time I had it back in July, I decided to do all my car buying negotiations online. Bidding seven dealers against each other, I ended up getting a great price. That experience worked so well, I’ve decided during this latest bout of speechlessness to forgo the mall and do all of my holiday shopping online too.

There are some great bargains out there. But I’ve got some sneaky tips that can help you get even better deals, not just during the holidays, but anytime you’re shopping online.

I’m kind of methodical when I’m buying something. I hit websites like CNET.com and ConsumerSearch.com to compare features, read professional reviews and get the ratings and reviews of people who already bought the product I’m considering.

Once I figure out the brand and model number, I use sites like Shopzilla and MySimon to compare prices.

Now for the sneaky part: coupon codes. As you’re getting ready to make your purchase on most online stores, you’ll see a little box to type in a coupon, promotional, or discount code. Online stores usually send coupon codes to their email update subscribers. Happily, you don’t need to clog up your email in-box with every store’s email updates. Just go to a site like CouponCabin.com and type in the name of the online store you’re interested in, to see what offer pops up. Cut and paste or type the coupon code into the box before you check out of the online store and depending on the offer, you can get a percentage off discount or even free merchandise.

The thing I don’t like about buying from online stores is their shipping and handling fee. Is it my imagination or do some online stores seem to inflate their shipping costs? I’m so cheap. So I was delighted when I found websites like FreeShipping.org that search online stores for free shipping deals. In the past week, I’ve saved over $20 in shipping from one online store alone, using the free shipping code I found on FreeShipping.org.

For ways to make sure the online seller you’ve chosen is reputable and for tips on what to do if your purchase isn’t what you hoped it would be, check out USA.gov’s section on shopping from home.

What are you buying online this holiday season?

Usually at the end of the year, people and businesses start thinking about last minute charitable contributions, driven by the holiday spirit or the need for tax deductions. Whatever the motivation, this is typically the biggest time for charities. But not this year. The financial hit that families and businesses have taken recently is translating into a financial hit for charities too. Some nonprofits, like a Boys and Girls Club near Washington, DC could close if things don't turn around.

I found a great link today on ConsumerAction.gov to a Better Business Bureau article on ways to give creatively when your heart's bigger than your wallet:

Open your closets and your cupboards: Unworn or gently used clothes, toys, household items and extra canned or packaged food are all welcome more than ever at your local thrift shop or food pantry since both places are seeing a lot more traffic during this tough economic time. I went to my local Goodwill last week to buy some books and was astounded by how unusually crowded the place was. Remember to double-check the dates on food packages and make sure the clothes and household items are clean and without holes. Donating stuff that's not in good condition ends up adding costs and wasting time for charities because they have to sort through and dispose of items that aren't in good shape.

Donate a vehicle: Reluctant to try to sell my beloved Jeep on my own and wanting more than anything for it to go to somebody else who really needed it, I donated it to my church a few months ago. In their car donation program, my church gives the vehicle directly to a family in need. The vehicle donor in turn gets to claim the car or truck's Blue Book value. Other car donation programs may sell your vehicle at auction. That auction price—usually much less than Blue Book value—is the amount you get to claim on your taxes. Make sure you know which route the charity you'll be donating your vehicle to will take, so you won't be surprised in the end.

Give the gift of time and talk: Stocking shelves at a food pantry, tutoring a kid, polishing up a jobless friend's resume, running or riding in a jog- or bike-a-thon—whatever your interests or talents, there are people and groups that would be grateful for your time. And if you're an avid blogger, emailer or part of an online community, chatting about your favorite nonprofit organizations is a great way to motivate others to support them. And it doesn't cost you a dime.

How do you support your favorite causes?

Here we are again for the second year in a row:  You. Me. Turkey Day. If you won't ask me what I'm doing blogging all by myself on Thanksgiving, I won't ask you why you're reading a blog today instead of watching to see which balloon pops first in the Macy's Parade. Or eating a hunk of pie. Or, ideally, doing both at the same time.

Jake's already given you lots of great Thanksgiving tips from USA.gov and around the government web to help you make sure that—

Regardless of how you're celebrating today, you'll know the story of what happened that first Thanksgiving...

You'll practice safe food handling in preparing your turkey...

You'll know what to do with all those leftovers...

Yep, we've covered it all now, except for one thing—what we're thankful for here at Gov Gab headquarters:

You.

Thank you for stopping by, for reading, commenting, emailing us, and for telling your friends and your coworkers about Gov Gab.p

When we're counting our blessings today, we're thinking of you.

I used to think it was just a cliché. But in the middle of this financial crisis we're facing together in the U.S. right now, the phrase "Most Americans are just two paychecks away from financial disaster" seems frighteningly true.

You don't have control over when a job or income loss or a serious illness will throw you into financial trouble. But not having a handle on the basics of saving and investing, taxes, mortgages and insurance can leave you even more vulnerable when bad times—or scam artists—hit.

Right now, more than any time in our recent memories, it’s critical to brush up on financial literacy. My office works with a couple organizations that are helping adults and kids do just that.

The U.S. Financial Literacy and Education Commission operates MyMoney.gov, a site to help you make sense of practical money management, financial planning, saving for retirement, and getting familiar with financial scams so you can avoid them. Their online calculators help you estimate college costs, how much mortgage you can afford, what your Social Security benefits will be at retirement time and a lot more.

Through MyMoney.gov and 1 (888) MY MONEY, you can also get the free "My Money Toolkit," a collection of popular booklets that can help you learn to get your spending, saving and investing on track. You can check out the publications online or order copies for yourself, your friends or family.

The Jump $tart Coalition is involved in providing resources to help students kindergarten through college age grow up learning and exercising practical money skills. Whether you're an educator or a parent wondering how to start teaching your kids about money and financial responsibility, Jump $tart lists a terrific collection of fun websites for kids that'll teach them about saving, investing and making smart choices as consumers.

One other financial literacy website that I like a lot is from Visa. PracticalMoneySkills.com takes a comprehensive approach to teaching adults and kids better money management skills. The site is available in English, Spanish and Chinese and features videos and articles covering topics like setting a child's allowance, financially weathering a divorce, reducing your debt and understanding compound interest.

What do you wish you'd learned earlier in your life about managing your finances?