DAYS LEFT

Latest in Taxes: How to Avoid an Audit ---- New Tax Laws ---- 2009 Tax Brackets

Friday night on ABC's Shark Tank, we were introduced to a product that could, as infomercial godfather Kevin Harrington put it, make "$100 million on TV." It was LipStix ReMix, an ingenious lipstick recycler. Continue reading.

WalletPop Wire

Gift fair's best deals and a knickknack parting whack

Ron Dicker Feb 7th 2010 @ 9:00AM EST Filed Under: Shopping

WalletPop attempted to cull the the functional, fabulous and frugal from the recently wrapped International Gift Fair in New York City. Much of the show featured the tchotchkes coming to a novelty shop or airport kiosk near you, so we had our work cut out for us.

Here are my top five -- sorry, Terrorist Teapot, you didn't make the cut -- in no particular order.

Teroforma's soapstone cubes keep your whiskey or other liquor chilled longer than real ice cubs, and they don't dilute the taste, according to the maker. You just stick the Whisky Stones in the freezer and plop them into glasses when the guests arrive. Much of their value comes from the conversations they might inspire when the cocktail banter runs dry. The cubes are reusable and look cool in your Canadian Club. Nine cubes for $25, we were told, but online they're listed at $20.

The combination of eco-chic and utility makes Brelli's biodegradable clear plastic rain poncho for kids irresistible. It's an impermeable and science project rolled into one. Children can wear it as many times as they want, then bury it. Don't worry, Mom, it'll rot like apple peels! It folds into a pouch for purse or backpack convenience. Designer Pam Bronsius also makes an adult trenchcoat and poncho but the higher price removed it from WalletPop consideration. $22 for one child's poncho (red ribbons make it more for girls).

Continue reading Gift fair's best deals and a knickknack parting whack

You'll know your foreclosures by the poop

Sarah Gilbert Feb 6th 2010 @ 3:00PM EST Filed Under: Debt, Real Estate, Investing

The house sits behind an upholstery shop on the corner, and while I'm too young to know for sure, I'll bet the upholstery shop has thrived since the streetcar ran down Gladstone Street in the 1950s. The house, like mine, was built in the first few decades of the 20th century. An old grande dame, she is, brilliant with leaded glass windows and gingerbread detailing and a formal dining room and built-ins that must have had the real estate agents in a tizzy four years ago when the market was so hot she was flipped twice in a season, sold last for $417,000 -- nearly three times what we'd paid for our house, a block away, in 2002.

When she was first for sale my husband, who's worked for a few of the city's top residential real estate agents, called his old friends, dreaming of an investment -- he loves how enormous and elegant she is. I told him it was a foreclosure waiting to happen: even pre-crash I could see it couldn't work. The numbers just didn't make sense; the house had been a rental for many years and, despite its great "bones," there were problems that would prevent even the slummiest of landlords from breaking even.

Continue reading You'll know your foreclosures by the poop

Got cookies? 10 secrets of top-selling Girl Scouts

Gina Roberts-Grey Feb 6th 2010 @ 9:30AM EST Filed Under: Budgets, Food, Shopping

If you couldn't resist buying a box or two of Thin Mints or Samoas (both are favorites in my house) from a Girl Scout recently, don't feel bad. These pint-sized dynamos have honed sales skills that rival those of some of the most savvy adult professionals. If fact, some Scouts sell thousands of boxes per year.

"I have no doubt my top sellers will become very successful business women someday," says Kim Lasden, a troop "cookie mom" in Chicago. "These girls could teach Wall Street a thing or two."

Continue reading Got cookies? 10 secrets of top-selling Girl Scouts

Girl Scout cookies by the numbers: Just where do all those dollars go?

Gina Roberts-Grey Feb 6th 2010 @ 9:00AM EST Filed Under: Extracurriculars, Food, Shopping

It's hard to say no to a pint-sized cookie peddler, sweetly asking: "Would you like to buy a box of Girl Scout cookies?" But in an age where you're watching every penny, it can be equally hard to cough up between $3.50 and $4 for a box of 15 cookies -- even if those Samoas are perhaps the best thing that will ever cross your lips.

Despite their undeniable tastiness, there's no denying that, at $3.50 to $4 per box, Girl Scout cookies can be costly. But it might soften the blow to know where your cookie money really goes.

Continue reading Girl Scout cookies by the numbers: Just where do all those dollars go?

Nicole Jones, 'The Shoe Professa,' and how losing $150,000 bought her a future

Jason Cochran Feb 6th 2010 @ 1:01AM EST Filed Under: Shopping, Video, As Seen on TV

Last night on Shark Tank, America met Nicole Jones of Chicago. "I've been in love for a very long time," she purred. "In love with shoes!"

Thus was introduced Pillars of Slippers, a retail store with a service that throws shoe parties at ladies' homes. When her pink SUV arrives, the pink carpet unfurls, the champagne cork pops, and the fondue melts. "I throw the ladies into a shoe frenzy," exclaimed Jones, and everyone hopefully racks up big bills buying footwear.

Continue reading Nicole Jones, 'The Shoe Professa,' and how losing $150,000 bought her a future

Do these two housewives have the balls to attract the Sharks' quick money?

Jason Cochran Feb 6th 2010 @ 1:00AM EST Filed Under: Make Money Fast, Extracurriculars, Shopping, Investing, Video, As Seen on TV

Last night on another roller-coaster episode of Shark Tank, we met Michele Kapustka and Melisa Moroko, sisters behind SendABall, a Web-based company that sends inflated balls through the mail -- address it, stamp it, and send it, no box required -- instead of greeting cards. Between them, they have seven kids, and the families collaborate out of a garage.

In their taped introduction, they confessed they were doing so well, they couldn't keep up anymore. "We are slammed with orders. We need the Sharks and we need them now," said one of them. (Which one? We needed more time to distinguish them.) A problem like that -- too much guaranteed income -- is the sweet smell of chum to such finely tuned noses as our Sharks'.

They wanted $86,000 for 20% of their biz, and right away, they explained what they would do with the cash: They wanted to buy their own manufacture equipment so they wouldn't have to pay to outsource anymore. One of the sisters (the one whose name starts with M) said they would put their new equipment in "our little place in Chicago."

Continue reading Do these two housewives have the balls to attract the Sharks' quick money?

Retail sales climb -- Is that a light at the end of the tunnel?

Laura Heller Feb 5th 2010 @ 5:30PM EST Filed Under: Shopping, Recession

In the great game of trying to gauge the direction of the economy (it's up! No, it's down!), retail sales are considered a key indicator. And sales numbers released this week indicate a recovery is, indeed, on the way. If only it were that simple.

Retailers across product categories reported higher than expected sales in January, beating Wall Street expectations and in some cases, the retailer's own projections. Wholesale clubs BJ's and Costco had particularly strong showings in January, with sales of stores open at least a year rising 8.4% and 8% respectively.

Continue reading Retail sales climb -- Is that a light at the end of the tunnel?

Aphrodisiac foods cheaper than you think for Valentine's Day romance

Gina Roberts-Grey Feb 5th 2010 @ 5:00PM EST Filed Under: Shopping, Health, Economizer

Lovers, you've got a little more than one week until the hottest day of the year. No, we're not talking about summer solstice or the dog days of summer.

Feb. 14, Valentine's Day, the day devoted to red-hot romance, love and hearts, is notoriously hot, hot, hot. And whether lovers are toting home heart shaped boxes of chocolate under their arms, ordering in heart shaped pizzas or going out for a romantic dinner, food plays a big role in Valentine's celebrations.

So WalletPop thought we'd give lovers a helping hand this year. With the help of Dr. Melody Hart a practitioner at ChicagoHealers.com, we compiled a shopping list of must-have aphrodisiac foods. And, as an added bonus, most of these foods are pulling double duty, offering numerous health benefits, too.

Continue reading Aphrodisiac foods cheaper than you think for Valentine's Day romance

Bargain hunters can save at GNC by following these tips

Zac Bissonnette Feb 5th 2010 @ 4:00PM EST Filed Under: Bargains, Food, Health

General Nutrition Centers, or GNC, is hardly known as a haven for budget-minded dieters. This is, after all, the place that will sell you 24 cans of green tea for $53.69 to go along with 60 packets of low-carb fudge for $155.99.

But in my quest to gain weight and build more muscle, I've turned to GNC -- and with the easy combination of a discount card and soon-to-expire clearance items, I've found that shopping at GNC can actually be cheaper than buying junk food at Walmart.

Here's how it works: For $15 per year, you can get a GNC Gold Card, which entitles you to 20% off almost anything (including almost all sale/clearance items) for the first seven days of every month. On top of that, GNC offers deep discounts on soon-to-expire bars, shakes, and other nutritional products. If you buy stuff two months before it expires, you can save a fortune.

Continue reading Bargain hunters can save at GNC by following these tips

Hot Topics

Markets

U.S. open in 24 hrs, 17 mins

DJIA

10,012.23

10.05

0.10%

NASDAQ

2,141.12

15.69

0.74%

S&P; 500

1,066.19

3.08

0.29%

Columns

Features

Personal Finance

Connect

INVESTING

Financial Glossary

SMALL BUSINESS

Favorite SITES

AOL

Bugs and rodents got you down? Before you pick up the phone and call for an expensive service plan from an exterminator, think about these other options we test out.
Visit The Savings Experiment