Maclaren recalled more than ten years worth of strollers and urged people not to use them until they are fixed -- but we found plenty of them out on the street. Read more on what strollers are involved in our post by Consumer Ally, Mitch Lipka.

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Grant money awarded to prove video games are good for your health

Gina Roberts-Grey Nov 9th 2009 @ 7:00PM EST Filed Under: Extracurriculars, Home

Recently nearly $2 million in grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation were awarded to nine research teams working on strengthening the evidence that playing games - video games that is - is good for your health.

The awards, which come from the Foundation's Health Games Research national program based at the University of California, Santa Barbara, will be used to research how gaming supports the development and use of digital interactive games to improve players' health.

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Bloomingdale's 20% off sale - starts today

Julia Scott Nov 9th 2009 @ 6:15PM EST Filed Under: Bargain Babe

Get 20% off almost all regular- and sale-priced items at Bloomingdale's in the fashion, kids, and home departments. Get 10% off small electronics and men's electronics.

The sale starts today online and in stores Wednesday, Nov. 11. Online use coupon code HOLIDAY. To get the in-store coupon click here then email yourself the coupon via the "share with a friend" link.

Cosmetics and some brands are excluded, so check the fine print before you set your heart on a pair of Uggs or something.

Ruby Tuesday polishes its image and takes casual dining up a notch

Sarah Gilbert Nov 9th 2009 @ 6:15PM EST Filed Under: Food, Recession

Goodbye Ruby Tuesday -- or at least the Ruby Tuesday we once knew. Gone are the knock-off Tiffany lamps and the cheesy knickknacks that once served as such great comedic fodder for the fictional restaurant Chotchkie's in the movie Office Space Gone, too, are the waitstaff clad in white shirts and ties that hark back to 1989. Instead of fusion cuisine excesses like Southwestern egg rolls and the Macho Nacho burger, the new Ruby Tuesday's menu is about bison burgers, prime rib, and lobster -- with a side of macaroni and cheese, of course.

It's not exactly four-star dining, but it's surely a long way from a casual dining restaurant where "casual" far outshone the other possible monikers. The new Ruby Tuesday's features waiters and waitresses in black tees and pants -- "hipster" style, the New York Times says -- leather banquettes, dark varnished wood, and a menu that would feel right at home in this millennium. In addition to the lobster and prime rib, there's jumbo lump crab cakes, broiled tilapia, and a crispy shrimp sampler in which sesame seeds and peanut glaze make an appearance.

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Get paid to stay home sick with the flu? You will if lawmakers have their way

Gina Roberts-Grey Nov 9th 2009 @ 6:00PM EST Filed Under: Home, Health

Everyone from President Obama to your office mate wants you to stay home sick at the first flu-like symptom. And now, if some lawmakers have their way, workers nursing H1N1 symptoms will be paid to stay home - whether they've got sick days accrued or not.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been leading the charge since September, lobbying for the scores of flu-plagued New Yorkers to get paid to stay home sick. That's because nearly two-thirds of New York City's work force is without paid sick days. And their over-stretched budget trumps their fever, causing them to drag themselves - and their flu-like symptoms - into work.

Continue reading Get paid to stay home sick with the flu? You will if lawmakers have their way

We shouldn't be talking about deficit reduction with 10.2% unemployment

Bob Cesca Nov 9th 2009 @ 5:00PM EST Filed Under: Debt, Recession

There's a potential disconnect between the Obama administration, the unemployment rate and the deficit, and I hope there's some sort of resolution or else you and I could be looking at high unemployment for some time to come -- not to mention a backslide on the greenshoots and economic growth we're beginning to see.

The unemployment rate jumped to 10.2% last month, the first time unemployment has breached 10% since 1983. While monthly job losses are significantly declining since early this year, 10.2% is still a scary threshold.

Continue reading We shouldn't be talking about deficit reduction with 10.2% unemployment

Ten little fingers, ten little toes ...and a brand new stroller for you

Julie Tilsner Nov 9th 2009 @ 4:30PM EST Filed Under: Kids and Money, Technology

So you're having to pack up that fancy Maclaren stroller and send it back to its maker because of the massive recall. Now what? It's not like you can get far without your stroller, especially if you live in the city.

But choosing a stroller these days is about as time-consuming as researching your next car. Do you want a jogger? An umbrella? A pram? A two-in-one? Are the Italian ones better than the Japanese ones? Is Graco better than Evenflo? What about double strollers? A side-by-side or a sit n' stand? Is a $500 Peg Perego lightweight better than an $80 lightweight from Evenflo?

The quick answer: Strollersource, a website that lets you compare stroller brands by price and form and function, with all of the facts and none of the hard-sell of a stroller salesman. While there is no shortage of stroller review and comparison shopping sites, this one has a simple, easy-to-use search function that is blissfully free of blinking, screaming shills. Very important for the frazzled, concentration-challenged mom, in my opinion. The site does not sell strollers at all, so you're getting just the facts, ma'am.

Continue reading Ten little fingers, ten little toes ...and a brand new stroller for you

The IRS may be looking for you - to give you your tax refund

Kelly Phillips Erb Nov 9th 2009 @ 4:15PM EST Filed Under: Tax

The Internal Revenue Service might be looking for you -- but not for the reasons that you think. The IRS is actually looking to dole out refunds worth more than $123.5 million to taxpayers whose refund checks were returned to the IRS by the U.S. Postal Service due to mailing address errors.

IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman wants taxpayers to come forward, saying, "We are eager to get this money into the hands of taxpayers, so don't delay if you think you are missing a refund. The sooner you update your address information, the quicker you can get your refund."

Updating your address with the IRS is easy. You can update your address online by visiting the "Where's My Refund?" tool on the IRS web site or use the telephone version of "Where's My Refund?" by calling 1-800-829-1954. You can also complete a Form 8822, Change of Address, downloadable as a pdf via the IRS web site or call 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676) to have a Form 8822 mailed to you.

The average number of undeliverable refunds rose by 16% this year, but the 107,831 refunds which remain outstanding still total less than 1% of the more than 142 million returns processed by the IRS. If you haven't received your refund, check with the IRS to see if your check was one of those returned by the post office. If it wasn't, and your check remains undelivered, you can receive a replacement check within six to eight weeks of making a claim by calling 1-800-829-1954.

Remember, a tax refund is your money. Don't leave it on the table.

My 5-year-old opens a savings account -- you can, too

Aaron Crowe Nov 9th 2009 @ 4:00PM EST Filed Under: Banks, Banking-savings-account

As with too many lessons I try to teach my daughter, now 5, I end up caving in and the lesson I set out to instill is lost.

We'll see if it turns out the same way with her savings account we recently opened together, but it couldn't have been a strong lesson in how to save money when immediately after leaving the bank, we went to a store where I bought her a promised toy.

I'll get back to the toy spending in a bit, but first I'd like to focus on the good part of that afternoon -- opening a savings account in her name in an effort to teach her about saving money.

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Tagged ... you're out! Texas social network dinged for abusing user data

Josh Smith Nov 9th 2009 @ 3:40PM EST Filed Under: Technology

In a move that would make Chuck Norris proud, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott announced today that the state of Texas had reached an agreement with Tagged, Inc., a social networking site that was accused of tricking users into providing access to their address books. As part of the agreement, Tagged has to pay $250,000, which includes the cost of the state's investigation.

After Tagged had access to a user's address book, the social networking site sent messages that appeared to come directly from the user, offering to share photos with the recipient. When a recipient tried to view the pictures, which often didn't even exist, they were prompted to sign up, giving Tagged access to their address book and continuing the deceptive practice.

Continue reading Tagged ... you're out! Texas social network dinged for abusing user data

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