According to a new survey done by Lundberg, the price of gas has been climbing to almost 10c an average in the past few weeks citing the reason for its steady rise is because of environmental causes.

This, and the fact that the country is in recession, is definitely not something consumers welcome as good news.

Report from Reuters:

The average national price for self-serve regular unleaded gasoline was $2.048 a gallon on April 10, up 9.58 cents from March 20, according to the survey of gas stations.

The price was a whopping $1.27 below a year ago levels, when crude oil prices soared.

“The major cause of the rise of nearly a dime in three weeks is seasonal gasoline demand, not only because our consumption rises month by month, but because of the cost of environmental compliance,” Survey editor Trilby Lundberg said in an interview.

As the weather warms, refiners are required to limit vapor pressure in order to avoid smog production. This adds to the cost per gallon, she said.

“It’s already kicking in this month in some parts of the county,” she said.

The cost of crude oil has remained fairly constant over the past three weeks, Lundberg said.

The lower gas prices could spur demand, which is likely to result in a rise in prices, but nowhere near the record $4.112 per gallon set on July 11, 2008, “unless there’s a crude oil shock, and that does not seem likely either,” she said.

The lowest price per gallon was in Newark, New Jersey, at $1.83, while Anchorage, Alaska, saw the highest at $2.40 per gallon. Los Angeles, the biggest U.S. market for gasoline, had an average price of $2.32 per gallon.

The nationwide Lundberg survey polls about 5,000 gas stations in U.S. metropolitan areas.

Here’s a book recommendation for homemakers: Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Home: No-Nonsense Advice that Will Inspire You to CLEAN like the DICKENS for $13.59.

It contains several common sense tips that are usually ignored or forgotten. It also includes tips you may probably have not heard of yet. This book is a super-useful guide to keeping your home clean and efficient.

Product Description:

When Thelma Meyer tells it to you, she tells it straight: Clean the kitchen daily! Don’t waste anything (not even the water leftover from those potatoes you just boiled)! Always work hard! This philosophy meant that when Thelma’s daughter Monica founded Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day products (named after her mom), the products were designed to work hard for you.

Now for the first time, Thelma’s sage advice is being made available in this revolutionary cleaning guide chock full of practical tips and secrets based on the premise that life is hectic and messy — and so keeping your house clean and nice is the only sensible thing to do. With shortcuts and tips for cleaning the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and living room, MRS MEYER’S CLEAN HOME contains unexpected advice such as:

• Never use vinegar and water on wood floors. One part dish soap and four parts water is the only way to truly get them clean. And remember to buff with a terrycloth towel.
• Always clean out the fridge before grocery shopping. Serve the kids “Musko” (”must go”) for dinner, using the items that were fast approaching expiration.
• Wash windows on a cloudy day to avoid the nasty streaking that happens when the sun’s out and glass dry too fast.

MRS MEYER’S CLEAN HOME is two parts common sense and one part inspiration. Read it and learn how to clean like the dickens.

About the Author
Always thrify Thelma Meyer raised nine children in Iowa and kept the house clean. She helps promote the Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day products.

Monica Meyer is Founder and President of Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day. She spent many years as a brand builder for leading retailers, and was a marketing executive at Target.

The survey of 1,263 wealthy Americans, all of whom had at least $500,000 in investible assets, revealed that 15 percent say, “I am saving as much as I can, but I am not sure I will meet my goal.” Another 11 percent report they are behind schedule in their contributions and 8 percent do not have a retirement goal.

Among the prepared, 50 percent are confident they will reach their retirement goals. Another 17 percent say, “I am ahead of schedule and may end up surpassing my goal.”

The survey revealed other attitudes about wealthy Americans’ views of what retirement means to them, what they hope to do with their retirement and advice from wealthy retirees for peers who are still working.

Paul Gaudio, a senior wealth planner with PNC Wealth Management in Princeton, N.J., is not surprised that so many are uncertain about their goals: “The last 18 months have made everyone re-evaluate their goals, no matter how much money they make. But in my experience nobody, particularly those earning more than $150,000 per year, like to admit defeat or mistakes, and so they create financial illusions to rationalize their retirement plans.”

To most, retirement means a break with life as usual. Most envision retirement to be unscheduled, living every day as different, PNC’s survey findings revealed.

“This is important for us as advisors to know, as the retirement conversation may be more effectively framed around a discussion of spending time as opposed to money,” Gaudio said.

Working affluent envision themselves retiring at a median age of 62.3 years, the survey showed. Twenty-five percent expect to retire between ages 60 and 64, while 11 percent said they will work until they are between 70 and 74 years of age.

Of those who plan to work until age 70 or longer, 60 percent said, “I enjoy working and I don’t want to stop.”

The survey also found 90 percent plan to live in retirement at least 10 years, while 70 percent are planning a retirement between 10-30 years.

Via PNC Financial Services Group

From USA TODAY

The walls in the home, a recently filed class-action lawsuit alleges, were built with the same kind of Chinese-made drywall that tests have shown emit sulfur gases that corrode copper coils and electrical and plumbing components.

Similar problems have been linked to hundreds of Florida homes. Tens of thousands of homes there and in other states could be affected, say lawyers who have filed lawsuits on behalf of Florida homeowners. The discovery has created a firestorm that’s engulfed an international building supplier, large and small home builders and dozens of subcontractors. The issue also has revived concerns about quality-control procedures of U.S. companies that use Chinese-made products, following episodes in recent years involving contaminated toothpaste and pet-food ingredients, lead-tainted toys and defective tires imported from China.

A leading U.S. home builder, Lennar, and a Chinese drywall manufacturer, Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin, say tests show the gases given off by the drywall pose no health hazards. Florida regulators and the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission are investigating.

“If it can put holes in metal coils, how do we know it doesn’t cause problems in children or adults?” asks attorney Jeremy Alters of Florida-based law firm Alters Boldt Brown Rash Culmo. Alters says he has clients who developed respiratory ailments “out of the blue” after moving into allegedly affected homes.

Knauf says Chinese drywall imports started in significant amounts in 2005 as a result of a shortage driven by the booming housing market and rebuilding after Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma.

In addition to lawsuits on behalf of Florida homeowners, a class-action lawsuit was recently filed by an Alabama home builder that has made air conditioning repairs on two dozen Alabama homes, says attorney Steven Nicholas. A class-action lawsuit has also been filed on behalf of Louisiana homeowners.

Lawyers say they’re investigating more complaints in other states and Florida.

A related story is also reported via CNN.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of product: Solar System Kits and DNA Kits
Units: About 930,000
Manufacturer: FloraCraft Corp., of Ludington, Mich.
Hazard: The surface coating on the educational kit’s wires can contain excessive levels of lead, violating the federal lead paint standard.
Incidents/Injuries: None reported.

Description: This recall involves the “Solar System” and the “DNA” children’s educational craft kits sold under the FloraCraft and HYGLOSS brand names. The kits contain green coated wires that measure 14 ½ inches long and Styrofoam shapes. The following model numbers are included in this recall. The model number is located on the kit’s packaging.

• Solar System Kit
  SS2003
  SS101
  59901
  SS2003P
• DNA Kit
  DNA2003
  59903
  DNA2003P

Sold at: Wal-Mart, Michaels, Jo-Ann Stores, Hobby Lobby and other retailers nationwide from January 2003 through February 2009 for between $10 and $30.

Manufactured in: United States and China
Remedy: Consumers should immediately take the craft kit’s wires away from children and contact FloraCraft to obtain free replacements.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact FloraCraft Corp. toll-free at (866) 775-8781, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.floracraft.com

From time to time, I think we need to feature product recall advisories from the CPSC. This is to help raise awareness and reach parents and homeowners alike. These product recalls are good measures of preventing untoward incidents that may lead to serious accidents at home.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of product: Children’s flip flops
Units: About 210,000
Manufacturer: Alpargatas USA Inc., of New York, N.Y.
Hazard: Decorative paint on the sole of the flip flops can contain levels of lead in excess of the federal standard. Incidents/Injuries: None reported

Description: Flip flops of the Havaianas brand containing decorative paint were sold under the following model names: Baby Estampas, Baby Pets, Kids Apple, Kids Fairy, Kids Flores, Kids Lighthouse, Kids Monsters, Kids Surf, Baby Letrinhas, Kids Sports, Kids Candies, Kids Fun, Kids Love, Kids Sereias, Kids Speed, Kids Lucky Bug, Kids Pets, Kids Rock, Kids Slim, Kids Wonder Woman, Kids Small Flowers and Kids Tropical w/Kit. A photo of a representative flip flop is provided below. Havaianas flip flops without decorative paint are not being recalled.

Sold by: Department and specialty stores nationwide from November 2006 through February 2009 for about $15 to $24 a pair.
Manufactured in: Brazil

Remedy: Consumers should immediately take the recalled flip flops away from children and return them to Alpargatas USA, Inc. to receive a replacement.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, please contact Alpargatas USA at (888) 289-5306 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the company’s Web site at www.havaianasus.com

The net worth of US households fell by nearly 18 percent or 11.2 trillion dollars in 2008 as the world’s biggest economy grappled with a prolonged recession, the Federal Reserve said Thursday.

Household net worth — the difference between the value of assets and liabilities — was an estimated 51.47 trillion dollars at the end of the fourth quarter of 2008, down 5.1 trillion dollars from the preceding quarter, the US central bank said.

For 2008 as a whole, household net worth fell 11.2 trillion dollars from 62.68 trillion dollars in the previous year, according to the Fed’s latest “Flow of Funds Accounts” quarterly report.

The 2008 figure is the lowest since 2004, when household wealth was at 51.87 trillion dollars, the report said.

The United States is facing its worst recession since the Great Depression after a home mortgage meltdown triggered financial turmoil that slammed the brakes on growth.

The recession began in December 2007 and based on the most recent government estimate, US gross domestic product contracted at an eye-popping 6.2 percent annual pace in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Some analysts say the downturn may be even worse in the first quarter of 2009.

The Fed also said that at the end of 2008, the level of outstanding domestic nonfinancial debt was 33.5 trillion dollars, including household debt valued at 13.8 trillion dollars and total government debt of 8.6 trillion dollars.

Household debt contracted at an annual rate of two percent in the fourth quarter of 2008, following two quarters of very weak growth, the report said.

Source: MSNBC

Here are just some of the things you can score from Eden&Eden:

Aside from kitchen items, the store also has home fixtures, home decorations, jewelry, accessories, clothes and purses. The choices are a little bit quirky but tasteful.

Eden&Eden is located in San Francisco, California.

Check the website here.

This is truly a great Mommy Kitchen helper. It’s so easy to use for parents with weaning babies. You can steam veggies, meat and fruits with it, even as the vitamins and flavors are retained. You can also use this to reheat or defrost baby’s food…

The French baby-food maker that has won praise throughout Europe is finally available to American families. This compact countertop appliance multitasks as a steamer, blender, warmer and defroster to prepare fresh, healthy meals for baby. It starts by steam cooking vegetables, fruits, meat and fish in less than 15 minutes, preserving their vitamins and flavors, then purees or blends them to your desired consistency. You can also use it to quickly reheat or defrost precooked foods.

• Prepares fresh, healthful meals for baby.
• Includes 2 1/2-cup plastic bowl, cooking basket and spatula, with recipe booklet.
• 350W, 11″ x 5 1/2″ x 8″ high.
• The machine has no traceable amounts of BPA.

$150 Via Williams Sonoma

For households who love to leave notes on the fridge a lot, the Amana Jot Refrigerator should be one of the most important kitchen appliance you’ll ever need. Instead of living stick it notes (which could actually get lost), one can simply just write the note on the fridge’s surface and yes, use that as the notepad.

The fridge has the following features:

• 17.6 Cu. Ft. of Capacity
• Dry-Erase Door Finish
• Contoured Doors
• Up-Front Temperature Control System
• Interior Light
• 2 Full-Width Adjustable Spillsaver™ Glass Shelves
• 2 Garden Fresh™ Crisper Drawers
• 2 Fixed, Full-Width Door Shelves
• Gallon Door Storage
• Deli Drawer
• Dairy Center
• Wire Freezer Shelf
• 2 Fixed, Full-Width Freezer Door Shelves
• Factory-Installed Ice Maker

An 18 cu ft beauty will set you back at around $749 via Amana.