Mainstreet - Smart Spending

The Best Apps for Dating

Scott Gamm — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 06:00:00 -0500

Smartphones can do everything these days, and making a little romance is no exception.

Text Message Spam: How to Block It

Matt Brownell — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:10:23 -0500

NEW YORK (MainStreet) – We all get email spam, and these days it’s pretty easy to deal with: You beef up your spam filter, take your email address off of any mailing lists that give you the option to unsubscribe and add any particularly troublesome emailers to your email client’s blocked list.

Text spam is a different story. It’s not as common as email spam, but it’s a lot harder to ignore when you’re getting it, and it’s not immediately apparent how you go about blocking it. Sometimes it’s a simple matter of replying with the word “STOP.” If that doesn’t work, you’ll need to go to the website of your mobile carrier to change your text options.

If Verizon Wireless is your carrier, go to the “My Verizon” drop-down menu on the Verizon website and click “Manage Verizon Safeguards.” From there you can block unwanted calls and texts from certain phone numbers, though most spam texts actually originate from the Internet. To take care of this type of spam, click “Set Up Internet Spam Blocks” and you can block up to 15 email addresses, domains or text names. If spam is a big problem for you and you don’t get texts from friends via the Web or email, you also have the option to just block all texts that originate from the Internet. If you have kids, Verizon also just introduced a new feature that allows you to block certain numbers from contacting your child and limit the times of day when your kid can text or make calls. It costs $4.99 per month for each line.

The other carries have similar controls. If you’re on AT&T, you’ll need to register to customize your message preferences. From there, just navigate to “Blocking Options” under the “preferences” section to block individual email addresses and Web domains.

Sprint customers should go to Sprint.com, then select “My preferences” under “My Sprint.” From there, select “Limits and Permissions,” then “Block Texts.” Here you can choose which senders you’d like to block.

Matt Brownell is a staff reporter for MainStreet. You can reach him by email at matthew.brownell@thestreet.com, or follow him on Twitter @Brownellorama.

Using a Coupon for Valentine’s Day: Frugal or Tacky?

Matt Brownell — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:28:54 -0500

NEW YORK (MainStreet) – Deal sites have been hard at work these past few weeks churning out special offers and voucher codes that provide discounts on traditional Valentine’s Day gifts. Groupon, for instance, offered a $40 credit toward FTD.com for $20, while LivingSocial offered a similar deal for Teleflora. But is it tacky to go hunting for special deals and coupon codes to get a present for the special someone in your life?

Most people don’t seem to think so. Deal site RetailMeNot recently conducted a survey in which they asked people in relationships how they would feel about their loved one using a coupon to save money on Valentine’s Day gifts. The results were overwhelming: 80% said they would be “happy” to hear that their significant other saved some money, while just 10% thought that using a coupon made them cheap.

Leah Ingram, who has written books on gifting and etiquette and runs the Suddenly Frugal blog, says that as long as you remember the holiday and buy a thoughtful gift, there’s no shame in using a coupon to save a bit of money.

“You really shouldn’t judge the quality of a gift by how much it costs – that is incredibly tacky,” she says. “If you’re in a relationship where you need to worry about that, you don’t need an etiquette expert, you need a relationship counselor.”

There are, of course, some rules dictating the use of coupons on Valentine’s Day. If you’re going to be pulling out a Groupon at the end of a romantic meal, Ingram says you might want to give your partner a heads-up in advance, and possibly make a self-effacing joke about your spendthrift ways. And while it’s OK to use a coupon or daily deal to purchase a gift, actually giving the coupon itself as a gift might cross an etiquette line if it comes off as a thoughtless, last-minute gesture. The cardinal rule of gifting always applies: It’s the thought that counts.

“To hand over a coupon for flowers or a meal out, that does seem like a cop-out,” Ingram says. “However there’s a lot of deals for what could be a romantic gift, like a manicure, pedicure, spa or even a day out paintballing. If you give something like that, that’s more personal, that’s OK.”

Matt Brownell is a staff reporter for MainStreet. You can reach him by email at matthew.brownell@thestreet.com, or follow him on Twitter @Brownellorama.

The Next Big Thing: Wear Your Brain on Your Sleeve

Greg Emerson — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:00:04 -0500

Peter Freer of BodyWave discusses the vast potential of new wearable brainwave-monitoring technology that will change the way you learn.

3 Terrible Cars We Love Anyway

Ted Reed — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:55:17 -0500

DETROIT MainStreet) -- The world is so big and so full of so many different types of people that even the Chevrolet Vega has its fans.

We know this because we received lots of emails and comments after writing a story last month listing the 10 Worst Cars of All Time, using the top ten from a list of the 100 worst cars compiled by Edmunds.com.

Our choice for the worst, based on personal experience, was the Vega rustmobile. To quote from one reader's comment, the Vega was a car that "rusted in the showroom." But we were surprised to learn that some people have fond memories of it, memories that go beyond the experience of sitting in the driver's seat and having your foot go through the rusted floor.

Some readers wondered: What's wrong with a little rust if you are in love with your car? One reader commented that he once "borrowed a Mercedes that had the floor rust through. I didn't judge a car by that metric alone." Besides, the Mercedes cost a lot more than the Vega, which sold for under $3,000.

Besides the pleasant memories of bad cars, we also had a lot of questions about why certain cars weren't in the top 10. In particular, people asked why the Pinto didn't make it. After all, during the 1970s, the Pinto and Vega seemed to be joined at the hip as symbols that Ford (Stock Quote: F) and GM (Stock Quote: GM) had lost the ability to respond to, or even perceive, their customers' desires.

We asked Scott Oldham, editor of Edmunds, how the Pinto didn't qualify for the top 10 -- it was No. 16 -- and he said: "The crappiness of the Pinto, although extreme, didn't have as long-lasting or as great an impact on the American automotive culture as the cars we listed in the top 10. It was close, however."

Among our dozens of emails and comments, we got one that provided a little slapstick about the Yugo, which was ranked No. 4.

A reader wrote: "I was at the parts counter the other day and a guy asked the clerk, 'Do you have a set of wiper blades for a Yugo?' The guy thought about it for a minute and said, 'Well, I guess that's a fair trade.'"

As the texting classes put it, LOL. Anyway, here is our list of the top three worst cars people remember fondly anyway:

Pontiac Aztek
Let's begin with the Aztek, which Edmunds ranked as the worst car of all time, saying that not only was it ugly but also that it destroyed an 84-year-old brand. The Aztec was defended by two veterans of the automotive industry.

Ed Ohlin, a Cedar Rapids, Iowa, resident who is former head of U.S. product development for Toyota (Stock Quote: TM), said he sometimes sees an Aztek at the grocery store, and it doesn't look that bad to him.

In fact, "as long as it is not in certain two-tones, it is not the worst-looking vehicle of all time and in fact many not in the car biz would not give it a second notice," Ohlin writes. "It looks like many other more modern crossovers, although the rear-window graphics do show a great lack of taste."

As far as reliability, Ohlin writes, "my guess is that it was just average or slightly below Pontiac average warranty costs after its first year." And Aztek did not kill Pontiac, he says. Rather, the brand "was killed because it was another victim of better Japanese and German alternatives and because of serious badge engineering mistakes by GM."

Pittsburgh resident Dominic Dascola, a longtime employee of GM and GM dealerships and a classic-car enthusiast, writes: "The Aztek was certainly ugly, but I wholeheartedly disagree that it destroyed the Pontiac brand. Pontiac failed because of bad overall management of GM, not because of the Aztek."

Dascola concedes that the 2001 debut car was bad, but "the vehicle was immediately refreshed the following year, dropping the goofy-looking gray cladding and going with a monotone paint scheme, amongst other needed changes to the appearance." The vehicle itself, he says "was not a problem child and did not have numerous recalls. It drove and handled very nicely."

In retrospect, Dascola thinks the Aztek deserves to be honored for being the first crossover vehicle. "It launched a hugely successful new market segment that still captures a good piece of the market," he says. "That in itself makes it one of the most successful vehicles in history."

And by the way, Dascola asks: "Where's the Pinto on this list? The Pinto triggered an immensely more negative impact to the overall market than Aztek could ever dream of."

Ford Edsel
Edsel is always controversial because, despite having earned a reputation as one of the worst mistakes ever, it had a lot of positives.

Michael LaMoy, a retired real estate appraiser who lives in Menifee, Calif., has a soft spot for the car, perhaps because in 1962 he and his wife drove one from Vermont to California.

"I've noticed over the years that the Edsel has been included in an increasing number of 'bad' lists," LaMoy writes. "It didn't used to be, back when the cars were in production, or for a few decades later, but there seems to be a 'repeat this story' thing now that very few people actually had experiences with an Edsel."

"Bad design? There could be a case for that, due to the unusual body design. Bad marketing? Absolutely! But the car came in four models, spread over two series; the smaller two, Ranger and Pacer, were built on a Ford chassis and the larger two, Corsair and Citation, were built on a Mercury chassis, which was a few inches longer."

"So, whatever the quality concerns, they were no worse and no better than those of Ford and Mercury, which were not afflicted with any more problems than any GM or Chrysler products of that era," he says.

Chevrolet Vega
Now it is time to discuss the Chevrolet Vega.

Herb Goldman, a financial adviser from Hollywood, Fla., remembers his 1974 Vega fondly.

"It had a four-speed transmission and a big, sporty stripe running the full length from hood to trunk," he writes. "I managed to drive it cross-country from New York to San Francisco -- I hit 95 on the Bonneville Salt Flats -- and I won't blame the car for me burning out the clutch on the hills."

"It was a lot of fun to drive," he writes, "until the three-year warranty ran out and it started falling apart around me."

Bill Hennelly, an editor at TheStreet, thinks the Vega was "true to its make ... The Vega actually had a nice design," he says. "You could tell it was a Chevy."

Allan Kautz, a physicist and engineer in Naperville, Ill., once owned a 1971 Vega, and writes that "when I tried to repair rust spots by removing the rusted areas, new rusted areas appeared. My conclusion was that the steel from which the car was made was rusted to begin with." Additionally, the engine's soft aluminum cylinders were not lined with metal and had problems -- another reader also mentioned this -- but Kautz's were fixed under warranty.

On the positive side, Kautz said, the Vega was well-designed from a do-it-yourself point of view. "It was very simple to work on, and I learned basic maintenance from this car," Kautz writes.

"It was pretty much a rust bucket when I traded it in on a BMW in 2002," he says. "The dealer gave me credit for a stereo radio." That's as funny as our joke about the Yugo -- worth as much as a set of wiper blades.

If you're looking for more cars that people love to hate, check out our rundown of the 10 Worst Cars of All Time!

Valentine's Day Is Dumb and You're Wasting Money

Jason Notte — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:30:00 -0500

NEW YORK (MainStreet) -- Valentine's Day is best illustrated in one series of actions: Withdraw from an ATM what you'd usually spend on date night, withdraw that amount again, show it to the person you love most and then flush the entire sum down the nearest toilet.

That's basically the way every U.S. consumer has spent Valentine's Day since Esther Howland imposed the first mass-market Valentine's Day cards on the American public during the 1840s. Now the whole sordid, red-painted affair is a nearly $18 billion industry that trails only Thanksgiving ($30.5 billion) and Christmas ($135 billion) in holiday spending, according to IBISWorld. That's almost $3 billion more than what's spent on Mother's Day. Sorry, mom, but they just met at a bar two months ago and neither of them are getting any younger.

That spending is only going up this year. The National Retail Federation estimates that American suckers ... er ... lovers are about to spend an average of $128 a pop to avoid getting the silent treatment or a stern dressing down. That's a nearly 8.5% increase from last year and includes an average $37 worth of flowers and $72 for a night out. It's a heart-shaped box of lovestruck spending that hides a rancid center of markups and emotional extortion.

The problem is that a few carnation stems from the nearest 7-Eleven just don't cut it on Valentine's Day. The Society of American Florists says 71% of flowers given on Valentine's Day are roses, with 196 million roses grown for Valentine's Day 2011 alone. That's a tough order to fill after Christmas, which sucks up 30% of the year's plant and flower purchases and gives growers only 50 to 70 days to work on the Valentine's Day supply. It doesn't help that Valentine's Day, which ranks third behind Christmas and Mother's Day, with 20% of annual plant and flower volume and 25% of sales, vaults to No. 1 when it comes to sales of fresh flowers. Roughly 36% of all flower volume and 40% of flower revenue comes from Valentine's Day sales.

With 36% of Americans planning to buy flowers for Valentine's Day, according to the NRF, the holiday lead-up becomes a bizarro Black Friday for flower sellers. A dozen roses that sell for an average of little more than $59 in early January suddenly go for closer to $80 the week before Valentine's day, according to the SAF. That's a 33% premium before you've even picked up your date.

Once that happens, even the most thoughtful romantics find themselves hamstrung by holiday restaurant reservations. A finite supply of restaurant seating and a whole lot of demand can turn professional-grade wooing into amateur hour.

The folks at restaurant ratings guide Zagat say spending on a dinner out jumps from $70 for a typical dinner for two to more than $146 on Valentine's Day. Overall, the NRF says Valentine's Day dinner spending will jump from $3.36 billion in 2011 to $3.58 billion this year. On that night, there's no such thing as an old favorite or a hidden gem.

That place with the great roasted chicken you go to every year for your anniversary? Yeah, it's taken the fowl off the menu for a $45 filet mignon. The bistro with the great tomato and basil soup you sneak into on date night? It wants a reservation a week in advance and is swapping out your soup for an iceberg salad. "Special" Valentine's Day menus ease the burden on kitchen staffs, but turn charming restaurant favorites into lobotomized husks of their former selves for the stay-at-home masses who emerge from DVR-driven hibernation for this one winter's night.

And boy, can those saps spend. Restaurant reservation site OpenTable says 93% of the Valentine's Day reservation holders they surveyed plan to either match last year's dinner bill or increase it. Among all diners, 54% plan to shell out $101 to $200. Another 10% plan to clear that $200 bar easily. Unfortunately for regulars, but booking a table the weekend before doesn't drive down cost or demand, either.

"With this Valentine's Day falling on a Tuesday, we are going to see two spikes in restaurant reservations," says Caroline Potter, "chief dining officer" for OpenTable. "About half of diners surveyed anticipate booking a romantic evening on the 14th, while another 26% are choosing to celebrate on Saturday night, Feb. 11."

Unless your last name is Yossarian, though, this isn't a Catch-22. You know the easiest way to show someone you love them on Valentine's Day? Putting some actual thought into it. Being original. Paying attention the other 364 days a year. Want to give someone a special dinner on Valentine's Day? Find out their favorite meal and cook it. Want to make a romantic gesture? Stay away from the roses you awkwardly buy once a year and make a playlist of songs they love or that remind you of them. Buy or rent a copy of the movie you saw on your first date. Take a walk to the spot where you proposed. You know, try.

It's called effort. You can't buy it at a markup, but it yields premium returns without putting you in the poorhouse.

Morning Deals: Free Pretzel at Auntie Anne’s

Matt Brownell — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:28:42 -0500

NEW YORK (MainStreet) – Pretzel shop Auntie Anne’s will be offering a free pretzel March 3 at all of its locations. There’s no purchase necessary, and you can get the pretzel in original or cinnamon sugar flavor. The deal will only be good from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. that day.

If you go into burrito store Qdoba on Valentine’s Day, purchase an entrée and kiss someone, you’ll get a second entrée for free. You should make sure you actually know the person you’re kissing, and that they consent to the kiss. The promotion is good at participating locations only.

Pizza Hut can help you propose marriage to your significant other for just $10,010, which includes a red ruby ring, fireworks, limo service, flowers, a videographer, a photographer and a $10 pizza hut meal. There are only 10 such packages available, and you can order through Valentine’s Day. You have to redeem the deal by March 31, but don’t worry if you get cold feet – if you don’t use it by then, you’ll get a full refund.

When you buy a two-entrée plate and drink at Panda Express, you’ll get another entrée for free. The deal is good with this coupon at participating locations through March 1.

Through the end of today only, Banana Republic offers 30% off your entire online purchase when you use the coupon code BRSAVE30 at checkout. Shoes, handbags and leather handbags are among the exclusions listed in the fine print, which can be found by clicking “click for details” under the coupon code banner. The code is good until 11:59 p.m. EST and doesn’t apply toward taxes and shipping – though as always, shipping is free if your order totals more than $50.

Don't want to spend too much? Check out our Deals & Steals hot topic for more bargains. Don't want to spend anything at all? There's plenty of Free Stuff to be had as well.

Matt Brownell is a staff reporter for MainStreet. You can reach him by email at matthew.brownell@thestreet.com, or follow him on Twitter @Brownellorama.

What Would Amazon and Google Stores Look Like?

Matt Brownell — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:00:00 -0500

NEW YORK (MainStreet) – Amazon has led the way in showing that companies don’t need a physical store to become a retail giant. So the news that Amazon is considering opening up a bricks-and-mortar retail store this year might come as a huge surprise to many shoppers. According to reports, the first store will open up in Seattle – home of the company’s corporate headquarters – and will focus on the retailer’s various mobile devices and accessories.

Amazon isn’t alone in making the jump into the real world, either. According to one report, the company has filed a planning application in Ireland to open a storefront in Dublin to sell unspecified merchandise.

So why should two companies that have built multi-billion dollar empires on the Internet suddenly express interest in the real world? As with much that happens in the tech world, they may be following Apple’s lead.

“My best guess is that it’s a big push due to Apple,” says Mickey Klein, head of the consumer team for global investment firm The Astor Group. “What consumers are getting there is a good touchy-feely experience, and [Amazon and Google] want to have boutique-type stores for customer to come in and have a real personal experience.”

That influence hints at what consumers can expect to see from the Web giants. While everyone talks about Amazon’s competition with Barnes & Noble, it’s unlikely that we’ll see Amazon open a massive book store to compete in that space. Rather, analysts say, the Amazon Store will likely be used as a showcase of sorts, aimed at consumers who want to try out the Kindle or Kindle Fire in person before they buy it.

“They’re not going to be warehouse stores, they’re going to be a showcase for digital media products like the Kindle, the Kindle Fire and, we think, smartphones and smart TVs down the road,” says Shawn Milne, an analyst for Janney Montgomery Scott. “I would envision them showing products, but not keeping anywhere near the level of inventory you see in most retail stores. “

Google, meanwhile, is likely to take a similar approach. Its local planning application reportedly calls for a store that’s about 1,300 square feet, even smaller than a typical Apple Store, so don’t expect much more than a pretty showcase for its Android smartphones and tablets. But more than just showing off the products, both the Amazon and Google Stores may also be an experiment in brand-building, a gambit to see if they can associate themselves with the kind of top-notch, in-person customer service for which Apple has quickly become famous.

Klein says that such an effort is already underway with Google’s recent onslaught of cute commercials pushing its Chrome browser and associated products, and he thinks that the company would be wise to continue that effort by establishing Genius Bar levels of customer support.

“It’s done amazing wonders for Apple,” he says. “We have switched over half of our office computers to Macs because of the experience we got at the Apple Store.”

If Google and Amazon think they can inspire that kind of loyalty by hanging a shingle and putting a friendly face on their business, they’d be crazy not to try.

Matt Brownell is a staff reporter for MainStreet. You can reach him by email at matthew.brownell@thestreet.com, or follow him on Twitter @Brownellorama.

The Most & Least Expensive Cars to Insure

Jeanine Skowronski — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:00:00 -0500

Find out which 2012 car models cost the most to insure annually, according to research by Insure.com.

How to Get Cookies When There's No Scout in Sight

Jason Notte — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:00:00 -0500

NEW YORK (MainStreet) -- Girl Scout cookie time is a sweet, faint ray of warm sunshine in an otherwise bleak winter for cubicle jockeys lucky enough to have a co-worker with a kid in the council or a suburban supermarket with a cookie-selling table set up each Saturday.

For the rest of us, it's a bit trickier to get a few boxes of thin mints. If you're in your 20s or early 30s and were weaned on the chocolate-encased peanut butter of Tagalongs or the caramel and coconut chewiness of doughnut-shaped Samoas, Girl Scout cookie season is a period of jittery withdrawal and flop sweats.

This may not have been a problem when Girl Scout cookies were introduced in 1917 and knowing a few friends in their early 20s with scout-aged children wasn't uncommon. It gets a bit tougher as post-collegians move into the cities their suburban parents fled years ago and put off parenthood until after the hand stamps from their favorite band's shows have faded and the last of the late-night diner runs have been made long ago. As a result, Girl Scouts of the USA have had their $760 million fundraising behemoth distanced from the late-night snacking, income-expending demographic most likely to go to town on a box of Do-Si-Dos after last call.

So what do you do when your office happy-hour contingent doesn't include a scout leader or your online start-up somehow doesn't have the salary or benefits to support a scout parent? Is there a way to stock up on cookies without eliciting shrieks of "stranger danger" or having complete strangers tell you how worthless cocktail nights with your friends are once you've started spawning?

Fortunately for those cookie-craving in-betweeners, the 100-year-old Girl Scouts of the USA is extremely tech savvy for its age. While the organization is loath to allow one of its most precious commodities to be sold online, as the funds go directly to individual councils and one of the bigger points of the exercise is for scouts to learn people skills, spokeswoman Michelle Tompkins says the Girl Scouts are trying to make it easier to find cookie sales online while keeping the revenue local.

The Girl Scouts have set up a cookie locator to help would-be customers find the nearest cookie booth. There's also a cookie-finding iPhone app in Apple's (Stock Quote: AAPL) App Store for those seeking scout snacks on the go. Once a cookie consumer has found one, however, the advantage shifts. While the office park and work-site crowds have to wait weeks for their order sheets to turn into cookies, parents with little clerks in training sell their baked wares without making the customer wait.

This approach has its pros and cons. If you're working in Midtown Manhattan, for example, there may not be a table set up in Herald Square -- but there's a booth just a quick PATH train ride away at the NJ Transit station in Hoboken, N.J. Sometimes you get lucky and find a booth in town, such as the one Chicagoans will get in March when the scouts set up at Dominick's supermarket on West Chicago Avenue. Other times the window's much smaller, as Boston residents discovered this month when a scout council set up one weekend at a city animal shelter but retreated to suburbs 27 miles away for the rest of the year.

That last scenario is perhaps the best example of why cookie seekers in the city should get on the case now. Cookie season is officially from October to May, but only 10% of all cookie sales come in the fall or early winter. Tompkins says 90% of all Girl Scout cookies are sold between January and April, after which it gets difficult to track down a box of Dulce de Leche cookies. Miss out and you'll have to wait for the scouts to get back from camp and situated at school and the temperatures to drop to a point where a chocolate-coated cookie isn't just a melty mess.

It gets even more complicated when you start to get picky about what your cookies are called. Girl Scout cookies are made by two bakers: Kellogg's (Stock Quote: K) subsidiary Little Brownie Bakers in Louisville, Ky., and George Weston Limited's ABC Bakers in Richmond, Va. While Little Brownie cookies still hold on to legacy names such as Samoas, Tagalongs, Trefoils and Do-Si-Dos, ABC is a bit more straightforward with its Caramel deLites, Peanut Butter Patties, Shortbread and Peanut Butter Sandwich cookies. It's up to each council to decide which baker to go with, so cookie lovers may want to check in with their local before bawling out a scout over perceived PC issues.

Morning Deals: Valentine’s Day Gifts You’ll Love

Matt Brownell — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:41:14 -0500

NEW YORK (MainStreet) – Groupon is offering a $40 credit at flower retailer FTD.com for just $20. The deal expires at 11:59 p.m. PST Saturday, and once you get the deal it can be used through April 11 (though if you miss that deadline you can still get a $20 credit toward the site). FTD offers same-day shipping.

As in past years, White Castle will (surprisingly) let you make a Valentine’s Day reservation for a candlelit dinner. When you do so, you’ll get a free dessert with your meal. Note that the Valentine’s Day dinner is only available at select locations listed on the White Castle Facebook page. You should also make sure your significant other has a good sense of humor before you try this one.

Daily deal site Saveology has a deal for $26 worth of personalized cake toppers from Cake Sugar Designs for $13. Note that cupcakes, shipping and tax are not included. There’s a limit of three vouchers per person, and the deal is good through 11:59 p.m. CST Wednesday.

Quiznos is giving away free cookies on Valentine’s Day when you bring in this printable coupon. No purchase is necessary, and there’s a limit of one coupon per person. Also note that some Quiznos locations are specifically listed as not participating.

This doesn’t have much to do with Valentine’s Day, but if you print out this coupon and go to Bruegger’s, you can get three bagels for free. The coupon is good today only, and expires at 2 p.m. There’s a limit of one coupon per person per visit.

Matt Brownell is a staff reporter for MainStreet. You can reach him by email at matthew.brownell@thestreet.com, or follow him on Twitter @Brownellorama.

7 Reasons Why You’ll Always Need Cash

Greg Emerson — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 06:00:00 -0500

Despite the rise of online and mobile banking, there are plenty of reasons why cash will be with us forever.

Get It for Less: Smartphones

Matt Brownell — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:22:37 -0500

Editor’s Note: This piece is part of an ongoing series called “Get It for Less” that will appear every week on MainStreet, so check back for more shopping tips on your favorite products.

NEW YORK (MainStreet) – Most high-quality smartphones cost at least $200 when they first come out (and when paired with a new two-year service contract), but with a few notable exceptions, there’s no reason to ever pay that much for a new phone.

Louis Ramirez is a senior features writer for DealNews, a money-saving website that frequently gathers deals on new phones, and he shared his expertise with us to pass along the best strategies for finding a good deal on a new smartphone.

Wait a Few Weeks

It used to be that you needed to wait at least a few months before you saw any kind of deal on a new smartphone. But with the market flooded by so many new Android phones on a weekly basis, the timeframe for price reductions is much shorter than it used to be.

“The best way to save on a smartphone is not to buy it the day it’s released,” Ramirez says. “Now there’s so many smartphones out there that the market is saturated, and you begin to see deals a week to two weeks out.”

As an example, he points to the Motorola Droid Razr, which came out of the gate in November for $300 but dropped to $111 on Amazon after less than a week. An updated version of the phone, the Droid Razr Maxx, went on sale just a couple of weeks ago, and Verizon will offer a buy one, get one free deal on the new model starting Friday.

If you’re in the market for a new Android phone, don’t pre-order it and don’t buy it during the first couple of weeks it’s on sale. Chances are, your patience will be rewarded very quickly.

Buy Refurbished

Waiting a few weeks may work for Android phones, but iPhones are a different beast. New iPhones come out generally only once a year, and the price on the newest models stay fixed until the next one comes out.

There’s one very good way to bypass this, though: Buy a refurbished phone. Ramirez says that he’s had good luck with a refurbished iPhone, calling it “just like new.” And it will certainly save you a bit of money: AT&T currently sells a refurbished 32 GB iPhone 4S for $249.99 with a new contract – a $50 discount on the price for a brand new one. Discounts for refurbished phones apply to other smartphone brands as well, according to Ramirez.

Buy Online

Ramirez says that he generally recommends checking online retailers before bricks-and-mortar stores to get the best price on a new phone. He points to Wirefly.com and Amazon.com as two that consistently offer great deals on phones – indeed, the latter made waves in November when it offered several phones for just a penny each. He says that if you do feel the need to shop in a physical store, carrier stores (for instance, a Verizon store) tend to offer better deals. (Once again, Apple is an exception to that rule: While you won’t find refurbished iPhones at carrier stores, the prices on new iPhones are identical to those on the online Apple store.)

As a final tip, Ramirez recommends checking out BlackBerry to take advantage of the floundering company’s desperation.

“If you’re not biased on [operating system], consider BlackBerry,” he says. “Everyone knows that BlackBerry is hurting, so you’re going to see some aggressive deals there.”

Matt Brownell is a staff reporter for MainStreet. You can reach him by email at matthew.brownell@thestreet.com, or follow him on Twitter @Brownellorama.

How to Adjust Your Budget If the Payroll Tax Cut Isn’t Extended

Seth Fiegerman — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:21:00 -0500

NEW YORK (MainStreet) — The payroll tax cut extension is set to expire at the end of this month unless Congress can agree on a plan to renew it for the remainder of the year – something that is looking increasingly unlikely.

While the Obama administration and many in Congress agree that the tax cut is worth the $100 billion or more that it would cost the government to extend it, legislators are split on how to fund it. Unfortunately, without an extension, many Americans may soon be struggling with their monthly budgets.

Just how much a person saves with the tax cut depends on one’s income, but the typical family earning $50,000 a year currently pockets an extra $80 each month from money that would otherwise go toward Social Security and Medicare taxes. As one woman noted in December prior to the latest extension, that extra money is “the difference between having food on the table the next week and not.”

If Congress fails to approve the payroll tax cut extension, here are a few expenses you can cut out of your budget to adjust to what will essentially feel like a pay cut in your salary this year.

Rethink Your Cable TV

The average monthly cable bill has more than tripled in the past 10 years, increasing from $40 in 2001 to $128 in 2011. Even in the best of times, that’s a lot of money to fork over each month, especially when you consider the incredible selection of TV shows available online through sites like Netflix and Amazon, whose combined cost would be about $30 more for an entire year than what Americans pay on average for a single month of cable access.

Bring Your Own Lunch to Work

It might sound like a small change, but one recent survey found that workers spend $2,000 a year buying $5-$10 lunches every day at work. A better option is to prepare your own meals at home the night before, which should cut down on much of the cost. If it feels like a big lifestyle change, try making the switch for one or two days a week and work your way up to doing it every day.

Cut Out Your Vices

Even if Congress does approve the payroll tax cut, it’s always a good idea to cut out (or cut down on) some of your vices, but this is especially true when money is tight. As MainStreet has reported before, the cost of cigarettes and alcohol adds up quickly. If you spend just $15 a week on drinks (which in New York barely gets you two beers) you’ll end up spending nearly $800 for the year. So if you really need to cut costs, either give up the vice entirely or in the case of something like alcohol, try mixing your own drinks at home on the cheap.

For more expenses that you should rethink this year, check out MainStreet’s roundup of 12 things to stop paying for in 2012.

Seth Fiegerman is a staff reporter for MainStreet. You can reach him by e-mail at seth.fiegerman@thestreet.com, or follow him on Twitter @sfiegerman.

Morning Deals: $50 to Teleflora for $25

Matt Brownell — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:12:29 -0500

NEW YORK (MainStreet) – Daily deal site LivingSocial offers a $50 credit to use at online flower retailer Teleflora for just $25. The entire $50 credit must be used in one purchase, though the good news is that it can be applied to shipping fees. Same-day delivery is available from the site. The voucher expires April 1.

Google already tracks your browsing habits, so why not get paid for it? In exchange for installing the Google Screenwise browser extension, which tracks the websites you use and how you use them, Google will give you a $5 Amazon gift card code upfront; you’ll then get an additional $5 credit for every three months you use the extension, for a maximum total of $25. Google promises it won’t associate your email address with browsing habits. To sign up for the program, just enter your email address and you’ll be alerted when registration for the program opens. You’ll need to use the Google Chrome browser to participate.

Daily deal site Saveology offers a $10 gift card to Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shops for $5. It will be mailed to you for free, it’s reloadable and it never expires. Before you buy we’d recommend checking out the store locator to make sure there’s a location near you. The deal expires at midnight PDT on Friday.

Matt Brownell is a staff reporter for MainStreet. You can reach him by email at matthew.brownell@thestreet.com, or follow him on Twitter @Brownellorama.

Morning Deals: Free Drink at Starbucks

Matt Brownell — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:26:14 -0500

NEW YORK (MainStreet) – Starbucks is currently offering a free beverage when you purchase a 1-pound bag of its new Blonde Roast or a 12-pack of its Veranda Blend instant coffee. The free beverage can be any size, and the promotion is good through tomorrow only at participating locations.

Amazon.com has marked down a box set of the first four paperback books of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy series to $21.03 from $35.96. The hit HBO show Games of Thrones is based on the series.

If you’re enrolled in the Papa John's rewards program, you're entitled to a large one-topping pizza and 2-liter Pepsi Max for free as a result of the Super Bowl coin toss landing on heads. Rewards members should have received their code in their email inbox by now, but if you haven't received it yet you might try checking your spam folder. Once you receive the code, you have until 11:59 p.m. EST on Feb. 19 to redeem it online.

5 Not So Hot Cars in January

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:00:49 -0500

DETROIT TheStreet) -- January was a good month for the automakers, as sales reached their highest level in more than two years, but not everything was rosy in the auto industry.

January also produced its share of disappointments.

We are not even talking about the Volt, even though its sales declined to 638 units, its worst month since August. Obviously, consumer perceptions of the Volt were tarnished by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's investigation of the car's fire risk, which concluded Jan. 20 with a production halt still in effect as GM (Stock Quote: GM) developed a method to prevent potential post-crash fires.

Probably what the Volt needs most just now is one more reminder that, over the long term, oil prices are headed up, not down. Are you reading this, Mr. Ahmadinejad?

In any case, we set out to find established vehicles with substantial sales totals that failed to measure up to previous performance, even if they did not see particularly large percentage drops.

It is worth noting that of the big seven U.S. automakers, only GM showed a year-over-year decline in sales, and it resulted primarily from the automaker's decision to pull back on its high incentives in January 2011.

Still, each automaker had a loser or two. Here are our top five.

Cadillac CTS

Sales of the Cadillac CTS fell 31% in January, to 3,019, replicating the 29% overall decline to 8,924 vehicles for the Cadillac brand. Sales of Cadillac's sales leader, the SRS, fell 2%, to 4,166.

"With CTS specifically, our biggest issue was tough year-over-year comparisons -- our incentive spending was high a year ago -- and aggressive competition as BMW and Mercedes outspent Cadillac on incentives," GM spokesman James Cain says.

"We were also impacted by having fewer returning leases, which is a function of the financial crisis," he says.

Also on the GM sales call, Kurt McNeil, Cadillac vice president of sales and service, noted that the luxury segment weakened in January, accounting for only about 11.3% of industry sales, down from 13.1% for the full-year 2011.

McNeil said he expects luxury sales to improve this year. "Stock market volatility has something to do with that," he says. "If things calm down a little bit I think we'll see some good buying and strength there."

Toyota Corolla

Sales of the Toyota (Stock Quote: TM) Corolla fell 13%, to 17,988. But sales of the Camry rose 56%, to 28,295, while Prius sales rose 9%, to 11,555.

Overall, Toyota's sales rose 20% in January. "The company's focus has been on the launches of Camry and Prius, with little on the Corolla side," spokeswoman Sacha Terrill says. But Corolla sales remain strong "even without the marketing push."

For the month, Corolla remained the eighth-best-selling vehicle and third-best-selling car in the U.S., behind Camry, Nissan (Stock Quote: NSANY) Altima and Honda (Stock Quote: HMC) Civic.

On Monday, Toyota said it added a second shift for Corolla production at its Blue Springs, Miss., plant. The $800 million plant has the capacity to produce 150,000 Corollas annually.

Ford Fiesta

Sales of the Ford (Stock Quote: F) Fiesta lost 18%, to 3,502, even as sales of the Ford Focus surged 60%, to 14,440. Meanwhile, sales of the Fusion, which had been Ford's most popular car, fell 5%, to 13,614.

On the Ford sales call, sales analyst Erich Merkle said Fiesta is evidently losing sales to Focus. "There is always going to be cross-shopping on any dealer lot," he said. "We've got two vehicles that are very close together in terms of size, in terms of their price point, and at this point in time Focus is the newer vehicle and people seem to be gravitating toward that product."

Overall, Merkle says, the two cars combined give Ford 10% of the small-car segment, Ford's highest level since 2003. "They're coexisting very nicely on the dealer lot," he says. Additionally, Ken Czubay, Ford vice president of U.S. marketing, sales and service, says Fusion has been affected by anticipation of the new model. "We're in our sell-down pattern," he says.

Nissan Sentra

Sales of the Nisan Sentra fell 26%, to 7,066, even as Nissan Altima sales rose 36%, to 22,357, and overall Nissan sales rose 10%, to 79,313.

Sentra "is very dated," Edmunds.com analyst Michelle Krebs says. "It is up against a bevy of spanking new little cars that get spectacular fuel economy -- Chevy Sonic/Cruze, Ford Fiesta/Focus, Hyundai Elantra/Accent, Kia Rio, VW Jetta -- etc, and it is in dire need of a makeover."

The last new version of the Sentra was the 2007 model, which arrived in 2006, with a few improvements in 2010. Fortunately, the 2013 Nissan Sentra is expected to arrive in mid-2012.

Honda Accord
Accord sales gained just 1.5%, to 13,659 units, compared with Honda's overall gain of 9%, to 83,009 vehicles, as Civic sales gained 50%, to 21,883 units, and sales of the new Honda CR-V gained 16%, to 18,960 units.

"Honda's return to full strength on the manufacturing front is already beginning to pay dividends on the sales floor," says John Mendel, American Honda executive vice president of sales, in a statement. "It's gratifying to see how many Civics we can sell when we actually have Civics to sell."

Still, "Honda's product pipeline won't be fully replenished until the end of March," Krebs says. Meanwhile, Accord "has a lot of competition with a revamped Camry, Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima, Nissan Altima -- which is old but has been selling like crazy, VW Passat, Chevy Malibu and Ford Fusion," she said.

"The Accord gets re-done for fall, one of the last of the group to get a makeover," Krebs says. The new Accord, unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show, is expected to arrive in the fall.

It may have been a bad January for some car manufacturers, but that's nothing compared to the 10 Worst Cars of All Time!

App of the Week: LowestMed

Seth Fiegerman — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:49:00 -0500

Editor’s Note: This piece is part of a weekly series in which MainStreet spotlights one new smartphone app that can help readers manage their money, shop better or improve their job search. Check back each week to find out how to make your smartphone even smarter!

NEW YORK (MainStreet) — LowestMed hopes to be the Kayak for the drug industry by making it easier for shoppers to do price comparisons on their medications.

The app, available for free on the iPhone and Android phones, lets users search for stores nearby that have the lowest prices on generic and brand-name prescription drugs. All the user has to do is enter the name of the drug on the app and pick the dosage amount, and it will highlight a handful of major pharmacies and grocery store chains that carry it along with the prices. The app even offers an electronic discount card that customers can present in the store to ensure they get the quoted price.

While the app does fill a void, it also has a few flaws which we’d like to see improved in future versions. For starters, users must search by the scientific name of the drug (ibuprofen, for example) rather than the brand name (like Advil or Motrin). The goal seems to be to emphasize the price rather than the brand and show off the cheaper generics available, which we definitely understand, but from a practical standpoint it would certainly be easier for someone to search by the more well-known brand name and then learn of the alternative drugs that fall in the same category.

Along the same lines, the other big complaint we have is that the results only show the prices of the drug and not the brand. So you can find out the cheapest place to get a 400-mg dose of ibuprofen that lasts for 30 days, but you won't know whether that is Advil, Motrin or a generic brand. Even if the goal is to play up the price of a medicine over the name on the bottle, those using the app should have the option to find out the specific brand of the drug they are looking for without having to visit the store.

Despite those complaints, the app is worth a try if for no other reason than to get a better sense of the price range for particular medications. It will certainly make you think twice about passing up the generic drug for the brand name.

Seth Fiegerman is a staff reporter for MainStreet. You can reach him by e-mail at seth.fiegerman@thestreet.com, or follow him on Twitter @sfiegerman.

Morning Deals: Half Off Mrs. Fields Treats

Kristin Colella — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:21:37 -0500

NEW YORK (MainStreet) – In honor of Valentine’s Day, Google Offers has a deal today for $50 worth of cookies, brownies and other treats from MrsFields.com for $25. To receive the sweets by Valentine’s Day, you must order by 1 p.m. EST on Wednesday with standard shipping, or by 1 p.m. EST on Feb. 13 if you opt for expedited shipping.

If you’re looking to give your sweetheart a shiny piece of jewelry on Feb. 14, BradsDeals.com is offering a deal on a tanzanite ring in 10K gold with diamonds from Jewelry.com for $129, marked down from $220.26. Just click this link and select the ring, then enter the coupon code BRADSDEALS at checkout. Shipping is free, and it’s not clear when the offer will end.

For today only, BestBuy.com is offering a Gateway 23-inch HD LCD-LED widescreen monitor for $119.99, marked down from $229.99 – a $110 discount. It ships for free.

Valentine's Day: 10 Gifts on a Budget

Kerri Fivecoat-Campbell — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 07:00:00 -0500

Every person has their own tastes, but Valentine’s Day can be a great time to use a less-clichéd gift to say "I love you."

19 Uses for Baking Soda, Dryer Sheets & Beer

MoneyTalksNews — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:30:00 -0500

By Angela Colley

Cleaning products and personal care items once consumed a sizable chunk of my discretionary income. But now the cabinet under my sink only has trash bags, a bottle of vinegar, and a box of baking soda.

Household items like vinegar, baking soda, salt, and even beer can replace many of the products you use to clean, do laundry, garden, or take care of yourself. And they’re cheaper to boot. Here are 19 ways I’ve found to replace expensive store-bought chemicals…

Around the house…

1. Clean glass

Mix a quarter-cup of white vinegar and 3 cups of water in a spray bottle, and you have a better glass cleaner than any commercial product you could buy. Just spray it on, wipe it down with a piece of newspaper, and you’re done!

2. Clean porcelain and chrome

I use the same vinegar mixture to clean my bathroom. The vinegar is mild enough that it won’t etch the porcelain on my vanity, and it makes the chrome faucets shine.

3. Scrub stuck-on food and stains

Baking soda works as an alternative to abrasive cleaners like Comet. You can sprinkle dry baking soda on stuck-on food, or combine the baking soda with a little water to make a softer scrub for bathtubs and shower tiles.

4. Deodorize carpet

Sprinkling baking soda on carpet removes odors. Cover the entire area with a light sprinkling and let it sit for 30 minutes to an hour, then vacuum it up. The baking soda will absorb the smell. It works great on pet smells and other mild odors.

5. Mop tile floors

I’m in love with my Swiffer Wet Mop – just not the chemical fest cleaner that comes with it. Instead, I mix a half-cup of vinegar and warm water in a spray bottle and spritz it as I mop. It doesn’t smell great at first, but the vinegar mixture is tough enough to remove stains and the smell disappears as it dries.

6. Clean a cast-iron skillet

Not being able to use dish soap or heavy cleaners on my cast-iron skillet gets challenging, especially when the bottom is covered with stuck-on food. I sprinkle salt over the stuck-on bits and use a plastic brush to clean the pan. The salt is gritty enough to force the food bits free, but soft enough that it hasn’t damaged my pan.

7. Remove stains from a glass coffee pot

Coffee stains everything, especially the inside of the coffee pot. If the bottom of your pot gets gunky, pour in about a quarter-cup of salt, five or six ice cubes, and some water. Then (gently) swirl the mixture around. The salt and ice will scrub the pot and lift the stains. Just make sure you wash the coffee pot before you use it again.

8. Polish metal

The acidity of beer actually polishes metal. Rubbing copper-bottom or aluminum pans down with some flat beer removes tarnish and restores shine. Beer also works on baking sheets and cupcake tins.

Laundry…

9. Keep your clothes from fading

My dry cleaner taught me this trick when I brought in a faded sweater: Soak new clothes in 1 cup of white vinegar and water for 10 to 30 minutes before you wash them for the first time. The vinegar removes excess dye and helps lock the color in, so it won’t bleed out and fade in the wash cycle.

10. Clear yellowed and sweat stains

White clothes are a pain. Sweat in them at all and you get stains. Leave them in the closet for too long, and they start to yellow. Thankfully, salt can remove the discoloration. Mix a cup of salt in a sink full of warm water and soak the stained area for 30 minutes. Then wash as normal.

11. Neutralize odors

Adding a half-cup of baking soda to the beginning of a wash cycle will remove strong odors on your clothes. Just pour the baking soda in, add some laundry detergent, and wash as normal. The baking soda even worked on my mildewed towels.

12. Keep clothes smelling fresh

After you dry your clothes, save the dryer sheet and put it in your drawer. The dryer sheet will keep releasing that just-washed smell for a couple of weeks inside the drawers, keeping your clothes smelling fresh longer.

Personal care…

13. Exfoliate your skin

I haven’t bought a commercial facial scrub in years. Instead, I mix a small amount of baking soda with a bit of water in my hand, apply the mix to my face, and scrub gently. My skin is softer, and baking soda is a lot cheaper than exfoliates.

14. Restore shine to hair

My stylist uses a “beer rinse” once a week. She swears the B-vitamins in beer adds shine to her hair. I tried it, and my hair definitely looked better (even if it smelled a little funky). After shampooing, pour half a can of beer over your wet hair and let it sit for a few minutes, then rinse with cold water.

15. Calm frizzy hair

Humidity is not kind to hair. Some days, I look like I stuck my finger in a light socket. So I keep dryer sheets in my car. Seriously. Run a dryer sheet over your hair and it will stop fly-aways and reduce frizz.

16. Soak your feet

A half-cup of salt mixed with warm water works as a foot soak. Add the mixture to a shallow bowl and dip your toes in. After 10 minutes of soaking, you’ll have soft, soothed feet.

Outdoors…

17. Store fresh flowers

Fresh-cut flowers start to die the second you put them in a vase. You could buy those expensive food pellets to keep them fresh, or you could just pour a quarter-cup of vinegar in the vase. The vinegar seals the stems and keeps cut flowers looking fresh for several days.

18. Cure brown spots

Beer has an acidity that works like magic in your yard. Pour a cup of beer over a brown spot in your yard, and the acid will promote grass growth.

19. Wipe bugs off your windshield

I had bug guts stuck to my windshield after I washed it by hand. To remove them, I pulled the used dryer sheet out of the laundry and wiped the car down. The dryer sheet pulled all the bugs right off.

I’ve found more than a few uses for vinegar in my house, but there are still hundreds more I haven’t tried. Check out Household Products Vinegar Can Replace for more ideas. And if you want some more cleaning tips, check out 6 Tips and 14 Products for Cleaning Tough Stains.

Your Last-Minute Super Bowl Deal Roundup

Matt Brownell — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:27:39 -0500

NEW YORK (MainStreet) – There are a number of great deals still available for Super Bowl weekend – some are specifically tied in to the big game, while some will just let you save a little money as you plan out the festivities. Here are a few that caught our eye.

Want to preview the Super Bowl by playing out the Patriots-Giants matchup on your phone? Head over to the Android Market, where Madden NFL 12 is currently just 99 cents, marked down from the usual price of $4.99. It’s not clear how long the price cut will last. If you want other smartphone apps to enhance your Super Bowl experience, check out our roundup of 11 apps for everything from food to trivia.

Most people call up their local pizza joint to order food for the big game, but Burger King wants to change that. To get you in the door, the fast-food chain is offering a free value-sized order of onion rings on Saturday and Sunday. The promotion isn’t good during breakfast hours, and you can only get one order per visit.

You might also be able to get free pizza this weekend at Papa John’s. If the Super Bowl coin toss lands on heads, every Papa Rewards member will get a free large one-topping pizza and a 2-liter bottle of Pepsi Max. You’ll need to enroll in the free rewards program by 6 p.m. EST on Super Bowl Sunday to be eligible for the deal.

Don’t have a TV for your Super Bowl party yet? Best Buy has a 46-inch 1080p LCD TV for just $379.99, marked down from $599.99. Availability varies: It’s available in some stores now, and in other cases you’ll need to have it shipped to your nearest store, so it might not get there in time for the game. If you want to go even bigger, there’s a 55-inch Dynex TV for $599.99, marked down from $799.99.

Fry’s Electronics also has a number of TV deals in its weekly ad, and the products are available almost immediately for free in-store pickup.

Matt Brownell is a staff reporter for MainStreet. You can reach him by email at matthew.brownell@thestreet.com, or follow him on Twitter @Brownellorama.

10 Valentine’s Day Gifts Women Will Love

Kristin Colella — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:00:00 -0500

Jewelry may be what the ads tell you to give your sweetheart on Feb. 14, but there are other options that may be more appropriate and personal for the special woman in your life.

The Biggest Benefit Users Can Get From Facebook IPO: Better Security

Matt Brownell — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:10:39 -0500

NEW YORK (MainStreet) – Facebook connects close to a billion people around the world, so it’s no surprise that it has become a target for scammers looking to spread their malware and malicious links. While Facebook has long fought a sometimes losing battle to keep the site free of scams, there are hints that its initial public offering will bring a renewed focus on protecting users from those security threats.

“Now it will have to continually alert the public about anything that could have a material impact on its profitability… The good news is the additional oversight and pressure should result in a safer, more secure and privacy-aware Facebook,” writes Sophos security researcher Chester Wisniewski on the security firm’s blog.

In its 202-page S-1 filing Wednesday, the social network lists numerous potential threats to its business, including a shrinking user base, loss of advertisers, government censorship abroad, unfavorable media coverage and even the potential for a breakdown of its lucrative relationship with social gaming company Zynga. Among those risk factors, one in particular stood out: “Computer malware, viruses, hacking and phishing attacks, and spamming could harm our business and results of operations.”

The company concedes in its filing that malware attacks have taken place in the past, will likely take place again, and could harm both the company’s systems and its standing with users in the future.

“Any failure to maintain performance, reliability, security, and availability of our products and technical infrastructure to the satisfaction of our users may harm our reputation and our ability to retain existing users and attract new users,” reads the filing. “In addition, spammers attempt to use our products to send targeted and untargeted spam messages to users, which may embarrass or annoy users and make Facebook less user-friendly.”

Facebook even concedes that it can’t defend against all spammers. Still, it’s heartening to see Facebook acknowledge the problem, and could suggest that the new scrutiny that comes with being a publicly-traded company could encourage it to take the problem more seriously.

Indeed, there are signs that Facebook was already starting to get tougher on security threats in the months leading up to the IPO announcement. Back in October, network security firm Websense announced a partnership with Facebook to provide a system to warn users when they are about to follow a malicious link. And Facebook continues to file lawsuits against various marketing firms that it accuses of spamming users.

While such actions made good business sense even for a private company, Facebook’s new public face means that it’s under more pressure than ever to keep its users safe and secure.

Matt Brownell is a staff reporter for MainStreet. You can reach him by email at matthew.brownell@thestreet.com, or follow him on Twitter @Brownellorama.

Why Weak Credit Won’t Kill a Car Loan

Jeff Brown — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:03:25 -0500

NEW YORK (MainStreet) – Most borrowers know that imperfect credit can kill one’s chances of getting an affordable mortgage, but a good car loan may still be within reach.

That’s worth remembering as more drivers head to the showroom. Kelley Blue Book expects that when the final numbers are in, January’s sales will beat sales the same time last year by 10%. KBB credits slight improvements in the economy, a dip in unemployment, and Americans’ growing need to replace vehicles after postponing purchases when the economy was weak.

Happily, car-loan rates are pretty attractive, with four-year new-car loans averaging just 4%, according to the BankingMyWay.com survey.

Of course, mortgage rates are enticing, too, but many borrowers can’t get the advertised deals because of credit flaws, and can’t afford the bigger payments from the higher rates charged less-than-perfect applicants. But higher car loan rates aren’t as harmful for three key reasons.

First of all, auto loans are for smaller sums than mortgages – $20,000 instead of $200,000, for example – so interest charges are easier to bear, even at higher rates.

Second, auto loans typically run from three to five years, while most mortgages last for 30. Put simply, a higher rate won’t hurt you as much if you won’t be stuck with it for very long.

Third, because the vehicle loan will be paid off in just a few years, a big chunk of every payment goes to the principal balance, leaving a smaller portion of the payment to be subject to the interest rate.

On a four-year $20,000 car loan at 4%, payments would be $452 a month. In the first month, only $67 of that payment would be interest, or 15%.

Compare that to a 30-year, $200,000 mortgage at 4%. The payment would be $955 a month, with $667 going to interest in the first month, 70% of the total.

Now let’s look at what would happen to a borrower who had to pay 6% on each loan because of weak credit.

The mortgage payment would jump to $1,200 a month, with $1,000 going to interest. That jump could push the loan out of reach. Even if it didn’t, the borrower might not want to bear the long-term cost. At 6%, interest would come to $232,000 throughout 30 years, compared to $144,000 with the 4% loan.

But all of those numbers are more manageable on the car loan. Raising the rate to 6% from 4% would boost the payment a mere $18, to $470 from $452. Total interest over the loan’s four-year life would be $2,546, compared to $1,676 at 4%.

So how much does your credit rating affect the car loan rates you can expect? A recent survey by Edmunds.com, the car-data firm, found that a borrower with a credit rating of 720 or higher could get a four-year loan at 3.65%, while an applicant with a 630 to 669 rating would pay about 8%.

Clearly, it’s better to have a flawless credit history. But if you don’t, a new car may be within reach anyway.

Looking to buy a new set of wheels? Here’s what you need to know before making a purchase!

3 Reasons to Like Facebook as a Business

Seth Fiegerman — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:05:00 -0500

NEW YORK (MainStreet) — Facebook’s decision to file for public offering effectively completed the social network’s transition from being a small startup to a true corporate powerhouse, but just because the website is a big business doesn’t mean it behaves like all the other big businesses out there.

Buried in the papers that the company filed Wednesday are several key data points that suggest that Facebook and its CEO aren’t as motivated by profit as many other companies. That may be a red flag for investors who are primarily concerned about profitability, but for the country as a whole, it should serve as a positive example that a public company can be successful and socially responsible at the same time.

Here are a few new reasons to like Facebook as a company:

Pays Taxes in Full

There’s no doubt that Facebook is rolling in dough at the moment, but it could potentially have even more money on hand if took advantage of more tax loopholes. As some have pointed out, the company’s filings show that it paid a corporate income tax of roughly 40% in both 2010 and 2011. Compare that to the many multi-billion dollar businesses that somehow manage to pay less than 5% on average per year in federal taxes. It’s a nice reminder that a business can be profitable and competitive without avoiding paying its fair share back to society.

A CEO Who Doesn’t Care Much About Money

We know, we know. Everyone cares about money on some level, especially someone as cutthroat as Facebook’s founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who stands to make as much as $28 billion if the company’s market cap hits $100 billion. That said, consider two important facts: First, the company revealed in its filing that Zuckerberg will be paid a salary of just $1 a year (plus his share of the company’s stock). More tellingly, Zuckerberg has already signed a pledge organized by Warren Buffet and Bill Gates to give away his fortune to charity.

Products Are More Important Than Revenue

Zuckerberg included a letter in the filing that clearly laid out the company’s mission statement and showed where its priorities lie, one that will likely appeal to many young entrepreneurs today.

“Most great people care primarily about building and being a part of great things, but they also want to make money,” Zuckerberg wrote. “Simply put: we don't build services to make money; we make money to build better services.”

Once again, it’s probably not what investors want to hear, which is part of the reason why it makes us like the company that much more.

To all of this we would add one other fact that certainly isn’t new but is still worth noting: Facebook is an American company in the best sense of the term. It was started in the U.S., has since grown to have a global influence, but continues to create thousands of jobs at home – more than 200,000 jobs to be exact. In some ways, Facebook really is the polar opposite of a tech company like Apple, which is beloved for its products but occasionally criticized for its business practices. Facebook’s product – the social network – is criticized at times for its various privacy policy and design changes, but the company’s business practices deserve more fans.

Seth Fiegerman is a staff reporter for MainStreet. You can reach him by e-mail at seth.fiegerma@thestreet.com, or follow him on Twitter @sfiegerman.

4 Super Bowl Deals for Non-Football Fans

Jason Notte — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:00:00 -0500

INDIANAPOLIS (MainStreet) -- The Super Bowl pricing at local supermarkets and electronics stores is great if you're stocking up for a big game party, but even better if you don't care the least bit about the New York Giants or New England Patriots.

Last year, according to Nielsen ratings, an estimated 162.9 million Americans watched part or all of the Green Bay Packers' victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV, with the National Retail Federation estimating they spent $10.1 billion on the game. This year, the NRF says average spending will soar to $11 billion. The average Super Bowl-related spending is expected to jump from $59.33 per person last year to $63.87 for this year's festivities.

Super Bowl sponsors would love a repeat performance and are shelling out to make it so. Sponsors including Anheuser-Busch InBev (Stock Quote: BUD), Toyota (Stock Quote: TM), GM (Stock Quote: GM), Pepsico's (Stock Quote: PEP) Frito-Lay and Teleflora are forking over $3.5 million per 30-second ad this year to jolt spending as retailers trim prices to lure shoppers before Super Bowl Sunday.

In some cases it's already working. About 15% of fans surveyed are already planning to host Super Bowl parties. Another 27.1% are attending them. The cost of all the snacks, drinks, apparel and even new televisions -- which the NRF says 5.1 million Americans are expected to buy for the Super Bowl this year -- can pile up like layers in bean dip.

All of that football-fueled spending is creating a much friendlier shopping experience for nonfans as well. We took a look at pregame Super Bowl spending and found savings everywhere from the nearest pizza place to the farthest airport. Even if consumers don't watch the game, their side can win in the end:

Pizza

Papa John's is the NFL's official pizza sponsor, but it doesn't discriminate. The company estimates that Americans will eat 30 million slices of pizza on Super Bowl Sunday alone, and not all of it will be from its own kitchens -- although it sends at least 50% more pizzas out the door on Super Bowl Sunday than on any of the other Sundays on the calendar and is willing to give out a whole bunch of those pies for free.

The pizza maker is running a website promotion that allows fans to guess the outcome of the Super Bowl coin toss. If the majority of voters are correct, those enrolled in the company's rewards program will get a free one-topping pie and two-liter Pepsi.

The 750,000 pizzas Papa John's expects to move Super Bowl Sunday is still short of its competitors at Domino's (Stock Quote: DPZ), which expects to sell 1.1 million to 1.2 million pizzas on game day at a 40% to 45% improvement over its typical Sunday output, according to Dominos.

Yum Brands' (Stock Quote: YUM) Pizza Hut, which took on Papa John's with pre-Super Bowl ads last year, also expects a 50% increase, roughly 1.2 million orders and 1.7 million pizzas cycling through its ovens from kickoff to the presentation of the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Their standing Super Bowl deal knocks the price of a large pizza with any toppings down to $10.

Flights

Ever fly on Super Bowl Sunday within an hour of kickoff? Absolutely fantastic.

Every negative perception you have of airlines suddenly fades away. Poor legroom? Just stretch out into the empty seat next to you. Need flight attendant attention? You and the other 20 people on your flight will have plenty of it.

Air traffic tends to descend to reasonable, almost Thanksgiving- and Christmas-Day-like levels of volume and comfort on Super Bowl Sunday, with airlines from Delta (Stock Quote: DAL) to Virgin American ferrying fewer flyers. JetBlue (Stock Quote: JBLU) isn't immune to the downtick, but gets its game face on by carrying the Super Bowl through DirecTV (Stock Quote: DTV), offering $1 beer, wine and mixed drinks and tossing in bags of Buffalo-wing-flavored pretzels.

Restaurants

If you think the friendly skies feel empty on Super Bowl Sunday, take a step into that restaurant everybody's been hyping up on Yelp or Chowhound for the last month.

Restaurants that don't rely heavily on hot wings, oversized beers and televisions or undersized server uniforms tend to miss out on the Super Bowl party. Restaurant reservation site OpenTable says Super Bowl Sunday reservations fall 50% from just about any other Sunday on the calendar.

It doesn't help that the game kicks off about a half-hour before most people are slated to sit down for their 7 p.m. reservations and ends sometime after the kitchen and waitstaff have glared the last straggling, coffee- or aperitif-nursing customers out the door. That fact alone, however, is no guarantee you'll get the table you want. Though there are still prime spots available for Feb. 5, it's still advisable to book immediately.

Televisions

Apparently, all those shoppers who sat around during the holiday season and let electronics sales fall 6%, according to NPD Group, were just waiting for the real deals.

The National Retail Federation says 5.1% of Super Bowl viewers plan to take in this year's game on a new television. Even if consumers choose to catch up on Downton Abbey instead of watching the action in Indianapolis, they can still get some great deals.

The price of an LCD high-definition television fell by an average of 6% in 2011, according to DisplaySearch. The market research group says those prices are just going to keep coming down in 2012 as LCD screens up to 50 inches fall below the $1,000 mark and screens larger than 60 inches go for $2,000 or less.

Embattled electronics retailer Best Buy (Stock Quote: BBY), for example, was offering a 32-inch Panasonic (Stock Quote: PC) Viera 720p LCD panel for $299.99 (down from $449.99) and a 60-inch 1080p panel from Sharp for $1,199.99 (down from $1,699.99) during a big game sale last week.

Sears (Stock Quote: SHLD), meanwhile, didn't let impending store shutdowns stop it from putting all Sony (Stock Quote: SNE) televisions on sale and offering free shipping on sets $799 and up. A 40-inch Sony 1080p LCD went out the door for $584.99. Plasma screens took a more precipitous price plunge, with a Panasonic Viera 50-inch 3D 1080p Plasma TV going for $1,239.99 (down from $2,000) and the 58-inch Samsung Touch of Color 1080p Plasma HDTV being sold for $1,299.99.

Morning Deals: 35% Off Tax Prep

Matt Brownell — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:55:47 -0500

NEW YORK (MainStreet) – Deal website Offers.com has a deal for 35% off your choice of H&R Block online tax preparation services. The Basic version is marked down from $19.95 to $12.97, the Deluxe version is marked down from $29.95 to $19.47 and the Premium version is marked down from $49.95 to $32.47. The deal is only good through Feb. 12, so you have an incentive to start your taxes early.

Kraft is offering free “Macsurance Policies” – which are just coupons for free Mac and Cheese products – through its Facebook page. The coupons will be offered through the page every day at noon through March 4. You’ll have to like the Facebook page to participate, and there’s a limit of three coupons per person. The coupons will take 6-8 weeks to arrive, and expire July 31.

SlickDeals has a coupon code that gives you $10 off any online food order through Seamless Web that totals more than $10.01, which means you can get a basically free meal. The coupon is mah29fnaq and is valid through Friday. We haven’t had a chance to test the coupon. Remember to tip on the full price of the food.

Matt Brownell is a staff reporter for MainStreet. You can reach him by email at matthew.brownell@thestreet.com, or follow him on Twitter @Brownellorama.

Get It for Less: TVs

Seth Fiegerman — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:02:00 -0500

Editor’s Note: This piece is part of an ongoing series called “Get It for Less” that will appear every week on MainStreet, so check back for more shopping tips on your favorite products.

NEW YORK (MainStreet) — The Super Bowl is just a few days away, which means that many Americans are about to make a mad dash to snag up chicken wings and new televisions. The wings may be cheap enough, but a nice new screen to watch the game on can be pretty pricey. Fortunately, this is one of the better times of the year to look for a deal.

“Historically, televisions do go on sale right before the Super Bowl because stores know that people are looking to buy them,” says Jeanette Pavini, savings expert with Coupons.com. Retailers like Sears and Best Buy are already offering football-related promotions on their televisions.

Here are a few other tips you can use this week and throughout the rest of the year to cut down on the cost of a new TV:

Don’t Be Afraid of an Open Box

It might sound counterintuitive, but if you’re looking for a deal, a television in an open box can be your best buy.

“Floor models, returns or TVs with cosmetic damages are inspected, repaired, repackaged and sold at a deep discount,” Pavini says. The big caveat, of course, is to make sure that the store will provide you with a warranty and the option to exchange it if you’re dissatisfied with it for any reason.

All you have to do is walk into the store and ask an employee if there are any open models on the floor.

Know the Best Time to Shop

While there are plenty of sales in the week leading up to the Super Bowl, this isn’t the only or even the best time of year to shop for televisions.

As MainStreet has reported before, new television models tend to arrive in stores around March and April, which causes retailers to cut the price of older models to make room. So if you do decide to hold off on buying a television this week, you may be able to find a good deal in the next month or so.

For those shopping online, television prices can actually fluctuate slightly by the time of the week as well. One report found that TVs are cheapest on Mondays and the most expensive on Fridays – the difference in price is roughly $20.

Research the Store’s Price Adjustment Policy

Before you purchase a television, take the time to research the retailer’s price-match guarantee.

“A lot of these stores do a 30-day price match. That way, if you do buy a television and see it later for less, you can go ahead and bring the receipt in for a price adjustment,” Pavini says. Even if you feel like you’re getting a great deal now, you should still have the option to save a little extra money if retailers do start slashing prices again in March to make way for new models.

Consider Buying Generic

Generic television models tend to be significantly cheaper than brand names, and oftentimes the differences in quality between these models is negligible. When in doubt though, Pavini urges shoppers to review the warranty information.

“The bottom line comes down to the warranty,” she says. “If the generic brand is offering an excellent warranty that is just as good as the name brands, you’re protected.”

Shop Online

As with most products, there are plenty of great deals you can find for televisions online. Amazon frequently advertises steep daily discounts on televisions and other electronics, as do websites like Overstock.com, DealNews.com, Slickdeals.net and many others. Oftentimes, shipping will be included or you can find a coupon code on sites like Coupons.com, which will waive the shipping charge. If you can’t get free shipping though, you may be better off shopping in the store.

Seth Fiegerman is a staff reporter for MainStreet. You can reach him by e-mail at seth.fiegerman@thestreet.com or follow him on Twitter @sfiegerman.

The Best Budgeting Tip I Know

Seth Fiegerman — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:00:00 -0500

We asked nine of our favorite personal finance writers to offer up their favorite budgeting tips and strategies.