This weather affects us in certain ways: We get the urge to organize our stuff. The bedroom event at Ikea might get us to indulge in a few items to make life easier. There are discounts on wardrobes where you can 15 per cent back in gift cards or not pay for six months. We recommend the gift cards.

Oh, you think as you gaze into a, say, exclusive car showroom, oh, if only I won a lottery! Why, then I'd be able to buy several of these shiny things, one for each member of my extended family, and I'd still have enough left to go for a sumptuous dinner at my local fast-food eatery!

And then you get an e-mail, usually from a country whose name you hear for the first time in your life, telling you that you've just won loads of money. Sweepstakes, lottery, you name it. Of course, the message says, first you've got to pay taxes due, and then, we'll release the cash.

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Walletpop Canada found an interesting video of an iPad being dropped from 100,000 feet.

G-Form launched an iPad clad solely in the company's 6oz Extreme Edge case into space and then let it free-fall back to Earth. It appears the iPad continued to work just fine upon landing.

Okay, we're impressed.

Click below to view the video. Also, check out some other Walletpop iPad stories at the bottom of this post.





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by Rachel Mendleson, Huffington Post Canada

TORONTO -- Huffington Post Canada business writer Rachel Mendleson reported that record levels of Canadian household debt will factor into how the economy shapes up in 2012, leading to a slowdown in consumer spending or further tightening of mortgage rules, leading bank economists predict.

Economists from Canada's five big bank have suggested two possible outcomes of the growing household debt burden.

Neither is particularly reassuring.

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New Year's is the perfect time to break bad habits and start afresh. In keeping with that theme, here's a list of items you should take out of your wallet - immediately. You never know when you'll lose it, or it will be stolen, and removing these items will save you no end of grief and hassle. That said, there's one thing that will better your odds of having a lost or stolen wallet returned to you. Click through the gallery to find out what it is.

What Should Never Go in Your Wallet (GALLERY)

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If you thought that signing up for inclusion on the Non-Call List would get you of the telemarketers' hook, you might have found out by now it didn't.

While, granted, offering goods and services over the telephone is a legitimate endeavour, many amongst us view it rather as harassment – especially when the phone rings while you're otherwise engaged, or when it rings and all you hear is silence after you've picked it up. On some occasions, the silence is interrupted after about 30 seconds by a female voice that says, with a certain degree of malevolence, "Good bye," getting your level of adrenaline even higher.

If you can get hold of experts who know how to do this kind of testing, you might find out that many of the calls originate outside of any Canadian government agency's jurisdiction. Some tropical islands seem to be the favourite spots for some telemarketers. None of these islands has anything to do with Canada, except having a phone network that can reach and touch someone north of the 49^th parallel.

Can somebody do something about it?

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We all know that when we walk into Shoppers Drug Mart for one thing we walk with five or ten. If you are planning on stopping into Shoppers on the 7th and 8th then you'll be pleased to know that if you spend $75 or more, you will get two Cineplex movie tickets.

There is a catch: This offer is good in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Yellowknife, Nunavut and Ontario only.

So you've made your list of what you want to accomplish in the new year and you're sticking to it. That is until appointments and work deadlines and social commitments start to eat away at your time and your money. So review your list of New Year's resolutions, and be realistic. And think about the following mistakes to avoid so your money isn't eaten up by promises you've made to yourself that you really can't keep.

Click through the photo below to launch the gallery, or read the story that follows, to find out which resolutions could cost you in 2012.

(CLICK PHOTO TO LAUNCH GALLERY)

1. Committing to a gym membership and then never setting foot on a treadmill.
We've all been there. It's the start of a new year and everyone wants to rid themselves of those extra holiday pounds they've put on after one too many helpings of turkey... and mince tarts... and yule log cake. But before you put down a hefty gym deposit think about when you'll go to the gym and how you'll go about your new fitness program. Simply buying a gym membership won't improve your heart rate and it is an extra fee in your monthly pileup of bills that could be avoided. Will it really work for you or would an after-work yoga class or power walk fit your schedule better? Think before you spend.

Every month WalletPop searches the MLS listings for attractive homes at a reasonable cost. We've limited our picks to homes selling for less than $400K for a survey of homes that most people can afford. The average home price was $360,396 in November across Canada, and many of the properties we highlight are even less than that (ie. a condo in Edmonton condo for $270K and a Winnipeg fixer upper for $199K).

Have a look and see if anything surprises you this month.

CLICK ON PHOTO TO LAUNCH GALLERY

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By Kerri-Lynn McAllister
Ratehub.ca

Suppose you don't have the funds or credit to obtain a mortgage – what are your options for home ownership? Well, with rent-to-own programs gaining popularity, home ownership may well be within your grasp.

While variations of rent-to-own schemes have taken place throughout the years between landlords and tenants, they are less common across whole condominium buildings. This changed recently when a builder in Toronto, Daniels, introduced a unique rent-to-own program for its NY Place development, with a promise of more such programs to follow with future developments.
Essentially, a rent-to-own agreement lets you secure the property you occupy as a renter for future purchase by allocating a portion of your rent to a down payment. You build your down payment over the term of the agreement and can purchase the property at the agreed upon price when the term expires.

You are also typically required to put in an initial deposit somewhere around 20% of the minimum down payment (5% of the sale price in Canada), although it may dependent on other factors as well. In return, the landlord cannot put the property for sale on the market.

So, on top of your rent, you are responsible for:

· The initial deposit; and
· An additional monthly fee that goes towards your purchase of the property and holds your agreement in good faith.

For example, at the beginning of a two-year agreement on a $300,000 home, say you put in a $3,000 deposit. Additionally, you pay an extra $500 per month, which over two years amounts to $12,000.

$3,000 + $12,000 = $15,000 that goes towards your minimum 5% down payment.

Rent-to-own agreements are best for home-seekers in the following situations: