Nicole Agee

This warmer weather may be a reminder that spring cleaning isn’t far away. If your carpets and floors are in desperate need of some TLC, ShopSmart magazine (from Consumer Reports) has some tips to find what may be your new best friend.

Magazine staffers rated the top vacuums for a variety of uses:

Best for carpets: Hoover Windtunnel Anniversary Edition ($230) It rated best overall and is available at most retailers.

Best for bare floors: Kenmore Progressive ($350) Kenmore is usually a reliable brand and this one is no different.

Best for pet hair: Panasonic ($500) This works well on carpets and on bare floors to suck up what your furry friend leaves behind. I can also vouch for the Bissell Pet Hair Eraser that I bought at Target last year for about $175. It came with a $50 Target gift card, which is a deal to watch for if you’re a regular Target shopper. It comes with lots of attachments that help pull hair off of furniture and stairs.

Best for stairs: Kenmore Progressive ($300) Unlike its upright counterpart mentioned above, this is the two piece version.

Best for shampooing: Hoover Dual V Steam Vac All Terrain with Spin Scrub ($270) Good for those stains that may have been there since the holidays, this vac sucks up most of the moisture so your carpet dries quickly.

What’s the best spring cleaning tool in your artillery?

After all of those reports on Toyota’s massive recall, is it possible that a highly publicized fix may not work? Complaints are still rolling in, leading to that very question.

ABC’s Brian Ross details those new complaints coming from frustrated consumers that are also fearful for their safety. I’ve spent the last 30 mintues searching through detailed complaints on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website from Toyota drivers. It’s amazing to me that some of the earliest are from 2005 for cars that were new that year.  The “symptoms” are the same; unintended acceleration. Some drivers plowed into another car, a tree or in one case, a gas station. In some of the entries, dealerships said cars were not on the recall list, others claim it would be a quick fix, but at a cost.

Have you recieved a “fix” from Toyota and still have problems or fears? I’d love to hear from you: Nicole.Agee@kcrg.com.

Cathie tipped me off to a site called alice.com. It offers good prices on a ton of products we use everyday. She says she signed up for coupon alerts where you simply sign up for the items you use the most and and how often you want them delivered and they arrive at your house. Perhaps the best part – no shipping charges!

Looking for an early spring break destination? Fares for last-minute flights couldn’t be hotter. As long as you don’t mind a drive to Chicago,Travelzoo is showcasing some cheap flights to NYC. You can find details including the fine print here. You can book a flight on American Airlines THIS WEEKEND for just $59 each way. Sometimes it pays to wait until the last minute!

Do you have a Savvy Shopper tip to share? Send it my way: Nicole.Agee@kcrg.com and I’ll pass it along!

As you continue to send me your worst Valentine’s Day gift stories (and keep ‘em coming), I wanted to share a segment I saw on Good Morning America for great gift ideas on a budget.

As I mentioned around the Christmas shopping season, personalized gifts are a great way to give a unique and thoughtful gift. GMA’s Jane Buckingham shared her tips for a Valentine’s Day gift your valentine won’t soon forget.

Some of my favorites are the personalized golf balls from Golfballs.com. It costs $19 and you can add three lines of text to a golf ball. The site also offers personalized hats, shoes, towels and several other items. It’s perfect for the golfer in your life!

If you’ve got no money to spend this year, how about a FREE video montage? Animoto.com lets you upload photos and create a free, 30 second video with music you can send to your Valentine. I just checked out the site and it’s really cool! You can watch a 60-second “how to” video and a sample video if you need ideas. This is great gift for anyone!

Don’t forget to send me your stories about your worst Valentine’s Day gift! Your story could be on TV9 this Friday during the KCRG TV9 Early Morning News starting at 5AM.

We’re less than two weeks away from Valentine’s Day, a day made for stuffed gorillas, tacky lingerie and singing cards.

I know there are some of you who have probably received a gift so bad that you can’t forget it and I want to hear your story! KCRG-TV9 is looking for the worst Valentine’s Day gifts out there. A life-sized teddy bear? A singing telegram? How about a mushy dedication on the radio?

Just send me an e-mail: nicole.agee@kcrg.com and put “Worst Valentine’s Day Gift” in the subject line. You just might hear your story on TV9!

Johnson & Johnson is expanding a recall of over-the-counter meds. The widening recall comes because of a moldy smell in a variety of that has made some consumers ill. That may have come from the wooden pallets. Check your medicine cabinet carefully.

Here’s the full list:

–Children’s Motrin – Caplet/ Chewable

–Children’s Tylenol – Meltaway

–Benadryl – Tablet

–Extra Strength Tylenol – Caplet

–Extra Strength Tylenol – Caplet – 325ct/ Cool Caplet/ EZ Tablet

–Extra Strength Tylenol – EZ Tablet/ Rapid Release GelCap

–Extra Strength Tylenol/ Rapid Release GelCap/ Tablet

–Motrin IB – Caplet – 24ct, 50ct, 100ct, 225ct, 300ct

–Regular Strength Tylenol – Caplet 50ct, Tablet 100ct

–Rolaids Chewable 100ct & 150ct Fresh Mint and Fruit, tropical punch, berry, cherry, peppermint

–Simply Sleep – Caplet 100ct

–St. Joseph Aspirin – Chewable – 36ct – Orange/ Enteric Coated Tablet 36ct & 100ct, 180ct, 300ct

–Tylenol 8 hour – Caplet 24ct, 100ct

–Tylenol Arthritis – Caplet 50ct, 150ct, 225ct, 290ct

–Tylenol Arthritis – GelTab 20ct, 40ct, 80ct

–Tylenol PM -Extra Strength Caplet 24ct, 50ct, 100ct, 150ct, 225ct

–Tylenol PM – Rapid Release – Gelcap – 20ct, 40ct

Do you know a kid who thinks in dollars and cents? If so, they could cash in on their money smarts.

The Bankers Association and Iowa Credit Union League are sponsoring the 4th annual Money Smart Kid Essay Contest for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago outreach event. The winner will help promote financial literacy for Money Smart Week.

One student will receive a $1,000 College Savings Iowa account, which can be used at any accredited college in the country. Finalists may be selected to read their essays at one or more MSW kick-off breakfast events in central Iowa, Cedar Rapids-Iowa City corridor, or Quad Cities.

Students must be in grades 6th-8th. They can enter the contest by answering this question in a written essay of 300 words or fewer: 

Credit cards can cause heartache, but they are also convenient. How do you think credit cards should be used and when do you think you need one?

For more guidelines and information visit the Money Smart Week website. Good luck!

Consumer Reports shopping guide, “Shop Smart” released its “Best and Worst Products of the Year” for 2009. The list spans products for your home and health to popular cars and wine. This is a great list to use if you plan to spend gift cards or return and re-buy a holiday gift. The downside is you have to subscribe to the magazine to see the list. But here’s my quick overview:

I was surprised to see a sewing machine on this year’s list, but there’s a ”Project Runway” limited edition on there. Organic pancake batter, low-cal ice cream and an electric wine bottle opener made the “food” list, while tennis shoes and teeth-whitening strips are on the “beauty and fitness” page.

Which products did Consumer Reports say testers didn’t go for? A spinning mascara brush, low-cal OJ and the Snuggie. You can see the full list in January 2010 “Shop Smart” magazine.

Do you have a favorite product from 2009? What about a purchase you regret? Send them my way at nicole.agee@kcrg.com!

Several shoppers are scrambling to get holiday gifts bought and wrapped, including myself. If you need to buy something online, you’d better do it today. I can’t tell you how many e-mails are in my inbox with the subject line that starts “HURRY!”

Many retailers are cutting off holiday orders this afternoon. If there’s something you really need tomorrow, you could always call the store directly to ask about shipping options, but it will cost you. If you’re not in need of something right away (call it a post-holiday gift for yourself) there are a ton of deals out there. Retailmenot is a good place to start since they list the most popular deals on the homepage.

Many companies are trying to gain any sales they lost on the east coast during the winter storm. An article in the New York Times points out that chains can typically survive a big blow on the biggest shopping weekend of the year, but regional and local merchants may see a drop in sales.

Secret Santa gift exchanges can be challenging, especially if you don’t know the person you’re buying for. Here are a few ideas to make your gift work for anyone and still stay under that $15 limit.

Movie Night

Instead of buying two movie passes to the local theater (which would be closer to $20), why not suggest a night in? Buy a large plastic bowl and fill it with a box of popcorn, a box of candy and a gift certificate for a movie rental.

IdeaPaint

I saw this one on GMA. IdeaPaint is offering mini boxes of its product through the end of December. It can turn any office surface into a dry erase board. The website offers ideas to spark your imagination.

Personalized Gifts

Golfers may love a personalized golf towel, while savvy shoppers may enjoy a canvas tote. Lots of communities have a place that does personalized embroidery for minimal cost. I just took a polo shirt into a place in Cedar Rapids that will charge me $5 to get it done. Most places will also have a catalogue of items to choose from if you aren’t sure what to buy.

Sweet Treats

Who doesn’t have a sweet tooth? How about a half-dozen cupcakes or a pie? This is typically low cost and would work for those $10 and under gift exchanges. Places like Temptations Fine Candies in Marion or Betty Jane’s in Lindale Mall offer small boxes of treats that would work for your budget.

Gift Cards

It may seem like a fall-back, but everyone loves a free lunch, or a few free lattes.