With the weather turning colder, many of us may want to head into the movie theater this weekend. AMC Theaters is offering a free 20 oz. ICEE coupon to moviegoers, according to Hip2Save’s weekend entertainment roundup.

Looking for a little more culture? The roundup also includes a link to museums and venues participating in Bank of America’s Museums on Us day.

A hot summer’s day may be the ideal time for an ice cream treat, but a buy one cone, get one free offer is also a good excuse to indulge. Baskin-Robbins’ offer is one of several deals on Hip2Save’s weekend restaurant roundup.

On the retail side, Bloomingdale’s is offering 20 percent off coupons and Old Navy has $5 off coupons.

John Makely / msnbc.com

Beware office refrigerator politics - they could cost you your job.

Could you live on $9 an hour? Prove it.

A computer game that simulates the hard budget choices of people living on low wages got plenty of people talking this week about how they would – or do- live on little.

“I don’t need a game for that it’s called life,” one reader noted on our msnbc Facebook page.

You may be living on unemployment if you don’t play your office politics right, particularly when it comes to the refrigerator.

A post this week about a CEO who threatened to fire any employee who dared put a nearly empty carton of milk back in the refrigerator instead of replacing it brought out a lot of the frustrations many of us have about communal office kitchens — and particularly coffee pots.

More than 54,000 people weighed in on whether he did the right thing, and about 40 percent of readers sided with the boss. But we suspect some of them may have been being sarcastic.

“That is almost as heinous a crime as leaving two sheets of (toilet) paper stuck to an empty roll.....OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!!!” one commenter wrote.

The memo partly got so much attention because even white-collar jobs aren’t nearly as secure as they used to be. For a post looking at the unusually high unemployment rate among white-collar workers, we asked readers if they had been affected by the jobless crisis. Many tweeted their responses to our @msnbc_business callout.

“I have a wife and a child on the way. I have been looking for work for over 8 months with no relief in sight,” one reader tweeted.

Let’s say you have a secure job and are making more than a subsistence wage. You may want to start saving some money, but where to begin? New research shows that people have more success saving money if they focus on one goal, like buying a house, rather than trying to simultaneously save up for a few things.

However, our readers were equally divided on whether they like to save for one thing, save for a few things at one — or just don’t have any money to save at all.

Finally, Today financial expert Carmen Wong Ullrich dropped in for a chat this week. In a wide-ranging personal finance discussion, she touched on everything from refinancing to reward credit cards.

Complete College America

The stereotypical idea of going to college is to leave home, move into a dorm, attending class full-time and send at least a chunk of the bills to Mom and Dad.

A new report from an organization called Complete College America finds that that stereotype is the exception, not the rule.

Instead, Complete College says, about three-fourths of U.S. college students these days are commuting from off campus, and they are often also juggling family and/or work responsibilities in addition to their classes.

About 40 percent are going part-time, according to the advocacy group, which is working to increase the number of Americans with a college degree. Part-time students are less likely to ever get their diploma, even when given more time than full-time students, they find.

The research is based on data provided by 33 states, including California, Ohio, Indiana and Massachusetts.

The report comes as Americans increasingly struggle with two big issues: How to pay for the rising cost of college, and how to regain the nation’s economic momentum.

Despite the burden of finding time and money for college, many do still think it’s a key way to get ahead in life.

The unemployment rate for people with a college degree or higher was 4.3 percent in August, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For people with just a high school degree, the unemployment rate was 9.6 percent.

What’s to be done? Complete College recommends a number of steps designed to make it easier for people to juggle school and work, such as scheduling classes at predictable times and allowing for more work to be done online. They also recommend finding ways to get people through college faster.

 Related:

You girls need an education!

What's rising faster than health care costs? College costs

What's the point of college? 

TODD PONATH / AP

Got milk? If not, maybe you need to get a new job.

No one likes to be the person to find an empty milk carton in the office fridge, but one boss got so peeved that he threatened to fire the offending staffer over it.

Gawker reports that Keith Zakheim, head of a 60-person New Jersey public relations firm, sent an e-mail to his staff earlier this week after he came in early to find just a few drops of skim milk left for his coffee.

“I have repeatedly requested until I am blue in the face that the person that finishes the milk must replace the milk. It’s not complicated and is a simple sign of respect for fellow employees,” Zakheim wrote, according to the e-mail obtained by Gawker.

Zakheim went on to note that he pays for the milk and other office supplies, so he can’t understand why people can’t replace the supplies.

“So, I am gravely serious when I write this — if I catch someone not replacing the milk, or at least, in the case where the downstairs store has closed already, not sending an email to the office so the first person that arrives (usually Christa or me) can pick one up upon arrival — then I am going to fire you. I’m not joking. You will be fired for not replacing the milk, and have fun explaining that one to your next employer. This is not a empty threat so PLEASE don't test me,” he wrote.

Well, maybe it was a threat with just a few drops in it. A Beckerman official told Life Inc. there will be no pink slips for milk-related mistakes.

“No one has ever been fired or will be fired for not replacing the milk. The point of this memo was really about reinforcing that we have a culture of mutual respect and that this is a workplace that everybody contributes to,” said Allyne Mills, Beckerman’s general manager.

Still, Mills conceded that some might not have seen it that way.

“In hindsight I think Keith, our CEO, sees that perhaps some of the wording was a bit strong but really I think everybody here - people who know Keith, know our company - they understand the spirit in which it was intended,” Mills said.

Readers, what's your office pet peeve? Should office supply snafus be a firing offense?

Related:

Worst boss: How dare you have a heart problem on company time?

Weak economy means more unhappy ex-workers

Featurepics stock

Need a java jolt? Well, you’re in luck because it’s National Coffee Day!

Many of your favorite purveyors are giving away free or discounted coffee, so if you haven’t gotten your fix yet (or are ready for round two or three), check out these deals rounded up by our partner Hip2Save.

If you want to get really crazy with coffee appreciation, try some of these recipes:

• Mexican style coffee: Café de la olla
• Frozen toffee coffee crunch
• Coffee liqueur marshmallows and white chocolate s'mores 
• Espresso martini

The conventional wisdom is that if you go to college and get a white-collar job, you’ll be on a much safer path to prosperity.

Although that’s still relatively accurate, a new analysis from the Economic Policy Institute finds that not even white-collar workers have been safe from the high unemployment that has defined much of the past few years.

The unemployment rate for white-collar workers has been above 6 percent since April of 2009, according to the EPI’s analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

That’s still much lower than the overall unemployment rate, which stands at around 9 percent. But it is double the unemployment rate for white collar workers before the recession began.

The EPI says the last time the unemployment rate for white-collar workers was above 6 percent was during a six-month period that ran between November of 1982 and April of 1983.

Related:

Living paycheck to paycheck, or worse

Unemployment is the problem, but Americans see no clear solution 

More Latino children are living in poverty than children of any other racial or ethnic group in the country, according to according to an analysis of new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Child poverty among Hispanics rose to 6.1 million in 2010 -- up sharply from just over 4 million in 2005. It marks the steepest increase versus any other ethnic group over that period, the report from the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center, shows.

In 2010, 37.3 percent of poor children in America were Latino, 30.5 percent were white and 26.6 percent were black, according to the report. 2010 was the first year in U.S. history when the single largest group of poor children was not white.

“This negative milestone for Hispanics is a product of their growing numbers, high birth rates and declining economic fortunes,” the report said, noting that the 2010 U.S. Census shows Hispanics now represent a record 16.3 percent of the total U.S. population, but an even larger share (23.1 percent) of the nation’s children.

This disparity is driven mainly by high birth rates among Hispanic immigrants, the Pew Hispanic Center notes. Of the 6.1 million Latino children living in poverty, more than two-thirds (or 4.1 million) are the children of immigrant parents. The rest are the children of parents born in the U.S.

Among the 4.1 million impoverished Latino children of immigrants, the vast majority (86.2 percent) were born in the U.S., the report said.

Today Money financial expert Carmen Wong Ulrich joined us for a live Web chat Wednesday to answer your questions.

Here’s one of her answers to questions from the live chat. (See below for the full Q&A and video of Carmen’s TV appearance this morning.)

Becky asked:

“My boyfriend and I both work as design/web development freelancers. We've been doing so for 4 years, and our taxes are increasingly higher. I was wondering if it would be better for our clients and our taxes if we would incorporate.”

Carmen replied:

“Becky - Oh YES! Definitely form an LLC with your boyfriend (if you're ready to make that sort of commitment, ahem!). Or, even a corp on your own where you get paid through the corp rather than personally. There are some upfront costs but you'll recoup that in your first year in tax savings. Good luck!”

Here are links to the full chat archive and Carmen’s TV appearance:

If you have a question for our TODAY Money experts, submit it here.

To sign up for an e-mail reminder for our next chat, click here.

With “leaf-peeping” season underway in Vermont and elsewhere, taking a road trip to gaze at the fall colors is a popular weekend activity. It’s only a matter of time, though, before all that vivid foliage is littering yards, driveways, decks, patios, and front walks. For $500 or so, a gas-powered backpack leaf blower can make quick work of the mess but is more than most homeowners need. Leave the backpack blowers to landscape professionals and go with a handheld blower instead. We found electric models for less than $100 and gas leaf blowers for under $150. 

The most powerful leaf blowers are typically gas-powered and force out a high volume of air at a high velocity. The volume is measured in cubic feet per minute, or CFM, and velocity is measured in mph. Try to avoid paying for more power than necessary. If you have a small yard without many trees, a less powerful blower, be it gas or electric, will be lighter, quieter, and cheaper. Remember, this is a handheld blower, so you don’t want something so heavy it tires you out quickly. After all, one reason for trading in a rake is avoiding a sore back. Likewise, excessive noise can damage your hearing and has prompted some communities to restrict or even prohibit the use of leaf blowers, particularly gas-powered models. 

The benefits of an electric leaf blower go beyond less noise, lower weight, and a cheaper price. Many electric blowers also vacuum and mulch; some gas blowers do, too, but not well -- at least in this price range. Budget gas blowers typically have two-cycle engines that require the proper mix of gas and oil, but electric blowers just get plugged in and turned on. Electric blowers also don’t expose users to fumes, as do gas blowers, some of which run afoul of California Air Resources Board emissions standards. Residents of that state can’t buy leaf blowers that aren’t CARB compliant.

Of course, one major drawback to an electric blower is that you’re tethered to an electrical outlet, which limits your range to the length of an extension cord. You can buy cordless leaf blowers, but they’re even less powerful and don’t hold a charge for long.

Other features to look for include a metal impeller (the fan-like whirligig that moves the air and mulches leaves), which will last longer than a plastic impeller, and variable speed, which protects delicate flowers or other landscaping from strong blasts of air.

Below are Cheapism’s top picks for affordable leaf blowers.

• The Toro 51599 Ultra electric blower vac (starting at $70) has impressed hundreds of consumers who posted reviews, some of whom had used gas blowers previously and weren’t sure what to expect from an electric. The Toro Ultra provides a lot of power for its size, and the metal impeller can chop up 16 bushels of leaves into one bushel of mulch. This leaf blower weighs just 7.5 pounds and registers 67 decibels, making it the quietest on our list. (Where to buy)
• The gas-powered Husqvarna 125B (starting at $143) is the heftiest of our picks but boasts a powerful engine that blows out 470 CFM. Gas blowers can be difficult to get going, but reviews say this model starts on the first pull. It’s also CARB compliant. (Where to buy)
• The Craftsman 74828 electric blower vac (starting at $70) vacuums and mulches and features an oscillating tip so you don’t have to move the blower from side to side as you walk. This model has a metal impeller that mulches at a 16:1 ratio and, according to reviews, resists damage from small rocks and other debris. (Where to buy)
• The Weed Eater FB25 (starting at $77) is not as powerful as other gas blowers, but consumers find it effective for small areas. Several reviewers are repeat customers who previously bought the same model and used it for years. It weighs just 8.1 pounds. (Where to buy)

More from Cheapism:
Cheap Leaf Blowers

Cheap Luggage

Cheap Wedding Dress

Cheap GPS

Ethan Miller / Getty Images file

Traffic fatalities in the Las Vegas area declined sharply in 2008 as recession hit hard.

There is a silver lining for some of the areas that were hit hardest by the Great Recession: They saw larger drops in deadly traffic accidents.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration analyzed 2008 data on unemployment rate increases and traffic fatality declines. Researchers found that metropolitan statistical areas that saw the biggest increases in the unemployment rate also saw the biggest percentage drops in traffic fatalities.

The researchers divided metro areas into three groups. Those with the highest increase in unemployment rates between 2007 and 2008 saw a 12 percent decline in fatalities, while the group in the middle saw a 9 percent decline. The group that saw the smallest increase in joblessness also saw the smallest drop in traffic fatalities, at 8 percent.

For example, NHTSA said that between 2007 and 2008 traffic fatalities fell by 19 percent in the Las Vegas area and by nearly 27 percent in the Reno, Nev., area. Both areas saw their unemployment rates jump that year as they were hit hard by the recession.

Nationwide, unemployment rose to 7.3 percent in 2008 from 5 percent at the end of 2007 as the recession took hold. At the same time the number of traffic-related fatalities fell 10 percent to 37,261 in 2008, the lowest level since 1961.

Traffic fatalities had been declining since 2005, even as the economy expanded and unemployment stayed relatively steady. The government attributes that to safety improvements but noted that the big drop in 2008 coincided with the onset of the recession.

More recent NHTSA reports looking at traffic deaths alone have continued to show declines. The government agency said there were 32,788 traffic deaths in 2010, down from 33,808 in 2009.

In 2008, researchers saw the biggest drop for deaths in crashes that involved drivers under 24 years old. The tight job market has been particularly tough on young adults, which the researchers note likely meant they drove less for work or pleasure.

In previous recessions, the researchers said there have also been drops in deadly crashes, particularly involving young drivers.

NHTSA

Zillow

Two windows poke out from the grass roofline of this unusual home.

By Zillow

1941-1943 Beach Ave, Atlantic Beach, Fla.
For sale: $1.2 million

You may be used to mowing your backyard, and perhaps your front yard, but how about having to mow the tops and sides of your house? For homeowners of a grass dune home in Florida, it's a reality.

The little rounded piece of Atlantic Beach real estate is for sale for $1.2 million. Originally listed for $1.85 million, the property has bounced on and off the market with a few price cuts along the way since 2009. Its latest price cut, from $1.35 million to $1.2 million, is a decrease of 11.1 percent. Median Atlantic Beach home values are at $214,200, down about 5 percent year over year, although prices have been edging higher in recent months.

Built in 1975, the oceanfront home is actually a duplex, with two separate living spaces, each with one bedroom, one bathroom and 750 square feet of living space.

Designed and currently owned by architect William Morgan, the home was, he said, "built to to preserve the ecological setting to the greatest possible extent."

The home is two concrete shells dug into the sand dune, "like giant sea shells in the sand dune," explained Morgan. It was the first time he had built a home completely encased in the earth.

Located in an area that is susceptible to hurricanes and ocean storms, Morgan says the house is "a bomb shelter."

"It would be a good place to go if there was a hurricane," he said. "Inside, you don't hear anything, but you can look out through the sliding glass windows and see the hurricane blowing the waves outside."

Currently each of the apartments in the dune duplex are rented, and whoever purchases the home can continue to use it as investment property, or as a single-family home.

Real estate agent Tansy Moon says the home has garnered lots of interest, but in the end whoever puts an offer down will be a unique buyer.

"It's just really a unique home," she said.

With a 20 percent down payment and a 30-year-loan, this grass dome can be yours for $6,475 a month, according to current mortgage rates.

Zillow

The dome duplex entrance is below ground.

Zillow

One of the dome's living areas.

Zillow

The dome barely peaks up from between the palm trees.

See the full listing here.

Our site is filled with information on homes for sale and apartments for rent, plus we have data on more than 100 million homes in the U.S., so lots of homes catch our eye.

Saving money for a new home? That may seem tough, but new research suggests you may be more successful than if you're trying to figure out how to save for a new house, your kid's education and retirement.

The new academic research paper finds that people do better at saving when they have just one goal in mind, versus the host of goals most of us tend to think about when we decide to take a hard look at our personal finances.

Researchers from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management found that when people are told that it’s important to save for a number of things, they get caught up in thinking about which savings goal is most important and how much should go into each pot.

That can keep them from implementing any sort of savings plan at all.

On the other hand, when a person sets one clear savings goal, it tends to be easier for to implement.

The two researchers, Dilip Soman and Min Zhao, studied people’s reactions to various savings plans in India, Canada and Hong Kong.

They found that even people from different countries and walks of life reacted similarly when faced with decisions about saving.

"One common strategy to encourage individuals to save is to bombard them with multiple reasons to save. … The underlying assumption for this strategy is the belief that when faced with several good saving goals, individuals are more likely to save. In our research, we show that such a strategy can backfire and that a single savings goal can actually result in an increased savings rate (compared with) multiple savings goals,” the researchers wrote.

Bruce Bennett / Getty Images

Surfing legend Kelly Slater on a stamp? Jennifer Aniston maybe? Who gets your stamp of approval?

Want a U.S. postage stamp with Derek Jeter on it? How about Julia Roberts or Eminem?

In the past, that wasn't possible because of U.S. Postal Service rule against having famous people on stamps before they shuffle off this mortal coil.

The USPS announced on Monday that it would drop the rule, which required someone to be dead at least five years before they could be honored on a postage stamp.

The new guidelines begin next year, said Stephen Kearney, USPS Manager, Stamp Services. And the USPS wants your suggestions on who it should slap on a stamp. It requests that you send your ideas via Facebook (facebook.com/USPSStamps) and Twitter (@USPSStamps).

Suggestions will be reviewed by the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee, which recommends stamp subjects to the Postmaster General.

Now, I'm not certain that this move will help the USPS stop bleeding red ink, but it can't hurt to have Jennifer Aniston, Tom Cruise or Tom Brady on a stamp. Personally, I am casting my vote for one of the winningest athletes of all time, ten-time Association of Surfing Professionals world champ Kelly Slater.  

Who would get your stamp of approval? Use the comment field below.

Most Americans know the facts about low-wage work, but many have been lucky enough to avoid actually having to live on $8 or $9 an hour.

A computer game called Spent gives you the opportunity to see what it would be like to walk in a poor person’s shoes.

The game, by an advertising firm called McKinney and Urban Ministries of Durham, N.C., starts with a choice: Would you like to be a server, a warehouse worker or a temp?

From there, the choices get more difficult.

Should you pay to get your pet medical care, or let the animal suffer?

Should you go to the dentist or suffer yourself and save some bucks?

Should you let your child and a friend get ice cream, or do you need that $5 for bills?

The game is interspersed with facts about the choices people with very little money are making every day, and the consequences of those choices.

Want to see how well you could manage your money on a very low wage? Play it yourself.

Tip of the hat to MarketWatch, which alerted us to the game.

Free movie tickets! Free admission to national parks! Free activities at Bass Pro Shops! Find all these offers and more in Hip2Save's weekly roundup of activities and entertainment for the weekend.

Saturday is also Smithsonian magazine Museum Day, giving you a chance for free admission to dozens of museums across the country.  

Hip2Save also has a weekend restaurant roundup and a weekend retail roundup.

Among the restaurant deals:

• Cold Stone Creamery, annual ice cream social, Tuesday from 5-8 p.m., benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
• Marie Callender's free kids' meals, Tuesdays and Saturdays.
• Burger King, free ice cream to promote an expanded dessert menu.
• Arby's, three roast beef sandwiches for $5, with coupon.

In retail:

• Kmart, 20 percent discounts on items needed for storm recovery in the East.
• Office Depot, $20 off $100 purchase, with coupon.
• Coach, 20 percent off entire purchase, with coupon.

At shopping malls and big-box stores, it seems Christmas comes earlier and earlier every year.

Retailers claim they are simply responding to consumer demand. "Forty percent of our consumers that we surveyed have told us that they're shopping for the Christmas holidays already," said Mike Gatti of the National Retail Federation.

But retailers have other motivations, too. Concerns are growing that the global economy could be headed into another recession, and retailers did not exactly have a scintillating holiday season last year. The more sales they can lock up early, the easier the nation's retail executives will breathe.

Do you think Christmas in September is too early? Click to vote below.

The clichéd phrase that the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer is actually proving true these days.

Two posts this week — one on wealth gains by rich and another on rising state poverty rates — struck a nerve with Life Inc. readers.

The post on poverty looked at how many states made gains in the war on poverty during the economic boom times, but have since backtracked.

Some readers saw themselves in that data.

“I've lived under the poverty line my entire adult life. Paycheck to paycheck, no savings. I can't imagine what it would be like to have more than $50 or so disposable income a month. I'd feel rich. I'm not sure I can comprehend it,” one reader wrote.

On the other side of the spectrum, another post this week looked at how the vast majority of wealth gains between 1983 and 2009 went to the richest Americans.

The post prompted a wide-ranging discussion on everything from whether our country has lost its knack for innovation to whether we need to raise taxes on the rich.

In a separate post, the vast majority of our readers said, they would be in favor of raising taxes for wealthy people and corporations. That’s in keeping with what Gallup found in a recent poll.

Even some who might have to pay more said they'd support it.

 “I won't stay wealthy unless there is a solid middle class, I should be willing to pay for that,” one reader wrote.

We do like to ponder these weighty topics on Life Inc., but in the end it’s the little things in life that make a big difference.

Our readers this week also were pretty excited to learn that a new, larger ketchup packet is going to be available for a larger audience.

“I've been reading about this mythical bigger ketchup packet for a few years now and have yet to encounter them. I hate having to rip open 10 packets just to eat my fries,” one reader wrote.

U.S. Census Bureau

Apparently, we Americans really love sitting alone in our cars in traffic along with tons of other people who are also sitting alone in their cars in traffic.

Either that, or we don’t have much choice but to drive alone to work.

A batch of new U.S. Census data released this week showed that more than three-quarters of American workers commuted to work alone in 2009.

About 10 percent carpooled, and 5 percent took public transportation. The rest walked, biked, worked from home or used other options.

Although the number of workers has grown over the past five decades, the pattern of transport hasn’t changed much. The majority have always taken their own car to work.

It took workers about 25 minutes to get to work, on average, according to the Census data for 2009. That’s a few minutes more than in 1980. 

Related:

Yes, your commute is bad for you

Recession breeds new wave of supercommuters

A lot of Americans think it would be just fine for wealthy people to pay more taxes.

A new Gallup poll finds that two-thirds of Americans would be in favor of increasing income taxes for people who make more than $200,000 a year, or families bringing in more than $250,000 a year.

The same poll, conducted earlier this month, found that seven in 10 Americans also approve of increasing taxes on some corporations by eliminating tax deductions. Democrats are much more likely than Republicans to favor raising taxes for both groups.

President Obama has proposed dealing with the deficit in part by increasing taxes for wealthy people. Republicans have called such proposals class warfare.

Related:

Buffett touches a nerve with plea for more taxes

Here’s who won’t be paying federal income tax this year

Today Money financial expert David Bach joined us for a live Web chat Wednesday to answer your questions.

Here’s one of his answers to questions from the live chat. (See below for the full Q&A and video of David’s TV appearance this morning.)

One chat guest asked:

“Hi David, Where do you stand on the debate between paying off your mortgage early vs. getting a big, long mortgage, never paying it off and using the extra money to invest?”

David replied:

“Love this question. I think you are better off to pay that mortgage off early. Less debt means more freedom. I wrote a new book this year called Debt Free For Life, and the entire goal and mission of this book is to help you buy back your freedom. Paying off your home early can save you tens of thousands of dollars in interest, and often upwards of six figures if you have a big mortgage. Good luck!”

Here’s the full chat archive and David’s TV appearance:

If you have a question for our TODAY Money experts, submit it here.

To sign up for an e-mail reminder for our next chat, click here.

A new interactive map from The Associated Press shows in stark relief how some states gained ground in the fight against poverty, particularly during the economic boom times of the late 1990s and early 2000s, before backtracking over the past few years.

The graphic rendering of poverty data released by the U.S. Census last week also shows that some states are faring better than others when it comes to poverty. Still, not many states have escaped the recent economic malaise without some increase in the percentage of people struggling to make ends meet.

“There are very few places that haven’t been affected by the last two recessions,” said Scott Allard, associate professor at the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration and an expert on poverty.

Allard notes that some of the states dealing with highest rates of poverty also are struggling with severe budget issues, which may make it harder to help those in need.

“Many of the states that have some of the highest levels of poverty (are) struggling with making some of the most severe cuts to social programs,” he said.

The nationwide poverty rate hit 15.1 percent last year, up from 14.3 percent in 2009, according to the Census Bureau.

To view the changing landscape of poverty, hit the "play" button at upper left or slide the gray triangle from year to year.

Related:

The high cost of single parenthood

Wealth report reveals richest, poorest states

Poverty rate hits 18-year high as median income falls

By Kara Reinhardt
Cheapism.com

The kids are all set up with their back-to-school supplies and dorm room essentials, but how does your desk look? If you’re making do with a kitchen chair or some other substitute, do your body a favor and consider a proper office chair. According to the U.S. Labor Department, it could save you from back pain, fatigue, restricted circulation, swelling, and numbness, among other ailments. And it doesn’t have to cost hundreds. 

The advantages of using an office chair or computer chair start with lumbar support. The back of an office chair has a slight curve designed to fit snugly against the natural curve of your lower back. With wheels and a 360-degree swivel, it’s easy to get your hands on anything you need without reaching or twisting. A five-point or five-leg base makes for a more stable chair.

Adjustability is key to a good fit. While you may not be able to set every last piece of a low-cost chair to fit your frame, adjustable seat height is standard even in the budget price range.  You can also find affordable office chairs with adjustable tilt. The best options in the category have padded, adjustable armrests as well. If the armrests don’t adjust, try to test out the chair before you buy. Your forearms should rest lightly on the arms of the chair with your shoulders back and down. The seat pan should be deep enough to fully support your thighs when your back is against the back of the chair but not so deep that your knees touch the edge of the seat or your feet don’t sit flat on the floor.

One thing you won’t find at this price is leather. However, imitation leathers wipe clean like the real thing and offer a high-end look. Many cheap desk chairs are also made from breathable mesh. 

Below are Cheapism’s top picks for affordable office chairs.

• The Office Star Space 5500 (starting at $150) offers adjustable seat height, tilt, and padded armrests, winning praise from users for its comfortable, precise fit. The seat pan measures 21 inches wide by 20 inches deep and the chair is made from breathable mesh. (Where to buy)
• The Staples Vocazo (starting at $105) has a mesh back and a microsuede seat that measures 20.5 inches wide by 19.75 inches deep. Users can adjust the seat height and tilt but not the armrests. Nonetheless, they rave about the chair’s comfort, as well as its easy assembly. This is also the only cheap desk chair we found with a one-year warranty. (Where to buy)
• The Alera Nico Mid-Back Chair (starting at $134) is covered with Caresoft upholstery, an easy-to-clean imitation leather that users say is soft and comfortable. The seat height and tilt can be adjusted, although the padded armrests cannot. The seat measures 21 inches square and users note that the chair sits slightly higher than others, making it a good choice for taller consumers. (Where to buy) 

More from Cheapism:
Cheap Office Chairs
Coupon Apps
Cheap Refrigerators
Cheap Computer Monitors  

Yes, it's only September, but Toys 'R' Us is already hoping to get shoppers interested in shopping for the holidays. The retailer this week unveiled its annual list of toys it hopes will hit big this holiday season.

Mary Collins
WISE-TV

A much larger Heinz ketchup packet is starting to show up in restaurants across the country. The container, shaped like a traditional Heinz bottle with a peel-back lid, holds three times more ketchup than the previous H. J. Heinz Co. squeeze packets.

The company’s ‘Dip & Squeeze’ design is also true to its name, giving ketchup lovers the option of dunking their french fries instead of trying to squeeze it out, which can be a messy way to eat — especially while on-the-go.

The Dip & Squeeze marks the first Heinz Ketchup packet redesign in 42 years, spurred by consumer feedback about the inconvenience of Heinz’s traditional rectangular squeeze pouches.

The company started developing the Dip & Squeeze in 2008, Jackson said.  

Previous coverage: After 40 years, Heinz revamps ketchup packets