IHOP is offering free pancakes on Feb. 24 in celebration of National Pancake Day.

This will be the fourth year that IHOP has celebrated the national event, with nearly 1,400 IHOP restaurants throughout the United States giving guests a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Find the restaurant in your area here, and WalletPop also has a list of special restaurant deals.

Diners will be asked to donate what they would have paid for the free pancakes, or more, to their local children's hospital or another charity. IHOP is hoping to raise $1 million for Children's Miracle network, a nonprofit helping children's hospitals and other causes.

Last year, IHOP gave away more than 1.5 million pancakes and raised more than $875,000 for charities.

National Pancake Day is also knows as Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras, and dates back several centuries to when the English prepped for fasting during Lent. Strict rules prohibited the eating of all dairy products during Lent, so pancakes were made to use up the supply of eggs, milk, butter and other dairy products.

Aaron Crowe is an unemployed journalist in the San Francisco Bay Area. Read about this job search at www.talesofanunemployeddad.blogspot.com

With the average baseball ticket costing $25.40, NBA ticket at $48.83, an NFL ticket at $72.20, and NHL seats at $48.72, it's no wonder sports fans have a difficult time making it through the turnstiles at stadiums and arenas across the country: Their wallets and purses are being picked.

Some teams such as the New York Yankees are giving fans a break at a few exhibition games, and the Golden State Warriors last month offered seats for $10 for one game. But those deals are just the beginning of good things to come in 2009, predicts The New Republic, not your typical sports publication. It calls 2009 the Year of the Sports Fan.

Ken and Daria Dolan, America's First Family of Personal Finance, answer your money questions every Friday.

Click here to ask Ken and Daria your question.

If you're like us, you have a few things you'd like to improve on in the New Year. One of the goals we hear most often from our readers is getting organized, especially with all their financial records and paperwork.

We know, the thought of sorting through all those papers can seem about as appealing as having a root canal, right? Take it from us, it doesn't have to be that painful! Some documents should definitely be kept, but others can be easily tossed. We've mapped it all out for you in our video below.

Dear Ken and Daria,

How long should I hold on to personal finance papers, such as credit card bills, bank statements and insurance stubs?

-Claire



You don't have to hang on to every personal finance document forever! Ken and Daria's simple chart tells you what should be kept and what can be thrown out.

Americans aren't guzzling gas like they used to, even though prices have dropped below $2 a gallon and are well below what they were last summer and a year ago.

While the drop may be simply tied to the poor economy, a recent Gallup poll found that 52% of Americans are driving less even though gas prices are now about 45% lower than they were a year ago, according to a Marketwatch story.

The lower the income, the more likely people were to drive less. Gallup found that consumers earning less than $75,000 a year were most likely to consolidate trips and drive less overall, mainly because gasoline eats up a larger percentage of their incomes. Of those who made less than $30,000 a year, 69% said they changed their habits and 68% of those in the $30,000 to $74,000 annual income range. For families making $75,000 or more, 56% said they changed their habits.

I am about to kick my financial self in the rear. Despite having made a neat and brilliantly-designed spreadsheet marking my budget for the transition between full-time employment and freelancing work, I have blown it big. Sure, part of it was the furnace ($484 for a new control panel, vital right before Arctic Blast 2008!), part of it was the family's need for dental work ($965 and counting), but a lot of it is the nickels and the dimes. Or, more realistically, the $2.75's and the $1.95's.

It's all in the pastries.

My budget is slayed, not due to the "Latte Factor" (a.k.a. the "Starbucks Factor," spending $4+ each day for pricey coffee beverages), but due to the extraneous purchases when I get my often-daily coffee. If any of my three boys accompanies me to the coffee shop when I buy 16 ounces of coffee for $1.75 plus tip, I end up turning an under-$3 budget item (or around $40 a month, as I don't go every day) into about $10; three times a week and I've suddenly tripled my monthly expenses. And from there, it's a slippery slope to getting my local coffee shop's fabulous pizza a few times a month ($22 with tip), and maybe a lunch here or there...

So one of my financial resolutions for the new year is to do a better job of removing the pastry expense from my budget. This can be accomplished by baking at night for the next morning's breakfast (especially if I'm sending my husband for coffee; he loves to make breakfast easy by swiping the debit card); leaving the kids at home when I go; and brewing at home whenever possible. I think I can save about $60-75 a month, or as much as $900 a year, if I make good. What are your financial resolutions?

Inquiries to attorneys and financial advisers about such issues as how to protect property during a divorce are increasing dramatically in China on fears of a prolonged recession, according to a Reuters story.

You've probably heard of the long-held tact of holding off on asking for a divorce until after the holidays in order to give relatives and any children involved a peaceful Christmas. And with the holidays now over, couples now face a double whammy with a global recession in full swing. According to the Reuters story, it looks like low home values and a recession can strain marriages, leading to divorce.

Wealthy spouses were looking to strike a deal while asset values were down, the China Daily reported.

"While facing tough financial times is not usually the main reason couples split, it can serve as the last straw for already strained marriages or add new concerns to divorces under way," the newspaper said, quoting "marriage advisers."

The China News Service reported the number of people seeking divorce advice increased 30% in the second half of the year. A worker at China's first marriage and finance firm said it is receiving many questions about how to avoid paying off debts after the divorce and that telephone inquiries have increased from 200 to 300 in recent months.

But the high cost of divorce in China may be putting some off, considering the difficulty of selling their homes at a reasonable price and maintaining two separate households.

There were 2.1 million divorces in China in 2007, nearly seven times the figure in 1980 when nationwide economic reforms were launched, the China Daily quoted the Ministry of Civil Affairs as saying.

Aaron Crowe is an unemployed journalist in the San Francisco Bay Area. Read about his job search at www.talesofanunemployeddad.blogspot.com

At least one industry is growing in this lousy economy: In-home health care for the elderly. And where an industry grows, there are usually jobs that grow with it.

Homewatch CareGivers, a franchise based in Colorado that serves all ages, announced record-setting growth for 2008 with domestic sales revenue increasing 32% over the previous year and overall revenue up 20%.

"Despite the recent economic downturn in the U.S., our franchise owners increased same-store sales 25% system-wide," Homewatch CareGivers President Leann Reynolds said in a press release. "Our significant bottom line in 2008 is due to the needs of families worldwide and Homewatch CareGivers provided over 3.1 million hours" of care.

The company expanded to 22 areas this year and more are expected as the population ages. More than 34 million people in America are 65 years or older and that population is expected to reach 70 million by 2030. In-home care service is expected to increase by 50% between 2002 and 2012, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs for personal and home care aides is projected to grow by 51% between 2006 and 2016, which is must faster than the average for all occupations, and nearly 390,000 jobs will be created to serve the aging baby boomers.

Of course, unless you're an RN or other specialized worker, most of these jobs are low-wage. However, that may change if demand for these workers isn't met.

"The Homewatch CareGivers potential client base will continue to grow dramatically over the next 15 to 20 years as our world population ages," Reynolds said. "Our aging population is living longer and desires more community and home-based activities in their last decades. We are poised to service these elder care demands."

Aaron Crowe is an unemployed journalist in the San Francisco Bay Area. Read about his job search at www.talesofanunemployeddad.blogspot.com

If you're into dark comedies, "The United States of Tara" may be for you.

Netflix, Showtime and Entertainment Weekly are giving away tickets for an advance screening of the show, about a woman with multiple personalities. The online application notes that tickets are on a first-come, first-serve basis, depending on the size of the theater in your city. It also warns that each theater is overbooked to ensure a full house. The application program started Dec. 22. The series starts Jan. 18 on Showtime.

According to a Netflix review, the main character Tara "unpredictably lapses into other personas that consist of an aggressive biker, a promiscuous teen and a homemaker in the mold of Martha Stewart. Meanwhile, her family, including husband Max (John Corbett), attempts to cope with the situation."

Aaron Crowe is an unemployed journalist in the San Francisco Bay Area. Read about his job hunt at www.talesofanunemployeddad.blogspot.com

This coming New Year's was supposed to start with a bang for me -- literally. It was going to be the year my husband and I were finally going to make that baby. When we first discussed the time line a couple of years ago, my clock wasn't ticking that fast and 2009 seemed like an ideal year to start. But then 2008 didn't turn out to be the ideal year for our finances. My income as a freelance writer came in at a slower pace, and even though my husband had graduated from school, job interviews are few and far between. So for New Year's, we'll open up a bottle of (cheap) champagne, but that will probably be the only cork that pops.

Our situation is far from unique. I found this Los Angeles Times story profiling couples who say the recession is forcing them to put off baby-making for the time being. It's nothing new to put off having having kids during hard financial times, but it was hard to determine how to come up with the money to raise a kid properly even before Wall Street and the housing market tanked. College tuition is the ultimate balloon payment, of course, but more and more parents I knew are only focused on private school for K-16.

Woolworths closed its doors in the United States in 2001, so American shoppers haven't missed it for years. But recent news in the New York Times that Woolworths is closing all of its 807 stores in Britain, with the last one closing Jan. 5, may send another wave of nostalgia through anyone who grew up with the store.

The "Five and Dime" store, as my grandma called it, was a fun place for a kid and an inexpensive place to get some toys. I remember my grandma taking me there and buying me Army men and a sticker book to bring back to her house, and we often had lunch there -- a grilled cheese sandwich and a Coke was the perfect lunch for me.

As the Times story pointed out, Woolworths was the first shopping experience for a lot of kids who took their allowance or whatever change they could gather. It introduced them to the world of consumerism. It was around when shopping seemed like a treat.

"All we had was Woolworths," Lena Smith, now 50, told the Times. "It was the first big shopping place for us. It was our shopping experience."

Britain had few department stores when Woolworths was in its heyday. F.W. Woolworth reinvented itself as Food Locker Inc. in the United States when it closed Woolworths in 2001. It was long separated from its American parent. Woolworths was the place to go for everyday items that can now be found at Target, Kmart and Kohl's, among many other places: Soap, an ironing board, wrapping paper, underwear, paperclips and shower curtains.

"It was just someplace you could come and get all those odd things -- shoe polish, curtains, mops, safety pins, paintbrushes, pillowcases," said Georganne Uxbridge, 56, to the Times.

The memories of Woolworths will probably stay with me forever. I clearly remember riding my bike there, buying a goldfish and having it die within a few days. What did I do? What else but ride my bike back to Woolworths for another goldfish, this time being careful not to shake the bag as I rode home.

Aaron Crowe is an unemployed journalist in the San Francisco Bay Area. Read about his job search at www.talesofanunemployeddad.blogspot.com

Retailers across the board are reporting weaker sales this holiday season as shoppers have less money to spend on gifts and on themselves in this ugly economy. There is one exception, though. Craft sales are much stronger this year, as folks turn to do-it-yourself projects and handmade goods to save money on gifts.

In years past, maybe you spent $10 or $20 on each of your gifts, but when you can't afford to spend like that anymore, it's time to get creative. You can make your own gifts for the cost of some inexpensive craft supplies, or you can buy directly from crafters if you're not so talented with knitting needles and glue sticks yourself. Etsy, the popular website for buying and selling handmade goods, has seen a real boom in both listings and transactions this holiday season. Sometimes it's more expensive to buy handmade goods, but etsy is a great place to find less expensive but still high quality merchandise. I did a lot of shopping there myself this year!

One thing that keeps me away from snow skiing, other than being lousy at it, is the high cost. Factor in the cost of renting skis, boots, poles and a lift ticket, along with meals, drinks, getting there, and possibly lodging and more assorted gear, and a day on the slopes can run into hundreds of dollars.

If you own your equipment, the cost can be a lot less, but there's always the expensive lift ticket, at least on weekends. A recent New York Times story on less costly lift tickets has some excellent ideas for places to get a lift up the mountain for $50 or less for a day, and I did some research on my own and found more places. I did my search among California resorts, but do an Internet search of your area to find more.

Remember, these prices are for adults skiing on weekends. They don't include discounts on weekdays or for seniors or children. Most of these ski areas are at lesser-known areas and not at the bigger resorts.

The Internal Revenue Service recently announced a program to speed lien relief for homeowners trying to refinance or sell. While it won't get anyone out of their tax bill or erase a federal lien on their home, it's at least some help if they're trying to sell their home in this tough housing market.

Requesting the IRS to "discharge its claim" doesn't eliminate the lien, but moves it to a different property, such as a car or the taxpayer's wages. Somehow, the IRS will get its money.

The IRS is offering to speed up the process -- it usually takes about 30 days -- to make sure the sale or refinance is completed in a timely manner, and so no one gets kicked out of their home as a result of the lien, according to Marketwatch. Taxpayers can also request that the IRS make a tax lien secondary to the lien by the lender that is refinancing or restructuring a loan. They can also request that the IRS discharge its claim if the home is being sold for less than the amount of the mortgage lien under certain circumstances.

Under terms of a $17.4 billion bailout approved by President Bush on Friday, General Motors and Chrysler have three months to turn things around. If they don't, they have to repay the loans and face bankruptcy.

Does anyone really think that companies that are failing after years of bad business decisions will really get their act together by the end of March 2009? People have spent more time trying to stick to a diet.

The emergency loans start with $13.4 billion now and $4 billion more in February. The Obama administration will determine at the end of March if the automakers are meeting the conditions of the loans and will continue getting government aid, or if they must repay the loans and go bankrupt.

Ken and Daria Dolan, America's First Family of Personal Finance, answer your money questions every Friday.

Click here to ask Ken and Daria your question.

Did you know finances are the #1 reason couples split up? And that's without the added stress of a recession! It doesn't have to be that way. We've been doing this for a long time – helping folks with their personal finances and being married for more than 37 years! – and we've learned a few lessons along the way to making it all work. Check out our video response below to learn important strategies for a financially-successful partnership.

Dear Ken and Daria,

How do you get a significant other to sit down and discuss financial matters?



Do you suffer from MMD? Marital Money Discord affects many couples, but with a little communication and these strategies from Ken and Daria, you'll be on your way to financial bliss!