Weird title, right? Eh, well, it is what it is.

So the little rodent fondly known as Punxsutawney Phil popped up this morning. And since the sun was shining, he saw his rotund little shadow.  And then he sang out loudly,

“A bright sky above me;
Showed my shadow beside me.
So 6 more weeks of winter it will be.”

Okay, he didn’t sing. Clearly, he doesn’t even talk (or does he?!). But that’s how the story goes. Groundhog, dude with a top hat and sunshine. I don’t get it either. But we have a super Quizzle + groundhog image for y’all today. Did ya catch it? That beauty is the fine web-craftsmanship of Mr. Chris Kaufman.

In other (more relevant) news, we’ve got an awesome list of American-based companies that you can buy from to fill your lovely Quizzle home. From cookie cutters and baskets to lighting and bunkbeds, we’ll highlight some of American-made companies you’ll want to check out for your next home project.

Phil is also welcome to utilize this list for his….um, hole.

Alfresco Grills Outdoor Cooking (Commerce, CA): Spiff up the patio with an open-air kitchen, including refrigeration, burners and grills.

Better Living Heating and Air (Holiday Island, AR): Makers of Sun AireTM Ductless Heaters and Sun AireTM Air Purifiers, all made in USA.

Bunk Beds Etc (Cedar Park, TX): American-made, safe and sturdy bunk beds finished in your choice of 5 colors.

Closets To Go Custom Organizers (Tigard, OR): Custom closet organizers and closet systems manufactured using wood panel products.

Cookie Cutter Collectibles (Dover, AR): Just for fun, copper cookie cutters in over 400 shapes. (We didn’t count, but we’ll assume they’re right.)

Cooking.com Cooking Accessories: This is an excellent source for American-made KitchenAid Artisan mixers, All-Clad cookware, Lodge cast-iron cookware, Nordiware bakeware, and VitaMix mixers.

Country Curtains (Stockbridge, MA): Dress up the living room with a great assortment of USA-made muslin, lace, sheers, and more.

Crate and Barrel Furniture : You can’t deny the classic design of Crate and Barrel furniture. Contemporary wood, metal and glass furniture, pillows, mirrors, framed prints and more. Type in keyword “USA”.

Harden Furniture (McConnellsville, NY): Family-owned since 1844, this manufacturer crafts hardwood and upholstered furniture using American-grown lumber from their own sustainable forest plots.

Hubbardton Forge Lighting (Castleton, VT): Hand-forged floor and table lamps, chandeliers, and ceiling lighting fixtures, available from Light N Leisure.com .

Jiffy Steamer (Union City, TN): travel, home, and professional steamers for removing wrinkles from clothing, draperies, and tableclothes.

Kenmore-brand appliances :Some models are made in the USA and are available from Sears and KMart.

Mantel Shelves of Lapeer (Lapeer, MI): Wooden mantels and shelves in a variety of sizes and finishes, as well as custom orders. Crafted from hardwoods milled in Lapeer, Michigan.

Norwalk Furniture (Norwalk, OH): Upholstered furniture — the majority is made here with U.S. and imported materials. Manufacturing facilities in Norwalk, OH; Cookeville, TN; Valdese, NC; and Fulton, MS.

Oak Barn Furniture: A collection of Amish-made solid wooden furniture for every room. The site features Mission and Shaker styles in oak, cherry, and maple, made in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky, and North Carolina.

Oreck Vacuums: Oreck manufactures upright and cannister vacuums manufactured in Long Beach, MS. (Some other products are imported.)

OxiBrands: (800) 745-5186. OxiBrands in Livonia, MI makes products for the interior and exterior of your home that are environmentally safe. The O-2 Algae and Mold System uses a two-part process to remove mold and mildew and provide years of protection. OxiWood Cleaner and Brightener restores graying wood on decks, fences and other wood surfaces. The OxiOut Emergency Stain Stick is great for getting out food and coffee stains on clothes.

Peterboro Basket Co. (Peterborough, NH): Hand-woven baskets for serving, saving, organizing, laundry and more.

PYREX Glassware (Charleroi, PA): All PYREX glassware is made in USA, including the new Grip-Rite line with silicone strip to keep the glass from sliding on countertops. Heat-resistant glass that goes from oven or microwave to table to dishwasher. (Plastic covers and metal bakeware imported.)

KitchenAid makes Stand Mixers and Blenders at its Greenville, OH facility. Coffee grinders made in India and assembled in Greenville. Other products imported. (Use keyword “KitchenAid USA” in the Chef’s Catalog.)

Rainbow Vacuum Cleaners (Cadillac, MI): vacuum cleaners that use a water filtration reservoir to trap dust, dirt, and allergens.

Ridgeway Clock Co. (Zeeland, MI): American-made Grandfather clocks. Shop by brand at TheFurniture.com.

RugsUSA (GA): Braided ,contemporary, and Persian style rugs by Colonial Mills, Shaw Rug and Mohawk Industries. (Use keyword “USA”.)

Shop-Vac (Williamsport, PA): Upright and portable wet/dry vacuum cleaners for industrial, commercial or home use. Available from many home improvement stores.

Sloan Flushmate (800) 533-3460: The pressure-assisted technology developed by this New Hudson company helps toilets save water with every flush.

Squeak-Ender (800) 854-3577. If you have a squeaky floor, Squeak-Ender from E&E Engineering, a Warren, Michigan company, can be a solution. These are little jack-like attachments that draw the subfloor against the floor joist, eliminating the squeak. Duh. SQUEAK-ENDER.

Stacks and Stacks HomeWares : Kitchen, laundry, and drawer organizers, as well as sports racks (Use keyword “made USA”).

Sub-Zero Freezer Co. (Madison, WI): Sub-Zero brand built-in and undercounter refrigeration, Wolf gas/electric dual fuel ranges and more.

Sur La Table : Broad selection of culinary items, including utensils, bowls, Lodge and Nordicware, and wooden cutting tables (use keyword “made USA”).

Whirlpool Corp.: manufacturing facilities in U.S., making clothes washers (Clyde, OH), topmount refrigerators (Evansville, IN), dishwashers (Findlay, OH), side-by-side refrigerators, counter-depth refrigerators, trash compactors, ice makers (Fort Smith, AR), built-in ranges, cooktop ranges, built-in microwaves, warming drawers, freestanding ranges (Tulsa, OK).

Okay, they’re not real love letters. They’re not even letters. But some of the e-mails we get really do mean a lot. So, here are a couple of our favorite mushy e-mails from our favorite Quizzlers:

Found out about your great site from another great site, ClarkHoward.com. Your free report has made my day in this gloomy economy. I found out how good a shape I’m in. What an ego booster.

Thanks so very much to all the wonderful people that make up Quizzle.com.

Love, (okay he didn’t write that, we’re paraphrasing!)

Bernard S.

_____________________

I think this is a great online tool to access where an individual is financially. It’s so easy and simple to get started. I love this.

XOXO, (okay, us again!)

Mika S

____________________

This is excellent. It is wonderful to have something like this available to me. Thank you very much for providing the opportunity to use it.

Yours Always, (obviously our interpretation)

Sharon B

If you have some love to share or even something you’d like to suggest (anything!), just give us a holler: blog@quizzle.com. Or maybe you tweet? Follow us on Twitter – we’re @Quizzle. Have a Quizzlating weekend!

At Quizzle, we’re all about awesome freebies – especially ones that could help get you on the right financial path! Duh…Quizzle is free and full of freebies, right?

So, here is a very cool freebie from TV Queen Oprah and her favorite finance expert, Suze Orman. From now until Thursday (January 15), you can download Suze’s new book, the “2009 Action Plan,” for free! It’s  over 200 pages and goes over everything from credit to real estate to 401k to saving for college.  Pretty awesome!

But you do have to hurry – it won’t be available after Thursday. So get over to Oprah.com and download it! Heck, with your free credit report in Quizzle and Suze’s advice, you can totally get yourself on the right financial path in 2009!

Worried about the economy? Been hoarding all your pennies lately? You’re not alone. Heck, even the US federal budget is looking a little hefty these days and might topple the scales at nearly $1.2 trillion next year.

If you’re not sure where to start, Quizzle has you covered. Take a deep breath and we’ll make this as simple as possible. We’ll assess, act & automate. I’ll be your financial fitness trainer.

1. Assess.  Oh hey, Quizzle fits beautifully in here, doesn’t it?

Free credit report comparing all your debts, rainy day funds, budget tool…yes, we need all that. Clear your dining room table; pull out all your bills.  Pinpoint all your “problem areas.” Are there just nagging issues there that you’ve been meaning to do something about, just “haven’t had the time”? Time is money – and you’re wasting it.

2. Act. Let’s do something about those issues, yes?

If you have credit card debt, ask yourself why. That list on your credit card statement….was each one of those card swipes necessary? If they were, consider consolidating. Call your current credit card company and tell them you want a lower rate. You’d be surprised what you can get by just asking. If they won’t budge, find a 0% introductory offer somewhere else and start shedding the wallet weight.

Mortgage an issue? Like I’ve said before, you’d be nuts to not consider refinancing right now. If you haven’t talked to a banker yet….well, let’s just say I’m going to make you run an extra lap for that one. Do it. Mortgage rates are at 37-year lows. It does not hurt to check and it could potentially save you hundreds of dollars.

What else? You probably know a thousand ways to save a little cash, don’t you? You just might not do them yet. You might not need to cut coupons (hey, everybody is doing that, too), but how often are you buying lunch on the fly? A little planning ahead in this department can not only save you some dough, but you could enjoy healthier cooking and eating with your family.

Need motivation? Check out more than 25 Ways to Save from the Frugal for Life blog. Easy stuff. These are like the push-ups…we all know how to do a push-up and we know they’ll put us in better shape, but how often are you nose-to-ground? Drop and give me 20!

3)    Automate. Ah yes. Back to cruise control, but now we’re traveling at a safe speed.

Here you are at Quizzle, so I know you have the Internet. No hiding. Is your internet/cable/gas/electric/rent/mortgage/insurance payment automatically deducted? No? Well, come on – nearly all service providers allow automatic deductions from your bank account. Sign up! Not only will you never have to suffer a late payment (Ouch! Credit! Ouch!), but your life could become significantly less stressful. No hunting for stamps (ooh! Saved $.42!) and no midnight “Did I pay that?!?” panics.

What about the money you get to keep? Is your paycheck direct deposited? Are you contributing to a retirement fund? What about overdraft protection on your checking account? Ask your bank about linking your checking and savings so you never have to pay an overdraft fee again. It’s your money and no one is going to do this stuff for you. Driving by the gym does not equal pounds lost, right?

As you can see, the key here is automating. Once you begin to automate, you’ll have much less to worry about. And really, with these lovely online inventions like Quizzle or Quicken Online that are totally FREE, you have no excuses. We all know technology is a great thing – start utilizing it for your finances and you’ll be surprised how much easier your life can be. If you follow these easy rules, the only pounds you should gain are a few extra in your wallet.

The 10 brilliant minds who make up the Federal Reserve met yesterday to once again discuss the state of the economy and determine the action needed by them to aid a struggling American economy. The Fed funds rate is one way the Fed uses to regulate the supply of money to the US Economy.

In an aggressive move, they lowered another .75 percent, targeting a new Fed funds rate between 0 – .25%. This is the lowest Fed rate on record (I looked).

The following is an official press release from the Fed regarding its decision today, and a translation (for the rest of us) of all the financial jargon by Bob Walters, (who is EVEN SMARTER than me – GASP!) Chief Economist for Quicken Loans:

Release Date: December 16, 2008

For immediate release

Now

The Federal Open Market Committee decided today to establish a target range for the federal funds rate of 0 to 1/4 percent.

This is a new one.  Usually the Fed (that group of bankers that determine what short term rates will be) establishes a specific target rate.  This time they have established a target RANGE.  Fancy… it is quite extraordinary that they have taken short term rates effectively to 0%.

Since the Committee’s last meeting, labor market conditions have deteriorated, and the available data indicate that consumer spending, business investment, and industrial production have declined.  Financial markets remain quite strained and credit conditions tight.  Overall, the outlook for economic activity has weakened further.

In the last 6 weeks or so, lots of people got laid off, and both people and businesses are spending less dough.  Banks are tightening lending guidelines  And the economy is in a general uphill battle.

Meanwhile, inflationary pressures have diminished appreciably. In light of the declines in the prices of energy and other commodities and the weaker prospects for economic activity, the Committee expects inflation to moderate further in coming quarters.

Prices of stuff is falling.  Given that gasoline and oil prices, food and other raw material prices are falling, and given that the economy is likely to continue to be struggle, the Fed thinks the price of stuff will continue to be low for months to come.

The Federal Reserve will employ all available tools to promote the resumption of sustainable economic growth and to preserve price stability.  In particular, the Committee anticipates that weak economic conditions are likely to warrant exceptionally low levels of the federal funds rate for some time.

The Fed is throwing the kitchen sink, the dishwasher and the Ginsu knives at the problem.  They have taken short term rates to 0% and they are spending money to fix things as if they could just print it on paper (oh…  they can…)  Given the economy’s struggles – the Fed believes that short term rates are going to stay low for quite a while.

The focus of the Committee’s policy going forward will be to support the functioning of financial markets and stimulate the economy through open market operations and other measures that sustain the size of the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet at a high level.  As previously announced, over the next few quarters the Federal Reserve will purchase large quantities of agency debt and mortgage-backed securities to provide support to the mortgage and housing markets, and it stands ready to expand its purchases of agency debt and mortgage-backed securities as conditions warrant.  The Committee is also evaluating the potential benefits of purchasing longer-term Treasury securities.  Early next year, the Federal Reserve will also implement the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility to facilitate the extension of credit to households and small businesses.  The Federal Reserve will continue to consider ways of using its balance sheet to further support credit markets and economic activity.

This paragraph basically says that the Fed is going to spend A LOT of money buying bonds from Fannie and Freddie and buying mortgages to help out the mortgage market (hooray!) Beginning next year, the Fed will use the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility to help in extending credit to small businesses and others.  In other words – since the banks in America have tightened lending – Uncle Sam is going to help!

Voting for the FOMC monetary policy action were: Ben S. Bernanke, Chairman; Christine M. Cumming; Elizabeth A. Duke; Richard W. Fisher; Donald L. Kohn; Randall S. Kroszner; Sandra Pianalto; Charles I. Plosser; Gary H. Stern; and Kevin M. Warsh.

All the smarty-pants agreed.

Kelly’s Nerdy Notes: If you’re reading this and haven’t considered talking to a mortgage expert about refinancing, you may want to check your pulse. 30-year fixed rates are hovering in the low 4-5% range right now and for mortgage nerds like me, well, that’s kind of like having a party in my number-crunching head.

My strongest suggestion is not to wait. This kind of history is usually short-lived. All homeowners should take 15 minutes to make absolutely sure they’re in the right mortgage. This is, for lack of better nerdy words, a truly historic time in the world’s economy. And ….lucky you, your friends at Quizzle and Quicken Loans are ready to help.

Questions? I love e-mails! KLaVaute@Quizzle.com