As Jon and Kate Gosselin's marriage has slowly self-destructed, Kate is finding that the brand she has so carefully built is under attack. A children's clothing line that she produced with Healthtex is on hold, and her latest book, Love in the Mix: Making Meals into Memories, has been sidelined while she and her husband work out their divorce.

Reading through articles about these speedbumps, it's hard to miss the barely-concealed glee that underlies the reporting. Over the past few months, bashing Kate Gosselin has become a popular sport in America. By now, even people who haven't seen the show know that Kate can be disturbingly stern with her kids, that she is mean to her husband, and that she is greedy when it comes to snatching up the freebies of quick cable fame. Pundits have endlessly attacked her weight, her behavior, her child-rearing, and her hairstyle, until it seems that Kate isn't so much a person as the heart of a cottage industry in verbal brutality.

Okay, I know some might think this post belongs in the paranoia files, but home security is practical. More importantly, it's increasingly affordable, as companies offer do-it-yourself kits.

So what's a couple hundred dollars to protect your home and catch bad-guys? If you're not convinced, watch this incredible video captured by a Ft. Lauderdale woman who, while at work, caught young men breaking into her home via a live security-video-feed. It's a classic cops and robbers scene, and a perfect example that these handy-home cams aren't just for nanny-stalkers.

The Classic: The Teddy-Bear Nanny Cam
This cuddly, little fluff-filled creature isn't just for busting lazy babysitters anymore. Position these little cuties near doors and windows to get the best footage of crooks. It's obviously not so much a deterrent, but it can help bring criminals to justice and, like the Ft. Lauderdale example, you may be able to nab unwanted visitors in time.
Price: $199 from SpyAssociates

The economy may be tanked but people are still eager to have their furry friends at their sides. An Associated Press poll released this week found that over half of American pet owners consider their pets as much a part of the family as any other person. Another 36% said their pet is part of the family but not a full member. Nearly half of pet owners admit to feeding animals human food, giving them human names, and nearly a third let them sleep in their beds.

All this camaraderie does not come cheap. There is the cost of purchasing the pet, followed by one-time and annual costs that can add up, according to the ASPCA.

One Time Expenses

I have heard about the kidnapping of dogs. A recent dognapping case ended up with a $10,000 ransom being paid.

I have heard about a lobster being held for ransom. That was a case of using the release of an unusually large lobster to solicit donations for a food pantry.

But I have never, until now, heard about someone in Lincoln, Nebraska holding a Mr. Coffee machine for ransom. It's a wonderfully novel idea. It's also quite seriously strange.

Apparently, they have always taken great pride in doing things a little bit differently in Nebraska. It's the home of the prairie wind wagon, the world's largest stamp ball, and Andy the footless goose. He also was kidnapped, but unfortunately he never made it home alive.

Family breakdowns including divorce, unwed mothers, and absentee fathers are costing millions to society according to a new study.

A senior family division judge for England and Wales, Justice Paul Coleridge, accused mothers and fathers who fail to commit to each other of engaging in a game of "pass the partner" that has left millions of children "scarred for life."

Seem dramatic? Maybe so, but it is true. According to the US Census Bureau, 29.1% of women who had a birth in 2004 were not married and that half of such unmarried mothers were living below the poverty level. This compared with 12% of married women at the poverty level. Too often, the failure to commit leaves children without a father, without stability, and without money.

And who picks up the tab? You and me. The societal cost of unwed mothers and divorced families is estimated to cost taxpayers at least $112 billion per year. A 1% reduction in family fragmentation would save taxpayers an estimated $1.1 billion per year.

This Old House recently put together a video with the top five mistakes people make when remodeling their homes.

Committing this list to memory could save you thousands of dollars. Here are the tips:

1. Don't hire a general contractor who gives you bad vibes, and don't try to do it yourself on a big project.
2. When you collect bids from prospective remodelers, make sure that the bids are detailed!
3. Never say "While you're at it. . . " Make a plan and stick with it.
4. Don't change your plan. It can lead to budget overruns and timing problems.
5. Don't ignore hidden things.

Check out the video below for the details:

With school out for summer and a bunch of seasonal projects, the time's right for getting young do-it-yourselfers involved in home improvement plans.

Working together to make a repair or build something new not only teaches lifelong skills and builds confidence, but also gives kids a sense of accomplishment and renewed pride in the home you share.

Select a project together: Whether it's an easy fix-it project, a simple gardening chore or an opportunity to redecorate, every DIY project is a valuable chance to learn. Kit-based programs like Red Toolbox are also available, and help you learn together through three discrete skill levels, starting with very simple tasks and progressing to more advanced techniques. Along the way, parent and child have fun working together and create useful, decorative items that make great gifts.

In Tokyo, it's called "Operation Flower."

I, too, have observed the phenomenon: Pretty flowers deter crime. And in Suginami City, a district of Tokyo, there's pretty amazing data to back up the theories.

After a shameful year of break-ins in 2002 -- 1,710 in an area with a population of about 528,000 -- someone recognized that streets with more flowers had less crime.

The city began a campaign, encouraging volunteers to plant flower seeds in front of their houses, and tending them. The results stunned: Down 80% by 2008, to 390 total break-ins.

The theory is that with residents spending more time outside planting, weeding and watering their flowers, there are more people to keep an eye out for suspicious activity, deterring criminals.

I suspect it's a little bit of that, but more of this: With people outside tending to flowers, potential criminals put a face on the property. Instead of seeing the residence for its potential dollar value, the home is seen as that place with the nice woman who waves while she weeds.

And another thing: Well-tended gardens are lovely and demonstrate the care someone has taken over the home. When you respect your property, others will respect it, too.

Since we have fixed up our front yard, installing a friendly fence and lots of fruit, vegetable and herb plants, our property crime has gone to zero; and we lost a few bikes and a jogging stroller to criminals before the transformation.

The more people on the street who tend their gardens, the less crime we all have. Beauty and care begets respect; even from the criminal element.

The animal control department came, to a vacant lot on the 600 block of Pierce Street in South Philly, and got about 15 of 'em. Chickens are hard to catch, though, especially when there are more than 40 altogether; and they've been wild for a few years. So they took the ones they could, and threw up their hands on the rest.

You see, there was this hen. Her owner went to jail, and then there was this rooster. His owner doesn't live around South Pierce Street any more. But the chickens, and their considerable progeny, do.

Keeping chickens isn't legal in Philadelphia. In most cities, even those which allow urban chickens, roosters aren't permitted; they're noisy. They're often mean (especially when protecting their flocks). And they make lots, and lots, of baby chickens.

Ken and Daria Dolan, America's first family of personal finance, answer your questions every Friday.

Click here to ask Ken and Daria your question.

This economic crisis is causing more and more of us to postpone our retirement, scale back our retirement dreams or worry about outliving our money. Tapping into those fears, companies are promoting a reverse mortgage as the answer. Watch today's video to learn whether a reverse mortgage is right for you, and get a few warnings about the potential risks.

Dear Ken and Daria,

I'm wondering if a reverse mortgage is a good deal. Thanks!

--Bill

Don't give up your retirement dreams! Get more retirement tips at Dolans.com.

While I learned some time back that Chicago's moniker as "The Windy City" refers to its hot-air-blowing politicians and not its actual, well, wind, it's still awesome to see the city's iconic tower making use of its iconic weather; and going green in the process.

Saying it's "taking sustainability to new heights" (groan), the Sears Tower will be installing fancy, minimalist wind turbines on its recessed rooftops. This is just a part of a five-year, $350 million project to renovate the building, with upgrades in the glass exterior, internal lighting, heating, cooling and elevator systems, and those turbines, which will provide power for the building's 4.5 million square feet of office and retail space.

Combine a limited home improvement budget with a green frame of mind, and you can find great ways to save on your next DIY project.

There are a lot of worthwhile, beautiful home materials ready to be reclaimed and reused thanks to savvy dealers, demolition experts and everyday folks who rescue them from a landfill fate.

Here are a few resources for trimming your project costs as you create and improve.

• Architectural salvage yards: Modern green-building principles meet the architecture of the past in these gardens of historical finds. Take a stroll through a dealer's offerings, and you may find replacement hardware, a period-correct fixture or an amazing garden ornament. Salvage gurus travel far and wide to collect the nearly-priceless artifacts that renovations and demolitions leave behind, and their breadth of knowledge is as valuable as their road stories are amazing. Visit the online yards of Ohmega Salvage and Recycling The Past to get a coast-to-coast feel for the latest in salvage finds, and then dig in with a visit to your local dealer.

I recently pulled up at the corner by my house to mail some last minute bills. Jumping out of the car with the door open, I looked in disbelief when I couldn't find the familiar blue box. Glancing around, all I could find was some old rust marks on the sidewalk where the box stood for the last 30 years. So where did it go?

I found out the answer when I picked up the evening newspaper: boxes are being eliminated. The United States Postal Service is attempting to cut costs by removing boxes that are not used extensively. I guess it makes sense, but I wish someone would have told me. Or better yet, inform me where boxes still are available.

Information from the post office lets consumers know that they can simply "mail" a letter right in their box by leaving it for the mail handler. Well, maybe that works for some people, but not if you have the old crab that comes to my house everyday. He's grouchy on even the nicest days and never smiles or says "hi." I can just see him muttering under his breathe if I were to ask for any extras.

Now I know that I am dating myself, but I still remember when mail delivery was twice a day. Really. Once in the morning and once in the afternoon. They stopped that a long time ago but I still remember it. I also recall when the postman was not only friendly, but he stopped to chat and talk for awhile.

I guess I have enough friends without the mailman, but I sure would like to know where to mail a letter.

Barbara Bartlein is the People Pro. For her FREE e-mail newsletter, please visit: The People Pro

"Bizarre" skulker(s) in Seattle neighborhoods and city parks have been stealing trees, plants and shrubs, to the tune of thousands of dollars worth of public and private property.

One woman and plant theft victim, however, was a Costco shopper. And there was a sale. On security cameras.

Only a few weeks later, her video of a plant thief removing and making off with her new daphne shrub was making the waves on YouTube.

And then she was on NPR, giggling evilly about her new security measures. She's chained her magnolia tree to the fence. The new daphne? It's chained at the base, put the chain through some heavy pottery, and then: barbed wire. April Jahns says, if the thief comes back, "he's going to get poked. A little bonus for me."

Imagine that you are mowing the lawn, and your lawn mower pitches a stone into one of your windows, cracking the glass. So you put a little piece of wood in front of the glass to cover the breakage, and go back about your business. You'll get the window fixed later.

One week later, you receive a letter from your homeowner's insurance carrier, stating that your coverage is going to be dropped. The letter cites your unkempt landscape and the boarded up window as the reasons for your loss of coverage.

Don't laugh, this could happen to you!

According to a report from ABC7.com News, that is almost exactly what has happened to one homeowner in Florida.The difference between that story and my hypothetical one is that it was a golf ball which cracked that homeowner's window. The story indicates that the home in question is well kept, and that the homeowner hasn't filed a loss claim in 20 years.