Back when Netflix was just DVDs that came by mail, it had become a source of tension in our household.  That was because we never seemed to have the time to watch the movies that we had in our "queue", and they would arrive and sit there.  Worse yet, sometimes they would dissapear, and we'd end up paying to rent videos we couldn't even find. So we cancelled Netflix to save ourselves the financial embarrassment. 

Keeping family finances in order can get complicated, especially when the money is a little tighter than it used to be. While web-based "e-banking" can help, you can't exactly haul your computer around in your pocket or pocketbook with your checkbook and wallet.

That's where mobile banking apps for smart phones come in. If you bank with a major national or regional bank like Bank of America, Citi, Chase or Wells Fargo, odds are that you can get quick information about your accounts—or even make payments—straight from a smart phone.

The case of Nadia Bloom, the Florida girl who wandered off into the swamp and was lost for five days, had a happy ending. But for families caring for an elderly parent with Alzheimer's disease or dementia, or a child with autism,  the case highlights a common fear—that their loved one will wander off or get lost while they're not being directly attended to.

There are many things I've fixed with duct tape. But the folks in Consumer Reports' test lab have found yet another application for that ever-useful adhesive: fixing the reception problems of Apple's iPhone 4.