I found this sweet piece of news from one of my favorite money-wise bloggers, The Nifty-Thrifty Homemaker. Sounds like Ebay has got quite the scavenger hunt going on! From Christina:

Ebay is hosting $1 holiday doorbusters for 15 days. (November 24 - December 8) Every day, several certain tems are listed on ebay as Buy It Now for $1 with free shipping. There are items such as TV's, Nintendo Wii's, DVD's, even a jet ski!

The catch? The listings are hidden. You have to search ebay in order to find these great deals. And it's not as easy as it sounds. During the day, at random times, the doorbuster items will be listed. You have to find it, and grab it before someone else does! I started playing yesterday, and so far have seen 6 of the doorbuster deals. Unfortunately, you can only win one doorbuster during the entire promo, so I have been trying not to waste it on something I only "kind of" want.

Now, each day, 3 types of doorbusters are available; two items (with a certain number of each available - today it's a Dooney & Burke wallet and a high-end fragrance) and a grand prize. The first day, this was a $1700 TV; the second, it was an $8,000 jet-ski; and today it is a $5,650 mansion playhouse. There are only one of these available per day. (By the way, if you win a prize valued over $600, you must fill out an IRS 1099.)

If you don't feel like searching, you can enter the sweepstakes to win the daily prizes. All of the info can be found here.

Here's a sweet little nugget from the Google geniuses to curb all your ailments as the nasty winter season approaches - Google flu trends!

Okay, so it won't prevent all your sicknesses or lower your fever. But Google flu trends could give you a heads up when the dreaded influenza is headed your way.

From the GOOG:

"Each week, millions of users around the world search for online health information. As you might expect, there are more flu-related searches during flu season, more allergy-related searches during allergy season, and more sunburn-related searches during the summer. You can explore all of these phenomena using Google Trends. But can search query trends provide an accurate, reliable model of real-world phenomena?

We have found a close relationship between how many people search for flu-related topics and how many people actually have flu symptoms. Of course, not every person who searches for "flu" is actually sick, but a pattern emerges when all the flu-related search queries from each state and region are added together. We compared our query counts with data from a surveillance system managed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and found that some search queries tend to be popular exactly when flu season is happening. By counting how often we see these search queries, we can estimate how much flu is circulating in various regions of the United States."

Ta da! There you have it. Pretty sweet, huh?

As promised, here are some pictures from Friday's rendezvous at The Parade Company in Detroit. As you can see, we're just as talented with gingerbread houses as Quicken Loans is with fixed-rate mortgages. After the jump...enjoy!

So, no need worry about cooking tomorrow - if you vote, you can just fill up on all the lovely free goodies from some of the yummiest places in the land of the free.

Starbucks, Krispy Kreme and Ben & Jerry's are giving away their signature products tomorrow if you vote. Free tall (12oz) regular coffee from Starbucks, free star-shaped donut with patriotic sprinkles from Krispy Kreme and free scoop of ice cream from Ben & Jerry's. Am I missing anything else?

While Quicken Loans definitely recommends you get out and vote, consuming all the freebies could very well give you quite the tummy ache. But if you can handle it, well, I might just say it's your patriotic duty to chow down tomorrow. As Ben & Jerry's says, "democracy never tasted so sweet."

I'm not sure how many years Taco Bell has been doing this, but it's once again time to get in line for your free taco at Taco Bell today! They will only be available today (10/28/08) from 2pm - 6pm.

Taco Bell makes a deal with America - if a base gets stolen in the 2008 MLB World Series, everybody in America is entitled to a free taco. Not a bad deal, eh?

We have to thank Tampa Bay Ray Jason Bartlett who stole second base in Game 1 of the series. Thanks for lunch/dinner, Jason!

You've seen me write about Destiny Eadie before. She's the young girl from my hometown working on sending 10,000 cards to active soldiers overseas this year. She got started on her mission through AnySoldier.com.

Well, she's having an event in our town of Belleville to collect cards and get even more people to sign cards.  So I wanted to share the flier for the event in hopes of getting her some more publicity for it. Looks like she even has a new website!

Also, if you want to send the cards to me at Quicken Loans, I'd be more than happy to get them over to Destiny. Oh yea, and special guest at the event - SANTA!!!

Just a quickie post with a way for you to possibly be the DIFF in a child's life - Amber Alert is now on Twitter! So if you are a part of the massive social network, follow @Amber_Alert for updates.

Currently, Amber Alerts are reported only through the Emergency Broadcast network, some digital billboards and AmberAlert.com. So by following their updates on Twitter, you could be the DIFF while just socializing with your friends! Could not be any easier.

For more little doses of the DIFF, follow us too - @QuickenLoans!

From the smarty pants over at Mashable, check out their list of 25 internet resources to help you carpool.

And there's even more carpool sites in the post comments from Mashable fans.

Just another way for us all to get a bit greener...

And seriously, consider subscribing to Mashable's feed....or follow them on Twitter for the best online social networking updates!

We've written a lot this week about our Chairman Dan Gilbert's proposal to fix the housing crisis - A Solution That Works - so we wanted to share a big moment for the team working on it. The lovely people at the Associated Press (AP) wrote about it and we've subsequently been picked up by a few sites/newspapers. One major milestone in particular is a feature on Forbes.com!

The story itself is about Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow and her opinion on the bailout, noting that "99 percent of the people we heard from" at her office opposed the bill. She said she preferred something closer to "A Solution That Works" which really addresses the struggling American homeowner. Couldn't agree more myself!

So check it out and continue to spread the word - you can find the contacts for your government leaders on our "What can I do?" page. Hopefully we'll have more progress to report soon!

So you read about the housing proposal from our Chairman. And you agree. But what next? How can you help us get it passed into law?

There's a couple fresh new efforts we've started since our last post here on the DIFF. Here's a few places you can find us now:

1) Dan has a personal blog! ChooseThinking.com is the place to find new thoughts from the man himself.

2) A Solution That Works is on Twitter. Everybody's tweeting....even my Mom is on Twitter. You may have already heard about our Quicken Loans Twitter or Quizzle Twitter accounts before, but to help spread the word of our fantastic housing proposal, you can follow @ASolution for updates to our progress.

3) I started a Facebook group! We've got 205 members (and counting) in less than 36 hours. If you don't have a Facebook account, you should get one. Then you can join our group and start stalking all those bullies from high school. I mean, uhhh....reconnect with friends. To join our group, just search "A Solution That Works" on Facebook and we'll be the first result. Or you can friend me and I'll invite you to the party.

Typically we never use the Quicken Loans DIFF blog for mortgage stuff. Yes, it's what we do here at Quicken Loans, but if you're a regular reader, you know we're much more than that.

But today is DIFFerent. Our chairman, Dan Gilbert, will be presenting our version of a financial bailout rescue plan for Closing Bell on CNBC today at 3:15pm 4:30 pm. We've got a fresh take (one we feel works better) on what should happen to help the economy and Dan is ready to share it with the world. So please tune into CNBC at 3:15 4:30 if you can.

If you can't get to the tube at that time, you can read about it in the Detroit Free Press today. If you like what you hear/read, tell everyone you know. And it they like it, keep it rolling. That is how we make a DIFFerence.

As always, if you've got questions or comments, our ears are open at the DIFF.

Editor's update: If you missed the show, here's the video of Dan Gilbert discussing his financial bailout rescue plan from CNBC

I'm confronted with complicated puzzles everyday at Quicken Loans. I mean, really....I work with Clayton. I might be a nominated for sainthood someday.

But compared to my laborious days with the DIFFmaster, the town of Ravensburg, Germany has taken the cake. Or the puzzle. Whatever, they win.

Last Sunday, 15,000 puzzle enthusiasts took 5 hours to assemble a 1,141,800 piece puzzle in the town square of Ravensburg. Their work spans a staggering 6,500 square feet.

They've submitted the hopeful new record to the Guinness Book of World Records, but the entry has not yet been approved. However, the current puzzle record size holder is only 212,323 pieces compared to their 1+ million piece. Sounds like they've got in in the bag! Congrats, Ravensburg - what a feat of teamwork!

Know how everyone has a "guy?" Might be a handyman, computer guru or plumber. At Quicken Loans, we have "The Guy." The Guy, however, is no one particular person - they are specific teams within our company to handle issues. That's our Guy there in the picture. Cute, huh?

The Guy teams do a little more than your guy might do - they help with computers, phones, security, HR, marketing, facilities and even more mortgage-related stuff - closings, client relations, title, etc. Basically, if you have a question, there's a "Guy" to help you. And he's only a phone call or e-mail away.

Anyhow, my point is not how much I love The Guy, even though I really do. It's one cool, "green" thing The Guy has been working on. Our PC & Telecom Support Guy has been working very hard to reduce Quicken Loans dependence on paper.

Check out the e-mail we got last week -

Compliments of CNN Money comes this handy little post, ranking the most delayed airlines and airports. Sometimes you can't avoid visiting a certain airport, but you can certainly have choices when it comes to airlines.

Oddly, it found that our local airport, the lovely Detroit Metro, is ranked the 2nd most on time airport. I'm sure some local Quicken Loans team members would beg to differ...

Without further adieu:

"A study from research group FlightStats found that JetBlue Airways was one of the most-delayed airlines in August, while Northwest Airlines had one of the best track records for being on time.

JetBlue (JBLU) flights arrived on-time 64.7% of the time in August, FlightStats said on Wednesday. This was the worst percentage among the leading airlines.

Only one carrier had a worse record: Freedom Airlines, a subsidiary of Mesa Air Group (MESA), with an on-time arrival rate of 58.1%

Northwest Airlines (NWA, Fortune 500) was the top-performer among the leading carriers, with an on-time arrival record of 85.3% in August, FlightStats said. Four regional carriers had a better rate, with Hawaiian Airlines taking the lead with an on-time arrival record of 91%.

Go to Kashi's website today, fill out a quick form and they'll send you a free cookie - specifically, an Oatmeal Dark Chocolate cookie. Yum! Thanks Kashi!

I know everyone here at Quicken Loans will take up this offer because any time sweets hit the floor here, they're snapped up with the quickness. So have at it!

Let's get something straight: I'm from a Ford family. My Dad has worked at Ford for over 30 years. As a family, we've owned a long line of Explorers, Rangers, Fusions, Escorts, Mustangs and Tauruses. Even a couple Mercury/Mazda/Lincoln vehicles in there, most recently with my Dad's gorgeous new MKS.

But even I, from time to time, can appreciate a fire-engine red Corvette or even all the buzz about the new Chevy Volt. And now we can see that Ford itself both respects and appreciates GM too.

I first saw this on Scott Monty's blog (head of social media at Ford), then followed the links to Jalopnik. In one of the coolest, classiest moves I've seen between competitors, Ford took the time last night to strategically close only some of their window blinds, leaving behind an illuminated "Happy 100 GM" on Ford's world headquarters in Dearborn.

Maybe a small gesture, but in this belt-tightened economy, it's good to know that two 100+ year old institutions respect each other enough to make any gesture at all. The city of Detroit may have a struggle ahead, but if we all work together, it'll make the hill that much easier to climb.

So, nice touch, Ford. And GM - have a wonderful 100th birthday! Quicken Loans is just a kid (23 years) compared to you wise old owls, but here's to many, many more!

And we are thankful for all those who work to protect us here and all over the world. We will never forget.

"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty."

- John F. Kennedy

I know today is Wednesday, but you got a couple Mondays left in the month!

Saw the sign at the Starbucks nearest our Quicken Loans headquarters in Livonia. Teachers can bring in a valid teacher identification and receive a free tall coffee every Monday in September. Makes going "back to school" a little more bearable, I would think. Nice perk, Starbucks.

Now back to my Grande Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte....

One of my favorite ISMs here at Quicken Loans is:

Simplicity is Genius.
We don't need to be complicated to be great. Communicating without the vagueness and muddiness is the only way: to our clients, to our vendors, to each other. Are we clear?

Yes siree, we sure are. In light of that ISM, I'd like to share one of the simplest, coolest things I've found recently: UmbrellaToday.com.

The site is really posed as a question: Umbrella today? It's mission is simple - answer the question. Input your zip code and the site will give you a simple yes or no answer. If you get yes - you need an umbrella for the day. If it says no - you can leave your umbrella home. Compared to some other unnerving weather sites I've seen, Umbrella Today is truly a breath of fresh air.

Umbrella Today will even let you sign up for mobile alerts. Give 'em your cell, pick a time and Umbrella Today will send you a text if, and only if, you need to grab your umbrella that day. No more, no less. It's truly simple. And in our world, it's truly genius.

Talk about money on the go! From the brilliant minds of our friends over at Intuit, check out this sweet new mobile banking tool called - Quicken Beam.

Take 2 minutes to enter your bank info and you're set up to use Quicken Beam. Now, anytime your little heart desires, you can use your cell phone to text Beam and it will respond with your bank account's current balance. You can set up your account to get alerts when your balance is low, review the last 5 transactions and a whole lot more cool stuff.

It's even getting good reviews from our favorite consumer advocate blog, The Consumerist.

A word to the wise though - be careful texting and driving. There is such a thing as too much multi-tasking....I mean, uh...someone told me that. 

"What's for lunch?" Jen questioned as she popped over my cube. Cora spun around and declared "Yeah! I'm hungry!" A few minutes later, we plopped down at Chili's. I think it was the reminder of the scrumptious Chicken Crispers that sealed the deal.

While at lunch, our sever asked us if we wanted to make a donation to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital by coloring a Chili's pepper. Darn right we do - bring on the crayons!

Working adults coloring at lunch aside, the Chili's fundraiser is very cool. Sitting in the corner booth, it was easy to see that nearly every wall was plastered with colorful peppers. Add all those little peppers up and it's a  big DIFF.

Back at work, a little GOOG research helped me find CreateAPepper.com. I learned that Chili's has a 10-year, $50 million commitment to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. They've even launched the Chili's Care Center, which "houses the major treatment and research programs for brain tumor and bone marrow transplant patients." Awesome.

Throughout the month of September, you can go to any Chili's and donate money to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital by coloring a pepper. And on September 29, Chili's will donate every penny of their profit to the hospital for the entire day. So stop by a neighborhood Chili's if you can this month and do your little DIFF. And I mean really...those Crispers are delish and coloring is still super fun if you stay inside the lines.

Found this video featured on Yahoo! of the sweetest tree house I've ever seen - spiral staircase, working lights, electricity, carpet, deck and a whole lot more. I never really longed for a tree house as a child, but if I thought it would be like this house, I would have begged for one!

Now I know there might be some property restrictions, but hell, maybe we could help them refinance this "mansion" if they ever need us...

A few weeks back, the Web Marketing team of Quicken Loans took off for the woods - literally. Not every team member could make it, but we had nearly 20 people make the 5 hour trek north to the Platte River Campground. The campground was gorgeous and the weather was perfect.

We arrived late Sunday and began preparations for a cook-off. One team made grilled chicken, one made mac 'n' cheese and one made an appetizer - fresh guacamole and chips! Dessert, you ask? Yes, I ruined it. My small team was charged with dessert and I had the best of intentions, staying up late to make a banana split cake that  was somehow infiltrated with water and ice cubes in the cooler to the point of destruction. But the overachieving cook in me paid off - I had baked several different kinds of cookies as a backup.

The next day we set off on the Platte River itself - a few in kayaks, a few in canoes and 6 poor souls in the slowest blue raft man has ever created. We worked our behinds off trying to catch up to the slimmer, quicker kayaks to no avail - they beat us the beach by over 30 minutes and were frolicking like ducks in Lake Michigan when we arrived.

The last night we hiked to the beach to catch the sunset. We watched the sun sink into what seemed to be the end of the earth and sat around the fire while Clayton told us "ghost" stories. All in all, we had a fantastic time and accomplished our goal - the team bonded and came back with tons of pictures to prove it....check 'em out: