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Long ago in a galaxy far, far away…Star Wars came out. That was 1977. Remember how Luke Skywalker was living with his aunt on land that had its own power plant at the start of the film? That was a pretty clever idea for 30 years ago -- today people are doing the same thing by harnessing wind power. There are now companies that will install silently operating wind turbines at your home. Obviously, it's a great idea if you live in a windy area. The problems usually associated with wind power -- including the difficulty of capturing it in one area and then transmitting it to where it's needed without losing the power -- won't impact you if you generate it at home. The cost of installation could run you $10,000. But after you recoup your investment, the payback could be free power down the road. If you do choose to put up a turbine on your property, you'll probably hear from neighbors who say that it's an eyesore. Maybe people will start disguising their turbines as trees, much like some cell-phone towers are decorated. One thing's for sure: we should be building wind towers near where talk show hosts live. As Clark says, that's a great way to capture all the hot air!

If you're a longtime listener, you may know that Clark absolutely hates traffic and lengthy commuting. He's made the choice to live about 10 minutes away from where he works just to avoid it. But most average Americans live along a freeway at an exit where they can have the house and lifestyle they want, which usually means living in the suburbs. Yet commuting from a suburb to a city can be grueling. In fact, there's now a backlash against the suburban lifestyle. Call it the Death by Suburb phenomenon -- that's the title of a book and accompanying program that's been making its way around suburban churches. Clark believes the real angst of life in the 'burbs comes not from the distant location, but from the fact that many parents pack their kids' schedules too full. A little downtime for children is healthy, according to Clark; there's nothing wrong with unstructured free playtime. Kids are having the spontaneity drained from their lives with busy schedules that can include tae-kwan-do, sports, ballet, gymnastics and more. Stop and think about the treadmill you're putting your kids and yourself on when you have to run them around endlessly everywhere. Just some food for thought!

Credit bureaus have been getting a lot of heat on Capitol Hill because it's way too difficult for consumers to fix errors on a credit report. The Federal Reserve is also on the hot seat after it was supposed to have issued rules four year ago detailing how to correct such errors. But the Reserve hasn't issued those rules because it's in cahoots with the banks. The last thing the banks want to do is lose money if you can fix errors on your credit report. Think about it: The banks and insurance companies have an advantage when you have errors on your report. You'll get a lower credit score and they can give you higher price quotes on loans and insurance coverage. We're talking here about an industry that is verging on being almost purposely dishonest.

USA Today recently did a story on how the major credit bureaus lobby state lawmakers to block credit freeze laws. Such laws allow consumers to put a hold on their accounts after their identities have been stolen. Thankfully, more than 30 states now have credit freeze laws despite the bureaus' best efforts. Now the bureaus even want Congress to outlaw all existing credit freeze laws. This is about money, plain and simple. Every time a freeze happens, that means the bureaus can't profit off the dossiers they collect of people's information. On an interesting note, very few consumers are actually using credit freezing for protection when they have the option. That's probably because they're afraid of alienating the bureaus should they need credit in the future. Some states even have "quick thaw" laws on the books. Those laws allow you to use a secret code for single transactions after a credit freeze. You can then immediately re-freeze your credit. Retailers like that because it still allows people to make impulse buys. In time, Clark believes that all 50 states will have freeze and thaw laws. But instead of fighting the push for these laws, shouldn't the credit bureaus be helping to prevent ID theft?

Clark has been called a lot of things over the years -- from cheap to thrifty to frugal. But when he recently read about the "freegan" movement, he began thinking that he might actually be one of the last of the big time spenders! Freegans are people who live off society's castoffs and get all their possessions for nothing. Basically, they take what's considered trash and turn it into treasure. Some do it to further a political agenda and some just do it for the free discarded furniture, stereos, TVs and more.

The New York Times recently ran an article about freegans showing up at New York University when it was time for students to move out at the end of the school year. Some of the goods the freegans found in dumpsters included artwork, iPods and desk lamps. Wow! Now, don't get Clark wrong; some of the more extreme dumpster-diving (or "urban foraging," in freegan lingo) practices like getting discarded food behind the market or out of the garbage really gross him out. He only fesses up to having dumpster-dived once when his wife threw away a box from something he'd purchased. He dove right in when needed to get the UPC code in order to get a $100 rebate! Meanwhile, if you want to try being a virtual freegan, go to FreeCycle.org, where you can gift or receive free stuff from your computer.