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Remember the wildly popular Cash for Clunkers program from earlier this year? It provided financial incentive for people to trade in their old gas guzzlers for new, fuel-efficient vehicles. Well, the government is about to unveil a similar program to entice homeowners to purchase new, energy-efficient appliances. The $300 million program is funded by the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and will provide rebates on purchases of qualifying Energy Star appliances. However, unlike Cash for Clunkers, this program will be implemented on a state-by-state basis. Individual states will determine the dollar amount of each rebate, and will also designate which Energy Star products qualify for rebates, based on the following Department of Energy list of recommended appliances: refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, clothes washers, furnaces, boilers, central and room A/C units, heat pumps, and water heaters. For more information and to see when rebates will be valid in your state, visit the Department of Energy website, and search: Rebates for Energy Star Appliances.

The KitchenAid 4.5-quart Ultra Power Stand Mixer is on sale for $249.99 at Target.

In a perfect world, we'd all have the latest and greatest kitchen appliances, but a lot of us still have the old clunkers we inherited when bought the house or signed the lease. If you're looking to upgrade or are just curious about how old your ancient stove or fridge really is, you maybe luck. Many manufacturers offer handy guides on their sites that let you type in a serial number in order to find out exactly when your appliance was manufactured. A full list after the jump.

This electric kettle is the Cadillac of its class. With some pretty cool features like a digitized touch-screen handle that displays the time and temperature, and a set-it-and-forget-it mode that let's you choose when you want water revved up and ready for your morning or afternoon tea or coffee, this sleek, stainless steel Bugatti Vera kettle makes for a fun and functional appliance. Plus, it's good looking enough to leave out. With seven shades to choose from (standard stainless, green, orange, red, black, white, and cream) there's one that'll complement or add a nice contrast to any kitchen color scheme, and for about $322 it can be yours. Yes, I recognize the price is pretty steep for a kettle, but this thing is seemingly worth the splurge. Well, to me at least.

If you ever had any of your property stolen or lost, whether it was a power drill or set of lawn chairs, you might have easily given up hope that you would get your belongings back. But, there is a small chance that your item will turn up on propertyroom.com. This police auction site works like eBay, allowing you to bid on lost and stolen goods. (There is also a buy now option). You can look for your missing property by registering for the free “Steal-It-Back” tool. The website processes thousands of lost, stolen, and forfeited items daily from police and sheriff’s departments across the country including NYPD and LAPD. Fortunately, you can shop on the site knowing you are obeying the law because items with registered serial numbers are not sold. If the site finds an item that belongs to someone on the registry, the owner will be contacted.