Whether you want to know what it will cost you to file your income taxes late, hire a cleaning service, replace your kitchen lighting, join a gym or buy eco-friendly baby clothes, WhatItCosts writers do extensive research about the topic and calculate a general price range that consumers can expect to pay. In addition, readers will find a wealth of related information that makes it possible for them to put the cost estimates into a solid context that they can apply to their own specific situations.

"Now more than ever before, consumers need to be able to make educated decisions about where and how to spend their money," explains John Moran, the Founder of WhatItCosts, who came up with the idea for the website after recognizing the gap that existed in solid, well-researched factual cost-driven data. While many other websites offer listings of prices for consumer products like HDTVs, computers and digital cameras, WhatItCosts steers away from repeating easily found cost information and instead focuses on more abstract concepts that are more difficult for consumers to quantify. "We do the work for our visitors to save them time and also to make their lives easier," Moran says.

Many of the pieces on the site are written in a witty and engaging tone, making them fun for readers to digest and sometimes even bordering on conservatively irreverent. Better yet, the information isn't limited to practical purchases but spans a much broader range.

"Even in the toughest of financial situations, people enjoy dreaming about being in a better place in terms of wealth," Moran says. That's why WhatItCosts goes beyond the expected and also throws in a healthy dose of luxury items, leisure activities and unusual services. This includes everything from the cost to travel into outer space and the top ten most expensive cars ever sold to a roundup of birthday parties for kids that cost more than most people spend on a wedding. You can also find the cost of buying a hot air balloon, traveling to Paris for the weekend, learning to ski jump or getting a pilot's license.

Based on the growing traffic to the site, the concept has indeed found its niche. Since the WhatItCosts website went live just nine months ago, it has grown to receive 20,000 unique visitors each month, and the audience continues to expand.