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summersaveLast week, we posted a bunch of links to various articles about travel savings for your summer fun. But what if your summer fun pretty much looks like the rest of the year – feeding and clothing your family and trying to make ends meet? Well, you’re in luck. Here’s a collection of bargains you can snag in the summer months. So here is a Summer Savings Links Top Ten –

Wait, there’s 11? What a bargain!

8 Ways to Snag a Summer Bargain

Try the Summer Savings Quiz

Best Swimsuit Deals of Summer 2013

An Early Word on Labor Day Sales

Petite Ladies can Dress for Less

Bargains for Babies

Kid Clothes…for a Bargain?

June Bargains

July Bargains

August Bargains

September Bargains

What do you think? Any good ideas here? Any we left out? Let us know!

megaphone-kid-croppedHappy Friday y’all! Any big Father’s Day plans? Cookout maybe? Have fun!

It’s time once again to feature comments from satisfied MindField Online panelists, collected from our Facebook and blog comments. (Interesting that we heard from a lot of dudes this time!) You will find them at our “Panelist Feedback” page. Here’s a sample from Mary…

Mary says: I have been with MindField for over 10 years. They are one of my favorite survey panels. They are quick to pay and I love the new cashout options, i.e., PayPal, Amazon gift cards. I love their product tests I’ve done so many for them I can’t count. Just saying thanks again, MindField Online!

10 years! Thanks Mary! So take a look, and have a great weekend. Give Dad a hug for me!!!

beachAfter putting it off for EVER, I finally booked my summer trip: me and the wife to San Diego in August. Interesting to learn that Delta Airlines has special “comfy” seats for an extra $70 – extra leg room, better cushions, etc. We decided to go for it (it’s a five-hour flight!) I will let you know how that turns out.

Anyway, despite the continuing economic calamity, summer travel is just what we DO in the USA. So, if travel is on your agenda this summer, here are some informative, money-saving links for your perusal.

Summer travel tips from Travel + Leisure

Conde Nast summer travel guide

US theme parks under $50

Places to visit while they are still cheap

National Geographic summer travel tips

USA Today suggests gadgets to bring on your summer trip

Real Simple magazine travel savings tips

US News best cheap summer vacations

And finally…

Summer travel advice: try being nice!

So, what’s on your schedule this summer? Is it business as usual, or are you cutting back? Let us know… and safe travels!

for sale

It’s no secret that the housing market – and the explosion of bad mortgage loans – was a major contributor to the Big Crisis of 2008. Things SEEM to be improving, maybe kinda sorta. And yet I still hear radio ads for “low interest, zero-down” loans that will only perpetuate the problem. Ehh, what do I know? I’m just a guy who waited until I could actually afford a house, paid the required down and never missed a payment!

Anywayz… it’s National Home Ownership Month, where people from all perspectives come together to boldly agree, “Something should be Done about All the Problems!”

Here are some links for NHOM 2013:

National Association of Homebuilders

Protect Home Ownership

USDA Home Ownership Page

Financial Education is Key

Realty.com Celebrates NHOM

NAACP Celebrates NHOM

Free Homeowner Education from CCCS

So, what do you think? Is the American Dream of home ownership still alive and well – or at least alive? Have you experienced any difficulty getting a loan? Let us know, and have a great weekend!!

R_I_P_gravestone_TTime to pour a forty on the ground for some famous brands. It’s the annual product deathwatch from 24/7 Wall Street! Say goodbye in 2014 to:

  • J.C. Penney: their identity crisis has been painful to watch, so America stopped watching.
  • Nook: when was the last time a friend told you about their new e-reader, and it WASN’T a Kindle?
  • Martha Stewart Living Magazine: a shame – she’s SO darn likeable!
  • LivingSocial: Groupon ate their lunch  – at 50% off!
  • Volvo: the public has lost its taste for this Swedish meatball
  • Olympus: adding to the list of single-use electronics killed by the smartphone.
  • WNBA: this is still around?
  • Leap Mobile: never heard of them, but apparently the last one standing in the game of mobile merger musical chairs.
  • Mitsubishi Motors: heading to the scrap yard right behind Suzuki.
  • Road & Track Magazine: the owner also publishes Car & Driver, and doesn’t feel the need for two titles anymore.

See any of your favorites here? Probably not – lack of popularity is a big issue here. Any brands you USED to use and then abandoned? Why did you leave? Was it me? It was me.

Anyway, much more cause & effect at the original article, so you know what to do!

You're going to need more quarters...

You’re going to need more quarters…

Wedding season is upon us, so grab your checkbook (and the form for that home equity loan!) The CNN.com headline says it all: Brides and grooms spent more on their big wedding day last year than they have since the beginning of the economic downturn.

Wedding spending took a dive – relatively speaking – in 2008. Since then it has been slowly crawling back, according to CNN and TheKnot.com. So, let’s take a fun Friday look at Wedding Season by the Numbers – 2013 edition!

$28,427: The average cost of a wedding in 2012…down $1K since 2008

$76,687: Average cost in NYC…the highest

$15,504: Average cost in Alaska…the lowest

$204: Average cost per guest

26%: Number of couples who say “the economy” forced them to cut back on their plans…which is an improvement from 34% in 2009.

25%: Weddings that include shuttle buses between the ceremony and the reception.

27%: the percentage of weddings that include extra entertainment like photo booth or caricature artist – double the previous year!

There are many more statistics at the original story…so check it out!

Is your (or your kid’s) big day approaching? What do you think of these numbers? Let us know! And have a great weekend!

summer-icon

Memorial Day has passed and summer has commenced. What are your plans? A big vacation? A couple of smaller weekend getaways? Whatever your plans  – or even if you have NO plans – there seems to be a Top Ten list to help you make smart choices with your scarce entertainment dollars. Here are a few lists to get you started…

The best gas grills

The best airlines

The best hotels

The best ice cream

The best sunscreen

The best rental car companies

21 best US vacation spots

The best beaches

America’s best hot dogs

See any of your favorites on these lists? Let us know!

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