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Posts Tagged ‘consumer research’

Memorial Day 2013

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on May 24, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

Mem Day

Memorial Day soapbox time – bear with me.

I was all set to do one of those “(Holiday) by the Numbers” posts, where we talk about how much we will spend on travel and hot dogs and new lawn mowers this Memorial Day. But my Google search uncovered this instead: a website that accounts for EVERY serviceman killed in conflict since the Revolution. We (I) sometimes tend to forget that honoring these men and women is the entire point of the holiday, as opposed to having Monday off and drinking beer.

MindField Online wishes to thank service members past and present and their families, and to honor those we have lost. As Americans, we don’t always agree on the value of this or that conflict, but you can’t deny the courage of those who put themselves in harm’s way. So, please take some time to visit MemorialDayFoundation.org.

And have a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend!!

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101 Consumer Secrets!

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on May 14, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

conrep

Don’t worry; I won’t make you read all 101! The latest edition of Consumer Reports has a nice roundup of 101 tips ‘n’ trix from their writers and editors. These cover household items, money and finance, electronics and more. Here is a sampling from the electronics pile:

  • Drop your phone or camera in the water? Don’t freak out and run out to buy a new one.  Try letting it dry. You can even put it in a Ziploc bag with some rice.
  • Don’t turn off your printer. Standby mode really doesn’t use much power compared to restarting. Also, if your printer must recalibrate every time, that wastes ink.
  • Just like the dumb commercial says, a full hard drive is a slow hard drive. There’s an actual mechanical process the PC uses to find your info, and it takes time. So, clean up your hard drive, get an external drive or store things on a Cloud.
  • PC or Tablet? Never thought of it this way: PCs and laptops are good at CREATING content. Tablets are good for CONSUMING it.
  • WiFi: Get a wireless hub for your house. You will save on your data plan in a big way. However, when you aren’t near a WiFi hub, your device will waste power searching for a signal, so turn it off when you are out.

That’s just a sample – there are only about 95 other tips at the original article! Next time we will sample a few more. Do you have any useful tips? Let us know!

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Steamin’ Hot Cashout News!

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on May 7, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

Starbucks-2

Hey, check it out! Your cashout options just expanded AGAIN. Starting this week, you can choose to cashout with a Starbucks eGift Card. Just go to your Member Home page, click on Cashout Now, and choose Starbucks. Or, pick any of our other cashout options: Amazon.com gift card, Walmart gift card, Sam’s Club gift card, PayPal or boring old check! The Starbucks option should be available beginning this week.

In other news, Live Now! survey announcements on the Member Home page – once only available to folks who linked their Facebook and MindField accounts – are now available to everybody! Back when we were getting up and running on Facebook, the link was a good way to promote it. Now, the link is just a thing that most people do anyway, so why not take down a barrier? Convenience, right? Remember, Live Now! announcements – just like email invites – use your member profiles as a starting point in the qualification process. That’s why we encourage you to keep those profiles fresh!

We hope you enjoy the new features. Now, can I get a latte to go?

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This Year’s Prom Theme? Going Broke (Again!)

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on April 30, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

Time for an update on a story from last year. It seems that, despite a continuously brutal economy, one area we aren’t cutting back on is our kids’ high school prom.

Visa says American families who have teenagers will spend an average of $1,139 each on the prom, a five percent boost, or roughly $60 dollar increase compared to the average amount spent in 2012 of $1,078.  KARE 11 News

What are we spending?

  • Northeastern average: $1,528
  • Southern average: $1,203
  • Western average: $1,079
  • Midwestern average: $722

And it appears, once again, that the brokest among us spend the most.

Visa also says one troubling statistic is that parents surveyed who fell in the lowest income brackets (less than $50,000) plan to spend more than the national average, about $1,245. Parents who make over $50,000 a year plan to spend less than that, an average of $1,129.  KARE 11 News

It’s madness. I see two culprits: TV shows like “My Super Sweet 16”… and parents that can’t say “No.” One bright spot: kids appear to be paying about 40% of the bill, with mom and dad coughing up 60%

BTW, the article also explains ways to cut some of these outrageous costs, so check it out!   What are your thoughts?

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Slash Your Grocery Bill!

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on April 16, 2013 | 2 Comments »

Tip #17: Instead of Hundreds, try eating only Fives and Tens!

Savings Tip #17: Instead of Hundreds, try eating only Fives and Tens!

A while back we talked about stretching your food budget by eliminating food waste. And of course, it’s common sense that cutting back on dining out can save you plenty.

But, what if you have already made these cuts, and you’re still feeling the pinch? Take a closer look at your grocery habits!

There’s a pretty interesting article at Money Talks News called “16 Ways to Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half.”

Here are some highlights:

  • Buy Discounted Meat: If you’re like me, you plan to eat pork chops, and then go buy them. Instead, see what’s on sale, and then plan your menu around that. This might not work if (like me) you can only cook 4 things!
  • Meatless Monday: Not as a moral or political statement, because YAWN. Just to save money! At my house, we have a big salad at least once a week.
  • Only Buy Food: At a Publix or Kroger or whatever, things like laundry detergent can be crazy expensive. Save that for Walmart!
  • Buy Generic: Store brands, yo! You can save up to 30% on things like pasta, salt, etc.
  • Embrace Inconvenience: If it comes in snack size, you don’t want it. Buy the big box of pretzels and some baggies. Cut your own fruit salad. Spend your life combing through circulars for coupons. Convenience is pricey!

There are 11 more tips of varying awesomeness at the original article, so check it out!

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Tax Time 2013!

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on April 12, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

no-stress-tax-tips-600Standby for our annual, obligatory “Last Minute Tax Tips” post!

You might be thinking: How can it be tax time? There’s still snow on the ground! Well, you better hitch up the sleigh, because Uncle Sam waits for no man, snowman!

Anyway, the web is full of hundreds of articles on last minute tax advice, all of which I will share now and here are a few to ponder.

And FYI, in recent years, Tax Day has been postponed for the weekend, or due to some holiday. But this year, Tax Day goes Old School, i.e., April 15. Yay, tradition!

So, as a humble public service from your humble public servant (me) here are the links to everything you need to know. Have a good weekend!

Forbes     •     CBS News     •     Investopedia     •     US News Money

Fox News     •     TurboTax     •     Money Talks News

Wall Street Journal     •     Yahoo Finance     •     Detroit Free Press

 

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State(s) of Happiness, 2013

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on April 4, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

The darker green ye see, the happier ye be! Arrr!

The darker green ye see, the happier ye be! Arrr!

Well, the 2012 results have just been released, anyway. Today, we revisit and update a topic from June of last year.

Who are the happiest Americans? And how would be know? Well, you interview a BUNCH of people all across the United States – DAILY, for a WHOLE YEAR – and you draw some conclusions!

Gallup rated each state on the following: life evaluation, emotional health, physical health, work environment, healthy behaviors and basic access to services and amenities.  Drum roll please…

Happiest States 2012 (with 2011 score)

10 Massachusetts (14)…09 Iowa (16) …08 New Hampshire (9)…

07 Nebraska (8)… 06 Montana (10)…05 Vermont (12)…

04 Utah (5)…03 Minnesota (3)…02 Colorado (6)… 01 Hawaii (1)

Dropping out of top 10 from last year:  Kansas, Alaska and North Dakota

Unhappiest States 2012 (with 2011 score)

41 Oklahoma (39) …42 Indiana (38) …43 Louisiana (36)…

44 Ohio (46) …45 Alabama (45)…46 Arkansas(44) …

47 Tennessee (41) …48 Mississippi (48)…49 Kentucky (49)…

50 West Virginia (50)

Climbing out of the bottom 10 (yay…?) Delaware, Missouri, Florida and Nevada

So that’s the rundown. What do you think? Are you in a “happy” state? An “unhappy” state? Do you agree or disagree with this assessment? Let us know! Check out the whole report, and have a great weekend!

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JC Penney Turns Over an Old Leaf

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on March 29, 2013 | 5 Comments »

At JC Penney, it’s “so long, Everyday Low Prices” and “welcome back, Big Saturday Sale!”

We last visited this topic back in May 2012 (see The Return of the Saturday Sale.) By that time, it had been decided that JCP’s experiment with ditching sales in favor of their “Fair and Square,” i.e. Everyday Low Prices, wasn’t exactly working out.

In fact, business is down 20%, a loss of $160 million. Of course, JCPenney’s CEO says, no, this is still the right idea. You just haven’t caught on yet. It’s YOUR fault, dummies! (I may have added that last bit.) …Me, MindFieldLive 5/18/12

Apparently, JCP boss Ron Johnson was determined not to panic, so he “let it ride” until they had lost a cool billion dollars.

Now, it’s Back to the Future, and JCPenney has thrown in the towel. That is, they are taking that towel and boosting its price by up to EIGHTY PERCENT…then immediately putting it on sale and slapping a “30% OFF” sticker on it!

A pair of Nike swimming trunks priced at $25, for example, has been raised to $45, according to data reviewed by The Post. A bikini top under the retailer’s Arizona label was hiked to $24 from $15, while an Arizona men’s polo shirt is now $14, up from $9, the data show. New York Post

So, it’s back to the way things once’ta was. The question is, will the customers return? I recall a lot of EMOTION surrounding the death of the Saturday sale… are you happy now? Will you go back to JCP or have you moved on? Let us know, and have a great weekend!

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Cheap, Frugal or Both?

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on March 26, 2013 | 3 Comments »

Get it?

Get it?

It’s kind of a slow consumer news day, other than the persistent economic gloom. So I thought we would surf the web for money saving ideas! See if any of these make sense for you and your family. Follow the links to savings! or something…

As a counterpoint: 5 Household Items Worth the Splurge

Also, a question: has the downturn “educated” us to the point that we no longer need coupons?Read: Coupon clipping declines as shoppers get savvier

What do you think? Any good tips here? Do you have any to share from your personal experience? Let us know!

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Fighting Fitness Myths

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on March 22, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

Yesterday my new, seemingly 14-year-old doctor said to me in a comforting tone (or so she thought,) “If being in shape were easy, then everybody would be in shape.”

Uh, thanks, Bones. Can we be done now?

Anyway, with news like we highlighted yesterday (“Get healthy or pay more for your employer’s health insurance,”) and with the continuing mystery of what our health care system is going to look like in the coming years…

Like this, I fear...

Like this, I fear…

…people are starting to see “getting in shape” as a sort of hedge against the unknown, instead of a goal in and of itself. Hey, health is health, but using the wrong motivation can lead to mistakes like using ancient, outdated diet advice (you know, more than 3 months old!)

So, the good housekeepers at Good Housekeeping have rounded up some dieting myths for us to ponder…

  1. Carbs bad. CARBS BAAAD!!! Carbs are fuel. While the white grains can be trouble, the browns are less so.
  2. Fresh fruits and veggies are always more nutritious than frozen. Unless you pull them out of the ground yourself, there’s no real difference.
  3. Egg cholesterol BAD! It’s not great, for sure. But you can probably still eat 1 or 2 a week. Or switch to egg whites, and have as much as you want.
  4. Skipping breakfast? Don’t do it, man!!
  5. It’s all in your GENES. Actually, they say that weight is 25% genes, 75% behavior.
  6. Creative combinations. I did this once. Something with cottage cheese and beet juice. You see, the CHEMISTRY of the foods in certain combinations means that your body reacts by burning more… yeah, it was all nonsense.

There’s your top 5. For further explanations, as well as a list of Exercise myths, check out the original article. And have a great weekend!

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