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Posts Tagged ‘market research’

Facebook and Blog Fans Speak!

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

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!!!

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Summer Vacation!

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on June 11, 2013 | 1 Comment »

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!

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Wedding Season by the Numbers!

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on May 31, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

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!

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Summer Begins!

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on May 28, 2013 | 1 Comment »

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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Memorial Day 2013

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on May 24, 2013 | 2 Comments »

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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Safe Online Shopping

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on May 21, 2013 | 2 Comments »

shoponlineIn the old days, let’s say 2003, online shopping was the Wild West. You didn’t know whom to trust. Today folks like Amazon.com have really reformed online shopping and made it uniform, safe and secure. But it’s still on us to educate ourselves and shop smart online.

Here’s my not-terribly horrifying online shopping horror story from the old days.

I ordered a laptop battery from a place I had never heard of, but who had a great price. The battery worked great for about two days, and then just died. Like, completely dead.

Knowing I had a two-week return window, I contacted the company’s help desk using the email address from my original order confirmation notice. It bounced back as undeliverable. Somehow, they contacted me anyway and I noticed it was a different email address.

As the return process dragged out, with me never actually getting instructions on how to return the battery, I noticed that EVERY time they contacted me, it was from a different address. Finally I told them, “The rotating email thing is cute, but I totally see that the purpose here is to drag this out beyond the 14 day return period. That’s probably the way you burn people and, if the BBB doesn’t know that already, they’re about to.” That (admittedly limp) threat was all it took to get action, and I got my refund.

I am sure if I had taken the time to read the vendor reviews, I could have figured this out without the headache. But I was blinded by the idea of saving 60 percent! So, again, the point is to educate yourself on the vendor, and some common sense rules of online shopping. Here is your reading list. You’re welcome.

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Consumer Secrets: Household Edition

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on May 17, 2013 | 1 Comment »

As a follow-up to our last post, here is another sampling of Consumer Reports 101 Consumer Secrets. I think many of these tips share a common trait: that we have forgotten common sense, old-timey “home remedies” in favor of the constant need for something to be NEW and IMPROVED! Hey, I’m in marketing. I get it. Anyway, here are some tips. As they say, your mileage may vary.

  • Refrigerator: The area around the vent is the coldest, the shelves on the door are warmest, so store accordingly.
  • Rice: May contain arsenic. So cook it twice the amount of time the package recommends.
  • New and Improved? Maybe not. Moldy oldies like Pine-Sol and Fels Naptha are still tops among cleaners.
  • Coffee: Clean coffee pots with dissolving denture tablets. Weird!
  • Carpets: That super-low setting is great for getting out dirt and sand. For regular use, however, it will really wear out your carpet.
  • Fire! That fire extinguisher under the sink has an expiration date. Learn it!
  • More fire! There are 2 types of smoke detectors – ones that detect fast-moving flames and ones that detect slow-smoldering fires. You might need both, but at least be sure what you are getting.

Of course, not all common sense solutions are created equal. I remember one such piece of advice: “Did you know Coca-Cola will clean your toilet just as well as Comet?” The part they left out: “Did you know Coca-Cola is about 3 times as expensive as Comet?”

More tips at the original article, so check it out. And have a great weekend!

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In Case of Emergency…

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on April 19, 2013 | 1 Comment »

emergencyI don’t know…it feels like today calls for a “public service” post instead of the usual consumer fun.

So, this was the week of the Boston Marathon attack and the fertilizer plant explosion in Texas. Still fresh in our memories are the shootings at the school and the movie theater and Hurricane Sandy.

If you happened to know anyone involved – and I have an acquaintance that had been tweeting about running his first Boston Marathon for weeks – you immediately wonder about his or her safety. And you keep wondering, because cellular service instantly crashes and the TV news is completely unreliable.

What’s the solution? It takes some forethought and preparation. We begin with some good news, and it is this:

That doesn’t mean your phone is useless. Text messages are a much better option than calls, because they take up less of a cell site’s resources and because if they can’t get through, they automatically keep trying. If you are connected to the Internet or can find nearby free Wi-Fi, email and Twitter are also quicker, more reliable options.  MoneyTalksNews.com

Now, let’s go worst-case scenario… what if something happens to your physical self, and you can’t communicate? Plan ahead, and remember this acronym: ICE. It stands for In Case of Emergency, and more and more first responders are learning it. Basically, you set up an emergency contact on your phone with the last name ICE, and the first name MOM or HUSBAND or WIFE. If a rescuer finds you unconscious, he will know what to do. Also, if you have a memo or reminder app, you might want to enter some medical history, or at least any medication allergies you may have. Of course, you will have to take off the password protection on your phone.

So, that’s it. Here is some extra reading that explains all of this in greater detail. Again, thoughts and prayers to our friends in Boston and Texas. And please stay safe!!

Cellphone Networks Fail in Emergencies: Here’s What to Do

Five Minute Lifesaver: ICE Your Cell Phone

4 Easy Ways to Get Free Wi-Fi

How to Set Up an ICE Contact

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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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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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