Category Archives: Uncategorized

This Year’s Prom Theme: Going Broke

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Times are tough, and we are all tightening our belts. One area we aren’t cutting back on is our kids’ high school prom.

Despite continuing economic sluggishness, when it comes to high school proms, Americans are partying like it’s 1999. This year, families with teenagers will spend an average of $1,078 each on the prom, a 33.6 percent increase over the $807 spent in 2011. Consumer Affairs

Speaking as a guy whose girlfriend had to drag kicking and screaming into the tuxedo place to spend $50 on a rental (it was that long ago) I guess I can’t relate. But apparently this prom madness is everywhere. Here are some regional statistics on prom spending:

  • Northeastern average: $1,944
  • Southern average: $1,047
  • Western average: $744
  • Midwestern average: $696

And, it seems that the brokest among us spend the most. Families earning $20,000 to $30,000 spend an average of $2,635 on a dress or a tuxedo, limousine rental, flowers, food, accommodations, and parties after the party.

It’s madness. I see two culprits: TV shows like “My Super Sweet 16”… and parents that can’t say “No.” What are your thoughts?

BTW, the article also explains ways to cut some of these outrageous costs, so check it out!

(photo: lipartyrides.com)

Last Minute Tax Fun!

no-stress-tax-tips-600

Homer Simpson does his taxes at the last minute…

Homer: “Quick! We need more deductions! OK Marge, if anyone asks, you require 24-hour nursing care, Lisa’s a clergyman, Maggie is seven people, and Bart was wounded in Vietnam!”

Bart: “Cool!”

Later, 5 seconds to deadline, he tosses his return into a mail cart as the cage doors are slamming shut. The cart is marked For Severe Audit.

There’s a lesson here folks, and it’s that the Simpsons used to be really funny.

Also, it’s tax time, and getting late in the game. The deadline for filing your return is April 17th.  So here, courtesy of the money page at USNews.com, are some last-minute tax filing tips:

  • File an extension. This has always confused me. They say you can put it off for 6 months, but you still have to pay by 4/17. If you don’t do your return, how do you know how much you owe?
  • Make tax-deductible IRA contributions. Right up until 4/17.
  • File electronically. With my luck, my broadband would go out that night!
  • Even when rushing, do a careful review.  Duh.
  • Don’t forget this year’s newest forms. If you need any of the new forms, you should have started earlier!
  • Get organized for next year. Or just marry someone organized, like I did.
  • Enjoy tax-day freebies. Companies like Bruegger’s are giving away tax-time treats that day. So Google that!

So, even at the last minute, there are ways you can avoid mistakes, penalties and audits. Check out the info behind the bullet points at the original article. And happy tax time!

Gender-neutral Toys?

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An article (more of an editorial, really) at USNEWS.com, entitled “5 Reasons Not to Buy Your Daughter Pink Legos,” begins like so:

Gender segregation starts early these days, with color-coded diapers, blankets, and binkies. Most of us seem happy with this arrangement, spending some $22 billion on toys every year. But when one company recently went too far, the response was swift.

I was immediately reminded on the ONE “Cathy” cartoon I have read in the past decade (I swear.) Cathy is determined to find a gender-neutral toy for her niece. Combing through the toy store, she finally gets an idea: plastic dinosaurs! Unfortunately, they only have two kinds – Dinosaur Commando Squad and Dainty Dino Beauty Shop.

I knew she would say that.

Anyway, Lego did a bunch of research, found that girls were playing with Legos, and figured they might play with them MORE if they were building little kitchens, beauty shops, etc. As a result, a petition protesting the idea went up online, and supposedly has 50K signatures.

This author lays out her case. Here are the bullets:

  • Girls are already surrounded by gender stereotypes wherever they turn.
  • Girls love Legos, even without the new line for girls.
  • Classic children’s toys that stand the test of time are usually gender-neutral.
  • Buying the new Lego line will lead to more gender-specific toys.
  • Strong girl role models abound, and they don’t have to look like models.

That’s her view…what do YOU think?

(photo: classictcj.com)

The Cost of Easter

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Sorry, the art department took Good Friday off

It’s the big Spring holiday weekend. It’s Good Friday, Passover begins at sundown, and Sunday is Easter. These are serious, revered occasions, but also a time to gather and celebrate:

Easter is also a family celebration — a day to wear Easter dresses and, perhaps, Easter hats, hunt for eggs and welcome spring. It can be expensive. This year, spending a total of $16.8 billion. That’s an average of $145.28 each, up 11 percent from 2011.  Bloomberg News

How do we spend that money?

Candy: Easter is the 2nd-biggest candy holiday behind Halloween. We will eat 90 million chocolate Easter bunnies, 700 million Marshmallow Peeps, and about 16 billion jellybeans this year.

Easter Baskets: Prices range from a couple of bucks at the dollar store, to a $70 (or higher) Longaberger.

Decorating Eggs: Eggs became popular at Easter because eating them was forbidden during Lent. Today, we buy 10 million egg-dyeing kits at $4 to $13 each

The Easter Dinner: We will spend $5.5 billion on food this Easter. 33 million of us will dine out. And, of course, we eat HAM. Um, not for Passover, obviously!

Flowers: Easter and Passover combine to account for the 4th-biggest flower holiday. We will spend about $11 for Easter flowers, or over a billion dollars!

Greeting Cards: We will send 57 million Easter cards and spend about $7 each, or over $800 million.

So that’s the tally, and there’s more at the original article. Now, FORGET the cost, and enjoy your family and your holiday! Happy Easter and Happy Pesach from MindField Online!!

Help for Shopaholics

Is this you? I’m asking because I can’t see your face.

Spending addictions can rear their heads at the most inopportune times. They also know no socioeconomic boundaries. This is a problem that can affect wealthy people, low-income people and pretty much anyone living between those two extremes.  MSN.com

Even now, when we really don’t have the money to spend, some of us do it anyway. Hey, I’m no different – when work is slow, and I get anxious, I go to Goodwill! A two-dollar piece of junk is often the perfect pick-me-up!

So how do you recognize a spending addiction, and what do you do about it? Well, there’s a pretty good article on MSN.com today. Here are the bullet points:

  • Understand the phenomenon
  • Know thyself
  • Reflect on how you feel when you shop
  • Think about the time involved
  • Take control of the situation
  • Start writing things down
  • Steer clear of unnecessary temptations
  • Find healthy alternatives
  • Expand your possibilities
  • Know when to get help

So like I said, I am no stranger. How about you? Care to share? And please read the original article, there’s lots of helpful info!

(photo: mainstreet.com)

Hitting the Glass Ceiling of Income?

Did you know that, statistically speaking, we hit a “glass ceiling” of income at around age 40? Age 45 for men, 37 for women.  Why is that? What can we do about it?

USNews.com has an article about a recent Payscale.com survey that tracks our earnings across the years:

Click to embiggen. That's a word, right?

As you can see, there’s a steady climb, you hit 37 or 45, and then it stays flat for the rest of your career. Why is that? The article has a few suggestions. For one thing, when you take a job, they give you a list of responsibilities and a salary range. The longer you stay at the same job, doing the same things, the closer you get to the top of the range.

What to do about it? It’s no big secret… take classes, get more training, take on extra responsibilities, angle for that promotion, use your skills to do consulting work on the side, get paid to do surveys online from MindField, etc. None of this is as easy as it sounds (except MindField Online) but the solutions are out there.

How about you? Are you stalling out? Have you already? What did you do about it? Seriously, if you have figured it out, let ME know! Anyway, there is a lot more at the original article, so check it out!

MindField Fans Give a Shoutout!

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Time once again to update our ever-expanding list of satisfied member comments that have appeared on the MindField Online Facebook page in the past few months, including this gem from Katherine:

MindField is a great site. I’ve been a member for a few years and they have the most amazing surveys and they really value your opinion. And while you’re at it you can earn some cash. I ♥ you guys…

The little heart thingy says it all. Thanks Katherine! And thanks to all our members for their participation! Check out the latest batch of satisfied user comments at our Panelist Reviews page!

(photo: southerncrescentsolutions.com)

Great news for our 50+ Panelists!

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Feel like you get fewer surveys as you get older? You’re not alone. But MindField Online is doing something about it! first, some background…

From time to time on the Facebook page and the MindFieldLive blog, we hear from older folks who suspect that they are receiving fewer survey invitations due to their age. Almost always they add, “This doesn’t make sense! Seniors have money, they buy things – don’t their opinions matter?”

Well, the situation may seem frustrating right now. But we are confident things are going to change. The Baby Boomers are aging, and the number of older folks is growing. The need for consumer research in the older segment is only going to increase. And that change just might be coming sooner than you think!

And, on that note….

Mindfield recently entered into a partnership and conducted two pilot tests combining product intent questions for eight different companies/manufacturers who have particular interest in this segment of the population. If continued efforts are successful, you should begin seeing renewed energy resulting in surveys for the mature market segment.

So, it’s a pilot test. An initial success we hope to build upon. In other words, a step in the right direction. We hope you agree, and we thank you for your membership, your participation, and your PATIENCE.

Never Retire?

Retirement stirs up a range of images and emotions. Some can’t wait to punch the clock for the last time. Others dread being shuffled out the door. Some fear they can’t afford to retire. But a new article asks: why do we have to retire at all?

Retirement is, quite frankly, often a default choice that we’ve been brainwashed into accepting. Saying that it’s time to retire becomes less and less relevant with each passing year. Not only are we living longer, but the quality of our lives in older age can also improve. Physically taxing jobs are disappearing. Knowledge jobs can be done quite well by older people.  USNews.com

Says the article:

  • There is no physical reason to retire.
  • Working can support healthy better physical and mental aging.
  • Challenging, meaningful work boosts well being and happiness.
  • A chance to share experiences and mentor younger workers.
  • Bottom line: shorter retirement means less chance of outliving your money.

Demographically speaking, we are getting older, and there will be fewer younger workers to replace us. If you want to stick around, you should have more opportunities to do it. So, if the old bones haven’t given out yet, and you don’t WANT to retire, staying on the job could have a lot of benefits! What do YOU think of non-retirement retirement?  Read the article!

Brand Nostalgia is a Thing Now

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In recent years, there has been renewed interest around the world in branding that evokes nostalgia. There are probably hundreds of long-gone or hard-to-find brands, products and businesses that trigger happy memories and remind us of “back in the day.”    Mainstreet.com

Some examples?

  • Woolworth’s: Died in 1997. Are you old enough to remember eating at the Woolworth lunch counter? Sure you want to admit that?
  • McCall’s Magazine: 135 years as a ladies publishing institution until Rosie O’Donnell drove it off a cliff in 2005.
  • Tab Diet Cola: Launched in 1963 to tremendous success. Then in the early 80’s, the saccharin cancer scare (later debunked) hurt sales, and Coca-Cola concentrated on launching Diet Coke. Tab is still around but really hard to find. There is a fan site that can help, though.
  • Pan Am Airlines: Gone for over 20 years now, Pan Am practically invented “classic” air travel. The jumbo jet, computerized reservations, and serving meals (now known as a bag of peanuts.) Given what an unbearable pain in the butt it is to fly these days, this particular bit of nostalgia is easy to understand!

So, the moral here is that whether they go out of business, or shrink to insignificance, these brands never truly die. Nostalgia keeps them alive in our consciousness. And sometimes that can lead to rebirth. For instance…

Amiga PC’s: Launched in ’85 and eventually driven out by Microsoft and Apple. But geeks loved ‘em so much there are still a half-million in use. Some super nerds have even started a company to produce brand new look-alike machines with all new software!

So, which brands do you remember? Which would you like to see reborn? There’s plenty more in the original article!