A Fast 50 Bucks?

job adsHappy Friday MindField-ers! How are your new year’s finances? What does this next year look like for your pocketbook? About this time of year, I start adding up all the potential projects that are rumored to be coming my way. I have come to realize that if my year EVER matched my rosy January predictions, I could have retired years ago.

So, in the meantime, you look for ways to make more money. Maybe a big new job. Maybe a part-time thing to help pay the bills. Maybe it is a lot of little things, which is today’s topic.

MoneyTalksNews.com has compiled a list of “50 Ways to Make a Fast Fifty Bucks.” You will find a lot of the usual things (have a garage sale!) but there are some unusual ideas, as well – many of which relate to opportunities you can find on the web. Here are some highlights…

  • Performing tasks: Lists about ten websites you can visit to pick up odd jobs
  • Sitting: House, pet, baby, etc. Includes links
  • Selling: Garage sales, Craigslist and more. Lots of links.
  • Renting: Airbnb, etc.
  • Crafts: From swap meets to Etsy.com, sell your crafts! Links aplenty!
  • Claim lost money: I have done this. It can be a hassle but, if the money’s big enough, it’s worth it!
  • Medical Research: Like those two dum dums on the old Drew Carey show!
  • Manual Labor
  • Using your talents: Be a math tutor, teach piano, etc.

I don’t know about you, but I have stumbled onto this article at just the right time. I will be looking into this for sure. Here’s that link again. How about you? Could you use a few extra bucks to help pay off those holiday bills? Have you tried any of these ways? How did it work out? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and have a great weekend!

New Year$ Re$olution$

newyearrezFor many of us, our New Year’s Financial Resolutions begin and end with “win that record-breaking $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot.”

New Year’s Day arrives, and we all make Resolutions. Some are serious, some are frivolous, most are in-between, and many are forgotten. I think many get swept under the rug because we don’t know what an achievable goal looks like, and we don’t know where to start. Fortunately, everybody and their brother with a consumer or personal finance blog is here to help! Here are some common New Year’s Financial Resolutions!

  • Spend less
  • Save more
  • Invest more
  • Pay down debt
  • Set aside money for an emergency
  • Have a budget and stick to it
  • Save more for retirement
  • Buy a home
  • Save for your kid’s college
  • Learn more about finances

I’ll add one more: Take advantage of unexpected windfalls. Last year, I got a notice about a pension payout (one that I didn’t know existed) from a job I quit 15 years ago. I could have done a LOT of cool things with this chunk of change, but I did the responsible thing and actually put it toward retirement! BORING!

Anyway, do you have New Year’s Financial Resolutions for 2016? Have you already started? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page! Here are some links!

January’s Best Buys

jan dealsPersonally, I am in a bit of a spending hangover after the Holidays. Sometimes, though, our spending is dictated not just by need, but by the calendar. If you have a need in your household, there is likely a “best time” of year to purchase that thing. So let’s take a look at your best buys for January, as well as some things you might want to wait to buy  later.

Buy it in January:

  • Suits from last fall
  • Big Appliances left over from the previous September rollout
  • Carpet and Flooring: lots of home remodels happen in time for Holiday parties. What’s left at the home center will now be on sale
  • Christmas Supplies and Decorations: Naturally. We just saved 80% on decorations and cards at Michaels!
  • Winter clothes
  • Cars: People buy cars in spring. Right now, they are just sitting on the lot.
  • Fine Jewelry: Christmas and Valentine’s, January is DEAD at the jewelry store. Take advantage!
  • Big Ticket Electronics: Remember we talked about the Consumer Electronics Show? All of those amazing rollouts will begin happening, and the old stuff must go!
  • Fitness Gear and Health Clubs: Resolutions, man!
  • Furniture: The new models come out next month. The old stuff must go!
  • Star Wars Merchandise: We talked about this earlier. At some point, everything there is to have, is HAD. Buy the leftovers!
  • Bedding: Of course, it’s White Sale month. Linens and bedding are cheaper now.

Skip it in January:

  • Luggage: wait until closer to Spring Break.
  • Tax software: Wait until closer to Tax Day
  • Gaming Consoles: Wait until April
  • Big Screen TV’s: Unlike the rest of electronics, TVs are usually cheaper in February
  • Mattresses: Again, unlike the rest of bedding, mattresses are a better deal in February.

So, there is a (hopefully) useful list of purchasing Do’s and Don’ts for January. Links are below. How about you? Any planned purchases this month? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and have a great weekend!

Electronics: Not Just for Men?

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woman gadgetOr, still mostly just for men? This week, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) blasts off in Las Vegas. It is the largest show of its kind in the world, where gadget producers bet their entire fortunes on grabbing the public eye and becoming the Next Big Thing.

According to Time magazine, this year’s Ones to Watch include advancements in Wearables (FitBits, smart watches, etc.), a new selection of car gadgets to make our driving even more distracted more interactive, innovations in virtual and augmented reality (which is what, exactly?) and more fun with drones. And about a million other things.

It’s no big secret that the gadget world has historically been aimed at dudes. Why is that, do you think? About a million years ago I was in a record store (remember them?) and I said to my then-girlfriend, “This place is packed, and it’s all guys!” She said, “If I have $15 to spend, I spend it on makeup.” True? Not true? Likely? Maybe in 1985 but not now?

If you read an article about “Hot Gadgets for Guys ‘n Gals!” (such as this one) you will see some really gender-neutral items like FitBits and smartphone accessories. Then, you see things such as the Electronic Baby Shusher, an even smarter Roomba, and gadgets to make cooking easier and faster.

So, gadgets and women… are we there yet? Are you a Gadget Gal? Are the gadget makers reaching you? Has this improved, or are they still just taking the dude items and painting them pink? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page!

Nutty New Year’s Traditions

new year2One of my favorite New Year’s traditions is writing a consumer blog in my pajamas. It’s a tradition that goes all the way back to the old country (in my case, West Virginia.) Anyway, time to check in with New Year’s Eve traditions, some familiar, some downright NUTTY.

Auld Lang Syne: What’s the story behind this classic? Find out HERE.

Kissing at midnight: if you don’t, it’s “a year of loneliness” for you, according to tradition.

Black-eyed peas and collard greens: In the South, they represent pennies and dollars. In other words, prosperity!

Colorful undies: in Latin America, the color of your unmentionables at midnight will affect your fortunes in the coming year.

Ooh, MELTY! Those crazy Germans drop molten metal into a bucket of water, and whatever twisted shape it takes reveals your fortune for the coming year.

Fireworks: The Chinese invented them, and set them off at midnight to ward off evil spirits.

Polka dots: In the Philippines, the circle represents prosperity. So wear those dots. Similarly, the Filipinos eat round food, too!

The night for white: In Brazil, you wear white on New Year’s Eve. Otherwise, bad luck!

Renewal in Japan: New Year’s is super important in Japan. Lots of emphasis on flushing away the troubles of last year, and hoping for better in the new. Temples strike their gongs 108 times, to banish the 108 types of human weakness. Personally, I have 137 kinds of human weakness. So GET ON IT, Japan!

Burn that mother down! In the Netherlands, they build bonfires in the streets using their Christmas trees, while in Chile they torch scarecrows representing last year’s misery.

Watch for falling furniture: In South Africa, a potential new tradition of throwing old furniture out the window was quashed when someone was injured by a falling refrigerator.

Chew carefully: When eating New Year’s cake in Greece. One lucky person will find a gold coin, bringing good fortune in the New Year.

12 grapes: In Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries, you eat one grape for every stroke of the bell. Statistically, it’s the New Year’s tradition with the most Vitamin C.

You dropped something! In Mt. Olive NC (oddly, the home of the Mt. Olive Pickle Co.) they drop a lighted pickle instead of a ball. Meanwhile, in Eastport Maine, it’s a lighted sardine! And in Brasstown, NC 25 years of tradition (and 25 years of controversy!) continues as the town lowers an opossum in a Plexiglas box (and PETA hates that!) Personally, I would be more offended by the Miss Possum beauty contest, in which burly truck drivers and lumberjack dudes compete in the evening gown competition!

So, we’re all from somewhere else… do you have any different or oddball NYE traditions to share? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and have a happy, SAFE New Year!

Sources: Here, here , here , here and here!

Fun at the Return Desk

GIFT RETURNThese days, every gift I receive or give at the holidays comes with the tags still on, or accompanied by the receipt in an envelope.  For those who prefer gift-giving, as opposed to gift CARD giving, you have to expect that a trip to the return desk is a distinct possibility.

We know that gift return can be a challenge and a frustration. There always seems to be 30 people waiting in line, with one clerk working. Or – my favorite – there are two clerks working, one who knows what she is doing, and one who doesn’t. The one who doesn’t calls over the one who does, to help solve some problem. Now, you have NOBODY working!

Information is the key, so here are some links that will help guide you through return season 2015.

So, there’s your tour of gift return policies. Remember, gift return is definitely a chore, but it doesn’t have to be torture! How about you? Do have any gift return tales to tell – naughty or nice? Let us know at the MindField Online Facebook page!

Merry Christmas from MindField Online!

christmasHope everybody has a great time with family and friends this Christmas Day. BE SAFE! If you get a chance, join us over at the MindField Facebook page, and tell us about the most meaningful gift you received this year. Not the biggest or most expensive, but the one that touched you most. Take care and Ho Ho Ho!!

Here are some fun Holiday spending statistics (including Hanukkah and Kwanzaa) to quote at the dinner table, as reported by the National Retail Federation. You’re welcome.

  • Total Spending: $804, up 5% from last year
  • Gifts for…Family $460, Friends $80, Co-workers $26, Pets $30
  • Decorations: $54
  • Food: $100
  • Cards: $30
  • Flowers: $20
  • Where we shop: Discount stores 62%, Department stores 60%, Internet 54%, Grocery stores 52%, Catalogs 31%
  • When we started shopping: Before Halloween 40%
  • Average spent when we start early: $636
  • Average spent when we start late: $1074

Last Minute Holiday Shopping

panic shopOur shopping has been done for a while, so I keep getting surprised as we are out and about: I see a million cars in the lot and I say “MAN! What is going on at the mall?! …oh, right. Last minute Christmas shopping.”

If the last minute isn’t here already, it’s close. What does that mean to you? How do you tend to get caught up in the Last Minute? For us, it’s less about putting it off, and more about surprises. We find out that somebody already got the same gift for someone on our list, and somehow it is always more convenient for US to return it and get something else. Or, “I didn’t think her boyfriend would last until Christmas, but he did, and now we have to buy him a present!”

The Last Minute can be stressful, and mistakes can be made. Here are a couple of links to illustrate…

And on a more helpful note:

So, don’t get stressed and don’t feel bad. Look around you – you aren’t alone! In fact, 17% of us waited until the last week! How about you? Is your shopping long done, or are you reading this on your phone while standing in line at Bed & Bath? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page!

Star Wars Merch Madness

star wars cover girlChances are, you are reading this on your mobile device as you stand in line for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. But probably not.

This is the day fans have been waiting for, and their passion for all things Star Wars reaches well beyond the multiplex. You’ll find star Wars in your breakfast cereal, your video games, your bedsheets…basically everywhere. As Darth Vader once said (sorta) “The branding is strong with this one…”

Here is a collection of some of the more interesting Star Wars items for sale, as compiled by NBC News.

  • CoverGirl’s Star Wars Collection
  • Star Wars Crocs
  • Star Wars Creamers by Coffee-mate
  • HP Star Wars Special Edition Laptop
  • Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner – Star Wars Shapes
  • Star Wars-branded fruit

So, is there a saturation point for this kind of thing? Is there such a thing as the merchandising “going too far”? Maybe. There already seems to be a backlash growing over that last item:

Consumers are rebelling against ‘Star Wars’ branded fruits and vegetables

As Darth Vader might also have said, “I find your lack of faith in Star Wars-branded fruit and vegetables…disturbing.”

How about you? Are you on board with all the Star Wars merch? How much is too much? Me, I’m so disgusted that I will only see the new movie 6 or 7 times in protest!! Have a good weekend – see you in line!

Regifting Do’s and Don’ts

regifting

First of all, when did “giving” become “gifting”? And why does that  bother me so much?

Anyway, today’s topic is REgifting. When did that become a thing? When did it become common enough that we feel OK talking about it, and writing an article like this one in Time Magazine telling you when it’s OK to regift, and how to do it without getting caught?

Apparently, the answer is NOW.  Back in the 1970’s, not so much. One Monday in December was the third grade class Christmas party and gift exchange. By Sunday afternoon, either I had forgotten to tell my mother, or she had put it off (or both), but I had no gift to give. We had to rush out to the store but, before we could go, it snowed. Real hard. No trip to the store, and I had to wrap a used gift. I knew it was a bad idea, but I wrapped the used race car. The next day, the paper wasn’t even completely off before the kid yelled “Gross! A USED gift?” Children can be so kind.

So, this article tells you how to avoid scenes like this when regifting.

  • Regift strategically (Who and When)
  • Completely repackage the gift
  • Regift only good gifts

And it also suggests the kind of items that might make suitable regifts. Here are the bullets…

  1. Gift cards for stores you don’t like
  2. Food or treat gift baskets: Store bought and shrink wrapped only
  3. Flowers or décor arrangements
  4. Toys your kids won’t play with: If nothing else, donate them
  5. Neutral accessories:neutral being the key – no nutty colors or patterns
  6. Bath products
  7. Coffee and mug sets: the kind you always see at discount stores
  8. Gifts you don’t love and can return for store credit: turning unwanted items into gift cards
  9. Books you won’t read
  10. Entertaining items:I have regifted barbecue tool sets a couple of times

For all the details, read “How to Regift Without Getting Caught.” So, how about you? IS it OK to regift? How and when? Have you done it? How did it turn out? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page!