Tag Archives: focus groups

Rising Prices in 2015

We talked last time about the variety of items and services that will cost less in 2015, from falling gas prices to just about everything affected by gas prices, which is a BUNCH.

Unfortunately, there’s always another side to the equation, and other factors that affect prices. According to MoneyTalksNews.com, weather, livestock diseases, rising demand, poor planning among suppliers, and government regulation all play a part.

So which items will hit you pocketbook a little harder this year? Here are the bullet points:

  • Bourbon
  • Beef and pork
  • Avocados
  • Chocolate
  • Air travel
  • Hotels
  • FedEx and UPS fees
  • Coffee
  • Olive oil
  • Some sports cars
  • Redbox rentals
  • Girl Scout Cookies
  • Health care

For all the hows and whys, check out the original article. Which of these will affect you most? How will it affect you spending behavior? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and have a great weekend before the prices go up!

(And don’t forget about the Valentine’s Day Makin’ it Rain giveaway!)

Watch Out for Falling Prices

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fallingDidn’t Walmart used to say that? Anyway, it’s coming true across our economy, for a few reasons. Gas prices are a big one. We blogged back in November, amazed about gas prices that were around $3.40 in June had fallen to $2.62. Well, today they are $1.89 in my town. This affects transportation costs of just about everything we buy.

So, which items will are likely to cost less in 2015? DailyFinance.com has the 411, and here are some bullet points…

  • Gas Prices
  • TV Content Packages: folks, the “cable cutters” have won.
  • Cloud Storage: I don’t understand the cloud, either. But I like paying less for it!
  • 4K TVs: I just now bought a flatscreen – don’t rush me!
  • Smartphones: Now that everybody already has one, the price drops. Shocking!
  • Video Game Consoles: To quote Grandpa Simpson, “I got down on the floor for THIS?”
  • Kia Forte: Now officially the cheapest car in the US

As usual, these are just the highlights. Much more info at the original piece. So, are you noticing prices dropping. Gas, certainly, but anywhere else. If you started saving on daily stuff, what would you do with the money? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page!

Good News on the Financial Front

Looking for some good financial news? Well, the stories are out there, and Yahoo Finance dug up a few of the better ones.

Most of these folks got into debt in ways you would recognize. Student loans, sudden changes in health, unemployment…and plain ol’ bad decision making. We’ve all been there. So it’s good to see that people can climb out of the hole if they make a plan, make some sacrifices, and stick to it.

The headlines include:

  • Single mom retires $5000 of debt in a year while only earning only $21K
  • Family of five pays off $100,000 of debt in just four years
  • Woman eliminates $50,000 worth of debt in two years, despite six months unemployment
  • Retired couple cashed it all in to travel the world
  • Couple pays off $118,000 worth of debt in four years – on $70K annual earnings

These are just the headlines. There are some pretty inspirational stories behind them, so check it out!

How about you? Ever been in the hole? How did you make it out? Do you have an inspiring story? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and have a great weekend!

Maybe Red Bull DOESN’T Give You Wings?

635484393718544707-d-out-energy-drink-30The news this week is about energy drink Red Bull, which has been sued for false advertising. No, someone didn’t believe that Red Bull actually “gives you wings,” but, according to the lawsuit, they do give the impression that Red Bull delivers “increased performance, concentration and reaction speed.”

“Even though there is a lack of genuine scientific support for a claim that Red Bull branded energy drinks provide any more benefit to a consumer than a cup of coffee, the Red Bull defendants persistently and pervasively market their product as a superior source of ‘energy’ worthy of a premium price over a cup of coffee or other sources of caffeine,” the suit says. The Consumerist

As for Red Bull, they said “whatever,” and have offered up $13 million to be shared by anyone in the class action lawsuit who can prove they bought a Red Bull in the past ten years. You’re eligible for ten dollars or two free Red Bulls.

Lawsuits: They Give You Wings!

Are YOU a Red Bull fan? Are you happy or unhappy about this news? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and have a great weekend!

Outlet Mall Savings Online!

Outlet Malls… it’s a love/hate relationship for me. OK, mostly a hate thing because I am not a good enough shopper to recognize a good deal. As far as I can tell, the name “Outlet” screams savings, but does not deliver. Plus, I had to drive two towns over to NOT save!

Well, now you can maybe almost save from the comfort of your own home, because (as ShopSmart.org puts it) you can find outlet savings on your computer!

What kinds of items are ripe for savings?

  • Footwear, apparel, bags and accessories
  • Marked-down, clearance, and overstocked everything
  • Designer clothing, shoes, accessories and home décor
  • Clearance, open-box and refurbished items
  • Discontinued and past-season products, furniture and housewares
  • Refurbished computers, printers, and peripherals; new systems ordered but not paid for; and scratched or dented products
  • Overstock, seconds and discontinued outdoor clothing and gear
  • Appliances, home items, apparel, and tools discontinued, customized, new but returned, new from liquidators, unboxed, used or scratched and dented.

 

Where will you find these savings? Well, you will have to visit the original article to find out!

Do you have a trusted online savings source? Tell us about it at the MindField Online Facebook page – and have a great weekend!

Back to School by the Numbers, 2014

According to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey

Retailers should get a bigger boost from back-to-school shoppers this year, as a longer list of school supplies and larger demand for electronics are expected to drive spending higher during the second-biggest selling season of the year. CNBC.com

Total spending on BtS for 2014: $75 billion, up 3% from last year

  • Per family (K-12): $669 total, up 5%
  • School supplies: $101 per kid, up 12%
  • Number of items on school supply list: 18, up 30%
  • Spending on electronics: $212, up 7%
  • Per college student: $916, up 10%

I guess the takeaway here is that in every example, BtS spending will go up. Great for the economy, but not so great for your individual wallet!

So what can you do about it? Surf the web for savings tips!

Any savings tips to share? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook Page!

Jobs of the Future

the-futureI have a nephew in his 20s who suddenly realized that he didn’t want to work at the sandwich shop his whole life. He enrolls in junior college and picks (out of a hat, I think) Environmental Studies. “Helping companies conserve water and energy, and managing waste,” as he describes it. We were all pleased at the news. I mean, it sounds like the kind of thing companies need, right?

Little did we know that it will be one of the Top 10 Jobs of 2022! There will be 103,000 jobs in that field, with an average salary of $63,570 (today’s money). That’s a lot of sub sandwiches, kid!

So let’s take a look at that list, as compiled by DailyInfographic.com:

  • Market Research Analysts
  • Counselors and Therapists
  • Scientific Researchers
  • Computer Systems Analysts
  • Veterinarians
  • Environmental Scientists and Specialists
  • Accountants and Auditors
  • Entrepreneurs
  • Registered Nurses
  • General and Operations Managers

Check out the list, including number of jobs, salaries and descriptions at the original piece.

So, if you’ve got a kid searching for direction, or maybe you are searching yourself, this might be a good start. If you could pick one, what would it be? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page!

Tax-Free Weekend 2014

taxfreeIf there’s one thing that takes the sting out of Back to School shopping, it’s saving money. Fortunately, this is the time of year when many states have tax free weekends for shoppers, typically good for clothes, shoes and school supplies and computers. The Single Parents page at About.com has compiled a list for 2014. The list is smaller this year because several of the Gulf Coast and Atlantic states cancelled their Back to School weekends in favor of Hurricane Preparedness. Also, a few states have outright repealed it, because they want that sweet, sweet tax money!

Here are the Confirmed dates for Tax Free Back to School shopping:

  • Alabama: August 1-3
  • Connecticut: August 17-23
  • Florida: Cancelled in favor of tax-free Hurricane Preparedness  
  • Georgia: August 9-10, 2014.
  • Iowa: August 1-2
  • Louisiana: August 1-2
  • Maryland: August 10-16
  • Mississippi: Whoops! We missed it! July 25-26
  • Missouri: August 1-3
  • New Mexico: August 1-3
  • North Carolina: CANCELLED! Try South Carolina or Tennessee!
  • Oklahoma: August 1-3
  • South Carolina: August 1-3
  • Tennessee: August 1-3
  • Texas: August 8-10. (They also have LAYAWAY!)
  • Virginia: Aug. 1-3

Did we miss any? Anyway, there’s MUCH more detail at the original article! There’s also a nice graphic boildown HERE. Also, you can check with your state Department of Revenue for details.

Have you done the tax holiday for back to school? Have any tales of big savings? Leave a comment at the MindField Online Facebook page. And have a great weekend!

Time to Toss It?

Smelly_Fridge1-234x300An elderly acquaintance recently moved into an assisted-living facility. Cleaning out her house yielded some interesting treasures, including a bunch of unopened food – some fairly recent, some not.

Dilemma… First, everybody hates to waste food. Second, this wasn’t weird, old-lady food like beets or sliced carrots, but stuff I would actually use. I have always heard that the expiration dates on unopened food are mostly “serving suggestions” designed to cover somebody’s butt in the legal sense. (I’m NOT saying that’s correct, just that I have always heard that.)

So how old is too old? Surely, a jar of olives from 2009 is going in the trash. But what about 2012 or 2013? Fortunately, the geniuses at Consumerist.com have broken the vacuum seal to give us the freshest take on food storage time limits…

  • Bread crumbs (unopened): 2 years in fridge, 6 months in cupboard
  • Dry Pasta: up to a year, airtight
  • Flour: airtight, 10-15 months
  • Ketchup: Unopened, in pantry, 1 year. Opened, in fridge, 6 months.
  • Mayonnaise: Unopened, 3-4 months past label date. Opened, fridge, 2-3 months past label date.
  • Mustard: Unopened, in pantry, 2 years. Opened, in fridge, 1 year
  • Oils: Highly dependent on type, but can last several years.
  • Soy Sauce: Several years
  • Sugar: Airtight, several years

And the winner?

  • Worcester sauce… 12 years!

More foods and their life spans at the Consumerist piece, along with further resources for you to check out on food storage and safety. And, just like that, you have an excuse not to clean out your fridge. You’re welcome.

What’s the oldest thing in your fridge or cupboard? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page!!

Not-So-Extreme Couponing

I found an old but very useful article at HowStuffWorks.com entitled “10 Extreme Coupon Tips for Normal People.” It was from a time when Extreme Couponing was becoming the big thing (is it still a thing?) and it was fun to point and laugh at the weirdos stockpiling 10,000 rolls of toilet paper.

People making a bizarre consumer religion out of coupons is, well, bizarre. That doesn’t mean that their tactics are useless, however. And that’s the point of the article – to remove the goofiness and pass on some useful tips and tricks. Here are the bullet points (with bonus dumb commentary!

  • Acquire Advanced Couponing Techniques : Newspapers, magazines, online sources of coupons
  • Join in on the Jargon-fest: OYNO? MIR? BOGO? Stackable? Apparently, these words mean something!
  • Turn Couponing into a Cottage Industry : You will need to build a cottage in your backyard to store all of that toilet paper. Just kidding… these are methods of organizing your coupons.
  • Get Familiar with Navigating the Marketplace: Start small by mapping out one store at a time
  • Know Your Rights for Smoother Sailing : Cashiers and managers are sometimes unfriendly to people trying to pay for four carts worth of stuff with 1,000 coupons and six dollars. Imagine!
  • Give Time, Save Money : Couponing requires a big investment of time. Too bad there’s not a coupon for that!
  • Buy in Bulk : And hope that you have the space for it all!
  • Forget Brand Loyalty : Really—what has Captain Crunch ever done for YOU!? I mean, besides defeating Hitler’s navy.
  • Go Where the Sales Are : This will take time and gas money!
  • Buy Items You Use: Or, as the survivalists say, “Hoard what you eat, eat what you hoard.”

For me, the hardest part of all of this is that I really can’t tell you the price of anything. They say people know the prices of 4 things, and I can’t even claim that. I imagine that is a big first step. Anyway, those were the bullet points. MUCH more info at the original piece

How about YOU? Any of these look like worthy tips? Any others you’d like to share? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page!