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Kiss Me, I’m Irish

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St. Patrick’s Day by the Numbers!

  • Nearly 35 million Americans claim some Irish heritage. That’s seven times the population of Ireland, around 4.58 million.
  • Americans, Irish- and otherwise, will spend around $4.5 billion for various St Patrick’s day food, and festivities, at around $35 per person. Where does it all go?
  • In the all-important food and beverage category, St. Pat’s celebrants will buy 26 billion pounds of corned beef and over 2 billion pounds of cabbage. Then, they will combine those, boil them to death and EAT them!
  • Meanwhile, they will spend $435 million on beer alone, not all of it green.

Other popular expenditures?

  • Irish-Americans will spend $24 million on lime-green dyed potted  mums for Ma and Gran.
  • We will send 7 million St. Patrick’s Day greeting cards, presumably with leprechauns on the front.
  • And we will spend around a billion dollars on trips to Ireland.

Sounds like a blast. The good news is that you don’t have to be Irish, at least according to the stats. While Irish-Americans make up about 11% of the population, fully half of all Americans say that they will be partaking in the St. Pat’s festivities. So tilt a pint of the green stuff, but please do it responsibly! Thanks, and have a great St. Pat’s weekend!

Cool links: Here, here, and a really fun graphic here.

Grumpy Consumer Top 10 List!

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What’s your favorite scam? Mine has to be the infomercials where, if you call now, they will double your order…. “You just pay separate shipping and handling!” Which suggests to me that THAT’S where they are making their money. I have also heard stories of people whose orders were doubled without their permission – as well as the shipping and handling. The remedy, when the company owns up to it, is to return the product for the full refund…but you still pay the S & H! Grrr.

Anyway, they have just published a list of top consumers scams of 2012. The list is from Missouri, but I bet it’s pretty typical. Take a look, listed in order of obnoxiousness!

  1. NO-CALL COMPLAINTS (39,990 complaints)
  2. DEBT COLLECTORS (1,769)
  3. MORTGAGE/FORECLOSURE/LOAN MODIFICATIONS (1,648)
  4. MAIL AND PHONE SOLICITATIONS (1,432)
  5. TELPHONE CRAMMING and BILLING (1,165)
  6. CREDIT AND DEBIT CARD (1,165)
  7. HOME REPAIR AND REMODELING (928)
  8. PUBLICATIONS AND MAGAZINE SALES (823)
  9. CABLE/SATELLITE SERVICES (670)
  10. AUTOMOBILE REPAIR (641)

Interesting that Do Not Calls are by far the biggest complaint, when that is the area the government has been attacking the hardest for years. Again, technology has made it easier to get around the laws.

The article has several tips and tricks and numbers/websites to call to get help. So check it out!

So, again, what’s your favorite scam-ola? Let us know!

So… How Was Your Cruise?

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Tonight's special at the Carnival buffet
Tonight’s special at the Carnival buffet
(credit: anhourinthekitchen.com)

Ah, the Carnival Triumph cruise debacle! Jon Stewart dubbed it the Ship of Stools (it’s funny ‘cause it’s GROSS.) CNN treated it like the worst humanitarian disaster since Hurricane Katrina. At least one bystander (me) wondered how an onion sandwich would taste. And, on cue, the first lawsuits are rolling in.

But, do the passengers have a case? Well, according to the fine print we ALWAYS take time to read, it would seem not…

Carnival shall not be liable to the passenger for damages for emotional distress, mental suffering/anguish or psychological injury of any kind under any circumstances, except when such damages were caused by the negligence of Carnival and resulted from the same passenger sustaining actual physical injury, or having been at risk of actual physical injury, or when such damages are held to be intentionally inflicted by Carnival.  Marketplace.org

To make amends, Carnival is offering up a buffet of refunds, consolation money, free cruises and onion sandwiches. Personally, I can’t imagine signing up for another cruise after this experience, can you?

So, what do you think? Is Carnival’s gesture enough? What more could they do? Are we too lawsuit-happy? What would you do in this situation? And, most importantly, have you ever had an onion sandwich? Let us know!

Last Minute Valentine Gift Ideas!

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white-elephant-gift-exchangeWhen it comes to gift-giving they always say, “It’s the thought that counts.” On Valentine’s Day, and other holidays both important and made-up, I like to amend this statement by saying this is only true when actual THOUGHT went into the gift.

This week, in roadside vacant lots across the land, suckers gentlemen may purchase a wide assortment of desperate romantic gifts. The one I am seeing most often is a shrink- wrapped teddy bear & candy basket arrangement, ranging in size from “Aw cute!” to “Dude, can I borrow your truck?”

So, as a public service for the romantically challenged, I have combed one or two websites the entire internet for fun Valentine’s gift ideas!

From MoneyTalksNews.com:

  • Tame the clutter: Be a hero for cleaning out the garage, like you said you would last September!
  • Foot rub: Remember that old man on Funny Videos who used the disc grinder on his wife’s crusty heels? That’s love y’all!

From the BBC:

  • Choco-face! How about 3-D scanned, laser-etched sculpture of your face in chocolate? Totally tasty and not creepy at all!

From the New York Post:

  • Frisky Fortunes! Concerned parents cause makers to pull sexy/romantic fortune cookie messages. Better grab the romance before they’re gone!

Fun ideas? Unique? Totally lame? Say what you will, these are all better, more romantic ideas than this one: Detroit lawyer holds Valentine’s contest – first prize a free divorce! Reached for comment, the attorney said: “It’s the thought that counts!”

Anyway, best of luck, lovebirds. If, SOMEHOW, this article didn’t give you any good ideas, check these (for real) gift guides FOR HER, and FOR HIM.

And Happy Valentine’s day!

Tough Love for Shopaholics

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(credit: 123rf.com)

It used to be that we just “spent too much, ” or that we couldn’t “stick to a budget.” Today, in a world where the list of  “-oholisms” seems to get longer every day, we are told that compulsive spending can be a sign of larger emotional issues.

Between 2 and 5 percent of Americans have some form of shopping addiction, which means they struggle to control their purchases. It can lead to debt, damaged relationships, and might even be related to depression.  US News Money

The bright side (I guess) of turning everything into a disease is that it draws attention to the problem. The eggheads study it, identify symptoms and suggest ways to deal with it. And it tells those affected that they aren’t alone. So here is a brief list of behaviors that might point to a compulsive shopping problem:

  • You lie about your purchases.
  • You don’t talk openly about your shopping habits.
  • Your shopping habits are hurting your relationships.
  • You usually shop alone.
  • You think of shopping as a hobby.
  • You shop to feel better about yourself.
  • You feel a rush of euphoria when making purchases.
  • Your shopping habits are interfering with your life.
  • You use credit cards to finance your purchases.
  • You don’t know where your money is going.

I guess, like anything else, one or two of these behaviors might not be a problem. Five or six may be a different story.

And don’t get me wrong – this can be serious. I may not agree with turning everything into a disease, but wrecking relationships and going bankrupt are real things – things that you, like, want to AVOID. So, check out the original article for more details, and see if you notice these behaviors in yourself or others. And have a great weekend!

Your Favorite Brands!

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a992-cup-man-trophy-1292-pOf 2012, anyway. Every year, polling firm YouGov does their Brand Index. Here are your favorite consumer brands of 2012, with dumb commentary by yours truly:

1. Subway: #1 for the 3rd straight year, it’s believed that Subway’s use of NFL stars and Olympic champs in the ads led to their top ranking. I wonder if the ridiculous footlongs-that-are-only-11-inches-long “controversy” will hurt their score next year?

2. Amazon: As we noted a few posts ago, my only complaint about Amazon is that they ship your item in a box big enough for 15 of that item. Otherwise, they offer a good product, decent price, and on-time delivery. As for their high rating, the Kindle’s popularity – and the fact that Kindle is basically an Amazon-delivery device, has certainly helped.

3. Cheerios: Cheerios moved up 2 spots from last year, possibly based on the addition of 2 new flavors: Dulce de Leche and Peanut Butter Multi Grain. Next year’s flavors include Barbecue, Sour Cream ‘n’ Chive and Habańero X-Treem.

4. History Channel: History Channel – I’m sorry – “History!” always seems to make the Top 10. This year, “Hatfields and McCoys” with Kevin Costner seems to be the driver here. Sorry, but I soured on History after sitting through a “Swamp People” marathon at my mother-in-law’s house at Thanksgiving. So, a title card at the beginning that says “People have been making their living in the swamp for 300 years” makes it History? Pass.

5. Lowe’s: I hate having to walk 2 miles to buy a pack of screws, and it annoys me that they have dedicated IN and OUT doors so that there is never a truly convenient parking spot. Other than that, great store. Lowe’s moved up a spot this year, believed to be due to the fact that their people all carry iPhones and iPads, and can answer your questions, like, NOW.

6. Ford: Interesting. The Ford Focus is so strong right now that Ford is advertising them as the Focus – without “Ford.” Personally, I cheered Ford when they ran the ad that said, “We didn’t accept the bailout!” …only to see them pull the ad 10 minutes later. There’s no politics in car ads, apparently 🙂

7. Target: With remodeled stores and a strong rewards program, Target moved up from #9 last year. Good for them, but I felt the big grocery expansion was only so-so, with prices that Wal-Mart beats every day. And I HATED their Christmas ads (the guy and girl carolers shaming the dad. Blech.)

8. Kindle: Yep, when your 74-year-old mom has a kindle, it’s officially arrived. Kindle has the #1, 2 and 3 best-selling products on Amazon worldwide.

9. YouTube: Two words: “Gangnam Style.” The most-watched internet video of all time. Thanks, Korea! (hashtag: #killmenow)

10. Google: Still Top 10, but a big stumble from #4 last year. Worries about user privacy, and the fact the Google+ is kind of lame, have hurt. But they have gone all-in with Android, and Google Maps for iOS was a big hit, so they are strengthening their presence across a variety of platforms.

What do you think? Are some of your favorites here? Who did they miss? Who shouldn’t be here? Let us know, and have a great weekend!

CES Show Part 2!

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Hey nerd..."life" is already 3D!
Hey nerd…”life” is already 3D!

Back in the day, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was the 2nd biggest show in Las Vegas. But we professional video gadget freaks always assumed they got a leg up (so to speak) by holding their show at the same time as the Adult Video convention.

In the 1990s, I always attended the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention in Las Vegas. Back then it was Sin City’s biggest show of the year, where TV and video production people (like me) went to look at the newest cameras and special effects gear. The CES was just NAB’s annoying little brother – but times have changed!

The CES is now the biggest show of the year. This year 3,500 vendors exhibited their wares to 150,000 attendees. We talked last time about the many smartphone-related advancements on display, but there’s more to discuss!

Such as…

Wrist devices that stream content from your smartphone. They tell you when you have an important call, email or text message. Also streams weather, sports scores, stock tickers, and on and on. And the wrist devices are all digital, so you can create your own custom watch face, just like you would make a wallpaper for your PC.

Gesture controls. Sort of a remote without the remote, these allow you to control your TV, etc., with a series of hand gestures. A 3-D camera captures and interprets your hand signals. They think this is going to have a host of uses in the future. Hyndai’s even putting it in cars so you can control various functions like the radio.

Even bigger and sharper digital TVs’. Forget HD- the new buzzword is 4K. Also known as Ultra HD, it supposedly has a picture 4 times sharper than “regular” HD.

Even more intelligent bio-tracking devices. Miles walked, calories burned, all fed into your smartphone, where a fitness app tells you to pick up the pace, fatty!  Related: a Smart Fork that vibrates when you are eating too fast!

3D printers. We have a long way to go before Captain Picard can tell the wall to give him “Tea. Earl Gray. Hot” and it simply appears. But it’s pretty cool to watch a printer make an actual 3D object out of plastic. Heck, one guy built a working gun, which is pretty cool and very disturbing.

Here are some links if you want to read further! And have a great weekend!

(photo: getty-ces-image.jpg)

Fun with Shipping and Handling!

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This past Christmas, I ordered a pogo stick from Amazon for my nephew. It arrived in a box suitable for a 60-inch flatscreen TV, as shown in this TERRIBLE photo:

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No big deal. I thought it was kind of funny. I actually cut down the box and made three more boxes for gift wrapping because I’M CHEAP.

It turns out that oddball shipping like this is pretty common, as evidenced by pics like these:

Bubble wrap shipped in bubble wrap
Bubble wrap shipped in bubble wrap
A gift card shipped in a box you could fit a bowling ball into.
A gift card shipped in a box you could fit a bowling ball into.
And… whatever this is.
And… whatever this is.

According to the confessions of a shipping guy as told by The Consumerist, “…there is actually a perfectly legitimate reason why that SD card got put into a box that could accommodate a pair of winter boots.”

Basically, it comes down to money, regulations, and productivity measurements. For instance, you’d think they could send the gift card in a mailer envelope. But bubble envelopes are expensive, and they go straight into the landfill if you don’t separate the bubbles from the paper, which we all have time to do, right? Didn’t think so. And landfill equals regulatory hassle!

As for the BIG boxes, they do their best to keep as few sizes of box in stock, to save on inventory costs. Or, they may have the right size of box but, during peak times, they just run out of them. At any rate, making all these boxing decisions when they are trying to ship 35,000 items a day really slows them down, and they get dinged by the head office for poor output.

In other words, RELAX ABOUT THE SHIPPING. There, I feel better. Check out the original piece for many more examples and the reasons behind the madness. And have a great weekend!

PS… Can you believe this is our 200th blog post? It doesn’t feel a day over 195!

Financial Resolutions for the New Year

Referring to your finances, not your weight.
Referring to your finances, not your weight.

If there’s one thing you can say about New Year’s resolutions, it’s that they show that we never give up hope in self-improvement, despite repeated failures.

That’s true whether we vow to Lose Weight, Learn Something New, Stay in Touch with Loved Ones… or Get Our Finances in Order.

A record number of consumers (46%) are considering making financial resolutions, a number that has increased 31% since the tracking study started in 2009. The top three New Year financial resolutions are to 1) save more (52%); 2) spend less (19%); and 3) pay off debt (19%).  CBS Moneywatch

This time of year, you can’t swing a cartoon money bag with a dollar symbol on it without hitting an article like this one, giving advice on Financial Resolutions and how to fulfill them. We will give you some links below. The takeaway from the CBS piece, though, is pretty strong: just saying that you wish to save more, spend less and pay off debt won’t git-r-done.

You have to set goals, write them down and revisit them throughout the year. Sound like a drag? It IS. But they’re your goals, smart guy! Like anything else, if you don’t set a benchmark to measure your progress against, you won’t know if the plan is working or not.

Here are some links:

Anyway, success or failure, we will keep trying. Here’s hoping it sticks this time! Now, let us resolve to have a great weekend!

New Year’s Cashout News!

new cashout Hey gang! Exciting MindField Online cashout news for the New Year!

We are excited to announce two new cashout options! Starting in first week of January 2013, you will be able to request cashout with a Sam’s Club or WalMart Gift Card. Just click through to cashout and you’ll see the icons listed among the options available.  Both options will require the same $5.00 threshold as PayPal.

Yay, more options! Happy New Year!