free

Beat the heat with “Tundra.”

by

tundra 100It’s high summer. The heat and humidity are racing each other to the century mark. Your shirt is sticking to your back like a sweaty decal. The air is so thick you could drink it.

Here’s one solution: Look at a cartoon that involves polar bears, snowmen or dog mushers. You’ll get a vicarious chill and the laughter-induced endorphins will distract you from the fact that you’ve got a few more months of this kind of weather.

Yep, it’s another “Tundra” giveaway. This will be the third time I’ve featured a collection of Chad Carpenter’s comics, and the reaction is always tremendous. Why? Because he’s freakin’ funny, that’s why.

Carpenter’s strip is syndicated all over the U.S. and also in other countries. If you’d like to know more, read this post from last year, which contains a link to a profile of the artist.

Or just take my word for it: Chad is a sick and twisted man, which makes for awesome (and occasionally wince-inducing) cartooning.

Beat the heat with “Tundra.”

by

tundra 100It’s high summer. The heat and humidity are racing each other to the century mark. Your shirt is sticking to your back like a sweaty decal. The air is so thick you could drink it.

Here’s one solution: Look at a cartoon that involves polar bears, snowmen or dog mushers. You’ll get a vicarious chill and the laughter-induced endorphins will distract you from the fact that you’ve got a few more months of this kind of weather.

Yep, it’s another “Tundra” giveaway. This will be the third time I’ve featured a collection of Chad Carpenter’s comics, and the reaction is always tremendous. Why? Because he’s freakin’ funny, that’s why.

Carpenter’s strip is syndicated all over the U.S. and also in other countries. If you’d like to know more, read this post from last year, which contains a link to a profile of the artist.

Or just take my word for it: Chad is a sick and twisted man, which makes for awesome (and occasionally wince-inducing) cartooning.

A brief Swagbucks heads-up.

by

thA shout-out to anyone who uses the Swagbucks rewards site: Another set of five “Collector’s Bills” starts on Monday, July 1.

Every time a new batch of Collector’s Bills comes along I get absurdly focused on earning all five. Guess I really am an American: I like to collect the whole set.

This time the theme is “Swagbucks Around the World,” with images of famous sites. Together they add up to 54 SBs and you’ll get a bonus of 20 SBs if you collect all five bills, which are awarded at random when you search the Internet.

Since you can earn the same image more than once it can be a little confusing. To check how many of the five you’ve stashed, go to the landing page and click on “My Swag Bucks,” then on the “Collector’s Bills” tab. The deadline to catch ’em all is July 8.

A second shout-out to those who don’t use Swagbucks: Give it a try. I cash my SBs in solely for Amazon gift cards, which I use for holiday and birthday presents, specialty items for myself (everything from olive oil to wool socks), and get-well or “just because” gifts for friends. But you can choose from other gift cards, electronics, housewares, health and beauty items, jewelry, daily deals and more.

Read more

Dinner and a movie? It’s on me.

by

thThe recently released film “The Kings of Summer” concerns a trio of teen-aged males who run away from home. They don’t run far, mind you — just a mile or so away, where they propose to build a cabin in the woods and live off the land and out from under their parents’ thumbs.

Not that they’re particularly good at this. The chicken they eat for dinner comes from a nearby Boston Market and their cabin is slapped together with pilfered materials.

But it’s their place, their escape from what they see as the impossible oppression they suffer in the outside world.

“These are not the sophisticated ‘Gossip Girl’ teenagers but gawky innocents desperate to grow up and prove self-sufficiency. We’ve all been there,” notes New York Times film reviewer Stephen Holden.

This week’s giveaway is a pair of gift cards suggested by the film: a $10 card for the AMC Theatres movie chain and a $10 Boston Market card. Of course, you can use the movie card to see any movie you like, not just “The Kings of Summer.”

Read more

It’s National Splurge Day! Do it frugally.

by

thYep, another made-up-just-for-fun holiday. This one came about in 1994 and was invented by a publicist who suggested that people treat themselves and also those around them.

Your definition of “splurge” may vary. Here’s what I think: Whether they’re experiences or lasting treats, a splurge can not only brighten your day but help keep you on the frugal path.

Utter, slavish denial of self can lead to falling off the wagon in a big, big way, which will undermine – or undo – the progress you’ve made toward meeting your financial goals.

But there’s no reason to overpay for a splurge, be it a trip abroad or a really good cupcake. That’s why I’m suggesting eight ways to do it up without overdoing it.

Read more

There’s nothing like that new crayon smell.

by

image_28113631369333217Unless, of course, it’s that new crayon smell paired with new crayon names.

To celebrate the 110th anniversary of the invention of Crayolas, the company asked fans to suggest new monikers for the original eight colors.

And boy, did the fans have fun.

Red is now “ladybug.” Green is “jalapeño.”  Want to know the others? Enter to win them.

Read more

Want more money? This book could help.

by

thAt age 17 Scott Gamm started his own personal finance blog, Help Save My Dollars. Now a business major at New York University’s School of Business and contributor to websites from The Huffington Post to TheStreet.com, he apparently decided he isn’t quite busy enough.

So he wrote a book.

“More Money, Please: The Financial Secrets You Never Learned in School” is a good primer both for those just starting out and those who, well, never learned what they needed to know in school.

Know someone like that? Enter to win this book and give it to him or her. You might change a life.

Read more

Fix your finances with this LearnVest offer.

by

th-1Note: This post was originally published on May 24, then removed due to a coding error. The offer is now good through June 3.

Having trouble managing your money, paying off debt or planning for the future?

Having trouble with all three of those things? LearnVest can help.

Normally there’s a one-time setup fee of $299. But for the next seven days LearnVest will waive that fee, which includes your first month’s membership.

Face it: Money choices can be bewildering, especially if you feel that you don’t earn enough of it. But you don’t have to go without in the short term to succeed in the long term — a certified financial planner will help you personalize a spending plan.

Read more

Giveaway: Victoria’s Secret gift set.

by

victorias-secret-fantasies-pure-daydream-valentines-day-mini-gift-setI wonder who makes up the fragrance combos for places like Victoria’s Secret? Is it the same person who writes the descriptions of these products?

Like the folks who give new names each season to basic colors of paint, fabric and cosmetics, these people have interesting imaginations.

I thought of that as I read the description of this week’s giveaway, the “Pure Daydream” gift set: Its fragrance is touted as “pearl orchid and pink currant.”

Anybody know offhand what those things smell like? Me either.

Read more