5 Ideas for Frugal Summer Fun

Here comes the sun, and we’re all dreaming of pearly beaches and swaying palm trees. Summer frolicking doesn’t have to be expensive: Here are a few ways to enjoy the summer without digging too deeply into your pockets.

Plan a potluck barbecue:

Fire up the grill and have your friends over for a barbecue extravaganza. Cut down on costs by having each person bring something. Assign menu items like main dishes, salads, desserts, beverages, along with stuff like napkins and cups to make sure you have enough of everything. Turn ordinary hamburgers and hotdogs into a special treat by creating a topping bar that boasts snazzy items like fruit salsa or unusual hot sauces. For an inexpensive dessert, cut peaches or mangoes in half and put them flesh-down on the grill; then serve with a scoop of ice cream.

Take a hike:

Some parks charge entrance fees, but lots of prime hiking spots are free. Grab a good pair of shoes and a few friends and take off on a nature-lover’s adventure. Your city likely has nearby trailheads that can be accessed for an easy day hike. Spectacular parks around the country that you can access for nada include Great Basin National Park on the Nevada/Utah border, the Buffalo National River in Arkansas (fees only apply to camping), and Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve. There are plenty of choices for sturdy backpacks that won’t break the bank. At $75, the Teton Sports Wilderness 55 is a bargain, boasting a rainfly for the top and zippered side pockets…

Recession Lexicon: Bleakonomics

/n. “Bleakonomics” refers to the dire forecasts, depressing warnings, and otherwise gloomy chatter that’s still brewing beneath the recent round of cheerier economic predictions. The bleakonomists warn us that any sense of hope we feel is entirely unfounded. Recently, Havard’s Niall Ferguson announced that we are in a “slight depression”…

Your Happy Place: 5 Soothing Herbal Teas

Stress-reducing ideas for recessionary times.

Got a case of nerves? Butterflies in your stomach? This economy is making us all feel like nervous Nellies from time to time. Here are five soothing herbal teas that will leave you feeling calm and centered. Herbal teas are an inexpesive remedy for the nerves, but the act of preparing them and sipping them slowly is, in itself, a soothing activity.

Lavender:
My all time favorite. Once, I visited a lavender farm once in Maui, and the ensuing bliss stayed with me for weeks. Lavender tea is known for calming the nerves and promoting sleep. It’s also reputed to have anti-depressant properties. Infuse a handful of dried lavender flower in a pot of boiling water to make tea…

Redux: You Drive Me Crazy

Lynn Parramore looks back on the Great Depression to see the path ahead.

“God made the American restive. The American in turn and in due time got into the automobile and found it good.” –James Agee

The fascination with cars is as American as apple pie. Ever since Henry Ford’s Model T rolled off the assembly line and cars became accessible to the masses, we were hooked. By the mid-1920s, many working-class families could afford a car. By 1930, almost one in three Americans was the proud owner of an automobile.

Amid the ravages of the Recession, we’ve been hearing a lot about Chrysler, General Motors, and Ford. As the Big Three teeter on the edge of destruction, some folks are feeling waves of nostalgia, fondly remember having a Chevvy in the garage or their first time behind the wheel of a sleek Mustang.

Thinking of these cars gives us a twinge of regret.

But what about the Duesenberg, the Auburn, and the Cord?…

Star Trek ‘09- A New Film for a New Frontier

Star Trek mania is sweeping the nation and giving a rocket-boost to the economy.

Theaters are selling out, with some viewers buying tickets for multiple screenings. Collectibles and books are moving briskly. A comic series introducing the film’s villain has flown off the shelves. Executives at Paramount are smiling, having seen their second biggest opening in the company’s history. On Rottentomatoes.com, the film has gotten an astonishing 96 % approval rating. The franchise, which had been in decline, is back, and hotter than a summer night on Vulcan.

What’s all the fuss about? When there’s a big bang in the pop culture universe, it tells us a lot about where we are as a society – our hopes, our fears, our aspirations…

Are We Getting Suckered?

When I was a little girl, I loved going to the bank with my mom because they always had suckers. Today I’m wondering if we are the suckers after the results of yesterday’s bank stress tests. The Treasury department gave all 19 major banks a passing grade based on economic assumptions that many find a wee bit cheerier than we have any right to expect in terms of housing prices, unemployment, and other factors. Did the public get hoodwinked into thinking that all is well in bank-land?

Some are taking the stress tests as a sign that the recession is slowing. In a New York Times op-ed, Geithner sounded confident, crowing that the tests “should advance the process of repairing our financial system and provide a better foundation for recovery.” But market analyst and commentator Marshall Auerback…

Unsung Heroes – Recession Moms

Today we’d like to offer a big thank you to our moms, without whom we would not running a website, or even tying our shoes, frankly. We know how hard you work, how deeply you care, and how much the future depends on you.

In his new book Elsewhere, U.S.A., social scientist Dalton Conley explains the challenges of today’s multitasking moms, who play an increasingly important role in the economic life of families: “Blending work and home responsibilities is no easy feat, especially in a 24/7 service economy that allows many of us to work from home at all hours.”

Redux: Your Psychic Friends

Lynn Parramore looks back at the Great Depression to see the path ahead.

What’s in the crystal ball? Minds freaked out by the economy want to know.

So much so that folks are willing to shell out their scant cash on psychics during an economic downturn. The business of telling fortunes is thriving, with psychics reporting visits from a new class of customer – high powered business types and well-heeled Wall Streeters. Some clients fork over a hundred bucks for the privilege of staring at a pile of crystals. Seems kinda silly – until you consider the bad predictions they’ve likely heard from their financial advisors.

Shows like “The Medium,” or “Ghost Whisperer” have sparked a renewed interest in psychics in recent years, but the downturn has revved up a full-blown revival…

Recession Lexicon: Recessed

/adj. “Recessed” describes a relatively mild condition of discontent, ennui or disillusion triggered by job loss, portfolio plundering, or home value decline.

Not as serious as the experience of being depressed, feeling recessed can still suck pretty badly, and often requires bailouts in the form of small monetary floaters…

The Book Reporter: Elsewhere, U.S.A.

Having a job in today’s economy feels lucky, but the pressure’s on to keep up a relentless pace. In his new book, Elsewhere, U.S.A., social scientist and NYU professor Dalton Conley shines a light on the hyperconnected, telecommuting, multitasking, 24/7 world that keeps us running to catch up with the last email, glued to our gadgets for fear of incurring “opportunity cost.” This linked-in dynamic means that for the first time in history, “the more we are paid, the more hours we work.” Dalton articulates the frustration of today’s workers, who literally risk their lives checking BlackBerries as we drive and cross the street, pinged incessantly by co-workers and bosses who measure productivity by the number of sent emails. The important work of processing, reflecting, and thinking is something that we feel we can’t afford. And leisure? Forget it. That’s something for the poor.

We live in a twilight world of “Elsewhere” because we’re never fully present in our lives…