The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Facts and figures for Halloween 2018

 

Are you ready for Halloween? It’s rainy here in the Seattle area. One suggestion for keeping kids dry is to find see-through plastic bags to keep rain out, but yet let the costumes be seen.

Halloween spending

Halloween spending for 2018 is expected to reach $9 billion, the second highest seen post-recession. Seven in 10 consumers plan to celebrate this year, and they’ll spend an average of nearly $90 per person, according to a survey conducted for the National Retail Federation.

This year, kids are planning to dress as their favorite princess – back in the No. 1 spot – or super hero, while pets will be donning pumpkin, hotdog, or bumble bee costumes. Adults are sticking with the traditional spookiness of Halloween, dressing as witches, vampires, and zombies.

About nine in 10 consumers will buy candy, while others will spend their Halloween budgets on decorations, seven in 10, and greeting cards, four in 10.

Halloween facts

Here are facts and figures from the U.S. Census Bureau on Halloween this year:

Top Halloween costumes for 2018

Will you be dressing up for Halloween this year like nearly 70 percent of Americans?

Here’s a list of the most popular costumes for 2918 from the National Retail Federation:

Kids

1. Princess
2. Superhero
3. Batman
4. Star Wars character
5. Witch
6. Spider Man
7. Avengers character including Spider Man
8. Ghost
9. Pirate
10. Frozen – Else, Anna

Baby boomers provide information on daily living, including relationships and stress

Tom Sightings of Sightings Over Sixty is back in the classroom every week this fall, once as a teacher and twice as a student.

Many baby boomers are interested in pursuing their education, whether for profit, leisure, or cultural enrichment – whether they go to a local adult-education class, attend an Osher Lifelong Learning Institute course at a nearby university, or take off on an educational trip with Road Scholar.

Our baby boomer group, too, is interested in education. They write hundreds of articles every year to provide helpful information to boomers. Here’s this week’s offering:

Boomer bloggers inspired by end-of-summer activities and transitions

It’s hard to believe we now speak of summer – not the official astronomical season but our human timetable – in the past tense.

In my community, the Harbor Day celebration on Labor Day weekend marks the end of summer. This year, the weather was beautiful, as you can see from the photo above. Some years, I’m taking photos in the cold, wind, and rain.

• Tips for how to buy a used car on Labor Day weekend, which also are useful anytime.

• A guide for self-improvement during September, which is Self-Improvement Month.

• The fashion rules we grew up with, including don’t wear white after Labor Day.

What are the best buys at the Labor Day sales this year?

Summer’s coming to an end and parents and kids are busy with back-to-school shopping.

What are the best deals for the Labor Day sales?

WalletHub, a personal finance website, offers a report “Best Labor Day Deals and Sales” to help shoppers save money.

Best deals and sales

Treadmills are the best items to buy in September, compared to the rest of the year. Specific deals include:

Are you ready for back-to-school shopping?

It’s hard to believe, but August is almost here, and soon kids will be headed back to school.

To help parents save money, WalletHub, a personal-finance website, has released the results of its “2018 Back-to-School Shopping Survey” and “Sales-Tax Holiday Calendar” to help parents save hundreds.

Highlights of the reports include:

Good deals for Father’s Day 2018

Not sure what get for your dad for Father’s Day?

Here are some suggestions from DealNews.com:

TVs

In the month leading up to Father's Day last year, DealNews.com saw plenty of TV deals for every budget.

Games

If your dad's hobbies include gaming, Father's Day is a good time to indulge him. During the month before Father's Day last year, DealNews.com saw the most deals on video games for consoles, although there was a good number of computer game deals, too.

Outdoor items

Maybe your dad loves the great outdoors. If so, there are plenty of deals on outdoor gear around Father's Day.

Tools

Unfortunately, for the do-it-yourself-loving dad, tool deals are less common this time of year.

Clothes

Apparel sales might not be common around the holiday, but there should still be a handful. Expect savings in the 20 percent to 30 percent range, or maybe a buy one, get one free promotion. 

Copyright 2018, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

What are good deals at Memorial Day sales?

Memorial Day is one of the best holidays for finding great deals. But, it’s probably not the time to get the best buys on summer items.

Here are tips from DealNews.com for what to look for at the Memorial Day sales.

Save up to 80 percent on clothing

While May isn't necessarily a great time to shop for summer clothing, it's not a bad time for clothing in general. Last year saw deeply discounted shoes, with some selling for 75 percent off.

You may find designer labels, discounted anywhere from 20 percent to 60 percent off.

Facts and figures for Mother’s Day 2018

Anna Jarvis organized the first Mother’s Day observances in Grafton, West Virginia, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 10, 1908. As the annual celebration became popular throughout the nation, Jarvis became the driving force behind Mother’s Day and asked members of Congress to set aside a day to honor mothers. She succeeded in 1914, when Congress designated the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.

Shopping

Mother’s Day spending is expected to total a near-record $23.1 billion this year, according to the annual survey conducted for the National Retail Federation. A total of 86 percent of Americans will celebrate Mother’s Day and spend an average of $180 per person.

The expected spending would be second only to last year’s $23.6 billion, the highest in the 15-year history of the survey at an average $186 per person.

What to buy and not buy in April

April may bring showers, but it can offer good deals such as spring apparel finally hitting sale sections. You’re also likely to find free items on Tax Day and Earth Day, which always are good for the budget.

To learn about the best sales and what to avoid, here are tips for April shopping from DealNews.com:

7 things to buy in April

Spring clothing

Now that spring clothing has been on sale for two months, you can expect to see many deals on in-season apparel. This April, you’re likely to see the price of men's shorts to fall to $3 at stores such as Walmart, while dresses and sandals will likely start at around $6 at a number of outlets.