The Economy Stinks

Nalani Jordan, 4, enjoys a snack between trips to the heated pool at the Kampgrounds of America facility in Chula Vista, Calif. Campground franchise owners report strong business despite the weak economy. Photo for the Los Angeles Times by Sean Masterson.

Penny-pinched families are apparently opting to change their vacation plans rather than cancel them altogether, according to a trend reported by the Los Angeles Times:

“Travel spending nationwide has taken a nose dive in recent months, but business remains brisk at many ‘resort campgrounds,’ privately owned suburban parks that offer family-friendly amenities such as pools, free Wi-Fi, furnished cabins, arcade games, hot showers and laundry service. ”

Considering checking a place like this out for your summer getaway? One resource that may help you do just that:

• Kampgrounds of America, which lists five locations in Kansas, three in neighboring Nebraska, 22 in Colorado, nine in Oklahoma, five in Arkansas and 12 in Missouri.

• The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks lists its 19 state park locations that offer cabins. Follow the link to watch a video and get an indoor tour of some of the cabins.

Trying to save some cash on your entertainment budget doesn’t mean you have to skimp on quality.

You could easily spend $20 or more buying a couple of adults movie tickets and concession snacks. But consider one alternative available locally: Redbox movie rentals offers many new releases for only $1 and promotional codes to receive free movie rentals at more than 12,000 locations, including many local McDonald’s restaurants. (Wichita has more than 10 locations.)

Redbox also now offers online reservations. Visit www.redbox.com to make your reservation. Then you need only go pick it up.

How do you save money on movies? Click on comments below to share your tips.

– Timothy Schrag

It’s no surprise that there are reports of more stress, grief and anguish in these cash-crunched months.

The Washington Post recently reported about about its last poll, in conjunction with ABC News: “57 percent of those surveyed said the nation’s economic condition is a cause of stress in their lives. More than a quarter said they had ’serious’ anxiety. The percentage of stressed-out people was higher among those who said their finances had suffered ‘a great deal’ from the recession. Among this group, 83 percent said they were stressed, with 55 percent reporting serious anxiety.”

The article points to experts’ advice to lean on friends, family, clergy, financial advisers or mental health professionals. Stay healthy. Sleep well. Find fun and inexpensive things to do.

At The Eagle, we recognized the need to make people smile, so we solicited photos that make you happy. Click to browse through dozens of photos and find out how to share your own.

Budget-savvy music lovers will have to wait about a month to see if the Internet company Qtrax fulfills its promise to be the first free music download service paid for by advertisements.

In the meantime, check out Pandora, a Web site that lets you create your own “station” and listen to the kind of music you love for free. I’m a big Jack Johnson fan, for example, and by typing in “Jack Johnson,” the site plays music that demonstrates a lot of the same musical qualities.

Another crazy idea for free music? Give your iPod a rest and turn up the radio.

Make money on your music

While you’re discovering new music that way, you could make some money on your old favorites by selling your unwanted CDs at places like Buyback, 3815 E. Harry St. I made a call to find out how much you could make per CD, and prices range from 25 cents to $5, depending on what it is. (They’ll also buy your old DVDs and video games, too, a good incentive to clean off your entertainment center if you’re hurting for some cash.)

CD Tradepost, which pays $1 or $2 per CD depending on the inventory, has multiple locations in the Wichita area: 556 N. Ridge Road, 2161 N. Rock Road, 1208 S. Rock Road, 2401 S. Seneca and 410 N. Hillside.

You also could try selling your unwanted CDs at pawn shops.