Your IKEA Survival Guide

Three cheers! It’s time for your frugal news fix. This week’s blogger roundup features a hilarious but useful guide to surviving an IKEA trip, an infographic revealing which celebrities live thrifty lives and a list of the most budget-friendly cities to visit. You’ll also come face-to-face with a surprising truth: Parents would prefer to talk to their kids about drugs rather than dough!

How to Survive a Trip to IKEA

As Squawkfox so eloquently puts it, IKEA is “Swedish for good luck putting this s$it together.” If you do muster the courage to traverse the store’s behemoth collection of furniture, flatware and meatballs, check out this 12-step guide. It could mean the difference between your scoring that DOMBÅS closet or leaving the store empty-handed, save for that $1 cinnamon bun you bought in a last-ditch effort to make your trip worthwhile. [Squawkfox]

Frugal and Famous
“Thrifty celebrity” might seem like an oxymoron. But as this infographic reveals, several A-listers are much more frugal than the compulsive, extravagant spenders they play on TV. We’re looking at you, Sarah Jessica. [Frugal Dad]

10 Best U.S. Cities to Visit on a Budget
So you want to take a vacation but don’t have the money to fly to Cancún, Hawaii or some other hot destination. Before you settle on a staycation, check out these budget-friendly cities. From San Antonio to Philadelphia, these spots offer affordable hotel accommodations and plenty of attractions like museums, parks and beaches. [MoneyCrashers]

5 Summer Activities to Create Money Savvy Kids: High School
Unless you’re offering them the keys to your car, getting high school–age kids to cooperate with you is borderline impossible. Still, one can try. So explore these suggestions, which include board games, internships and family book clubs, to try and get your teens learning about money management this summer. [The Free Financial Advisor]

5 Cool Energy-Saving, Cost-Saving Tips as Summer Heats Up
Looking for ways to make that utility bill simmer down this summer? You don’t have to sweat it out like the folks in Do the Right Thing. Try washing your clothes with cold water rather than hot, and when you’re not at home, setting the thermostat five degrees higher. Check out the rest of these ideas and watch that electric bill melt away. [MainStreet]

The Best Industries for Starting a Business Right Now
If you or anyone you know is looking to open shop, consider becoming an iPhone app producer, liquor wholesaler or yoga product distributor. Want to know what industry has been the most recession-resistant throughout history? Hint: You’re probably sweet on it. [Inc.com]

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Parents Would Rather Talk About Drugs Than Dollars
A recent T. Rowe Price survey reveals that parents would rather talk about drugs, smoking and bullying than investing or family finances. In fact, parents say that discussing investing is as difficult as giving their kids the “birds and the bees” talk. And regardless of the common conception that dads are the family money managers, more than half (54 percent) of kids say they first go to their moms with a money-related question. Most disturbing is that 77 percent of parents admit to lying to their kids about money-related items. We understand that you don’t want your children to worry about family finances and want to protect their innocence, but four out of 10 parents say their own mom and dad did a poor job teaching them money lessons. So why perpetuate that trend? [MintLife]

Topmost photo: urban_lisa on Flickr, used under a Creative Commons license.

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