Percentage of U.S. respondents who think saving money is at least somewhat important to them in their everyday life, including nearly half (46 percent) who think it's very important and look for opportunities to save money every day, according to RetailMeNot's International Shoppers Trend Report: 76

Ranks of the American, Indian, Australian and Canadian on the list of international shoppers who think saving is important: 1 (tie), 3, 4

Source: RetailMeNot.com.

Rank of Boston on the list of the most expensive cities in the United States based on the cost of lodging, according to a survey from CheapHotels.org: 1

In Boston, amount travelers will have to pay per night for the most affordable double room at a hotel with three stars or better: $242

Ranks of New York City, Nashville and San Francisco on the list: 2, 3, 4

Source: Cheaphotels.org.

Ranks of strengthening the economy, improving the job situation, and reducing the federal deficit on the list what Americans say should be the top priorities for the president and Congress, according to Pew Research: 1, 2, 3

Percentage of Americans who cited "reducing the federal deficit" in 2009 when President Obama began his first term: 53

Source: PEW Internet and American Life Project.

Percentage of Americans who will give out candy to trick-or-treaters this Halloween, according to a Kmart survey: 51

Percentage who will decorate their homes: 34

Percentage who will dress up for the occasion: 26

Percentage who will attend a Halloween party: 22

Source: Kmart.

Ranks of Halloween, Christmas and Valentine's Day, on the list of the most popular holidays among 15- to 25-year-olds, according to a survey conducted by ooVoo: 1, 2, 3

Source: ooVoo LLC.

Average amount of money parents spend annually on their kids -- housing (whether renovating a room, expanding their home or moving to a larger house), child care, transportation, food, entertainment, health care and clothing -- according to a report released by BabyCenter.com: $13,000

Percentage of moms who feel that parents spend too much on their kids -- a 22 percent increase since 2012: 66

Source: BabyCenter LLC.

Percentage of women managers and executives who believe that "image" is more than twice as likely to be a factor for women than men for career progression, according to an Ipsos Reid poll of female executives commissioned on behalf of Randstad: 90

Percentage of respondents who feel that overall image (looks, personal image, etc.) is a factor and has an impact on career progression for men: 37

Percentage of respondents who believe that women need to work harder and longer hours than men in order to prove themselves in management and executive roles: 77

Source: Ipsos Reid Public Affairs.

Number of work days lost due to the impact of a severe flu season in 2012–2013, according to Walgreens Flu Impact Report: 230 million

Amount of money lost in wages: $8.5 billion

Number of vacations impacted: 11 million

Source: Walgreens.

Percentage of retail hiring managers who reported that they plan to hire seasonal workers this year, up from 36 percent last year and 29 percent in 2011, according to CareerBuilder's annual survey: 39

Percentage of employers hiring seasonal staff who will pay $10 or more per hour: 51

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Ranks of Minion from "Despicable Me," Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn, Minnie Mouse, Catwoman and Poison Ivy on the list of the top costume searches for Halloween, according to data from Experian Marketing Services: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Ranks of Minnie Mouse, Fairy, Spiderman and Batman on the list of the top adult searches: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Experian Marketing Services.

Idle Thought

"You can out-distance that which is running after you, but not what is running inside you." -- Rwandan proverb

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre(at)bwr.eastlink.ca.)

Percentage of Americans who say large banks and financial institutions have benefited the most from post-recession government policies, according to a Harris Poll: 69

Percentage of respondents who say wealthy people have been helped most: 59

Percentage who say government policies have done little or nothing to help the middle class: 71

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of global respondents who admit they say things in text/email that they would not say voice-to-voice or person-to-person, according to a poll conducted among adults in 25 countries by Ipsos OTX: 43

Percentage of respondents under the age of 35 who are considerably more likely, compared to those aged 35 to 49 (41 percent) and those 50 to 64 (26 percent), to text/email things they won't say out loud: 54

Source: Ipsos Open Thinking.

Ranks of hard work (64 percent), experience (58 percent) and education (57 percent) on the list of factors that 20-somethings believe did or will help get that elusive, preferred job, according to a survey by the PNC Financial Services Group: 1, 2, 3

Source: Source: PNC Wealth Management.

Percentage of men and women who simply want their sex lives to be more playful and fun, according to a poll conducted for We-Vibe: 59

Source: We-Vibe.

Percentage of marketing executives at major retailers who will launch their holiday campaigns before Halloween, according to a survey from Experian: 49

Percentage of respondents who will offer a deal of the day: 28

Source: Experian Marketing Services.

Despite a recovery that economists say began in mid-2009, percentage of Americans who feel less financially secure now than they did five years ago, according to the Country Financial Security Index survey: 54

Rank of "a hit to savings" on the list of the biggest scars felt by Americans as a result of the Great Recession: 1

Source: Country Financial.

Percentage of Americans who describe their current employment situation as under- or unemployed, according to Mintel research: 31

Among those who are underemployed, percentage who have had to take a position at a lower skill level: 34

Source: Mintel.

Estimated number of potential trick-or-treaters in 2012 -- children age 5 to 14 -- across the U.S., according to U.S. Census Bureau 2012 Population Estimates: 41.1 million

Number of occupied housing units across the nation in second quarter 2013 -- all potential stops for trick-or-treaters: 115 million

Percentage of households with residents who consider their neighborhoods safe: 93.3

Source: Census Bureau.

Percentage of all women across all age groups and geographies (urban, suburban, rural) who feel the most negative about their beauty on Mondays, according to a study from media planning agency PHD revealing the dates, times and occasions when U.S. women feel their least attractive, according to PHD Media: 46

Rank of Thursday as the day when women feel best; the workweek is winding down and they are emotionally preparing for weekend socializing: 1

Source: PHD Media.

Percentage of consumers who agree that it is important to eat healthy and pay attention to nutrition, up from 57 percent just three years ago, according to a survey by Technomic: 64

Percentage of consumers who agree that restaurants can offer healthy food without sacrificing taste: 65

Percentage of consumers who believe that fresh foods are healthier: 87

Source: Technomic.

Idle Thought

"To read without reflecting is like eating without digesting." -- Edmund Burke, statesman and writer

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre(at)bwr.eastlink.ca.)

Percentage of people who go to work when they're sick, according to a survey by Kimberly-Clark Professional: 59

Percentage of respondents who said it was because they were too important to the business: 30

Source: Kimberly-Clark Professional.

Age at which American workers expect to retire, according to a survey from PNC Financial Services Group Inc.: 67

Percentage of Americans in their prime retirement planning years who believe they will need to work longer than previously planned in order to save enough to retire: 49

Source: PNC Financial Services Group.

Percentage of American men aged 35 to 55, with $100,000 plus in household income, an associate's degree or higher and an interest in relationships with women who would try or have already tried online dating because they are a single dad or divorced, according to a survey conducted for AnastasiaDate.com: 33

Percentage of men in this group who struggle when meeting women face-to-face for the first time: 54

Percentage of those who are struggling who say their biggest struggle is that they do not know how to start a conversation: 45

Source: Anastasia International Inc.

Percentage of Americans who are employed and/or their spouse is employed full-time who report they are much or somewhat better off financially today than they were one year ago, according to findings released by Purchasing Power: 44

Percentage who say they have trouble meeting monthly household expenses: 28

Percentage who say they don't have at least $2,000 in emergency savings for unexpected expenses that occur: 44

Source: Purchasing Power LLC.

Estimated number of child laborers worldwide today, a third fewer than in 2000, according to the International Labor Organization: 168 million

Estimated number of child laborers who are engaged in hazardous work: 85 million

Estimated number of child laborers who live in the Asia-Pacific region: 77.7 million

Source: Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends.

Ranks of princess, minion, dinosaur, gangster and Ewok on the list of this year's most popular Halloween costumes for dogs, according to Wayfair.com: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Wayfair.com.

In 2012, cumulative increase in the private holdings of the country's top 100 landowners to a total of 33 million acres, nearly 2 percent of U.S. land mass, according to the annual survey and ranking of the largest private landowners in the United States published by The Land Report: 700,000 acres

Ranks of Liberty Media Chairman John Malone and his 2.2 million acres, Ted Turner and his more than 2 million acres, the Emmerson family, Brad Kelley and the Irving family on the list of the largest landowners on the Land Report 100 list, which focuses exclusively on deeded acreage owned by individuals, families, family-owned companies and family-controlled foundations and excludes leased and public lands: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Land Report.

Percentage of Americans who felt a room's decor can positively or negatively affect someone's mood, according to a survey conducted by Wakefield Research for HomeGoods: 93

Percentage of all respondents who felt that simple decor updates -- improved lighting, stylish organizational solutions, decorative accents -- could make them feel happier without breaking the bank: 99

Source: Wakefield Research.

Percentage of U.S. adults who said they would seek a second opinion for a major home repair and/or improvement, according to a poll by Harris Interactive on behalf of Invisalign: 70

Percentage who would seek a second opinion for a major car repair: 50

Source: Invisalign.

Percentage of parents with children between the ages of 5 and 17 in 11 countries who agree on the importance of talking with their children about drinking alcohol, according to a poll by Ipsos on behalf of Anheuser-Busch InBev: 91

Average age that parents believe is the appropriate time to start talking with their children about drinking: 10 years old

Source: Ipsos Global.

Idle Thought

"As I grow to understand life less and less, I learn to live it more and more." -- Jules Renard, writer (1864-1910)

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre(at)bwr.eastlink.ca.)