Vacationing in places like Myrtle Beach and Miami Beach can be exciting, but when you consider the costs of lodging and food in such high-profile areas, it isn't usually affordable to budget travelers. Consider searching for lesser-known beaches. Are the Outer Banks too expensive? Take a look at southern North Carolina beaches instead. Because they're less crowded, they offer much lower prices. You should always buy your gear before you go. Ever hear of supply and demand? Beach towns often charge above average prices on towels, swimsuits, sunscreen, and other essentials. Your car might be a little crowded, but bringing beach gear is more cost-effective than buying it when you reach your destination. Fred Stone's book Best Family Vacations on a Budget will make you the ultimate frugal traveler. Grab a copy now

The Eighth Deadly Sin was born of frustration resulting from over fifty years of witnessing citizens of the United States participate, if only benignly, in the slow decay of the American way of life. Our democratic nation that at the end of World War II was the envy of the world and leader in nearly every measurable category has, with the exception of the wealthy, permitted its living standard to stagnate if not decline. Parents ignore the education of their children leaving them unprepared to compete in the workforce. Elected leaders stand by as the health of the citizenry suffers from preventable diseases, some the result of man-made products. They shrug their shoulders as industries are shuttered and jobs move off shore. And while shunning the advice of other nations they wring their hands in angst as the mightiest military force the world has ever known is reduced to garrison duty, not knowing how they should be used to put an end to stateless terrorist organizations that roam the world. Americans are transfixed as the nation morphs from the world's greatest creditor to the world's greatest debtor, no longer master of its own destiny but dependent on others to buy its IOUs so that it might continue its unsustainable lifestyle for a few more years. How did it happen and what needs to change if the United States is to remain the leader of the free world? Today, as an exploding world population competes for a growing list of declining resources, the United States faces its greatest challenge-that of bridging the chasm between the "haves" and "have nots" to bring stability and peace to a world dangerously out of balance.