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Everyday Cheapskate: Know Your Cheapskate Etiquette

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Face it. Living below your means and staying out of debt, especially in the inflationary times in which America finds itself, requires a good bit of creativity. We have to get pretty clever to stretch a buck.

But just how far can we go in matters of being cheap before we cross the line between good etiquette and outright rudeness? When in doubt...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Survey: More than 1 in 3 American travelers plan to go into debt for their summer vacations this year

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Perhaps your summers hold fond memories of strolling along the beach, hiking mountains or trying new foods at a destination hundreds of miles from home. If so, are you planning to keep the travel streak going this year? Would you go into debt for it?

A new Bankrate survey found that only about half (53%) of Americans are planning a summer ...Read more

Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune/TNS

Thrivent has found a way for everday folks to get a piece of the private equity market

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Private equity has been an outperforming investment options for years, but it's not been an option for most investors.

Private equity investment options have generally been reserved for institutional investors or people who have at least $5 million or more to commit. That has left the bulk of investors watching from the lobby.

Now Minneapolis-...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: It Starts With Knowing How to Manage a Paycheck

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Millennials, born between 1981 and '96, represent the largest, most educated and culturally diverse generation in American history. This demographic cohort holds significant sway over the future trajectory of the U.S. economy through their financial choices, which are being made within a progressively intricate financial environment. That's the ...Read more

Mario Tama/Getty Images North America/TNS

California sees two more property insurers withdraw from market

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

California’s already strained property insurance market is facing a new challenge as two more insurers, Tokio Marine America Insurance Co. and Trans Pacific Insurance Co., plan to withdraw from the wildfire-prone state entirely starting in July.

The two companies, units of Japan-based Tokio Marine Holdings Inc., disclosed their plans in ...Read more

NYC storefront vacancies remain stuck at pandemic levels; lower Manhattan hit hard

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Storefront vacancy rates in New York City have yet to recover from pandemic peaks, with Manhattan in particular struggling to bounce back, new city data show.

The issue made headlines during the pandemic, when retail storefronts on many major thoroughfares sat empty as businesses across the city shuttered. The issue was the focus of a City ...Read more

Sheila Fitzgerald/Dreamstime/TNS

US existing-home sales decline as rates keep buyers sidelined

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Sales of previously-owned homes in the U.S. fell in March from a one-year high, underscoring the lingering impact of high mortgage rates and elevated prices.

Contract closings decreased 4.3% from a month earlier to a 4.19 million annualized rate, according to National Association of Realtors data released Thursday. The pace was in line with ...Read more

Christina House/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Downtown LA is hurting. Frank Gehry thinks arts can lead a revival

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

With two major expansions of downtown Los Angeles cultural institutions in the works, Bunker Hill is primed to elevate its status as the region's leading arts center even as the area around it struggles with persistent homelessness and post-pandemic losses of office tenants.

Bunker Hill will soon have the largest concentration of buildings ...Read more

Real estate Q&A: How can I get my HOA to allow car covers?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: I recently moved and am now, for the first time, dealing with a homeowners association. I have a classic Cadillac that I used to keep covered at my previous residence. The rules in place at my new residence forbid car covers. Other nearby communities seem to allow covered cars, but not mine, so this rule was established by my association only...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Stop Whining!

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

As the mother of two young world-class whiners, the behavior modification techniques described in the booklet "Stop Whining!" appeared too simple to be taken seriously. In desperation, however, I decided to give the anti-whining program my best shot. At the time, our two sons were ages 4 and 5.

Day One: Whenever one of the boys whined, I did ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: When You're Stuck and Can't Get Going

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

A question I receive nearly every day goes something like this: I'm ready to get started taking back control of my finances. But how do I get started? It's like I'm stuck.

Don't think you are alone if you find yourself wanting to do all the steps at once. But that could be a big mistake. In the same way when building a house you wouldn't pour ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: How Much Is the Right Amount of Laundry Detergent?

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Dear Cheapskate: I adore all your fantastic tips for washing machines and laundry, but could you lend some advice on how to get the detergent amount just right? I really dislike the uncertainty of using too little or too much -- it's like playing a guessing game every time I do a load. I attempted to find some guidance online, but unfortunately,...Read more

US tax refunds declined 3.3% this year in run-up to deadline

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Fewer U.S. taxpayers have received a refund this year in the run-up to tax day compared to 2023, signaling some consumer spending may be disrupted.

Data from the Internal Revenue Service showed that 66.8 million taxpayers were reimbursed through April 5 compared to 69.1 million through April 7 last year. That means that 3.3%, or roughly 2.3 ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

GM says it will move headquarters from RenCen to Hudson's site in 2025

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

DETROIT — General Motors Co. on Monday said it will move its global headquarters to the Hudson’s Detroit development next year as it works with billionaire mortgage mogul Dan Gilbert's real estate firm to redevelop the Renaissance Center, its current home a mile away.

GM CEO Mary Barra alongside Gilbert, Mayor Mike Duggan and Wayne County ...Read more

Marilyn Gould/Dreamstime/TNS

How to save money at the pharmacy counter

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Steve Wexler has experienced the trouble of finding affordable prescription drugs.

A few years ago, the 70-year-old Plymouth, Minnesota, resident opted to cut short his prescription for Eliquis, a popular blood thinner, rather than pay nearly $1,000 out-of-pocket for his final month on the medication.

Smart shopping can't always tame high ...Read more

DREAMSTIME/TNS

Cheap mortgages deter workers from relocating for $250,000 jobs

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Manager recruits in the industrial Midwest are shunning offers to move to the American South — in part because they’re locked into super-low 30-year mortgages.

A tight labor market that’s allowing workers to stay closer to home, rising housing costs and a post-pandemic shift toward remote or hybrid-work arrangements are making it a ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: 6 Easy Ways to Upgrade Your Wardrobe Without Spending a Dime

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Could your wardrobe use a long overdue boost? Maybe you're eyeing a career move, aiming to project a more polished image at work or simply looking to raise the bar when it comes to school drop-offs and PTA meetings.

Perhaps you're diving back into the dating scene or could just use a little pick-me-up. Sure, some might shrug off the ideas that ...Read more

Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/TNS

Hudson Yards Vessel to reopen three years after spate of deaths

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The Vessel at Hudson Yards will reopen later this year, it was announced on Friday, three years after it was shuttered following a spate of suicides.

The honeycombed installation opened in March 2019 as the centerpiece of the new Hudson Yards neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan. But it quickly gained notoriety after several visitors took their ...Read more

Real estate Q&A: How can we get rid of our rowdy renters?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: Lately, some of the renters in our townhome community have been disruptive. There have been noise disturbances, domestic violence, unleashed pets, and even open drug use. When some homeowners raised their concerns, the association said their ability to address the problem was limited, and changing rental bylaws was almost impossible. What can...Read more

E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Zombie malls and other retail centers getting extreme makeovers to keep up with the times

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Denise Richardson took her kids to Spring Hill Mall in West Dundee, Illinois, so often that at Christmas time, the Santa Claus there recognized them by name. She remembers when department stores moved out of Elgin, then a city of 64,000 people in the exurbs of Chicago, to the mall when it opened in 1980, and it was the place to be.

But the mall...Read more