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Everyday Cheapskate: Debt Consolidation -- Good Solution or Terrible Mistake?
To the person drowning in debt, a debt-consolidation loan looks like a lifesaver. But reaching for it without knowing exactly what it's made of could be a severe mistake.
The way it's supposed to work: You pay off all your small high-interest consumer debts with the proceeds of a new low-interest loan whose payment is less than the total of the...Read more
19% of all home sales in Las Vegas Valley falling through, report says
The Las Vegas Valley has seen one of the biggest year-over-year jumps in home purchase agreement cancellations in the U.S., according to a new report from Redfin.
According to the report, 19% of all residential real estate transactions, a 3.5% jump, were canceled last December. This places the Las Vegas Valley as 8th in the country for largest ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: Till Debt Do Us Part
It is difficult to imagine: Our wedding cost a whopping $200. I borrowed my dress and veil; I made the bridesmaid's dresses; a friend made and gifted the cake; we had one bouquet for the church; and our fathers (both ministers) performed the ceremony. We opted for the photographer's monthly special ($100 for eight 8x10s) and paid cash for ...Read more
Stuck with a Synergy gift card? Don't count on getting that money back
After Synergy World, a San Diego gift and loyalty card company, announced it was shutting down and planning to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection, the company told its customers they can no longer use Synergy’s gift cards.
Until a bankruptcy court filing, little will be known publicly about Synergy’s finances or the state of its gift ...Read more
'Full-scale migration of wealth': Rich California and Washington residents flocking to Las Vegas
Wealthy individuals from California and Washington are flocking to the Las Vegas Valley to escape tax policies and politics from their home states, according to several area real estate agents.
It a “full-scale migration of wealth,” said Virtue Real Estate co-owner, broker and CEO Darin Marques, who just opened a brokerage in Henderson.
He...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: Energy-Saving Secrets: 23 Easy Ways to Save Big Bucks Year-Round
Electric bills have a way of creeping up quietly, like a cat on a countertop. One day you glance at the bill and think, "Surely this can't be mine." But unless someone plugged in a cotton candy machine while you were sleeping, the explanation is much simpler: Energy prices rise steadily, and many homes waste electricity without realizing it.
...Read more
Nevadans have a lot of credit card debt. How would a cap on interest rates impact that?
Nevada has one of the highest rates of credit card debt in the country, according to a new study as the issue takes center stage during an election year.
A new Wallet Hub study found that Nevada households have the 5th highest rate of credit card debt in the country with an average of $12,832 and the state has approximately $13.7 billion in ...Read more
Real estate Q&A: My landlord is ignoring a damp spot on my wall. What should I do?
Q: In the apartment I rent, I recently noticed a damp spot on the wall near the ceiling. It was a little discolored, and I mentioned it to my landlord. Who thanked me but did nothing. The spot is now larger and changing color. I’m concerned about mold, and my landlord doesn’t seem to be taking any action. Is there anything I should be doing?...Read more
'Rental market is largely frozen': San Diego rent prices fall in national rankings
San Diego’s status as one of the nation’s most expensive rental markets is on shaky ground.
The median rent for a San Diego County one-bedroom apartment was $2,220 a month in January, down 5.5% in a year, said Zumper’s national rent report. That ranks San Diego metro at No. 9 in the real estate website’s priciest markets — down from ...Read more
Sacramento is doubling down on tiny homes. Is it a bold move or a misguided one?
Sheleko Maynard was riding on a bus, worried about the possibility of spending another year living alone outside in a tent when she got a call: She had been accepted into a tiny home community in Sacramento and could move in the next day.
That was about a year ago. The 75-square-foot dwelling gave her a heater, a bed to herself and a desk she ...Read more
For these thrifters, their rental is 99% secondhand goods and that's 'part of the fun'
LOS ANGELES -- After moving to Los Angeles from Palo Alto in 2023 with only a standing desk and a bed frame, Tess van Hulsen and Andrew Chait learned quickly how to furnish an empty rental without buying anything new.
Because they love thrifting, decorating together was actually fun for them.
Two years later, their love of thrifting, antiquing...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: Simple Secrets to Make Clothes Look Better and Last Longer
You should see the big wad of lint I just plucked from the trap of my clothes dryer. Ack! Where does all of that come from? I know I emptied all pockets, and I'm certain I did not wash a bag of pillow stuffing.
I'll tell you what it is, and I am not happy about this: It's visual proof the dryer is wearing out our clothes. Those fibers were ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: How to Deep-Clean a Coffee Maker
Performing a deep clean on a coffee maker is important to extend its useful life and ensure you're brewing the best-tasting coffee possible.
A buildup of hard water scale and rancid coffee oils in a coffee maker is to be expected. Allowing that buildup to remain (and multiply) can be very hard on the machine and make the coffee that comes from ...Read more
Anthropic AI tool sparks selloff from software to broader market
Once again, artificial intelligence is dominating investors’ attention in the stock market. These days, however, the focus is turning more and more toward companies that may get disrupted by the new technology rather than those who stand to profit from it.
A Goldman Sachs basket of U.S. software stocks sank 6% on Tuesday, its biggest one-day...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: 8 Surprising Ways Lemons Can Make Your Life Easier
Several years ago, my son gave me the bounty from the two fruit trees that pretty much rule his backyard. My Mother's Day gift of Meyer lemons weighed in at 124 pounds. I know, lucky me!
I had to figure out ways to use, share and preserve lemons in a big hurry. I juiced, cooked and baked all kinds of lemon things. And I learned so many ways to ...Read more
Zillow cuts 200 jobs
Think the real estate market is tough? Working for a real estate giant could be tougher.
The Seattle-based real estate giant Zillow terminated around 200 employees last month for failing to meet performance expectations.
The cuts coincided with widespread layoffs at several Seattle-area companies that sent shock waves through the local job ...Read more
Eviction levels hit an all-time high in WA, especially in Seattle area
Washington state and King County recorded more evictions in 2025 than ever before — a sign that the affordability crisis is deepening.
The number of eviction cases filed in Washington courts rose to 23,965 in 2025, a 3% increase from 2024. The increase was significantly greater in the Seattle area.
Eviction cases grew by 12% to 8,732 in King...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: What on Earth Can I Do With These Chinese Leftovers?
We've all faced that moment of truth: You open the refrigerator door and there sit the Chinese leftovers from last night's dinner, looking a little wilted and more than a little judgmental. You didn't throw them away -- good for you. But what do you do with them now?
Before you resign yourself to eating cold lo mein over the sink, let's rethink...Read more
'Time to do better': Las Vegas public housing complex to be torn down, redeveloped
When Marble Manor opened in the early 1950s, the Las Vegas public housing complex offered modern homes with up-to-date kitchens, bathrooms, heating and cooling.
It had everything needed for “comfort and clean living,” a newspaper columnist wrote, noting it served people who had been living, or just existing, in “paper-box or cardboard ...Read more
Rocket Companies accused of mortgage steering
Rocket Companies, which acquired Seattle-based Redfin last year, allegedly pressured agents to steer buyers toward its loans — even if the loan terms were unfavorable for their clients, a lawsuit claims.
In the lawsuit filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, three homeowners from Georgia, North Carolina ...Read more
Inside Consumer
Popular Stories
- Nevadans have a lot of credit card debt. How would a cap on interest rates impact that?
- 19% of all home sales in Las Vegas Valley falling through, report says
- 'Full-scale migration of wealth': Rich California and Washington residents flocking to Las Vegas
- Stuck with a Synergy gift card? Don't count on getting that money back
- Real estate Q&A: My landlord is ignoring a damp spot on my wall. What should I do?



























