Consumer

/

Home & Leisure

/

ArcaMax

Real estate Q&A: Can I sue owner of building next door over damage caused by sprinklers?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: I live next to a building that has two feet of plants and grass next to the property line. Their sprinklers are directed to my property instead of the other way around. Over the years, the water has damaged my garage and an adjacent room. They are constantly flooded to the point of sinking. Can I sue the owner for the damage? — Helga

A: ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: A Remarkably Effective and Safe Do-It-Yourself Option for Pest Control

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

There is an old adage out there that promises, "Teaching teaches the teacher." I believe that with all my heart. Never does a day go by that I don't learn something from my readers. Most days those lessons are small, perhaps even insignificant. And then there are days like today when it's just one big wow after another!

Dear Mary: In response ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Could You Go a Year Without Spending?

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

A few years back, Eric and Donna Reed shopped for groceries and household products just once for an entire year. How on Earth? I know. That was my reaction too.

The Reeds got the idea after reading a column in USA Today wherein the writer confessed to his weakness when it came to buying clothes. So driven to buy new sweaters, slacks or shoes ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: How to Safely Dispose of Expired Medications and Household Cleaners

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Every day my email box loads up with messages, many of which contain questions from you, my dear readers. And if you've sent a message, you are aware by now that while I read my mail and keep it filed, I just do not have enough time in my days to answer every message personally. However, I reach into that file regularly and select questions I ...Read more

Jim Watson/AFP/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/TNS

Foreclosures are up. Here's why experts aren't worried

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

If you remember the turmoil of the global financial crisis, hearing that foreclosure activity is up might make your knees weak and palms sweaty. I know I can’t help it.

After reading recent reports of climbing foreclosures, I spoke with experts ranging from real estate data companies to non-profit debt counselors to foreclosure auction sites....Read more

Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images North America/TNS

Bankrate's 2025 holiday spending report

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The winter holidays are a time for dusting off decorations and observing traditions — but they’re also rife with money decisions.

Americans are choosing how much to spend on travel, gifts and decorations in today’s economy, along with how they’ll make those purchases. Some holiday shoppers and travelers plan to use credit cards, but ...Read more

Gary Arbach/Dreamstime/TNS

When to use a personal loan to pay off credit card debt

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

In a perfect world, no one would need to take out a loan to consolidate and pay off debt. In the real world, however, sometimes borrowing money is the only way to dig your way out.

This is mostly due to high interest rates on credit cards. With the average credit card APR (annual percentage rate) at 20.01 percent as of October 2025, consumers ...Read more

Joe Raedle/Getty Images North America/TNS

Economists are realizing the job market is cooling. Workers have known it for months

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Andy Challenger is the person businesses call when it’s time to let workers go. And for the past year and a half, his phone hasn’t stopped ringing.

A third-generation outplacement consultant at Challenger, Gray & Christmas — the firm his grandfather founded in the 1960s after his own layoff — Challenger has heard a variety of reasons ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Gratitude on a Budget: Cheap and Cheerful Ways to Give Back

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Some people's generosity comes with ribbon-cutting ceremonies and giant cardboard checks. The rest of us? We show our gratitude with banana bread or offering to watch the children to give harried parents a much-needed break.

The truth is, giving back doesn't have to come with a big price tag to have a big impact. In fact, some of the most ...Read more

Charly Triballeau/AFP/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/TNS

Nir Kaissar: The gold FOMO trade is too late

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

When I can’t listen to a podcast without someone trying to sell me gold, when money managers tell me clients are jonesing for the shiny metal, and when friends call to ask what I think about buying it, I know without looking at a single chart that the price of gold has gone vertical and that FOMO has set in.

And wouldn’t you know, the ...Read more

The Mercury News/Bay Area News Group/TNS

East Bay hotel is foreclosed in sign of region's ailing lodging market

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

NEWARK, Calif. — A Newark hotel was seized by its lender due to a delinquent loan, a foreclosure that highlights the wobbly values for the region’s hospitality market.

The Hyatt Place Newark/Silicon Valley hotel at 5600 John Muir Dr. is now owned by an affiliate of lender State Bank of Texas following a foreclosure of an $18 million loan, ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

US mortgage rates drop to lowest level in more than a year

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Mortgage rates fell to the lowest level in more than a year, easing affordability concerns for homebuyers.

The average for 30-year, fixed loans was 6.19%, down from 6.27% last week and the lowest since early October 2024, data from Freddie Mac show.

Falling rates have given house hunters more buying power, but demand has been constrained by ...Read more

Real estate Q&A: Do I have to pay for damage neighbor says is caused by palm tree root?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: I live in a senior community HOA. My neighbor says the roots of my royal palm are lifting her pavers around her pool. The tree, planted by the developer on my property four years ago, is 10 feet from the property line. Since the tree was already mature, I find it unlikely its roots grew fast enough to cause the damage. The neighbor wants me ...Read more

L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

How the federal government came to control the majority of land in Nevada

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The federal government controlling the vast majority of land in Nevada dates all the way back to the 1800s when the territory was first admitted to the United States, according to a former longtime employee.

When Nevada became a state in October 1864, state representatives and stakeholders were only eyeing the northern part of Nevada due to its...Read more

Juliana Yamada/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Want the 'Rolls-Royce' of holiday decorations? Call this LA team -- and pay up to $50,000

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

LOS ANGELES -- It's Monday afternoon in Madison Heights, a stately Pasadena neighborhood where the seasonal decor is as tasteful and predictable as a Hallmark movie.

Suddenly, like a strange wind, a U-Haul truck quietly pulls in front of an elegant home. Within minutes, a crew of black-clad workers begin emptying the truck's contents, briskly ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: When It Comes to Storing Bananas, Don't Believe Old Wives' Tales

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

For years, I believed an old wives' tale that bananas will turn black and spoil almost instantly if you put them in the refrigerator. In fact, I even passed this notion on to you. Whoops! Hearing from reader Lin made me reconsider, test, and now, recant. Lin is right. I was wrong!

BANANAS IN THE FRIDGE

I read in your column a while back about ...Read more

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

California business leaders want voters to expedite state's environmental review process for housing, infrastructure

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

LOS ANGELES — California voters could soon be asked to usher in a major overhaul of the state's landmark environmental law, a proposal aimed at expediting crucial infrastructure projects, including housing construction, by creating new deadlines for environmental oversight.

The California Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday introduced a ballot ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: 14 Surprising Ways a Bar of Soap Can Make Your Life Easier

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

If you're a fan of liquid soap for hand-washing and prefer to use body wash in the tub and shower, bars of soap may seem quite old-fashioned. And you may be surprised to learn that good old bar soap still has a valuable place in an active household! Bar soaps -- any scent, and even those little bars from your last hotel stay -- are useful for ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Cheap Source for Quality LED Lightbulbs and More Great Reader Tips

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Not all companies are starving for business these days. If my mailbag is a good indicator, businesses that offer any kind of repair do better during economically turbulent times.

Makes sense. After all, it doesn't require a Mensa membership to know that it is often cheaper to repair than to replace. And how about those dollar stores? They're in...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: How to Kick Chiggers Out of Your Yard Without Going Broke

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

You spend a perfectly nice Saturday pulling weeds, trimming roses and finally conquering that corner of the yard that's been giving you side-eye since spring. You feel productive, a little sunburned and oddly proud. Fast-forward to 3 a.m. -- you're wide awake and scratching like you rolled around in fiberglass. What on earth happened?

...Read more

 

Related Channels

America's Test Kitchen

America's Test Kitchen

By America's Test Kitchen
ArcaMax Chef

ArcaMax Chef

By ArcaMax Chef
Tim Carter

Ask The Builder

By Tim Carter
Dr. Lee Pickett

Ask The Vet

By Dr. Lee Pickett
Jae-Ha Kim

Celebrity Travel

By Jae-Ha Kim
Richard Montgomery

Dear Monty

By Richard Montgomery
Gene and Katie Hamilton

Do It Yourself Or Not

By Gene and Katie Hamilton
Eric Peters

Eric's Autos

By Eric Peters
Mary Hunt

Everyday Cheapskate

By Mary Hunt
Jim Daly

Focus on the Family

By Jim Daly
Georgia Garvey

Georgia Garvey

By Georgia Garvey
Jeff Rugg

Jeff Rugg

By Jeff Rugg
Lenore Skenazy

Lenore Skenazy

By Lenore Skenazy
Kathryn Weber

Living Space

By Kathryn Weber
Cathy M. Rosenthal

My Pet World

By Cathy M. Rosenthal
Christopher Elliott

Problem Solved

By Christopher Elliott
Ilyce R. Glink and Samuel J. Tamkin

Real Estate Matters

By Ilyce R. Glink and Samuel J. Tamkin
Zola Gorgon

Recipes by Zola

By Zola Gorgon
Rick Steves' Europe

Rick Steves' Europe

By Rick Steves' Europe
Eileen Ogintz

Taking The Kids

By Eileen Ogintz
Various authors

Travel & Adventure

By Various authors
Christopher Elliott

Travel Troubleshooter

By Christopher Elliott

Comics

Lisa Benson John Cole Mike Beckom Pardon My Planet Non Sequitur Noodle Scratchers