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Everyday Cheapskate: Face to Face With the Junk Drawer
I'm going to go on a limb and assume that you have a junk drawer. We all have one, and I don't know about you, but I'm not about to get rid of mine. After all, where else would we put our junk?
Recently, a reader wrote asking how to conquer his junk drawer. "I can't find anything in there so I keep re-buying all the stuff I bought already!" he ...Read more

Developers say on-again, off-again tariffs are making it difficult to predict prices and kick off projects
The night before the Trump administration began enforcing a 25% tariff on Canadian imports, Chicago-based GI Stone had 13 trucks at the U.S. border, each loaded down with specialized granite set for installation in the Obama Presidential Center under construction in Jackson Park.
Only eight trucks made it through before the tariffs took effect ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: 7 Smart Reasons to Use Vinegar in Laundry
Using inexpensive distilled white vinegar in the laundry is smart because it will whiten, brighten, reduce odor and soften clothes without harsh chemicals.
IT'S CHEAP
Plain distilled white 5% vinegar runs around 3.5 cents per ounce in the typical supermarket when purchased by the gallon, and even cheaper when you can find it at the dollar ...Read more

Kids' Halloween costumes cost as much as $90. Here's how to get them for under $10
When it comes to her kids’ Halloween costumes, Devon Weaver has learned to take a laid-back approach.
“Costumes don’t have to be stressful,” said Weaver, a 45-year-old content creator who runs several blogs, including Mamacheaps.com, from her Hilltown, Bucks County, home. “You can always repurpose things: Sports uniforms, dance ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: Secrets to No-Fail Tender, Juicy White Meat Chicken
They're convenient and, we're told, more healthy. But there are few things quite as boring or more difficult to prepare well than boneless skinless chicken breasts (BSCBs).
Here's the problem: Chicken skin helps keep the chicken moist, and the bones add flavor.
Remove both and what do you have? The potential for dry, tasteless, tough chicken. ...Read more

How the Fed impacts stocks, crypto and other investments
Higher interest rates played out on stocks, cryptocurrency and commodities such as oil over the past few years. But now that the Federal Reserve has been lowering short-term rates, what can investors expect from here, and how long will the shifting rate environment impact markets?
After lowering interest rates by 25 basis points at its December...Read more

Should couples have a separate or joint bank account?
Joint bank accounts allow couples to manage budgets together, monitor spending and save for shared goals. But they aren’t right for every couple. And you don’t have to go with an all-or-nothing approach, either. You can have a joint account without merging all your finances.
Here’s what you should consider before deciding whether a joint...Read more

After insurance pullback, advocates demand a 'bill of rights' for California policyholders
A leading consumer group is proposing a policyholder rights initiative that would require insurers to offer coverage to California homeowners who fireproof their homes — or lose the right to sell home or auto insurance in the state for five years.
The Insurance Policyholder Bill of Rights was filed with state Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta’s office ...Read more

A big Realtors settlement could have led to lower agent commissions. They haven't changed
SAN JOSE, Calif. — When Eric Itakura listed his Mountain View condo last year, he hoped to save some money on commissions.
The rules over how agents’ fees are set had recently been rewritten as part of a landmark settlement reached between the National Association of Realtors and a group of home sellers. For decades, sellers typically paid ...Read more

How to negotiate commissions with your real estate agent
SAN JOSE, Calif. — For decades, home sellers typically covered both their own agent’s commission and the fee for the buyer’s broker, a structure that left little room for negotiation. But a recent legal settlement has shaken up that system, opening the door for buyers and sellers to haggle over who pays what — and how much.
In the Bay ...Read more

How the Fed impacts stocks, crypto and other investments
Higher interest rates played out on stocks, cryptocurrency and commodities such as oil over the past few years. But now that the Federal Reserve has been lowering short-term rates, what can investors expect from here, and how long will the shifting rate environment impact markets?
After lowering interest rates by 25 basis points at its December...Read more
Are your lost bitcoins gone forever? Here's how you might be able to recover them
While Bitcoin spent the last decade soaring and making millionaires out of many people, other owners of the world’s largest cryptocurrency have missed out. Why? One major reason: They’ve lost access to their account. In fact, more than $400 billion in Bitcoin is estimated to be lost — but some is recoverable, says at least one firm.
A ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: How to Kill Dust Mites Inside Your Home -- Without Breaking the Bank
Dust mites. You can't see them, but they're everywhere -- your bedding, your couch cushions, your rugs and, yes, your favorite recliner. These tiny, eight-legged creatures are like the worst kind of houseguest: They never pay rent, they eat your skin flakes, and they leave behind waste that makes you sneeze.
Even if you're not particularly ...Read more

He dreamed of a midcentury haven in LA. He found it in an iconic rental off Sunset
LOS ANGELES -- Growing up in a small town outside of Cleveland, Tyler Piña was fascinated by Los Angeles and the glamour of Hollywood.
"My dad grew up out here, and it's where my parents met," says the 33-year-old screenwriter and Emmy Award-winning director of "Next Level With Lauren Goode." "I remember looking at old Polaroids of them in the...Read more
Real estate Q&A: Should I take HOA to small claims court over landscaping demand?
Q: We live in a gated community with an HOA and had our landscaping plan approved by the Architectural Review Committee in 2015. This plan included adding shrubbery and rocks around a roadside tree. Recently, the HOA management stated that this area is community property, and the landscaping violates community rules, demanding its removal at our...Read more

5 things to know about Baltimore's grants to revive vacant properties
Baltimore is aiming to reduce its thousands of vacant properties by offering grant funds to those who are interested in fixing them up.
Mayor Brandon Scott, a Democrat, announced the “first round” of City-Wide Affordable Housing TIF Funds last week. The initiative is part of a $3 billion plan over 15 years from the two-term mayor that aims ...Read more

Amazon pledged to support affordable housing. How has it fared so far?
It's a sunny, September day in SeaTac, Washington, and three kids are playing in the courtyard of Connection Angle Lake, a new 130-unit affordable housing project roughly 50 feet from the last stop on Sound Transit's 1 Line.
Inside, the studios, one-bedroom and multi-bedroom apartments look fresh with stainless steel appliances and views that ...Read more

Gurnee Mills announces new slate of businesses: 'The death of malls is vastly overrated'
GURNEE, Illinois — Gurnee Mills, a mall located in a northern exurb of Chicago, recently announced a new slate of stores and businesses coming to the mall in the near future, a sign of its “thriving” health, according to shopping center representatives.
It’s a far cry from reports that came out about the mall leading up to the pandemic,...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: Clutter's Last Stand
What would we do if we actually had to use everything we own, including all that stuff in the drawers, cupboards, closets, shelves and boxes in our kitchen, bedrooms, living room, basement, attic, garage, rafters, driveway, patio, side yard and cars?
Could we do it? It's not likely. Instead, we pack it, stack it and pile it away -- we even pay ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: How to Stop Making Bad Decisions
I saw the funniest sign, but it wasn't funny for long because I started to think about it. Suddenly, the humor melted away. The sign read: "Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes the reason is, you're stupid and make bad decisions."
Ouch! Those 15 words hit hard because I've made more than my share of bad money decisions in my life.
I've ...Read more
Inside Consumer
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