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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
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
Everyday Cheapskate: Should You Lend Money to Family and Friends? Read This First.
Over the years, I've heard from dozens of readers who have lent money to friends and family members, only to have become outraged when the deal goes sour. The problem is, they write to me after they've made the loan. By now, they've been waiting months, even years, for repayment, without success, hoping I can wave a magic wand to get their money...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: Meal Prep for People Who Hate Meal Prep
Some people love meal prep. They plan every meal, color-code containers, and smile as they portion out grilled chicken and broccoli like a seasoned chef. This article is not for them.
This is for the rest of us. The folks who want dinner on the table but without surrendering their entire weekend to a week's worth of meals all neatly loaded into...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: How to Clean a Washing Machine
If you assume the inside of your washer is the cleanest place in your home because you put detergent through it with every load of laundry, join the club. Most people think that -- and that's a really bad assumption.
Have you ever wondered why there's dirty residue on the agitator? Why do washed clothes sometimes come out with stains they didn'...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: 8 Little Words That Can Change Your Life
You hear it all the time, but do you know what it means to live below your means? Have you figured out how to do that?
To live below your means is to choose a lifestyle you can pay for with the money you have and still have some left over.
Living below your means that in this high-pressure, credit-based, gotta-have-it-all-right-now culture is ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: Giving Is Good for You!
Fundraisers and requests from charities used to bother me. So did the collection plate at church. I felt guilty because no matter how much money we made, there was never enough to give any of it away. And with all the debt we had (it was plenty!), how could I be expected to help others when I couldn't even help myself?
Then our financial house ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: Groceries and the Dating Game or What Expiration Dates Really Mean
If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me about food expiration dates, I could afford to buy a lot of the milk that gets tossed each week just for being one day "past."
These questions come in by the dozen -- from readers, neighbors and once from a stranger in the dairy aisle holding a suspicious-looking yogurt cup like it was a ticking...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: 14 Ways to Use Coffee Filters That Don't Involve Coffee
It was a dumb mistake. I grabbed the biggest package of coffee filters -- a pack of 1,000 -- only to discover much later that I'd picked up the wrong size for my coffeemaker.
Coffee filters are not expensive, which is probably the reason I didn't bother returning them to the store. I suppose I should have tried, but I didn't. Instead, I began ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: How to Get Washed Salad Greens Perfectly Without a Spinner
I was way off base when I guessed "egg-gathering basket." Leslie Hindman, host of the TV show "Appraisal Fair," held up this round cage contraption with folding sides and asked us to guess, "What the Heck Is It?" Salad spinner was the right choice, but who knew people were wasting their money on needless pieces of kitchen equipment back in the ...Read more
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