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Everyday Cheapskate: What to Do When You Have Too Many of These Things
Before we get going here, and in the interest of full disclosure, I have an inner hoarder who puts up quite a fuss from time to time. I've managed to tame her, but now and again, she gets out. Before I know it, I have 48 boxes of borax on my storage shelves or 9,082 skeins of yarn in my stash. Just kidding -- sort of. Just justification is ...Read more

Chicago 'granny flats,' coach houses one step closer to citywide legalization with vote
CHICAGO — Aldermen advanced a measure that could legalize “granny flats” citywide with limited restrictions, a move advocates say will create more affordable housing.
The City Council’s Zoning Committee voted 13-7 to advance the additional dwelling unit ordinance. The result tees up a Wednesday vote by the full City Council, when ...Read more

US home prices are losing steam with most big markets below peak
The U.S. housing market is close to stalling out, with prices in more than half the country’s top 100 housing markets now below their peak, according to the latest data from Intercontinental Exchange.
The annual nationwide price increase slowed to 1.3% in June, the slowest pace in two years and down from 1.6% the previous month, ICE’s ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: Cleverly Delicious Ways to Use Up Leftovers
If your refrigerator is at all like mine, it harbors an odd assortment of leftovers and "almost gones." After all, it's hard to throw out what appears to be perfectly good food, but what can you do with a little of this and not very much of that? Here are some suggestions that may get your creative juices flowing to come up with your own ideas ...Read more

How the $1,000 'Trump accounts' for American babies compare to 529s and custodial Roth IRAs
President Donald Trump signed his new tax law on July 4, which included a provision that creates and funds investment accounts for babies born in the next few years. The accounts will be allowed to compound and grow tax-deferred, similar to the way some retirement accounts work.
“In addition to the substantial financial benefits of investing ...Read more

Trump's temporary tax breaks: 5 'big beautiful bill' provisions that may not stick around for long
Millions of Americans will see significant shifts in their tax bills under President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill.” The sweeping legislation delivers several key tax breaks, including no federal income tax on some tips and overtime pay, a car loan interest deduction, a higher state and local tax (SALT) deduction and a new “bonus”...Read more

HUD Chicago office taking on more public housing authority oversight as staff dwindles regionally, nationally
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Chicago office will now oversee 65 public housing authorities in Wisconsin because of staffing shortages in the agency’s Milwaukee office.
This represents a roughly 62% increase in the number of public housing authorities the Chicago office is responsible for holding accountable to ...Read more

Bay Area developer building 'micro-studios,' and yes, people are renting them
The size of a typical studio apartment is 500 to 600 square feet. The studios that Riaz Capital is building around the Bay Area measure on average 300 square feet — which is on the small side, even for a standard hotel room.
But the Oakland-based developer sees micro-studios as a way to provide “affordability by design” in a state where ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: The Great Ice Cube Tray Hack Roundup (Hint: Not Just for Ice)
There was a time when every fridge had a matching set of ice cube trays, stacked neatly like they had a purpose. These days? If you still have one, it's probably buried behind a bag of frozen corn, cracked from years of freezer abuse, and long past its glory days.
But don't be too quick to toss it in your next decluttering spree. That little ...Read more

Big Oakland hotel is seized by lender as Bay Area lodging market fades
OAKLAND, California — A lender has taken ownership of Oakland’s biggest hotel through a foreclosure that underscores the ailments and price nosedives that plague the Bay Area’s sickly lodging market.
The Oakland Marriott City Center hotel was taken back by its lender, which bought the property for just under $70.2 million through the ...Read more
Real estate Q&A: Can country club board decide who is on new owner's deed?
Q: A lady I know recently purchased a country club property together with her stepfather. The club’s board decided they couldn’t be members because the stepfather was married to her mother, which would automatically make the mother the second member. They were told the mother had to be included, even though she wasn’t on the property deed,...Read more
Seattle sued over its mandatory housing affordability program -- again
A small construction company and two homeowners in Seattle are suing the city over its mandatory affordable housing program that requires developers either build or help pay for below-market-rate homes.
The lawsuit, brought by the libertarian-minded Institute for Justice, alleges the program fails to establish a nexus between new residential ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: Knowing Your Cleaning Products Is Good for Your Health and Wealth
Two women. Different locations. Same accident. Both were using an ordinary commercial toilet bowl cleaner containing ammonia and were not satisfied with the way it was removing stains. Each added household chlorine bleach to that commercial product and stirred with a brush. One died quickly; the other spent a long time in the hospital.
Here's ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: With Meal Planning, Think Cost Per Serving, Not Price Per Pound
Pop quiz: Which is the better buy? Pork tenderloin for $2.97 per pound or boneless pork chops at $3.47 per pound -- taken from my local supermarket's weekly ad? If you answered the tenderloin, you're in good company. Most of us would, but we'd be wrong. Price per pound can be misleading because not all cuts of meat and poultry yield the same ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: Widen the Gap with Homemade Bread
If you've read my book, "7 Money Rules for Life," you know that rule No. 1 is so simple it would be easy to overlook it as being too elementary. Here it is: Spend less than you earn.
Now, let's think about this. "Spend less than you earn" is not the same as "Don't spend more than you earn." That implies it would be OK to spend all that you earn...Read more

Does it make sense to buy an annuity in your 40s?
Annuities are often associated with retirees looking for a steady income stream later in life. But does it make sense to lock in guaranteed income in your 40s, potentially decades before retirement?
On the surface, the idea of guaranteed income sounds appealing. But annuities are complicated financial products, and buying one too early can tie ...Read more
Haven't made a will yet? startup has new AI tool to help
In 2017, Cody Barbo told a room of investors that he was getting married in a month. His friend asked him this question: “Hey man, you’re getting married. Do you have a will?” Barbo froze, threw out a mild swear word and answered, “I should probably have one.”
Barbo is the CEO of Trust & Will, a San Diego company that simplifies the ...Read more

The 7 mistakes I made when refinancing my mortgage
When my husband and I refinanced our mortgage in 2009, we felt confident we were making the right move. Since both of us had exceptional credit, we knew we could reduce our mortgage rate by one percentage point or more, as is considered de rigueur when refinancing. A no-brainer, right?
In retrospect, I wonder. We should have considered other ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: Grill on a Budget: Backyard BBQs Without the Burn
You know it's officially summer when the scent of grilled hot dogs hits you before your neighbor even says hello. Backyard BBQ season is one of life's simple pleasures -- until you're standing at the checkout line wondering how three packs of hamburger patties and a watermelon somehow added up to $87. And that's before you even hit the condiment...Read more

California's former insurance commissioner wants oil and gas companies to pay for the home insurance crisis
As destructive wildfires have ravaged California over the past decade, the insurance industry has dropped hundreds of thousands of homeowners statewide, raised their premiums, and, in some cases, stopped writing new home policies anywhere in the state.
Few understand the crisis better than Dave Jones, the former California insurance ...Read more
Inside Consumer
Popular Stories
- Chicago 'granny flats,' coach houses one step closer to citywide legalization with vote
- How the $1,000 'Trump accounts' for American babies compare to 529s and custodial Roth IRAs
- US home prices are losing steam with most big markets below peak
- HUD Chicago office taking on more public housing authority oversight as staff dwindles regionally, nationally
- Trump's temporary tax breaks: 5 'big beautiful bill' provisions that may not stick around for long