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Everyday Cheapskate: Appliance Maintenance You Can Do Yourself

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

It was Christmas Eve several years ago. Everything was ready. Our overnight company would be arriving in a matter of hours. I opened the refrigerator to discover the inside had reached a balmy 70 F. This could not have happened at a worse time. Away to my computer I flew like a flash, straight to RepairClinic.com, where I entered the make and ...Read more

Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel/TNS

Home insurance costs in Florida spiked in third quarter. Are more increases on the way?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Those stabilized home insurance costs that industry leaders and state insurance regulators touted over most of 2024?

It looks like premiums might be heading up again.

That’s what a South Florida Sun Sentinel analysis of insurance market share data from the third quarter of 2024 shows.

The statewide average premium paid for an all-perils ...Read more

DREAMSTIME/TNS

6 best investments for beginners

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The idea of investing can be intimidating if you’re just starting out, but it’s an important part of saving for various financial goals and building wealth. You’ll encounter many different market environments throughout your investing life, so don’t get too caught up in whether now is the perfect time to get started.

But before making ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Should you actively trade in a Roth IRA?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

A Roth IRA is considered by many financial experts to be the best retirement plan out there. Workers can invest money on an after-tax basis and then withdraw their funds in retirement (after age 59 1/2) tax-free. They can enjoy decades of compounding growth and never owe the taxman a cent as long as they follow the plan’s rules. No wonder it�...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Is It OK to Dispose of Fats, Oils and Cooking Grease Down the Kitchen Drain?

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Dear Mary: Is there any problem with disposing of cooking grease and oil down the kitchen drain, as long as one is careful to follow with very hot water? My wife and I are at odds on this and have agreed to let you settle the argument. Hope to hear back soon. We could use some harmony. -- Ben

Dear Ben: While I'm not exactly a marriage counselor...Read more

Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Liberty Mutual canceled this Southern California homeowner's policy. Now she's suing

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

A Southern California homeowner is suing Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. for canceling her longstanding insurance policy, accusing the company of dropping her for bogus reasons.

In the proposed class-action lawsuit, Maria Badin said she had been a Liberty Mutual customer since 1993, when she bought her home in Poway. She alleged that in late ...Read more

Michael Abbott/Getty Images North America/TNS

Bill Cosby defaults on $17.5 million mortgage, faces foreclosure for a second NYC townhouse

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Bill Cosby, the disgraced comedian who has been accused of sexual assault by dozens of women, now has two Manhattan townhouses facing foreclosure.

Cosby, 87, allegedly defaulted on a mortgage for his 12,000-square-foot Upper East Side house after not making payments since June, according to court records. The complaint, filed in New York County...Read more

Real estate Q&A: Guidelines to dealing with problems

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

As 2025 begins, it looks like it will be another interesting year in real estate.

While it is difficult to predict the ebbs and flows of the market, I can say with certainty that some of you will have a problem concerning your home. Every problem is unique, but after decades of legal practice, I have developed some general guidelines to help ...Read more

K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune/TNS

First-time home buyers 'struggle to find opportunities.' San Diego home price gains rank No. 7 in US

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

SAN DIEGO — San Diego home price gains have slowed compared to remarkable highs over the past few years.

In October, the San Diego metropolitan area’s home price increased 4.5% annually, said the S&P Case-Shiller Indices report released Tuesday. The highest gains in the 20-city index were in the New York metro area, at 7.27%, and Chicago, ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Save Money Using What You Have On Hand

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

From pasta to vinegar, there are all kinds of things in your kitchen pantry that could save you all kinds of money -- and frustration too! You're going to wonder why you didn't think of that!

CANDLELIGHTER

If you can't light a candle without using a long lighter, grab a piece of dry spaghetti from your pantry. Strike a match and hold the flame...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: An Ingenious Way to Keep Butter Soft and Fresh

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Dear Mary: Several years ago, I visited a friend and was introduced to an item that keeps butter out of the refrigerator and on the counter to be nice and soft and fresh until consumed.

The butter somehow stays in a top container that is then suspended over a container of water. I don't know the name of this thing, nor where to buy one. I have ...Read more

Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group/TNS

Developers making millions from 'affordable housing' program lobbied California lawmakers to shut down regulation

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Developers who have reaped millions of dollars from an affordable housing program for middle-income renters with sometimes little-to-no discounts from market rents have spent hundreds of thousands on lobbying and campaign donations in recent years in a bid to keep lawmakers from imposing regulations.

The expenditures represent a fraction of the...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Surprising Ways to Use Car Wax Around the House (And None Involve Your Car)

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Let me guess: There's an old can of car wax lurking in your garage, possibly next to a stash of mystery keys and a box labeled "random screws." Well, it's time to dig it out, dust it off and hope it hasn't turned into fossilized goo. By the time you're done reading, you'll be itching to give these unexpected tips a try. Who knew car wax could be...Read more

Chase Stevens @csstevensphoto/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

Las Vegas catching up on room losses with Tropicana, Mirage closures

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Southern Nevada lost more than 4,500 hotel rooms in 2024 when the Tropicana and Mirage closed their doors and the region won’t fully bounce back from those losses until the Hard Rock Las Vegas opens its doors in 2027, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said.

The Tropicana closed in April with its two towers imploded in October to...Read more

Vincent D. Johnson/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Discrimination based on source of income still widespread despite new Illinois law, housing advocates say; recent lawsuits may change that

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

After eight years on the waitlist, Mikia Knighten was excited to learn in October 2022 that she had received a housing voucher from the Chicago Housing Authority.

The rental subsidy would allow her to move to a better neighborhood with better opportunities for her and her now 4-year-old daughter, she said.

It was going to “take a little bit ...Read more

Dan Honda/Bay Area News Group/TNS

Being a 'bedroom community' comes at a cost for those south of Silicon Valley

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

For Trey Dremel, much of life is dictated by his commute. Every weekday morning, he leaves Morgan Hill, California, before dawn, driving at 4 a.m. to try and skip the traffic flowing north so he can make it to work on the San Francisco Peninsula on time. Most nights, he is in bed by 7:30 p.m. so he can wake up again for the early drive.

While ...Read more

Marco Bello/Getty Images North America/TNS

2025 crypto forecast: Bitcoin price predictions

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Traders love to hear projections about their investments, whether it’s stocks, cryptocurrency or something else entirely. But crypto traders follow forecasts even more closely than the average investor because crypto prices thrive on optimism. Without increasing levels of optimism, cryptocurrency would be worthless — and literally thousands ...Read more

Spencer Platt/Getty Images North America/TNS

Survey: Experts share the top overlooked investment themes that deserve more attention in 2025

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Stocks have mostly been on a tear in 2024, with the S&P 500 up more than 23% as of mid-December. But the strong performance has left stocks trading at elevated valuations, and the Federal Reserve has signaled it needs to see more progress on inflation in order to cut interest rates further in 2025.

So, what should investors look out for as ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Get the Maximum Burning Hours From Candles, Plus Other Great Reader Tips

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

What I love even more than the genius tips my readers send in are the little love notes and thank-yous tucked in alongside them. Honestly, I'm a complete sap for that kind of friendship, and it means more to me than I can say. Knowing there's a whole community of friends out there reading and enjoying these columns? That's the wind beneath my ...Read more

Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Got an apartment and need some renters insurance? In California, be prepared to pay more

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

LOS ANGELES — After renovations forced Monique Gomez to move out of her Westside apartment, the tenant of four years was surprised to learn she would have to find another company to sell her renters coverage.

Her insurer, State Farm General, stopped writing new property policies last year, and she was told that even though she was an existing...Read more

 

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