Shoppers will spend more than $27.5 billion on Valentine’s Day this year. That makes Valentine’s Day the third-priciest holiday on the calendar for U.S. consumers. More than 30 percent of people expect their Valentine to spend at least $50 on a gift, according to WalletHub’s 2025 Valentine’s Day Survey. Whether... Read more →
Recently, I wrote about what prices might go up due to the tariffs President Trump is imposing. Among them are autos; laptops, tablets, and smartphones; furniture; appliances; shoes; books; carpet; and paper products. Also likely to increase in costs are fertilizer, cotton, wool, alcohol, bottled water, pet food, baby supplies,... Read more →
It’s a consumer financial technique I recommend all the time on my blog and in my weekly newsletter: compare prices. The importance of continually doing it showed up when I was shopping with my daughter the day after Christmas at The Rack. I didn’t find any boots that fit, so... Read more →
Happy New Year. It's going to be a challenging year for consumers, but with continuing research and action, we'll make it through. ln addition to reading my blog regularly, you can get helpful information from my free, weekly newsletter, "Helpful Money Tips for You." It will arrive on Thursdays in... Read more →
It’s that time of year. Many people are familiar with after Christmas sales and January white sales. On Monday, I took my coupons that Macy’s keeps sending me to the store to see if I could find anything good on sale. Right away, I saw some red and green plaid... Read more →
Today’s the day. Tomorrow, too. Hopefully, you followed my advice and kept your receipts for your holiday purchases. It’s likely that you or someone in your family will need to return of a holiday gift soon. A survey at the end of the 2023 holiday season found that nearly one... Read more →
It’s that time of year again. Stores are bustling with shoppers, delivery drivers are pulling up daily, and people are exhausted. And while it’s supposed to be the happiest time of the year, 68 percent of people say Santa will be less generous this year due to inflation and 31... Read more →
Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone, but the deals don’t stop in December. December has plenty of worthwhile deals especially if you can wait until after Christmas. In fact, you can snap up gifts for birthdays and other occasions in 2025 for great savings. Green Monday Green... Read more →
After Black Friday, Cyber Monday is the second most popular day, attracting 39 percent, 72.3 million, of those planning to shop, according to the National Retail Federation, a trade organization. The federation coined the term Cyber Monday in 2005 after it observed a spike in online traffic and revenue the... Read more →
In my family, we get started on our holiday shopping after Thanksgiving. My daughter’s family in Sacramento has a big gathering of all the families connected to the farm, so they plan for about 50 people to come to the Thanksgiving celebration and annual meeting. Needless to say, my daughter... Read more →