On Sunday, I attended the Olympia Harbor Days celebration. After I enjoyed walking along the boardwalk and taking photos, I participated in another Labor Day typical activity – shopping. Although I didn’t find any bargains, it was fun to get out and walk along the waterfront, an area local activists... Read more →
About a dozen times I’ve written about price gouging being one of the biggest drivers of inflation, along lamenting about how politicians weren’t talking about it. President Biden took up the topic recently, and Kamala Harris, vice president and the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, announced it Friday as part... Read more →
When I attended Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, during the 1960s, I took a class in consumer economics. It changed my life. I had gotten the idea from my dad about the importance of spending wisely, now here was a field of study and maybe a career in helping people make smart money choices. Read more →
Today, I hope you’re having a great celebration with your mom or are remembering her if she is no longer with us. My mom, Ruth L. Slingsby, photo at left, was a hard-working, supportive mom. I miss her every day. She passed away in 2005 at the age of 89. Here are some facts and figures for Mother’s Day 2024: Read more →
With Earth Day coming up, it’s a good time to learn about endangered species and what we can do about the decline in valuable animals and plants. A new group that’s doing important work is Wildlife Madagascar, a nonprofit conservation organization committed to conserving the land, forests, and wildlife species in Madagascar. Read more →
It’s tough these days making money stretch in shifting economic times. Get help with smart money moves by taking a look at complaints filed with the CFPB for 2023. Last year, the CFPB sent more than 1.3 million complaints to over 3,400 companies for review and response, according to the agency’s “Consumer Response Annual Report.” Read more →
As each year ends, I like to look back on which articles were the most popular on my blog. It’s rewarding to write articles that help people. I’m glad to see that the top article from last year was on dangerous infant sleep and infant products. Thank you for your readership during 2023. I’m looking forward writing more articles throughout 2024. Read more →
It’s that time of year again. It’s unbelievable that 2023 has rolled by so fast. That means that the 2024 election is getting even closer and closer, an election with so many consequences for consumers and their financial lives. As usual, I’m one of the few reporters writing about the top consumer and personal finance stories of the year, research that I enjoy. Read more →
Millions of people around the world are excited about the holidays. Shopping for gifts, gathering with friends and family, and attending religious events heighten excitement this time of year. Americans are expected to spend between 3 percent and 4 percent more in 2023 than last year, about $957.3 billion and $966.6 billion, according to a survey. Read more →
Little did I know when I wrote about International Wombat Day a few days ago, that I’d be writing about World Lemur Day today. I wrote about wombats because I read about the special day on Facebook and thought, since I had a great photo of my niece and her son with a wombat in Western Australia, I’d write about International Wombat Day. Read more →