With 31 percent of American consumers planning to spend less during the 2024 holiday season compared to 2023, WalletHub, a personal-finance website, released a report Wednesday on the “Best Things to Buy on Black Friday in 2024.” WalletHub found that 41 percent of items offer no savings compared with their... Read more →
Black Friday, with often the best sales of the year, is coming up next week. In 2023, Black Friday sales drew 76.2 million Americans to shop in person and 90.6 million to shop online. The most important thing to do for Black Friday deals is to continually do price comparisons.... Read more →
Along with getting my yard ready for winter, I prepared for and enjoyed Halloween. Next on the fall agenda is Election Day. I’ve voted, Washington state has mail-in ballots, and I’m looking forward to getting the election results at last on Tuesday. I’ll be joining my friends for an election... Read more →
It’s that time of year again. Decorations are coming out and goblins, ghosts, and an array of other characters will soon be skulking down streets in most American neighborhoods. Halloween spending in 2024 is expected to reach $11.6 billion, according to a survey conducted for the National Retail Federation. Other... Read more →
About 89,500 Colson-branded, table top fire pits are being recalled. Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled fire pits and dispose of them, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said in an announcement. They shouldn’t be resold or donated as it’s a violation of federal law. The CPSC said alcohol... Read more →
At last, government officials are doing something about the harm media is causing children. For years, I’ve written about violence in the media. Research shows children who are persistently exposed to violent images learn aggressive behaviors, become desensitized to violence, and develop an exaggerated fear of becoming victims. Now, social... Read more →
These days, October is the beginning of the holiday shopping season. Make your list and start comparing prices. You may find prices in October that are as good as Black Friday deals. And, you won’t need to worry as much that the store will be out of what you’re looking... Read more →
We plant them in the spring, water them all summer, and then it’s fall harvest time. The joys I’m experiencing are cucumbers, Swiss chard parsley, mint, carrots, kale, kale, and more kale. A few green beans. Here’s a report: The carrots are fantastic. Mona, my Ph.D. botanist daughter, reminded me... Read more →
Bestway International is recalling about 866,000 AirJet and HydroJet spa pumps. The recalled AirJet and HydroJet spa pumps can overheat causing the plastic housing to ignite, posing a fire risk. At least three fires have occurred involving the spa pumps, including one house fire in January 2024 in Kansas City,... Read more →
Unfortunately, the movie industry’s emphasis on violent movies is continuing. I’ve written for years about how there’s too much violence in movies, commenting every year on Academy Award nominated movies. Here are the top movies from the weekend as reported by ShowTimes.com: 1. “Beattlejuice Beattlejuice” – $51.6 million 2. “Speak... Read more →