The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Happy Valentine’s Day

Americans love to celebrate Valentine’s Day. The page views on my blogs have been climbing since the beginning of February. Today, they’re reaching record numbers.

Total holiday spending for the Valentine’s Day this year is expected to reach $27.4 billion. Men will spend more than women on the holiday. Husbands plan to spend an average of $358, 74 percent more than wives plan to spend on their husbands.

I hope you’re going to have a great celebration with your partner – a nice dinner, wine, a movie or play, and above all chocolate. Like many people, I love chocolate.

If you’re single and feeling lonely, plan a nice treat for yourself – an outing, wine, chocolate, or pie.

Copyright 2020, Rita R. Robison, Consumer and Personal Finance Journalist

Watch out for phony florists when you order flowers for Valentine’s Day

If you’re ordering flowers for Valentine’s Day, be careful you don’t fall for a scam as a last-minute shopper. 

The Better Business Bureau has received numerous reports from shoppers who turned to online florists for last-minute orders. They paid for a beautiful arrangement but ended up getting disappointing flowers – or nothing at all. 

How the scam works

Since you can’t get flowers locally, you try the internet. You enter your credit card information and delivery details.

From here, the scam can take a few different routes. Your flowers are delivered, but they don’t arrive on time, are damaged, or look nothing like the picture. Your attempts to get a full or partial refund go unanswered or are flatly refused. In other scams, your flowers are never delivered, and the online florist shop becomes unreachable. Other consumers have reported that after paying, they’re contacted by the florist shop and forced to upgrade their purchase, paying extra for something they don’t actually want to buy.

Facts and figures for Valentine's Day 2020

Shoppers plan to spend more than $27.4 billion on Valentine's Day this year. That makes Valentine’s Day the second most expensive holiday on the calendar for U.S. consumers. About 31 percent of people expect their Valentine to spend at least $50 on a gift, according to WalletHub’s 2020 Valentine’s Day Survey. More than four in 10 people in the survey said they'd break up with their significant other if he or she spent irresponsibly.

Source: WalletHub

 

Copyright 2020, Rita R. Robison, Consumer and Personal Finance Journalist

Guide to getting bargains throughout the year

It’s January and it’s a famous month for getting lots of items on sale. However, every month of the year usually offers bargains.

Here’s information from DealNews, a website listing bargains, so you can make a plan for saving throughout the year:

January

Gym memberships, white sales with deals on bedding and towels, winter clothing especially winter coats, fitness equipment, spring travel, holiday décor

February

Winter apparel, home goods, television sets, non-traditional Valentine’s Day gifts

March

Chocolate, frozen food, St. Patrick’s Day food, cruises, gift cards, luggage

Facts and figures for the holidays 2019: Shopping

How are you doing with your holiday shopping? Have you overspent your budget? 

Consumers say they'll spend an average of $1,047.83 this holiday season, up 4 percent from the $1,007.24 they said they would spend last year, according to the National Retail Federation. Total spending is expected to reach between $727.9 billion and $730.7 billion. 

One in five Americans will owe holiday credit card debt into February, at least, according to a survey by WalletHub, a personal finance website. Fifty-eight percent will pay in full by the due date, 19 percent will pay in full by New Year's Day, and 12 percent will still have a holiday balance after January. 

Another WelletHub survey found the top two financial resolutions for 2020 are: (1) repay 20 percent of credit card debt, and (2) add one month’s pay to an emergency fund.

Here are other facts on holiday spending this year, according to the WalletHub survey: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tips for buying gift cards

Gift cards are a popular, convenient gift for the holidays. This holiday season, more than half of Americans plan to buy gift cards, according to the National Retail Federation. They’ll purchase an average of four gift cards worth about $49 each. Spending on gift cards is expected to reach $29.9 billion, up from last year’s $27.6 billion.

Although gift cards seem straightforward, it’s important that both the giver and the recipient read the details for each card to avoid problems, and to find out if additional requirements have been put on by the merchant or bank issuing the card, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

Protections

Federal law provides protections for consumers who purchase gift cards, including store and restaurant gift cards, known as merchant cards. These cards can only be redeemed at the stores and restaurants that sell them. Bank gift cards – which carry the logo of a payment card network, for example, Visa or MasterCard – are also subject to federal law protections and can be used wherever the brand is accepted.

Return policies for 48 stores this holiday season

Not every gift is going to be perfect for its recipient. You may need to return some items after the present exchange.

Return policies

Stores have varying deadlines for returns. You need to know about them so you don’t try to return an item months later and find out you’ve missed the deadline.

Retailers often give consumers at least 30 days to return an item, and some allow more time. Certain stores give you 60 or 90 days, but there's usually a cutoff for getting cash back – after that, you’ll probably receive a gift card.

Some stores extend their return deadlines during the holiday season. Look for special return dates for purchases made in November and December. Apple, for example, usually gives you 14 days for returns. However, if you order your items online between Nov. 15 and Dec. 25, you’ll have until Jan. 8, 2020, to return them.

Receipts

Hopefully, your Christmas delivery will come with a receipt. Or, you’ll keep your receipt if you buy the gift in a store. If you don't have a receipt, you may be able to return an item and get store credit. However, some retailers will reject your return if you don’t have the receipt.

No returns

Retailer have varying policies, but really exclusive items, used items, and final sale products probably can’t be exchanged or returned. Remember to read the fine print or check the return policy before you ask for a return for these items.

Identification

Some retailers request a valid ID when you ask for a return. That’s because shoplifters are less likely to return an item for cash if they have to give their names. Plus, it helps retailers track irregular return patterns.

DealNews, a comparison shopping website, offers the following return policies for well-known stores:

Baby boomers ponder the holiday season and prepare for it

Thanksgiving has come and gone and it’s finally December. Now it’s O.K. to sell holiday stuff and show those holiday movies on television.

Our boomer bloggers are either contemplating the holidays or getting ready for them. They’ve posted articles on:

• Special shopping opportunities, from Black Friday to Cyber Monday, occur but Giving Tuesday may be the best.
• How holiday shopping advice such as make a budget, compare prices, avoid impulse items, keep receipts, and more can reduce holiday stress.
• Why the season is really all about gratitude and counting our blessings.
• Gratitude that a move from Connecticut to Florida is going well.
• How life in California has changed and isn’t what it used to be.
• How hearing John Lennon sing a song saved Christmas.

Tom Sightings from Sightings Over Sixty reports on these articles in the Best of Boomer Blogs #625. Click here to get the links to the articles. And, be sure to join in the conversations. Boomer bloggers enjoy getting comments from readers.

Copyright 2019, Rita R. Robison, Consumer and Personal Finance Journalist

Tips for shopping on Cyber Monday

Cyber Monday has a reputation for being the leftovers from Black Friday. However, it can actually have the better deals. Americans spent an estimated 27 percent more money online on Cyber Monday than on Black Friday last year. One reason is probably it’s more convenient to order deals on Cyber Monday than fight the Black Friday crowds.

Tips for shopping on Cyber Monday include:

Make a plan. You need to have a holiday budget for spending. Don’t let possible deals on Cyber Monday lead you to overspent.

Do research. Know what the prices are for the items on your list. That way, you won’t be fooled by deals that really aren’t deals.

Shop smart this holiday season with these 10 tips

With Black Friday as just the beginning, retailers are flooding the airwaves, internet, and newspapers with “deals.” To help consumers get through the holiday spending season, Jack Gillis, executive director of the Consumer Federation of America, offers 10 tips top to help shoppers make good choices and keep from overspending.

1. Make a list: Decide how much you can spend this holiday and stick to it. When you make your list, include an amount for each person and, if you know what you’re getting them, what you expect to pay for the item. Adding your list up at the kitchen table can be an eye opener – so make adjustments early rather than when you’re running through the stores or typing on your keyboard. And when you’re shopping, keep a running total of your spending – it’s amazing how keeping tabs on your total will protect your wallet as it fills with receipts!

2. Shop around: You can easily save 10 percent, or considerably more, by comparing prices. When shopping around online, be sure you purchase from a secure site, review receipts for accuracy, and be mindful of shipping costs. If free shipping is available with a minimum purchase, be sure the additional items are really needed and don’t put you way over the “free shipping” requirement.