What are your plans for Easter? Eighty percent of consumers plan to celebrate Easter this year and will spend an average $169.79, according to the National Retail Federation. Total spending for the holiday is estimated to be $20.8 billion, down slightly from last year's forecast of $21.6 billion. Read more →

Some large banks have announced they’re eliminating non-sufficient fund or NSF fees on their checking accounts. It’s a positive development, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said. These changes mean consumers will pay about 50 percent less in fees each year, an annual savings of about $1 billion. Read more →

Following the latest Consumer Price Index report showing that food costs went up 10 percent since last year, earnings information released by Albertsons Companies shows that it reported $1.6 billion in 2021 fiscal year income — a 90 percent increase from 2020 — after passing on increased costs to consumers. Read more →

A scorecard ranking PFAS policy commitments from leading retail and apparel brands shows that Levi Strauss & Co. earned the highest mark for already eliminating PFAS from its supply chain. However, brands such as Macy’s Inc., Nordstrom, Costco, and others received low or failing marks. Read more →

Spring is here, and while April isn’t the best month for bargains, you’ll probably be able to find savings. The key is to compare prices. DealNews.com suggests looking for discounts on these items: Spring apparel. Usually, you can’t find sales for clothing until the end of the season. Read more →

March is National Sleep Awareness Month. Many Americans aren’t getting enough bright light exposure during the day and are looking at screens around bedtime, according to the National Sleep Foundation. In addition, many fall short of recommendations for exercise and take meals at inconsistent times. Read more →

Although there are some brilliant moments in the 2021 Oscar nominated movies, recurring reliance on violence and coming of age stories about males dominate the offerings. And last year’s movies have a new dark element, the psychological thriller, a slow moving movie that suddenly has a twist at the end. Read more →

Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, the three major credit bureaus, are changing how they’ll treat the reporting of medical debt. Nearly 70 percent of it in collections will be removed from credit reports. Paid medical debt will be erased and any new medical debt won’t be included in credit reports for a year. Read more →

Almost half of skin lightening creams tested contained dangerously high levels of mercury but continue to be sold by online retailers such as Amazon, eBay, and Flipkart, according to a report from the Zero Mercury Working Group, an international coalition. Read more →

Protect your kids, teens, and elders from poisonings by locking up potentially harmful household products and medications. Nearly nine out of 10 unintentional poisonings occur in the home. Thirty-one children under the age of five die in the U.S. each year from consumer products found in the home Read more →