It’s that time of year again already. Thanksgiving, the American day of giving thanks, is this week. Ninety-seven percent of Americans are planning to celebrate Thanksgiving. The average person’s spending over the five-day Thanksgiving period is estimated to be $325. The average cost of a 10-person Thanksgiving dinner will be about $64.05. Read more →

Junk fees – those hidden and bogus charges that have found their way into a wide variety of transactions – are on consumers’ minds. After receiving more than 12,000 comments about how these fees impact consumers and businesses, the FTC announced on Oct. 11, a proposed rule on deceptive fees. It's now looking for further feedback. Read more →

On Saturday, I wrote about One Health Day. I hadn’t heard of it before, but it’s a global campaign that recognizes the close connection between the health of people, animals, and the environment and the role this connection plays in the spread of diseases. Several times, I’ve written that people shouldn’t allow pets to sleep in bed with them. Read more →

Lately, I’ve been busy, so when I saw an item on Facebook Sunday that it was International Wombat Day, it didn’t dawn on me until Monday to post a great photo of my niece and her son with a wombat. The photo was taken at the Caversham Wildlife Park in Western Australia. I lived in Sydney from 1965 to 1967 and wanted to visit the amazing county again. Read more →

On Saturday, I wrote about National Public Lands Day and how you can visit national parks that charge fees for no cost. I reported on the national parks I’ve  visited in Washington state and mentioned how much I loved the Grand Canyon. I wanted to share my photos and report on what a great time I had visiting the American wonder in 1981. Read more →

National parks are one of America’s greatest gifts. You can visit any one of the nation’s 400 national parks for free today on National Public Lands Day.In Washington state, I’ve visited Fort Vancouver, Klondike Gold Rush – Seattle Unit, Lake Roosevelt, Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic national parks. Read more →

Labor Day these days is all about beaches, barbecues, games such as baseball, football, and volleyball, and shopping. It’s also a great weekend for travel. This year, 57 percent of Americans plan to travel for Labor Day weekend, more than 150 million will enjoy a barbecue or picnic, and thousands will attend a college football game. Read more →

Do you know your rights on tarmac delays? American Airlines will pay $4.1 million for violating federal laws prohibiting tarmac delays of three hours or more on domestic flights without providing passengers an opportunity to deplane, DOT said Monday. DOT’s investigation found that American kept dozens of flights stuck on the tarmac for long periods of time. Read more →

Unfortunately, September marks the end of summer, which is so sad. Many people, like me, aren’t fans of winter. However, in relation to sales, September is a good time to shop for deals, the Labor Day sales being one reason. Here are recommendations on the September sales from DealNews.com: Summer clothing – Deep discounts are expected. Read more →

As summer is winding down, you’d think back to school sales would be the best bet for deals. However, it also brings free cookies, tax free shopping, deals on garden tools, and more. Here’s what DealNews.com suggests as the best bargains to look for in August: National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day deals on Aug. 4. Read more →