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Everyday Cheapskate: How to Store Bread to Keep It Fresher Longer

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Bread has a certain shelf life, beyond which it can go stale, become moldy and, in a short time, inedible. It is possible to extend its delicious lifespan once you understand the ins and outs of how to store bread.

It's the starch in any baked goods that makes them become stale. Exposure to air and heat can make the starch crystallize or ...Read more

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

A second act for empty office space? How skyscrapers in downtown LA could ease the housing crisis

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

LOS ANGELES — The transformation of a sleek, granite-clad office tower on the edge of the 110 Freeway into deluxe apartments is about to begin, and developer Garrett Lee thinks the nearly 40-year-old building can be competitive with downtown L.A.’s much newer upmarket housing.

A mock-up of an apartment assembled in the L.A. Care tower on ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Homemade Stain Remover for Laundry and Carpet

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

I'm excited to teach you how to make a fabulous, if not magical, homemade stain remover. This stain remover recipe is so easy and cheap to make. And, wow, does it perform!

Unlike some other homemade laundry stain and detergent products you'll find here at Everyday Cheapskate, this one is also a homemade stain remover for carpet. Ah-ha! That got...Read more

Gary Arbach/Dreamstime.com/TNS

Four years after inflation first spiked, Americans' wages are still falling behind -- and a slower job market isn't helping

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Three years ago, when inflation was rising at the fastest pace in almost half a century, Lori Schkufza could still see the silver linings. She had a full-time job with benefits as a digital animator. Even though her expenses had grown, her income had increased, too.

Now, however, the 38-year-old Buffalo, New York, resident has been out of a job...Read more

Acnaleksy/Dreamstime/TNS

Tokenized stock trading: The huge risks in moving stocks to blockchain

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The cryptocurrency industry has lately begun to heavily promote tokenized stocks, but what exactly are they? More importantly, what advantages do tokenized stocks offer — especially when investors already have safe, no-cost fractional share trading at many brokers?

A tokenized stock is a fancy way of saying that ownership of a stock can be ...Read more

DREAMSTIME/TNS

The 7 worst investment decisions beginners can make

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Making the decision to start investing is one of the best decisions you can make. Investing is an important step toward building wealth and achieving your financial goals. However, successful investing can be difficult and there are some key mistakes you’ll want to avoid.

Here are the top seven investment mistakes beginners make when they ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Smart Thrift Store Shopping in Today's Economy

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

If you think thrift stores are musty graveyards for shoulder pads and shag carpets, allow me to change your mind. Because in this economy, thrift shopping isn't just a hobby -- it's survival with style.

Gone are the days when "secondhand" meant sad and saggy. Today, thrift stores are packed with quality finds if you know how (and where) to look...Read more

Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Will Los Angeles ever get enough housing? The future holds promise

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Over the last century, L.A.'s love affair with the single-family home has created a suburban sprawl of epic proportions.

Three bedrooms. A white-picket fence. A square of grass for the barbecue.

But for many, the dream of home ownership will never be realized. Home prices have soared, wages haven't kept pace, and more than half of L.A. ...Read more

Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/TNS

Miami adds incentives for high-rises up to 1 mile from rail stations

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

A new zoning program in the city of Miami will allow for denser developments in a radius of up to a mile around existing and planned Metrorail and commuter rail stations, including Brightline stations, inside city boundaries.

Within those zones, developers can apply to build high-rise residential and commercial projects with considerably more ...Read more

Real estate Q&A: How can we stop complaining neighbor's harassing behavior?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: I’m seeking advice regarding a neighbor who has repeatedly filed unfounded complaints to city authorities about several properties in our neighborhood, including ours. Although most complaints were unfounded, we still had to contend with the stress and inconvenience of dealing with code enforcement. We believe this behavior has escalated ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: What Every Kid Needs to Know About Greed and Thankfulness

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

If there is one thing that will ruin your kids' lives, it's greed. Teach them while they're young how to pull the plug on greed and you will have prepared them in a very important way to not only survive but also thrive in the real world. You may want to start with this lesson:

LESSON: HOW TO DEFEAT THE ENEMY THAT IS GREED

As you get older, ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: One Big, Fat, Wadded-Up Mess and How to Fix It

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

If I've heard from one reader, I've heard from one thousand -- all with the same problem: wadded-up sheets. I feel their pain because I have suffered this problem as well. So annoying. It can happen in the clothes washer but also in the dryer.

My best solution, which only slightly reduces the problem, has been to launder one sheet at a time and...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Inflation stayed steady last month as Trump's tariffs hit some prices -- here's what might feel most expensive

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Inflation didn’t improve last month, suggesting that businesses may be starting to pass along higher costs from tariffs onto the prices that you see on store shelves.

Consumer prices rose 0.2% between June and July, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)’ latest monthly consumer price index (CPI) report. Excluding food and energy...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: The Best Reason Not to Buy Pre-Washed Salad in a Bag

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Pre-washed, pre-chopped, ready-to-go salad greens in sealed bags can be found in the produce department of just about every grocery store and supermarket. Those bags are certainly a tempting option: What's not to like about having someone else do all the work of chopping and then double- or even triple-washing? Even so, I don't buy bagged salad...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: You Don't Have to Be Bored on a Budget This Summer

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Whether you've got kids out of school, grandkids visiting, or just need a break from routine that doesn't break the bank, there's plenty of frugal fun to be had.

Here are my favorite cheap summer trip ideas for families, singles, couples and empty nesters alike -- proof that great memories don't need a five-star price tag.

1. BE A TOURIST IN ...Read more

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/TNS

Stagflation concerns ripple through Wall Street as tariffs hit

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Wall Street strategists are sounding alarms that the U.S. economy is drifting toward stagflation as the impact of trade tariffs start to show up, potentially restricting the ability of the Federal Reserve to slash interest-rates.

While investors have so far largely shrugged off the warning signs, data is suggesting an approaching period of ...Read more

Real estate Q&A: Do I really need my own insurance policy in a condo?

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Q: Our condo is raising our monthly assessments again, this time claiming that the building’s insurance went up. Since our building has insurance, we are not sure why we need to have our own policy and are considering dropping our individual policy to save some money. Do you have any thoughts on this? — Cathy

A: Purchasing a condo apartment...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Get Organized to Put Money in Your Pocket and a Smile on Your Face

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

Has this ever happened to you? While searching for the Valentine's Day centerpiece, you stumble across the Christmas wrap you bought at the half-off-after-holiday sale two years ago. You still don't know where the centerpiece is.

Or you discover six partially full peanut butter jars in the pantry while putting away the new one you just bought ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: How to Stop Drying Your Clothes to Death

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

You should see the big wad of lint I just plucked from the trap of my clothes dryer. Ack! Where does all of that come from? I know I emptied all pockets and I'm certain I did not wash a bag of pillow stuffing.

I'll tell you what it is, and I am not happy about this: It's visual proof the dryer is wearing out my clothes. Those fibers were neatly...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Distrust in US inflation data threatens $2 trillion market

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

A $2 trillion market for securities linked to U.S. inflation data could be the first area of Treasuries that would crack if the Bureau of Labor Statistics is politicized, according to bond investors.

After President Donald Trump fired BLS chief Erika McEntarfer on Friday following a weak jobs report and said the figures were “rigged,” ...Read more

 

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