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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

Everyday Cheapskate: Frugal Laundry Tips That Will Save You a Fortune

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

If you've ever suffered the heartbreak of stains or other kinds of annoying laundry issues, you're going to love this! These laundry hacks will elevate you to laundry genius in no time.

DRIED-ON LATEX PAINT

Getting any kind of paint on clothes or other items you care about is awful. Even if latex paint is dried on for a long time -- on laundry...Read more

Wall Street is warning investors to get ready for stocks to drop

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

A chorus of stock market prognosticators at some of Wall Street’s biggest firms is warning clients to prepare for a pullback as sky-high equity valuations slam into souring economic data.

On Monday, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank AG and Evercore ISI all cautioned that the S&P 500 Index is due for a near-term drop in the weeks and months ahead...Read more

Handout/Vanguard Group/TNS

Vanguard's first 'outsider' boss looks to innovate with AI, private investments

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Vanguard Group has added more than $1 trillion in customer assets, from stock-market gains and new investments, since Salim Ramji was named the first outsider to run the 50-year-old, Malvern, Pennsylvania-based investment giant last year.

But that kind of growth isn’t unusual at Vanguard, which has added $7 trillion in customer assets, in the...Read more

DREAMSTIME/TNS

7 ways to teach your kids about investing today to set them up for future success

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The habits we learn as children often stick with us through adulthood, and so it goes with financial habits, too, according to a recent Bankrate survey. Bankrate’s 2025 Financial Habits Survey revealed that Americans who had a strong financial education as children were more likely to use those habits as adults. Unfortunately, the survey also ...Read more

Everyday Cheapskate: Cheap Sunscreen, Priceless Skin: What Works and What Doesn't

Consumer / Everyday Cheapskate /

If you've wandered the sunscreen aisle lately, you know it's become something between a beauty boutique and a science fair. With prices all over the map and labels that sound like chemistry homework, it's no wonder so many people either overspend or skip sunscreen altogether. But skipping protection? That's not saving -- it's gambling with your ...Read more

Las Vegas Review-Journal/Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS

If you're a fan of sports betting or casino gambling, you won't be a fan of the new tax law

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

The house always wins in gambling, and soon it could feel like Uncle Sam does too. That’s because gamblers face what amounts to a tax hike beginning in 2026: They’ll no longer be able to deduct the full amount of their wagering losses.

New rules included in the massive tax bill that was signed into law in July will reduce the tax deduction ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Zillow violated copyright in rental listings, competitor alleges

Consumer / Home and Consumer News /

Seattle-based Zillow is in hot water over the photos that populate its rapidly growing selection of rental listings. And another Seattle listings company could soon face similar trouble.

Virginia-based listing website CoStar sued Zillow on Wednesday, alleging Zillow illegally uses CoStar’s photos in a “widespread and systematic” pattern ...Read more

 

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