Consumer
/Home & Leisure
/ArcaMax
Video
No body
Video
No body
Video
No body
Video
No body
Have a Shaded Yard? Replace Your Grass With Moss
A shaded yard can feel like a lawn-care failure waiting to happen. Grass thins under trees, turns patchy near fences and sulks in damp corners where sunlight rarely reaches the soil. Homeowners respond with seed, fertilizer, lime, raking, watering and hope. Then the same bare spots return.
At some point, the better question is not, “How do I ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: An Ounce of Prevention Is Worth Money in the Bank
Today's topic is not pretty, but unless you have $8,000 earmarked for dental care, it could prevent a lot of pain -- both dental and financial.
Periodontal disease is an infection that destroys the attachment fibers and supporting bones that hold the teeth in the jawbone and the jawbone itself.
Bacteria get caught between the teeth and under ...Read more
SpaceX surges 20% in second day to add $412 billion in value
SpaceX shares jumped in their second day of trading, adding to gains following a blockbuster debut that instantly vaulted it into the ranks of the world’s most valuable public companies.
The stock climbed 20%, extending Friday’s 19% rally, to add $412 billion in market value. Shares closed at $192.46 on Monday, more than 42% above their $...Read more
SpaceX IPO stress tests crypto's bid to reinvent stocks
For years, crypto firms have argued that blockchain technology could create markets for private companies long before they reach Wall Street. SpaceX provided the industry’s biggest test yet. The results were mixed.
Ahead of the largest IPO in history, perpetual futures tied to Elon Musk’s rocket company gave traders a live — and ...Read more
A record number of Miamians can't make ends meet. Why that's a risk for everyone
A record number of Miami-Dade families are living paycheck to paycheck, a new report has found.
North of a half-million county households — 563,947 to be exact — are struggling to make ends meet, according to new data from United Way. That’s 56% of all Miami-Dade households, a two-percentage-point increase from last year and the highest ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: Why Concentrated Anything Makes Me Suspicious
It seems to me that nearly every household product has at some time decided it needed to become "concentrated." Concentrated detergent, concentrated cleaner, concentrated juice, even concentrated coffee. These days I'm half expecting concentrated throw pillows.
The promise is always the same: smaller bottle, bigger value. Less packaging, more ...Read more
Minnesota AG sues cash advance app Brigit over alleged breach of state lending laws
The app-based cash advance business Brigit is in the state’s crosshairs over small loans that officials say carry super-sized interest rates of more than 700% in some cases.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison sued the company on Wednesday, saying the loans violate the state’s caps on interest rates and carry terms that are not clearly...Read more
Bay Area downtowns aren't dying – they're changing
For years, headlines have warned of downtown “doom loops” and “death spirals,” focusing on the office vacancies that have piled up since the pandemic. Take a walk through downtown San Jose, for instance, and you’ll see many once-bustling buildings quiet and mostly empty.
But while they’ve been slow to recover, the streets below them...Read more
Illinois is one step closer to banning 'junk fees' and hidden charges on renters
SPRINGFIELD, Illinois — Sharon Gardner was paying her rent. But her Hanover Park apartment owner continued to pile up charges against her.
With eviction threats mounting, Gardner was told she owed more than $3,300 in unexpected fees — a $50 monthly charge for cable internet she never received, $5 a month for pest control, a $300 move-in fee...Read more
Real estate Q&A: How can we still close home sale after low appraisal?
Q: We are selling our home, and the buyer’s appraisal just came back $30,000 below the price we agreed on. Now the buyer is demanding that we drop the price to match the appraisal. We priced the house fairly and had multiple offers. Do we have to give in? — Carol
A: Few things deflate the excitement of an accepted offer faster than a low ...Read more
Has Palo Alto unlocked the secret to downtown vibrancy?
On a stroll down University Avenue in Palo Alto, California, on a spring Saturday evening, one can see parklets that were once parking spaces packed with well-heeled diners elegantly swirling wine glasses or digging into their meals inspired by culinary traditions from around the world.
Families line up down the block to order ice cream at Salt...Read more
Downtown LA businesses are in crisis. Owners want politicians to deal with it
Cemal Clik was rinsing some strawberries for lunch when he felt a gun on his temple.
The 61-year-old was sitting near his gift shop in downtown Los Angeles this month when two men threatened to kill him if he didn’t give up the gold chain hanging from his neck. They grabbed the chain and disappeared down South Broadway.
It took 45 minutes ...Read more
Where can Seattle ultrawealthy store their toys? Condos
In a city infamous for its high housing costs, Seattle’s ultrawealthy will soon be able to buy condos for their luxury cars and yachts.
Nearly 9 acres of a former industrial fuel terminal on Salmon Bay waterfront near the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks in Ballard will undergo a transformation into an extravagant car collector garage, superyacht ...Read more
Fight over housing in Seattle's Sodo neighborhood enters a new phase
Many people thought the long fight over whether the city can or should build housing near the baseball stadium was done in May. But it will now stretch out even longer, after an appeal filed last month that could also delay the city’s broader plans for growth in Seattle.
The city is in the midst of updating its plan to manage growth over the ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: Ask Me Anything -- Cost of Ice, DIY Whipped Butter, Elderly Turkey, EC en Espanol
Dear Mary: My husband says that it costs more to make ice in the freezer than to buy it in bags. I find that hard to believe. Do you know the answer? -- J.M.
Dear J.M.: Let's say a 10-pound bag of ice at the store costs $2. Two dollars' worth of water from your tap would be nearly 350 gallons at the U.S. average price of about 0.0058 cents per ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: How to Repair Your Credit and Improve Your Credit Score
Your credit score is a three-digit number between 300 and 850, generated by a mathematical algorithm (a mostly secret formula) based on information in your credit report compared with information on tens of millions of other people. The resulting number is said to be a highly accurate prediction of how likely you are to pay your bills.
If it ...Read more



























