Articles on Consumer Affairs

Possible protections for credit card holders

The Federal Reserve has proposed some new rules to protect people from a list of abusive lending practices. The changes aren't in effect yet, and may not actually go into effect.

There are Cheaper Ways to Return to a Greener Earth

The web is full of ways to live green, but have you ever thought about being Earth-friendly in your death? While it’s not always pleasant to think about, maybe we should. If you

Sometimes I wish I had beautiful long blonde hair and ample cleavage.

Not on my body of course; that would be freakish. And if you’re visualizing it right now, I’m really sorry…especially if you’re eating. No, I’m basically reacting to several incide

Book Review: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Financial Aid for College (Second Edition)

You don’t have to be a complete idiot to need a little guidance in matters of finding and securing money for college. But just in case you are,

The Gas Tax Holiday; don’t fall for it.

Both John McCain and Hillary Clinton are proposing a new Gas Tax Holiday that will run during the summer months, bringing “much needed relief” at the pumps. But will it? More than

The ethics of hoarding

In the Philippines, they're threatening life sentences for people hoarding rice.   In the United States, grocers need to put limits on rice purchases just to keep their shelves

How to turn an $1800 stimulus check into $1980.

It seems the retail giants are serious in their quest to get hold of your economic stimulus check. One of the biggest, Sears, is offering to multiply your check if you spend it the

Your stimulus check is on its way!

Wow. I guess pigs may just fly after all. Because, believe it or not, the goverment is actually paying out the economic stimulus checks ahead of schedule. And that means you could

The Dichotomy of Media Messages

When I had an occasion to watch some television recently, I was absolutely horrified with what I saw. Read on for the details...

Gas Is High Enough….

Watching my local newscast a few nights ago, I was disturbed by the assumption that the anchor made regarding rising gas prices and consumer reaction.

The Bailbondsman Approach Part Deux: Fiscal Stimulus No Gonna Workie

Paul Michael essentially wrote this post in January but it needs to be said again. A culture that remedies a systemic problem that stems from borrowing, with, well...more borrowing

Why the Boycott Isn’t Working

I hear it all the time. Some disgruntled consumer, employee, patron or the like decides that a boycott is in order. In theory, a

The Bailbondsman Approach: Why Some Of Us Stay Broke

The government is letting people think that it's okay to make bad choices. The Treasury is rewarding bad behavior and the consumer is learning nothing except to keep up the

It costs nothing to be nice.

I was in McDonald's this morning, returning a RedBox movie rental. I've seen a lot more of this place since I started using RedBox actually, and although I don't order

Less corn planted, despite ethanol

Prompted by high prices (driven by demand from ethanol production), farmers planted more acres of corn last year than any year since 1944.  This year, though, planned acres for cor

Dealing with Nasty Debt Collectors

You may (or may not) be delinquent with a debt payment, but debt collectors don’t have carte blanche with regards to how they can hustle the money from you. Some can be rude, make

Search Online for a Fix before You Toss that Broken Gadget

My husband and I often search online for fixes to our electronics problems because if a gadget is out of warranty it often costs quite a bit to get it fixed. When we find a soluti

Would you end your marriage for $100,000?

How about $200k? Or $500k? Well, I guess it all depends on the state of your marriage, but the bigger question is this: what would you do for money? I ask because I’m getting a lit

Could Your City Go Bankrupt?

I never knew that cities in America could file for bankruptcy until recently a Northern California city named Vallejo made the news for being on the edge of bankruptcy. So how doe

Filler Strategies for Amazon’s Free Super Saver Shipping

Here are my top three ways to find filler items on Amazon to get you to that magical $25 total.