green cars, green travel and smart spending
It’s the time of year for choosing health care insurance plans and their benefits. Here’s what you need to know to save money, and maybe your life, whether you decide to keep your existing plan or opt for a new one. As employers and insurers shift more of the cost to users, the annual choice
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I’ve just returned from nearly three weeks in Namibia, the country bordering South Africa and Botswana that I’ve wanted to visit for years, for its wildlife, scenery and people. Although I’ve visited some 100 countries in a lifetime as a journalist, Namibia was a life-changing experience. Here are some lessons learned. Water Except for a
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Why spend lots of money on travel gear and gadgets to lighten the load and keep you organized. There are plenty of free and cheap alternatives in your kitchen and bathroom, hardware store or office supply store. Here are my favorite free and cheap travel gadgets – Bathroom scale – Instead of paying as much
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Some vehicles are better than others for families with young children. These are the top 2017 and 2018 models for car seats and booster seats, based on criteria including the ease of use latching system and room for two kids strapped into two car seats. The list includes SUVs marketed toward young families, plus a
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If you are planning on international travel in the next six months, apply for or renew your passport now. The window between the end of summer travel season and the start of holiday travel season is when processing times are shortest. That’s the advice from the US State Department, which declares each September as Passport Awareness
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Scam Alert. Unfortunately, many cars and trucks flooded in recent hurricanes will wind up for sale by unscrupulous dealers to unsuspecting customers. Here’s how to avoid getting soaked by buying a vehicle that is – simply – dangerous to drive. Electronics, including computer chips, hate water. Since modern vehicles are heavy on electronics, water damage
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Aspen Snowmass is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year with a $6.50 lift ticket deal, the same price the Colorado resort charged on opening day, Dec. 15, 1967. The $6.50 deal is good one-day only, Dec. 15, 2017, and only for skiing and riding at Snowmass, not at Aspen. It’s part of an anniversary weekend
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You’ve seen the photos and video reports from the Caribbean islands pummeled by Hurricane Irma, and it isn’t pretty. While some islands are re-opening for all-important tourism, which supports so many jobs and businesses, islands including St. Martin (shown above) and Barbuda are in dire straits. Tens of thousands of residents throughout the Caribbean have
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When Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria ripped through the Caribbean, Puerto Rico and the Florida Keys, they left a trail of shattered buildings, boats and dreams. Millions of people have lost their homes, their jobs, or both, and farmers have lost their crops. Choose one of these charities to support with a donation to help
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With deadly hurricanes in the headlines, it’s important to be ready for an emergency, in case you and your family must evacuate quickly. Wherever you live, in the path of a hurricane or not, pack an emergency Go Bag now so you are ready for stormy weather, fire, or even a personal family emergency that
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Where to go next: The tourists have gone home, the kids have gone back to school, sweltering temperatures have tamed to tolerable levels, and hotels have reduced their peak summer rates. It’s an ideal time to enjoy the crisp autumn air and the technicolor palette that Mother Nature serves up each autumn. Here are my
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It makes sense that an automaker known for producing fuel efficient, eco-friendly vehicles would have a program to help its dealers operate with similar energy efficiency. That’s exactly the idea of the Honda-Acura Green Dealer Program. Since it launched in 2012, the program has saved dealerships more than $7.5 million in energy costs, not to
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