green living, smart spending
If you are considering donating your vehicle for a tax deduction, think carefully before donating it to Kars4Kids. The car donation charity gets low ratings from charity watchdog rating services and has been accused repeatedly of misleading donors and misusing funds.
You’ve procrastinated long enough. The Ikon Pass for the 2025/26 skiing and riding season has been on sale since spring, with periodic price increases every few months. Thursday, December 11, 2025, is the last day to purchase any Ikon Pass, including passes for specific resorts and multi-day discounts for prices as low as $349.
Plan your fall/winter 2025 and and spring/summer 2026 travel now, including these new routes between US cities and popular destinations in Europe, the Caribbean and South America, with dozens of new flights a week – plus updates to frequent flyer programs and partnerships. And be aware of routes which have been cancelled. We have both.
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We all know what recent new tariffs have done to prices, and what outsourcing and moving manufacturing overseas did to the US economy. Keep your holiday budget under control by shopping instead with these small businesses which sell only Made in USA holiday ornaments, decorations and other items for Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa. Help
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Your boarding pass is – literally – your ticket to ride. You can’t get on the plane without it, starting with checking a bag and getting through security. So why would you take the chance of depending on your phone’s battery life or the airline’s app system?
Beware of the newest holiday scam, called “brushing”, which involves receiving an unexpected gift – something you did not order – by mail or delivery from Amazon or similar. You need to click the enclosed QR code to find out who sent it. Don’t do it.
There are great meal deals and new menu items at national restaurant and fast food chains every week, to help you stretch your strained budget. There are new Xmas menus at several chains, new Krispy Kreme donuts that look like favorite Peanuts characters including Snoopy, free Shake Shack burgers every day in December, kids eat
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The weeks between Black Friday and January sales present some of the year’s greatest parking challenges, turning holiday cheer into stress, frustration and even fender bender accidents as rushed shoppers battle for parking spaces. Parking lot accidents happen much more often than you might think. According to the National Safety Council, as many as 20%
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More of us are ordering online these days, which gives scammers more opportunity to send phishing emails and texts to confirm our order, that an order has been delayed, or to track an order. My inbox overflows daily with scammers sending emails and texts like these. Does yours? Here’s how to avoid getting scammed by phishing.
The peak holiday driving season is underway, which often means clogged roads and traffic jams. Road rage is a driving danger, along with drunk driving and distracted driving such as texting while driving. These tips will help you avoid aggressive drivers, or become one yourself.