Smart Spending
Consumer trends, deals, price changes, subscription services, comparison shopping, and making smarter purchasing decisions in everyday life.
Latest in Smart Spending
New-car buyers who financed in 2025 will see Form 1098-VLI from their lender next January — the OBBB lets them deduct up to $10,000 in interest on U.S.-built vehicles
A borrower who financed $35,000 at 7.5 percent over five years for a new pickup truck assembled in Fort Worth, Texas, paid roughly $2,500 in...
Federal Lifeline gives qualifying low-income households up to $34.25 off the phone or internet bill every month — but most who qualify never sign up to claim it
Roughly 30 million American households qualify for a federal discount on their phone or internet bill, yet fewer than 8 million are currently enrolled. The...
Federal rules cap any unclaimed-property or heir-finder fee at 10% of what they recover — and the official state search at unclaimed.org is always free anyway
The letter arrives out of nowhere, usually on official-looking letterhead: a company claims you are owed money and offers to recover it for a fee....
Cell carriers offer quiet “loyalty” discounts of $5 to $15 a month — but you have to call retention and ask; the operator never volunteers them
Your wireless bill probably has room to drop by $5 to $15 per line, per month. T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T all maintain some version of...
Ashley Furniture is paying $9 million over mattresses that leaked fiberglass into homes — owners can claim a store voucher per mattress through July 17
If you own an Ashley Furniture memory foam mattress and have ever found tiny, irritating glass-like fibers on your sheets, walls, or clothing, you may...
Hospitals quietly offer “prompt-pay” discounts of 10% to 30% — but only if you ask before the bill goes to collections
Somewhere in the billing office of nearly every nonprofit hospital in the country, there is a written policy that could knock 10% to 30% off...
Hospitals routinely overcharge — request an itemized bill, and you can dispute the errors that studies find on most of them
Picture a three-night hospital stay for a broken ankle. The summary bill arrives: $47,000. But when the patient calls the billing department and asks for...
Anyone who subscribed to the streaming service MUBI may qualify for a cash payment from a class-action settlement — the deadline to file a claim is June 9
MUBI, the streaming service that originally built its reputation on a rotating selection of 30 hand-picked films and has since expanded to a larger curated...
The health FSA limit rises to $3,300 this year — but whatever you don’t spend by December usually vanishes, handing your own money back to your employer
A worker who set aside the full $3,300 in a health flexible spending account for 2025 and spent only $2,400 on medical bills lost $900...
A new batch of class-action settlements pays out before July — Krispy Kreme is sending up to $3,500 and Trader Joe’s about $100, most with no proof required
Krispy Kreme customers who placed online orders and Trader Joe’s shoppers who bought certain grocery products may be in line for cash payouts this summer,...
Summer airfares are running 21% above last year — but analysts say the cheapest move is to wait and book August, when fares finally drop
Summer airfares are running 21% above last year – but analysts say the cheapest move is to wait and book August, when fares finally drop...
Every major streaming service except Amazon raised prices in 2026 — Netflix’s top plan now runs $26.99 a month, and the typical household is juggling four subscriptions at once
Every major streaming service except Amazon raised prices in 2026 — Netflix’s top plan now runs $26.99 a month, and the typical household is juggling...
Americans spent a record $38 billion on Mother’s Day — Gen Z averaged $922 per mom while boomers spent $168
A 22-year-old in Austin buys his mother a gold bracelet, a spa certificate, and a brunch reservation that runs $150 before tip. A 68-year-old retiree...
Americans will spend a record $38 billion on Mother’s Day — Gen Z is averaging $922 per person while boomers spend $168
A 22-year-old buying her mom a spa weekend and a 70-year-old picking out a card and a bouquet are both celebrating Mother’s Day. They are...
Used EVs are outselling projections by 25% this year — because at $4.39 a gallon, it costs 60% less to charge than fill up
A three-year-old Chevy Bolt EV with 35,000 miles on the odometer now lists for about $14,500 at dealerships across the Midwest and Southeast. Plug that...
Eli Lilly’s weight loss pill attracted 20,000 patients in its first month — before any advertising — at $149/month without insurance
No commercials. No billboards. No influencer campaigns. Within 30 days of reaching pharmacy shelves, Eli Lilly’s oral weight loss drug Foundayo had been prescribed to...
Report: Americans are canceling streaming subscriptions as costs rise
A household subscribing to Netflix, Disney+, Max, and Peacock now pays north of $55 a month before taxes, more than many basic cable packages cost...
Higher gas prices push 50%+ of buyers to EVs, hybrids
By the third week of March 2026, filling up a midsize SUV cost north of $65 in most of the country. The national average for...
How much $4-a-gallon gas actually costs your household per year — and 3 ways to offset it right now
Gas flirting with 4 dollars a gallon is more than a psychological threshold; it quietly reshapes a household budget over the course of a year....
Realistic side hustles that can earn you $1,000 or more this month
Many Americans are looking for ways to boost their income without committing to a second full time job. Rising living costs and economic uncertainty have...