Consumers' Checkbook

Private-equity firms and conglomerates have quietly bought up legendary clothing, furniture, and tool brands. As they try to squeeze more profits from these well-known companies, product quality often suffers. It’s a phenomenon tech entrepreneur Keyana Sapp digs into via his nonprofit online newsletter WorseOnPurpose.com, which includes the Brand Ledger, an adjacent database that tracks ownership of more than 200 major brands.

For several years now, American consumers’ finances have been squeezed by surging housing costs, climbing grocery bills, and costs for insurance, utilities, and childcare that have increased faster than wages. While families struggle to keep up, companies manipulate us to spend money with fake sales, worthless warranties, and search results flooded with ads. Many brands intentionally downgrade the quality of their products and services.

Buying an electric vehicle (EV) is one of the best ways to shield yourself from high gasoline prices. But new EVs still cost significantly more than comparable gas-powered or hybrid vehicles. In May, the average transaction price for all new vehicles was $49,015, while the average new EV sold for $54,532, according to Cox Automotive. Buying a used EV may be an affordable alternative. Because new electrics tend to lose value even faster than conventional cars, used EVs are often bargains.

Consumers’ Checkbook interviews thrifty gardening expert and author Mark Lane, who offers advice on how to grow plants and buy supplies for less. Filling your backyard or front-porch container garden with flowers, veggies, and other growing things can feed both your body and soul. But green thumbing it will also cost you: The 2026 National Gardening Survey found that, on average, American gardeners spend $740 a person each year, a jump of more than 18 percent compared to 2025.

If you need to jettison an entire household of belongings, an estate sale can provide a one-shot solution. Most events take place over two or three days, when an estate sale company (or sometimes, a family member) holds a jumbo tag sale or online auction during which furniture, art, dishes, clothing, and even unopened bottles of Pepsi are game. These liquidators take a big cut of sales proceeds—30 to 50 percent is typical—so don’t expect an estate sale to generate considerable money for you.

Electronic keypads, video doorbells, and other innovations are changing the way consumers get in and out of their homes. But an old-fashioned lock-and-key deadbolt still works as a terrific defense against break-ins. If you need to upgrade your locks—or add new ones—you’ll need a quality locksmith. Here are key pointers and ratings for finding the best locks and help installing them.

“Phishing” scams, where cybercriminals impersonate a trusted entity—such as a bank, government agency, or delivery service—are the number one cyber threat faced by most Americans. These email and text messages, which are designed to trick you into providing sensitive information, such as Social Security numbers, passwords, or credit card numbers, are blamed for most cyber-enabled crimes, according to the FBI’s 2026 Internet Crime Report.

When fuel prices surge, gas-saving tricks are as plentiful as people complaining about the high cost of filling their tanks. But automotive experts warn many of these hacks don’t work—and some could harm your car. Here’s what to do—and what not to do—to improve your mileage. Myth #1: Premium Gas Is Better for Every Car For most vehicle models, paying more for premium (high-octane) fuel won’t improve performance or mileage.

Despite predictions that banks would eliminate overdraft fees, they remain a costly burden for many consumers. Last year, the average overdraft fee was $26.77, only a one percent dip from the $27.08 average in 2024, according to the latest checking account survey by Bankrate.com. Ninety-four percent of the account options Bankrate studied still charge a fee when accounts have a negative balance.

“All natural,” “Reduced sodium,” “non-GMO,” “USDA organic,” “healthy,” “whole food protein.” Food packaging often includes descriptors making it sound as if your breakfast cereal or veggie burger could improve your health—or that of the planet. But how trustworthy are these claims? And which ones should we take with a big grain of salt? Some of these terms are meaningful but many are nonsense. Some are regulated by the government; others aren’t. It’s all confusing.