- Main Consumer Blog page
- Super Saver Blog
- Consumer channel
Recall news
|
Free legal help Click here to email The People's Lawyer Richard Alderman. |
Consumer news
Looking for a custom coupon organizer, check out this link to a Pasadena company that has been selling them for decades.
http://www.4bestbargains.com/servlet/StoreFront
There are some problems facing coupon clippers, fewer are being sent out, more have an expiration date and the values are changing.
Our Super Saver says the economy is to blame, but if you are looking to save, clipping coupons can still pay off.
Saving money is a top priority for a lot of people right now and many folks are clipping coupons. Before you look on line for coupons, make sure the site you are visiting is legitimate.
You can always check out a company by going to the Better business Bureau's home page, www.bbb.org
Also, the Coupon Information center has a lot of interesting tips about coupons, like you're not supposed to sell them.
Check out the tips they have at http://www.cents-off.com/faq.cfm
College graduates facing mounting student loan payments are about to see some relief. The Income Based Repayment Program would cap monthly payments depending on post graduation income.
In some cases the debt would be forgiven after 10 years.
The program only applies to Federal student loans, but it's estimated than more than 1 million college students could benefit from the assistance.
The details of the plan are vast, so check out this web site: www.ibrinfo.org
Is your lawn mower on its last leg, but you don't have any money for a new one? Well, don't despair because Consumer Reports has tested dozens of mowers and finds you don't have to pay top dollar to get a good one.
Lawn mowers can cost as much as $800, but Consumer Reports said you should hold on to your money.
Testers put 50 mowers through their paces. Included in the tests were push and self-propelled mowers from Lawn-Boy, Craftsman, Troy-Bilt, and other manufacturers.
The mowers are tested on six acres of grass in Fort Myers, Florida. Then Consumer Reports' testers get down to business on their hands and knees to inspect how well each mower cuts.
"Here's a classic example of unevenness. And here's a particularly big piece that got pushed down," said Peter Sawchuk of Consumer Reports.
Every mower is rated for its ability to cut in several modes: side discharge, mulching, and bagging.
Good mowers disperse clippings evenly, not in big clumps like this. You'd end up having to rake them so you won't damage your lawn.
If you want to mow your lawn at a budget price, two bare-bones push-mowers, one from Ariens (model number 961360006) and the other from Yard Machines (model number 11A-54MX), did a good job for the money.
"These mowers feature an overhead valve engine that run more cleanly and efficiently than traditional mower engines, and they cost just $200," said Bob Markovich of Consumer Reports.
However, if you like using side discharge for clippings, these mowers are only fair.
Willing to spend more money? For better performance and less effort, this self-propelled $320 Toro Recycler did a very good job overall.
All three mowers mentioned in this report are sold at Home Depot.
If you have a smaller yard to mow, Consumer Reports named a $240 electric mower from Black and Decker (model number MM875) a best buy. Like many electric mowers, it has a power cord you have to maneuver around while mowing.
Companies spend more than $300 million a year advertising laundry detergents, but how do you know which cleans the best?
Consumer Reports just tested more than three dozen and we've got the results.
Project Runway's Tim Gunn is touting Tide's latest edition, Tide Total Care, which claims to keep colors bright after 30 washes.
Consumer Reports wanted to see if Tide Total Care delivered on that promise. Testers washed three brand new cotton dresses 30 times. One in Tide Total Care, another in All Small & Mighty, and another in 2X Ultra Tide for Cold Water.
Consumer Reports' Pat Slaven then compared the new dress to the washed ones.
"As you can see, the dress washed with All faded compared to the dress washed with Tide Total Care," said Slaven.
The dress washed in 2X Ultra Tide for Cold Water looks about the same as the Tide Total Care dress, but that detergent costs about half as much. Also, the cheaper 2X Ultra Tide for Cold Water did a better job getting out stains in Consumer Reports' stain-removal tests.
Over 40 detergents were evaluated. Testers washed more than 1,500 cotton squares stained with hard-to-clean substances like red wine, grass, blood, and chocolate.
In the end, Consumer Reports named two best buys that will tear through tough stains and save you some money, too.
For conventional top-loading washers, try 2X Ultra Tide for Cold Water.
For high-efficiency front-loaders, Consumer Reports recommends Ultra Cheer Color Guard 2X Concentrated.
Another tip to save more money is to wash your laundry in cold water instead of warm. Consumer Reports says with a conventional top-loader that can reduce your energy costs by $60 a year.
In today's Stretch Your Dollar, we tested running shoes at three Houston-area locations.
For more information on each store, click on the links below:
Luke's Locker - 1953 West Gray, Houston, Texas 77019
Academy Sports and Outdoors - 2404 Southwest Freeway, Houston, Texas 77098
Sports Authority - 2131 Post Oak Blvd., Houston, Texas 77056
Before you buy a used car, be sure to have it checked out thoroughly by a competent, independent mechanic. If the lot owner will not let your mechanic look at the car, go somewhere else.
You can also get a vehicle history reports from Carfax or AutoCheck, but Consumer Reports recently discovered the services do not always show accidents.
For that reason C.R. suggested looking at several different car reporting services, including National Motor Vehicle Title Information Systems at www.nmvtis.org. The report is $2.50.
You can also get a free report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau at https://www.nicb.org/cps/rde/xchg/nicb/hs.xsl/vincheck.html. The report generated here are free.
Customers of Nationwide Insurance may be eligible for extra money if they had a claim for home damage.
The lawsuit claims Nationwide underpaid customers by about 20% on claims filed between January 1996 to March 2009.
To see the details of the lawsuit and the claim forms, click the link below.
Many Americans aren't making travel plans and many of those who are, say they'll take shorter trips this summer. No matter what your budget, there are vacations that will not break the bank.
The US Travel Association says this summer Americans are taking fewer trips and shorter ones. So to get your business, the travel industry is cutting prices. READ FULL STORY
Travel deal sites
Hotels.com
Ebates.com
Swagbucks.com
freeattractions.com
festivalsandevents.com
factorytoursusa.com
Nassau Bahamas sale
Orbitz.com
Cayman islands summer sale
http://www.thereef.com
www.caymanislands.ky
Mexico all-inclusive deals
www.travelsmartco.com
These days debt collectors are going to new levels to get their money. Some people say they are getting calls about debts that belong to family members or friends.
If you list someone as a reference on a loan, that person can get calls from debt collectors looking for you.
There are rules debt collectors must follow when calling about debt that does not belong to you. They can not ask you to pay a bill that belongs to someone else, you are not required to answer any questions, and you can tell them to stop calling.
If debt collectors are calling you for a debt that belongs to someone else and they ignore the rules, report them!
The time to protest your property taxes is now. Most of us have until June 1st to file a protest, but if you have not gotten your assessment yet, you will get 30 days to protest after receiving the assessment.
Yo file a protest using the internet, you can go to the Harris County Appraisal districts web site at:
To figure out the best way to protest, log onto the Harris County Tax Assessors web site at:
Whether it costs money or is free, experts agree you should arm your computer with protection software. READ MORE
Don't shop online without a promo code! The codes can save you money at many sites around the internet but if you don't have one, don't worry. Check out the following sites for the available promo codes BEFORE you hit the check out tab.
If you have a web enabled cell phone you can check out this site for promo codes and coupons to go.
The cost of natural gas is at levels not seen for about a year and a half and that's driving down the cost of electricity in Texas.
Most electricity generating plants in our state use natural gas to make power, so when the cost of natural gas goes down, power rates follow suit.
Right now you can find 12 month, 6 month and month to month power plans for just over 10 cents per kilowatt hour.
To find the best rates click here: www.powertochose.org
A federal program passed in 2008 is giving 8 million dollars to the county for the initiative.
The program is for low and middle income families who have not owned a home in the last three years.
The county will buy the homes then sell them for less than the purchase price.
The county will also spend up to ten thousand dollars on each home it buys to make repairs before selling them.
The first homes should be ready for sale the first week of June and interested buyers are being told to contact real estate agents to locate a home that qualifies.
The homes are in specific Harris County zip codes. 77014, 77015, 77029, 77037, 77038, 77039, 77044, 77049, 77050, 77066, 77067, 77073, 77093, 77338, 77396, 77521, 77530, 77536, 77547, 77562, 77571, 77587.
Today on Eyewitness News at 4 we spoke to a local couple that found their credit card number on a Russian based internet document. The document contains credit card numbers, addresses, phone numbers, and names of hundreds of people around the nation. The couple found the site by simply entering their address into a Google search box. The Federal Trade Commission says the site was compiled by someone who bought stolen credit card information.
If you find your information on something similar, report it to your credit card company and then contact local law enforcement.
You can also contact the 3 credit reporting agencies and ask for fraud alerts to be placed on your account. You do not have to pay for 3 months of fraud monitoring.
You can also report a breach of credit card information to the federal government by click in this link:
Summer is right around the corner and a new jobs program is waiting for young people looking for work.
The program is part of the federal stimulus package passed earlier this year and it will provide 4500 jobs for our area.
The jobs are for those who meet certain financial requirements, for instance if you live alone you can not make more than $10,830. A person living in a family of four can not have a family income of more than $22,500.
The jobs are for people ages 14-24 and start next month.
To learn more or apply go to the following link and click on the Summer Jobs for Youth tab http://www.wrksolutions.com/
Wolf Camera
Nikon L 19 $109.95
Canon Powershot Elph SD 1200 I-S $239.00
Target
Canon Powershot ELPH SD 1200 I-S $229.99
Nikon Coolpix 10 mp 3 X ZOOM 179.99 (Normally 229.99)
Kodak Easyshare Kids Camera 79.99 (Normally 89.99)
Costco
Canon Powershot 10 Mp iso 1600 with 2 GB memory card 164.99
Panasonic DMC f515, 5 x zoom 12 mp 179.99
Sony Cybershot 12 mp with 2 GB card 199.99
Nikon Coolpix s610 c 10 mp 4x zoom 169.99 (normally 219.99)
Kodak easy share 10 mp with 1 GB card 109.99 (normally 109.99)
Olympus waterproof 1050 SW 179.99
Conn’s
Canon Poweshot A 480 8 MP 1600 ISO 3 X Opt Zoom 129.99
Sony Cybershot 12 MP 4 X Zoom 179.99
1. Jewish Community Center “Camp J”: www.jcchouston.org
2. YMCA day camp: www.ymcahouston.org
3. The Mad Potter Summer Programs: www.themadpotter.com
4. Chapelwood Methodist Church “Camp Chapelwood”: www.chapelwood.org
5. West University Baptist Church Summer Camp: www.wubc.org
6. St. Lukes Methodist Church “Kids Kamp”: www.stlukesmethodist.org
2 Camps not shown on the air:
Alvin Community College Summer Camp
$95.00/week
www.alvincollege.edu
For more information contact Coordinator Rhonda Myers @ 281 756-3729 or email rmyers@alvincollege.edu
Grace Presbyterian Church Camp
Cost: $190 per week. Includes a camp shirt, all field trips and swimming costs.
Discount of $25 off total registration if summer tuition paid in full by May 27th.
www.gpch.org
About 5% of Houston television wathcers will not be ready when stations switch to Digital signals on June 12th. If you watch a television only using an antennae, you will need to buy a DTV converter box so your set will still get reception. Today the FCC Commissioner told us many elderly residents can not set up the converter boxes, but help is available.
The VN Team Work center on Bellaire can send someone to your home to help you install a DTV box.
To set up an appointment, call 281-495-8936.
If you have a converter box and are having trouble getting a signal, there is a web site that can help you figure out where your antennae should be pointing.
Click here, http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/Address.aspx, then type in your address and zip code.
If you need a coupon to help offset the cost of buying a converter box, click here, http://www.dtv.gov/.
You can register to get a coupon even if you had one expire previously.
Today on Eyewitness News at 4 we talked about work at home opportunities that may not be the best place to earn extra income.
Consumer Reports found that tying fishing lures did not make testers rich. Another work at home plan claimed that your could make hundreds of thousands of dollars stuffing envelopes, but that failed to produce results as well. A third money maker, "Google Money Tree", did not deliver what was promised either.
In the past we have featured real opportunities and have spoken about them with Tory Johnson who now has a gig with Good Morning America. Tory has a complete list of real offers and ideas for home based businesses. Check out Tory's work at home guide at http://www.womenforhire.com/work_from_home
This summer if you’re looking for that tan of the island, minus the cost of a plane ticket, you may want to try a self tanner.
In today's Stretch Your dollar - we put self tanners to the test. As 13 Eyewitness News reporter Katie McCall explained, the higher price tag may not give you a better bronze.
The tester's favorite was the Hawaiian Tropic Crème for $10.
Here are the prices:
1. Mystic tan sunless lotion - 5 oz bottle $38.00
2. Tan Towel Full Body - 5 towelettes $25.00
3. Neutrogena Micro Mist Sunless Tan Spray 5.3 oz $9.00 (on sale from $10.59)
4. Hawaiian Tropic Island Radiance Ultra Crème 6 ounces $9.99
The sun rising to the sound of a chainsaw was music to Betty Gibbons ears. It was a day seven months in the makeing. Grandma Gibbons was a newlywed when her late husband planted this majestic hackberry tree nearly 50 years ago. It was standing straight the night before Ike hit, then lightening and Ike's winds took it down.
"I was devastated really when I saw the tree, limbs all over." said Gibbons.
And the tree has sprawled across her lawn ever since the storm.
"I was beginning to wonder if I was going to get it removed or it was going to be a permanent thing here. A pepermanent memorial to Ike."
She tried cutting the tree with this small bow saw but needless to say the hugh job was impossible.
holding the small saw she laughed, ' I couldn't do this with a small bow saw"
She played phone tag with the city trying to get help with no success.
Gibbons said "I didn't have money to hire someone to remove it and I told her how old I am 79 I was 78 at the time and I felt very disappointed I didn't know what I was going to do."
Frustrated, she called in the Action 13 Angels and we got right on it.
We called onGarden Guru Rany Lemmon and he called in his friend and affordable three specialist Martin Spoonemore.
Spoonemore said "It's going to be a rest haven for snakes, rats and everything else that could make a home out of it."
Lemon decided the ants had to go before the tree. "He said "I had this sneaking suspicion that underneath the felled tree fire ants would be existing. we have a fire ant mound all the way up the trunk of the tree."
It took less than an hour for a crew from Affordable Tree Service to get the job done. A job that would have cost around 15 hundred, but they didn't charge a dime.
"We've got it taken care of for her so she should be in good shape and now she can enjoy her yard again." Spoonemore said when they finished the job.
What do you think of your yard now? Gibbons was delighted "it's great you don't know how much I appreciate it, too. I prayed like I said and the Lord sent Angels."
The City has started collecting and recycling tree debris during odd months. To check the date in your zip code click on http://www.houstontx.gov/solidwaste/index.html
Thanks to Randy Lemmon and Martin Spoonemore, president of Affordable Tree Service for getting up before dawn to help Betty Gibbons.
Have a good weekend
Lori
lik
r
The bad economy may make it a good tie to pick up a car lease from someone who needs to get rid or their ride.
Lease trading has been around a while and basically it requires a person to take over someone else's lease.
The lease holder can even pay down the terms of the note, making the monthly payments very reasonable.
We spoke with a person who took over a lease today and while he is happy with the deal, he says anyone considering it should take a few things into account.
First, try to find a car locally. While you can pick a car from anywhere, getting titles and registration can become a problem.
Second, be patient. It can take several weeks to sign all the paper work and receive your car, so if you need a ride right now, make sure you know how long things will take.
Third, ask questions. Since you are taking over another persons lease, make sure you know how many miles you can drive and the responsibilities you have concerning any damage.
There are several national companies that set up lease holders with those looking to take over a lease, here are some links:
And check out some of the tips included in this article:
http://www.edmunds.com/advice/leasing/articles/47011/article.html
If you still have old electronics and TV sets and just want to get rid of them, use the links below to find ways to dispose of them.
Identity theft may be the largest white-collar crime in the history of the United States. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has reported, "One in 6 Americans will be a victim of identity theft this year alone. In the last 12 months 9.93 million people have had some type of identity theft crime committed against them. Victims spend on average $1,200 in out-of-pocket expenses and an average of 175 hours in efforts to resolve the many problems caused by identity thieves. Criminal identity theft occurs when an impostor gives another person's name and personal information such as a drivers' license, date of birth, or Social Security number to obtain a job, housing, money, goods, or other services, according to Kroll Background America. According to the National Association for Information Destruction, the following documents should be shredded when discarded:
• Pre-approved credit applications, credit card statements and expired charge cards
• Personal medical records and physician statements
• Tax preparation worksheets, obsolete financial records and receipts
• Insurance forms, telephone bills, cancelled checks and bank statements
• Mail, old records and mailing labels from magazines
If you need help filing your taxes, help is available.(FULL STORY)
April 15th is just days away and volunteers with the Neighborhood Tax Centers are ready. The Centers are located through out the area and have expanded hours as the tax deadline approaches.
You can call the United Way at 2-1-1 for times and location or check out the information by clicking here.
Take a good look at your credit card rate, if it is in the double digits, you may be able to get it lowered.
Consumer Reports recently found a woman who cut her rate from 18 percent to just over 4 percent.
It turns out she simply called her credit card company, explained her situation and then learned she qualified for a hardship program. She saved cut her monthly finance charge by more than 200 dollars.
The first step is to check your credit report for any errors.
Do it for free by visiting this web site www.annualcreditreport.com
Next, find out the current interest rates being offered by other banks.
Do that for free at www.cardtrack.com
Another piece of advice, be persistent. If the first person you speak with does nothing for you, ask to speak to a supervisor or someone in customer retention.
If you are uninsured and thinking of buying your own coverage, you may want to take a close look at the companies offering policies. Privately funded health insurance is very expensive. Consumer Reports found less expensive policies on the market, but there is a catch. C.R. says people who buy the low cost insurance often find they have little coverage when they need it.
In Texas, a company must be licensed to sell insurance. Before you buy a policy, call the Texas Department of Insurance Consumer Help Line. The number is 1-800-252-3439. T.D.I. can provide you with an agent and company's complaint index and financial ratings. The complaint index and financial rating help indicate whether a company provides good customer service and is financially stable.
Below are some of the easiest vegetables to plant in Texas. For more information on gardening, check out the National Gardening Association at www.garden.org.
Vegetables
1. Peas
2. Green Beans
3. Tomatoes
4. Peppers
5. Lettuce
6. Onions
7. Parsley
8. Cucumbers
9. Squash
10. Carrots
Fruits:
1. Strawberries
2. Blueberries
3. Blackberries
4. Raspberries
5. Watermelon
6. Peaches
7. Nectarines
8. Plums
9. Figs
10. Loquats
Recent Comments