Ever heard of Service shrinkflation?

"Service shrinkflation: why you’re getting less help for the same money."
From hotel housekeeping to loyalty points, here’s where the cuts are hiding.

Companies aren’t just shrinking products, they’re shrinking service too — less housekeeping, weaker rewards, and more chatbots for the same (or higher) price

Hotels, customer support, and loyalty programs are big offenders: fewer cleanings, harder-to-reach humans, and points that suddenly buy a lot less

Your move: check policies before you buy, screenshot “promises,” and don’t hesitate to ask for credits, bonus points, or to downgrade/cancel when service is cut.

Everyone’s been yelling about shrinkflation for the last few years. The cereal...
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Do you know there is a Thanksgiving Prep Timeline?

"Your Thanksgiving Prep Timeline."
Follow this schedule to take the stress out of hosting the holiday meal.

It’s just one meal, but shopping, prepping, and cooking for Thanksgiving dinner can feel overwhelming. The best way to save time and prevent cooking burnout is to break the tasks down and stick to an organized schedule. Here’s a handy holiday-meal countdown.

The Week Before
Do an equipment check. Serving dishes and utensils, meat thermometer, roasting pan—check now to make sure you have the gear you’ll need, so you still have time to buy or borrow what might be missing. It’s also a good idea...
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What are some good Holiday Tipping Advice?

"CR's Holiday Tipping Cheat Sheet."
Not sure how much to give your dog walker, hairdresser, or mail carrier—or whether you should tip them at all? We've got you covered.

Americans are fed up with being asked to tip for an ever-increasing number of their daily purchases. When it comes to holiday tipping, though, many of us still feel more like George Bailey than Ebenezer Scrooge: In a 2024 Bankrate survey, 80 percent of Americans said they planned to give holiday tips to house cleaners and other service workers. 

Deciding who gets a year-end tip—and how much that should be—is rarely straightforward. It...
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Can both canned and frozen fruit and vegetables can be great options?

" Frozen vs. Canned Vegetables and Fruit: Which Is Healthier? "
Both can be nutritious alternatives to fresh, but there are some key differences.

Both canned and frozen fruit and vegetables can be great options, especially when fresh produce is out of season or too expensive. But there are some key differences between the two preservation methods that give frozen produce a slight edge.

A package of frozen fruit or vegetables typically contains just the produce itself, blanched and/or flash-frozen without added ingredients like salt, sugar, or sauce. “Fruits and vegetables are packed with nutrients, and that doesn’t change when they are...
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Did you know your TV knows and shares information about you?

"How to Turn Off Smart TV Snooping Features."
All smart TVs—from LG, Samsung, TCL, and other brands—collect personal data. Here's how to use privacy settings to limit surveillance.

You may not be aware of it, but your TV knows—and shares—a lot of information about you.

Nearly all new sets are smart TVs, which connect to the internet, making it easy to stream videos from services such as Hulu and Netflix. The streaming apps on your TV may collect data on you, even if you don’t ever sign in. And your smart TV will also collect information for its manufacturer, possibly including your...
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