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Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
6 Ways To Plan Your Purchases Around Yo-Yoing Tariffs
Tariffs are all over the place right now. One day they're here — or looming — and the next they're not. Given the current yo-yo nature of tariffs, it can be hard to know which items to stock up on and which to stop buying. If you're more than a little confused, you're not alone. Check Out: Read Next: 'With tariffs constantly shifting, it's easy to feel pressure to stockpile or second-guess every purchase, but don't let the headlines run your shopping list,' said Kyle DePaolo, co-founder and principal at DePaolo & May Strategic Wealth. 'The smartest move is still the simplest — buy what you truly need, when you need it and use a few clever tactics to stay ahead of sudden price changes without stressing over every policy update.' Keep reading to learn six tips to optimize your purchases amid tariff turmoil. Major retailers like Target and Walmart buy products months in advance, DePaolo said. If they suddenly have an influx of one item, it might be due to impending tariffs. 'That's your sign to buy now, before prices rise,' he said. 'Think of it like reading the store's poker hand.' Learn More: Since tariffs typically target specific countries — like China — DePaolo said simply swapping brands might not be the answer. Instead, you might be able to save money by seeking out brands made in countries with lower tariffs. Many major retailers offer price matching — both against competitors and their own online presence, DePaolo said. 'During tariff volatility, prices often change faster online than in-store,' he said. 'If you see a lower price on the store's own website while standing in the aisle, ask for a price match.' He said most stores will honor the price match, even if the difference was caused by recently imposed tariffs. Buying new isn't the only way to shop. DePaolo said categories like secondhand items and refurbished electronics typically won't be impacted by tariffs. If you're in the market for a product impacted by tariffs, setting up price drop alerts can help you spend less, DePaolo said. 'Use tools like Honey, CamelCamelCamel — for Amazon — or Slickdeals to track specific items you're looking for,' he said. 'These trackers often spot tariff-driven price spikes or dips before mainstream buyers even notice.' If you're planning to buy a big-ticket item in the coming months, consider whether it might become more expensive due to tariffs, said Paulo Lopes, J.D., founder and financial planner at Woodmont Financial Partners. Buy it now if you think the price will increase due to tariffs. Personally, he was planning to buy a laptop this year anyway, but purchased it a month or two early to avoid a tariff-imposed price increase.'And of course, shortly after, the tariffs were paused,' he said. 'I was a little annoyed with the yo-yoing, but that's out of my control.' What mattered most, he said, was he already had the cash set aside and was going to purchase the laptop anyway. More From GOBankingRates The 10 Most Reliable SUVs of 2025 Clever Ways To Save Money That Actually Work in 2025 This article originally appeared on 6 Ways To Plan Your Purchases Around Yo-Yoing Tariffs Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
USA Today
28-04-2025
- Lifestyle
- USA Today
Muscle Milk's smores protein shake tastes like a Pop-Tart. Do with that what you will
Muscle Milk's smores protein shake tastes like a Pop-Tart. Do with that what you will Welcome back to FTW's Beverage of the Week series. Here, we mostly chronicle and review beers, but happily expand that scope to any beverage that pairs well with sports. Yes, even cookie dough whiskey. Protein powder has become a regular part of my diet. In part because it compels me, at least slightly, to work out. But mixing in a scoop of protein with my coffee not only serves as a useful breakfast that keeps me from getting hungry until, say, 2 p.m. but also makes my cheap flavored coffee feel much fancier. This has typically been whatever winds up on sale at Costco or splashed across my personalized recommendations on Slickdeals. As such, Muscle Milk has typically been an outlier -- a heavyweight brand mostly static with its pricing. While I'd seen it in the coolers at my old gym, I'd never splurged on a carton. After breaking down Pure Protein's offerings and Fulfil's bars, Muscle Milk reached out with the chance to try a new-ish flavor. I'm down for all things smores -- especially the now discontinued Ritz Bits. Now I get to dot my morning with a ready-made shake before my extremely basic afternoon dad workout. Let's see what we've got. Smores: B- It pours a dense brown, looking like a creamy chocolate shake all the way. It smells a bit sweeter than you'd expect, or maybe right on par for a drink that's got heavy marshmallow influence to it. It doesn't taste like a smore. It tastes like a Pop Tarts smores pastry. It's sweet, with a dense sugar feel despite zero sugars in the actual drink. It's thick enough that drinking through a straw is tricky, which helps it feel a bit more authentic to a protein shake. Your feelings on it will depend on how much sweetness you can tolerate. The creamy feel of casein protein gives way to an artificial sugar that leaves a sharp taste on your tongue and coats the roof of your mouth. If you're looking for a dessert, this will scratch that itch at 170 calories and 25 grams of protein. Ultimately, that's good enough for me. It won't be my morning, mix-it-with-coffee protein (although...), but it's a solid post-workout reward. While the protein-to-calorie ratio isn't great here, it's sweet enough to justify its position. It's not my favorite, but it's fine. Would I drink it instead of a Hamm's? This a pass/fail mechanism where I compare whatever I'm drinking to my baseline cheap beer. That's the standby from the land of sky-blue waters, Hamm's. So the question to answer is: on a typical day, would I drink Muscle Milk's smores protein shake over a cold can of Hamm's? Well huh, I'm beginning to think this is an imperfect metric. I do like the taste, but it's a lot. It's more dessert than morning shake, but there's room for that. Personally, I'd like a better calorie-to-protein ratio, but it's fine.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Skip the Impulse Buy: Here's What That Money Would Make in a Savings Account
We all do it. You grabbed a $6 coffee, added a $55 candle to our cart, or splurged on a $100 'treat-yourself' haul. While these impulse buys feel good in the moment, they could be costing you way more than you think, especially when you consider what that money could earn just sitting in a savings account. Trending Now: Consider This: With high-yield savings accounts offering 4% to 5% APY right now, skipping even a few unplanned purchases a month can add up to real money over time. Let's break down how much your impulse spending could earn if you saved it instead. According to a 2022 survey by Slickdeals, the average American spends around $314 per month on impulse purchases; things like snacks, clothes, beauty products, or home goods bought without planning ahead. That's $3,768 a year. Now let's look at what that could do in a savings account. Most traditional bank savings accounts still offer low interest, around 0.45% APY. If you deposited $3,768 in a regular savings account and didn't touch it, you'd earn about $17 in interest after one year. Not bad, but not great either. Explore More: Now let's say you put that same $3,768 into a high-yield savings account (which currently offer 4% to 5% APY, depending on the bank). At 4.5% APY, you'd earn approximately $170 in interest in just one year. That's basically a free grocery trip, a holiday gift, or a car insurance payment, just for letting your money sit. You don't have to overhaul your entire lifestyle to see results. Here's what skipping just a few common impulse buys could earn you in interest (at 4.5% APY): $5 latte three times a week: $60 a month, $720 a year, $32.40 in interest $100 weekend 'treat': $100 a month, $1,200 a year, $54 in interest Impulse buys aren't evil, but they can quietly eat away at your long-term financial goals. By pausing before you hit 'buy now' and redirecting just a portion of that money into a high-yield savings account, you could be building a buffer, funding a future trip, or hitting your emergency fund goal faster. Remember: skipping the splurge doesn't mean saying no forever, it just means saying yes to something bigger later. More From GOBankingRates 5 Luxury Cars That Will Have Massive Price Drops in Spring 2025 4 Things You Should Do if You Want To Retire Early These 10 Used Cars Will Last Longer Than an Average New Vehicle 4 Affordable Car Brands You Won't Regret Buying in 2025 This article originally appeared on Skip the Impulse Buy: Here's What That Money Would Make in a Savings Account Sign in to access your portfolio
