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Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
3 Key Signs You're So-Called ‘One-Time' Purchases Will Keep Happening
Cutting back on unnecessary subscriptions is one of the most common pieces of personal finance advice. Even seemingly modest recurring purchases add up quickly, especially in an era when it's not uncommon for people to have dozens of them. Trending Now: Consider This: In most cases, that's good advice, but don't let an obsession with subscriptions distract you from the much bigger risk of excessive one-time purchases — especially when they're impulsive and compulsive, which they so often are. Here are the signs to watch out for. In the runup to Black Friday in 2024, Medium reminded its readers about the age-old rule of 'buy cheap, buy twice.' No matter what you're in the market for, there is no shortage of low-quality junk with tempting price tags. However, by spending a little extra on a well-built version of that lawnmower, baseball glove or hair dryer you have your eye on, you'll save in the long run with the money you don't spend to replace it when it wears out or breaks before its time. If you find yourself buying the same things over and over again, you might be crowding your budget with so many one-time purchases that you can't afford to invest in a quality version of any of them. The result? An unofficial ongoing subscription to cheap, throwaway junk. Read Next: A 2024 CNET study found the average American spends more than $1,000 a year on subscriptions, with streaming media leading the way. Many people struggle to manage their vast and varied patchwork of far-flung recurring payments for apps and services they may or may not use — and in many cases, may or may not even know they have because of oversights like failing to cancel a free trial. But for meticulous budgeters, subscription costs are fixed, predictable and automatic and should therefore be manageable. However, those who don't apply the same vigilance to their one-time purchases might find that the subscriptions they once had under control are now triggering overdrafts or alerts for missed payments. If that's the case, the newly burdensome cost of subscriptions they worked so hard to rein in could indicate that the one-time purchases they neglected are now getting away from them. Subscription overload gets a lot of attention, and rightly so — but in reality, the buy-now button that triggers so many unplanned, unbudgeted and unnecessary one-and-done purchases is far more dangerous. Data from CapitalOne Shopping Research found that the average person makes 9.75 impulse purchases every 30 days, totaling $281.75 per month or $3,381 per year — more than three times what the CNET study found the average person spends on subscriptions. Unless money is no object, you can't sustain that kind of financial bleeding for long before you start suffering from the telltale signs of financial stress, which include: Constant worry about keeping up with bills Running a revolving balance on your credit cards or, even worse, making only the minimum payments Hiding purchases or misrepresenting your spending habits to a spouse or partner Living paycheck to paycheck Plundering emergency funds or, even worse, retirement accounts Your credit score falls as your utilization ratio rises More From GOBankingRates Warren Buffett: 10 Things Poor People Waste Money On I'm a Retired Boomer: 6 Bills I Canceled This Year That Were a Waste of Money Sources Medium, 'You Buy Cheap, You Buy Twice' CNET, ''Subscription Creep' Is Real. Consumers Are Paying Over $1,000 Each Year, CNET Survey Finds' CapitalOne Shopping Research, 'Impulse Buying Statistics' Broadway Bank, 'Am I Spending Too Much?' This article originally appeared on 3 Key Signs You're So-Called 'One-Time' Purchases Will Keep Happening 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
Associated Press
14-05-2025
- Health
- Associated Press
U.S. News Announces the 2025-2026 Best OTC Medicine & Health Products
New edition evaluates more than 1,000 over-the-counter consumer products, names product winners across 100+ product categories. WASHINGTON, May 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in health care rankings and consumer advice, today published the third annual Best OTC Medicine & Health Products. The latest edition of the rankings features 133 categories, with 12 new over-the-counter product categories added this year. The brands with the most No. 1 products among the 2025-2026 rankings are Nature Made (7), followed by CeraVe (6) and Neutrogena (5); the companies with the most No. 1 products are Haleon plc, followed by Kenvue Inc., Prestige Consumer Healthcare Inc., The Procter & Gamble Company and L'Oreal Usa, Inc. 'Navigating the crowded shelves of over-the-counter products can feel overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be a guessing game,' said Shanley Chien, senior editor of health at U.S. News. 'U.S. News' annual Best OTC Medicine & Health Products rankings offer consumers a trustworthy guide, backed by a statistical assessment of the top-performing over-the-counter products.' 'U.S. News' in-depth evaluation across more than 100 categories, informed by the expertise of nearly 500 pharmacists and dermatologists, is your go-to resource for making confident over-the-counter purchasing decisions,' Chien added. In a continued partnership with global market research firm The Harris Poll, U.S. News surveyed 357 pharmacists and 134 dermatologists practicing in the United States in March 2025 regarding 133 categories. The over-the-counter medicine and health products that were evaluated ranged from prenatal and pregnancy care items to those for infants and children, and further encompass products for adults and seniors. To determine the rankings, panelists selected their top three recommended brands within each category assigned to them. The brands that were highly ranked most often were ranked No. 1 for the corresponding product categories. U.S. News awarded the designations of Best OTC Medicine & Health Products only to those brands that satisfy U.S. News' statistical assessment of performance on the survey. Based on U.S. News' analysis, some product categories were awarded more than one winner. Some popular product category winners evaluated by pharmacists among the 2025-2026 edition, ranked No. 1, include: Some popular product category winners evaluated by dermatologists among the 2025-2026 edition, ranked No. 1, include: Those looking to choose a health product that's right for them or their child should consult a medical professional as part of their decision-making process. For the full rankings, visit U.S. News' Best OTC Medicine & Health Products. Explore more of the 2025-2026 product rankings using #BestOTCProducts on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X. About U.S. News & World Report U.S. News & World Report is the global leader for journalism that empowers consumers, citizens, business leaders and policy officials to make confident decisions in all aspects of their lives and communities. A multifaceted media company, U.S. News provides unbiased rankings, independent reporting and analysis, and consumer advice to millions of people on each month. A pillar in Washington for more than 90 years, U.S. News is the trusted home for in-depth and exclusive insights on education, health, politics, the economy, personal finance, travel, automobiles, real estate, careers and consumer products and services. About The Harris Poll The Harris Poll is a global public opinion, analytics, and market research consultancy that strives to reveal society's authentic values to inspire leaders to create a better tomorrow. With a global research reach of more than ninety countries, Harris offers advisory services across sectors to world leaders, CEOs, and business decision-makers with state-of-the-art analytics, real-time software services, and practitioners in marketing, reputation, customer experience, trends, futures, and thought leadership/research-for-public release, The Harris Poll translates shifting social sentiment into a competitive marketplace advantage. Harris is a Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW) company. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE U.S. News & World Report, L.P.
