NEW YORK (Reuters) – If you use a lot of postage stamps, now is a good time to stock up.

At the end of January, the cost of a stamp will rise another penny. If you buy a so-called Forever stamp for 45 cents today, it will work just as well as the one you will pay 46 cents for starting on January 27. Consider buying enough to last a year or more and you’ll not only save a few dollars, but a few trips to the post office, too.

NEW YORK, Jan 9 (Reuters) – If you use a lot of postage
stamps, now is a good time to stock up.

At the end of January, the cost of a stamp will rise another
penny. If you buy a so-called Forever stamp for 45 cents today,
it will work just as well as the one you will pay 46 cents for
starting on Jan. 27. Consider buying enough to last a year or
more and you’ll not only save a few dollars, but a few trips to
the post office, too.

By Mitch Lipka

(Reuters) – Carol Stuber was going through her mail and stumbled on a bill that made no sense – $3,300 for goods purchased from Apple using an instant-approved financing plan. “I said, ‘What the heck is this?” she recalls.

Stuber, 70, a longtime tax preparer of Westbury, New York, had not applied for any credit plan or received any merchandise from the company.

Jan 2 (Reuters) – If you are mad as hell about a consumer
experience you’ve had, you may want to exercise your right of
free speech to express your dismay in a public forum – these
days, by posting a negative review on a site like Yelp or
Angie’s List.

But a lawsuit in Virginia may make you think twice about how
exactly to word your gripe to avoid provoking a defamation
lawsuit that could cost you, whether you end up guilty of
defamation or not. At a time when consumers routinely rely on
what other consumers have to say about products and services,
the case has bearing on the boundaries of online behavior.

By Mitch Lipka

(Reuters) – When the holidays end and year-end reports are out of the way, a nice trip could prove tempting. Even more alluring would be a travel bargain that could get you into that ski lift or beach chair for less.

Finding travel deals is in Pauline Frommer’s blood. In addition to working on the family-named Frommer’s guidebooks, she co-hosts the nationally syndicated “The Travel Show” radio program with her travel-writer father, Arthur Frommer. Here she highlights some travel opportunities to consider this winter.

Dec 20 (Reuters) – When the holidays end and year-end
reports are out of the way, a nice trip could prove tempting.
Even more alluring would be a travel bargain that could get you
into that ski lift or beach chair for less.

Finding travel deals is in Pauline Frommer’s blood. In
addition to working on the family-named Frommer’s guidebooks,
she co-hosts the nationally syndicated “The Travel Show” radio
program with her travel-writer father, Arthur Frommer. Here she
highlights some travel opportunities to consider this winter.

By Mitch Lipka

(Reuters) – There is lots of urban lore about coach passengers on airlines being magically upgraded to first-class seats, but less is said when it happens the other way around. But this does happen – a lot.

While airlines do not typically charge more for passengers bumped up, those who paid extra for a special seat have a case for getting something in return when it is taken away. Yet when it comes to involuntary downgrades, consumers are often left on their own to make the case that they should get something back.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – At the peak of the shopping and giving season, consumers are increasingly combining both activities.

They are buying products that have charitable tie-ins, shopping through web portals that send savings to nonprofits and donating at the registers when they check out at physical stores. They’re buying product lines like Newman’s Own, which channels profits to a foundation, and TOMS Shoes, which gives a pair of shoes to a needy child for every pair the company sells.

NEW YORK, Dec 6 (Reuters) – At the peak of the shopping and
giving season, consumers are increasingly combining both
activities.

They are buying products that have charitable tie-ins,
shopping through web portals that send savings to nonprofits and
donating at the registers when they check out at physical
stores. They’re buying product lines like Newman’s Own, which
channels profits to a foundation, and TOMS Shoes, which gives a
pair of shoes to a needy child for every pair the company sells.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A $5,000 Bose home theater system, a $2,700 Tempur-Cloud mattress, a $450 Dyson pedestal fan (like the one used at the Kardashian house) and an $85 box of frozen mini hot dog appetizers are just a few of Oprah’s Favorite Things.

The host’s annual TV special on her OWN Network airs this week, and features 60 of her favorite extravagances. With it, consumers will be exposed to one of the biggest joys of the season for shoppers and retailers alike: the aspirational gift list. (here)