Flipboard 2025 Save Money

Discover why supermarkets stopped offering double coupons, how families once saved big on groceries, why Kroger eliminated the popular promotion, and which money-saving alternatives shoppers can still use today.

You find a reasonably priced appliance, head toward checkout, and suddenly face another expensive decision. The retailer offers an extended warranty that promises protection against unexpected repairs, but the price seems surprisingly high compared with the appliance itself. Spending hundreds to protect something that costs only a few hundred dollars raises an obvious question. Are you buying valuable peace of mind or paying too much to avoid a relatively small financial risk?

There was a time when families could arrive at the airport with several suitcases without worrying about another charge appearing on their travel bill. Checked luggage was generally included with standard airline tickets, making vacation budgeting considerably simpler. Today, those same suitcases can add hundreds of dollars to a family trip, even before anyone reaches the departure gate.

Long before one-click checkout and buy now, pay later, families had another way to spread out a big purchase: layaway.

Remember paying to develop family photos in the 1960s and 1970s? Discover what Baby Boomers spent on Kodak film, photo processing, and prints before camera phones.

Your toaster stops heating, so you look for someone to fix it. Then comes the surprise: replacement might cost less than the service visit. That calculation is familiar with coffee makers, blenders, and other countertop appliances. The reasons go beyond one broken component.

The foil trays. The tiny desserts. The excitement of getting to eat in front of the television. TV dinners in the 60s and 70s were practically an event. But some of the meals we looked forward to have disappeared completely. How many of these do you remember eating?

Remember Sears, Montgomery Ward, and JCPenney charge accounts? Discover how department store credit worked in the 1960s and 1970s before modern credit cards took over.

Discover how the cost of family movie night has changed since the 1980s. Compare movie ticket prices, popcorn, VHS rentals, inflation, and streaming costs to see what's cheaper today.

Your phone might be eating up your savings. It's a store, restaurant, bank, casino-like game arcade, advertising feed, and subscription hub sitting in your pocket.