Dollars and Sense

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says wireless resources are not infinite. In fact, the smartphones to which we’re all so addicted are gobbling so much bandwidth that as early as next year, we could be paying more for our service — not to mention seeing slower data speeds and an increase in dropped calls.

Facing huge budget shortfalls, the United States Postal Service has proposed solutions including closing hundreds of post offices and eliminating Saturday deliveries. Now it may be considering jacking up the price of stamps, too.

Remember the summer of 2008 when the highest gas prices on record occurred and the price for a gallon of fuel hit $4.11? Hate to break this to yah, but a warm winter and tensions in the Middle East have some analysts predicting current prices will top $4 by this spring — and could even climb as high as $6.50.

As if it wasn’t tough enough for low-income people to make ends meet, a new study indicates they may be paying more for car insurance than wealthier folks, too.

You might have a pocketful of cash — but the size of those bills matters when it comes to how much of it you’re likely to spend.

For a die-hard shopper, there’s little more frustrating than buying something at full-price, only to see it go on sale shortly thereafter. To ward that off, retailing giant JC Penney has announced that starting Feb. 1, it’s discounting all merchandise by at least 40 percent — permanently.

If you’re starting to plan your summer vacation, you may think buying your plane tickets months ahead of time is a cost-saving move. But according to a new study, that may not necessarily be true.

A solid education is important for kids. But while you’re busy making sure their reading and math skills are up to par, don’t forget to teach them about money, too — it could keep them from falling into bad habits later on.