Consumer News: Inflation was less than expected in February

Here are some easy ways to protect your home and lower costs

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• Inspect and seal drafts around doors and windows to save energy and reduce heating bills.

• Prepare your plumbing to prevent frozen pipes and costly repairs.

• Service your heating system early to ensure its running efficiently when you need it most.

As temperatures begin to drop, homeowners across the country are turning their attention to keeping warm and keeping costs down. Preparing your home for cold weather isnt just about comfort; its about safety, efficiency, and preventing expensive damage.

Even small drafts can lead to big heating losses. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, sealing air leaks can save up to 20% on heating costs.

Start by inspecting window frames, door jambs, and areas where pipes or wires enter your home. Use weatherstripping for movable components like doors, and apply caulk around stationary gaps. Dont forget to close your fireplace damper when not in use.

Protect your pipes

Frozen pipes are one of winters most common and costly household problems. Insulate exposed plumbing, especially in basements, crawl spaces, and attics. If temperatures drop sharply, open cabinet doors to allow warm air to circulate around pipes and let a small trickle of water run overnight. Know where your main water shutoff valve is located in case of an emergency.

Before the first freeze, schedule a professional HVAC inspection. Change or clean filters monthly during heavy use, and clear vents and radiators of dust and obstructions. If you rely on a fireplace or wood stove, have the chimney cleaned to prevent fire hazards.

Dont forget the outdoors

Cold weather prep extends beyond your walls. Disconnect and drain garden hoses, shut off exterior water lines, and store outdoor furniture. Clean gutters and downspouts to prevent ice dams that can lead to roof leaks. Trim any tree branches that could break under the weight of snow or ice.

Keep an emergency kit with flashlights, blankets, and batteries in case of power outages. If you use a space heater, place it on a level surface away from flammable materials and never leave it unattended.

With just a weekend of preparation, you can save energy, avoid headaches, and stay cozy all season long.

Cranberry sauce leads the surge

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• The average cost of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner rose 7.1% from 2024 to 2025, reaching $61.14, according to Datasembly data.

• Jellied cranberry sauce saw the steepest jump up 45.7%, the highest increase among all tracked ingredients.

• Only pumpkin pie mix dropped in price, down 5.3% from last year.

Many food retailers have rolled out Thanksgiving dinner bundles, offering consumers some relief from high prices. New data from Datasembly show just how high those prices have gotten, especially for Thanksgiving dinner.

For the second year in a row, American households are paying more to put a traditional Thanksgiving dinner on the table. According to Datasembly, the total cost of a standard basket of Thanksgiving staples rose 7.09% in 2025, climbing from $57.09 last year to $61.14.

While inflation has cooled across much of the economy, food prices particularly for prepared and packaged goods continue to edge higher. Consumers can expect to spend several extra dollars this year on popular side dishes and essentials like cranberry sauce, stuffing, and gravy.

Cranberry sauce and stuffing

Oddly, the biggest sticker shock this Thanksgiving comes from the canned cranberry sauce aisle. The average 12-ounce can of jellied cranberry sauce jumped from $2.34 to $3.41, a 45.73% increase. Supply chain issues for cranberries, coupled with rising packaging and processing costs, may be to blame.

Stuffing also saw a significant rise, up 14.24% year-over-year, followed closely by homestyle gravy at 14.17%. These double-digit increases suggest that the most convenient, pre-made holiday sides are being hit hardest by ongoing food manufacturing costs.

Modest gains for other staples

Many other items on the Thanksgiving table rose by single digits.

• Buttermilk biscuits increased 11.35%.

• Whipped topping, a dessert essential, rose 11.16%.

• The traditional frozen turkey, typically a 10-pound bird, is up 6.67%, costing an average of $24.00 in 2025.

Even frozen and canned vegetables often among the most stable food prices saw mild upticks: sweet corn rose 2.05%, green beans 1.21%, and russet potatoes 1.10%.

A bright spot for dessert lovers

In a rare bit of relief, pumpkin pie mix fell 5.33%, from $4.69 to $4.44. This drop could reflect improved pumpkin harvests or reduced demand after last years high prices.

Combined with modest increases in pie shells, the classic pumpkin pie may be one of the few Thanksgiving treats that doesnt cost more this year.

Thanksgiving dinner this year will cost consumers about $4 more than last year, driven largely by sharp increases in canned and prepared goods. While the total increase is smaller than in previous inflationary spikes, the continuing trend suggests that families will still need to budget carefully to host a holiday feast.

Its suing a company it claims is helping cybercriminals

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• Google has filed a lawsuit claiming it identified and is now targeting a sprawling scam operation that uses text messages and fake websites to steal personal and financial data.

• The accused network, referred to as Lighthouse, allegedly provides a phishing-as-a-service platform: ready-made templates, bulk SMS tools, and backend infrastructure for scammers to impersonate legitimate brands and institutions.

• According to the complaint, Lighthouses reach spans at least 120 countries, may have created hundreds of thousands of fake websites and compromised millions of banking/credit-card details in the U.S. alone.

Scammers usually operate in relative anonymity and are rarely held accountable for ripping off consumers. But Google has filed a civil suit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against 25 unnamed defendants it says are behind Lighthouse a China-based network of cybercriminals.

Google alleges the defendants offered subscription services to technically less-skilled criminals. In exchange for a fee paid in cryptocurrency, buyers received access to mass-texting tools (SMS, iMessage, RCS), a library of more than 600 phishing templates, fake domains mimicking major brandssome using Googles own logoand dashboards tracking stolen credentials.

One dramatic claim in the companys filing: in a 20-day span, Lighthouse-linked activity alone reportedly created roughly 200,000 phishing websites and may have targeted 12.7 million to 115 million U.S. card-holder records.

Why this matters

The case reflects how large-scale text-based have evolved from simple spam to sophisticated infrastructures. According to a recent Google report, the so-called Spray and Pray and Bait and Wait models are increasingly used to trick users via SMS, group messaging, and social-engineered links.

Because the scammers impersonate trusted entities (postal services, toll-charges, delivery notices) and use familiar branding including Googles the risk goes beyond small-time phishing: it undermines trust in digital messaging and makes detection harder for users.

By filing this lawsuit, Google isnt just going after the alleged operators. The company says it seeks a legal finding that enables it (and other infrastructure providers) to better coordinate takedowns of domains, servers and payment systems used by the network.

Whats next

• Global cooperation may be required: Although Google has filed suit in the U.S., the defendants are believed to be overseas and anonymous, so enforcing judgments may be a challenge.

• Legislative angle: Google also voiced support for several bipartisan bills in the U.S. designed to combat , including the GUARD Act (targeting fraud against the elderly), the SCAM Act (addressing scam-compounds) and robo-call/foreign robocall legislation.

• User impact: For consumers, this case stresses the need to treat unexpected texts or messagesespecially those urging immediate action or asking for credentialswith suspicion. Googles own help guidance lists steps to avoid like this.

And yes, we have the receipts to prove it

• Some Kirkland items really are made by big national brands and in a few cases Costco or the label flat-out says so
• Because Costco slaps the Kirkland label on them, they usually run about 2035% cheaper than the comparable name brand sitting nearby
• This list weeds out the TikTok rumors and sticks to the products where theres an actual source, label, FAQ, or reporting to back it up

Theres a lot of Costco folklore out there surrounding Kirkland products and who actually makes them. Kirkland vodka is Grey Goose. Those Kirkland diapers are really Huggies. Half of it is TikTok silliness with zero evidence. So, its time for a grown-up version.

Costco does indeed partner with real, national brands on some Kirkland stuff and its always cheaper than the name-brand often sitting right next to it on the shelf. And in a few cases, we actually know whos making it because its in Costcos own FAQ, printed on the bag, or reported by outlets that did the digging.

Kirkland batteries (made by Duracell)

The Costco CEO actually admitted this one years ago, and outlets keep re-reporting it because its the rare Kirkland collaboration that isnt fuzzy.

Youre getting Duracell-made batteries with a Kirkland wrapper for quite a bit less money. Specifically, Kirkland Signature AA/AAA typically run about 2535% cheaper per battery than the Duracell pack sitting 3 feet away. Do the side-by-side math the next time youre at Costco and Im guessing youll never buy the copper-top battery again.

Kirkland solid white albacore tuna (made by Bumble Bee)

Costco didnt cheap out when it came to their canned tuna. They basically said, We want the good stuff, and partnered with Bumble Bee to pack a firmer, less-watery tuna so members dont feel like theyre buying cat food.

Shoppers are big fans of it too. A lot of grocery-store solid white tuna is shredded and swimming in liquid. The Kirkland version tends to be chunkier, drier in a good way, and better for tuna salad that isnt soup.

Kirklands albacore comes in a 8-pack(7 oz. each) thats roughly 15%25% less per can compared to Bumble Bee albacore at a regular supermarket. In the end youre getting national-brand quality at warehouse-brand pricing.

Kirkland house blend coffee Custom Roasted by Starbucks

When the Kirkland House Blend bag or the product page says Custom Roasted by Starbucks, you dont have to do much detective work. Costco is basically saying, Yep, Starbucks roasted these coffee beans for us and its 20-30% less per pound than Starbucks coffee that doesnt have the word Kirkland on it.

Ive noticed in recent months that some U.S. bags have dropped that line, but rest assured, its still roasted by Starbucks. So, if you see the Starbucks wording or not, grab it as youre getting Starbucks-level coffee at the Costco price.

If youve never had this coffee beforeId describe it as a middle-of-the-road Starbucks blend. Its smooth, not burnt, and a solid everyday coffee. Perfect for people who like Starbucks but dont want to pay for Starbucks.

Kirkland jelly beans (made by Jelly Belly)

Costco basically said, What if we sold Jelly Belly, but Costco-sized? and Jelly Belly said, Yeah, we can do that.

Youll get the same 49 classic flavors, same look, just not in the tiny gift boxes that cost way more per ounce. Costco put them in a 64 oz. bucket and passed the savings along to you.

Those little Jelly Belly boxes at grocery or gift shops can run you well over $1 per ounce. The big Costco tub usually drops it into the 5070 cents per ounce zone, roughly 3040% cheaper.

Kirkland bourbons (from Barton 1792 / Sazerac)

Costco couldnt sneak this one past the bourbon nerds of the internet. As soon as those Kirkland Kentucky bourbons hit Costco shelves, reviewers and whiskey sites zoomed in on the label (and the style) and said, Yep, thats Barton 1792.

Barton 1792 is an old, respected Kentucky distillery owned by Sazerac, the parent company behind Buffalo Trace Distillery.

It comes in three varieties: Small Batch, Bottled-In-Bond, and Single Barrel. When aficionados say the label points to Barton and has the same mash profile, you can confidently say, This is legit Kentucky bourbon, just wearing the Kirkland label.

Most of these Kirkland bourbons come in 1-liter bottles, not 750 mL, and are priced in the mid-$20s to low-$30s for the small batch/BiB, and low-$30s for the single barrel. Compare that to many name-brand Kentucky bottles (from the same tier) that are $30$45 for only 750 mL, and youre getting savings in 2535% range.

Kirkland pet food (made by Diamond Pet Foods)

Ive been feeding my three dogs Kirkland dog food for years with great results. Interestingly, Costcos own pet food FAQ section straight up says that all Kirkland dry pet foods are made by Diamond Pet Foods in five U.S. plants. Diamond is a real, national pet-food maker that also produces other well-known store brands, so you know youre getting quality food that meets all FDA requirements.

Diamond-branded dog food at pet stores usually sells between $1.10 to $1.20 per pound. The Kirkland dog food at Costco usually works out to about $0.80 to $0.90 per pound. So same maker, but the Costco version is quite a bit cheaper per pound.

Kirkland parmigiano reggiano (from Zanetti, Italy)

If you regularly pay $18-$22 per pound for a good wedge of parmesan cheese, youll want to check Costco.

The Kirkland wedge literally says Parmigiano Reggiano and specifically names Zanetti S.p.A., which is a long-established Italian producer that makes the real stuff. So, we know its from an actual named producer (Zanetti), and not some mystery cheese plant like a lot of the individually wrapped wedges youll find at your local grocery store.

At Costco, those Zanetti Kirkland wedges cost around $13$15 per pound. The same style of imported parm at grocery cheese counters or Whole Foods is often $18$22 per pound. Thats an easy 2030% savings for legitimate Italian parm. Easy win.

Kirkland French vodka (bottled by Gayant / Terroirs Distillers)

For years, people thought this was made by Grey Goose. Wrong. The distillery named on the Kirkland French vodka is Distillerie de Gayant located in Douai, France, which is owned by Terroirs Distillers.

Then, on the U.S. side, the spirits distributor, LeVecke, is the one that gets it into Costco. Thats whats actually on the label and what sites like Foodie reported-its not Grey Goose, but it definitely is French.

Costcos French vodka is priced around $20$25 for 1.75L. A 1.75L Grey Goose is closer to $40$50 in a lot of markets, so you can comfortably say its about half the price for a French, five-times-distilled vodka.

Kirkland three-berry blend (from Townsend Farms)

When it comes to the Kirkland frozen bag of berries,we actually know who packs them, Townsend Farms.

If you're a smoothie lover, you'reprobably very familiar with the4 lb. bag filled with frozen raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. Costco even sells Townsend-branded frozen berries right alongside it, which makes the connection even stronger.

The Kirkland 4 lb bag is usually around $14$15, which comes out to be about $3.50$3.75 per lb. Comparable name-brand or even other retailer private-label berry mixes often run closer to $4.50$5.00 per lb (and for smaller bags), so you're easily saving 2025%.

A travel expert shares insider tricks to maximize savings this November

• Clear your cookies and browse incognito to avoid price hikes caused by travel algorithms tracking your searches.

• Be flexible with dates and filters midweek or off-hour flights often yield the biggest savings.

• Dont rush to book compare total fares, read the fine print, and remember that Cyber Monday and January sales can also bring great deals.

When it comes to Black Friday, travel deals often fly under the radar but they can be some of the most rewarding discounts of the season. Whether youre planning a family trip or a weekend escape, timing and strategy matter more than luck.

ConsumerAffairs spoke to Oliver Brendon, CEO of AttractionTickets.com, to learn how a few smart moves like knowing when to book, which filters to use, and how to beat the algorithms can save you hundreds. His Black Friday playbook helps travelers make the most of every click (and every dollar).

Dos and donts of booking Black Friday travel

If youre dreaming of warmer weather during the chilly months, it can be tempting to book the first tropical getaway you see. However, according to Brendon, that may not always be the best strategy.

He shared his top dos and donts for booking travel during Black Friday.

Dos:

• Firstly, never assume that the first offer you see is the best offer you can get. Clear your cookies and switch to an incognito browser to ensure youre getting the best deal.

• Secondly, be flexible with your booking type. Adjusting your travel dates or group size can unlock deals that booking engines often hide behind filters. Try browsing for midweek flights or odd-hour departures, even flying on a Tuesday can sometimes slash costs by half compared to Mondays, Fridays, and weekends.

• Lastly, make sure to sign up early for loyalty programs and email marketing. Brands reward loyalty and oftentimes the best offers go out to existing customers and those opted-in to email marketing before they ever reach the public sale pages.

Donts:

• Dont assume that low to high price filters always show the cheapest total fare. Its an easy mistake to make, as with most other types of product-based websites this ordering is accurate. However, with travel, sometimes sites exclude taxes or luggage fees, so always check the total cost before you buy.

• Secondly, dont let deals pressure you to book impulsively. Black Friday sales are designed to create urgency, but taking a few minutes to compare across multiple platforms could save you even more.

• Lastly, dont forget to read the fine print. Cancellation terms and baggage inclusions vary dramatically during sale periods, and the cheapest deal isnt always the best value when it comes to these smaller factors.

How to use price algorithms

Brendon explained that pricing algorithms are designed to track consumer behavior. This means that if youve looked at a certain vacation or flight before, the price will likely increase based on your previous interest.

The best way to use this to your advantage is to clear your cookies or browse in incognito mode so booking platforms dont inflate fares based on your search history, he suggested.

Another tactic to note is considering the time youre searching. Travel prices tend to fluctuate throughout the day, and this tends to be more frequent during key sales periods. Early morning searches tend to be the best, so its worth setting an alarm to assess the value of early morning deals.

You can also try comparing prices across different devices, such as desktop vs. mobile. This wont work for every travel site, but occasionally they may show different discounts.

Is Black Friday the best time to book travel?

While a trip may look enticing, Brendon encourages consumers not to get caught up in any deals and to be diligent when booking travel just like you would be during any other time of year.

Black Friday sales can create a false sense of urgency and encourage impulse purchasing, he said. When it comes to travel and vacations, if you have an idea in mind of where you already planned to go, then any saving is a bonus because you were planning to book that trip anyway. Having this mindset can help ease the pressure of having to make a purchase on Black Friday, so you can think logically.

Cyber Monday or Cyber Week, following Black Friday, can also hold great savings, alongside the January sales period post-Christmas, so theres no need to rush into a Black Friday purchase youre unsure of.