Consumer News: Start your Black Friday prep now: expert tips that’ll save you big

A Beverly Hills doctor explains how to get real results without spending a fortune on the latest self-care fads

• A Beverly Hills physician shares five affordable alternatives to viral wellness trends from lemon water detoxes to DIY skincare.

• Dr. Kevin Hayavi explains that effective self-care doesnt require expensive products or high-tech gadgets.

• His biggest advice: focus on simple, consistent habits that fit your lifestyle and budget.

From detox drinks to sleep gadgets, wellness trends seem to get pricier with every scroll. But according to Dr. Kevin Hayavi, Medical Director and Managing Partner at Beverly Hills Physicians, effective self-care doesnt have to come with a luxury price tag.

In fact, many of the viral beauty and wellness habits flooding social media have affordable and sometimes even better alternatives hiding in your kitchen or daily routine.

Dr. Hayavi shared his top tips for making popular wellness trends work on a budget, from using lemon water as a natural detox to optimizing sleep without the latest tech. His message is simple: Social media has made self-care feel expensive, but the truth is, the most effective solutions are often the simplest.

Trends You Can Try on a Budget

While the trends online can seem endless, and cause a dent in your bank account, Dr. Hayavi is offering budget-friendly options for five of the most current viral trends:

1. Lemon Water Over Pricey Detox Drinks. Forget $10 detox bottles a squeeze of lemon does the same job. Mix half a lemon into warm water each morning for a refreshing start that boosts hydration, aids digestion, and adds a burst of vitamin C.

2. Boost Fiber Naturally No Supplements Needed. The fibremaxxing trend is all over TikTok, but you dont need powders or pills to get results. Beans, oats, chia seeds, and whole grains can do the trick for far less money.

3. DIY Gut-Health Drinks With Pantry Staples. Sea moss gels and gut tonics can cost $30 or more, but chia seeds offer the same digestive support for a fraction of the price. Stir a tablespoon into water or yogurt and let it soak for about 10 minutes.

4. Kitchen-Beauty Masks Instead of Fancy Skincare. Before you splurge on viral banana peel Botox, try homemade face masks using ingredients you already own. Honey hydrates, oatmeal soothes, and yogurt gently exfoliates all for pennies compared to store-bought products.

5. Sleep Better Without Expensive Gadgets. Sleepmaxxing doesnt have to mean buying pricey trackers or devices. Instead, dim your lights, cool your room, and stick to a regular bedtime. The payoff? Better rest, clearer skin, and improved focus all free.
   

A lot of wellness trends are actually rooted in very simple practices that have been around for a long time, Dr. Hayavi said. If the low-cost version feels good and makes a difference, you can decide later whether its worth investing in something more advanced. Wellness should never be about how much you spend.

Know when to follow a trend

With so much information available at our fingertips, how do you know which trends to follow and which ones to ignore? Dr. Hayavi says that being discerning is of the utmost importance.

Start by looking for consistency, he recommends. If a trend is based on long-standing research or traditional practices that have been used for generations, it is more likely to be legitimate. On the other hand, if something seems to appear overnight and is being pushed heavily by influencers or advertisers, that is usually a sign it may be more hype than substance.

I also recommend checking whether the claims are supported by reputable sources, such as peer-reviewed studies or guidance from licensed medical professionals. If the only evidence you can find is anecdotal videos on TikTok, approach it with caution. Wellness should make sense for your lifestyle and budget, so always ask yourself whether a trend is sustainable before trying it.

Consistency is key

If all else fails, Dr. Hayavi recommends going back to basics and being consistent with the wellness routines you incorporate.

I think its important to remember that wellness is personal, so it doesnt have to look like what you see online, he said. The most impactful habits are usually the most basic ones: staying hydrated, getting enough sleep, eating a balanced diet, and moving your body regularly. These dont go viral because theyre not flashy, but they are the foundation of long-term health.

Trends can be fun to explore, but they should always support your wellbeing rather than creating pressure or stress. Start with what feels manageable and build from there.

An AI shopping expert explains how to skip the hype, spot dupes, and save smarter this season

• Not every Black Friday deal is a steal: Experts warn that toys, gift cards, and fitness equipment are better bought later in the season.

• AI can help shoppers save smarter: Tools like Dupe.com compare millions of products instantly to spot genuine discounts and avoid impulse buys.

• Research pays off: Knowing what you want and what its really worth is the best way to protect your wallet this holiday season.

Black Friday may be the biggest shopping event of the year but that doesnt mean every doorbuster is worth your dollars. With prices fluctuating, political uncertainty affecting consumer confidence, and retailers rushing to clear inventory, many so-called discounts arent the steals they appear to be.

ConsumerAffairs interviewed Bobby Ghoshal, CEO of Dupe.com a platform that uses AI to help shoppers find affordable, high-quality alternatives to viral products to learn more about this years sales season.

From overpriced gadgets to white-label items that mimic luxury brands, Ghoshal says understanding how to separate the hype from the honest deals can make or break your holiday budget.

Best and worst Black Friday buys

The deals can be overwhelming, and it can be hard for consumers to know what deals are actually steals. Ghoshal broke down the best and worst buys to expect this Black Friday.

Best Buys:

• TVs: Black Friday has always been the best time of year to upgrade your TV. Each year we see a new doorbuster deal that breaks records from previous years. You can never go wrong upgrading your set this season. With one caveat: make sure youre purchasing one from a trusted, reliable brand. Oftentimes, retailers will push solid prices on off-brand TVs that will likely die on us before the deal does.

• Other electronics & tech gadgets: Historically, these categories deliver strong discounts during Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Make sure to look at Target, Walmart, Amazon and Best Buy for the most popular items and compare prices. Some will offer bundles and others will seduce you with gift card deals.

• Beauty products: Black Friday is a great time of year to stock up on your favorite beauty must-haves. We often see store or sitewide deals boasting up to 30-50% off brands that typically dont heavily discount. You can also expect to see more bundles of products or impressive gift with purchases that make for a nice stocking stuffer.

Worst Buys:

• Toys: While you will see solid deals on toys during Black Friday, the discounts will only get deeper as Christmas approaches. Unless youre concerned that the items on your childs wish list will go out of stock early, I suggest waiting closer to Christmas.

• Gift cards: Gift cards are another item that improves around December. We see more retailers offering promotions with gift card deals. For example, if you spend $50 in-store you may receive a $10 gift card. These are great stocking stuffers and certainly worth the wait.

• Fitness Equipment: Wait until the new year for deeper discounts on fitness equipment and gym memberships. January will see much more impressive deals on these items as we all make new years resolutions to undo what the holiday season did to our health (and wallets).

Utilizing AI for holiday shopping

With so many deals to sift through, using the latest AI tools can help you speed up the process and ensure that youre getting the best deal possible.

At this point everyone should be using AI to shop, Ghoshal said. AI is good at comparing millions of products in seconds. You can do product research in seconds, so you feel less of a need to impulse buy and can make more informed purchases with confidence.

AI and data can also help you prioritize: If you have many wants, an AI tool could help rank which purchases deliver the best value given your budget.

Ghoshals biggest piece of advice for holiday shopping: do your research!

The most important thing any consumer can do this holiday season is their research, he said. There are tools available to you to eliminate post-purchase regret and allow you to stay within your budget. Know what you want, what you want to spend, and stick to it.

A change decades in the making but disputed by critics

The agency says newer evidence shows hormone therapy risks depend on age, timing and dose
Somecall it a major step toward modernizing womens health care
Some doctors still urge caution for older women and those with existing health risks

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has removed the black box safety warning from most hormone therapies used to treat menopause symptoms, ending a 20-year era of caution that began after the landmark Womens Health Initiative (WHI) study. FDA said the move reflects growing scientific consensus that the dangers once associated with hormone therapybreast cancer, heart attack, stroke and blood clotsare not uniform and depend on a womans age, health history and the timing of treatment.

But not everyone agrees.

HHS and the FDA have claimed that the removal of the boxed warning for hormone replacement therapy will restore gold-standard science to womens health. In fact, the opposite is true. These treatments have well documented cardiovascular, cognitive and cancer safety risks," saidNina Zeldes, PhD, a health researcher at Public Citizens Health Research Group.

The black box warning, the most severe safety label a drug can carry, was added in 2003 after the WHI trials suggested higher risks for older postmenopausal women taking certain estrogen-progestin combinations. But the FDA said researchers have since clarified that those findings applied largely to women who started therapy long after menopause and were using higher doses of oral formulations no longer common today.

"Overblown press conference announcements and unsubstantiated labeling updates do not protect womens health. The FDA should advance womens health by making decisions based on high-quality data from long-term randomized controlled trials and the formal advisory committee process," Zeldes said.

Quick checklist for patients

• Consult a healthcare provider to discuss whether hormone therapy is appropriatefor you, considering age, time since menopause, personal risk factors (e.g., breast cancer, cardiovascular disease).

• Understand the form/delivery of hormone therapy (oral, patch, gel, vaginal) risks and benefits differ by route and dose.

• Ask about the timing: starting closer to menopause onset appears safer than starting many years later.

• Review any personal/family history of cancer, clotting disorders, heart disease these affect appropriateness of HT.

• Ensure regular monitoring/screening (e.g., mammography, cardiovascular risk assessment) as recommended.

• Dont assume therapy is one-size fits all individualized decision-making is key.

• If youve been avoiding therapy due to fear of warnings, ask if updated evidence/recommendations apply to your case.

Updated science and new context

Recent studies show that hormone therapy started within about 10 years of menopause, particularly for women younger than 60, carries far fewer risks and offers clear benefits for symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disruption, and vaginal dryness, according to the FDA. Localized, low-dose estrogenlike creams or ringshas minimal systemic absorption and is now considered safe for most women, yet the old warning covered those products too.

By lifting the black box, the FDA acknowledged that a single blanket warning no longer fits the evidence. This restores nuance and allows doctors and patients to have honest, individualized conversations, said Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director of The Menopause Society, which had long urged the change.

The Menopause Society is a non-profit organization whose revenues come fromfees, exhibit/booth fees at conferences, royalties from its journal, and sales of educational materials.It has a Corporate Liaison Council (CLC) programin which companies with a business interest in menopause and mid-life womens health can join by paying annual dues (listed at US $8,000 for 2025). In return, the companies receive benefits such as complimentary membership, complimentary meeting registration, preferred exhibit space, acknowledgement at the annual meeting, website recognition, and so forth.

The list of 2025 CLC member companies (on the website) includes:

• Amgen
• Astellas
• Bayer
• Bonafide Health
• Kenvue
• Novo Nordisk

The organization recentlyannounced a major grant of $5 million from anonymous donorto support the NextGen Now initiative.The program, which is prominently funded by large gifts, is aimed at a large scale training goal (25,000 professionals) and includes digital and video components.

"Well-documented safety risks"

Public Citizen charged that HHS and the FDA have claimed that the removal of the boxed warning for hormone replacement therapy will "restore gold-standard science to womens health" when "in fact, the opposite is true."

Public Citizen said the HRT treatments "have well documented cardiovascular, cognitive and cancer safety risks. Overblown press conference announcements and unsubstantiated labeling updates do not protect womens health." It said the FDA should advance womens health by making decisions based on high-quality data from long-term randomized controlled trials and the formal advisory committee process.

In todays announcement the FDA also seemed to blatantly promote the off-label use of hormone replacement therapy for some conditions for which it is not approved, such as preventing cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline. Unsubstantiated claims by senior FDA officials about the effectiveness of hormone replacement therapy for unapproved indications undermines public trust in the agencys decision-making.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has consistently recommended against hormone replacement therapy for the prevention of chronic conditions in post-menopausal women. Instead of making unsubstantiated claims about improving womens health, the FDA should encourage or fund research that establishes the benefits and risks of short-term and long-term use of hormone replacement therapy, it concluded.

The result might be slightly lower payments but inflated prices and lower equity build-up

Trump suggests 50-year mortgage as a fix for the housing crisis
Economists warn longer loans could inflate prices even more
Borrowers would pay far more interest over time

Trump floats longer mortgage terms

Former President Donald Trump has proposed a 50-year mortgage as a possible solution to the nations housing affordability crisis. Speaking recently about ways to ease the financial strain on homebuyers, Trump said extending the standard mortgage term from 30 to 50 years could make monthly payments more affordable and unlock a market frozen by high interest rates and soaring home prices.

Under his idea, borrowers would have two additional decades to repay their loans, potentially reducing monthly payments. However, economists caution that such a change could have major unintended consequences.

Economists see risk of higher prices

Housing experts were quick to point out that longer loan terms would also mean slower equity growth and much higher lifetime interest costs.

A 50-year mortgage results in almost double the interest payments of a 30-year mortgage, said Joel Berner of Realtor.com, in comments to CBS News. It also delays the path to meaningful home equity.

Daryl Fairweather, chief economist at Redfin, told Business Insider that the plan could undermine homeownerships traditional role in wealth building.

If the goal is to get people access to homeownership as a way to accumulate wealth, the 50-year mortgage could actually defeat that purpose, Fairweathersaid.

Slower equity and more debt

Analysts warn that spreading loan payments over 50 years would make it harder for homeowners to build equity and could push housing prices even higher. Easier credit terms tend to increase demand without adding to supply, driving up prices across the market.

They also note that while a longer term might lower monthly payments by a few hundred dollars on a typical $600,000 home, the total interest paid over five decades would be dramatically higher. Property taxes, insurance, and maintenance would continue to rise with inflation, potentially offsetting any short-term relief.

Underlying problem: lack of supply

Most economists agree that the root of the housing crisis lies in too few homes being built. They argue that expanding supply through new construction, zoning reforms, and faster permitting would have a more lasting impact than extending loan terms.

As one analyst put it, increasing access to credit without addressing supply could be like pouring gasoline on a fire fueling demand and pushing home prices even further out of reach for first-time buyers.