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For about $17 a month, one membership covers up to five people or pets and includes 250+ eligible medications for free

• GoodRx's new Companion Family Plan costs $24.99 a month, or $16.99 a month when paid annually, and covers a primary member plus up to four dependents, including children, adults, and pets.

• Members get access to 250-plus eligible generic medications for free, hundreds more for under $10, and discounts on dental, vision, lab, and imaging services.

• Before signing up, compare what your household actually spends on prescriptions with the roughly $204 annual membership cost.

Getting some prescriptions for free sounds like an easy way to save money. But before adding another subscription to your monthly budget, grab your prescription bottles and a calculator.

GoodRx recently launched its Companion Family Plan, which costs $24.99 a month or $16.99 a month when paid annually. One membership covers the primary account holder plus up to four dependents, which can include kids, adult family members, and even pets.

The plan includes more than 250 eligible generic medications for free and hundreds more for under $10, along with discounts on dental, vision, lab, and imaging services.

That sounds good. But the number that actually matters is how much money your family would save.

Here's how to figure that out before you subscribe.

Start with your medicine cabinet, not the 250 free drugs

The first thing worth doing is making a list of every prescription your household regularly fills.

Then look each one up through GoodRx Companion using the exact medication, dosage, and quantity you currently buy. All of those details are at your fingertips when using Companion, which makes it easy to price compare.

Next, youll then just want to compare the Companion price with what you're paying now.

The annual plan costs $203.88. So, if your family would save $25 a month on prescriptions, that's $300 a year and you've potentially come out ahead before considering any other benefits.

But if Companion only saves your household $10 a month, that's $120 a year in prescription savings for a membership costing about $204.

Pro tip: Don't stop when you see your medication on the free list. Check the dosage and quantity, too. And be sure to revisit the price occasionally as GoodRx says its list of eligible free medications and discounted prices can change.

Compare it with your insurance

Having health insurance doesn't necessarily mean your insurance price is the cheapest price for every prescription.

GoodRx discounts can be used instead of prescription insurance or Medicare when they're cheaper, but they can't be combined with insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid on the same purchase.

So don't simply ask whether Companion makes a prescription cheaper. Instead, compare these three prices: Your insurance copay vs. the regular GoodRx price vs. the Companion price.

Then use the cheapest option available to you.

Don't forget the four-legged friend

This is where the family plan gets interesting.

Your allotment of four additional members can absolutely include your pets. If your dog or cat takes a recurring prescription, be sure to add that medication to your calculations as well.

A household saving only a few dollars on its human prescriptions might discover that adding an expensive recurring pet medication changes the math considerably.

But be aware that pets don't get everything their human owners get. Specifically, GoodRx's terms say pets aren't eligible for telehealth or the plan's discounted non-insurance benefits, such as dental, vision, lab, and imaging services.

Don't count benefits you won't use

It's tempting to add up every benefit in a membership and call all of it savings. Don't do that.

A dental discount isn't worth $50 to your family if you never use it. The same goes for vision, lab, and imaging discounts.

Also, the primary Companion member gets access to $19 online care visits, but only for the primary member. So, while the plan covers up to four additional family members, they aren't eligible for discounted telehealth services.

The bottom line: When you're deciding whether the membership pays for itself, be sure to put a dollar value only on those benefits you think you're likely to use.

Run the $204 test

The easiest way to decide may be to forget all the marketing numbers and focus on one: $203.88.

That's what you'll pay for a year of the family plan at the advertised annual rate.

Run your own numbers and try to estimate what your household would save over the next 12 months on prescriptions and the other benefits. Then simply subtract $203.88 from that number.

If the number you get is comfortably positive, the annual membership could make financial sense. If it's close to zero or negative, sticking with insurance, free GoodRx discounts, or another option may leave more money in your pocket.

And don't forget that paying monthly gives you a different equation. At $24.99 per month, keeping the plan for a full year would cost nearly $300.

The word free will understandably get most of the attention with a plan offering hundreds of medications for $0 at the pharmacy counter.

But the smarter way to shop a healthcare membership is to ignore how many medications are on the list and count how many are in your medicine cabinet.

If those savings beat the membership fee, you've found a deal. If they don't, 250 free medications you never take are still worth $0 to your family.

The toy-store giant is making its biggest U.S. comeback in years, but don't expect every location to look like the Toys R Us you remember

• Toys R Us plans to open 120 new standalone U.S. stores for the 2026 holiday season, bringing its standalone total to 160.

• The new stores will carry popular brands including LEGO, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Pokmon, and KPop Demon Hunters, with some locations adding cafs, candy shops, and spaces for product launches.

• Shoppers shouldn't assume there's a new store nearby just yet as Toys R Us hasn't released a complete list of all 120 locations or their individual opening dates.

Remember wandering the aisles of Toys R Us with a Christmas list and trying to convince your parents that, yes, you absolutely needed everything on it?

A lot more shoppers are about to get that experience again.

Nearly a decade after Toys R Us filed for bankruptcy and eventually closed its U.S. stores, the retailer is mounting its biggest brick-and-mortar comeback yet.

Toys R Us announced plans to open 120 new standalone stores across the U.S. for the holiday season, increasing its standalone footprint from 40 locations to 160.

But before you picture the giant Toys R Us stores of the 1990s, there are a few things holiday shoppers should know.

First, find out whether you're actually getting one

The headline number of 120 new stores is impressive. But the frustrating part is that Toys R Us has yet to publish a complete list of all the locations or opening dates.

That means shoppers should check the company's store locator rather than assume their local mall is getting one.

And remember that you may already have a Toys R Us closer than you realize. The brand also operates shops inside Macy's stores and has been expanding into airports and Navy Exchange locations.

Pro tip: If you're hunting for one specific Christmas toy, call the store before making a special trip. A new Toys R Us may have a curated assortment rather than every toy available on the company's website.

Many may be holiday pop-ups, not permanent stores

Don't picture Toys R Us suddenly building 120 giant toy stores across America.

The expansion is being run with Go! Retail Group, which specializes in seasonal and pop-up retail. At least some of the new locations will be smaller holiday stores, and the company hasn't said how many of the 120 will remain open permanently.

A Go! Retail Group executive told Marketing Daily that the stores will operate through the holidays and that many will stay open well into 2027, but didn't say how many.

And don't expect every location to resemble the Toys R Us you remember. The new stores will feature curated selections from popular brands including LEGO, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Pokmon, and KPop Demon Hunters.

Select locations will also get Creator Studios, where toy companies and online creators can hold product reveals, launches, and other events. Some stores will include candy shops and cafs.

So, think less warehouse filled with every toy imaginable and more modern toy store built around popular brands, collectibles, and experiences.

And if one suddenly appears at your local mall this fall, don't assume Geoffrey has signed a 10-year lease.

Use the store to shop not necessarily to buy

There's one big advantage to a physical toy store that Amazon can't duplicate very well: Your kid can actually see the toy up close, touch it, and try it out.

That's particularly useful for expensive holiday gifts. Let your child try the demo, see how big the toy actually is, and decide whether it's still worth putting on the Christmas list.

Then pull out your phone. Compare the Toys R Us price with Amazon, Walmart, Target, and other retailers before checking out. A nostalgic shopping experience doesn't automatically mean you're getting the lowest price.

Pro tip: Take a photo of the exact product and its price tag. If you decide to wait for Black Friday, you'll have a baseline price to compare against and you'll know exactly which model or version your kid wanted.

Adults may be filling those aisles, too

Perhaps the most interesting part of the Toys R Us comeback is who's buying all these toys.

U.S. toy sales increased 17% during the first half of 2026, according to Circana data. Sales to adults increased 25%, while sales to teens jumped 33%.

Adult-only households accounted for 55% of toy-industry receipts through June, according to Circana.

That helps explain why the new stores aren't just stocking toys for little kids. Collectibles, trading cards, and nostalgic brands can appeal just as much to the parent holding the credit card.

Don't let nostalgia wreck your holiday budget

Walking into Toys R Us again may be enough to make some parents feel 12 years old.

Your bank account, unfortunately, is still an adult.

Set your Christmas toy budget before walking into the store, particularly if you're bringing kids along.

And if something is being promoted as a hot toy, don't automatically assume you need to buy it immediately. Check whether it's actually becoming difficult to find and compare its current price with the regular retail price.

The good news is that more physical toy stores means shoppers have another place to compare prices, see toys in person, and potentially track down that one gift that's disappearing elsewhere.

And for parents who remember the old Toys R Us? Just try to make it past Geoffrey without buying something for yourself.

A large review suggests persistent sleep problems may be linked to brain and overall health

• A review of more than 1.3 million people found an association between insomnia and a higher risk of stroke.

• Researchers also found that people with insomnia were more likely to be hospitalized.

• The findings show a link, but they do not prove that insomnia directly causes stroke or other health problems.

Having trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting enough restful sleep can make the next day harder. But a new international review suggests that the effects of insomnia may extend beyond feeling tired or having trouble concentrating.

Researchers found an association between insomnia and several brain and mental health conditions, including stroke, dementia, depression, and suicidal behavior. The review also looked at mortality, workplace injuries, and hospital admissions.

One of the clearest findings involved stroke. The researchers found that people with insomnia had a 26% higher risk of stroke compared with people without insomnia. The review also found that people with insomnia were 28% more likely to be hospitalized for any reason.

That doesn't mean someone with insomnia is destined to have a stroke. Instead, the findings point to a relationship worth paying attention to.

Researchers pulled together existing evidence

Researchers looked at previously published systematic reviews and combined evidence from multiple studies rather than conducting one new experiment.

The researchers searched the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases, with the search extending through August 2025. They ultimately included 16 systematic reviews with meta-analyses, which examine results from multiple studies together.

Because there wasn't enough existing meta-analysis data for stroke, workplace injuries, and hospitalization, the researchers also conducted three new systematic reviews covering those areas. For the stroke analysis, they identified nine studies involving a total of 1,343,164 participants. Six of those studies were combined in a meta-analysis.

The researchers also examined evidence involving dementia, depression, suicide, and death. The results weren't equally consistent across every health outcome.

The findings don't prove insomnia causes stroke

The study's results are important, but they need to be put into context. The researchers specifically noted that the review does not prove that insomnia causes stroke.

For one thing, the studies didn't all define insomnia in exactly the same way. Other factors could also affect the results, including the use of sleep medications, which wasn't consistently accounted for across the available research.

For consumers, the takeaway isn't to panic over a few bad nights of sleep. Rather, ongoing insomnia may be worth discussing with a healthcare professional, particularly if sleep problems are persistent or interfering with daily life.

Sleep should be part of the discussion on brain health at every stage of life, researcher Stefan Seidel from MedUni Vienna said in a news release. We should raise awareness of insomnia and its treatment and ensure that sleep is also taken into account in health promotion programmes in communities, schools, and the workplace.

Amazons October sale could offer an early opportunity to save

• 38% of consumers plan to spend less this holiday season, making early sales like Prime Big Deal Days appealing to budget-conscious shoppers.

• Experts say shoppers should know what theyre looking for and avoid buying something just because a sale creates a sense of urgency.

• Waiting for Black Friday or Cyber Monday could mean deeper discounts on some products, but waiting too long also increases the risk of items selling out.

The holiday season can get expensive quickly, especially when shoppers are already feeling the pinch from higher prices. This year, 38% of consumers say they plan to spend less on the holidays than they did last year, according to recent survey data from Omnisend.

That could make Amazons Prime Big Deal Days, taking place October 6 and 7, particularly appealing to shoppers looking to get a head start on their holiday lists. With 26% of consumers planning to start shopping earlier than usual and 35% looking for discount codes and coupons, some shoppers may see Octobers deals as a chance to find savings before the holiday rush begins.

But with 78% saying higher prices will affect their holiday spending decisions and 44% expecting to carry debt into the new year finding a deal doesnt necessarily mean spending more.

E-commerce and retail advisor Greg Zakowicz of Omnisend explains what shoppers should keep in mind as they head into the fall shopping season.

Ditch the now or never mindset

With Prime Big Deal Days coming up, it can be easy to get sucked into every seemingly great deal. However, Zakowicz encourages consumers to stick to their budgets, as feeling like you need to buy something immediately for fear of losing it is a common financial mistake.

Smart, budget-minded shoppers tend to have lists of products they are targeting, understand their everyday costs, and know what a good deal is (in their mind), he said.

For shoppers, the challenge with large sales events is thinking the deals are the best theyll ever be. Sometimes waiting until Black Friday Week or Cyber Monday will provide better deals than purchasing during earlier large-scale sales events.

Avoiding impulse spending

Taking advantage of sales in October can help consumers spread out their holiday spending. But Zakowicz warns against falling victim to impulse spending as you scroll through the discounts.

Define what you consider a good deal, Zakowicz said. Some people may sacrifice saving an extra 5% to guarantee they get a product in time or secure the right size before it sells out. Just because someone pays more doesnt mean its not a good deal.

Another tip: use AI tools like Amazons Rufus to look at the price history of a product.

The default will show the price for the past 30 days, but you can toggle this to one year, quickly assessing the price during other periods, such as during Black Friday, Zakowicz said. That doesnt guarantee the product will be in stock or reach that same price, but it is an indication of how much you could save.

Similarly, you can run a less exact search using tools like ChatGPT and Claude. You can paste in the product URL and ask what the price was last Black Friday.

They will often give you the standard discount offered by the store at that time, but not necessarily with a guarantee whether the specific product was that price or excluded from sales, he explained.

For those who choose to wait, find an alternate, fall-back product youd be happy with in case it does indeed sell out by the time youre ready to buy.

Breaking down the shopping strategy

Shopping earlier in the holiday season has become more common among shoppers, but Zakowicz said this isnt always the best strategy.

Buying earlier often means you may pay slightly more than if you wait, but based on the product, this difference can vary drastically, he explained.

For electronics, such as computers, Cyber Monday tends to offer the deepest discounts of the season, up to 30%. This is where understanding your shopping list and expected price is important. A good deal is a good deal, regardless of when you get it, but in some cases, it may make sense to wait for the tentpole days.

On the flip side, waiting too deep into the season increases the risk that items will sell out, especially with sized items like clothing.

Though some customers may find good deals by waiting, they run the risk of sell-outs, Zakowicz said. This happened to me in the past, and last year I purchased items earlier than usual, knowing I would get a better deal if I waited, because I had missed out on items the previous year.

Your retirement savings may go much further in some states than others

• $1.2 million could last 32.39 years with Social Security on average, but that varies significantly by state.

• Oklahoma ranked first, where $1.2 million could last nearly 45 years, while Hawaii ranked last at just 13.46 years.

• Experts say your retirement target should reflect where you live, how much you spend, and how early you start saving.

Saving $1.2 million for retirement may sound like reaching the finish line.

But how long that money actually lasts can depend on much more than the size of your nest egg. Where you live, how much you spend, and other sources of income can all play a role in determining how quickly your savings are used up.

So, how far could $1.2 million really take you?

ConsumerAffairs spoke with Rudri Bhatt Patel, NACCC Certified Financial Health Counselor, for insight into what retirees should consider when deciding whether their savings are enough.

Methodology

To estimate how long $1.2 million could last in retirement, MoneyLion started with the average annual spending for Americans age 65 and older, using 2024 Consumer Expenditure Survey data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It then adjusted that national spending figure for each state using 2026 first-quarter cost-of-living data from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC).

MoneyLion also factored in Social Security income, using Social Security Administration data from July 2026. The analysis calculated how long $1.2 million would last both with and without Social Security, then ranked all 50 states based on how long the savings would last. The study also estimated annual costs for categories including groceries, housing, utilities, transportation, and healthcare. The data was collected and updated as of Aug. 20, 2026.

Its important to keep in mind that these figures are estimates. Theyre based on average spending and cost-of-living data, so an individual retirees results could look very different depending on factors such as lifestyle, housing costs, and other sources of income.

Key findings

On average, MoneyLion found that $1.2 million would last about 32.39 years with Social Security and 19.53 years without it.

Oklahoma came out on top, with $1.2 million estimated to last 44.59 years when Social Security is included. Alabama and Mississippi followed at 43.11 and 42 years, respectively.

At the other end of the list, Hawaii ranked last, with $1.2 million estimated to last just 13.46 years with Social Security. Massachusetts, California, and Alaska also fell near the bottom.

The difference largely comes down to the cost of everyday life. Hawaii had the highest estimated annual expenditures at about $113,526, compared with roughly $51,296 in Oklahoma, the state where the money was projected to last the longest.

Healthcare and groceries can also add up quickly. Only six states Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Michigan, Tennessee, and West Virginia had estimated annual healthcare costs below $7,000, while Hawaii and Alaska had average annual grocery costs above $6,600.

Preparing for retirement

Regardless of where you are in your career journey, Patel recommends kickstarting retirement savings as soon as possible.

Dont make saving for your retirement future a later goal, she said. Start saving now.

Patel shared a few ways to make retirement savings a primary goal:

• Take advantage of an employers 401(k) match. Contribute enough so you can benefit from the employers match.

• Consider opening a Roth IRA (especially when youre young so you can pay lower tax rates).

• If you want to be aggressive with retirement savings and youre young, place 70% of your portfolio in stocks and 30% in bonds/CDs.

• With every raise or windfall, use a portion to increase your contribution to your tax-advantaged accounts.

• Healthcare is one of the primary costs in retirement. Make sure you put your health first throughout your life. Take preventive measures now because it will likely save you money in retirement.

• Continue to build skills and certifications. You want to maximize any opportunity to ask for a raise or promotion. These extra dollars could help your retirement nest egg grow faster.

• Do a dry run on what its like to live on a retirement budget. For a few months, run your household on a retirement budget. This gives you a chance to make changes long before you retire.

Start saving today

Patel explained that preparation is key to retirement, and even if retirement is right around the corner, its never too late to start saving.

If you start saving later, your approach should be aggressive and strategic, she said. I recommend, based on the survey data, you take a look at where you live and determine if your modest nest egg will allow you to live comfortably. If not, then consider relocating.

Saving later in retirement may mean having to work a few extra years, downsizing, and reviewing some of your lifestyle choices. As an older saver, you can take advantage of catch-up contributions. Those who are 50 and older can use catch-up contributions to dedicate more money to a 401(k), 457(b), HSA, Traditional or ROTH IRA, or a SIMPLE IRA.

Advice for current workers

If retirement is a bit further down the road, Patel offers some suggestions to make the most of the years you have left.

Treat your retirement savings like you would a housing or utility cost, Patel said. Make it a mandatory part of your budget. Dont convince yourself that youve got time to worry about retirement savings later. Later may put you too far behind.

Here are a few of her strategies:

1. If your income increases, dont automatically increase your burn. Try to live below your means.

2. Automate your contributions and any income boost should mean that you raise your savings rate.

3. Dont make major lifestyle purchases without taking care of retirement first. It may feel difficult at the moment, but your golden-year-self will thank you.

4. Advocate for yourself in your job. Ask for that raise (if warranted) and take advantage of every financial perk your employer offers that can help you in retirement.

As a certified financial health expert, Id suggest people not look at the $1.2 million in isolation, Patel explained. Look at your target retirement number based on where you live and your personal spending.

Dont be afraid to ask questions if you're unclear on your strategy. Ask a financial advisor if youre struggling and need guidance.