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The freezer hacks that can save you money and help you eat healthier

• Stock your freezer, save money. Frozen vegetables, fruit, and lean proteins last longer, reduce food waste, and make healthy meals easier.

• Skip the takeout habit. Keeping a few freezer staples on hand means dinner can be ready in about 15 minutes.

• Read the label. Choose frozen foods with simple ingredients and watch for excess sodium and added sugar.

Busy family schedules have a way of throwing even the best meal plans off track. Between work, school, soccer practice, and homework, it's easy to find yourself staring into the refrigerator wondering what's for dinner or reaching for your phone to order takeout.

ConsumerAffairs interviewed registered dietitian Lauren Manaker, who explained one of the smartest places to stretch your grocery budget isn't in the produce aisle. It's in your freezer.

Manaker says today's freezer aisle is far different than it was a generation ago. While it still contains highly processed convenience foods, it's also filled with nutritious staples that can help families save money, reduce food waste, and get healthy meals on the table in minutes.

"It's really about having quality ingredients ready when life gets busy," Manaker said. "When you have nutritious foods in your freezer, the easiest meal is often the healthiest one, too."

Here's how she recommends shopping (and stocking) your freezer.

Frozen vegetables are the ultimate budget buy

If Manaker could recommend just one freezer staple, it would be frozen vegetables.

She always keeps broccoli, spinach, and mixed vegetable blends on hand because they make it easy to round out almost any meal without worrying about produce spoiling before it's used.

Frozen vegetables are typically processed shortly after they're harvested, helping preserve their nutrients while extending their shelf life. That means fewer trips to the grocery store and less food ending up in the trash.

"They're typically frozen at peak ripeness, so the nutrition holds up well," Manaker said. "Plus, they don't wilt on me before I get to them, which cuts down on waste and saves money."

Whether you're adding broccoli to pasta, spinach to scrambled eggs, or mixed vegetables to a stir-fry, frozen vegetables are one of the easiest ways to stretch both your meals and your grocery budget.

Frozen fruit saves money and breakfast

Fresh berries may be delicious, but they're also one of the quickest foods to spoil. For that reason, Manaker always keeps frozen fruit in her freezer for smoothies, oatmeal, yogurt, and quick breakfasts.

Buying berries frozen often costs less than buying them fresh, especially when they're out of season, and you only need to use what you need instead of rushing to finish an entire container before it goes bad.

Frozen mango, peaches, cherries, and mixed fruit can offer similar savings while making it easier to keep healthy ingredients on hand year-round.

Keep a protein ready for busy nights

One of the biggest reasons families end up ordering takeout is simply because they don't have a plan. That's why Manaker always keeps a quick protein in the freezer.

Lately, that has been Safe Catch Tuna Burgers, but she says the concept is more important than the specific product. Frozen chicken breasts, salmon fillets, turkey burgers, shrimp, veggie burgers, or other lean proteins can all serve the same purpose.

"When I don't have a plan, having a lean protein ready to go keeps me from reaching for takeout," she said.

A dependable freezer protein turns "What's for dinner?" into a much easier question to answer.

Don't assume frozen means unhealthy

The freezer aisle still suffers from an outdated reputation. Many shoppers immediately think of sodium-packed TV dinners or heavily processed meals. While those products certainly exist, so do plain vegetables, fruit, seafood, and minimally processed proteins.

"The key is reading the label rather than assuming," Manaker said.

She starts with the ingredient list. Products made with recognizable ingredients and shorter ingredient lists tend to be better choices than foods filled with additives and preservatives.

She also compares sodium levels, looks for hidden added sugars in products like sauced vegetables or breaded proteins, and checks how much protein and fiber each serving provides.

"A straightforward label is usually a good sign," she said.

Build a 15-minute dinner

Healthy eating doesn't have to mean spending an hour in the kitchen.

One of Manaker's favorite weeknight dinners starts with a frozen protein cooking in the air fryer or skillet while frozen vegetables steam in the microwave. She pairs everything with microwaveable brown rice or another whole grain, then finishes the meal with fresh greens, a squeeze of lemon, or a yogurt-based sauce.

Dinner is ready in about 15 minutes.

"The point isn't that every meal has to be gourmet," she said. "It's that a little planning on the front end means the easy choice is also a genuinely nourishing one."

It's also likely to cost far less than another delivery order.

Avoid these common freezer mistakes

One of the biggest mistakes shoppers make is assuming all frozen foods are either healthy or unhealthy. Neither is true.

Manaker says another common error is ignoring serving sizes. Some frozen meals appear to be single servings but actually contain two, doubling the sodium, calories, and fat if you eat the entire package.

She also encourages shoppers to keep their freezer organized.

Buying frozen food only saves money if you eventually use it. Labeling homemade freezer meals with dates and rotating older foods toward the front can help reduce waste and prevent forgotten items from sitting in the freezer for months.

As for foods she generally skips, Manaker avoids products loaded with sodium and added sugars while offering very little protein or fiber.

"If a product is mostly refined carbohydrates with a long list of additives and not much nutritional payoff, it's usually not earning its spot in my freezer," she said.

Fresh still has an advantage

Frozen foods aren't always the best choice.

Fresh salad greens, herbs, and produce you'll use within a day or two generally deliver better texture and flavor. If you're serving vegetables raw or making a salad, fresh usually wins.

The smartest strategy isn't choosing frozen over fresh, but it's knowing when each one makes the most sense.

"My general rule is to buy frozen for the staples I use regularly and want on hand, and buy fresh for the things I'll use quickly or want at their peak texture," Manaker said. "Balancing the two is what keeps both my meals and my budget in good shape."

New survey reveals what's keeping many adults awake night after night

• Family responsibilities, work stress, and mental health are among the most commonly reported factors affecting sleep.

• The findings come from a nationwide survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults conducted in June 2025.

• The results highlight how everyday pressures not just bedtime habits can influence sleep quality.

Getting enough sleep isn't always as simple as turning off the lights a little earlier. For many adults, everyday responsibilities and life stressors can make it difficult to get consistent, restful sleep.

A new survey from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) found that family obligations, work demands, financial pressures, and physical and mental health challenges all play a role in how well people sleep. Rather than pointing to a single cause, the findings suggest that sleep is often affected by multiple aspects of daily life.

The survey underscores something many people may already suspect: the factors interfering with sleep often extend well beyond the bedroom.

People are struggling to protect their sleep in the face of real, ongoing pressures, AASM spokesperson Dr. David Kuhlmann said in a news release.

Whether it's a demanding job, financial stress, or the around-the-clock responsibility of caring for a family, these burdens don't disappear at bedtime. And when sleep suffers, so does our ability to manage stress, stay healthy, and function at our best.

How the survey was conducted

The findings are based on an online survey commissioned by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and conducted by independent market research agency Atomik Research.

Researchers surveyed 2,007 adults across the United States between June 5 and June 13, 2025. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

Participants were asked which aspects of their lives had a major, moderate, minor, or no impact on their ability to sleep well on a regular basis. The survey explored a range of potential influences, including family responsibilities, work, finances, health, technology use, environmental factors, and caregiving.

What the results mean for consumers

Family responsibilities topped the list, with 45% of adults saying they have a major or moderate impact on their ability to sleep well. Physical health problems (39%) and job stress (39%) followed closely behind, while 37% pointed to mental health challenges as a significant factor affecting their sleep.

Financial concerns also ranked high. More than one-third of respondents said housing costs (36%) and work schedules (35%) have a major or moderate impact on their sleep. Nearly three in 10 adults (29%) also said limited access to healthcare affects how well they sleep.

Other factors were less commonly identified but still affected some respondents. Twenty-five percent cited social obligations, 24% pointed to caregiving responsibilities, and 23% said technology use had a major or moderate effect on their sleep. Fewer adults reported that environmental noise (22%), environmental light (20%), or travel (15%) regularly disrupted their sleep.

Poor sleep is not a personal failing. It is often a reflection of the pressures people face outside the bedroom, Dr. Kuhlmann said. We encourage anyone who is consistently struggling to sleep well, or who experiences excessive daytime sleepiness, to speak with a healthcare professional. Identifying the root causes of poor sleep is an important first step toward better overall health.

A new survey suggests consumers may be missing calls from healthcare providers, employers, and other important callers to avoid fraud

• A new survey found that 66% of Americans have missed an important call while screening for spam, including calls from healthcare providers, employers, and financial institutions.

• As phishing become more sophisticated, consumers are growing more cautious about answering unknown calls and opening unexpected emails.

• Experts say the key is finding a balance: verify unfamiliar communications without ignoring legitimate calls and messages that could be important.

Spam calls, suspicious texts, and phishing emails have become such a routine part of daily life that many consumers have started tuning them out altogether.

While being cautious can help reduce the risk of falling for a scam, it may also come with unintended consequences.

New research from Cloaked found that many Americans have missed important calls while screening unknown numbers, highlighting how growing scam fatigue is changing the way people communicate and the trade-offs consumers face as they try to protect their personal information.

ConsumerAffairs spoke with Annmarie Giblin, Chief Compliance Officer at Cloaked to learn the ins and outs of what this means for consumers.

Missing important calls

Cloakeds survey found that 66% of Americans have missed an important call in an attempt to screen a spam or fraud call. However, skipping those calls can also have important implications.

Beyond health care, the most commonly missed calls in the study came from employers or recruiters, cited by 18% of respondents, followed by pharmacies or insurance providers at 16% and financial institutions at 15%, Giblin said.

A screened call could mean losing a job opportunity or failing to respond quickly to suspicious activity on a bank account. It could also mean being tricked by a scammer that could result in identity theft or stolen money. The bigger issue is that consumers currently have to make a risk calculation every time their phone rings, trying to determine in seconds whether answering that unknown number is more dangerous than ignoring it.

Emails are risky too

The survey also found that 40% of Americans believe phishing emails to be the most convincing spam format. Ignoring or deleting important emails can also lead consumers to miss important communications.

The most effective phishing emails no longer look sloppy or generic, Giblin said. They imitate familiar brands, reference believable activities like package deliveries or password resets, and create enough urgency to make the recipient act before thinking. Personal details gathered from breaches or social media can make the message feel legitimate and expected.

At the same time, polished formatting and a button leading to a convincing imitation website remove many of the warning signs consumers were once taught to look for. The strongest defense is to have a healthy skepticism of such messages, especially when unsolicited, and in general avoiding using the link in the email and instead, independently go to the companys official app or website.

Protecting yourself is important

Because have gotten so advanced, its hard for consumers to determine whats a legitimate call and whats not. However, never answering an unknown number isnt the answer either, as it could mean you miss important information.

Giblin shared her best tips to help consumers protect themselves, while also not cutting themselves off from important communication:

• Have a healthy dose of skepticism of unsolicited communications.

• Let unfamiliar calls go to voicemail.

• Review messages promptly rather than automatically deleting them.

• Verify requests through a channel you initiate (e.g., open the official app, type the organizations website yourself, or call a number printed on a statement instead of clicking a link or calling the number provided in a message).

• Use carrier or other third party spam filtering and set up legitimate account alerts.

• Save known numbers for doctors, schools, pharmacies, banks, and other essential contacts.

The goal is to make verification a routine step before sharing information or granting account access, she said.

Learn practical advice to eliminate spending stress this back-to-school season

• Inflation and technology costs are making back-to-school shopping more expensive, with electronics now one of the biggest expenses for many families.

• Creating a budget, prioritizing needs over wants, and spreading purchases out over time can help families avoid overspending and unnecessary debt.

• Back-to-school shopping is a great opportunity to teach kids valuable money skills, from comparison shopping to understanding the difference between needs and wants.

Back-to-school shopping can feel like a fresh start, but it can also put a strain on the family budget.

Between classroom supplies, new clothes, shoes, and extracurricular essentials, the costs can add up quickly. While it may be tempting to rely on credit to cover the expense, taking a thoughtful approach to budgeting can help families avoid unnecessary debt.

Cynthia Chen, founder and CEO of Kikoff, shares practical strategies for planning ahead, making smarter spending decisions, and keeping back-to-school shopping affordable.

Inflation wins again

Chen explained that the number one factor impacting rising back-to-school prices is inflation.

Clothing, shoes, backpacks, and school supplies all cost meaningfully more than they did a few years ago, and higher costs across the board including gas and transportation, which feed into the price of nearly everything keep prices elevated, she said.

On top of that, what counts as a school supply has expanded. Electronics are now the single largest spending category, so a laptop or tablet in a replacement year can dwarf the cost of notebooks and pencils.

The financial blind spots

As parents are preparing for back-to-school, Chen says that its more than just a single shopping trip. Parents need to be prepared for the costs that pop up once school is underway.

The most common blind spot is treating back-to-school as a single shopping trip when it's really a season, she said. The initial haul (clothes, shoes, supplies) is only the first wave. The costs that catch parents off guard come later: activity and lab fees, sports registration, instrument rentals, field trip deposits, and club dues that trickle in from August onward.

A second blind spot is clothing and shoes for younger kids, who outgrow everything so quickly that a full wardrobe refresh can quietly become one of the largest line items, often more than double what families actually spend on supplies, Chen explained.

Other factors to consider: childcare, after-school care, and other recurring costs tied to the school year.

Money-saving tips

To make your budget stretch farther this back-to-school season, Chen shared her best advice:

• Start by taking inventory. Before you buy anything, go through what survived last year last year's backpack, calculator, or barely-used supplies may have another year in them. Then map out exactly what you actually need to buy new, and assign a dollar amount to each category so you're shopping against a plan instead of a vibe.

• Set the total budget based on what you can genuinely afford. Ignore what the sales are tempting you toward, and shop within that number. If money is tight, lean on used textbooks, hand-me-downs from older siblings or family, and secondhand items that are still in good shape.

• Get serious about extracurriculars. List them in priority order and fund the most important ones first you don't have to say yes to everything in the same month. The goal is to make your decisions before you're standing in the store with your kids asking for the name-brand version.

• Its a marathon not a sprint. Spread purchases out over several weeks, buy only the essentials to start the year, and fill in the rest once you know what your child actually needs. This will protect your budget far better than one big, emotional shopping trip.

Getting kids involved in finances

Chen also explained that this season is a great time to teach kids about financial literacy in terms they understand. These lessons can leave lasting impacts that help them better understand the value of things and how to build smart spending habits at a young age.

This season is one of the best real-world classrooms parents have, Chen said. The core lesson is the difference between needs and wants the calculator and the shoes that fit are needs; the character-branded backpack when a plain one works is a want.

She also shared a simple, powerful exercise to really drive the point home. Chen recommends giving an older child a set amount for a category, like clothes or supplies, and let them make the trade-offs themselves.

When they realize that splurging on one item means less for everything else, the concept of a budget stops being abstract, she said/ Bringing them into comparison shopping, too checking prices across stores, waiting for a sale, or choosing the store brand teaches them that money decisions have options. Learning needs versus wants early is a skill that serves kids well as they grow into financial independence.

Your iPhone may soon stop you before you fall for a scam

• New scam protection: iOS 27's Trust Insights can detect signs you're being manipulated into sending money or sharing sensitive information.

• Built-in pause button: Your iPhone may show a warning, require extra verification, or briefly delay risky actions to help stop .

• Stay cautious: Always verify unexpected requests, never rush payments, and keep your iPhone updated for the latest security protections.

Apple is adding a new layer of scam protection to iPhones, and it could help prevent some of the costliest fraud schemes before money ever leaves your account.

With the upcoming release of iOS 27 in mid-September, Apple is introducing Trust Insights, a built-in security feature designed to recognize when someone may be manipulating you into sending money, sharing sensitive information, or making risky account changes. According to Apple, the feature analyzes behavioral patterns (not the content of your conversations) to detect signs that you may be under pressure from a scammer.

The technology arrives as phone, text, and email continue to cost Americans billions of dollars each year. Criminals increasingly rely on urgency and psychological pressure rather than obvious phishing emails, making it harder for even savvy consumers to recognize when they're being targeted.

Exactly how Trust Insights works

Rather than reading your messages or listening to your calls, Trust Insights looks for unusual behavior that may indicate you're being coerced.

For example, if you're suddenly attempting to send a large payment, change important account information, or share sensitive documents while your behavior differs from your normal patterns, your iPhone may display a warning, require an extra verification step, or briefly delay the action.

Apple says the analysis happens on the device, and the behavioral data is deleted immediately after it's evaluated. The company says it does not analyze the actual content of your calls, texts, or emails.

The feature will also include a built-in safeguard against scammers who might try to convince victims to disable it. While users can turn Trust Insights off, Apple has added a waiting period before that setting takes effect.

Apple's new feature is a helpful safety net, but it's most effective when paired with smart habits.

Here are five ways to reduce your chances of becoming a scam victim.

Treat security warnings like a stop sign, not a speed bump

If your iPhone displays a fraud warning, asks for an extra verification step, or briefly delays a payment, don't simply tap through it.

Those few extra seconds are designed to interrupt the urgency scammers rely on. Pause the conversation, think about what's happening, and ask yourself whether the request makes sense.

Slow down whenever money is involved

Scammers almost always create a sense of urgency. They may claim your bank account has been hacked, your Social Security number has been compromised, or a loved one is in trouble and needs money immediately.

The moment someone pressures you to act "right now," consider it a major red flag. Taking even five or ten minutes to verify the situation can prevent a costly mistake.

Hang up and contact the company yourself

Never trust a phone number, text message, email, or website simply because it looks legitimate. Criminals can spoof caller ID and create convincing fake websites.

If someone claims to represent your bank, Apple, Amazon, PayPal, or another company, end the conversation and contact the organization using the phone number on your credit card, account statement, or official website.

Keep your iPhone updated

Security updates aren't just about adding new features they often include important protections against the latest and cyber threats.

Turn on automatic updates so you receive Apple's newest security tools, including Trust Insights, as soon as they're available.

Remember that no technology catches every scam

Even with AI-powered fraud detection, scammers constantly adapt their tactics. No security feature is foolproof.

If someone asks you to buy gift cards, transfer money through a payment app, move cash into cryptocurrency, or keep the conversation secret, stop immediately. Those are among the most common signs of a scam, regardless of what your phone says.

Pro tip: Create a family "fraud password" or code word. If someone ever calls claiming to be a relative in an emergency or asking for money, ask for the password. It's a simple step that can help protect against the growing number of AI voice-cloning and family emergency .