Consumer News: More than half of teachers work summer side gigs to make ends meet

Your team may be winning, but your wallet is losing

• Nearly half of sports fans have gone into debt for their fandom, and almost one in four are currently carrying sports-related debt.

• Football is driving much of the spending, with 55% of fans saying NFL and college football account for at least half their sports budget.

• Set a season spending cap before kickoff, including tickets, streaming, merchandise, betting, food, and other game-day costs.

Football season is almost here, and if you're already eyeing tickets, considering NFL Sunday Ticket, or shopping for a new jersey, you might want to check your bank account first.

A new National Debt Relief survey of 2,000 U.S. consumers found 47% of sports fans have gone into debt to support their fandom, and nearly one in four are currently carrying sports-related debt. Even more concerning, one-third say spending on sports causes financial stress for their household.

And we're not talking pocket change.

Nearly three in 10 sports fans expect to spend more than $1,000 on sports in 2026, while one-third expect to spend between $250 and $499.

With football season arriving, those expenses could accelerate. Fifty-five percent of fans say NFL and college football will account for at least half of their sports spending.

Here are some ways to keep your fandom from becoming a financial problem.

Figure out what your team actually costs you

The problem with sports spending is that it rarely arrives as one big bill.

There are your streaming packages, fantasy league entry fees, tickets, parking, concessions, merchandise, betting, and money spent watching games with friends.

Individually, each expense might seem manageable. But when you combine them over an entire season, it can get surprisingly expensive.

Try this: Look at what you spent on sports last season (approximately) and divide that number by 12. Then decide whether that monthly amount still makes sense for your budget.

Give yourself a season salary cap

NFL teams have salary caps they adhere to, and your household probably needs one as well.

Decide how much money you want to reasonably spend before the season officially kicks off, without carrying a credit card balance.

For example, if your limit is $600 for the season, you might choose between attending one expensive game or several cheaper experiences rather than buying tickets impulsively.

Once the money is gone, consider your spending to be done.

Don't finance your fandom

One particularly interesting finding from the survey: Sports ranks fifth among things Americans say they'd be willing to go into debt for, behind travel, gifts, shopping, and eating out. Twenty percent said they'd consider taking on debt for sports.

That's a good place to draw a financial line.

Tickets and jerseys obviously aren't emergency purchases. So if you're putting them on a credit card you can't pay off, the interest can make an already expensive game or merch purchase way more expensive.

The survey also found Buy Now, Pay Later is becoming more popular for sports purchases among younger consumers. But before using BNPL, ask yourself a simple question: Would I still buy this if I had to pay the entire price today?

Pick your splurge

You don't have to stop spending money on sports. Instead, decide what actually matters most to you.

If attending games is your thing, consider cutting back on merchandise or streaming packages. If you love watching every game from home, perhaps skip expensive tickets.

Spreading money across every part of fandom is how a manageable hobby can quietly become a four-figure expense.

The consumer takeaway

Sports are supposed to be entertainment, not another monthly bill causing financial stress.

And with 62% of Americans spending money on sports and 29% of fans expecting to spend at least $1,000 this year, it's worth knowing your number before kickoff.

Create one sports budget that includes everything like tickets, streaming, merchandise, betting, fantasy leagues, food and parking. If you can't pay for it without carrying debt, your team just exceeded your salary cap.

New research finds connections between nicotine use, anxiety, depression, and other symptoms

• Nearly 80% of nicotine-using girls in one study reported clinically relevant anxiety symptoms.

• Researchers found mental health concerns among teens who used both traditional tobacco and newer nicotine products.

• The studies found associations, but researchers say they cannot yet determine whether nicotine directly causes mental health problems.

Nicotine use among teenagers has changed in recent years, with products ranging from traditional tobacco to e-cigarettes and tobacco-free nicotine pouches. Now, three studies from the University of Gothenburg are raising questions about how nicotine use may be connected to mental health during adolescence.

The research found that adolescents who use nicotine were more likely to report symptoms of anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns than those who did not use nicotine. The differences appeared particularly pronounced among girls.

Importantly, the researchers say the findings do not establish a cause-and-effect relationship. Other factors including stress, socioeconomic circumstances, alcohol use, other substance use, and individual vulnerability may influence both nicotine use and mental health.

How the research worked

The findings come from several studies that looked at the relationship from different angles. In one, researchers surveyed nearly 3,000 Swedish high school students about nicotine use and mental health symptoms.

Another study followed approximately 1,500 adolescents in southern Sweden over time, tracking them from lower secondary school through high school. This allowed researchers to examine how changes in tobacco use corresponded with changes in mental health and other symptoms.

The researchers also conducted experiments involving rats to explore what nicotine might do in the brain. They focused on the amygdala, a brain region involved in emotional regulation and responses to stress.

Together, the questionnaire studies, long-term follow-up, and animal experiments provided several types of evidence to examine the potential connection.

What the findings could mean

The results showed some notable differences. In the study of nearly 3,000 students, almost 80% of girls who used nicotine reported clinically relevant anxiety symptoms. The associations appeared with both traditional tobacco products and tobacco-free nicotine products, including nicotine pouches and e-cigarettes.

Among the adolescents followed over time, depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts were more common among those who smoked. Girls who increased their tobacco use were also more likely to experience worsening sleep problems, anxiety, low mood, and concentration difficulties.

We see clear differences between girls and boys, with girls who smoke appearing to be particularly vulnerable, researcher Johanna Andersson said in a news release. At the same time, we need a better understanding of how nicotine pouches affect mental health, especially among adolescent girls, where the use of nicotine pouches has increased so rapidly.

The animal research may offer a possible biological explanation: nicotine altered communication between neurons and caused lasting changes in brain activity, with the strongest effects seen in female rats.

Still, the researchers stress that more work is needed. The findings raise questions about nicotine's effects on the developing brain and whether adolescent girls may be particularly sensitive, but they don't prove that nicotine itself causes mental health problems.

One of the key findings is that we see similar patterns across several different studies using different types of data. However, we still cannot determine cause and effect. The animal studies demonstrate biological changes in the brain that could contribute to increased vulnerability to anxiety and stress-related symptoms, researcher Louise Adermark said in the release.

New restrictions and supplier reporting requirements could change what shoppers see on Dollar Tree shelves

• Dollar Tree is expanding restrictions on chemicals in private-label food packaging, childrens products, beauty items, and household products.

• The policy targets substances including PFAS, formaldehyde-releasing chemicals, parabens, BPA, and BPS.

• The company plans to publicly report more information about its suppliers and chemical screening process beginning in 2027.

Shopping for everyday items at Dollar Tree could look a little different in the coming years.

The company has published an expanded Chemical Management Policy that adds new restrictions on certain chemicals in private-label products, including food packaging, childrens products, and formulated products such as beauty, personal care, and household cleaning items.

The updated policy is designed to go beyond some existing federal requirements and follows restrictions already adopted in some states, according to Coming Clean, which highlighted the changes. The policy also puts more emphasis on what Dollar Trees suppliers are required to disclose and how the company will track progress.

We applaud Dollar Trees efforts to eliminate chemicals linked to endocrine disruption, learning disabilities, cancer and reproductive harm from its shelves, Jos Bravo, Coordinator of the Campaign for Healthier Solutions said in a news release. Families deserve safe products and healthy food no matter where they shop.

What Dollar Tree is changing

One of the biggest changes involves PFAS, a large group of chemicals known as forever chemicals. Dollar Tree says it will restrict PFAS in private-brand formulated products, as well as childrens toys and products, by 2027. The company already restricts PFAS in food products and packaging and pet food products and packaging.

The company also plans to restrict formaldehyde-releasing chemicals from private-brand formulated products by the end of 2028. Four parabens will be restricted from private-label formulated products, while BPA and BPS will be restricted from food packaging and food-contact materials by 2028.

There are also new supplier-accountability measures. By the end of 2027, Dollar Tree plans to publicly report information including the share of suppliers whose private-brand formulated products can be fully screened through UL WERCSmart and the percentage of those products that are free of priority chemicals on its Restricted Substance List.

The company also plans to reduce restricted chemicals in certain household cleaners and air fresheners by 50% over two years.

What this means for shoppers

For consumers, the changes don't mean every Dollar Tree product will immediately be free of the chemicals covered by the policy. Instead, they establish timelines for restrictions and give the company a way to track what suppliers are using.

That could eventually make it easier for shoppers to understand how Dollar Tree is addressing chemicals in its private-label products. The company is also requiring suppliers to declare that PFAS have not been intentionally used in food and childrens products by the end of 2027.

Dollar Trees new commitments do a lot to reassure shoppers that the company is taking their concerns about chemical safety seriously, and setting up systems of accountability to ensure it keeps improving in the future, said Bravo. This policy should only keep getting stronger.

The soup was sold exclusively at Walmart in 29 states

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• Kettle Cuisine is recalling 3,240 Marketside Tomato Bisque Soup Kits over possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

• The 14-ounce kits, sold exclusively at select Walmart stores in 29 states, carry UPC 194346474004 and a use-by date of Aug. 22, 2026.

• No illnesses have been confirmed; consumers should discard the product or return it for a refund.

Kettle Cuisine LLC has recalled thousands of Marketside Tomato Bisque Soup Kits sold exclusively at Walmart because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, according to a company announcement.

The recall covers 3,240 wrapped, 14-ounce trays bearing UPC 194346474004 and a use-by date of Aug. 22, 2026. Kettle Cuisine distributed the soup kits from June 30 through July 7 to select Walmart stores in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.

The Savage, Maryland-based company initiated the recall after routine testing produced a presumptive positive result for listeria. Its investigation is continuing in coordination with the FDA. No confirmed illnesses linked to the product had been reported as of the companys Aug. 12 announcement.

Listerias effects

Listeria infections can cause fever, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. More serious cases may involve headache, a stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or convulsions. The infection can be especially dangerous for young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems, and it can cause miscarriage or stillbirth during pregnancy.

Consumers should not eat, serve, sell, or distribute the recalled soup. They should throw it away or return it to the place of purchase for a refund. Because contaminated food may look and smell normal, consumers should not rely on its appearance to determine whether it is safe.

The company also recommends washing hands after handling the product and cleaning and sanitizing refrigerators, containers, utensils, countertops, and other surfaces that may have come into contact with it. Anyone who ate the soup and develops symptoms should contact a healthcare provider.

Questions may be directed to the Kettle Cuisine hotline at 617-409-1104, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time.