Things To Do In SW Florida

Halloween merchandise hit some stores before the Fourth of July, and Thanksgiving items were in already stores in August.

Given that it’s mid-September, retailers are rolling out products for the next winter big holiday: Christmas.

On Tuesday, Target launched a four-pronged approach to its holiday shopping experience.

Prong one: new items. Target is debuting more than 20,000 new items for holiday shoppers, many priced at $5 and most priced under $20. In a news release, the chain announced that is selling twice as many holiday items as last year, and more than half of those are Target exclusives.

Among the items for sale this year, the store highlighted pop-culture collaborations (“Stranger Things,” “Wicked: For Good”), as well as fashion, beauty gifts, Wondershop brand holiday decor and hundreds of exclusive toys.

Prong two: discounts. From Oct. 5 to 11, the store will have its “Target Circle Week” sale, and then it will kick off a series of weekly sales with prices discounted by up to half, starting Nov. 1. Its “Circle Week” sales are for the store’s membership program, which is free to join. Look for discounts on “everyday essentials, fall style picks and holiday gifts,” a news release said. To see what’s on sale, head to its deals page: target.com/c/deals/-/N-atb3q. read more

By Victor Swezey, Bloomberg News

Gen Z borrowers took the biggest hit of any age group this year, helping pull overall credit scores lower in the worst year for U.S. consumer credit quality since the global financial crisis roiled the world’s economy.

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The average FICO score slipped to 715 in April from 717 a year earlier, marking the second consecutive year-over-year drop, according to a report released Tuesday by Fair Isaac Corp. The average score dropped three points to 687 in 2009.

Gen Z borrowers saw the largest drop, not only this year, but of any age group since 2020, with their average score falling three points to 676, the Montana-based creator of the FICO credit score said. read more

Sarah Tang and Regeant Panday were following what many consider the path to the American Dream: college, marriage, house, kids. Tang’s parents followed that formula. Her dad pushed her to do the same. 

“You need to buy a house to grow up,” Tang remembered thinking.

The couple decided to forgo a more expensive wedding and reception, opting instead for City Hall nuptials and a small dinner with friends. With savings and some family help, the millennial couple pieced together the roughly $110,000 needed for a down payment last summer on a three-bedroom Bridgeport home.

While Tang, 31, and Panday, 38, were able to achieve homeownership, it has left them “house poor”: spending an outsized portion of their income on homeownership. As a result, they’ve had to make sacrifices. They delayed buying a car. They cut back on dining out. They limit their grocery spending, shopping primarily at Aldi, a chain known for its low prices. 

Despite the austerity measures, the crushing weight of rising housing costs has forced them to press pause on their plans to have kids. read more

By SARAH RAZA, Associated Press

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The price of most organic food could jump this fall due to new policies and tariffs on imported organic sugar, frustrating manufacturers who say the actions won’t help sugar growers but could put some food companies out of business.

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More than 90% of organic sugar used by U.S. manufacturers is imported. The price of that product increased in August when the Trump administration imposed steep trade tariffs, and will rise even more when high-tier duties on most organic sugar imports take effect Oct. 1. read more

By CALEIGH WELLS

Tax incentives that saved U.S. residents thousands of dollars on home efficiency upgrades, clean energy installations and electric vehicles are expiring this year. That means people who want to take advantage of them before they disappear have to act quickly.

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“There is still time, but the clock is ticking,” said Zach Pierce, head of policy at Rewiring America, a nonprofit focused on electrification.

With thousands of dollars on the line and mere days or months to claim them, we’ve got some tips on how to maximize savings.

Refresh my memory. What are these incentives?

The Inflation Reduction Act that passed in 2022 includes a slew of tax credits for electric vehicles and home efficiency upgrades. read more