Is a Vitamix Actually Worth $600? A Consumer Reports Expert Answers Your Biggest Home Spending Questions
HerMoney with Jean ChatzkyShow Notes
You know that feeling when you're staring at two versions of the same appliance and have absolutely no idea which one is actually worth it? Today we're getting some answers.
Jean Chatzky sits down with Tanya Christian, Senior Home and Appliance Writer at Consumer Reports, for a special mailbag episode answering your real questions about the stuff you actually want to buy, or are wondering if you should.
In this episode:
Is a Vitamix actually worth $600? (And when to buy one if you want it)
Should you ever buy an extended warranty?
What actually matters when choosing a mattress
The truth about "cooling" pillows and sheets
Links mentioned:
Subscribe to Bread and Butter by Consumer Reports.
Send your mailbag questions to: [email protected]
Pre-order Jean's new book, The Forever Paycheck Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More from HerMoney with Jean Chatzky
How much do you need to retire, not just comfortably, but happily, in 2026?
The ten years before retirement are your last, best chance to get it right. In this episode, Jean and Anne Lester, author of Your Best Financial Life, former head of Retirement Solutions for J.P. Morgan Asset Management, and a fellow with LIMRA’s Retirement Income Institute, break down what the ten years before retirement should really look like and everything you need to tackle to enter retirement with confidence.
Financial literacy isn’t just a problem for young people — it spans every generation and income bracket, and the numbers have only gotten worse over the last decade. So what actually works?
Sixty percent of Americans say they feel scared when they think about the future, and women are more likely than men to feel that way. If your instinct is to push that fear down, breathe through it, or just try to be more fearless, Farnoosh Torabi wants to stop you right there. Because fear, she argues, isn’t the enemy. It’s actually one of the most powerful tools you have, if you know how to listen to it.
Have you ever stopped to think about how nearly every product in your life — the car you drive, the shoes on your feet, the chair you're sitting in right now — was actually designed for men? Because cars were designed for men, women are 73% more likely to be seriously injured in a crash, and 17% more likely to die in one. And it doesn't stop at cars; even your sneakers were likely modeled on a man's foot first.