ArcaMax

Q: I lease an apartment in a poorly maintained building. Lately, it has gotten to the point where the smell is literally making me sick. I want to move, but I signed a one-year lease. Can I get out of my lease due to this? — Cara

A: When a property is leased, it creates a legal relationship with benefits and responsibilities for the landlord ...Read more

Do neighborhood cats insist that your property (porch, door, flower beds) is their territory? Well, my dear reader, break out the lemons and oranges, and shout hallelujah! You're about to discover a very pleasant, harmless way to direct them away, plus much more!

CAT SCRAM. I place lemon and orange slices and rinds around my front door and ...Read more

Professional chefs have sous chefs to do all the hard work and to see that meals get to the table in a timely manner. While I wouldn't characterize myself as a chef, I do have a home kitchen assistant, and quite frankly I just don't know what I'd do without her.

Three or four mornings a week, I hastily give her my plans for dinner and head to ...Read more

Face it. Living below your means and staying out of debt, especially in the inflationary times in which America finds itself, requires a good bit of creativity. We have to get pretty clever to stretch a buck.

But just how far can we go in matters of being cheap before we cross the line between good etiquette and outright rudeness? When in doubt...Read more

Millennials, born between 1981 and '96, represent the largest, most educated and culturally diverse generation in American history. This demographic cohort holds significant sway over the future trajectory of the U.S. economy through their financial choices, which are being made within a progressively intricate financial environment. That's the ...Read more

Storefront vacancy rates in New York City have yet to recover from pandemic peaks, with Manhattan in particular struggling to bounce back, new city data show.

The issue made headlines during the pandemic, when retail storefronts on many major thoroughfares sat empty as businesses across the city shuttered. The issue was the focus of a City ...Read more

Q: I recently moved and am now, for the first time, dealing with a homeowners association. I have a classic Cadillac that I used to keep covered at my previous residence. The rules in place at my new residence forbid car covers. Other nearby communities seem to allow covered cars, but not mine, so this rule was established by my association only...Read more

As the mother of two young world-class whiners, the behavior modification techniques described in the booklet "Stop Whining!" appeared too simple to be taken seriously. In desperation, however, I decided to give the anti-whining program my best shot. At the time, our two sons were ages 4 and 5.

Day One: Whenever one of the boys whined, I did ...Read more

A question I receive nearly every day goes something like this: I'm ready to get started taking back control of my finances. But how do I get started? It's like I'm stuck.

Don't think you are alone if you find yourself wanting to do all the steps at once. But that could be a big mistake. In the same way when building a house you wouldn't pour ...Read more

Dear Cheapskate: I adore all your fantastic tips for washing machines and laundry, but could you lend some advice on how to get the detergent amount just right? I really dislike the uncertainty of using too little or too much -- it's like playing a guessing game every time I do a load. I attempted to find some guidance online, but unfortunately,...Read more