
Save More On Thanksgiving / The Clark Smart Way To Shop Online
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I'm so glad you're with us on the Clark Howard Show. You know, our mission is to serve you with advice and information that empowers you so you make better financial decisions in your life. And Thanksgiving is just about upon us next week. What's even crazier is everything involved with putting together a Thanksgiving feast. It can be expensive. And you know, there have been all those stories about how much more it is to put together your Thanksgiving meal than it's been in prior years. But I got a tip for you about that. And later, do you know that the technology exists where particularly online sellers can charge different prices to different shoppers? And what's hard to know is who's doing it. But I do know how to combat it, at least in part. I need to tell you the tricks of the trade. And at the very end of the podcast, I've got a little nugget for you if you or a family member have a Medicare Advantage plan. Just a little thing you might need to know, but that's coming at the very end because, well, it only is something that applies to a sliver of our audience. But I want to make sure you know. So here's something I want you to know. Aldi has made a big splash for next week's Thanksgiving, coming up with lower prices on all the things you need to put together a Thanksgiving feast for 10 people for 40 bucks. That's right, 4 bucks a person. Where you go eat for $4? You can't. But Aldi has 21 products that you need to put together a full Thanksgiving feast. And they price them all so that you can do it for 40. I mean, that's great, right? So Aldi is becoming powerful enough in the grocery aisle that others have to respond. You know, Aldi used to be like a flea on the back of an elephant, but now they've got to pay attention to them at traditional supermarkets. And you're going to see others falling all over themselves with, hey, wait a minute, we've got a cheap way for you to do Thanksgiving feast as well. Now, this is going to sound really terrible. I don't like Thanksgiving food. Not my thing. That made me a bad person.
C
No. But I like Thanksgiving things that I like in addition to the traditional meal, you know?
B
Yeah. You know, my perfect Thanksgiving meal would be what I'm not allowed to eat anymore because of my heart valve. It would be scrambled cheese eggs. Oh, bacon, extra crispy and raisin toast. That's my perfect Thanksgiving feast. But those things I'm not allowed to have anymore.
C
Sorry. Even low sodium versions like.
B
Well, first of all, low sodium bacon. Ain't no such thing exist. Yeah. And scrambled cheese eggs. Those are not exactly.
C
There's some good vegetarian bacons that taste really good.
B
I'd love for you to look at the sodium count.
C
Okay.
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On those.
C
I will do it. That's my new mission, to find you some bacon.
B
You can eat some bacon. Bacon. Yeah. I'll let you enjoy the fake. And of the things I've missed since I've had to go on restricted diet two years ago, it's true that the one food I've missed the most is bacon. But better to be alive.
C
Yes.
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To be happy eating a plate of bacon.
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Indeed. I. All right, we'll go to some questions for you. Janice and Georgia sent this one. And Clark. We try to live as much on cash during the week as possible. We take out a set amount that provides cash for groceries and cash for each of our personal purchases during the week. We've stopped using checks per your advice, so now we have none. We have a local community bank, not one of the big monster megas. We are also heeding your advice about ATMs and have stopped using those that don't have tap to pay. However, our bank does not have the tap system and isn't getting one. So getting the money each week now involves driving there, going inside, getting a counter check to receive the weekly cash. First world problem, but not fun on a weekly basis. We don't have an online bank and don't want to switch at this time. Any advice? Am I misfollowing what you have advised in any way? Boy, Janice is doing so much.
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You are doing so many things to keep your household finances in great shape. So tap to pay with the debit cards is a wonderful safety measure. If you're going to an atm, you're withdrawing cash and you're doing that once a week and they don't have tap to pay at that atm. It's all right. It's all right. It's not as safe is if you could do a tap of the atm and I don't know if you've noticed, it's become common, Krista, that the ATMs have the ability to withdraw just by tap instead of inserting. But if yours has a chip and.
C
It'S in your bank, you're going to your local bank.
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I think you're, I think you're okay pulling the cash out instead of going through all those steps you're going through right now with having to go inside during hours that the financial institutions open at your community bank and just get the money from the atm. The odds that you're going to have a problem with your ATM card there is so much lower than it's going to be at the number one suspect. Pay at the pump at a gas station. If you've not heard this warning that Janice has heard, this is when you should tap, when you should use pay at the pump at a gas station that doesn't offer tap to pay. That would be never, never with a debit card. Because criminals have become so good at doing a bad thing. Stealing the information from your debit card, stealing your pen code. And then before you've even driven away from the gas station, they've already remotely duplicated that card and they're going to town stealing money from your own checking account. And unfortunately, a lot of times the banks have been very uncooperative on restoring the funds stolen in this way.
C
But boy, A plus plus, I would say for Janice, my goodness.
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Living, living on a cash basis. I know it's proven you will so reduce your spending if you live on cash for walking around money.
C
If we were giving out Clarky stars on papers, didn't you love, did you ever get like a star or sticker from your teacher on your schoolwork? It's like the best feeling in the world.
B
See the kind of student I was.
C
Janice gets many stars.
B
Yeah, I was not getting stars.
C
Ed in Florida says when asked to round up your purchase at the point of sale, that's happening so much, especially this time of year.
B
Yeah.
C
Where does the money go? Is it true that the company only uses those funds to recoup their premium previous donations?
B
Not exactly. Okay, so those programs are legit. And it allows a retailer or restaurant chain or an online seller to get all kinds of props from whatever charity. They're honored many different ways by the charity. They get a glow of wonderful publicity from the charity. And you think, oh, isn't that great that they do all this? What they're doing is they're just being a gateway where they take your money. Sometimes they'll add some of their own, other times they don't and route it to a charity. The money never heard of a scandal where the money was not going to the charity. But what they're doing is they're facilitating additional donations. I was on a charity board for a long time that had a tie in with a supermarket chain and the supermarket chain was raising millions every year through a roundup program at the registers and then was sold to private equity and the private equity owners discontinued the donations and we felt it like bam right away and the level of donations to the organization. So what the business is doing is they're creating the opportunity for consumers to donate. The retailer restaurant looks great obviously for doing so. Gets a lot of positive things out of it, publicity wise. But they're not normally putting in even a penny of their own money.
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Day in Virginia says, I've been seeing a lot on social media about taking a HELOC and using it to pay off the remaining mortgage, which will save a lot of money since most of the payment is just going to interest. Is this a good idea?
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No. How long have we been taking this question? In different versions, it's at least 20 years. Maybe. Maybe more than 20. For sure, yeah. So here's the pitch. So the idea is you take your fixed rate mortgage, which right now is not exactly a good deal. If you took out a mortgage in the last few years, you've got a high interest rate mortgage. But it's absolutely a horrific idea if you're taking a mortgage that was taken out over the last years prior to when rates went up. When people have interest rates from 1 to 4% on their fixed rate mortgage, you take it and you turn it into a floating rate home equity line of credit. The way these plans are pitched ignores everything else in your life. And the idea is your paycheck, every paycheck goes into this unified account that reduces the amount outstanding on the home equity line of credit. If you look at your whole life in isolation that all you're ever doing is your paycheck just goes to your mortgage. Mathematically it'll look like, man, I'm wiping out my mortgage in a fraction of the time I would otherwise. But how are you going to pay to eat, pay for your car, pay for gasoline or charging if you have an electric whatever. How are you going to pay for life's expenses if everything is about going to a floating rate home equity line of credit? So if you. It looks really good in the pitches. I haven't seen a situation that I could put my arms around. That's like, well, in this one case, this would be a great thing to do. So I would ignore the pitch because they're only sharing with you a tiny part of the picture and the story.
C
Isn't it true also that only. It's only. But your mortgage, only a hundred thousand of a home equity line is deductible if you're looking at deductions on your taxes.
B
Okay, so that's, that's an interesting question. So if you use it. Been a lot of debate about this. If you refi your entire mortgage into a floating rate, like a home equity line of credit that's secured by the house and that's what you're doing is a refi, then potentially the whole thing is still deductible.
C
Okay.
B
But I mean, we're going to a lot of ifs and then.
C
Yeah, yeah, it's not a good idea, period. Yeah, one more reason it might be a worse idea.
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And I'm sure we're going to hear from accountants that say, well, Clark, you got to do this, this, this and this and this to make that work. Not worth the this, this, this and this. Coming up ahead, the technology exists now a lot of rumors that it's being used to individually price items, especially when you shop online. And I want to talk about how hard it is to know if that's happening to you. But we've come up with some strategies you can use to see how you know you really are getting the best price on an item when you're buying it.
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There was a lot of fuss earlier this year involving Delta Airlines that Delta now told Wall street that they're using AI to come up with individualized pricing on airline tickets. And Delta got a lot of negative publicity about this and said, well it's not exactly where we're going to charge this person this and that person that, whatever. But the deep data that's available now on each and every one of us is such that companies have completely the ability now for individual pricing. There's even a term used in industry for it now. Oh, it's a creepy term, surveillance pricing. They have come up with better marketing term but the idea is they now know to the point where an online seller could actually charge me less money than Krista. Now why would I use that as an example? Because my answer always when I see a price is that much and then there are people that are convenient shoppers. Sorry, I just had to say it's okay, it's okay.
C
But some people take these things seriously. Like they'll say Chris is a bad representation of working with you because I mentioned I don't love Aldi. Oh my gosh.
B
Oh, I bet you got hammered on that.
C
Carry on.
B
But then I hear from people all the time who like carrier can't stand Aldi.
C
So you know, I do like to save money.
B
I know, I was just being silly though.
C
I know.
B
But there are people, you and I both know that that are convenient shoppers, James. Anyway, the pricing models are now fully capable of ferreting out. Are you a convenience shopper? Are you somebody who doesn't really follow price closely? Are you going to play hard to get? And there are some ways you may be able to fool the pricing systems. Number one, not signing into an online account and looking at a price and then signing in and looking at a price may help you. But better yet, don't sign into an account and use private browsing, incognito mode, whatever, whatever browser you use calls it where the goal is to be a UFO shopper. So when you're shopping for an airline ticket, a hotel, if you're going on a cruise and you're shopping different places, particularly at the cruise line itself, you want to shop anonymously. And then as someone they know is a loyal customer with an account who's gone in the past, that when you're shopping on Amazon, is an example that use pricing trends, they're available to you. Camel, Camel. Camel is an example where you can see what has been the historical pricing trend on that item. That alone will help you a lot because you'll see, oh, the price they're quoting me is much higher than what it's been recently. And you may or may not find at major sites like walmart.com or Amazon.com which are huge players in online if you are going to find a discriminatory price on an item. But it's important for you to know that this capability is out there, fully available, developed. And there are going to be players in travel especially, but also in retail that will use these tools to offer discriminatory pricing based on what they think your impulses are. And convenience shoppers and people who they think have more money are going to benefit. And right now I want to mention this again because I mentioned this about the split in incomes in the United States, the income disparity being larger than it's been most times in American history, that we're in a spike right now of a real split in income. And so now there tends to be a larger price gap between more luxurious things and everyday basics. And if you're tempted to buy up, maybe you don't buy up and you take advantage of the lower prices that are available.
C
Okay, speaking of prices, Maria and Iowa says when is the best time to buy an Apple laptop? Is it? And is it better to get a 15 inch or a 13 inch?
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Well, okay, so if you're the most common purchase that somebody's looking for a deal on is the MacBook Air, and the price difference between the 13 inch and 15 inch is so small that I think I'd do the 15 inch because the screen on the 13 inch just seems not big enough to me. The weight of the 15 inch is so light. I mean, you go to, if you need a pro, they get heavy. But if you're looking at an air, I think they're like 3.3 pounds, maybe for a 15. I would definitely go with the 15 is to win. The best time is you're in one of the best buying cycles there is right now through Black Friday month. The prices are really good. My middle child just got a new MacBook Air and Apple did not fall far from the tree. Bad pun. Oh, where did she buy it? Costco, of course, at Costco because it was on. It was Costco price, which is cheaper than normal retail. And then it was on sale as well for another 150 off. This is a very good money month. The next really, really good time to buy a MacBook or a Chromebook is back to school time. July, August of next year. But if this is a cycle you want to buy in now, this is your time.
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Michael in Washington says we want to buy a cruise for September or October. When is the best time to book it? Should we look at deals now or wait until another time?
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Wave season is when you want to book this. That's January. Wave season comes after Christmas. It used to be wave week, but now it's more a season.
C
It's like Black Friday.
B
Yeah, exactly, it is. The calendar is spread out, but wave season is the best time because where it came about is this economic cycle where people are tapped out after Christmas and the cruise lines know their inventory for the year and they're offering the deals then. Four cruises going on in 26 and 27. So that is not always going to be the cheapest on every sailing. But remember this about sailings. If you buy during wave week or wave now wave season and you have a particular cruise line in mind, the more ships you're interested in, but especially the more you can use the calendar as your friend when you're booking. The prices vary so much week by week based on already sold cabins and anticipated demand for a particular week. So you could look at, let's say you take. There's a ship you want to go on particular ship and you look week by week at what rates are available. Shocking how different they are week to week. And not only just from the cruise lines during wave season. You want to look at what discounters online are offering if you're an experienced cruise passenger because a lot of times they will offer enough more and benefits thrown in or lower prices or a combination of the two, that it's a superior thing to buy from third party than from the cruise line.
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Okay, and Richard sent this one in. Here's a positive story about a good customer service at one of the big banks you don't like. In June, online Thieves stole $17,100 from my checking account.
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Oh boy.
C
I went to my local branch and they Helped me file a fraud claim with the bank. Of course, the bank's fraud department immediately denied the claim, saying those transactions were normal. So on September 10, I filed a letter with the bank explaining that the bank failed to notify me when the thieves set up a fraudulent savings account in my name and the name of someone unknown to me. The thieves transferred the money from my checking account to the fraudulent savings account and then from the savings account to an external bank. The bank refunded the money on October 21st of this year, six weeks after I wrote the letter. By the way, I have a new bank because I lost confidence in the security procedures at my old bank.
B
Okay. So, Richard, congratulations to you that you got back $17,000. That through the bank sloppiness, criminals were able to steal. And you said it was a good customer service story. This to me is classic customer no service that the bank said. Well, I mean, we look at this as an ordinary transaction. You did it. The money's gone. Your problem. And a lot of people just say, oh, no, what do I do? You didn't. You wrote the letter. You kept putting pressure on. And eventually, after six more weeks.
C
That's crazy.
B
You got your money. So if that's customer service to you, you've had a lot of customer no service in your life, Richard.
C
You did move to another giant monster mega bank. I'm a little worried.
B
Yeah. I mean, going from one of the big four giant monster mega banks to another doesn't sound like an upgrade to me.
C
Yeah. I mean, that money, that could have been such a hardship for people. Like, they literally wouldn't be able to buy groceries and stuff. Like, that's insane. I mean, if you even had that. But, you know, it could be much less money. But I mean, that's crazy how long it took and that it took a letter. I mean, all of that is right.
B
Yeah. I mean, the banks are at war with their own customers because the banks have been so sloppy and careless about knowing what's known as the know thy customer rule. Banks don't know their customers anymore. Criminals taking advantage of that. And I mean, how often do you ever hear about an armed robber going in and sticking up a bank teller? Bank robberies used to be such a huge crime, and you really don't hear anymore. First of all, it's a high priority crime with the FBI. Number two, you get caught, you're sent away for a long time. Instead, you go through the back office of the bank and you figure out online how to open an account under false identity. And you swipe money, nothing ever happens to you. And it's the poor customer that has to fight to get his or her own money back. It's a terrible, terrible problem in the banking business. The reality is I like for you to be with a local credit union or a small local bank, not with a giant monster mega for your checking account. But hopefully you haven't gone from the frying pan into the fire, going from one giant monster mega bank to another. Okay, I did say today I was going to mention something else. That's a little kernel out there that I want you to be aware of. If you are somebody who's in a Medicare Advantage plan, once you're in Advantage, you can't go back easily to traditional Medicare because without you being able to qualify for what's known as a Medigap policy, you end up with huge exposure to out of pocket medical expenses because you can't get that Medigap if you have any pre existing condition. So you're trapped in an Advantage plan. But this year a lot of insurers are bailing out of selling their advantage plans either in particular states or nationwide for 26. So if you're in an advantage plan that you're getting kicked to the curb by the insurer that sells you that advantage plan, you have not just the option of going to another advantage plan, but you have the option right now of electing to go back into traditional Medicare. And you don't have to medically underwrite to buy a Medigap because you were terminated from the plan you're in. So if you regret being an advantage, your advantage plan terminates you. Then you do have the option of saying, oh well, golfers would call it a mulligan. You get to go back into traditional Medicare and have a meta gap. So that's something that if you're not on Medicare, you're like, what am I talking about? But if it applies to you, that's why I put this at the end of this podcast, just so you'd have that information. And you have to have that termination letter from the Advantage plan saying they're out, they're gone, in order to be able to take advantage of what I'm talking about. And I hope that you have an absolutely great, great day. The rest of today know that we're here to serve you so many different ways, including free one on one advice. Yeah, for real. If you've got a question, a problem, whatever, we're willing to enable, as we've been doing since February of 93, to provide you the free one on one advice and to find out how to get it, go to clark.com cac Coming up on Friday. Clark stinks. I'm so excited. Can't wait to hear where. I did not deliver the goods, did not provide you the level of service that you you depend on from us. And it's how I get better at trying to serve you as best I can and everything we do about you learning ways to save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off.
Date: November 19, 2025
Host: Clark Howard (with Krista on mic)
This episode aligns with Clark Howard’s core mission: equipping listeners with actionable, practical personal finance tips focused on saving money and avoiding consumer pitfalls. As Thanksgiving approaches, Clark shares how families can cut costs on holiday meals, answers listener questions ranging from banking safety to mortgage hacks, and demystifies how retailers use technology to adjust prices for different shoppers online. The episode closes with an important note for Medicare Advantage plan holders.
[00:33 - 03:38]
Clark spotlights Aldi’s new Thanksgiving deal:
Personal anecdote:
[04:22 - 09:44]
[04:22 - 07:20]
[07:51 - 09:44]
[09:44 - 12:28]
[15:18 - 19:50]
Clark discusses the growing use of dynamic or “surveillance pricing”:
Tips to avoid discriminatory pricing:
Key quote:
[19:50 - 23:29]
[23:29 - 25:36]
Listener Richard shares a story: online thieves stole $17,100 from his big-bank checking account, but after persistence—including a letter explaining bank failures—he was refunded after six weeks.
Clark critiques the bank’s initial response: “This to me is classic customer no service…” (24:20)
Krista and Clark discuss how major banks are no longer vigilant about knowing their customers (“know thy customer”), making online fraud easier.
Notable quote:
Clark’s preference: Use local credit unions or small banks, not “giant monster mega banks.”
[25:36 - End]
Clark and his team keep the show’s tone light yet practical, combining consumer advocacy, humor (especially when poking fun at their own food tastes or buying habits), and urgent warnings about evolving scams and market tricks. The episode is especially timely ahead of the holiday season, empowering listeners to make smarter spending decisions online and in stores, while staying vigilant against banking and healthcare pitfalls.
For more advice or to ask Clark a question, visit www.clark.com/askclark.