LOOSE CHANGE: Stretch those miles per gallon
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- Huge Arlington fixer-upper with a shady past could be yours for pittance
- 2 men die in separate Fort Worth motorcycle wrecks
- Four Hurst teens indicted on capital murder charges
- Man died driving home to surprise mom for Mother's Day
- Fired Southlake officer lied, leaked private data, papers say
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- Huge Arlington fixer-upper with a shady past could be yours for pittance
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- Energy Department says wind could account for 20% of country's power
- Five facts about psychological eating
- Allstate to cut rates in Texas after settlement
NEWS TO KNOW
1 U.S. exports grew at a surprising 5.5 percent annualized rate in April.
2 The number of sales contracts on existing homes fell in March. 6C
3 The sour economy is easing the nursing shortage as more return to careers and part-timers take on more shifts.
4 Senate Democrats called for a windfall-profits tax on oil companies and a rollback of $17 billion in oil-industry tax breaks.
5 A Dallas auction house, Heritage Auction, and Joe Montana's former wife were sued by the football star for allegedly selling his personal items without permission.
STRETCH THOSE MILES PER GALLON
Car maintenance can significantly affect how much we spend at the pump. Having a car tuned up regularly, for example, improves a vehicle's performance and fuel economy. What other measures can a motorist take? Here are some Web sites that can provide the answer:
Alliance to Save Energy, www.ase.org/content/article/detail/941, provides a wide-ranging, detailed list of automotive gas-saving measures.
Car Care Council, www.carcare.org/articles/gas_prices.shtml, contains gas-saving maintenance and driving tips.
Edmunds.com, www.edmunds.com/ownership/maintenance/articles/105528/article.html, offers five key maintenance tips that can save gas.
Fueleconomy.com, www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/drive.shtml, has advice on choosing a fuel-efficient car as well as driving and maintenance tips.
Federal Trade Commission, www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt064.shtm, has gas-saving tips related to highway driving and maintenance. -- McClatchy-Tribune News Service
BY THE NUMBERS
How much have you saved for retirement? Here is what others have done. The figures do not include the values for primary residences or pensions.
49% Share of workers who have set aside less than $25,000 for their retirement.
24% Workers who have saved $25,000 to $99,999.
15% $100,000 to $249,999
12% More than $250,000.
Source: Employee Benefit Research Institute 2007 survey
MORE GIFTS FOR MOM THIS YEAR; SHE'S OK WITH LESS
American adults said they planned to spend more this year than last year for Mother's Day -- although their moms wish they wouldn't. In a recent poll, the 55 percent of men and women who said they intended to give gifts to their mothers said they planned to spend an average of $70.30, up almost $4 from 2007. But 82 percent of the mothers surveyed said they would rather their children spend less on them this year. Men planned to outspend women this year: The average amount men plan to spend on their mothers is $77.50, while women plan to spend $63.90 on average. Men are even more generous when it comes to buying presents for their wives. They planned to spend $108 for Mother's Day presents for their spouses, probably because they are helping their children buy presents for their mothers, said Ryan Garton, director of customer insights for Discover Financial Services' Discover Card, which conducted the survey, in which 1,003 American adults were polled in April by telephone.
-- The Associated Press
