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The typical U.S. household spends about $1,800 a year on clothing. If this statistic leaves you thinking, “That’s not me” — either because the number strikes you as too high or too low — know this: Households with annual incomes below about $70,000 spend much less than the yearly average, according to consumer expenditure data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. On the other hand, upper-income households tip the scales in the opposite direction. Households reporting annual incomes of $127,000 or more spend about $2,500 a year on clothing. (Photo by Shutterstock) No matter what your income level, clothing purchases likely...

If you’re a frequent traveler, you know the gear you take with you can make or break your trip. Can’t fit all of your essentials into your carry-on? Does your bag keep falling off your suitcase? Do you keep misplacing your passport — and your boarding pass, wallet and cell phone? Or worst of all, are you always paying a checked bag? Those are surefire ways to start your trip off on the wrong foot. For more TPG news delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter. To that end, we’ve rounded up some of our...

Editor’s note: At TPG, our top priority is providing our readers with the information needed to make educated decisions about travel and your rewards-earnings strategy. This is not the best time to travel, domestically or internationally, as airlines have cut major parts of their route network. But we are sharing this information to provide value for future travel once coronavirus concerns have subsided. While now isn’t the time to travel, that doesn’t mean you can’t earn miles for trips down the line. One major misconception for points and miles newbies is that the only way to earn miles is to...

Chase issues some of the most sought-after rewards cards on the market, but the bank has some of the strictest policies regarding credit card “churning.” It makes you wait 48 months between earning Sapphire sign-up bonuses, and there is also its infamous 5/24 rule. Chase has never officially commented on the 5/24 rule’s existence, but crowdsourced data confirms that applicants will almost certainly be denied new Chase cards if they have opened five or more accounts across issuers in the past 24 months. All personal credit card accounts count toward the rule: charge cards, certain store cards and authorized-user accounts....

Laundry is a chore, but at least most people have a familiar method for getting it done at home. But, when you’re on a trip, laundry can become a much bigger hassle. Sure, people all around the world do laundry, but it can sometimes be difficult to get laundry done as a traveler at a reasonable cost. Trust me, I know since I’ve now lived on the road for more than two years and have to consider where and how to do laundry approximately every ten days. Related: The 7 Best Starter Travel Credit Cards So, by necessity my husband...