News You Can Use • October 2026 • Everyday Cheapskate

Welcome to October’s News You Can Use! This month, we’re looking at the surprising ways inflation is changing retirement plans, where to find a less expensive appliance without giving up the basics, and the Halloween candy preferences that vary wildly from state to state. A little useful information, a little “well, I didn’t know that,” and plenty to keep you in the know as fall rolls along.

Microsoft Will Pay MacBook Owners to Switch Sides

Microsoft is putting some serious money behind its attempt to woo MacBook Pro owners. Buy its new $2,599.99 Surface Laptop Ultra, trade in an eligible MacBook Pro, and you could get up to $1,000 in promotional cash back on top of the laptop’s regular trade-in value. There are strings attached, of course. The bonus depends on your MacBook model, condition and trade-in value, and you’ll need to submit a claim and mail in the old computer on time. The offer runs through Nov. 23 in the U.S. and Canada. If you’ve already been thinking about switching from Mac to Windows, this is one trade-in offer worth doing the math on.
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Could a Flip Phone Give You More Time?

What if your smartphone isn’t saving nearly as much time as you think? Artist August Lamm ditched hers for a basic flip phone in 2022 and says something unexpected happened: She got more free time, became more intentional with friends and stopped feeling like part of her attention was always somewhere else. Yes, life without apps means a few inconveniences. Directions, tickets and QR codes take more planning. But Lamm argues those extra minutes are small compared with the time reclaimed from dozens of quick phone checks that quietly pile up throughout the day. Her suggestion? Try it for a month before deciding you couldn’t possibly live without one.
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Sweden Just Made a Vacation for People Who’d Rather Not Mingle

Ever come home from vacation feeling like you need a vacation? Sweden may have your number. Its tourism organization has launched the Introvert Travel Agency, built around a wonderfully simple idea: being social is optional. Think peaceful nature stays, island escapes, self-guided city outings and accommodations where personal space isn’t considered a problem to be solved. And apparently there’s an audience for this. In a survey commissioned by Visit Sweden, half of Americans said they need time to recover after a trip. Perhaps the best vacation isn’t about packing more in. Maybe it’s about leaving a little more out.
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The 194-Year-Old Tortoise Whose DNA Could Hold Clues to Longer Human Lives

What if one of the biggest clues to healthy aging came from a tortoise who was alive before Abraham Lincoln was born? Jonathan, believed to be about 194 years old, has genes linked to DNA repair and reduced inflammation, two processes that may help protect cells from age-related damage. Researchers also found that his energy-producing mitochondria appear to be in surprisingly good shape. Could these discoveries eventually help humans age more healthfully? Scientists are hopeful, but they need to study more tortoises before drawing firm conclusions.
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Is Screen Time Really Bad for Kids? Science Has a More Surprising Answer

Not all screen time is created equal. One eight-year study found that kids who reported more screen time also performed better on certain memory and thinking tests, although that doesn’t prove screens made them smarter. The bigger question may be what kids watch and what screens crowd out. Pediatric experts recommend paying attention to content, mood, sleep, real-world activity and communication. And there’s a lesson for grown-ups, too: if your phone keeps stealing time from sleep, exercise or people you love, it may be time to put it down.
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The Woman Behind the Moon Landing Code You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

Before astronauts could walk on the moon, someone had to make sure their computer knew what to do when things went wrong. Margaret Hamilton led the MIT team that developed Apollo’s onboard flight software, including the clever system that prioritized critical tasks when the computer became overloaded during Apollo 11’s lunar landing. Her work helped establish software engineering as a discipline, and her legacy reaches far beyond that historic mission.
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Has Inflation Killed the Early Retirement Dream?

The FIRE movement promised a shortcut to freedom: save aggressively, spend carefully and retire decades early. But with prices up 27% since 2021, many Americans now say early retirement feels out of reach. There’s a twist, though. Some FIRE savers are actually weathering inflation better because they’ve already built their lives around spending less.
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The Budget Appliance Brand Hiding Inside Whirlpool

If Whirlpool is the name you know, Amana may be the money-saving brand you’ve overlooked. Both belong to the same corporate family, but Amana appliances typically cost less because they skip some of Whirlpool’s pricier bells and whistles while still handling the basics. In a recent comparison, similar Amana models were $60 to $155 cheaper.
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Your State’s Favorite Halloween Candy Might Surprise You

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups may rule Halloween nationwide, but candy preferences get wonderfully strange once you cross state lines. Californians favor Red Vines, five Midwestern states choose Laffy Taffy, and seven Southern states reach for an inexpensive candy assortment. And that supposedly hated candy corn? Orders are up 30% from last year.
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Check back regularly for updates! We’ll be adding new top news articles throughout October 2026.