ask the hivemind

My Parents’ House Was Struck By Lightning And Burned Down. What’s Next?

My Parents’ House Was Struck By Lightning And Burned Down. What’s Next?

When you’ve escaped from a late-night fire and lost your home and all of your belongings with it, what do you do next? That’s what Rudy wants to know, on behalf of his parents. Last week, their house caught fire hours after being hit by lightning. They got out alive, and are about to begin rebuilding their lives. But first: the insurance claim. An adjuster from Allstate is coming today. Rudy wonders whether the Consumerist Hive Mind have experienced this kind of catastrophic loss and massive insurance claim, and have any advice for his family. [More]

What's Your Financial Advice For A 24-Year-Old?

What's Your Financial Advice For A 24-Year-Old?

Andrew has a pretty good job, and not a lot of debt. Now he’s ready to start preparing for the next phase of his financial life, and he wants to know what advice Consumerist readers have for him.

What Are Some Cheap Halloween Costume Ideas?

What Are Some Cheap Halloween Costume Ideas?

The personal finance blog Moolanomy posted a list of 25 cheap Halloween costumes, including ones that make no sense (see “Soup and crackers”) and ones that sound borderline dirty (see “Facebook wall”). The list made us realize that our readers probably have a lot of equally cheap, and equally-or-more creative, costume ideas of their own.