Guides

Short explainers on what sits behind the numbers: how prices are set, what the terms mean, and what to ask before you pay.

A painter brushing along the top edge of a wall
Painting

What it costs to paint a room, and why quotes differ

A professional paint job is mostly labor. Here is how painters arrive at a number, and what pushes it up or down.Two movers carrying boxes beside a truck
Moving

How movers price a move

Local moves are sold by the hour and long-distance moves by weight and distance. Knowing which one you are buying makes quotes far easier to compare.A couple at a kitchen table with a laptop and paperwork
Mortgages

What goes into a mortgage payment

The monthly figure is more than the loan. Here is each part, with a worked example you can change.A car key being handed over
Car finance

What a car really costs each month

The payment depends on four things: what you finance, the rate, the term and your state's sales tax. A worked example shows how each one moves it.A row of white mailboxes with red flags
Addresses

How ZIP codes work

Five digits that describe a route through the postal system, not a place on a map.Four wall clocks showing the time in Los Angeles, New York, London and Tokyo
Time

US time zones, and what daylight saving does to them

Six zones cover the fifty states, and for most of the year most of them are on daylight time. Here is how they line up.