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Cutting Grocery Costs without Cutting Nutrition

Simple, healthy, and affordable ways to weather the rising price of food

by Karen Collins, R.D., American Institute of Cancer Research

Grocery prices are projected to increase again in 2008 – that’s following 2007’s highest annual increase in 17 years. But surviving these tough economic times doesn’t have to mean sacrificing good nutrition. Some simple strategies can help you cut food costs and eat more healthfully, too.

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Wellness Workbook

How to Achieve Enduring Health and Vitality

by John W. Travis, M.D., Regina Sara R

For more than 30 years, John W. Travis, M.D., and Regina Sara Ryan have introduced thousands to the concept of wellness, a practical whole-self approach to healthy living. From how you breathe to how you view the world, the 12 interconnected elements of the Wellness Energy System affect all aspects of your life: your disposition toward injury and illness, your relationships, your general level of happiness, and beyond. In an optimal state of wellness, you are less prone to disease, stress, and other life-depleting factors. Thoroughly revised, THE NEW WELLNESS WORKBOOK presents a comprehensive self-assessment and hundreds of exercises and ideas to help you take control of your health and happiness.

Eunice is Kid of the Month

Top 10 Food Mistakes


Food Mistake #1: You reach for multigrain bread or cereal

Foods labeled 7-grain or multigrain may seem like the healthiest choices—especially with new findings showing that a diet rich in whole grains protects against heart disease, cancer, and other ills.

 

The famed Nurses' Health Study documented lower rates of heart disease and stroke among whole grain eaters. Experts don't know all the reasons behind the benefits, but they do know that intact grains are rich in fiber and nutrients—including vitamin E, B vitamins, and magnesium—that are stripped away when grains are refined into flour.

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My wellness center – a free and personalized weight-loss and fitness tool

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Green Living - How to Recycle or Reuse Anything

Easy ways to create less waste and make your life more earth-friendly, every day.

 

Recycling: A Refresher Course


Plastic - Most plastics are recyclable, ... The problem is, not all plastics are recyclable everywhere. Almost all recycling programs accept plastics numbered 1 and 2. (Look for the number on the underside of a product, inside the ubiquitous triangle of chasing arrows.) But the numbers are not regulated federally; 39 states have various rules, so what you see can be inconsistent....

Paper - Putting the wrong type in the wrong bin can make a difference...

Metal - Recycling metal saves an enormous amount of energy and money...

Glass - Recyclable glass almost always refers to “container” glass―that is, bottles and jars. Other types, like windshields and Pyrex, have different melting points and are not accepted by most recyclers.

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Green Living - Smart Uses for Old Plastic Bags

Grocery bags seem to multiply like Tribbles―so you need new ways to reuse them.

By Sarah Engler

As Kitchen-Cleanup Aids
For no-fuss cleanup, instead of peeling fruits and vegetables over a cutting board or into the sink, do it over a plastic bag. When you're done, flip the peelings into the garbage and rinse the bag to reuse another day, or simply toss the whole shebang into the trash.

As Knee Pads
Need to kneel in your garden to pull weeds, or on the street to change a tire, but don't want to preserve the memory eternally on your pant legs? Grab a couple of plastic bags and tie one around each knee, covering the area that will be exposed to dirt and grime.

As Wet Umbrella Holders
To avoid dripping water all over your (or anyone else's) house on a rainy day, pop your wet umbrella into a bag as you cross the threshold. You can even tie the handles snugly and throw it back into your purse―unless, of course, your bumbershoot is of Mary Poppins proportions but your carpetbag isn't.

As Planter Fillers
Crumple bags to fill the bottom of a large pot that's too deep for your plant (but be sure not to cover the drainage hole, if it has one). You can cut down on the amount of potting soil needed, and since plastic packs less heft than dirt, you'll be able to move a big planter around with a bit less grunting.

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Green Living - Ways to Reuse Old Plastic and Plastic Bags

Turn them into trash bags for the car, wrap drinking glasses with them when moving, and more.

Paper Bags
An Everymom standby: Use grocery bags to make schoolbook covers your kids can label and decorate to their art’s delight. They’ll protect the books from the mozzarella that falls from the pizza or the exploding highlighter in the backpack.
Enlist bags with handles for trick-or-treat duty. Let the kids have at them with glitter and glue, markers and paints, stickers, and anything else in the art box.

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Green Living - How to Set Up a Recycling System [recyclingSystem.jpg]

Five easy steps to sorting, stacking, and stashing your household recycling.


by Jennifer Pigott Moeller

1. Do Your Homework
Check with your local collection center, and find out what it accepts and rejects. Residents in some areas face fines for not recycling. (New York City residents, for example, face up to a $500 ticket.) To find out what your municipality recycles, call 800-CLEANUP or visit recyclingcenters.org.

2. Study Your Trash
What you use most will determine the type and size of the containers you'll require. If your family drinks a lot of juices and soda, you'll want a larger bin for cans and bottles.

3. Create Convenience
Ideally, your home recycling center will be a two-part system one part for everyday disposal and the other for storing. The everyday part should be where you generate the most waste―for many, the kitchen. The spot should be as accessible as the trash can, perhaps right next to it. If you are short on space, consider hanging sturdy shopping bags on the inside of a pantry door. Sorting is a tiresome truth of recycling, so why do it twice? Get a divided container that lets you separate as you dispose. (Try the compartmentalized wicker bin from Waste-Not-Baskets; 16-inch basket, $79, waste-not-basket.com.)

4. Pick a Storage Space
When your kitchen bins fill up, move their contents to a storage spot (separate from the household stamping grounds) until it's time to drop off at the curb or a center. Consider the garage, laundry room, mudroom, or utility closet. Containers should be easy to transport, so look for ones with wheels. If your community has return deposits on cans and bottles, separate them, too, for returns.

5. Post Recycling Guidelines
Learn how you should recycle phone books, metals, makeup, mirrors, and more. It's a good reminder for your family, and the quick reference makes recycling easier. Use a Magic Marker to write what goes where.

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How to Recycle Anything

An A-to-Z guide of what can be tossed into which bin.


A:
Aerosol cans: These can usually be recycled with other cans, as long as you pull off the plastic cap and empty the canister completely.
Antiperspirant and deodorant sticks: Many brands have a dial on the bottom that is made of a plastic polymer that’s different from the plastic used for the container, so your center might not be able to recycle the whole thing (look on the bottom to find out). Tom’s of Maine makes a deodorant stick composed solely of plastic No. 5.

B:
Backpacks: The American Birding Association accepts donated backpacks, which its scientists use while tracking neotropical birds (americanbirding.org)
Batteries: Recycling batteries keeps hazardous metals out of landfills. Many stores, like RadioShack and Office Depot, accept reusable ones, as does the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (rbrc.org/call2recycle). Car batteries contain lead and can’t go in landfills, because toxic metals can leach into groundwater, but almost any retailer selling them will also collect and recycle them.

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Your 15-point tax-return checklist

by By Jeff Schnepper

It's time to start thinking about getting those taxes done. Maybe you're in a panic. Not to worry. Just follow Schnepper's 15 steps to getting your taxes done, and you'll be much happier. Ready?

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You May Have Too Much Debt But You Also Have Options

How Life Works

If you feel like you're in over your head with personal debt, you're not alone. Millions of Americans have become overextended, many as a result of easy credit and the recessions. Credit cards, medical bills, personal loans and raising interest rates do not make a good financial mix.

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Suze Orman's Recession Rescue Plan - helps you survive in times of financial crisis

OPRAH.com

Do you know what your family would do if you lost your job - or worse, your home? Financial expert Suze Orman is ready to help you devise a recession rescue plan to survive - and possibly thrive - during this deepening financial crisis...

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Could fat babies mean fat toddlers?

A new study from Harvard Medical School found that babies who gained weight quickly had a sharply higher risk of obesity. The study followed close to 600 babies and found those in the top quarter of weight for their length at 6 months had a 40 percent higher risk of obesity by age 3 than smaller babies.

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The 10-Ingredient Shopping Trip

By Tara Parker-Pope and Mark Bittman

... In his latest “How to Cook Everything” segment on the Today Show, New York Times food writer Mark Bittman makes it surprisingly easy to cook a week’s worth of dinners with just a 10-ingredient shopping trip.

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Finding last-minute tuition money

There's still time to find funds for this semester's college tuition. But you'll have to move quickly.

By Gerri Willis

It's only a couple of weeks or even days until school begins. And if you don't think you'll be able to get a handle on your college tuition bill, here with your guide to last minute money.

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Annette Bridges - Weekly Column

A story waiting to be heard

Are you a good listener?
I’ve always been told that good communication begins with good listening. And I’ve often wondered how many misunderstandings and conflicts could have been avoided by better listening.

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Your Just-in-Case Emergency Plan

by RealSimple

Who do you call if you can't make it home in time to meet the kids' bus? Who do you trust to take in your mail when you're on vacation? Who do you trust with the extra set of keys to your house?

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How to save $10,000

By Liz Pulliam Weston

If you were hoping for a list of small tweaks you could make in your spending to save $10,000 a year, sorry. The reality is that $10,000 is a lot of money. And saving big money usually means making big changes in the areas where we spend the most, such as: Housing, Transportation, Food.

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The Super, Sexy, Single Mom on a Budget

by Renee Rayles

A quick reference guide designed for the busy, single mom who has

little time to read while running the mom taxi, cooking dinner, helping with homework, and trying to fit in a date night every now and then.

32 and Counting? Finding Your Happily Ever After Today

by Gi Gi

The author talks about the struggles a single mom goes through and the discovery that you can have HEAT (Happily Ever After Today) just as you are, being single, taking care of your kids...

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Single Mothers &
Male Role-Models / Mentors

Single mothers carry an enormous load of responsibility, especially those having sole and/or primary custody of minor children. They nourish, they nurture, they teach, they discipline, they shelter, they protect, and they provide… all without the assistance of another equally-invested adult.

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Your 5-minute guide to protecting your identity

20 steps to protect yourself from identity theft, and seven ways to clean up things if you become a victim.

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TheOnlineMom.com offers parents and consumers a guide to the top-rated, age-appropriate, kid-tested and parent-approved tech toys and gifts.

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Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
by Jeff Kinney

For those wondering why tween boys don’t read very much, the answer is that more books aren’t like this...

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