It’s A Long And Winding Road

We are all having a tough time these days, some of us more than others. That’s why it’s more important than ever to be aware of excess spending and how you can tighten your belt to save. Even if you can’t put anything away these days, you can make the money you have spread farther.

* Clean out your closet. If you haven’t worn it in a year, you probably won’t. If it’s too small or too large, get rid of it. If the items you need to get rid of are in good shape, take them to your local “friendly used” boutique for some extra cash.

* Have a garage sale. You’ve tackled your closet, now go through the rest of the house and the garage too. An old fashioned garage sale can put extra cash in your pocket.

* Cut out the morning latte. This could save $1.50 to $3.00 a day. Put it in a jar every day and at the end of the month you could make an extra bill payment. Or, even take the family out for a treat that you haven’t been able to afford.

* If you aren’t already, eat out less and take a sack lunch to work. You can save $5 or more each day by making your own lunch. That adds up to an extra $100 a month.

* Take a list when you go grocery shopping and stick to it. Stop buying all those processed snacks. Healthy snacks are better for you and cheaper too. Fruit, celery with cream cheese or peanut butter, vegies and dip.

* Use grocery bags to line your garbage can. And then get yourself some reusable tote bags for your groceries. No need to make your carbon footprint larger than it needs to be.

* Avoid the ATMs at the bank. The fees are charged for a convenience. If you plan ahead you’ll have no need for the ATM.

* Get a library card if you are a reader. It’s great to buy the best seller when it’s at the top of the list, but there have to be a million great books that you haven’t read and can be found right in the library for free.

* Ride your bike or carpool when ever possible. Take public transportation. Anyway you can save on gas and wear and tear on your vehicle will save you money.

Learning something new can never be a time waster. You may find you’ve learned a new skill which gives you a great deal of enjoyment. However, you may find what you’ve learned to be useful, save money or down-right necessary at some time in your life. For example, learning just basic sewing skills can save money even if you are just making reusable grocery tote bags. Learning to garden, of course, will save money and offer you fresher, organic vegetables.

Learn to Crochet and/or Knit: Many people find knitting or crocheting relaxing and a way to use their creativity. However, it does same money and if times get really tough, you can pull apart an unused sweater for the yarn to make a new one. Lion Brand has an excellent knit and crochet learning section.

Learn to Sew: Start with simple projects once you learn the basics. Tote bags are a great first sewing project. Check out the free sewing lessons and tutorials at this site.

Learn to Quilt: In the last depression, unusable clothing was formed into beautiful quilts. Women made extra money selling these quilts. However, now it is a form of art and creativity that many people enjoy. If this interests you, try this site to learn how.

Learn to Garden: Growing your own food is not as hard as you might think. After all, people have been doing it for quite some time. See this website for a host of videos that will get you going from start to finish.

Learn to Cook: You’ll find instructions for basic cooking to elegant and complicated dishes. The videos make it easy to follow step by step and actually see how it’s done.

Learn About Herbs for Health: Add some herbs to your garden. Use them for culinary purposes, teas and for health remedies. Check out this site for information on herbs and how to use them.

200 Free Online Classes: Learn the fundamentals of physics, quantum Mechanics, calculus, basic French, modern poetry, first year Chinese, dance skills, intro to biology, intro to economics and more.

There are certain food staples you can purchase in bulk when they are on sale or just because they are cheaper in larger quantities. In other words, some food items last longer than others. It’s not a bad idea to have a store of food that you can count on being there if you suddenly loose income or if the weather becomes too harsh to get out of your house.

1. Canned Beans - There are a large variety of canned beans to choose from. Always choose types of beans that you enjoy eating, not ones just because they are on sale. Shelf life for canned beans is 1 year. In fact, any kind of canned goods store for a long time.

2. Stock/broth - Canned chicken, beef or vegetable stock also has a shelf life of 1 year. You can throw in a lot of leftover meat and vegetables into broth and make stews and soup, which is always good on a cold day.

3. Rice - A basic staple, rice is great to throw into that soup you were making from the broth. It’s shelf life is 1 year.

4. Water - No matter where you live, it’s a good practice to keep bottled water on hand. Rotate it so you are using the oldest bottle.

Keep your stored foods in tightly sealed containers in a cool location for the longest shelf life.

There are job openings for the 2010 U.S. Census. This is an opportunity to pick up some extra cash on a limited, part-time basis. The hours are flexible, so it’s great for after work or for seniors to pick up some much needed income supplement. There is paid training and most of the 2010 census hiring will be during the spring months. Pay is between $10 and $22 and hour (paid weekly), depending on the location. Mileage and expenses are reimbursed.

Every ten years the U.S. government takes a census. The findings are used for area government representation and federal fund spending. Call the toll free number, 1-866-861-2010, to make an appointment for employee testing. For more information check out their website.

In wake of the new economic times we are all facing, future posts on this blog will share information on how to soften the blow. I’ll discuss ways to make extra income, how to save, reuse and recycle, and so much more. This blog will no long be about nutrition, alternative medicine and health issues. However, I will, on occasion, still hit upon those topics at my other site, http://gardendiva.today.com/. So, I hope you’ll stop by for a visit and leave a comment - please, if you so feel inspired.

I look forward to scouring the internet as well as other reference and news material to bring you the best and latest ideas.

The antioxidant benefits of blueberries have been reported enough, even on this page, that everyone should have added them to their diet by now. However, it was recently found that the plumb is equally packed with antioxidant power. New research from Texas AgriLife Research have discovered that many (if not all - 100 varieties were examined) fruits with stones are equal to or exhibit even more benefit that blueberries.

It is nice to know that some of the other fruits we’ve been eating were extremely healthy picks. It’s also good news to those who don’t like blueberries. Antioxidants are important to our good health because they bond to something called free electrons in our body which stabilizes the activity of free radicals. It is believed that this action prevents disease from developing.

Peaches, nectarines and cherries are all excellent choices. Next time you are shopping in the produce isle, buy what is in season for a better savings, but look for fruits with pits.

Contemplating surgery is a stressful situation, not to mention the stress the actual surgery puts on your body. By following a few tips, you can not only make your experience a better one, but also ensure a quality stay in the hospital.

(1) Make your first meeting with any hospital staff a more personal one by introducing yourself and having them introduce themselves.

(2) Ask if your doctor prescribed antibiotics before surgery and if you, in fact, got them.

(3) Make sure there is enough of your type of blood on supply in case there is a need for it.

(4) After the surgery, if you don’t feel you are getting the care you should be getting, don’t be afraid to speak up. Question the head nurse, if you get no satisfactory response, speak to your doctor when he come for his/her rounds.

The most important thing to do in a hospital situation is to be clear and forthright about your requests and questions. If answers are not clear to you, ask for a better explanation.

Blueberries are great on your morning oatmeal, in muffins and mixed in a bowl of fresh fruit. They are high in vitamin C, vitamin E, manganese, fiber and low in calories. But that’s not all, a recent study done by Tufts University found blueberries to be on the top of the list of 60 vegetables and fruits regarding antioxidant abilities. That means that this fruit is an excellent food to neutralize free radical damage. It was also found that blueberries deliver 38% more antioxidant anthocyanins than red wine which is a cardio protective food.

This fruit has been shown, through a animal studies, to protect the brain against from oxidative stress. Scientists say this means eating blueberries may effectively reduce symptoms of age related diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. During the animal study they found that elderly animals were improved in their motor skills as well as their learning capacity.

The compound, ellagic acid, is found in blueberries. This is another type of antioxidant that block metabolic joining paths that may result in cancer. Strawberries also contain this ellagic acid. In addition blueberries contain a lot of soluble fiber pectin. This type of fiber is known to lower cholesterol.

Further studies showed compounds in blueberries exhibited protection against colon cancer and ovarian cancer.

For a great dessert idea, layer blueberries (and strawberries), in fluted wine glasses, along with vanilla yogurt. Top with a sprinkle of ginger. They are great on oatmeal or in oatmeal muffins.

Oatmeal makes a healthy, fiber-full meal for breakfast. We were discussing how many people don’t care for oatmeal and how they might enjoy it in other forms. A breakfast oatmeal cookie was in order with added ingredients of nuts, raisins or any dried fruit. I also mentioned that you could exchange some of the brown sugar in a cookie recipe with applesauce (adjusting the other liquids) to make the cookie even healthier. Susan is an Activities Director and has several wonderfully informative sites. She mentioned that older people, especially those with dementia or Alzheimer disease have to be careful what they eat as they can choke easily. My thought was that a breakfast muffin with everything chopped up very fine could be the answer.

Oatmeal Muffins

Ingredients

1/2 cup milk
1 cup oats
1 egg
2 mashed bananas or ½ cup applesauce
1 cup all purpose flour
¼ cup brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon or nutmeg

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease muffin tin or use muffin paper liners.

Combine the milk and oats to soak for 15 minutes.

In a separate mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, oil and banana and then add it to the oatmeal mixture. In another bowl combine the flower, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Combine the two mixtures. Add any additional ingredients such as raisins, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, etc.

Drop the batter into the muffin tin - each 2/3 full. Bake 20 to 25 minutes.

Serve with scrambled eggs and a bowl of fresh fruit - yum.

A normal amount of anxiety is useful as when facing a dangerous situation. However, if a person has the rush of adrenaline, quick beating heart, muscle tension a quick breathing when there is no reason for the reaction, it is not healthy. It can progress to cause high blood pressure, headaches, stomachaches. Your health care professional can help you decide on conventional medication, alternative treatments or a combination of both.

* Exercise. Tests show that regular exercise reduces lactic acid, which is found to be higher in those who suffer from anxiety attacks. The endorphins produced during exercise may also help with this condition.

* Triggers. Caffeine, sugar and alcohol have been shown to trigger anxiety attacks in some individuals.

* Herbal Supplements. Kava has been found to work as well as conventional prescribed medications in many cases. Valerian can be taken in small doses throughout the day to ward off an anxiety attack.

* Biofeedback. With some work, biofeedback has been shown to work wonders in teaching an individual ways to react positively when an attack is first coming on.