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Season's Best
USAB2C's Season's Best is your one-stop source for ideas and information through our collection of articles on various subjects. Just click on a story to read the articles.
Disclaimer: The information presented and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of America's Business To Consumers, Incorporated and/or its subsidiaries.
by:Napset
 Track Gas Dollars. Track Gas Dollars For Taxes - 20 TipsNAPSI and Stepfanie Romine),-There are ways to go the distance when it comes to countering the high cost of gas. Small Changes Can Improve Efficiency by 30% Here are some tips to help:
1. Keep tires properly inflated. 2. Buy or rent a fuel-efficient car. 3. Travel at off-peak hours to lower idling costs. 4. Keep a log of car expenses and miles traveled for business, medical care, job hunting or charity work, which may be tax deductible. 5. Combine trips. If you know you're going across town for soccer practice, stop by any stores you might need to visit in that area. Try to group errands geographically. 6. Carpool to work or play and perhaps expand your social networks as you while away the miles. 7. Fill up mid week, in the morning. Wednesday is the cheapest day of the week to fill your tank. The weekends are the most expensive. Gas stations change their prices midmorning, so head to the pumps before you go to the office. 9. Downsize. Unless you need an SUV, minivan or full-size truck, then trade it in for a more efficient model. Want to save even more money? Switch to a hybrid (the prices have dropped in the last few years) or learn to drive a motorcycle or scooter. 9. Be shady. Park in the shade. Gas can evaporate on a hot day, especially when you park in the sun. Also, parking in the shade keeps the inside cooler, meaning you have to use the air conditioning less. 10. Speaking of AC. Only use it on the highways. It's more efficient to roll down the windows when you're going 40 miles per hour or less. The air conditioning is a better choice when you're going faster. 11. Think ahead and combine one-errand trips into one efficient, multistop errand to reduce unnecessary car use. 12. Vehicle expense books can help. Keep a record of miles, parking and tolls and your receipts. 13. Receipts may lower your taxes. 14. Reduce your commute. Move closer to work if possible, carpool, use public transportation, walk or bike if possible. 15. Don't wait for a holiday. Gas prices rise whenever more people travel, such as around the holidays. Fill up at least three days before a holiday. 16. Park it. Park once, in the first spot you see. Unless you can't walk, park as soon as you find a spot instead of driving around to find one that's close. Also, if you're going to make several stops in the area, leave your car parked and drop off packages between stops, if need be. You can squeeze in a bit of exercise while you shop! 17. Charge it! Get a gas credit card that offers you savings. If your card is specific to one company, make sure those gas stations are located in the areas where you typically drive. You won't save money if you drive across town to get gas! (Just be sure to pay off the card in full each month so you don't get hit with finance charges.) 18. Go low. Use the lowest recommended octane for your car. Check you’re the owner's manual for your car, but most cars on the road today can go with the lowest-octane (and cheapest) gasoline. 19. Wait to fill up. Always fill up when you've got a quarter of a tank or less. You get better gas mileage with a lighter load, so that means gas mileage improves as you near empty. However, don't let it get too low—you could end up stranded! 20. Don't top off. When filling up, use the automatic "stop" function on the pump. When it stops, don't pump out a few extra cents worth of gas by hand. That gas evaporates (talk about a waste of money) and is bad for the environment, too. Follow these tips, and soon you'll be saving some pennies (and eventually some nickels, dimes or even dollars)! If you think those of us in North America have it bad, think of our brethren in Europe: Gas tops $8 a gallon on much of the continent, including Norway, Britain, Belgium and Germany. Ouch! by:Napset
 Do As I Say AND As I Do - Parents Need To Be Role Models For Healthful Eating It's important children learn to eat healthfully at a young age. If you lay the foundation early, they will be more likely to make positive choices--even when they're not at home. It is easier to teach good habits initially than to undo the damage later. Here are some easy tips: • Eat breakfast: Studies show that kids who eat breakfast do better in school. If kids don't like typical breakfast foods, let them eat leftovers or other foods you know they'll eat. Breakfast is still the most important meal of the day. • Eat dinner as a family: As a parent, you should not only be a healthful food role model, you should take advantage of the social benefits of spending time together. • Be a positive example: Parents need to eat the same thing they're serving their children. It's not a "do as I say, not as I do" situation. For example, it's hard to teach the importance of drinking milk when you sip on a Diet Coke at dinner. It's also important that you don't diet in front of your children; they might begin to think it's normal eating behavior. • Food is not a reward or a punishment: Talking about the importance of staying away from high-fat, high-calorie, high-sugar foods and then turning around and making these foods the reward they get for doing something right is a "no-no." Using bribes like dessert to get your children to eat their dinner teaches them that the reward must be pretty good and the dinner must be pretty bad. Don't take sweets away as a punishment. Find a different "privilege" to take away, something that isn't food. • Demonstrate portion control: Don't force your children to clean their plate when they aren't hungry--start with small amounts of food. If your children truly want more food out of hunger, offer them more vegetables or a piece of fruit rather than more meat or bread. If they really are hungry, they'll eat what you offer. • Snacks are a good thing: Children ages 1 to 5 have small stomachs and high energy needs. They should have small, frequent meals throughout the day. Snacks should be planned--including at least two food groups (for example, peanut butter and apple slices). Consider this: Frozen Banana Pops 3 bananas 6 Popsicle sticks ¼ cup peanut butter, softened ¼ cup chopped peanuts or walnuts, granola, crispy rice cereal or sunflower seeds Peel the bananas. Cut them in half, widthwise, and push a Popsicle stick through the cut end of each half. Spread peanut butter on the bananas, then roll them in the nuts, cereal or seeds. Wrap them in waxed paper and freeze for 3 hours. Serves 6. Nutrition information per serving: Calories 218, Fat 14g, Cholesterol 0, Carbohydrate 18g, Fiber 3g, Protein 6g. by Heidi Diller, RD Albertsons Nutritionist » Next
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