Choose melons for value and nutrition
Melons are probably one of the best values when it comes to food selection. Why? First of all, melons are cheap – right now a melon in season (cantaloupe or watermelon) is around .02 to .05 per ounce. Second of all, it is low in calories and full of water and fiber which helps you feel fuller on fewer calories.
Melon is a better value than a value meal
If you ate a pound of melon, it would cost, on average, about .50 cents. Better still, it would only contain about 144 calories and barely any fat or sodium. Compare that to the “value menu” double burger from your favorite fast food restaurant. One double burger is about $1. But it is only 5 ounces – so you would have to eat 3 of them to get one pound – and that amounts to $3 and about 1170 calories, 2760 mg of sodium and almost 60 g of fat.
You might laugh because you would not eat a whole pound of anything at one sitting. But over the course of the day you probably eat several pounds of food. So, the big question is: are you eating mostly burgers or mostly fruits and veggies? When you want value, think of your health and choose more melon and other fruits and vegetables, not the fast food board offerings.
Melon is a great “shopping stretcher”
Melon can sit at room temperature for a few days. So, while you eat all of the produce that perishes faster, like peaches and berries, the melon is patiently waiting and gently ripening. After a few days you can slice it and have fruit for the rest of the week. It is like you went shopping again! Hint: if you are buying several kinds of melons, it is best to use up the watermelon first, within three days. Cut melon of all types should always be stored in the refrigerator.
Melon is a great multi-vitamin food
A serving of watermelon, cantaloupe or other melon is an excellent source of Vitamins A, B6 and C plus a healthy amount of potassium and fiber.
SEE your melons for easy serving
Follow the SEE principal for melon preparation: Slice, Eat, Enjoy! How easy is that?
“Knowledge for Life” provided by the Finney County Extension Office and K-State Research and Extension.
Subscribe to the comments for this postWhat’s stopping you from saving?
With 2010 half over, you may find yourself nowhere closer to your financial goals than you were on January 1st. Yet, year after year, saving money and getting out of debt remain one of the most popular resolutions. The question remains – what’s stopping you? Take action today and work towards your financial goal by “starting small and thinking big.”
Start Small:
What’s the secret to saving? Spending less than you earn is the key to saving money and avoiding debt. By making small and manageable changes to your lifestyle, you can further decrease your expenses. Tackle a few spending ‘vices’ at a time rather than radically altering your lifestyle. Some easy ways to save:
- Rethink the “essentials.” The latest-and-greatest cell phone, video game, or computers are nice to have, but by no means necessities. Buy what you need, not what you want.
- Turn saving into a game – roll your spare change, mail in rebates, sell unwanted items – do whatever you can to get closer to your savings goal!
- Save automatically. Have a portion of your paycheck (as little as $25) transferred automatically to your savings. Chances are you’ll never even notice the difference.
Think Big:
Individuals with a savings plan are 50% more successful than those who don’t. Take the opportunity to join America Saves and create your own simple savings plan for free. America Saves members also have access to the “My Savings Tracker” which can help you track progress towards your savings goal. Need help figuring out what to save for?
- Create a $500 or more emergency fund to meet unexpected expenses.
- Save for holiday gifts rather than relying on credit.
- Pay off credit cards and other high-interest debt.
Source: America Saves “Kick Start Your Savings” summer campaign.
“Knowledge for Life” provided by the Finney County Extension Office and K-State Research and Extension.
ON THE MOVE: First-Year College Students
“Mom, I labeled this moving box as personal care products. The next box will be filled with bedding. I wonder what else I will need for my first year of college dorm life.” At this time of year just before college classes begin many households are undergoing similar conversations.
The first-year college student should have a check list in hand before filling those boxes. Develop that list from those items:
• that you definitely know you need such as toothpaste to maintain your engaging smile,
• that don’t come readily to mind such as quarters to do your laundry,
• and remember to check with the college regarding those items that are definitely not allowed such as air conditioners, space heaters, toasters, your pet dog, cat, (snake…?)
Create categories for your list to assist you with identifying those items to take to college. Sample categories include:
- linen and laundry items,
- first-aid kit,
- items to prepare for sleeping and waking up,
- cooking and eating utensils,
- storage needs,
- electronic paraphernalia,
- toiletries,
- office/desk supplies.
Reduce the burden of packing and moving; determine supplies that you can purchase once you arrive. Consider purchasing sometime after arrival items such as tissue, soap/detergent, fabric softener, trash bags, light bulbs and such.
Plan with your roommate items that you can share. Some commonly used items that can be shared to reduce space consumption are:
- TV,
- DVD player,
- microwave,
- audio equipment,
- a small refrigerator.
A more thorough list of potential items needed by students can be found at the College Board web page http://www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/college- success/9763.html
Identify your needs and eliminate or reduce your wants. Determine your needs then determine what available space, if any, you can use for the luxury items that you want but don’t need.
Good luck and don’t forget to make packing space for the most precious of items that will increase your comfort level as you adjust to a new way of life as a first-year college student.
Note: This article was written by Sheryl Carson, Kearny County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences, who is training with Linda Beech at the Finney County Extension Office this month.
“Knowledge for Life” provided by the Finney County Extension Office and K-State Research and Extension.
Six suggestions to strengthen marriage success
What can couples can do to have a successful marriage? Here are six suggestions to consider for understanding and strengthening marriages.
1. Marriage matters. Married people and their kids do better on all measures of health, wealth, happiness, and success.
2. Disagreements are normal no matter who you marry. It’s not the differences, but how we handle them that separate successful marriages from failures. Disagreeing doesn’t predict divorce. Learn how to disagree in ways that help you fall more in love.
3. All happily married couples have approximately ten irreconcilable differences – ten issues they will never resolve. If we switch partners, we just get ten new issues that are likely to be even more annoying and complicated. Sadly, if there are children from an earlier marriage or relationship, disagreements about them go to the top of the list. What’s important is to discuss our own set of issues just as we would discuss how to manage living with a chronic bad back or trick knee. We wish they weren’t there, but what’s important is to keep talking about how to manage them and hang in there for the marriage.
4. Marital satisfaction often dips with the birth of a baby. That’s normal. Marital satisfaction is at its lowest when there are kids in the house between 11 and 16. That’s normal. We need to know what’s normal, what to expect, and appreciate our parenting partner – and hang in there. Even with the challenges, it’s a lot easier to be a parenting team than to be a single, divorced, or remarried parent. Plus there’s a silver lining: satisfaction goes back up with the empty nest!
5. Repair attempts are crucial and are highly predictive of marital happiness. The willingness to make up after an argument is central to every happy marriage.
6. Learn to welcome, embrace, and integrate change – to discuss and update your wishes, hopes, and dreams on a regular basis. The marriage vow is a promise to stay married, not to stay the same. (Thank goodness!) Don’t fear changes, celebrate them!
Source: “Marriage For Keeps” August 2010 newsletter
“Knowledge for Life” provided by the Finney County Extension Office and K-State Research and Extension.
10 Money-Saving Ideas to Build Financial Security
Start small, think big. Whether your financial goals are to pay down debt, add to savings or build an emergency fund, you can find ways to trim expenses and build financial security.
Here are 10 common-sense financial tips for individuals and families:
- Take an inventory of your financial accounts, including regularly scheduled payments such as home mortgage or car payment, balance(s) due on credit cards or other loans, and basic living expenses, such as food, utilities, insurance, and health care.
- Track spending to assess average expenses and identify unnecessary expenses.
- Categorize expenses, and add categories for a) building an emergency fund; b) saving for short-term goals; and c) saving for long-term goals.
- Compare money coming in and money going out. How does your take-home pay compare to expenses?
- Eliminate extras, but allow an occasional, moderately-priced reward for striving to improve personal money management skills.
- Practice separating needs from wants, and make fulfilling needs the priority.
- Use credit cards strategically or sparingly, if at all.
- If an emergency requires spending, use emergency funds from savings or explore a low-interest, short-term loan to cover the cost, rather than using a credit card that will have a higher interest rate.
- Strive to pay down and retire a mortgage, rather than adding debt with one or more home equity loans.
- No light at the end of the tunnel? If struggling with money management and debt, consider a reputable credit counselor who can help prioritize and/or consolidate payments to retire debt, and move toward building financial security. Look for a counselor who is National Foundation for Credit Counseling-affiliated at www.NFCC.org.
More information about basic money management is available at K-State Research and Extension offices and online: www.ksre.ksu.edu (choose Publications and search for “Basic Money Management” MF-5134G) and at www.ksre.ksu.edu/financialmanagement/.