How to reduce grocery bills by using food wisely

From the Dallas Morning  News

How to reduce grocery bills by using food wisely

By ALICIA ROSS with BEVERLY MILLS / United Feature Syndicate

One of the easiest ways to save money on food is to stop throwing it
away. It’s easy to forget that the most expensive food you buy is food
you don’t eat.

The typical American family throws away 14 percent of all groceries
brought into the house, according to a University of Arizona study. It
doesn’t have to be that way. Simple techniques can help reduce the
grocery bill. Here are a few of our favorites:

Label and date leftovers. Keep a list taped to the refrigerator door
and jot down what you put in. If you know what’s stored, you’re more
likely to eat it.

When containers start to pile up, stage a “leftovers smorgasbord.” You
may have to add a salad, but microwave everything else and enjoy.

Speaking of salads, they’re wonderful landing pads for nuts, bits of
fruit or leftover chunks of cheese. Do you have one leftover chicken
breast? Mince it finely and scatter over the greens.

Catchall recipes such as soups, omelets, rice pilafs and casseroles
easily absorb odds and ends. Keep a few of these recipes in a handy spot.

Pack “leftovers lunches” at night while you’re cleaning up after
dinner. In the morning, just grab and go.

Check sell-by and use-by dates before buying perishables. The fresher
the item, the more time you have to use it. Stores shelve new items
behind old ones, so reach to the back.

Consider buying small quantities. Grapes may be clustered in 2-pound
bags, but you can buy less than that. Likewise, many stores sell
half-cartons of eggs. And a quart of milk is cheaper in the long run
if you end up pouring out half of a gallon jug.

“Intentional portioning” is one of our most effective strategies.
Notice exactly how much food each family member eats and cook only
that much. We count cheese tortellini as we throw them into the pot
and defrost only the exact number of meatballs we know we’ll eat. If
you know you don’t need leftovers, this helps eliminate them before
they occur and saves money.

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Best One Yet :-)

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All salmon fishing banned on West Coast

From the San Francisco Chronicle

Salmon fishing was banned along the West Coast for the first time in 160 years Thursday, a decision that is expected to have a devastating economic impact on fishermen, dozens of businesses, tourism and boating.

Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez immediately declared a commercial fishery disaster, opening the door for Congress to appropriate money for anyone who will be economically harmed.

The closure of commercial and recreational fishing for chinook salmon in the ocean off California and most of Oregon was announced by the National Marine Fishery Service.

It followed the recommendation last month of the Pacific Fishery Management Council after the catastrophic disappearance of California’s fabled fall run of the pink fish popularly known as king salmon.

It is the first total closure since commercial fishing started in the Bay Area in 1848.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency last month and sent a letter to President Bush asking for his help in obtaining federal disaster assistance. Schwarzenegger plans to appropriate about $5.3 million for coastal salmon and steelhead fishery restoration projects.

The disaster declaration allows state officials to work with Congress on obtaining appropriations for businesses and fishermen and women, some of whom will lose as much as 80 percent of their annual income.

Although salmon spawning has been in decline all up and down the coast, the biggest problem is in the Sacramento River and its tributaries. So few salmon returned last fall that the fishery council was required under its management plan to halt fishing throughout the salmon habitat, which is all along the California and Oregon coasts.

The commercial salmon season off California and Oregon typically runs from May 1 to Oct. 31. The recreational season was to have begun April 5.

Permanent PMS

When my hormones are fluctuating wildly, I am NOT a nice person. For a while now I feel like I am on high alert. I’m losing patience with everything and everybody.  Is this part of menopause or something else?  Geeze, I’ve got to find  a good doc….

In one sense I’ve always sort of liked being PMS-y. The things I hold back all month are given free reign and I let them fly. On the other hand, it feels better not to be so angry. This reminds me of that awful stage in pregnancy….the one just before delivery when a woman can say and do some pretty awful things.  I made my friend leave the birthing room and get a new tape because a song came on with sad connotations. I knew I was being a bit nuts, but couldn’t help it.

I was in line at the dollar store yesterday…buying the cat a new flea collar. I turned red and broke out in an intense sweat. At the same time, the woman in front of me started vigorously fanning herself. It was pleasantly air conditioned in there so I told her I was glad it wasn’t just me. She said she was going through some intense hormone fluctuations. I wanted to say ME, TOO,  but then it was my turn with the cashier….

Land mines?

Just kidding….I hope! That person with the rusty butt dog has no scruples. Yesterday there was a pile of poop out there and a few minutes ago they were in my garden again! Zeke went ballistic and woke me up.

When I wake up with my heart pounding to discover they are among my plants in the middle of the night, I mentally blow them up. The longer this goes on, the grouchier I get. There is no excuse for this person to be on my step. There’s plenty of land and grass all over the apartment complex.

If this person were admiring the flowers, I’d be more tolerant. Instead, they bring the dog over to pee and poop and weave through my plants. Time for a land mine and razor wire?  I hope not!

They call it the Florida Healing Outpouring

It started out as a fairly small revival and then moved to the Lakeland Center. This weekend it’s at Joker Marchant Stadium. I had some stuff to do, so took Rhett with me. We sat by a lake in a park and were faced towards the stadium. The big lights were on. The whole time I alternated between staring at the water birds and the stadium. Yesterday while the evangelist was preaching and healing, an osprey flew over with a fish. They say it’s a sign.

I am fascinated by the whole thing. I’ve been to some old fashioned revivals in my youth. I’ve remained skeptical about them since then. In the frenzy of the crowd, there are always folks who yell things, fall over and others say they are healed. It’s interesting to watch. I often have wondered how those folks are doing years later. Are they healed physically and spiritually?

Well….the spectacle going on here in Lakeland is snowballing. People are flying in from all around the world to experience this. I’m thinking I will watch a bit online. God can do some mighty powerful things. I am curious if what is happening is truly of God. I’ll have to see for myself. I wrote in and asked them to pray for me. One can never have too many prayers!

If you are interested in this healing event, there’s lots of info on the internet….

http://www.god.tv/revival