09 Aug 10 Tightening The Belt

Many people are looking for ways to save money in this lousy economy.

There are a few quite simple ways to do it.

Walk to the store. If it’s within a mile or two, consider walking in fine weather, or riding a bike. You’ll save gas, and wear and tear on the car, and you’ll burn some extra calories too. Most of us don’t get enough exercise!
Continuing with cars, why not organize a carpool with some of your fellow workers? Again, you’ll save gas, and wear and tear on your car, and you get to relax a little instead of doing all the driving every day. Another point to think of – if more people carpooled, there would be fewer cars on the road, which means less pollution, so that’s a health benefit too.
While we’re talking about work, why not pack a lunch, instead of eating fast food every day? That burger and fries can be 1,000 – 1,500 calories a day, and a sandwich made at home can be less than a third of that. Also, even that fast food lunch can be $7 $10 a day, and for Around $10-$12 you can easily buy enough for that homemade lunch to last a whole week.
What do you drink with that lunch, or indeed throughout the day? Do you really need those expensive lattes, that can come in around 600 calories, and up to $4 each? Why not invest in a thermal mug, and make coffee at home, drink one before you leave, and take another one with you to the office, or drink in the car on the way there, if that’s what you usually drop into the coffee shop for. That alone can save you $15-$20 a week. Even better drink tap water! It’s better for you, has no calories, and doesn’t contain that dehydrating caffeine that 90% of Americans consume each day in either coffee, tea, or soda.

These few simple things can save you up to $50 or $60 a week, which is $250 a month or $3,000 a year! Heck, you could get that new car sooner, move to a bigger house, or have a great vacation instead!

Tags: burger and fries, calories, carpool, coffee shop, fast food, fellow workers, great vacation, health benefit, heck, new car, pollution, sandwich, soda, tap water, ways to save money, wear and tear

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19 Dec 07 Good Snacks

Instead of reaching for the chips and dips this Christmas and worry about all the fat, salt and sugar, and calories, why not try these snacks below instead?

â€¢ Berries, any berries. Eat them one by one instead of M&Ms when the pressure’s on. For those tough times when tension tightens your jaw, try rolling a frozen berry around in your mouth. And then another, and another. Since the carbs in berries turn to sugar very slowly, you won’t have a blood-sugar crash. The bonus: They’re a good source of vitamin C, which helps fight a jump in cortisol, a stress hormone.

â€¢ Guacamole. If you’re craving something creamy, look no further. Avocados are loaded with B vitamins, which stress quickly depletes and which your body needs in order to maintain nerves and brain cells. Plus, their creaminess comes from healthy fat. Scoop up the stuff with whole-grain baked chips — crunching keeps you from gritting your teeth.

â€¢ Mixed nuts. Just an ounce will do. Walnuts help replace those stress-depleted B vitamins, Brazil nuts give you a whopping amount of zinc (which is also drained by high anxiety), and almonds boost your E, which helps fight cellular damage linked to chronic stress. Buy nuts in the shell and think of it as multitasking: With every squeeze of the nutcracker, you’re releasing a little tension.

â€¢ Oranges. People who take 1,000 milligrams of C before giving a speech have lower levels of cortisol and lower blood pressures than those who don’t. So lean back, take a deep breath, and concentrate on peeling a large orange. The 5-minute mindfulness break will ease your mind, and you’ll get a bunch of C as well.

â€¢ Asparagus. Each tender stalk is a source of folic acid, a natural mood lightener. Dip the spears in fat-free yogurt or sour cream for a hit of calcium with each bite.

â€¢ Chai tea. A warm drink is a supersoother, and curling up with a cup of aromatic decaf chai tea (Tazo makes ready-to-brew bags) can make the whole evil day go away.

â€¢ Dark chocolate. Okay, there’s nothing in it that relieves stress, but when only chocolate will do, reach for the dark, sultry kind that’s at least 70% cocoa. You figure if the antioxidant flavonoids in it are potent enough to fight cancer and heart disease, they’ve got to be able to temper tension’s effects.

Tags: berries, calories, chips, chocolate, christmas. health, dips, folic acid, snacks, stress, vitamic C