Last night in the Coons-O'Donnell debate in Delaware, we heard the Republican candidate, Christine O'Donnell, lay out her answer to health reform -- or "Obamacare" as she and the Republicans so sarcastically call it. She cranked out two of the three talking points that Republicans have been spouting for over two decades: 1) Malpractice reform 2) Selling insurance across state lines and 3) Personal responsibility for care (translated means more of the "consumer driven" plans that have high deductibles up front.)
It's time to call them out. Since the Clinton health reform effort failed in the early 1990s, Republicans have been making these same points. They had eight years during the Bush Administration to show that these three talking points or "solutions" could make a difference. They did nothing about it. Why? Because these three talking points would make little to no impact on the real problems health reform is trying to solve. Here's why.
1) Take malpractice reform. Please. For years, studies have shown that malpractice reform, while desirable for a variety of reasons, would have almost no impact on the reduction of health care costs.
In fact a new study, published last week in Health Affairs suggests that costs associated with medical malpractice are far less than the $650 billion figure (26% of all money spent on health care) cited by some Republicans who have made tort reform a cornerstone of their vision for "bending the cost curve" in health care. The newly calculated figure, $55.6 billion, represents just 2.4% of health costs.
Reform the malpractice and medical liability system? Of course. But don't make it the centerpiece of a plan to reform health care. At best it's a byline.
2) Selling insurance across state lines? Republicans love this idea. Why? Because the very sleaziest of health insurance products and companies -- the ones that have such high deductibles you might as well not even have insurance ($5000, $10,000), what they call "catastrophic" plans, are just waiting for your state to allow them in, to sell you stuff that has almost no value. There has been legislation over the years to allow this sale of policies across state lines, but the conclusion is that it would little to no impact on the real problems we face.
As Ezra Klein pointed out in the Washington Post awhile back, this is a terrible idea.
As it happens, the Congressional Budget Office looked at a bill along these lines back in 2005. They found that the legislation wouldn't change the number of the uninsured and would save the federal government about $12 billion between 2007 and 2015. That is to say, it would do very little in the aggregate.
But those top-line numbers hid a more depressing story. The legislation "would reduce the price of individual health insurance coverage for people expected to have relatively low health care costs, while increasing the price of coverage for those expected to have relatively high health care costs," CBO said. "Therefore, CBO expects that there would be an increase in the number of relatively healthy individuals, and a decrease in the number of individuals expected to have relatively high cost, who buy individual coverage."That is to say, the legislation would not change the number of insured Americans or save much money, but it would make insurance more expensive for the sick and cheaper for the healthy, and lead to more healthy people with insurance and fewer sick people with insurance. It's a great proposal if you don't ever plan to be sick, and if you don't mind finding out that your insurer doesn't cover your illness. And it's the Republican plan for health-care reform.
3) Taking personal responsibility for your health? Wolf Blitzer asked O'Donnell last night if she approved of a person refusing to buy health insurance and then having the rest of us pay when that person gets sick and goes to the hospital. This is her non-response.
BLITZER: All right. Well, here's the question. Let's say someone decides not to purchase health insurance, makes that conscientious decision, even though this person can afford to buy health insurance, but decided he doesn't want to. This person gets critically ill, is rushed to an emergency room.Should we, people who pay for health insurance, provide him or her with that kind of treatment, or should we kick them out of the emergency room, said, you made a decision, you're not going to get this kind of treatment?
O'DONNELL: If we do the things that I've said that will help to address
-- that I'm proposing, that will help to address the issue of health care, then that person can afford to buy a catastrophic-only policy from across state lines. They'll be able...BLITZER: Well, what if the person doesn't want to buy it?
O'DONNELL: Well, then we have to address that.
BLITZER: Who should take care of that person in an emergency?
O'DONNELL: We have to address it.
BLITZER: Would we, all of us tax-payers...
O'DONNELL: We have to -- no, we have to...
BLITZER: ... have to pay for that person?
O'DONNELL: Anything that they do when they have another bill that they can't pay, make them pay it. Hold them accountable for that.
KARIBJANIAN: Before or after they get care?
O'DONNELL: But right now, right now -- well, that's up to the hospital.
But right now we're forcing them to. We're forcing them that they have to give care to illegal aliens...O'DONNELL: Well, nobody should be forced to pay for anyone else's health care, and that's what Obamacare is doing.
COONS: And that's what's happening today. Before the health care reform bill passed, all of us who have health insurance, who have health coverage have been bearing the costs, paying the freight for those who don't have insurance and don't have coverage. They're getting health care through emergency rooms now. That's partly why small businesses, employers like New Castle County have faced double digit increases in our insurance costs year after year and year because that's how we provide care now, it's inefficient, it's inhumane and it's not effective.
Note that Chris Coons nailed that answer and O'Donnell unwittingly agreed with him.
This is the Republican answer to "personal accountability." If O'Donnell knew more, she would know that hospitals have to write off the care of that type of person, and when they do, they shift those costs wherever they can -- mainly to those of us who are paying customers. Personal accountability is fine if you have an extra $100,000 around to pay for your health care if you are uninsured and get sick. But if you don't, you lean on the rest of us.
O'Donnell missed the third and main Republican talking point on personal responsibility -- and that is the sale of consumer-driven or consumer-directed health plans, where the high up front deductible is meant to discourage people from seeking unnecessary care. Not a bad idea if it's a choice for people. If they have enough money to pay those deductibles before they get the care, fine. But it has been shown that consumer-driven products tend to work better with higher income consumers, and consumers tend to delay care when they enroll in those plans. The American Academy of Family Physicians offers this analysis:
A December 2005 survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (PDF file: 12 pages / 163 KB. More about PDFs.) notes that patients with consumer-directed or high-deductible health plans "were significantly more likely to avoid, skip or delay health care because of costs than were those with comprehensive insurance, with this behavior particularly pronounced among those with health problems or incomes under $50,000."
So that's the Republican Plan for reforming health care and lowering costs. As you listen to the debates in the next few weeks, raise a glass every time you hear those talking points (but be careful to drink something non-alcoholic or you'll pass out). And remember -- as complicated as health reform is -- and it is too complicated for three talking points -- it is the Democrats who attempted to really solve these problems and will continue to work on this year after year until all the wrinkles are ironed out. (By the way, might I note that reform has NOT yet been implemented fully and won't until 2014, so could the candidates please stop blaming reform for everything that is happening now?)
Slogans are easy to spout. Real reform is a lot harder.
UPDATE: In tonight's debate between Harry Reid and Sharron Angle in Nevada, Ms. Angle mentioned two of the three Republican talking points as her solution -- malpractice reform and selling insurance across state lines. Have a drink everyone!!
One thing sure to bring a tear to the eye of a frugal WalletPop reader is the sight of a product put out to the curb for trash pickup that could have, with a little more care, lasted much longer. To that end, we offer these 10 suggestions on how to stretch the lifespan of your possessions.
1. Quit washing your jeans
How often do you wash your blue jeans? After each wearing? Once a week? Once a month? According to some enthusiasts, you're destroying what should-be a longtime love affair. Blogger Dr. Denim says the most enthusiastic denim lovers will wear their new jeans six months before the first washing, then three months before a second washing.
And these aren't washings as you might picture them. Carl Chiara of Levi Strauss and Co. told the Wall Street Journal that at the six-month mark, he soaks his jeans in the bathtub with some very mild soap and lets them air-dry. That's it.
There is also an environmental spin to this issue: The United Nations put out a video encouraging people to wash their jeans less often.
Heat, water and detergents can make those new jeans look old in a hurry, but that's not such a good thing when the goal is to increase the lifespan of your favorite denims.
2. Dry your razor blades
Among the most overpriced items on the pharmacy shelf, IMHO, is the razor blade. An 8-pack of Gillette Fusion 5-blade cartridges from Amazon costs $2.64 per cartridge. If you go through one every two weeks, you'll spend $68.58 in a year. If you could cut that in half, what would you do with the extra $34 in your pocket?
Could these savings be as simple as drying your blades after each use? Oxidation of the steel blade can dull the cutting edge quicker than wear and tear against your facial hair, and the bathroom is the perfect climate for oxidation: warm and moist. If you store your razor in the shower (guilty!), don't be surprised if you find those telltale specs of rust on your blade after only a few days.
To extend the life of your blade, dry it carefully after use (if you use a hair dryer, waft it over your razor, too) and store it in a drawer away from the sink and shower.
There are a number of devices on the market that promise to resharpen your blades, but little information on whether they really work or not. Have you tried one? What was your experience?
3. Coddle your tires
A set of good tires can set you back $400, so the payoff from getting extra life from them can save you significant dough. Extending their life isn't rocket science, either. The Michigan Natural and Energy Resources Dept. recommends:
- Keeping them inflated to the proper psi; check weekly. A set of tire pressure valve stem caps can help, and costs less than $10.
- Rotate your tires every 5,000-8,000 miles.
- Use the tire size your car was designed for; smaller tires will wear more quickly.
- Keep your car aligned; misalignment will show up in unusual tread wear.
- Avoid quick starts and stops. When your tires are smoking, you may be accelerating too fast.
- If you store tires, stack them on their side in a dry, cool place, no more than four high.
4. Keep your shoes pristine
With the price of shoes today, squeaking out an extra year or two of shoe life can help you save up for that new pair of Manolo Blahniks. Among the tactics you can employ:
- Buy decent quality. Those half-price shoes will most likely last less than half as long.
- Alternate your shoes (this applies mostly to men, I believe, since most women don't wear the same shoes day after day). By having two pairs of everyday shoes and alternating them, you give your shoes a chance to breathe and properly dry out.
- Dry them completely if you've gotten them wet. Consider using a waterproof spray to keep the rain off, especially in the winter if you live in the north.
- Clean them thoroughly before polishing, and polish often. The polish isn't just cosmetic; it protects the leather.
- Buy shoes that can be resoled.
- When shopping for kids' shoes, have them wear heavy socks to reserve a little room for their rapidly growing feet.
- Break the habit of wedging yourself in and out of shoes without tying or untying the shoelaces.
- Use a shoehorn for those that fit tightly.
5. Make your perfume last
Perfume is altered by your body chemistry, so perfume will not smell the same on every person. Every perfume goes through three stages after it is applied to your skin: the top note, the middle note and the dry-out note. Depending on how it reacts to your body, these phases may go by quickly or last and last. Work with your perfume purveyor to find a signature scent that has staying power on your skin.
You can also extend the life of your perfume by applying it properly. This begins with moisturization. The perfume will stick to moist skin better than dry, so applying it before dressing, while fresh from the shower, could help it last. Using a non-scented moisturizer on those parts of the skin when you are about to apply it could also help.
Choosing where to apply it can also be a factor. Avoid the "pulse points", those parts of the body where you can clearly detect a pulse, because blood flows close to the skin there, so that skin is warmer -- inside wrists, neck, behind the ears, on the ankles. Apply the perfume on parts of the body insulated with a fat layer (your upper arms, or your outside thighs, for example).
If your scent dies quickly on you, apply lightly but more frequently.
6. Keep that Christmas tree green
Some of the most enthusiastic season celebrators will put up their Christmas trees just after Thanksgiving and keep them up until the New Year. They risk having a dried-out fire hazard sitting in their living room for weeks. But you can take steps to keep that tree remaining supple and green all the way to the take-down.
The first rule: buy fresh. Perhaps you're lucky enough to live where you can pick out and cut down your own; if not, ask the vendor where the tree came from, and how long ago it was cut. Take a look at the needles. According to the National Christmas Tree Association, a fresh fir tree's needles "should break crisply when bent sharply with the fingers -- much like a fresh carrot," while a pine tree's needles will be supple and resilient. Also check for excessive needle loss, wrinkled bark and a musty odor, all signs of a tree too long from the saw. Favor lots that shade their cut trees from the sun.
Before you take home a tree from a tree lot, ask the vendor to cut off an inch from the bottom of the tree, which will help the tree take up water. At home, keep the water reservoir at the base of the tree full of water. Aspirin, sugar and other folklore additives aren't necessary to keep the tree green.
Place the tree away from heater grates, fireplaces and any other source of heat. Don't expose it to direct sunlight, either.
7. Make your clothes last
Not all clothes can go without washing like the blue jeans mentioned above, but there are ways to extend the life of your underwear, children's wear, shirts, blouses, slacks and jammies. These include:
- Treat spots rather than wash the whole piece of clothing. The new stain-remover pens work very well, and if you can save a washing, that piece of clothing will last longer.
- Line dry rather than tumble dry. It's not only ecological, it adds that wonderful fresh sunshine smell to all you wear.
- Avoid using dryer balls; they soften clothes by beating on the fibers, not a recipe for long life.
- Maintain your body weight. Easier said than done, but some of us eat our way out of clothes long before they wear out.
- Hang and/or fold your clothes. It's all too easy to toss wrinkled clothes in the wash basket before they've actually been worn enough to warrant washing.
- Reserve a set of clothes for dirty tasks, and change into them before digging in the yard, changing your car's oil or washing your dog.
- Use the sniff test to determine if a shirt or blouse is ready for the laundry, rather than automatically toss it in after a single wearing. Ask a loved one's help; your nose is used to your own body odor.
- Remove and store those extra buttons sewed onto better quality clothing, so you can replace them when needed rather than ditch the piece of clothing.
8. Extend the life of produce
How much of the produce you buy do you end up pitching because it has decayed? Too much, if you're like my household. This is not necessarily inevitable, however. Try these methods:
Rehydrate. Vegetables like lettuce, spinach and celery can be brought back to life when they begin to wilt by soaking them in cold water. Dry well afterward.
Sequester: Apples will stay edible in the crisper section of your refrigerator for a long time. Put them in perforated plastic bags to help them stay moist, and toss out any that show decay spots; remember the old adage about rotten apples. If you live in a cooler climate with a garage that doesn't freeze, you could store larger quantities of apples there. Keep them away from other fruit and vegetables that over-ripen easily, however; the ethylene gas the apples give off will hasten the ripening of other produce.
Refrigerate: Some fruits do just fine left out on the kitchen counter, but some are best kept in the fridge. These include berries of many types, grapes, cherries, apricots, and vegetables like broccoli, asparagus, lettuce, mushrooms and sweet corn. The University of California has a convenient chart to help determine what goes where.
Freeze: If you find you aren't going to be able to use peaches and green peppers, for example, before they go bad, toss them in the freezer. They'll last for months if properly packaged.
Chill: Some vegetables like potatoes will last a long time in a cool, dry area, perhaps like the far end of your basement or an attached garage. In days of old, root cellars were dug for this purpose.
Breathe: Onions and garlic should have room to breathe, so don't keep them wrapped in plastic or buried in too small a drawer.
You've probably seen ads for plastic produce bags that claim to allow ethylene gas to escape from fruit and vegetables stored within, thereby keeping them from over-ripening. Consumer Reports tests didn't find these claims valid, however.
9. Save that fine wine
Many of us enjoy a glass of wine with a fine meal, but when dining at home, it's not always wise or appropriate to kill the entire bottle, This leaves us with the dilemma of how to properly save the remaining wine so that it doesn't lose its bouquet and flavor.
The answer begins by understanding that oxygen is your wine's enemy, and the less oxygen you can allow to come into contact with your wine, the better it will retain its character. This means merely banging the cork back into the bottle isn't a good idea; you have all that air trapped with it.
One method is to keep on hand an empty half-sized bottle (a split, in wine terms) into which you can decant the wine. Perhaps a Tupperware tub of equal volume might also serve the purpose, but a wine aficionado would be aghast to see you pour a glass of wine from it.
If you are willing to pay some money to solve the problem, one device that helps is a vacuum pump made to fit over the neck of the bottle and suck out that nasty air. The Wine Doctor, however, doesn't care for this technique and conjectures that the vacuum pump pulls up more than just the air in the bottle neck -- it removes gas that is part of the wine itself.
The pricier solution to the problem is to replace the air with an noncorrosive gas such as nitrogen or argon. The Wine Doctor isn't fond of this solution, either, fearing it could degrade the quality of older wines.
In retrospect, perhaps the answer is to drink the rest of the bottle, but do it very, very slowly.
10. Scratch-proof that smart screen
Fellow WalletPop writer Josh Smith turned me on to screen protectors for my HTC Droid Incredible smart phone. Phones such as this or the Apple iPhone allow the user to scroll across the screen with his/her finger. The technology, also used in the iPod Touch and the new, hot iPad, makes browsing a snap, but risks scratching the screen.
A scratched screen is not only unsightly, but it detracts from any resale value. There are a number of third-party screen overlays such as the Zagg Invisibleshield that are virtually impervious to scratches. Hint: You might find a better price buying through Amazon than through Zagg's website.
Those of us with clumsy fingers, prone to drop expensive objects, might also consider a hard-shell case for our device. I use the Otterbox for my Droid, and have dropped my phone a couple of times without damaging it. There are many other brands available for the device of your choice.
Again, shop around before buying it directly from the manufacturer, and you might save substantially.
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Last night in the Coons-O'Donnell debate in Delaware, we heard the Republican candidate, Christine O'Donnell, lay out her answer to health reform -- or "Obamacare" as she and the Republicans so sarcastically call it. She cranked out two of the three talking points that Republicans have been spouting for over two decades: 1) Malpractice reform 2) Selling insurance across state lines and 3) Personal responsibility for care (translated means more of the "consumer driven" plans that have high deductibles up front.)
It's time to call them out. Since the Clinton health reform effort failed in the early 1990s, Republicans have been making these same points. They had eight years during the Bush Administration to show that these three talking points or "solutions" could make a difference. They did nothing about it. Why? Because these three talking points would make little to no impact on the real problems health reform is trying to solve. Here's why.
1) Take malpractice reform. Please. For years, studies have shown that malpractice reform, while desirable for a variety of reasons, would have almost no impact on the reduction of health care costs.
In fact a new study, published last week in Health Affairs suggests that costs associated with medical malpractice are far less than the $650 billion figure (26% of all money spent on health care) cited by some Republicans who have made tort reform a cornerstone of their vision for "bending the cost curve" in health care. The newly calculated figure, $55.6 billion, represents just 2.4% of health costs.
Reform the malpractice and medical liability system? Of course. But don't make it the centerpiece of a plan to reform health care. At best it's a byline.
2) Selling insurance across state lines? Republicans love this idea. Why? Because the very sleaziest of health insurance products and companies -- the ones that have such high deductibles you might as well not even have insurance ($5000, $10,000), what they call "catastrophic" plans, are just waiting for your state to allow them in, to sell you stuff that has almost no value. There has been legislation over the years to allow this sale of policies across state lines, but the conclusion is that it would little to no impact on the real problems we face.
As Ezra Klein pointed out in the Washington Post awhile back, this is a terrible idea.
As it happens, the Congressional Budget Office looked at a bill along these lines back in 2005. They found that the legislation wouldn't change the number of the uninsured and would save the federal government about $12 billion between 2007 and 2015. That is to say, it would do very little in the aggregate.
But those top-line numbers hid a more depressing story. The legislation "would reduce the price of individual health insurance coverage for people expected to have relatively low health care costs, while increasing the price of coverage for those expected to have relatively high health care costs," CBO said. "Therefore, CBO expects that there would be an increase in the number of relatively healthy individuals, and a decrease in the number of individuals expected to have relatively high cost, who buy individual coverage."That is to say, the legislation would not change the number of insured Americans or save much money, but it would make insurance more expensive for the sick and cheaper for the healthy, and lead to more healthy people with insurance and fewer sick people with insurance. It's a great proposal if you don't ever plan to be sick, and if you don't mind finding out that your insurer doesn't cover your illness. And it's the Republican plan for health-care reform.
3) Taking personal responsibility for your health? Wolf Blitzer asked O'Donnell last night if she approved of a person refusing to buy health insurance and then having the rest of us pay when that person gets sick and goes to the hospital. This is her non-response.
BLITZER: All right. Well, here's the question. Let's say someone decides not to purchase health insurance, makes that conscientious decision, even though this person can afford to buy health insurance, but decided he doesn't want to. This person gets critically ill, is rushed to an emergency room.Should we, people who pay for health insurance, provide him or her with that kind of treatment, or should we kick them out of the emergency room, said, you made a decision, you're not going to get this kind of treatment?
O'DONNELL: If we do the things that I've said that will help to address
-- that I'm proposing, that will help to address the issue of health care, then that person can afford to buy a catastrophic-only policy from across state lines. They'll be able...BLITZER: Well, what if the person doesn't want to buy it?
O'DONNELL: Well, then we have to address that.
BLITZER: Who should take care of that person in an emergency?
O'DONNELL: We have to address it.
BLITZER: Would we, all of us tax-payers...
O'DONNELL: We have to -- no, we have to...
BLITZER: ... have to pay for that person?
O'DONNELL: Anything that they do when they have another bill that they can't pay, make them pay it. Hold them accountable for that.
KARIBJANIAN: Before or after they get care?
O'DONNELL: But right now, right now -- well, that's up to the hospital.
But right now we're forcing them to. We're forcing them that they have to give care to illegal aliens...O'DONNELL: Well, nobody should be forced to pay for anyone else's health care, and that's what Obamacare is doing.
COONS: And that's what's happening today. Before the health care reform bill passed, all of us who have health insurance, who have health coverage have been bearing the costs, paying the freight for those who don't have insurance and don't have coverage. They're getting health care through emergency rooms now. That's partly why small businesses, employers like New Castle County have faced double digit increases in our insurance costs year after year and year because that's how we provide care now, it's inefficient, it's inhumane and it's not effective.
Note that Chris Coons nailed that answer and O'Donnell unwittingly agreed with him.
This is the Republican answer to "personal accountability." If O'Donnell knew more, she would know that hospitals have to write off the care of that type of person, and when they do, they shift those costs wherever they can -- mainly to those of us who are paying customers. Personal accountability is fine if you have an extra $100,000 around to pay for your health care if you are uninsured and get sick. But if you don't, you lean on the rest of us.
O'Donnell missed the third and main Republican talking point on personal responsibility -- and that is the sale of consumer-driven or consumer-directed health plans, where the high up front deductible is meant to discourage people from seeking unnecessary care. Not a bad idea if it's a choice for people. If they have enough money to pay those deductibles before they get the care, fine. But it has been shown that consumer-driven products tend to work better with higher income consumers, and consumers tend to delay care when they enroll in those plans. The American Academy of Family Physicians offers this analysis:
A December 2005 survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (PDF file: 12 pages / 163 KB. More about PDFs.) notes that patients with consumer-directed or high-deductible health plans "were significantly more likely to avoid, skip or delay health care because of costs than were those with comprehensive insurance, with this behavior particularly pronounced among those with health problems or incomes under $50,000."
So that's the Republican Plan for reforming health care and lowering costs. As you listen to the debates in the next few weeks, raise a glass every time you hear those talking points (but be careful to drink something non-alcoholic or you'll pass out). And remember -- as complicated as health reform is -- and it is too complicated for three talking points -- it is the Democrats who attempted to really solve these problems and will continue to work on this year after year until all the wrinkles are ironed out. (By the way, might I note that reform has NOT yet been implemented fully and won't until 2014, so could the candidates please stop blaming reform for everything that is happening now?)
Slogans are easy to spout. Real reform is a lot harder.
UPDATE: In tonight's debate between Harry Reid and Sharron Angle in Nevada, Ms. Angle mentioned two of the three Republican talking points as her solution -- malpractice reform and selling insurance across state lines. Have a drink everyone!!
One thing sure to bring a tear to the eye of a frugal WalletPop reader is the sight of a product put out to the curb for trash pickup that could have, with a little more care, lasted much longer. To that end, we offer these 10 suggestions on how to stretch the lifespan of your possessions.
1. Quit washing your jeans
How often do you wash your blue jeans? After each wearing? Once a week? Once a month? According to some enthusiasts, you're destroying what should-be a longtime love affair. Blogger Dr. Denim says the most enthusiastic denim lovers will wear their new jeans six months before the first washing, then three months before a second washing.
And these aren't washings as you might picture them. Carl Chiara of Levi Strauss and Co. told the Wall Street Journal that at the six-month mark, he soaks his jeans in the bathtub with some very mild soap and lets them air-dry. That's it.
There is also an environmental spin to this issue: The United Nations put out a video encouraging people to wash their jeans less often.
Heat, water and detergents can make those new jeans look old in a hurry, but that's not such a good thing when the goal is to increase the lifespan of your favorite denims.
2. Dry your razor blades
Among the most overpriced items on the pharmacy shelf, IMHO, is the razor blade. An 8-pack of Gillette Fusion 5-blade cartridges from Amazon costs $2.64 per cartridge. If you go through one every two weeks, you'll spend $68.58 in a year. If you could cut that in half, what would you do with the extra $34 in your pocket?
Could these savings be as simple as drying your blades after each use? Oxidation of the steel blade can dull the cutting edge quicker than wear and tear against your facial hair, and the bathroom is the perfect climate for oxidation: warm and moist. If you store your razor in the shower (guilty!), don't be surprised if you find those telltale specs of rust on your blade after only a few days.
To extend the life of your blade, dry it carefully after use (if you use a hair dryer, waft it over your razor, too) and store it in a drawer away from the sink and shower.
There are a number of devices on the market that promise to resharpen your blades, but little information on whether they really work or not. Have you tried one? What was your experience?
3. Coddle your tires
A set of good tires can set you back $400, so the payoff from getting extra life from them can save you significant dough. Extending their life isn't rocket science, either. The Michigan Natural and Energy Resources Dept. recommends:
- Keeping them inflated to the proper psi; check weekly. A set of tire pressure valve stem caps can help, and costs less than $10.
- Rotate your tires every 5,000-8,000 miles.
- Use the tire size your car was designed for; smaller tires will wear more quickly.
- Keep your car aligned; misalignment will show up in unusual tread wear.
- Avoid quick starts and stops. When your tires are smoking, you may be accelerating too fast.
- If you store tires, stack them on their side in a dry, cool place, no more than four high.
4. Keep your shoes pristine
With the price of shoes today, squeaking out an extra year or two of shoe life can help you save up for that new pair of Manolo Blahniks. Among the tactics you can employ:
- Buy decent quality. Those half-price shoes will most likely last less than half as long.
- Alternate your shoes (this applies mostly to men, I believe, since most women don't wear the same shoes day after day). By having two pairs of everyday shoes and alternating them, you give your shoes a chance to breathe and properly dry out.
- Dry them completely if you've gotten them wet. Consider using a waterproof spray to keep the rain off, especially in the winter if you live in the north.
- Clean them thoroughly before polishing, and polish often. The polish isn't just cosmetic; it protects the leather.
- Buy shoes that can be resoled.
- When shopping for kids' shoes, have them wear heavy socks to reserve a little room for their rapidly growing feet.
- Break the habit of wedging yourself in and out of shoes without tying or untying the shoelaces.
- Use a shoehorn for those that fit tightly.
5. Make your perfume last
Perfume is altered by your body chemistry, so perfume will not smell the same on every person. Every perfume goes through three stages after it is applied to your skin: the top note, the middle note and the dry-out note. Depending on how it reacts to your body, these phases may go by quickly or last and last. Work with your perfume purveyor to find a signature scent that has staying power on your skin.
You can also extend the life of your perfume by applying it properly. This begins with moisturization. The perfume will stick to moist skin better than dry, so applying it before dressing, while fresh from the shower, could help it last. Using a non-scented moisturizer on those parts of the skin when you are about to apply it could also help.
Choosing where to apply it can also be a factor. Avoid the "pulse points", those parts of the body where you can clearly detect a pulse, because blood flows close to the skin there, so that skin is warmer -- inside wrists, neck, behind the ears, on the ankles. Apply the perfume on parts of the body insulated with a fat layer (your upper arms, or your outside thighs, for example).
If your scent dies quickly on you, apply lightly but more frequently.
6. Keep that Christmas tree green
Some of the most enthusiastic season celebrators will put up their Christmas trees just after Thanksgiving and keep them up until the New Year. They risk having a dried-out fire hazard sitting in their living room for weeks. But you can take steps to keep that tree remaining supple and green all the way to the take-down.
The first rule: buy fresh. Perhaps you're lucky enough to live where you can pick out and cut down your own; if not, ask the vendor where the tree came from, and how long ago it was cut. Take a look at the needles. According to the National Christmas Tree Association, a fresh fir tree's needles "should break crisply when bent sharply with the fingers -- much like a fresh carrot," while a pine tree's needles will be supple and resilient. Also check for excessive needle loss, wrinkled bark and a musty odor, all signs of a tree too long from the saw. Favor lots that shade their cut trees from the sun.
Before you take home a tree from a tree lot, ask the vendor to cut off an inch from the bottom of the tree, which will help the tree take up water. At home, keep the water reservoir at the base of the tree full of water. Aspirin, sugar and other folklore additives aren't necessary to keep the tree green.
Place the tree away from heater grates, fireplaces and any other source of heat. Don't expose it to direct sunlight, either.
7. Make your clothes last
Not all clothes can go without washing like the blue jeans mentioned above, but there are ways to extend the life of your underwear, children's wear, shirts, blouses, slacks and jammies. These include:
- Treat spots rather than wash the whole piece of clothing. The new stain-remover pens work very well, and if you can save a washing, that piece of clothing will last longer.
- Line dry rather than tumble dry. It's not only ecological, it adds that wonderful fresh sunshine smell to all you wear.
- Avoid using dryer balls; they soften clothes by beating on the fibers, not a recipe for long life.
- Maintain your body weight. Easier said than done, but some of us eat our way out of clothes long before they wear out.
- Hang and/or fold your clothes. It's all too easy to toss wrinkled clothes in the wash basket before they've actually been worn enough to warrant washing.
- Reserve a set of clothes for dirty tasks, and change into them before digging in the yard, changing your car's oil or washing your dog.
- Use the sniff test to determine if a shirt or blouse is ready for the laundry, rather than automatically toss it in after a single wearing. Ask a loved one's help; your nose is used to your own body odor.
- Remove and store those extra buttons sewed onto better quality clothing, so you can replace them when needed rather than ditch the piece of clothing.
8. Extend the life of produce
How much of the produce you buy do you end up pitching because it has decayed? Too much, if you're like my household. This is not necessarily inevitable, however. Try these methods:
Rehydrate. Vegetables like lettuce, spinach and celery can be brought back to life when they begin to wilt by soaking them in cold water. Dry well afterward.
Sequester: Apples will stay edible in the crisper section of your refrigerator for a long time. Put them in perforated plastic bags to help them stay moist, and toss out any that show decay spots; remember the old adage about rotten apples. If you live in a cooler climate with a garage that doesn't freeze, you could store larger quantities of apples there. Keep them away from other fruit and vegetables that over-ripen easily, however; the ethylene gas the apples give off will hasten the ripening of other produce.
Refrigerate: Some fruits do just fine left out on the kitchen counter, but some are best kept in the fridge. These include berries of many types, grapes, cherries, apricots, and vegetables like broccoli, asparagus, lettuce, mushrooms and sweet corn. The University of California has a convenient chart to help determine what goes where.
Freeze: If you find you aren't going to be able to use peaches and green peppers, for example, before they go bad, toss them in the freezer. They'll last for months if properly packaged.
Chill: Some vegetables like potatoes will last a long time in a cool, dry area, perhaps like the far end of your basement or an attached garage. In days of old, root cellars were dug for this purpose.
Breathe: Onions and garlic should have room to breathe, so don't keep them wrapped in plastic or buried in too small a drawer.
You've probably seen ads for plastic produce bags that claim to allow ethylene gas to escape from fruit and vegetables stored within, thereby keeping them from over-ripening. Consumer Reports tests didn't find these claims valid, however.
9. Save that fine wine
Many of us enjoy a glass of wine with a fine meal, but when dining at home, it's not always wise or appropriate to kill the entire bottle, This leaves us with the dilemma of how to properly save the remaining wine so that it doesn't lose its bouquet and flavor.
The answer begins by understanding that oxygen is your wine's enemy, and the less oxygen you can allow to come into contact with your wine, the better it will retain its character. This means merely banging the cork back into the bottle isn't a good idea; you have all that air trapped with it.
One method is to keep on hand an empty half-sized bottle (a split, in wine terms) into which you can decant the wine. Perhaps a Tupperware tub of equal volume might also serve the purpose, but a wine aficionado would be aghast to see you pour a glass of wine from it.
If you are willing to pay some money to solve the problem, one device that helps is a vacuum pump made to fit over the neck of the bottle and suck out that nasty air. The Wine Doctor, however, doesn't care for this technique and conjectures that the vacuum pump pulls up more than just the air in the bottle neck -- it removes gas that is part of the wine itself.
The pricier solution to the problem is to replace the air with an noncorrosive gas such as nitrogen or argon. The Wine Doctor isn't fond of this solution, either, fearing it could degrade the quality of older wines.
In retrospect, perhaps the answer is to drink the rest of the bottle, but do it very, very slowly.
10. Scratch-proof that smart screen
Fellow WalletPop writer Josh Smith turned me on to screen protectors for my HTC Droid Incredible smart phone. Phones such as this or the Apple iPhone allow the user to scroll across the screen with his/her finger. The technology, also used in the iPod Touch and the new, hot iPad, makes browsing a snap, but risks scratching the screen.
A scratched screen is not only unsightly, but it detracts from any resale value. There are a number of third-party screen overlays such as the Zagg Invisibleshield that are virtually impervious to scratches. Hint: You might find a better price buying through Amazon than through Zagg's website.
Those of us with clumsy fingers, prone to drop expensive objects, might also consider a hard-shell case for our device. I use the Otterbox for my Droid, and have dropped my phone a couple of times without damaging it. There are many other brands available for the device of your choice.
Again, shop around before buying it directly from the manufacturer, and you might save substantially.
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Small Business <b>News</b>: Social Media Mavens
Social media has created a new vocabulary for small business, a vocabulary that encompasses not only marketing but networking and collaborating as well.
iPad <b>News</b> Apps: 'NYTimes' Revamp, 'New York Post' In-App <b>...</b>
A pair of New York newspapers are making news themselves today with their recent iPad app releases, with The New York Times introducing a greatly-expanded application and The New York Post rolling out.
Fox <b>News</b>' Brian Kilmeade: “All Terrorists Are Muslim” « Oliver Willis
17 Responses to “Fox News' Brian Kilmeade: “All Terrorists Are Muslim””. Jay says: October 15, 2010 at 9:13 am. Of course, anybody with a rational mind could understand that Kilmeade was specifically talking about 9/11 and was saying ...
benchcraft company scam
benchcraft company portland or
benchcraft company scam
Small Business <b>News</b>: Social Media Mavens
Social media has created a new vocabulary for small business, a vocabulary that encompasses not only marketing but networking and collaborating as well.
iPad <b>News</b> Apps: 'NYTimes' Revamp, 'New York Post' In-App <b>...</b>
A pair of New York newspapers are making news themselves today with their recent iPad app releases, with The New York Times introducing a greatly-expanded application and The New York Post rolling out.
Fox <b>News</b>' Brian Kilmeade: “All Terrorists Are Muslim” « Oliver Willis
17 Responses to “Fox News' Brian Kilmeade: “All Terrorists Are Muslim””. Jay says: October 15, 2010 at 9:13 am. Of course, anybody with a rational mind could understand that Kilmeade was specifically talking about 9/11 and was saying ...
benchcraft company portland or
Last night in the Coons-O'Donnell debate in Delaware, we heard the Republican candidate, Christine O'Donnell, lay out her answer to health reform -- or "Obamacare" as she and the Republicans so sarcastically call it. She cranked out two of the three talking points that Republicans have been spouting for over two decades: 1) Malpractice reform 2) Selling insurance across state lines and 3) Personal responsibility for care (translated means more of the "consumer driven" plans that have high deductibles up front.)
It's time to call them out. Since the Clinton health reform effort failed in the early 1990s, Republicans have been making these same points. They had eight years during the Bush Administration to show that these three talking points or "solutions" could make a difference. They did nothing about it. Why? Because these three talking points would make little to no impact on the real problems health reform is trying to solve. Here's why.
1) Take malpractice reform. Please. For years, studies have shown that malpractice reform, while desirable for a variety of reasons, would have almost no impact on the reduction of health care costs.
In fact a new study, published last week in Health Affairs suggests that costs associated with medical malpractice are far less than the $650 billion figure (26% of all money spent on health care) cited by some Republicans who have made tort reform a cornerstone of their vision for "bending the cost curve" in health care. The newly calculated figure, $55.6 billion, represents just 2.4% of health costs.
Reform the malpractice and medical liability system? Of course. But don't make it the centerpiece of a plan to reform health care. At best it's a byline.
2) Selling insurance across state lines? Republicans love this idea. Why? Because the very sleaziest of health insurance products and companies -- the ones that have such high deductibles you might as well not even have insurance ($5000, $10,000), what they call "catastrophic" plans, are just waiting for your state to allow them in, to sell you stuff that has almost no value. There has been legislation over the years to allow this sale of policies across state lines, but the conclusion is that it would little to no impact on the real problems we face.
As Ezra Klein pointed out in the Washington Post awhile back, this is a terrible idea.
As it happens, the Congressional Budget Office looked at a bill along these lines back in 2005. They found that the legislation wouldn't change the number of the uninsured and would save the federal government about $12 billion between 2007 and 2015. That is to say, it would do very little in the aggregate.
But those top-line numbers hid a more depressing story. The legislation "would reduce the price of individual health insurance coverage for people expected to have relatively low health care costs, while increasing the price of coverage for those expected to have relatively high health care costs," CBO said. "Therefore, CBO expects that there would be an increase in the number of relatively healthy individuals, and a decrease in the number of individuals expected to have relatively high cost, who buy individual coverage."That is to say, the legislation would not change the number of insured Americans or save much money, but it would make insurance more expensive for the sick and cheaper for the healthy, and lead to more healthy people with insurance and fewer sick people with insurance. It's a great proposal if you don't ever plan to be sick, and if you don't mind finding out that your insurer doesn't cover your illness. And it's the Republican plan for health-care reform.
3) Taking personal responsibility for your health? Wolf Blitzer asked O'Donnell last night if she approved of a person refusing to buy health insurance and then having the rest of us pay when that person gets sick and goes to the hospital. This is her non-response.
BLITZER: All right. Well, here's the question. Let's say someone decides not to purchase health insurance, makes that conscientious decision, even though this person can afford to buy health insurance, but decided he doesn't want to. This person gets critically ill, is rushed to an emergency room.Should we, people who pay for health insurance, provide him or her with that kind of treatment, or should we kick them out of the emergency room, said, you made a decision, you're not going to get this kind of treatment?
O'DONNELL: If we do the things that I've said that will help to address
-- that I'm proposing, that will help to address the issue of health care, then that person can afford to buy a catastrophic-only policy from across state lines. They'll be able...BLITZER: Well, what if the person doesn't want to buy it?
O'DONNELL: Well, then we have to address that.
BLITZER: Who should take care of that person in an emergency?
O'DONNELL: We have to address it.
BLITZER: Would we, all of us tax-payers...
O'DONNELL: We have to -- no, we have to...
BLITZER: ... have to pay for that person?
O'DONNELL: Anything that they do when they have another bill that they can't pay, make them pay it. Hold them accountable for that.
KARIBJANIAN: Before or after they get care?
O'DONNELL: But right now, right now -- well, that's up to the hospital.
But right now we're forcing them to. We're forcing them that they have to give care to illegal aliens...O'DONNELL: Well, nobody should be forced to pay for anyone else's health care, and that's what Obamacare is doing.
COONS: And that's what's happening today. Before the health care reform bill passed, all of us who have health insurance, who have health coverage have been bearing the costs, paying the freight for those who don't have insurance and don't have coverage. They're getting health care through emergency rooms now. That's partly why small businesses, employers like New Castle County have faced double digit increases in our insurance costs year after year and year because that's how we provide care now, it's inefficient, it's inhumane and it's not effective.
Note that Chris Coons nailed that answer and O'Donnell unwittingly agreed with him.
This is the Republican answer to "personal accountability." If O'Donnell knew more, she would know that hospitals have to write off the care of that type of person, and when they do, they shift those costs wherever they can -- mainly to those of us who are paying customers. Personal accountability is fine if you have an extra $100,000 around to pay for your health care if you are uninsured and get sick. But if you don't, you lean on the rest of us.
O'Donnell missed the third and main Republican talking point on personal responsibility -- and that is the sale of consumer-driven or consumer-directed health plans, where the high up front deductible is meant to discourage people from seeking unnecessary care. Not a bad idea if it's a choice for people. If they have enough money to pay those deductibles before they get the care, fine. But it has been shown that consumer-driven products tend to work better with higher income consumers, and consumers tend to delay care when they enroll in those plans. The American Academy of Family Physicians offers this analysis:
A December 2005 survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (PDF file: 12 pages / 163 KB. More about PDFs.) notes that patients with consumer-directed or high-deductible health plans "were significantly more likely to avoid, skip or delay health care because of costs than were those with comprehensive insurance, with this behavior particularly pronounced among those with health problems or incomes under $50,000."
So that's the Republican Plan for reforming health care and lowering costs. As you listen to the debates in the next few weeks, raise a glass every time you hear those talking points (but be careful to drink something non-alcoholic or you'll pass out). And remember -- as complicated as health reform is -- and it is too complicated for three talking points -- it is the Democrats who attempted to really solve these problems and will continue to work on this year after year until all the wrinkles are ironed out. (By the way, might I note that reform has NOT yet been implemented fully and won't until 2014, so could the candidates please stop blaming reform for everything that is happening now?)
Slogans are easy to spout. Real reform is a lot harder.
UPDATE: In tonight's debate between Harry Reid and Sharron Angle in Nevada, Ms. Angle mentioned two of the three Republican talking points as her solution -- malpractice reform and selling insurance across state lines. Have a drink everyone!!
One thing sure to bring a tear to the eye of a frugal WalletPop reader is the sight of a product put out to the curb for trash pickup that could have, with a little more care, lasted much longer. To that end, we offer these 10 suggestions on how to stretch the lifespan of your possessions.
1. Quit washing your jeans
How often do you wash your blue jeans? After each wearing? Once a week? Once a month? According to some enthusiasts, you're destroying what should-be a longtime love affair. Blogger Dr. Denim says the most enthusiastic denim lovers will wear their new jeans six months before the first washing, then three months before a second washing.
And these aren't washings as you might picture them. Carl Chiara of Levi Strauss and Co. told the Wall Street Journal that at the six-month mark, he soaks his jeans in the bathtub with some very mild soap and lets them air-dry. That's it.
There is also an environmental spin to this issue: The United Nations put out a video encouraging people to wash their jeans less often.
Heat, water and detergents can make those new jeans look old in a hurry, but that's not such a good thing when the goal is to increase the lifespan of your favorite denims.
2. Dry your razor blades
Among the most overpriced items on the pharmacy shelf, IMHO, is the razor blade. An 8-pack of Gillette Fusion 5-blade cartridges from Amazon costs $2.64 per cartridge. If you go through one every two weeks, you'll spend $68.58 in a year. If you could cut that in half, what would you do with the extra $34 in your pocket?
Could these savings be as simple as drying your blades after each use? Oxidation of the steel blade can dull the cutting edge quicker than wear and tear against your facial hair, and the bathroom is the perfect climate for oxidation: warm and moist. If you store your razor in the shower (guilty!), don't be surprised if you find those telltale specs of rust on your blade after only a few days.
To extend the life of your blade, dry it carefully after use (if you use a hair dryer, waft it over your razor, too) and store it in a drawer away from the sink and shower.
There are a number of devices on the market that promise to resharpen your blades, but little information on whether they really work or not. Have you tried one? What was your experience?
3. Coddle your tires
A set of good tires can set you back $400, so the payoff from getting extra life from them can save you significant dough. Extending their life isn't rocket science, either. The Michigan Natural and Energy Resources Dept. recommends:
- Keeping them inflated to the proper psi; check weekly. A set of tire pressure valve stem caps can help, and costs less than $10.
- Rotate your tires every 5,000-8,000 miles.
- Use the tire size your car was designed for; smaller tires will wear more quickly.
- Keep your car aligned; misalignment will show up in unusual tread wear.
- Avoid quick starts and stops. When your tires are smoking, you may be accelerating too fast.
- If you store tires, stack them on their side in a dry, cool place, no more than four high.
4. Keep your shoes pristine
With the price of shoes today, squeaking out an extra year or two of shoe life can help you save up for that new pair of Manolo Blahniks. Among the tactics you can employ:
- Buy decent quality. Those half-price shoes will most likely last less than half as long.
- Alternate your shoes (this applies mostly to men, I believe, since most women don't wear the same shoes day after day). By having two pairs of everyday shoes and alternating them, you give your shoes a chance to breathe and properly dry out.
- Dry them completely if you've gotten them wet. Consider using a waterproof spray to keep the rain off, especially in the winter if you live in the north.
- Clean them thoroughly before polishing, and polish often. The polish isn't just cosmetic; it protects the leather.
- Buy shoes that can be resoled.
- When shopping for kids' shoes, have them wear heavy socks to reserve a little room for their rapidly growing feet.
- Break the habit of wedging yourself in and out of shoes without tying or untying the shoelaces.
- Use a shoehorn for those that fit tightly.
5. Make your perfume last
Perfume is altered by your body chemistry, so perfume will not smell the same on every person. Every perfume goes through three stages after it is applied to your skin: the top note, the middle note and the dry-out note. Depending on how it reacts to your body, these phases may go by quickly or last and last. Work with your perfume purveyor to find a signature scent that has staying power on your skin.
You can also extend the life of your perfume by applying it properly. This begins with moisturization. The perfume will stick to moist skin better than dry, so applying it before dressing, while fresh from the shower, could help it last. Using a non-scented moisturizer on those parts of the skin when you are about to apply it could also help.
Choosing where to apply it can also be a factor. Avoid the "pulse points", those parts of the body where you can clearly detect a pulse, because blood flows close to the skin there, so that skin is warmer -- inside wrists, neck, behind the ears, on the ankles. Apply the perfume on parts of the body insulated with a fat layer (your upper arms, or your outside thighs, for example).
If your scent dies quickly on you, apply lightly but more frequently.
6. Keep that Christmas tree green
Some of the most enthusiastic season celebrators will put up their Christmas trees just after Thanksgiving and keep them up until the New Year. They risk having a dried-out fire hazard sitting in their living room for weeks. But you can take steps to keep that tree remaining supple and green all the way to the take-down.
The first rule: buy fresh. Perhaps you're lucky enough to live where you can pick out and cut down your own; if not, ask the vendor where the tree came from, and how long ago it was cut. Take a look at the needles. According to the National Christmas Tree Association, a fresh fir tree's needles "should break crisply when bent sharply with the fingers -- much like a fresh carrot," while a pine tree's needles will be supple and resilient. Also check for excessive needle loss, wrinkled bark and a musty odor, all signs of a tree too long from the saw. Favor lots that shade their cut trees from the sun.
Before you take home a tree from a tree lot, ask the vendor to cut off an inch from the bottom of the tree, which will help the tree take up water. At home, keep the water reservoir at the base of the tree full of water. Aspirin, sugar and other folklore additives aren't necessary to keep the tree green.
Place the tree away from heater grates, fireplaces and any other source of heat. Don't expose it to direct sunlight, either.
7. Make your clothes last
Not all clothes can go without washing like the blue jeans mentioned above, but there are ways to extend the life of your underwear, children's wear, shirts, blouses, slacks and jammies. These include:
- Treat spots rather than wash the whole piece of clothing. The new stain-remover pens work very well, and if you can save a washing, that piece of clothing will last longer.
- Line dry rather than tumble dry. It's not only ecological, it adds that wonderful fresh sunshine smell to all you wear.
- Avoid using dryer balls; they soften clothes by beating on the fibers, not a recipe for long life.
- Maintain your body weight. Easier said than done, but some of us eat our way out of clothes long before they wear out.
- Hang and/or fold your clothes. It's all too easy to toss wrinkled clothes in the wash basket before they've actually been worn enough to warrant washing.
- Reserve a set of clothes for dirty tasks, and change into them before digging in the yard, changing your car's oil or washing your dog.
- Use the sniff test to determine if a shirt or blouse is ready for the laundry, rather than automatically toss it in after a single wearing. Ask a loved one's help; your nose is used to your own body odor.
- Remove and store those extra buttons sewed onto better quality clothing, so you can replace them when needed rather than ditch the piece of clothing.
8. Extend the life of produce
How much of the produce you buy do you end up pitching because it has decayed? Too much, if you're like my household. This is not necessarily inevitable, however. Try these methods:
Rehydrate. Vegetables like lettuce, spinach and celery can be brought back to life when they begin to wilt by soaking them in cold water. Dry well afterward.
Sequester: Apples will stay edible in the crisper section of your refrigerator for a long time. Put them in perforated plastic bags to help them stay moist, and toss out any that show decay spots; remember the old adage about rotten apples. If you live in a cooler climate with a garage that doesn't freeze, you could store larger quantities of apples there. Keep them away from other fruit and vegetables that over-ripen easily, however; the ethylene gas the apples give off will hasten the ripening of other produce.
Refrigerate: Some fruits do just fine left out on the kitchen counter, but some are best kept in the fridge. These include berries of many types, grapes, cherries, apricots, and vegetables like broccoli, asparagus, lettuce, mushrooms and sweet corn. The University of California has a convenient chart to help determine what goes where.
Freeze: If you find you aren't going to be able to use peaches and green peppers, for example, before they go bad, toss them in the freezer. They'll last for months if properly packaged.
Chill: Some vegetables like potatoes will last a long time in a cool, dry area, perhaps like the far end of your basement or an attached garage. In days of old, root cellars were dug for this purpose.
Breathe: Onions and garlic should have room to breathe, so don't keep them wrapped in plastic or buried in too small a drawer.
You've probably seen ads for plastic produce bags that claim to allow ethylene gas to escape from fruit and vegetables stored within, thereby keeping them from over-ripening. Consumer Reports tests didn't find these claims valid, however.
9. Save that fine wine
Many of us enjoy a glass of wine with a fine meal, but when dining at home, it's not always wise or appropriate to kill the entire bottle, This leaves us with the dilemma of how to properly save the remaining wine so that it doesn't lose its bouquet and flavor.
The answer begins by understanding that oxygen is your wine's enemy, and the less oxygen you can allow to come into contact with your wine, the better it will retain its character. This means merely banging the cork back into the bottle isn't a good idea; you have all that air trapped with it.
One method is to keep on hand an empty half-sized bottle (a split, in wine terms) into which you can decant the wine. Perhaps a Tupperware tub of equal volume might also serve the purpose, but a wine aficionado would be aghast to see you pour a glass of wine from it.
If you are willing to pay some money to solve the problem, one device that helps is a vacuum pump made to fit over the neck of the bottle and suck out that nasty air. The Wine Doctor, however, doesn't care for this technique and conjectures that the vacuum pump pulls up more than just the air in the bottle neck -- it removes gas that is part of the wine itself.
The pricier solution to the problem is to replace the air with an noncorrosive gas such as nitrogen or argon. The Wine Doctor isn't fond of this solution, either, fearing it could degrade the quality of older wines.
In retrospect, perhaps the answer is to drink the rest of the bottle, but do it very, very slowly.
10. Scratch-proof that smart screen
Fellow WalletPop writer Josh Smith turned me on to screen protectors for my HTC Droid Incredible smart phone. Phones such as this or the Apple iPhone allow the user to scroll across the screen with his/her finger. The technology, also used in the iPod Touch and the new, hot iPad, makes browsing a snap, but risks scratching the screen.
A scratched screen is not only unsightly, but it detracts from any resale value. There are a number of third-party screen overlays such as the Zagg Invisibleshield that are virtually impervious to scratches. Hint: You might find a better price buying through Amazon than through Zagg's website.
Those of us with clumsy fingers, prone to drop expensive objects, might also consider a hard-shell case for our device. I use the Otterbox for my Droid, and have dropped my phone a couple of times without damaging it. There are many other brands available for the device of your choice.
Again, shop around before buying it directly from the manufacturer, and you might save substantially.
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benchcraft company portland or
Small Business <b>News</b>: Social Media Mavens
Social media has created a new vocabulary for small business, a vocabulary that encompasses not only marketing but networking and collaborating as well.
iPad <b>News</b> Apps: 'NYTimes' Revamp, 'New York Post' In-App <b>...</b>
A pair of New York newspapers are making news themselves today with their recent iPad app releases, with The New York Times introducing a greatly-expanded application and The New York Post rolling out.
Fox <b>News</b>' Brian Kilmeade: “All Terrorists Are Muslim” « Oliver Willis
17 Responses to “Fox News' Brian Kilmeade: “All Terrorists Are Muslim””. Jay says: October 15, 2010 at 9:13 am. Of course, anybody with a rational mind could understand that Kilmeade was specifically talking about 9/11 and was saying ...
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bench craft company reviews
Small Business <b>News</b>: Social Media Mavens
Social media has created a new vocabulary for small business, a vocabulary that encompasses not only marketing but networking and collaborating as well.
iPad <b>News</b> Apps: 'NYTimes' Revamp, 'New York Post' In-App <b>...</b>
A pair of New York newspapers are making news themselves today with their recent iPad app releases, with The New York Times introducing a greatly-expanded application and The New York Post rolling out.
Fox <b>News</b>' Brian Kilmeade: “All Terrorists Are Muslim” « Oliver Willis
17 Responses to “Fox News' Brian Kilmeade: “All Terrorists Are Muslim””. Jay says: October 15, 2010 at 9:13 am. Of course, anybody with a rational mind could understand that Kilmeade was specifically talking about 9/11 and was saying ...
bench craft company reviews
Small Business <b>News</b>: Social Media Mavens
Social media has created a new vocabulary for small business, a vocabulary that encompasses not only marketing but networking and collaborating as well.
iPad <b>News</b> Apps: 'NYTimes' Revamp, 'New York Post' In-App <b>...</b>
A pair of New York newspapers are making news themselves today with their recent iPad app releases, with The New York Times introducing a greatly-expanded application and The New York Post rolling out.
Fox <b>News</b>' Brian Kilmeade: “All Terrorists Are Muslim” « Oliver Willis
17 Responses to “Fox News' Brian Kilmeade: “All Terrorists Are Muslim””. Jay says: October 15, 2010 at 9:13 am. Of course, anybody with a rational mind could understand that Kilmeade was specifically talking about 9/11 and was saying ...
bench craft company reviews
Small Business <b>News</b>: Social Media Mavens
Social media has created a new vocabulary for small business, a vocabulary that encompasses not only marketing but networking and collaborating as well.
iPad <b>News</b> Apps: 'NYTimes' Revamp, 'New York Post' In-App <b>...</b>
A pair of New York newspapers are making news themselves today with their recent iPad app releases, with The New York Times introducing a greatly-expanded application and The New York Post rolling out.
Fox <b>News</b>' Brian Kilmeade: “All Terrorists Are Muslim” « Oliver Willis
17 Responses to “Fox News' Brian Kilmeade: “All Terrorists Are Muslim””. Jay says: October 15, 2010 at 9:13 am. Of course, anybody with a rational mind could understand that Kilmeade was specifically talking about 9/11 and was saying ...
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Small Business <b>News</b>: Social Media Mavens
Social media has created a new vocabulary for small business, a vocabulary that encompasses not only marketing but networking and collaborating as well.
iPad <b>News</b> Apps: 'NYTimes' Revamp, 'New York Post' In-App <b>...</b>
A pair of New York newspapers are making news themselves today with their recent iPad app releases, with The New York Times introducing a greatly-expanded application and The New York Post rolling out.
Fox <b>News</b>' Brian Kilmeade: “All Terrorists Are Muslim” « Oliver Willis
17 Responses to “Fox News' Brian Kilmeade: “All Terrorists Are Muslim””. Jay says: October 15, 2010 at 9:13 am. Of course, anybody with a rational mind could understand that Kilmeade was specifically talking about 9/11 and was saying ...
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Small Business <b>News</b>: Social Media Mavens
Social media has created a new vocabulary for small business, a vocabulary that encompasses not only marketing but networking and collaborating as well.
iPad <b>News</b> Apps: 'NYTimes' Revamp, 'New York Post' In-App <b>...</b>
A pair of New York newspapers are making news themselves today with their recent iPad app releases, with The New York Times introducing a greatly-expanded application and The New York Post rolling out.
Fox <b>News</b>' Brian Kilmeade: “All Terrorists Are Muslim” « Oliver Willis
17 Responses to “Fox News' Brian Kilmeade: “All Terrorists Are Muslim””. Jay says: October 15, 2010 at 9:13 am. Of course, anybody with a rational mind could understand that Kilmeade was specifically talking about 9/11 and was saying ...
big seminar 14
Small Business <b>News</b>: Social Media Mavens
Social media has created a new vocabulary for small business, a vocabulary that encompasses not only marketing but networking and collaborating as well.
iPad <b>News</b> Apps: 'NYTimes' Revamp, 'New York Post' In-App <b>...</b>
A pair of New York newspapers are making news themselves today with their recent iPad app releases, with The New York Times introducing a greatly-expanded application and The New York Post rolling out.
Fox <b>News</b>' Brian Kilmeade: “All Terrorists Are Muslim” « Oliver Willis
17 Responses to “Fox News' Brian Kilmeade: “All Terrorists Are Muslim””. Jay says: October 15, 2010 at 9:13 am. Of course, anybody with a rational mind could understand that Kilmeade was specifically talking about 9/11 and was saying ...
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