Eat broccoli to live longer: study

Beijing Today website’s blog section does not represent any view of Beijing Today or its reporter. Anyone interested about the story can find the original text from the link above the article. The Blogger column aims to introducing foreign media’s interesting stories and expat blogs in China to more Chinese readers, as 50 percent of Beijing Today readership remain young Chinese who have experience of living abroad, white colors or school students. Authors who does not want his or her story linked at Beijing Today’s website, please email to info@beijingtoday.com.cn to take down the stories.

http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/wellbeing/eat-broccoli-to-live-longer-study-20110610-1fvoi.html

To the likely delight of nagging parents, a new study shows that people who eat more fruit and veggies tend to live longer.

Plants from the mustard family – including broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower – seem particularly beneficial, although the study can’t prove that eating more vegetables automatically increases longevity.

It’s possible, for instance, that those who consume lots of produce also have a healthier lifestyle in general.

Still, the findings “provide strong support for the current recommendation to increase vegetable consumption to promote cardiovascular health and overall longevity,” study researcher Dr Xianglan Zhang, of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee, told Reuters Health.

Mustard-family vegetables are high in vitamin C and fibre and also contain other nutrients that may have health benefits.

The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, is based on a survey of nearly 135,000 adults from Shanghai, China.

Participants filled out questionnaires about their eating habits and health history, and the researchers then divided them into five categories according to how much produce they ate.

Over five years, four per cent of the people died. Those who downed the most vegetables or fruits, however, were 15 per cent less likely to die over that period than those who ate the fewest.

For mustard-family vegetables, there was an even bigger difference in death rates between people with high and low intakes.

The researchers found a similar pattern when they looked at people dying from heart disease – about a quarter of all deaths in the study. But there was no evidence that eating fruits and vegetables was linked to cancer risk.

According to Dr Lydia Bazzano, who was not involved in the study, the results are promising. But they don’t prove that just eating more fruit and vegetables will necessarily make people live longer.

“Unmeasured health habits may account for some of the association,”

Bazzano, of Tulane University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, told Reuters Health.

The researchers did try to rule out alternative explanations – such as age, weight, exercise, vitamin use, and smoking – but acknowledge there could be more factors at play.

Still, they encourage people to eat more produce, especially vegetables from the mustard family, as a step toward living longer, healthier lives.

Heart disease is the leading killer worldwide. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends eating two to four cups of fruit and vegetables daily.

Reuters

The Case for Laugh Lines

Beijing Today website’s blog section does not represent any view of Beijing Today or its reporter. Anyone interested about the story can find the original text from the link above the article. The Blogger column aims to introducing foreign media’s interesting stories and expat blogs in China to more Chinese readers, as 50 percent of Beijing Today readership remain young Chinese who have experience of living abroad, white colors or school students. Authors who does not want his or her story linked at Beijing Today’s website, please email to info@beijingtoday.com.cn to take down the stories.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/29/fashion/dominique-brownings-argument-for-natural-aging.html?ref=style

By DOMINIQUE BROWNING

THANK goodness it was drilled into me to greet people with the words, “How do you do?” Because these days, the question that springs more frequently to mind is, “Who are you?” Not because my memory is going, but because many of my acquaintances are erasing the traces of identity, if not life, from their faces.
Now, before anyone starts turning defensive, let me turn defensive. This is not an essay about why I am categorically against cosmetic surgeries. I am as supportive as the next gal if a certain someone feels so bad about her neck that she won’t leave home, or if another is so heavy-lidded that every time he blinks he misses half the picture. Plastic surgeons have done wondrous things.

As for the proliferation of smaller cosmetic procedures? The ones your dentist offers to do while he’s in the vicinity of your mouth anyway? The injections of fillers to plump up lips, smooth wrinkles, pad out laugh lines? At this point, it’s a wonder that the salesclerk at Barneys isn’t offering to shoot up your face while you’re trying on hats.

Again, I’m not against it. Well, maybe Botox. I’m the one to call for a rant when my friends are teetering at the brink of succumbing to the needle. I mean, who wants to inject a poison so lethal that it paralyzes nerves, sending tiny muscles to atrophy?

I’m not categorically against a helping hand, so long as it has finesse. My current rule of thumb, when confronted with an enhanced face, is that if I find myself vaguely wondering whether there was work, the alteration was well done. But these days, I’m wondering why — why did you do it?

We’ve gone too far. I’m becoming very, very scared.

We’ve reach a stage where cosmetic surgery is so readily available that in certain circles it is expected of women and men to avail themselves of these age-deniers. (You cannot call them youth-enhancers when you are no longer young.) If you choose not to partake of the benefits of needle and knife, you are judged to be making a statement. You are taking a position against the current standards of beauty.

We have triggered a weird, collective, late-onset body dysmorphia. What’s worse is that our anxieties about aging have trickled into our children’s generation, so that the mantra about cosmetic procedures even among some 30-year-olds is “intervention early and often.”

I began to worry about all this a year ago, when I was on a book tour. I love to read aloud and watch people’s faces as they listen. Within weeks, I was profoundly in touch with my inner ham. Sometimes, I found myself straining for a response. I would look out at the audience, hearing laughter and murmurs, but seeing only stern masks. Yet afterward, those same faces would be telling me how much they had loved my presentation. It took awhile to realize that people were having trouble expressing emotion in their features.

This is also when I began to develop the “who are you?” problem.

Too many people have had procedures that have gone awry. They look strange, and tragic. Is this inevitable? You do one thing, the effects begin to fade, you do another, and so on. You get puffy. You get rigid. Or you slide. And I wonder. Has no one said “stop”? Has no one, particularly the one wielding the needle, gently advised against further work? It used to be an unusual sight to spot cosmetic surgery addicts, but it has become astonishingly common.

We are now in the position of watching politicians and newscasters talk about disturbing issues — like, say, the state of our education system, or environmental degradation — yet they cannot muster signals of concern, much less dismay.

One evening, I catch a segment on television about nuclear disarmament. A celebrity spokesperson makes a case for the laying down of arms, and part of my brain clicks into gear: she’s smart and passionate. But another part of me is distracted, because the visuals don’t match the message. Her forehead isn’t wrinkling with concern; her cheeks aren’t crinkling with smiles; her eyes aren’t narrowing in suspicion at trick questions. In fact, no matter what she says, her face is frozen in place. It is grotesquely fascinating — and undermining. Before I know it, the interview is over. The medium overtook the message.

Home-made za’atar recipe

Beijing Today website’s blog section does not represent any view of Beijing Today or its reporter. Anyone interested about the story can find the original text from the link above the article. The Blogger column aims to introducing foreign media’s interesting stories and expat blogs in China to more Chinese readers, as 50 percent of Beijing Today readership remain young Chinese who have experience of living abroad, white colors or school students. Authors who does not want his or her story linked at Beijing Today’s website, please email to info@beijingtoday.com.cn to take down the stories.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/8512313/Home-made-zaatar-recipe.html

How to make your own za’atar – a crucial spice blend in the food of the eastern Mediterranean

By Silvena Rowe

Makes 6-8 tablespoons

Za’atar the herb has long green leaves and a thyme-like flavour. It is sometimes called wild thyme in English, and it grows along the slopes of the Syrian-Lebanese mountains. Za’atar is also the name of a dried-herb blend and this is my signature recipe. I use it in my dish of roasted apricots served with ricotta and spiced filo.

4 tsp sesame seeds

4 tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano

4 tsp dried marjoram

4 tsp ground sumac

1 tsp sea salt

4 tsp ground cumin

In a dry pan, toast the sesame seeds on a high heat for one to two minutes. Place all the ingredients in a blender and process until finely mixed. Store in a jar in the fridge for up to a week.

‘Orient Express’ (Hutchinson, £20), by Silvena Rowe, is available from Telegraph Books (0844 871 1516) at £18 plus £1.25 p&p

Melatonin: just desserts for sleep deprived

Beijing Today website’s blog section does not represent any view of Beijing Today or its reporter. Anyone interested about the story can find the original text from the link above the article. The Blogger column aims to introducing foreign media’s interesting stories and expat blogs in China to more Chinese readers, as 50 percent of Beijing Today readership remain young Chinese who have experience of living abroad, white colors or school students. Authors who does not want his or her story linked at Beijing Today’s website, please email to info@beijingtoday.com.cn to take down the stories.

http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/wellbeing/melatonin-just-desserts-for-sleep-deprived-20110516-1eoqo.html

Remember melatonin? In the 1990s, this drug was all the rage among frequent fliers, promoted as the miracle cure for jet lag. Prescription only in Australia, it has long been an over-the-counter product in the US.

And that’s where it has come back into vogue – this time as a prominent ingredient in at least a half-dozen baked goods that flagrantly mimic the soothing effects of hash brownies — and do so legally. At least for now.

With names like Lazy Cakes, Kush Cakes and Lulla Pies, these products are sold online and, in the US, at stores like 7-Eleven, Walgreens and smoke shops.

Although the US Food and Drug Administration has not approved melatonin as a food additive or deemed it safe, the dessert makers are marketing their products as a harmless way to promote relaxation. And the snacks are increasingly being endorsed by fans on Facebook and Twitter as an antidote to stress and sleep deprivation.

Gabby Bevel, 22, a writer from Norman, Oklahoma, and an insomniac who took Ambien and Lunesta in high school, said in an interview that she slept 13 hours after eating one Lazy Cakes snack recently. ”I don’t like the idea of needing something unnatural to help me with anything,” she said. ”Really, I think part of the appeal is it does come in a brownie.”

”It’s making it much more difficult for the consumer to recognise that they are taking a drug,” said Dr Charles A Czeisler, chief of the division of sleep medicine at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

But Dr Alfred J Lewy, a professor of psychiatry at Oregon Health and Science University who has studied melatonin, a neurohormone, estimated that only a third of the population is susceptible to its effects in a supplement.

But some medical professionals are concerned that the chocolate taste of the snacks might encourage indiscriminate gobbling.

”It’s a colossally bad idea to put melatonin in food,” Czeisler said. ”It should not be permitted by the FDA.”

Technically, it is not. Stephanie Yao, a spokeswoman at the FDA, wrote in an email that any item that uses melatonin ”as an additive may be subject to regulatory action.”

Lewy dismissed the idea that harm might lurk in a melatonin-laced brownie. That said, he would not advise eating Lazy Cakes, partly because he was not sure that their other purportedly sleep-inducing ingredients like valerian root work and partly because food delays the absorption of melatonin.

Also, Lewy said, ”I don’t need the calories.”

New York Times

Ditching dairy? Read this first

(Beijing Today website’s blog section does not represent any view of Beijing Today or its

reporter. Anyone interested about the story can find the original text from the link above the

article. The Blogger column aims to introducing foreign media’s interesting stories and expat

blogs in China to more Chinese readers, as 50 percent of Beijing Today readership remain young

Chinese who have experience of living abroad, white colors or school students. Authors who

does not want his or her story linked at Beijing Today’s website, please email to

info@beijingtoday.com.cn to take down the stories.)

 http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/ditching-dairy-read-this-first-2480951/;_ylt=AkNSY1iULDDaNskBuOjhw4FqbqU5

by The Editors of EatingWell Magazine, on Thu May 5, 2011 9:18am PDT

By Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D., Associate Nutrition Editor at EatingWell Magazine

It seems like everyone has an opinion about milk—some people drink organic milk, hormone-free milk, raw milk, whole milk, skim milk, use it occasionally (but don’t drink it) or avoid dairy at all costs… (I’m sure you can add your own two cents here.) As a registered dietitian and associate nutrition editor at EatingWell Magazine, I can tell you that milk and other dairy products can be part of a healthy diet, but it’s also possible to have a healthy diet that’s dairy-free. Here’s what’s so great about milk—and what to look for if and when you’re skipping dairy.

What Dairy Gives You
Milk delivers some critical nutrients. One cup contains healthy amounts of calcium, vitamins A and D and magnesium (all needed for building strong bones), potassium (needed for nerve function), protein (your body’s “building block”) and some carbohydrate (which your body uses for fuel). Yogurt gives you all those good-for-you nutrients, and sometimes even probiotics, “friendly bacteria” that are good for digestive health. Of course, if you choose 2% (reduced-fat) or whole-milk products (such as cheese), you’ll also be getting a lot of saturated fat and extra calories, so opt for skim or low-fat (1%). But if you’re allergic to dairy, are vegan or just interested in exploring other options, here’s what you should know:

Must-Read: 4 Surprising Health Benefits of Milk

Is Soy a Good Replacement?
The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that we consume 3 servings of low-fat or nonfat dairy or fortified soy beverages each day. This was a departure for the USDA, which previously had not included soymilk in the guidelines, and shows that a dairy-free diet can meet its recommendations for optimum nutrition. The key word to pay attention to, though, is fortified. It’s easy to find lots of nondairy beverages, but they’re not all equal in terms of delivering the same nutrients as milk.

Choose Wisely
For a nondairy beverage (such as soymilk, almond milk, rice milk, etc.) to be an adequate replacement for milk, it should be fortified with calcium and vitamins A and D and also have some protein. Look for these nutrients on the nutrition facts label and make sure that they appear in similar amounts to those found in milk (calcium—30% of the recommended daily dose, vitamin A—15%, vitamin D—20%, protein—8 grams). Not every product is going to have exactly these amounts, but you may be surprised to find that some nondairy beverages offer very little of these nutrients. For example, unfortified rice milk has less than a gram of protein, 2% of the daily value for calcium and 0% for vitamins A and D.

Other Nondairy Options
Lastly, if you’re not getting 3 servings of milk or fortified soymilk (or other fortified nondairy beverage), then aim to get more calcium in your diet through plant foods. Calcium-set tofu, kale, broccoli and almonds all offer some calcium. The calcium from these foods is readily absorbed, although calcium from other plant-based sources—such as beans and spinach—is less easily absorbed.

User Post: 10 Principles to Living Your Vision Statement.

(Beijing Today website’s blog section does not represent any view of Beijing Today or its reporter. Anyone interested about the story can find the original text from the link above the article. The Blogger column aims to introducing foreign media’s interesting stories and expat blogs in China to more Chinese readers, as 50 percent of Beijing Today readership remain young Chinese who have experience of living abroad, white colors or school students. Authors who does not want his or her story linked at Beijing Today’s website, please email to info@beijingtoday.com.cn to take down the stories.)

 http://shine.yahoo.com/event/vitality/user-post-10-principles-to-living-your-vision-statement-2481044/;_ylt=AocY20mzxTumJq_4PJQ.VomifqU5

by Melissa Evans, on Thu May 5, 2011 3:04pm PDT

Susan Ward said, “A vision statement is sometimes called a vision of your company in the future but it’s so much more than that. Your vision statement is your inspiration…it articulates your hopes and dreams…It reminds you of what you are trying to build. Let your imagination go and dare to dream…it’s important that a vision statement captures your passion.”

A vision statement can encompass all areas of your life. A vision statement of where you want to go in your professional life may include embarking on a certain career path or achieving specific targets in your own business. A vision statement of where you want to go in your personal life may include spending more time at home with your family, taking regular family vacations, or devoting more time to leisure activities and hobbies.

Here are 10 guiding principles for living your vision statement and achieving success in your career:

·      Achieve your own success. Whatever opportunity you choose to take, pick three things you want to accomplish within your organization. Pick things you know will make a difference within the organization, shoot high and then stay focused on those things.

·      Always be a professional. Being a professional is not about knowing everything, it’s about being credible. If you don’t know, make a point of finding out and then follow up the query. Always dress appropriately and look your best. When you’re part of a team, allow others to take credit where credit is due, you don’t have to act like you did everything.

·      Keep texture in your life. Don’t set your sights on being a one-dimensional figure and don’t be too serious about your work. It may be your vision to be the best accountant in the world, but remember that people may prefer to be around an accountant who also enjoys cooking or music.

·      Surround yourself with positive and forward thinking people. No one survives alone. Find yourself a mentor and also be a mentor. Whether you are the mentor or the mentee, you will grow through the experience.

·      Encourage don’t criticize. Always look for ways to encourage others in their work. An individual may not be right for one particular position or department within the company but their skills may allow them to shine in another.

·      Don’t be over-technical. Even when you work in a technical environment, always talk to people using appropriate language and avoid being over-technical. Tell your clients what they need to know, not what you know. It’s not about the technology, it’s about how the technology can improve their lives.

·      Be an effective communicator. Communication is key. Recognize that communication can be non-verbal as well as verbal and develop your abilities to communicate effectively on all levels.

·      Keep moving. Realize there’s no such thing as a set back. If it doesn’t work out, move on to the next thing. Stay on the high frequency, not the low frequency and understand that timing is everything.

·      Live by principles. The world is constantly changing. It’s not always about the money or the promotions. In difficult economic times, a sideways step within a company can still represent progress as you develop new skills or gain the opportunity to help others to develop theirs. Consider volunteering in different positions to add to your skill set.

·      Always be true to yourself. Never sacrifice more than you can afford to lose. Always go with the things that keep you close to your purpose and to who you really are. Your work should always be a win-win.

There is no limit to what you can accomplish, it’s simply a matter of how you formulate your vision. When you understand your soul purpose, you understand your destiny in terms of why you are here and who it is you are here to serve by using your gifts.

7 Ways to Get Paid More Now

(Beijing Today website’s blog section does not represent any view of Beijing Today or its reporter. Anyone interested about the story can find the original text from the link above the article. The Blogger column aims to introducing foreign media’s interesting stories and expat blogs in China to more Chinese readers, as 50 percent of Beijing Today readership remain young Chinese who have experience of living abroad, white colors or school students. Authors who does not want his or her story linked at Beijing Today’s website, please email to info@beijingtoday.com.cn to take down the stories.)

 http://shine.yahoo.com/event/financiallyfit/7-ways-to-get-paid-more-now-2481006/

by CBS MoneyWatch.com, on Thu May 5, 2011 12:39pm PDT

In business, it’s all about the Benjamins, right? Certainly, we’re all aware that securing salary increases are essential to career progression, but many of us don’t know how to make it happen. Whether you’re negotiating a new job offer or re-negotiating your salary at a current job, my experts have great ideas about how to earn what you’re worth — ASAP. Because no matter how much you love your job, you’ll struggle to be satisfied if you’re not being paid your market value.

Wait Until You’re Wanted

Particularly after an interview, you need to know they want you before they’ll fight for you (in the form of more money). “Employers don’t like to go back and forth about money any more than an applicant wants to. If they have decided to hire you and you are firm in your statement, you will [most likely] receive the higher salary,” says Monique Tatum, CEO of Beautiful Planning Marketing Group & PR.

Search Salary Info Online

“The internet has changed [negotiating] in that it is way easier to find what comparable salaries are,” says career coach Jack Chapman, author of the recently updated Negotiating Your Salary: How To Make $1000 a Minute. His favorites sites? Salary.com, PayScale.com, Glassdoor.com and Indeed.com. “Once you have that info, you’re able to have a better conversation with your boss. You can make an argument with some facts behind it other than your own individual value,” says Chapman.

Ask For More Time, Then More Money

A day or two will help you figure out what you think of a job offer or re-negotiation number — and what your next move should be. “Ask for at least 24 to 48 hours. Silence is golden when you just let it hang there awhile following an initial offer. Don’t rush to fill the quiet void!” says Meg Montford, career coach and CEO of Abilities Enhanced, a career coaching service.

Lay Out Your Value

If you’ve been at your company for awhile, schedule a meeting separate from your annual review, which can be a hectic time for managers, to discuss your successes and how your salary should reflect that. “Having a solid list of accomplishments showing what you’ve made saved or achieved for the organization helps keep you focused on facts not emotion,” says Carolyn Thompson, author of Ten Secrets To Getting Promoted.

Get Another Offer

This is an oldie but a goodie, says Mary Greenwood, author of How To Interview Like A Pro. Just like with dating, looking desirable to others can make the one you’re with want you more.

Never Let Negotiations End With a “No”

You’ve gotten a job offer or salary increase number that’s lower than what you want, but you hear “the money just isn’t there.” Time to start searching for another opportunity? Not so fast. “Say ‘I don’t know if I can accept it but is there some other way, like time off, or performance bonuses or something else that could make the package worthwhile?’” suggests Chapman. You might even offer to add a few responsibilities in order to increase your worth to the company, or ask about forgoing health insurance if you can buy it elsewhere for less.

Know When To Say When

“Know when it’s no longer in your best interest to keep negotiating and then move on to the next opportunity,” says Montford. If you feel like your company is consistently getting the better end of the deal, they probably are. Eventually, you’ll want to go where you’re valued.

Have a good salary negotiation tip? Please sign in below and share.

The 10 best places to retire overseas

Beijing Today website’s blog section does not represent any view of Beijing Today or its reporter. Anyone interested about the story can find the original text from the link above the article. The Blogger column aims to introducing foreign media’s interesting stories and expat blogs in China to more Chinese readers, as 50 percent of Beijing Today readership remain young Chinese who have experience of living abroad, white colors or school students. Authors who does not want his or her story linked at Beijing Today’s website, please email to info@beijingtoday.com.cn to take down the stories.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/retirementproperty/8497588/The-10-best-places-to-retire-overseas.html

Forget the rat race – buying abroad offers bargain properties and the living is easy, says Christopher Middleton

By Christopher Middleton

There are parts of the world where riding out the economic storm in retirement is going to be a lot more enjoyable than in Britain.

Savills estate agents’ latest Global Residential Review reveals that an increasing number of those in their more prosperous fifties and sixties are looking for a foreign retirement bolt-hole where the living is easier than in Britain.

“Most buyers want to use their overseas property themselves, as a holiday home, for inheritance reasons, or retirement purposes,” concludes the report.

In which case, what are British buyers looking for? “There are four main ‘drivers’ says Charles Weston Baker, Savills’s head of international property. “Lower cost of living, less tax, better climate with lower heating bills, and bargain discounts that have become available because of the recession.”

Here are 10 hot spots for anyone looking to buy and retire overseas:

America

Florida, really. On average the climate’s a lot warmer than Britain’s, so you’re guaranteed sunshine. Property prices have fallen by 30-70 per cent over the past four years.

You can pick up a one-bedroom condominium apartment for £25-£40,000. A more spacious, and more rentable alternative, would be a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment for £55-£60,000 at Tuscana (www.torcana.com). This is a new resort just ten minutes from the Disney World Theme Park, in Orlando, and 45 minutes from the Legoland Park at Winter Haven, due to open in October.

Barbados

Britons are the biggest expat community in Barbados. Celebrity owners include Sirs Cliff Richard and Andrew Lloyd Webber, as well as Cilla Black and Simon Cowell.

Estate agents Cluttons (www.cluttons.com) report a 70 per cent increase in sales in 2010, compared to 2009. This is due partly to prices being 15 per cent lower than in 2008. The biggest discounts are on condominium developments. Mansions aren’t as good a deal, especially on the Platinum (west) coast.

Cyprus

It’s not just the sunshine that makes the Greek part of Cyprus a haven for Britons. Spend more than 183 days on the island, in one financial year, and you become a tax resident, liable for as little as five per cent income tax.

Corporate rates of tax are just 10 per cent. There are newbuilds at Limassol Marina (from £399,000, www.limassolmarina.com), the Leptos Apollo Beach Villas, near Paphos (from £476,000; www.leptosestates.com), and the Sea Gallery Villas, at Amathus (from £1.17 million; www.cybarco.com).

France

Brits tend to opt for coastal properties (39 per cent), rural (37 per cent) and mountainous (19 per cent), which means the likes of Aquitaine, the Dordogne and the Languedoc remain popular. But the prospect of spending a year (or longer) in Provence, à la Peter Mayle, is as attractive as ever.

Overall, prices in France are eight per cent down on their 2007 peak. If you have a big chunk of money and are looking for a quick return, however, the historic centre of Paris is the place to buy.

Apartment prices rose by 20 per cent in 2010, according to the British specialists Home Hunts (www.home-hunts.com).

10 Tips to Fight SKY HIGH Food Prices.

(Beijing Today website’s blog section does not represent any view of Beijing Today or its reporter. Anyone interested about the story can find the original text from the link above the article. The Blogger column aims to introducing foreign media’s interesting stories and expat blogs in China to more Chinese readers, as 50 percent of Beijing Today readership remain young Chinese who have experience of living abroad, white colors or school students. Authors who does not want his or her story linked at Beijing Today’s website, please email to info@beijingtoday.com.cn to take down the stories.)

 http://shine.yahoo.com/event/financiallyfit/10-tips-to-fight-sky-high-food-prices-2469785/;_ylt=AsdrIkjwRoyEvELsRfbS_iC4g6U5

My refrigerator was pretty empty.  I hadn’t gone grocery shopping in almost 3 weeks.  So, I took out my recipe books, put together some simple dinner menus, wrote out my list and headed to the store.  By the time I rolled up to the cashier, my cart was pretty full, but not overloaded.  I figured I had 3-4 bags worth of stuff. Some veggies, some fruit, a chicken, brown rice, a few staples.  Nothing truly  ”expensive” except the saffron that cost $12.99.  It was my one splurge.

When the nice, young woman behind the counter rang up the total, I nearly fell over.  WHAT?  HOW MUCH?  I thought, “There must be some mistake.  Did some things go in twice?”  Nope.  Food prices are sky high.  My total was $167.19.  I figure a few months ago this basket would have cost me no more than $120.

World crises and inflation are to blame. Economist David Rosenberg told the New York Times, Americans are now spending more than 22 percent of their salaries on food or gas. That’s a high that we’ve only seen twice in the last two decades, according to Rosenberg.  

So, if you like to eat (and who doesn’t!), what can you do to try to stay within your budget? Consumer Savings Expert Andrea Woroch shared her Top 10 Tips for Combating Rising Food Prices.

1. Shop Warehouse Stores 

Not all prices are better at membership stores, particularly if you tend to go overboard, but there are some really good deals to be had. Look for great buys on perishable items and shop towards the end of the day, when department managers want to unload extra inventory. 

2. Use Coupons 
Now’s the time to get in on the extreme-couponing trend, particularly since there are so many ways to access them these days. You’ll find coupons online in both Internet-code or downloadable (IP) form.. Mobile coupons are as close as your cell phone. CellFire is a great source for grocery savings.

Don’t overlook the coupons that print out with your receipt at the register. Known as Catalinas, these coupons are targeted towards the purchases you’ve made that day. Some stores, like King Soopers, also allow you to stack manufacturer and store coupons for additional savings. Not all supermarkets allow you to stack, however, so check first. 

3. Hit Dollar Stores 
Whether you cruise the narrow aisles of Dollar General or hit one of the smaller chains, dollar stores offer “ka-ching” savings on boxed, bagged and canned goods. Make sure you check the expiration dates, however.

4. Use Grocery Store Rewards Cards

These loyalty cards have become a necessity to access store sales, but they also have another benefit; You can download online coupons directly to your rewards card and the savings will be taken off at the register. Visit the rewards-card pages of such supermarket websites as Safeway and Food Lion to find these manufacturer coupons. 

Some rewards card also provide gas savings when you buy groceries. At times, King Soopers has taken up to 10-cents off each gallon you purchase at their pumps when you spend $100 or more in their store. 

5. Buy Generic 
By and large, store-brand generics can be much cheaper than manufacturer products with the exact same quality. In fact, generics come off the same assembly line before being slapped with separate labels so skip the brand name items.

6. Use Discount Gift Cards 
Shop websites like GiftCardGranny for discount gift cards from Kmart, Walmart and other major chains that sell food goods and produce. Paying just a portion of the card’s face value gives you an instant savings on your grocery needs.

7. Make A List 
Avoid impulse purchases by making a list before you leave home and sticking to it when you hit the store. Knowing specifically what you need also helps avoid duplications of products you already have at home. 

8. Plan Your Meals 
It’s a lot easier to make a list when you have a plan. Creating a weekly menu also helps you avoid quick trips to the supermarket that end up costing you more in many ways. For last minute meals, create a gourmet dish at a deep discount by buying meats, produce and other food items that are on sale at your local grocery store.

9. One-Stop Shop
Save gas, time and money by shopping stores like Target that allow you to buy everything on your list within one visit.

4 Types of Money Personalities – Which One Are You?.

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 http://shine.yahoo.com/event/financiallyfit/4-types-of-money-personalities-which-one-are-you-2461159/

By: Benjamin Gran

Everyone relates to money in different ways. The way we manage our financial lives is in a large part influenced by our upbringing, peers, friends, neighbors, socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. The child of immigrants who grew up poor and worked his way through school is going to relate very differently to money than a wealthy person who inherited a vast fortune and never had to worry about where the next paycheck was coming from.

While it’s true that much of a person’s “money personality” is deeply rooted in his or her life experience, we all have a choice in how we live our financial lives and how we manage our money. If we have self-awareness of what money means to us – what we love, fear or avoid about money – we are more likely to make good financial choices and enjoy a healthier, wealthier life.

The Miser

The Miser’s money personality is primarily motivated by fear; the Miser is afraid of scarcity, or not having enough. She fears what might happen if she ever ran out of money and saves money rigorously, always trying to save for a rainy day and worrying about the future. Misers are often financially comfortable or even wealthy, but they never feel rich; they’re always looking over their shoulder, waiting for the bad times to start. Misers often pride themselves on their independence, on being able to take care of themselves, and while it’s admirable to be in control of your finances, there’s more to life than constantly checking your bank statements. Many Misers miss out on fun opportunities or chances to be generous to others because they’re always worrying about saving more money for themselves.

The Speculator

The Speculator is motivated primarily by excitement; he tends to be aggressive with his investments, always looking for the “next big thing,” always confident about his earning power. He doesn’t always pay attention to how much he’s spending or saving, because he takes the attitude that “I can always earn more.” Speculators tend to have wild up-and-down swings in their financial lives; they have a “boom and bust” mentality where they might have a really good year (or a really good month) followed by an extended period of limited income or extravagant spending. Speculators don’t take the “slow and steady” approach to managing their money; instead, their financial life is a constant roller coaster ride.

The Avoider

The Avoider tends to be motivated by fear and denial about the reality of money in her life. She might not even know how much is in her bank account on any given day and planning for retirement feels too far away to worry about. The Avoider takes a “see no evil, hear no evil” approach to managing her financial affairs – bank statements go unopened and unexamined. As long as collections agencies aren’t calling her, that means that she’s probably doing OK – right? While it’s great not to worry too much about money, the Avoider is ultimately doing herself a disservice. By not staying informed about her finances, she’s missing out on opportunities to set the foundation for a more financially secure future.

The Spendthrift

The Spendthrift is motivated by desire – for all the things, products, and experiences that money can buy. The Spendthrift is an expert in things he can’t afford, whether it’s an extravagant sports car, a closet full of designer clothes, expensive restaurant dinners or lavish vacations. The Spendthrift can always find new ways of spending money without ever giving a thought to how to save it. Life with a Spendthrift can be fun, but the fun comes crashing to a halt when it’s time to pay the bills. The Spendthrift sees money as a way to enjoy life and have fun in the here-and-now. While it’s great to live in the moment, the Spendthrift is putting himself at risk for an impoverished old age.

What type of money personality are you? Of course, not everyone fits into one of these more extreme categories, but all of us might recognize aspects of ourselves in the Miser, the Speculator, the Avoider and the Spendthrift. Some people are really cautious with their money, others are carefree – and ultimately, our money personality reflects our larger personality, lifestyle and values.

Ideally, it’s best to strike a balance between these different money personalities. You don’t want to be stingy like a Miser and miss out on fun opportunities, but you also don’t want to take a hands-off approach like the Avoider. We all need to enjoy life (like the Spendthrift) but without forgetting to save for the future. We need to recognize that money comes and goes (like the Speculator) but we need to have a more balanced approach to saving, spending and investing.

No matter what kind of money personality you have, Quizzle.com offers great tools and resources to help you manage your finances, including a Debt Payoff Planner that shows you how to get out of debt faster and save potentially thousands of dollars in interest.