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Friday, March 26, 2010
Dear Just Be: April is next week, we just had the spring equinox and I want to get started on my garden- any flower or vegetable tips?
Nurseries around town are gearing up for spring plantings. We hear that there are a few frost-hardy flowers you could start planting now: Violas, Pansies, Primrose, Snapdragons, Calendulas and more.
This year you could also consider planting flowers and vegetables in the same containers or flower/vegetable beds. By combining flowers with your vegetables you'll spice up your garden and containers with color, texture and beauty.
And speaking of containers, they are a great way to garden if you have limited space. You can grow just about anything in a container that you would typically grow in your garden. The upside of containers is that you can move them for maximum sun exposure. And even bring them inside in case of frost. And remember to think outside the box (or container) - you can grow herbs, flowers, fruits and vegetables in your containers.
Lastly, specific to this time of year, you can start growing the following cool season veggies: carrots, peas, potatoes, asparagus, horseradish, rhubarb, beets, radishes, leaf lettuce and spinach. You can also start out your broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and brussels sprouts. Herbs that will do well being planted now include sage, lavender, mint, oregano and chives.
Remember growing your own food is healthier, can be less expensive than buying the same items in the store and you'll know exactly what you are eating!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Dear Just Be: With the recent earthquake in Haiti and the recent snow storms in Colorado I feel ill prepared for emergencies, do you have tips?
Being prepared for any type of emergency is an important thing that many of us neglect or don’t realize we should do. The first step in preparing for an emergency is to get a kit.
A basic emergency supply kit should include:
• Water - One gallon per person per day for at least three days. This will be used for drinking and sanitation.
• Food – At least three days worth of non-perishable food.
• Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both. A NOAA Weather Radio is a dedicated radio enabling you to receive real time weather information provided by the National Weather Service. The information you receive includes current weather conditions, local forecasts, travel and recreational forecasts, as well as climatology data.
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Whistle to signal for help
• Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
• Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
• Local maps
• Cell phone with chargers, inverter or solar charger
The second step is making a plan. Your family may not be together during a disaster or emergency, so it is important to figure out how you will contact each other, and how you will get back together. Before an emergency or disaster hits plan the following:
• ID an out-of town contact to communicate among separated family members. It may be easier to make a long-distance phone call than to call some one in town.
• Be sure every member of your family knows the phone number and has a cell phone, coins, or a prepaid phone card to call the emergency contact. If you have a cell, program that person(s) as "ICE" (In Case of Emergency). If you are in an accident, emergency personnel will often check your ICE listings in order to get a hold of someone you know. Make sure to tell your family and friends that you’ve listed them as emergency contacts.
• Show family members how to use text messaging. Text messages can often get around network disruptions when a phone call might not get through.
• Sign up to alert services. Many communities have systems that will send instant text alerts or e-mails to let you know about bad weather, road closings, local emergencies, etc. Sign up by visiting your local Office of Emergency Management web site.
Lastly, be informed. Learn about the potential emergencies and disasters that occur where you live and the appropriate way to respond to them. In Denver the best way to stay informed is through a NOAA Weather Radio and to monitor the radio station 850 KOA.
For more information on how to be prepared for an emergency or disaster visit:
Ready America
Colorado Division of Emergency Management
City of Denver
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Dear Just Be: I'm interested in knowing more about Colorado- have any fun facts about the state?
- Colorado means "colored red".
- Colorado's southwest corner borders Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, the only place in America where the corners of four states meet.
- Colorado is the only state in history to turn down the Olympics. Denver was supposed to host the 1976 Olympics. 62% of all state voters chose at almost the last minute not to host the Olympics, because of the cost, pollution and population boom it would have on the State of Colorado and the City of Denver.
- Colorado has more microbreweries per capita than any other state.
- The world's largest flattop mountain is in Grand Mesa.
- Leadville is the highest incorporated city in the United States at 10,430 ft. above sea level. Because there was lots of "silver" named towns at the time, the founding fathers suggested Leadville.
- The 13th step of the state capital building in Denver is exactly 1 mile high above sea level.
- The LoDo region of Denver stands for Lower Downtown.
- Denver lays claim to the invention of the Cheeseburger. The trademark for the name Cheeseburger was awarded in 1935 to Louis Ballast.
- Colfax Avenue in Denver is the longest continuous street in America.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Dear Just Be: I just moved here- any special tips for maintaining my car here?
If you do need to have your car serviced or repaired, it is important to know about the Colorado Motor Vehicle Repair Act (MVRA), which went into effect in May, 1997. In essence this law protects the consumer by requiring that the owner of the vehicle is made aware of information with regard to estimates, additional repair work, diagnostics, parts, etc. prior to work being done on their vehicle.
For example, NO repairs can be made to a vehicle without the written consent of the owner which includes an estimate of repairs.
The estimate MUST include:
- total cost of repairs (excluding sales tax and towing charges)
- completion date
- whether customer wants replaced parts returned
- cost of reassembly (if the customer chooses not to have the work done) and replacement of parts destroyed in disassembly.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Dear Just Be: My finances are tight and I need to figure out how to stretch my dollar. Help!
1.) Make a list. It sounds simple, but this first step will go a long way. Take an inventory of what you have in home and mark down only what you need. When you just go in the store empty handed you are sure to buy more items than you need. This is what we call impulse buying.
2.) Shop around. What I mean by this is take the grocer’s circular/flyers you get every Tuesday in the mail and look to see who is having what deal. Then mark on your list where you are going to get that item. It might not sound convenient to go to multiple stores to get your groceries, but it can mean the difference of hundreds of dollars each year, which over time adds up to that shirt, skirt, dinner or electronic item you have wanted to purchase.
3.) Go in with coupons. Coupons can come from Valupacks, Sunday’s paper, you can even download them from your grocer’s website and have them on your loyalty card ready to use. Also, know when your local grocers have double discounts. For instance, when you go to Sunflower Market on Wednesday they honor discounts from the previous week’s circular as well as the current week’s circular. Talk about saving money!
4.) When you are in the store only shop the perimeter for food items. The food items in the middle of the store are not good for your wallet or waist line. Many think fruits and vegetables cost more than the processed food, but that is not true. Even if you can find an item or two in the processed food section that is less than the fresh items, know that you will be paying more for this item down the road through medical bills.
5.) Eat before you shop. Never shop when you are hungry. You are guaranteed to spend more when you are hungry because you are purchasing items that look and sound good rather than what you need.
6.) Shop once a week, or better yet every two weeks. Designate one day to go shopping and make it the only day you go shopping. This exercise will be hard to do at first, but over time you will see how it saves you money and time. It is estimated that changing your shopping schedule to once a week or once every two weeks will shave a minimum of $50 off your shopping bill.
7.) Watch the scanner. As you are standing at checkout or checking yourself out make sure the prices are coming up correctly.
For more information on saving money while you shop check out Grocery Coupon Guide