Family and Consumer Sciences

Live Smart Ohio

Ohio State University Extension

Stocking Up for When You’re Stuck at Home – Part 2: How $180 in groceries fed 2 people for 20 days ($1.50/meal)

Three weeks ago, I wrote about stocking up for staying at home. I had gone shopping on March 13, after being away for over a week. Because many grocery shelves were bare, I had to make some substitutions and compromises and to shop at three different stores in Columbus to get items that would provide […]

WRITTEN BY: Carol Smathers, MS, MPH, Associate Professor and Extension Field Specialist in Youth Wellness and Nutrition

REVIEWED BY: Roseanne Scammahorn, PhD, Extension Educator, Family & Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Darke County and Susan Zies, M.Ed., Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Wood County

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • Carol Smathers

SOURCES:

  • https://livesmartohio.osu.edu/food/smathers-14osu-edu/stocking-up-for-when-youre-stuck-at-home-healthy-food-for-less-than-2-meal/
  • http://cookingmatters.org/tips/10-tips-stock-your-pantry
  • https://www.choosemyplate.gov/ten-tips-make-better-food-choices
  • https://fns-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/media/file/CostofFoodFeb2020.pdf
  • https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/76/6/1207/4689551
  • https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200331-how-to-eat-a-healthy-diet-when-work-from-home-coronavirus
  • https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/voraciously/wp/2020/04/01/go-grocery-shopping-every-two-weeks-you-can-and-without-hoarding/
  • https://celebrateyourplate.org/tips/shopping

REFERENCES:

  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2015 – 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 8th Edition.

Ditch the Debt in 2020

The holiday decorations have been stowed away, we have sung Auld Lang Syne as we rang in a new year, and now it is time make our 2020 resolution. Rather than picking the same one as in years past, how about trying Debt Dumping? Setting a goal isn’t always easy, it takes commitment and dedication […]

WRITTEN BY: Dr. Roseanne Ellison Scammahorn, Extension Educator, Family & Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Darke County, scammahorn.5@osu.edu

REVIEWED BY: Kellie Lemly, Extension Educator, Family & Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Champaign County, lemly.2@osu.edu

SOURCES:

  • Setting Goals for the New Year (Ohio State University) - https://u.osu.edu/ohwomeninag/tag/smart-goals/
  • Manage You Money (Ohio State University) - https://fcs.osu.edu/programs/major-program-areas/healthy-finances/money-management/manage-your-money
  • Setting Goals for the Agricultural Business (Ohio State University)- https://cpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/u.osu.edu/dist/1/14976/files/2015/11/Goal-Setting-1akh1p7.pdf
  • Healthy, Wealthy, & Wise (Mississippi State University) - http://extension.msstate.edu/sites/default/files/publications/miscellaneous/m1473_0.pdf
  • Budget Apps (Mississippi State University)- https://www.bulldogbudgets.msstate.edu/budget/#budget-app

Healthy Eating for $4.50 a day??? No Fooling!

The USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion issues monthly USDA Food Plans: Cost of Food Reports that estimate the current weekly/monthly costs of a nutritious diet at four different levels (thrifty, low-cost, moderate-cost, and liberal). The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are the nutritional bases of the Food Plans. Here are some examples from the […]

REVIEWED BY: Dan Remley, PhD, OSU Extension Field Specialist

SOURCES:

  • https://www.cnpp.usda.gov/dietary-guidelines
  • https://www.cnpp.usda.gov/sites/default/files/CostofFoodFeb2019.pdf https://www.choosemyplate.gov/dietary-guidelines
  • https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/fruit-and-vegetable-prices/interactive-chart-costs-per-edible-cup-equivalent/
  • https://celebrateyourplate.org/
  • https://www.choosemyplate.gov/budget

REFERENCES:

  • The Thrifty Food Plan 2006 Report, which details the development and methodology of the TFP (in 64 pages) is available online in PDF format at: http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/FoodPlans/MiscPubs/TFP2006Report.pdf

What Are You Saving For?

We all know that saving is an important part of taking positive steps toward financial health and wellness. By saving, you are setting yourself up to better face financial emergencies, and prepare for a financially stable future. A recent survey released by the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) highlights the great steps many Americans are taking, showing that 70% […]

WRITTEN BY: Amanda Woods, M.Ed. Healthy Finances Program Specialist, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension

REVIEWED BY: Amanda Rysz, Program Specialist, Training and Professional Development, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension

SOURCES:

  • Consumer Federation of America, 2016, http://consumerfed.org/press_release/less-than-half-of-u-s-households-report-good-savings-progress-according-to-annual-america-saves-week-survey/
  • Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 2015, http://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/201501_cfpb_report_financial-well-being.pdf
  • America Saves, AmericaSaves.org

Welcome Back, Tax Time!

Just as sure as winter rolls in and the weather becomes a little more frigid, tax time joins us once again!  Every year, like clockwork, we collect our paperwork, receipts, and applicable forms and begin the process of filing our taxes.  And, with this annual civic duty, also comes the decision about how we are […]

WRITTEN BY: Amanda Woods, M.Ed. Healthy Finances Program Specialist, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension

REVIEWED BY: Amanda Rysz, Program Specialist, Training and Professional Development, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension

Gain Confidence in Your Financial Future

 Saving for retirement is an important step for us all to take toward financial stability in old age, and yet many Americans are not doing enough to prepare.  According to a 2016 Retirement Confidence Survey conducted by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), only 21% of employees poled said they were very comfortable with the amount […]

WRITTEN BY: Amanda Woods, M.Ed. Healthy Finances Program Specialist, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension

REVIEWED BY: Lauren Jones, PhD Assistant Professor Department of Human Sciences. Melanie S. Hart, M.S. Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension & Shawna Hite, Healthy People Program Specialist, OSU Extension Family & Consumer Sciences

PHOTO CREDITS:

  • pixabay.com

SOURCES:

  • America Saves - AmericaSaves.org
  • Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), 2016, https://www.ebri.org/pdf/pr1157.rcs-16.22mar16.pdf

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