Referencegirl’s blog

Last week I stumbled on an incredible interview with Unitarian Universalist minister and author, Kate Braestrup, on the NPR show Speaking of Faith. She works as a chaplain for Maine's game warden service. So when they go to rescue people who have fallen under ice, gotten lost in the mountains, etc... she is there. Her stories were amazing and her approach to faith was just gorgeous. I was inspired by her words and also very jealous of her parishioners. The unedited interview was my favorite since at one point Krista Tippet, the interviewer, mentions the openness of unitarians to all possibilities. I cannot remember exactly what she said but it captured the spirit of UUism so well. Being open to all possibilities is one the things I cherish about being a UU. 

From the latest edition of the newsletter, NIH News in Health, put out by the National Institute of Health.

Social Ties Affect Smoking Behavior

Spouses, friends, siblings and co-workers usually decide to light up or stub out their cigarettes for good at around the same time, a new study has found.  A better understanding of how social ties affect smoking behavior may lead to more effective ways to prevent or reduce smoking. While smoking rates have fallen over the past 4 decades, it remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States.  Previous studies have shown that social ties between 2 people—especially young people—can influence decisions to start or stop smoking.  But the effects of more complex social groups have been unclear. Cigarette_l NIH-funded researchers at Harvard Medical School and the University of California, San Diego examined medical records and other data from more than 12,000 adults who had participated in the Framingham Heart Study, a long-term study sponsored by NIH.  The researchers were able to track changes in social relationships over more than 3 decades, from 1971 to 2003, because people in the study regularly updated information about their family, friends and coworkers. At the beginning of the study, smokers tended to mix equally with nonsmokers.  By 2000, smoking in the group had declined, mirroring the national downward trend.  There was also another change.  The smokers and nonsmokers divided into separate clusters as the study progressed.  Eventually, the smokers were on the fringes of the network, with fewer social ties to others. Close relationships seemed to exert a strong influence on smoking.  The greatest effect was in married couples.  When a husband or wife quit smoking, it reduced the chance of their spouse smoking by about 67%.  When a sibling quit, it reduced the chance of smoking in a brother or sister by 25%.  Influences from friends and coworkers fell in between. Last year, the scientists reported on the spread of obesity within the same study group.  This research suggests that it may be possible to harness social networks to help people change behaviors that affect their health, such as smoking, for the better.

The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

Michael Pollan

Non-Fiction, History, Nutrition, Anthropology

464 pages

Published 2007

Michael Pollan acts as detective, tracking down the exact origins of four different meals. He takes us through industrial, organic, ethical, and personal approaches to food. Along the way, he compares the size of the carbon footprint and ethical implications of each approach. This book was a bestselling title in 2007.

To me this book was okay. I appreciated the in-depth view of the current standard American diet. The poor grammar was a little distracting. The first part seemed to go on a bit too long about corn. I was tempted to scrap the whole thing but instead I skipped some corn sections and found most of the rest of the book interesting. I especially enjoyed the section on Polyface Farm where Joe Salatin is a profoundly successful farmer producing delicious food by letting each form of life on the farm fully express itself.

It is possible that this book will be the "Diet For a Small Planet" of the new millennium.

Get Fuzzy by Darby Conley

The true forefather of the World Wide Web and hypertext ...born in 1868 ...created hypertext in 1898 and the first version of the World Wide Web in 1934... Paul Otlet - a Librarian!

I feel free from smoking. Almost like I never was a smoker. I was there and experienced it, but it is rare that I think of it. I get a giddy last-day-of-school feeling every time I realize I don't want to smoke. Your Quit Date is: Monday, February 18, 2008 at 1:00:00 AM
Time Smoke-Free: 121 days, 3 hours, 10 minutes and 23 seconds
Cigarettes NOT smoked: 2423
Lifetime Saved: 18 days, 12 hours
Money Saved: $484.00

I love all the cats in the video. Cool song.

I went to the grocery store today armed with a list and a full tummy. I decided to take a little extra time and do some investigative work. I used generic brand costs at the regular grocery store whenever I could. This is what I found...

Item	Amt	Regular Grocery Store	ALDI Brand	$ Saved	% Saved
Sandwhich Wheat Bread (Hearth Style)	1 loaf	2.99	1.49	1.5	50%
Bananas	2.34 lb	1.38	1.03	0.35	25%
Red Seedless Grapes	2 lb	4.99	2.99	2	40%
Cauliflower	1 head	1.99	1.99	0	0
Deli Sliced Cheese	(8 oz) 3	8.97	5.97	3	33%
Frozen Peas		1.57	0.79	0.78	50%
Vine Tomatoes	24 oz	5.13	2.99	2.14	42%
Hamburger Buns	8 ct	2	0.75	1.25	63%
Ready to Eat Shrimp	(12 oz) 2	15.98	5.98	10	63%
Cream Cheese	8 oz	1.59	0.99	0.6	38%
Tuna	(6 oz) 8	5.52	3.92	1.6	29%
Grape Juce 100%	64 oz	2.97	2.19	0.78	26%
"Doritos"	11 oz	3.79	0.99	2.8	74%
OJ individually packed	48 oz	3.99	2.19	1.8	45%
Trail Mix Bars	6, 1.2 oz	3.29	1.79	1.5	46%
Corn Flakes	24 oz	4.49	0.99	3.5	78%
Pretzels		2.69	0.99	1.7	63%
Overall		73.33	38.03	35.3	48%

I am kind of shocked. I thought I was doing well by choosing the generic store brand or cheapest version available at my local grocery store. I really had no idea how much money I was wasting. I am kind of mad. If ALDI can do this then why not everyone else? Why are we paying so much for something as basic as food? And why is it that even our grocery stores are charging more then necessary?

If I seem a little obsessed with this... the steady increase in my grocery bill has seriously hurt and graduate school loans are coming due. Plus... it just seems silly to pay more then necessary.

It is getting brutal at the grocery store.

• In the past year...

   milk increased by 26%

   eggs increased by 40%

   fruits and vegetables by 20%

  

• "Over the past year ... food prices rose nearly 5 percent, more than double the average rate of the previous 10 years. Prices will rise even faster the next five years... increasing at an annual rate of 7.5 percent."

• People called freegans are getting organized about dumpster diving.
  

 

Shop at ALDI

I did a lot of investigating on how to save on my grocery bill. There are lots of great tips out there. But my favorite tip was from my sister... "shop at ALDI." I was skeptical. I had this impression that ALDI sold off brands and expired food. The episode of the Simpson's when they have to go to the really really cheap, don't ask, grocery store whirled in my mind. I'm not quite sure how ALDI earned this stigma but it is misplaced. I save 30-70% on groceries, usually 50% overall, every time I go. Most of what they carry is their own store label. Don't be afraid of the store label - most of the products are just as good then the brand label, some of them are actually better. All their store label products have a guarantee that if you are not happy you can get your money back.

The following is a list based on my own personal experience and opinion of ALDI brand products. Maybe some of my trials and errors will save you time.

Tested Well

Processed Foods

    pretzels (better then brand label)

    trail mix bars (better then brand label)

    corn flakes (better then brand label)

    orange juice

    grape juice

    canned beans

    canned tomatoes

    american cheese slices

    deli cheese slices in cheddar, swiss, and provolone

    shredded cheese

    sandwich bread, wheat hearth style (better then brand label)

    roasted salted peanuts

   

Basics

    honey

    sugar

    flour

    jasmine rice

    salt

 

Frozen 

    frozen ready to eat shrimp

    frozen peas

  

Produce

    bananas

    melons (cantaloupe and honey dew)

    mushrooms

    broccoli

    oranges

 

Household

    liquid hand soap

    dish soap

    bleach

    shampoo

    conditioner 

 

Tested Badly

    "nutrigrain" bars

    "baked Doritos"

    frozen pizza (Totino's style)

    strawberries

    paper towels (pick a size)   

    antibacterial “Lysol” cleaning wipes 

 

ALDI Newbie Tips

Maybe these tips will save you some of the embarrassments I went through.

1. Bring a quarter. You will need to free a shopping cart from a chain system. You get your quarter back when you return the cart.

 

2. Don't break up produce. I was admonished my first time for separating out bananas. They are .44 cents for the whole

bagged bunch - period. Which is still cheaper then the current regular grocery store cost of .77 cents per pound.

 

3. Know your prices. Not everything is cheaper at ALDI. Plan on spending a bit of extra time just checking things out and comparing prices the first time you go.

 

4. You cannot get everything from ALDI so you are going to have to go to a second store.

 

5. Bring your own bags. ALDI bags cost .05 cents for paper and .10 cents for plastic. You can also use empty cartons at the store for free.

 

6. Be prepared to bag your own groceries. There is a whole cart dance that happens when you ring out that confused me at first. It goes like this: they ring your groceries up, and then transfer them to an empty cart… the cashier takes your empty cart and gives you the cart they just filled with your groceries…  you take your new cart to a nice wide counter that is the bagging area.

 

Other Ways to Save

Iced Tea

I discovered a brand of tea called National Cup that costs .98 cents per 100 bags. That is less then a penny for every cup of tea. It makes very good iced tea - better then Luzianne or Lipton IMHO. I have found National Cup at Wal-Mart and my local grocery store.

 

Buy Online

There are some foods that I like enough that I am willing to buy online, in bulk, directly from the maker because I know I will use it all. I save anywhere from 30-60% even with shipping. Some things I buy online are...

       Annie’s White Cheddar Microwavable Macaroni & Cheese

 
      No Pudge Brownies

 

       Stretch Island Fruit Leather - .69 cents per item at the store, $      

       11.50 for 30 (.38 cents each) online.

 

       Erythritol (Natural, no calorie sweetener. No scary chemicals,

       no weird after taste and scientifically proven to protect against     

       tooth decay. Also safe for diabetics)

 

Buy In Bulk

I’m not talking mammoth sized jars of pickles that will last you through the next apocalypse. I’m talking the bulk aisle at your local health food store. The nice thing about the bulk aisle is that you only have to buy what you need and you are not being charged for packaging. It is best to bring your own container from home – bring it to customer service and they will measurer the tare for you. But if you forget or are Tupperware and jar deficient, you can buy containers provided in the bulk section for .05 each. Don’t put the stuff in those thin plastic bags – you will regret it in various and multiple storage issues. 

 

I hope I have saved others out there a little time, a little newbie embarrassment, and some cash. If you have tips to add, please do!

I just discovered that the journals of Lewis and Clark are available for free online. This edition is the edited edition from Gary E. Moulton. It is considered one the most accurate and complete editions of the journals. I read this version a few years ago in hard copy and thoroughly enjoyed it. I felt like I was there with Lewis and Clark, living their moments. The journals reveal things we have forgotten or that are not taught in school.

Sacajawea
Sacajawea was not technically their guide - her husband was. And she was forced to go on the journey by her husband who was paid by Lewis and Clark. It was sheer luck that she was there since it turned out that her husband had a rotten sense of direction. She wasn't leading them to be nice; she was leading them for the sheer purpose of survival. And it was also lucky that she was there because they traversed through the lands of her family tribe who would not have been as friendly to the travelers had they not had Sacajawea with them. Lewis or Clark (I cannot remember which one because it has been awhile since I read these) was appalled by how her husband treated her.

Voting Rights
Another interesting fact was that this expedition is the first record in American history where a black man and a woman were included in the democratic process of voting. Whenever the traveling group needed to make a big decision they voted on it and votes from both their black servant and Sacajawea were included.

Dictionaries and Grammar
What really hit me when I was reading the journals was a deep appreciation for dictionaries and for basic rules of

grammar. Before we had dictionaries, there was no common agreement on how to spell words and people just gave it their best shot. In the journals "moccasins" is spelled several different ways; "moccasons," "mockersons," "mockasins," etc... Read these journals and imagine if everything today was constructed in such a way. You may better understand the cries of outrage regarding misspellings, bad grammar, and the general decline of the proper use of the English language.

Appreciation

A big shout out of appreciation should go out to the Center for Great Plains Studies, the Center for Digital Research in the Humanities in the UNL Libraries, and the University of Nebraska Press for making access to this incredible piece of American history freely available and accessible to all.