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Where you do your major food shopping often affects your grocery bill. It’s best to check the price in nearby stores for the foods you buy all the time. You can then decide which store gives you the best prices. Check, too, for other features that may be useful to you. Which store offers the freshest foods? Which store has off-street parking and will cash your check?

Small stores will deliver orders to your home. If you do not need this service, you will do better shopping at a large chain. The large chain markets offer more variety and have better prices.

For most people it is best to choose a store with good prices and stay with it. Store-shopping for sales on certain foods may save you pennies, but it can be costly in time and gas.

When you shop depends on your schedule. Try to go when the store is not too crowded and when you have time to choose with care. Study labels and compare prices. Learn about new products. Give food buying all the attention it deserves.

The meat, poultry, and fish items in your menu usually cost the most. Studies show that one-third of the money spent on food goes for these items. To take advantage of the best buys at the meat counter, you need to be aware of the many cuts of meat that are available. Also, you must know how to use them in meals. Keep in mind that the economy of a cut depends on the cut with a low price per pound is not the best buy. What counts is the amount of lean meat and the number of servings it will provided. For example, a high priced meat with little or no waste may be a better buy than a low priced cut with a great deal of bone or fat.

Same size servings of cooked lean meat from different types and cuts of meat often have the same food value. As a rule, cooked lean meat from pot roast is as nutritious as that from steak. Fish has as much nutrition as lamb, and turkey has as much as veal. So when you visit the market, be a smart shopper and take the time to make the right choice.

Persons who are overweight should watch their diet carefully in order to lose pounds. The best way to do this is to start a weight control program. At first it is wise to talk with your doctor. He can tell you if your health is good enough for you to try to lose weight. If you are in good health, your doctor can tell you how much weight you should lose. He can advise you of the number of calories you should have in your meals each day. He can tell you about exercising while on your diet. A good rule is to lose slowly. A loss of a pound or two a week is plenty.

Plans meals around foods you know. The best diet for you is the one you can be faithful to. This means that it is wise to include foods that you are used to and that are part of your regular eating habits. Strange foods may not satisfy you. They may throw you off your diet. When you have lost the weight you wish, simple items can be added to your diet so that you can maintain the weight you want. While you are dieting, try to build a pattern of eating that you can follow later to maintain your desired weight. Strange and glamorous foods used on a diet may work but will be hard to continue eating afterwards. As a result, you may become discouraged and go back to your old habits that put on the extra weight in the first place.

When you plan meals, follow a sound food plan. Be sure to include the daily nutrition you need. Make certain you are getting the right kinds of food.

When dieting, choose low-calorie foods. Avoid such items as fats, gravy, sauce, fried food, sweets, cakes, alcoholic drinks or soft drinks, and cream. Use spices, herbs or tart fruit juices to season your food.

Learn to like cereal or fruit with little or no sugar added. Try to take coffee and tea without sugar or cream. Snacks can be part of your diet. For example, a piece of fruit or crisp vegetable, or a simple dessert saved from mealtime, can be eaten between meals.

Keep busy! This way you will not be tempted to go off the diet. Take advantage of opportunities to exercise. Try walking instead of riding whenever possible. Happy dieting!

Fibers have been used for making cloth for thousands of years. Many of them are still used today to make fabric. Linen, for example, is the oldest textile fabric. It comes from the flax plant. It was used in prehistoric times and in ancient Egypt. We have learned that linen was woven in England as early as the year 400. Today this fiber is used in many ways around the home. In fact, the word “linens” has come to be used as the name for household textile goods, such as sheets and towels.

Wool, also, dates back as far as Bible times. Much later, in the 15th and 16th centuries, sheep form Spain and England were brought to the American colonies. Spanish explorers brought sheep with them from California to Florida. Thus, wool came to be used here in America.

Another leading fiber is cotton. It was woven into fabrics in India as early as 1500 years before Christ. Cotton was also used for candle wicks in England as far back as the 1300s. By the 1400s, cotton fabrics were being manufactured in central Europe. In 1793 in the southern United States, Eli Whitney invented the “cotton engine.” This name was later shortened to become the “cotton gin.” It was used to comb seeds out of cotton fibers. This machine removed a major delay in the processing of cotton. Because of it, cotton became the South’s most important crop.

The production of silk began with the ancient Chinese. Legend says that a Chinese empress saw a silkworm spinning its cocoon. The empress wondered how she would look in a gown made of such fine material. Silk weaving soon spread. It was seen in many other countries. But silkworm raising remained wholly Chinese until the sixth century. At that time, the art spread to other parts of the Middle East.

The fibers that have been mentioned so far are all natural. But today there are many man-made fibers in use. Some of these were made for a certain need. Others were discovered mostly by chance. Production of man-made fiber was chiefly a United States industry until the 1950s. After the 1950s things changed. Foreign production grew until, by 1960, this country made less than half of the world’s man-made fibers. Rayon and nylon are just a few examples of today’s man-made fabrics.

The United States has joined the trend toward a system of measurement called the metric system. The names of the units in this system may sound strange to our ears. Still, there are only a few words that we have to learn for daily use. Some units of measure that we now use will not change. Time will still be measured in hours, minutes and seconds. Electric power will still be measured in watts. Our money system will stay the same.

The metric system is already being used in this country. In swimming, track and field events, lengths are given in meters rather than in yards and feet. Our astronauts told the world how far their rocket had landed from a lunar hill in meters. You see weights listed in grams on more and more packaged items at the market. The trend toward metric is increasing.

The metric system is becoming popular throughout the world for two reasons. One, it is a simple system. Two, it is a decimal system. It is simple because each quantity, such as length (meter) or weight (gram), has its own unit of measure. No unit is used to show more than one quantity. In the system we now use, pounds can mean force, as in pounds needed to break a rope. Pounds can also be used for weight, as in a pound of sugar. Ounce can mean volume, as the number of ounces in a quart. Ounce can be used for weight, as the number of ounces in a pound.

The metric system is easier to learn to use in solving problems. This is because metric units are related to each other. They are based on a factor of 10. This makes figuring an easy task.

Think about the measurement of length. In the metric system, a measure of length is shown in meters of multiples of the meter. A centimeter is one hundredth of a meter. A millimeter is one thousandth of a meter. A kilometer is one thousand meters. All units are either a division or a multiple of 10.

More and more we will see the use of metrics. Children are now taught the metric system is school. Road signs on the highways will soon give distances in kilometers. More consumer goods will be made and labeled using metric units. The change is coming. Soon metric units will no longer be strange to our ears.

Protein, carbohydrates and fats are needed for a good diet. Along with water and fat, our bodies contain much protein. Protein is most important to a healthy body. Enzymes are made of protein. They help to keep the body working. Antibodies in the blood stream are also made of protein. They fight off disease. The body also needs protein to build muscle. The muscles in turn hold the bone structure together. Muscles provide the strength to move and work. It’s a good thing that most of us get enough protein.

But where is protein found? Meat, poultry, fish, milk, cheese and eggs give us good amounts of it. Bread and cereal are also important sources. Vegetables, like soybeans, chickpeas, dry beans and peanuts, are also good sources of protein. You do not have to load up on meat, poultry or eggs to get enough protein in your diet. Eating cereal or vegetable foods with milk, cheese or other animal protein can give you enough protein in your diet. For example, eat cereal with milk, rice with fish, or simply drink a glass of milk during a meal. Together, these foods provide the high quality protein the body needs.

Carbohydrates are the biggest source of energy. This group is made up of starches and sugars. Carbohydrates are mostly found in cereal grains, fruits, vegetables, and sugar. Such foods as wheat, oats, corn and rice provide starch. So, too, do potatoes, sweet potatoes and vegetables like peas, dry beans, peanuts and soybeans. Most other vegetables have smaller amounts of carbohydrates. In vegetables, the carbohydrates are usually in the form of starch. In fruits, they show up as sugar. Of course, candies, jams and syrups are mostly sugar.

Fats give us energy. They add flavor and variety to foods. They make meals more satisfying. Fats carry vitamins A, D, E and K. Fats are also an important part of the cells which make up the body’s tissues. Our body fat protects our important organs by surrounding them with a cushion. Fats are found in butter, margarine, shortening, salad oils, and cream. Most cheeses, mayonnaise, salad dressing, nuts and bacon also have a good deal of fat.

A good and balanced diet will use foods from all three of the above groups. In the end, eating right pays off in a healthier body. You’ll not only look better, but you will also feel better.

A baby spends his first year of life learning to listen. A new born child comes equipped with a finely tuned pair of ears, but he doesn’t yet know how to use them. A buzz of meaningless noise surrounds him. No one sound means more than any other. Unlike his ears, the hearing center of his brain is still immature. As the baby grows, two things happen. First, he becomes better at picking out certain sounds. Second, he begins to remember them.

This development is easy to see. If you make a loud sound near a day-old baby’s head, you will not see any reaction. Only a check on his pulse or breathing rate will show a change. But just two weeks later, the same noise will make him jerk. He may even turn his head toward you. Now the human voice means something to him. If he hears another baby crying, he will cry. By his fourth to sixth week, sounds like the door bell or the closing of a door no longer surprise him. He can pick out one voice – his mother’s – from all others. That one voice can soothe him and stop his crying. By eight weeks these mother-sounds can make him smile.

What is actually happening is that he starting to learn to listen. He can select certain sounds and memorize them. When he hears that sound again, he can match it with the one he has heard before. These skills are basic to all learning.

At the same time these early hearing and language skills get under way, the child begins to practice sound-making. His first sounds are the discomfort sounds. These are the shrill whines which he seems to spend all his time making. These sounds are heard when he is not quiet or sleeping. These sounds mean nothing to him yet. To his mother they say that he is wet, or uncomfortable or hungry.

Within the baby’s first month, another sound appears: the comfort sounds. These are different from the discomfort sounds. These are more throaty and vowel-like. These coos, sighs and grunts are the beginnings of true speech. As the child grows, his comfort sounds will use more of the vowels and consonants and rhythms which he will later use. These sounds will come together to form the first word. An event that will be long remembered by the proud parents.

Before you shop for a carpet for your home, think about colors and textures. What will look good in your home? How long will the carpeting keep its pleasing appearance?

Red, orange and yellow are warm colors. They tend to create a lively and cheery feeling. They are good in rooms that get little sunlight. Also, they can make a large room seem cozier. In a small room, though, they can be overpowering.

Green, blue and violet are cool colors. These colors are useful for sunny rooms or for a formal setting. They tend to make rooms seem cooler and larger.

Gray and beige are neutral. They go well with either warm or cool colors. Neutral colors will blend well with colors already in a room. No matter what color carpet you choose, it will look better in your room if it is part of a planned color scheme.

Single-color schemes are made up of various shades of one color, ranging from light to dark. Use the darkest shade in the carpet and lighter shades in curtains or furniture. Examples of a contrasting-color scheme would be orange with green or blue with yellow. Make one color stand out and have only small things in the contrasting color. If the carpet color contrasts with the walls, the effect will be too much. Use the contrasting color instead in upholstery fabrics.

Texture is important, too. Smooth, even surface textures made of long, closely packed yarns give carpets an expensive look. An uneven texture gives a less formal effect. Patterns or designs can highlight either one of these effects.

Light carpet colors show soil and dust easily. They should not be used if your home has forced-air heat. Air-borne dust will soon darken light colors around air vents. Black, dark brown and other deep colors show lint. A mixture of two or more colors, patterns and designs tends to hide soil. Multi-colored rugs are a wise choice if you don’t want your carpet to show the dirt.

Also, even textures tend to show dirt and dust more than uneven textures. Uneven textures, however, are harder to clean and may need more strokes of vacuum cleaner.

The next time you are in the market for a good carpet, keep these few simple facts in mind. Take time to think about your choice – it will make a world of difference.

Many kinds of insulation can be used for the home. Kinds that are easily installed make good do-it-yourself tasks. These kinds include batts, blankets and loose fill. Avoid plastic foam. It is best installed by a contractor who has special tools for the job.

Batts and blankets are made of glass fiber or rock wool. Batts come in packs of four-foot lengths or eight-foot lengths. Blankets come in rolls. Both are sold in widths of 15 or 23 inches to fit normal spaces in house frames. Both come in thicknesses of 1 to 7 inches. Both batts and blankets are sold with or without vapor barriers.

To insulate an attic floor, lay batts or blankets between the joists. Batts and blankets can be bought with a vapor barrier on one side. To install, place the barrier face down so that, when it is in place, you no longer see it.

To insulate the floor above a basement, push batts or blankets between the floor joists from below. Be sure that the vapor barrier is facing up, towards the house. To support the insulation, lace wire back and forth between nails spaced two feet apart. Or you may tack chicken wire to the joists.

Instead of batts or blankets, you may insulate with loose fill. It is made from glass fiber, rock wool, cellulose, perlite or vermiculite. Loose fill tends to settle after a while. Yet, cellulose, which is made from recycled newspaper, makes an excellent insulator. It must, however, be treated to become fire resistant. Use the loose fill to fill in the spaces between the joists. You will have to put in your own vapor barrier. A plastic sheet may be stapled or tacked down before the loose fill is poured.

Your home may already have some insulation. Even so, you may wish to add some more. In that case here are a few hints. Do not put insulation on top of lighting fixtures for the floor below. Keep insulation at least three inches away from such fixtures. Do not cover eave vents with insulation. Be sure that there is enough space in the attic to let moisture out.

A well-insulated home saves you money. It keeps your home cooler in the summer. It also keeps the house warmer in the winter. Don’t be afraid to insulate your home yourself. It’s really not a difficult job!

Pesticides are chemicals that kill. They can reduce or stop the growth of pests. Pests include insects, fish, rats, mice, fungi, weeds and other harmful animals or plants. Pests are bad because they spoil food. They spoil clothing, household furnishings and buildings. They injure, kill and spread disease to people. Pests can also harm helpful animals and plants.

Helpful animals and plants are those that people like and make sue of. Or they are ones that are important to a healthy world. These include living things that give us food, such as crops and cattle. It also includes plants used as decoration and cats and dogs kept as pets. Also in this group are the animals and plants found in nature that people enjoy or ones that are needed to keep a smooth and even balance. So, to protect plants and animals from harm, we use pesticides.

Pesticides are helpful. However, they can be harmful, too. Pesticides can be misused. They can be used without following the right directions. When this happens, they do a great amount of harm to the very animals and plants that we want to protect. Pesticides can poison. The deadly effects of these poisons can last a long time. The remains of some pesticides last for many years. They harm and kill long after they were first used.

The message is clear. Pesticides are useful. They protect us and our useful plants and animals. But if not used in the right way, pesticides can harm us and the animals and plants we want to protect. You can never be too careful when using pesticides.

Guard yourself and others from pesticides. It is not safe for children to use pesticides. In some cases, it is against the law for youngsters to use pesticides. Pest control is a job for grownups.

Teach your child well. Children should be able to know a pesticide by the label on thee package. They should be taught not to touch or use empty pesticide jars or cans. Spilled pesticides on the outside of the package can be unsafe. They can poison someone.

Sometimes people are poisoned by a pesticide. If this happens, follow the directions on the label which tell you what to do.

Ways to control pests without using pesticides need to be found and tested. Perhaps someday in the future we will learn to control pests without using pesticides.

Paint sprayers are very useful for large surfaces. A spray gun is faster than a brush or a roller. Some paint may be wasted through over spraying. Even so, the time and effort you save more than make up for the extra paint. It takes a little time at first to learn how to spray. Once you have learned, it takes no time at all to produce a thick and even cost of paint.

Spraying is a good way to cover surfaces that are rough and uneven. Things that are hard to paint with a brush or roller are quickly done with a sprayer. A spray gun can be used for any cost except the prime cost. The surface to be sprayed must be clean and free of dust. Paint that is sprayed will not stick if a film of dust is present.

When you use a sprayer, special care must be taken to prepare the paint. Stir or strain the paint to remove any lumps. Thin the paint carefully. Be sure there aren’t any lumps and the paint is not too thick. Thick paint will clog the gun. Thin paint will sag and run after it is sprayed. Follow the instructions on the can. Use the type and amount of thinner that is shown.

Before you begin, ask your paint dealer to show you how the sprayer works. He will be able to give you some useful pointers. Adjust the gun so that the width of the spray is the same size as the surface to be covered. A narrow spray is best for small surfaces. A wide spray should be used for things like walls or table tops.

Hold the spray gun about eight inches from the surface to be painted. Start to spray while the gun is slightly beyond the surface. This assures a smooth, even flow when you reach the area to be coated. Move the sprayer parallel to the surface. Move the sprayer evenly back and forth across the area. Spray the corners and edges first.

Cover everything close to the work with drop cloths or newspapers. The “bounceback” from the sprayer may spread several feet from the work surface. Be careful not to breathe in the paint dust. Use a mask if needed. When spraying, the tip of the spray gun may become clogged. Use a broom straw to clean it. Never use wire or a nail.