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The George Street Co-op, Inc. FALL ISSUE FREE Food for Thought What’s inside… Heavy Metal Brain How to Build Natural Immunity Against the Swine Flu The Perfect Fall Workout: A Few Simple Rules to Follow

Food For Thought Newsletter Fall Issue

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Page 1: Food For Thought Newsletter Fall Issue

The George Street Co-op, Inc.

F A L L I S S U E

FREE

Food for Thought

What’s

inside…

Heavy Metal Brain

How to Build

Natural Immunity Against the Swine

Flu

The Perfect Fall Workout: A

Few Simple Rules to Follow

Page 2: Food For Thought Newsletter Fall Issue

P A G E 2

Food for Thought is published monthly by The George

Street Co-op, Inc. It is a communications bulletin, as there can be no cooperation without communication. Opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect official policy of The George Street Co-op.

Newsletter Staff

Jasmine Burroughs

Dean Fredrickson Barbara Glasgow

Aleshia Rider

Editor, Layout /Artwork

Staff/ Back page layout Ad Manager

Assistant Editor

Advertising Rates (2 months)

Business card (3½″×2″ high) ¼ page (3½″×5″ high) ½ page (3½″×10″ high or 7½″×5″)

$30

$75

$150

Please submit ads to Barbara Glasgow: 732-422-0221 — [email protected]

Ad payments to Barbara Mastroianni:

732-247-8280 — [email protected]

Newsletter Contributions We appreciate short, non-political articles and letters of

700 words or fewer. Longer articles of importance will

be printed at the discretion of the editor. All letters and

articles may be edited for length and clarity. Email your

contributions to:

[email protected] deadline

is the 20th of each month.

Store Hours

Monday – Friday

Saturday

Sunday

10 AM – 8 PM

10 AM – 7 PM

10 AM – 6 PM

89 Morris Street, New Brunswick, NJ. N

732-247-8280

Page 3: Food For Thought Newsletter Fall Issue

Board of Directors

Joel Wattacheril President

Jamie Balancia Vice President

732-249-7509

Richard Menashe Treasurer/ Finance Chair

732-906-8866 [email protected]

Chad Hetman Secretary

732-485-6877 [email protected] Kathryn Holbrook Marilynn Winston

Committee Chair

908-202-3539 Membership Committee Chair

[email protected]

Joel Wattacheril Tech Committee member

214-734-8160 [email protected]

Other Committee Chairs

Norman Zboray Facilities Committee Chair 609-516-0186 r [email protected]

Joe DiFillippo Personnel, Meetings & Elections

732-220-0931 [email protected]

John Leary Tech Chair

Paid Staff

John Leary General Manager

Barbara Mastroianni Office Manager

Sean Gallagher

&Neal Treec Floor Managers

Bob Wright Produce/Bulk Closer

Arnette Phipps Closer

Volunteer Coordination Team Nora Devlin & John Leary

732-993-VOLC

[email protected]

Upcoming Events

Get Involved!! Come to our

Board Meetings!

The second Monday of each

month at the Co-op in our

upstairs meeting room.

We’re looking for a few good

candidates for the Co-op

board.

Would you like to:

Earn a 15% discount on

purchase?

Learn more about retail

cooperatives?

Do something for your

community owned busi-

ness?

If you would like to get in-

volved then contact John or

Marilynn.

Sat, Nov 9… 4:00 PM Member Orientation

Mon, Nov 11. . . 7:30PM . . . Board of Directors Meeting

Wed, Nov 20 . . . 6:30PM . . . Finance Committee Meeting

Sun, Nov 24 . . . 11:00 AM . . . Member orientation

Sat, Dec 7 . . . 4:00 PM . . . Member Orientation

Sun, Dec 8 . . . 7:30 PM . . . Board of Directors Meeting

Mon, Dec 9 . . . 4:00PM . . . Member orientation

.Mon, Dec 11 . 6:00 PM . . . Member Orientation

Page 4: Food For Thought Newsletter Fall Issue

Vision

Mission

The George

Street

Co-op is

creating a

place for

people

who value

healthy

food, a

healthy

planet,

and

P A G E 4

How to Build

Natural Immunity

Against the Swine

Flu

There are many natural remedies that will raise your immunity to the Swine Flu and other viral and bacterial diseases. Many peo-ple do not have immunity to the current strain of Swine Flu. This is not unusual be-cause most viruses alter as the virus season goes along. Most people will not become sick because the issue is not the virus but SUS-CEPTIBILITY. Viruses will not multiply in a healthy body. We constantly have Streptococcus in our throats, yet we rarely experience Strep Throat. The same is true of this Swine Flu and other viral strains. Exposure will lead to

disease only if the immune system is sup-pressed and if the vitality of the person is weakened. Do NOT suppress mucus. It is important to let the body discharge toxins. Most viruses become less aggressive over time because they want to spread and not to kill their hosts. If they kill their hosts, they die as well. The viruses that do survive --the ones in humans with strong immune systems-- become less virulent so that their hosts, us humans, go to work, shake hands and sneeze on others to continue to spread the virus.

Using herbs, homeopathy, and vitamins will

increase your health and reduce your suscepti-

bility.

DIGESTION Some say that the flu "begins in the gut and ends in the gut". This means that if you have good digestion, you will increase your re-sistance to this and other flu strains. Take a probiotic daily. Live probiotics are available in natural food stores, and probiotics are now more widely available in grocery stores, in yogurt culture and even in chocolate. HOMEOPATHY The homeopathic remedy Anas Barbariae is made from the liver of migrating geese. Be-cause they travel the world, they build im-munity to many viruses years before humans do. Be sure to get the 2009 version by check-ing the expiration date. It has been found that the remedy Ferrum phos is effective in treat-ing the early stages of the flu, when used in the first 24 hours. Also the remedy Influenzi-num can be taken as a prophylaxis. This rem-edy is made from the same disease strain as the CDC uses to make each season's flu vac-cine.

Continued on page 11

How to Build Natural Immunity Against the Swine Flu

Page 5: Food For Thought Newsletter Fall Issue

By Bonnie Camo MD

Lead poisoning is thought to have

led to the downfall of the Roman Em-

pire. The ancient Roman water pipes

were made of up to 99.3% lead, accord-

ing to Dr. K-G Wenzel in The Earth’s

Gift to Medicine. I actually saw the

remains of some of these lead pipes on

a recent visit to Pompeii, the Roman

city buried by the eruption of Vesuvius

in 79 AD. The upper classes also used

lead-containing glazes on their ceramic

drinking vessels. It seems probable that

lead was a factor in the rise and fall of

insane, murderous emperors like Nero

and Caligula.

Several decades ago, Dr. William Walsh, former head of the Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago, ana-lyzed hair samples from inmates in the California prison system. He found high levels of lead, a known neurotoxin, in all serial killers and mass murderers tested. Serial killers are generally con-sidered sociopaths, people who lack a conscience and empathy, and kill me-thodically and with premeditation. Mass murderers, on the other hand, seem normal until they suddenly snap under extreme stress, go temporarily insane and shoot everybody in a McDonald’s, or a school, for instance. Dr. Walsh found both types high in cadmium as well as lead, and low in zinc. The mass murderers also tended to have high copper. Walsh later went

on to found the Pfeiffer Treatment Center (PTC), named after my mentor, Dr. Carl Pfeiffer, with whom he collab-orated. The PTC tests and treats peo-ple for heavy metals, vitamin and min-eral deficiencies and other imbalances related to mental and physical illnesses.

Zinc deficiency is common in the general public in the US and in the Mid-dle East. Dr. Pfeiffer speculated that this could be a factor in the “warlike, violent nature” of these areas. Dr. Walsh was on the Phil Donohue televi-sion show many years ago, and was asked which was more important in producing violent behavior, heredity or environment. He answered that it was a combination of “a bad chemistry and a bad childhood”. It is interesting to note that the crime rate in the US went down sharply eighteen years after Roe versus Wade legalized abortion in 1973, according to Freakonomics, by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. Apparently many women who want an abortion realize that they do not have the emotional or financial re-sources necessary to raise a healthy child. Another reason for the decrease in crime may be the removal of lead from gasoline. According to the EPA, blood lead levels declined by 37% in association with a 50% drop in the use of leaded gasoline between 1976 and 1980. Low zinc is associated with anger, hostility and verbal abuse, according to The Crazy Makers, by Carol Simontac-chi, perhaps because low zinc allows lead and cadmium to rise. Many brain enzymes require zinc for activation. One of the main sources of cadmium toxicity is tobacco smoking. Cadmium is thought to contribute to emphysema. Smoking also depletes vitamin C, which is needed to help prevent cancer and, along with zinc, to help excretion of heavy metals.

Continued on page 6

“Low zinc is associ-ated with anger, hostility and verbal abuse.”

Heavy Metal Brain Damage

Page 6: Food For Thought Newsletter Fall Issue

Heavy Metal Brain continued

P A G E 6

Other sources of cadmium are refined foods, which have a low zinc to cadmium ratio, and old galvanized water pipes, made with zinc that was contaminated with cadmium. Newer water pipes made of copper seemed like a good sub-stitute, but copper levels can go too high, especially with acidic well water. Greenish-blue stains in the sink and tub are a warning sign of high copper levels. Copper, unlike lead and cadmium, is an essential mineral, but excessive amounts can lead to hypertension, depression, hyperactivity, headaches and other disorders. Many com-mercial multivitamins have too much copper. Chocolate is also quite high in copper. Two milligrams is considered the daily requirement, but this does not take into consideration the copper that is being absorbed from food and water.

The epidemic of autism appears to coincide with in-

creased vaccinations containing mercury, aluminum and

other toxic substances.

High levels of toxins and heavy metals in the environ-

ment, and a genetic inability to detoxify, contribute to

autism and other disorders affecting the brain, like atten-

tion deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), schizophre-

nia,and even sociopathy.

Page 7: Food For Thought Newsletter Fall Issue

P A G E 7

Sign up for our book club!! There is a book club in

progress!!

The first book up for

discussion: Eating An-

imals by Johnathan

Safran Foer.

The book makes a

compelling argument

for how imperative it

is ecologically and

socially to get away

from the factory meth-

ods of farming currently

used in nearly all of

America’s meat indus-

tries.

It’s an engaging read,

supported by facts, and

could challenge you on

the question, “what

should I eat today.”

It’s a fun read, and may

inspire some good peace-

ful conversations, which is

what we need on a hot

button topic like the con-

temporary food industry.

If you are interested

please contact me by

email:

[email protected]

New Members!! Welcome! Chrissy Morrison

Ana Bonillal-Martinez

Alexander Alli

Aditya Kabra

Rafael Cruz

Tina Burnat

Yonah Paley

Tabitha Clark

Tiffany Chang

Amanda Hartel

Zachary Subar

Aleshia Rider

Bryn Yeomans

Lauren Downs

Jessica Rizk

Takanari Hori

Licefery Torres

Viki Lek

Samantha Mitchell

Ila Merick

Ariel Lane

Markos Kantilierakis

Page 8: Food For Thought Newsletter Fall Issue

P A G E 8

By Barbara

Glasgow Membership Committee – Goals are facilitating member processes, increasing general membership and member labor, and keeping materials current. The Floor Managers now review and ap-prove all store worker hours at the end of each month and a current discount report is printed weekly. The Rolling-Membership referendum question was approved and the Tech Committee is helping to set up CiviCRM, which will be used to implement this system. The Membership Committee is also continu-ing to develop structure and uses for the upcoming message board upgrade, in-cluding the ability to conduct secure voting online. Online voting would greatly reduce the cost of holding refer-enda votes and potentially increase member participation in these votes. As of August 1, the Co-op had 180 mem-bers in good standing, which included 22 monthly workers, 46 weekly workers and 2 superworkers. 42 of those work-ing members logged 528.54 hours in July. And most importantly, the Mem-bership Committee is preparing for Sep-tember 1 renewals by creating a new, more user-friendly Membership Agree-ment form and communicating all re-newal information to the Co-op mem-bership. Facilities Committee – Their goal is to maintain the physical plant of the Co-op. Routine maintenance was completed and a new curtain was installed on the grab-and-go case to keep those foods fresh longer. They report that the base-ment is cooler due to the new water cooling system and the café is progress-ing. Future projects include continuing the never-ending work in the attic clean-up and repairing the storage refrigerator when the Co-op’s cash flow improves.

The committee is always hoping to in-crease their workforce and members can contact Richard Menashe (732-767-0720) to help. Outreach Committee – Goals are re-cruiting volunteers and organizing monthly and special events to promote awareness of, membership in, and sales at the Co-op; and updating Co-op litera-ture. The Outreach Committee has been preparing for the grand opening of the Café which will take place on September 21, 2013. Events are being planned for every weekend from that date forward. Ideas so far include classes on health, cooking, yoga and reiki, board games, club meetings, art exhibitions, and open mic and other music performances. New ideas for these weekend events are always welcomed – please contact John Leary. Finance Committee – This commit-tee’s goals include increasing revenue, promoting fundraising, and decreasing costs by identifying and reducing finan-cial waste. The Co-op’s taxes are now current and they are planning to com-plete a store inventory at the end of Au-gust. A committee member is working on an improved monthly system to re-view operations related to how much is sold to how many shoppers, and with monthly updates of inventory adjust-ments. They are pursuing the help of the Rutgers Business School to assist in the Co-op’s business operations and have implemented improved techniques for tracking produce waste and spoilage. Technology Committee – Goals in-clude implementing a Point of Sale (POS) system with integrated UPC scan-ning, inventory control and detailed

sales statistics reporting, maintaining the Co-op’s website, and increasing Co-op revenues by having online credit card approval processes. The Tech commit-tee’s current projects include the Point of Sale system, deployment of CiviCRM, developing the new message board, re-designing the network, and creating a backup/file repository. A future project will be to set up the café to receive cred-it card payments. Any members wishing to participate in these or other tech-related activities should contact Joel at [email protected].

Product Committee – The commit-tee’s goals are determining overpriced products with the intention of eliminat-ing high prices that turn off customers, minimizing product waste, increasing member participation in the Product Committee, and working to create a strategic product mix in the store. Com-mittee members are awaiting the com-pletion of the Point of Sale system to assess what products are the best fit for the store. In the interim, they are col-lecting information on the size of all products in the store to feed into the system. Also, they are serving coffee samples received from vendors to deter-mine if these would be good to carry in the store.

Personnel Committee – This commit-tee did not meet and has no current re-port. For future scheduled meetings please consult the Co-op’s calendar (online or in the store). To contact a committee chairperson, please see the inside cover of this newsletter.

Committee Corner

Page 9: Food For Thought Newsletter Fall Issue

If you think that just because summer is over, it’s time to pack on some winter padding…think again! Follow my fall workout tips to keep your summer body all year round.

Just because the weather is cooling down and you’re

wearing additional clothing doesn’t mean that you should

abandon your summer bikini body. Instead, keep your sum-

mer body with a fall workout! Exercise should be done year

-round because true health and fitness is achieved with a

consistent plan.

Give my fall workout a try to add some fitness to your colder days and nights. It’s great for toning your arms, core and legs. This fall workout routine is also great for building strength and burning calories.

It should take you about 30 minutes to complete and can be done in the comfort of your own home. If you don’t have enough time to complete the entire workout, just do a few moves or one set to fit exercise to your day.

What you’ll need:

A chair

A set of hand weights

A mat.

Pre workout warm up

It is important to prepare your body for exercise! Spend at least 10 minutes warming up your body with cardio exer-cise. For example, you can jog for 5 minutes, followed by jumping jacks or jump rope.

FALL WO RK OUT M OVE 1 : AR M A ND

S HO ULD ER CO MBI NA TIO N U SI NG

WE IG HT S

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart while holding weights down by your sides. Curl the weight up to work the bicep muscle; then rotate the wrist so palms are facing each other and press the weight overhead at shoulder height to effectively work the shoulder muscles.

Continued on page 10

The Perfect Fall Workout: A Few Simple Rules to Follow

Page 10: Food For Thought Newsletter Fall Issue

.

FALL WO RK OUT M OVE 2 : PLI E

S Q UAT WIT H ARM PULL

This move works the legs, glutes, inner thighs and trapezius muscles. Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart with toes pointed out. Hold the weights with palms facing the body. slowly lower into a squat as if you are slid-ing down a wall keeping your back straight. As you come up to standing, pull the weights toward your chest leading with your elbows and repeat.

FALL WO RK OUT M OVE 3 : C HAIR

D I P

This move works the triceps at the back of your arms. Sit in

the chair and place your hands on the chair next to

you. Place your feet out in front of you keeping your thighs

parallel to the floor. Lower out of the chair, and as you bend

your arms your elbows should go behind you, supporting

your body weight. Finish this move by pushing back up to

the starting position.

FALL WO RK OUT M OVE 4 : HA NDS

A ND K NEE S BALA NC E

This total body move works your abdominal core muscles, arms and legs. Get onto the floor on your hands and knees. Position yourself so that your wrists are directly underneath your shoulders and hips over the knees while keeping your back flat. Then lift up one leg behind you and also lift the opposite arm out in front of you. You can hold this pose or crunch bringing your knee to chest and elbow to knee. Once you’ve done one side, repeat on the other side.

FALL WO RK OUT M OVE 5 : C UR TSEY

L UNGE WIT H LEG LI FT

This move works your inner and outer thighs as well as your

glutes. Stand tall and place your hands on a chair for bal-

ance. Take a backward lunge step with your left leg, taking

your back foot just past the mid line of your body. The knee

on your front leg (right leg) should not pass the line of your

toe as you lower your body. Keep your core muscles tight

and

back straight. Return to standing, keeping a

flexed foot take your leg out to side.

FALL WORKOUT MOVE 6:

BRIDGE POSE WITH CHEST

PRESS

This move will work your chest muscles, core and glutes. Start by lying on your back practic-ing the bridge pose. Squeeze your glutes and raise your hips up off the floor to make a straight line from the shoulder to the knees. Once you are able to hold this position, you can add in the chest press. Hold weights palms facing forward and in line with your chest. Press the weights up, hold for a second, then return to the starting position.

Do 10-12 repetitions of each exercise in this fall workout and then try to repeat the exercises for three sets. I hope you enjoyed this fall workout routine. Remember that fitness is not just for the summer it’s for life!

Written by Samantha Clayton, AFAA, IS-

SA. Samantha is Director of Fitness Education at

Herbalife for DiscoverGoodNutrition.com

10 GEORGESTREETCOOP.COM/NEWSLETTER

Page 11: Food For Thought Newsletter Fall Issue

Page 13

LIFESTYLE ADVICE 1. Get Plenty of Sleep

To improve your resistance to any disease, the most im-

portant thing you can do is get enough rest. Your body

knows how to heal, and it does this best when sleeping. Get

adequate rest on a daily basis, and if you begin to feel fa-

tigue during a time of increased stress to your immune sys-

tem, take naps, get into bed earlier, relax and let your body

do what it does best: restore and rebuild.

2. Hydrate

Our bodies are 80% water. Drink plenty of water each day

to stay hydrated and to allow the body to flush toxins from

the blood and the liver. Drink pure water, not soda or juice,

for best results.

3. Exercise

Exercise increases your resistance to disease. It stimulates

the cleansing blood flow and increases your natural stress

reducing hormones. Exercise doesn't have to be strenuous

to be beneficial. Science has shown that walking daily is

good for your health and well being.

4. Spend time outdoors

The healing benefits of nature are yours and all you need to

do is step outside. The fresh air cleanses your lungs and the

vitamin D from sunshine is great for general health. Even

on a rainy day or at night, the fresh air is beneficial.

5. Exercise

Exposure to nature and the great out-

doors helps healthy emotions.

HERBS TO BUILD PROTECTION

AND NATURAL IMMUNITY

1.Echinaea--Echinacea is best taken in

advance of getting sick.

2.Olive Leaf

3.Elderberries

4 Adaptogens

Adaptogens are plants that have the

ability to resist chemical and biologi-

cal stressors and to pass that ability on

to humans. Eleutherococcus research

has shown a 30% to 50% decrease in

influenza in Russian workers. Shisan-

dra has long been used in Chinese

medicine to improve immune function through its healing

action on the liver. In recent research, Shisandra proved

curative to the viral hepatitis. Codonopsis is another adap-

togen used in Chinese herbal medicine. It increases the red

and white blood cell counts and strengthens the immune

system.

VITAMINS 1. Vitamin A is one of the main components of the skin. To

strengthen the skin's protective ability, take vitamin A dai-

ly. Vitamin A also increases the white blood cells that fight

disease.

2. Vitamin C --Research has shown that vitamin C im-

proves resistance to disease and prevents flu symptoms

when 1,000 mg doses are taken every six hours.

3. NAC is an amino acid that has been shown to raise im-

munity to the flu in clinical trials.

4.Probiotics. Healthy flora in the gut supports immune

function.

By improving your lifestyle, your diet, and supplementing

with natural herbs, homeopathy, and vitamins, you can im-

prove your immune system and your overall vitality.

Seek medical help if symptoms persist of if you develop a

high fever.

*Article written by Melanie Grimes for Natural News.com

Page 12: Food For Thought Newsletter Fall Issue
Page 13: Food For Thought Newsletter Fall Issue

How to avoid organic cosmetics fraud

The word "organic" is not properly regulated on personal care products (example: toothpaste, shampoo, lotion, etc.) as it is on food products, unless the product is certified by the USDA National Organic Program.

Due to this lax regula-tion, many personal care products have the word "organic" in their brand name or otherwise on their product label, but, unless they are USDA certified, the main cleans-

ing ingredients and preservatives are usually made with syn-thetic and petrochemical compounds.

Look for the USDA organic seal on personal care products that claim to be organic. Although there are multiple "organic" and "natural" standards, each with its own varying criteria, the USDA Organic Standards are the "gold standard" for personal care products.

If you want a product that is totally organic, look for the USDA organic seal. If it doesn't have the seal, read the ingre-dient label to find out how many ingredients are truly organic and how many are synthetic.

*Article written for organicconsumers.org

Page 13

We want to hear from you!

If you have comments, suggestions, or contributions, please contact us:

[email protected]

Page 14: Food For Thought Newsletter Fall Issue

By Morris Kafka

Continuing on the earlier subject it is important to

plan in advance if you dream of buying a home. En-

suring you have adequate down payment funds saved,

good credit and that you understand the obligations

and burdens of homeownership as well as how to

choose the most suitable home and location are all im-

portant aspects of this goal.

Let us look more at the financing. Most of us can’t

afford a home without a loan. Long in advance of

purchase it is necessary to understand the kinds of

loans available and know how to compare the offer-

ings. Establish a bank account and a good relation-

ship with a trusted credit union or local bank. These

local institutions sometimes keep their loans ‘in

house’ meaning that they can make decisions on a lo-

cal level for known customers and this can be benefi-

cial. Large corporate banks tend to work best with

‘cookie cutter’ loan applications such as someone with

a stable job with a reliable paycheck buying an ordi-

nary home, a home that is easy to get a good appraisal

on and is in very good condition. If you are self em-

ployed or are buying a unique or damaged property

expect more difficulty in getting a loan. Be prepared

in advance, create a realistic monthly budget and do

what you can to limit your expenses so that you can

put funds away for the future. The more you can save

up the better position you will be in when it comes

time to buy. This is hard to do for many of us so seek

expert advice if necessary.

In general because of the way the credit

agencies rate your creditworthiness it is good to have a

couple of credit cards or charge cards and to use them

regularly, but not excessively and to always pay the

minimum or more on time every time. Remember that

credit inquiries can negatively impact your credit

score so do not apply for other types of loans or credit

unless they are very necessary. Do not build up a

balance and if you have one figure out how to pay it

down. That is a complete topic of its’ own but re-

member to pay your student loans, car loans or any-

thing else on time and think carefully before each pur-

chase. Don’t buy frivolous items or items that are

costly without careful consideration. Think every sin-

gle time before you use a credit card. Be ruthless with

your income, how much can you put in the bank from

each check you get?

More Thoughts on Homebuying

Page 15: Food For Thought Newsletter Fall Issue

Do you really need that extra luxury item now or can you enjoy life without it so that you have some savings for the future. Aim at having 20% of what your desired home will cost in your savings account.

Shop carefully for your mortgage. Do you qualify for a first time home buyer (FHA) or a Veteran’s Ad-ministration (VA) loan? Ask financial institutions you know and trust what their rates are, noting that a 15 year loan will have a lower rate than a 30 year loan and that there are fixed rate and adjustable rate loans. Fig-ure out the price range of a home you can afford, fac-toring in property tax and estimated homeowner’s in-surance costs. If you buy a condo or apartment there will be association fees – find out what these are and how often they go up and if they anticipate any capital expense that will raise them. Estimate utility costs and repair costs. While it is impossible to know these in advance speak to people you know who own similar homes, as your real estate agent and ask the sellers to try to get an idea. Understand realistic total monthly costs for homeownership before making an offer to be most certain know you can afford it. Let the buyer beware! Ultimately if it is in your plans to own a home I’d say the time to buy is when you are ready and the opportunity arises for the right home at an affordable price. The best one can do is keep in-formed and watch the loan market and the market in your target locale and make your best call on it. Know in advance what type of neighborhood, what size home and what size lot you feel you need and what kind of features are essential. This way when a house that is suitable shows up you will be best prepared. A future article will look at how to evaluate the structure of a home and another article will be for those who rent as to how to try to discern the best rental options.

House and domestic questions? Visit and ask at my blog at http://oldhouseresource.wordpress.com/

RECEPIE: Wake and Shake

Level:

Easy

Servings:

1

Cook

Time: 05

min

Ready

Time: 05

min

Ingredients: 11/2cups coconut

water

3 stalks kale, large stems re-

moved

Leaves from 2 small sprigs

fresh mint

1/2 frozen banana

1/2 frozen pear

Preparation: Put all ingredients

in a high-speed blender and

blend until smooth.

Photo courtesy of infinitygreens.com

*Article courtesy of Veria.com

P A G E 1 5

Page 16: Food For Thought Newsletter Fall Issue