Sounds Good

Reduce your 'cookprint' and money worries
Maybe we all ought to get a copy of “Grace on the Go” with our income tax returns. Barbara Bartocci’s little book in the series is “Powerful Prayers to Ease Money Worries.” Who doesn’t need that these days?
I love that she appeals to the notion that a cluttered house makes cluttered thoughts. I’m the neat one. I’m alone on this.
Here’s a sample of the kind of quick, commonsense prayers in this book:

The Fulfillment Prayer
“Just enough” is a fearless place.
A trusting place.
The place where I pray to stop.
Save me from excess and clutter, Lord.
Give me the grace to feel complete
When I have “just enough.”

Reduce your cookprint
Author Kate Heyhoe brings those green produce bags to the store so she can avoid wasting the store’s bags and start her produce on the road to freshness before she checks out. She packs lunches in repurposed plastic contaners with cloth napkins and likes to stir fry to conserve power.
I’m happy I already practice some ideas in the book. There’s a lot to learn about the most efficient appliances. She even includes recipes such as Tea-Infused Eggplant Salad.
• Store bulk grains, sugar, etc. in glss jars or used plastic containers.
• If you buy peanut butter in bulk from the store, bring your own container.
• With the same pot of boiling water you can blanch vegetables for the week, boil pasta, mellow garlic cloves, etc.
• Use “passive cooking,” as in turning off the heat before the designated time and leat the reserve heat finish the job.
• Use ice packs to take up vacant freezer space so the motor won’t have to work so hard.
• Eat lower on the food chain.


Sniff, sniff
You can cry from the sentiment, or from the allergic reaction to fresh flowers. Pop Flower Shop has it under control with some creative artificials bound to make mothers smile on Mother’s Day. Some pop out of a bottle, there are DIY kits for the family and a bucket of swirly, flat, plastic poseys in a cheerful bucket on my desk. Visit www.popflowershop.com for floral fun.

Smart saving
Do you really need all the sugary drinks in your shopping cart?
Wouldn’t a wedding dress your grandmother sewed be more treasured than an expensive showpiece?
Friends can have as much fun at a potluck backyard party as they would on an expensive night out.
Authors of “The Smartest Way to Save: Why You Can’t Hang on to Money and What to Do About it” just want you to think about things like that.
Samuel K. Freshman and Heidi E. Clingen have loads of tips, like these:
• Daily choices add up.
• Pay yourself first.
• Never take a risk or purchase an item you cannot afford.

Prom hair
Some things really do work as good as they do on TV. EZ Combs is stretchy beaded strands attached by two combs that with a tiny bit of tugging can give you a look that will take you from the market to prom. I love that it works on my thick hair. Ladies, if you don’t have this problem, you have no idea how lucky you are.
The silver one puts me in mind of a quinceanera tiara. Cute and fun. The suggested retail price is $9.99; look for EZ Combs at WalMart, CVS, Target and Bed Bath & Beyond. Visit www.EZCombs.com for directions.