Newspaper Page Text
4A
♦ WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 2008
OPINION
Relieving the family budget
The cost of living has increased.
Perhaps you’ve noticed. /
I have five kids. That means
when you include my wife and I there
are seven mouths to feed and bod
ies to transport. Therefore, expenses,
particularly tied to gas and groceries,
are putting a significant dent in our
household budget. Maybe you’re feel
ing it too.
A recent survey of Americans who
drive to work found that Pearly half
have given up other expenses to afford
gas. Around a third of them are eat
ing out less, spending fess on enter
tainment and buying fewer expensive
groceries. Others are cutting back on
vacations, clothes, and even social
events where a gift is expected.
So what can we do about it?
Well, we could reduce our depen
dence on foreign oil and take advan
tage of the vast reserves we have here
in our own country, but that will take
time - and another column. The ques
tion is what we can do while we wait
for the economy to turn around and
our government leaders to get a clue.
Families are feeling the pinch and
looking for ways to reduce costs. Below
are just a few money-saving sugges
tions you may find useful. If nothing
else, suggestions like these are helpful
for getting us to think a little differ
ently about our spending habits.
Saving on Groceries
This is going to sound simplistic
and even perhaps a bit cliched but use
coupons whenever you can. It’s amaz
ing what you can find when you spend
time intentionally looking for money
saving coupons. Check the paper, the
Internet and the mailbox.
It takes some time, but the savings
are worth it. But don’t buy something
just because you have a coupon. Only
use it for things you need use or would
purchase anyway.
Shop with a list (and stick to it). If
you don’t have a clear idea about what
you’re going to get, chances are you’ll
“Let's hope the winners don't turn out to be losers!"
Elections, watermelon rind pickles
Hey, y’all
I reckon by the time ya’ll
read this everbody’ll know
who done won all the elections, so
congrachurlashions to them whichever
they are.
Me and the boys alius like hangin’
roun’ the board of elections on election
night an’ watchin’ ‘them numbers git
taped up on the wall, so we know how
it’s goin’ an’ can run aroun’ tellin’
everbody ‘for the paper comes out.
‘Course they’s a sad side to it, too,
cause can’t but one win in each race,
and most of 'em done worked real hard
and spent a buncha money and got a
buncha friends helpin’.
Way I see it, though, they all done
us a favor by runnin’ cause thas the
way this country was set up to be, with
choices, and if nobody runs but the
ones that’s prolly gone win or the ones
what’s already in there, they ain’t no
choices.
Plus it keeps everbody on they toes.
Me and the boys got some good news
for the economy.
We got a copy of a recipe for water
melon rind pickle that was laying
‘round the newspaper office waitin’
to be typed up, and we still got water
melons left from our Fourth of July
watermelon smashin’ out at the spec
buildin’, so we gon’ go into bidness at
Randy
Hicks
Columnist
Georgia Family Council
spend too much. Impulse buying can
add up quickly. Planning a weekly
menu can also help so that your gro
cery list will be complete. One source
even recommended shopping without
your kids, if possible, to avoid purchas
ing things they nag you to get.
Have a budget. It helps. to know
exactly how much you can spend before
you walk into the store. If you don’t,
it’s likely you’ll spend too much.
Shop online. This was news to me,
but you can purchase thousand of gro
cery items on the Internet. Apparently,
websites like Amazon.com sell grocer
ies at really good prices. And many
websites offer coupon or promotional
codes that can also save money.
Don’t shop hungry. Have you ever
noticed how much more appealing food
in the grocery store looks when you
haven’t eaten in awhile? Shopping
hungry may result in purchasing those
extra meatballs and double fudge cook
ies.
Avoid one item trips. Inevitably
when you run to the store to get that
one item, chances are you’ll walk out
with three more. Plus, you’re wasting
gas, which leads us to our next list of
suggestions.
Savings on Gas
Check your car. Little things like the
inflation of your tires, unnecessary
weight in the trunk, open windows or
bike and luggage racks can create extra
weight or drag that can reduce your
car’s fuel efficiency.,
Also, the wrong grade of motor oil
or a dirty air filter can reduce your
vehicle’s performance.
Porky's
Ponderings
porky@evansnewspapers.com
the spec buildin’.
Firs’ we got us a lawyer, and we
gon’ go ahead an’ file papers sayin’ we
got squatters rights, an’ we then we
gon’ produce watermelon rind pickles,
an’ maybe pickled peach pickles and
pickled hot peppers, too, an’ have us
a whole buncha signs out on 1-75 like
B-Loyds useta have, or maybe like that
South of the Border place we done
heard about.
Aunt Porky Lou is gon’ be the top
cook and she’s already train’ them
possums an’ armadillos, the lady ones
a course, cause us of the other gender
ain’t gon’ be caught doin no cookin’.
We gon’ be in charge of policy, an’
quality control an’ marketin’ and that
kinda stuff.
Plus Aunt Porky Lou already said
she wouldn’t do it lest we stayed outa
the cookin’ part.
We gon’ call it the Practically Perfect
Perry Pickle Place.
Reduce trips. Combining several
errands into one trip can save mile
age, especially if a number of stops are
close and within walking distance. It
may even be useful to map out a multi
errand trip in order to determine the
most cost efficient route.
The Internet allows you to elimi
nate some trips altogether by banking
online or purchasing groceries, stamps
or other items that can be sent right to
your home.
Carpool. Share the cost of driving to
work by finding coworkers nearby who
make the same commute. Also, if you
drive your kids to school, find families
nearby who also do so and share the
trip.
Saving on Fun
Saving money can extend to the fun
things we do with our family as well.
We don’t have to spend a lot to have
quality time together.
Find cheap local fun. Check the
paper for free concerts, festivals or
other events. These can be a great
way to spend an afternoon or eve
ning. Many museums are free or offer
reduced admission on a certain ddy of
the week.
Go to the park. Local or state parks
can offer great fun for the family and
may have some kind of recreational
programs. Check online to see about
any special events they may be holding
there.
After all, your tax dollars are prob
ably helping to pay for it anyway.
Stay home. That’s right, pull out the
board games, puzzles or head to the
back yard for ball or a treasure hunt.
Having fun with the family can be
as simple as making use of what you
already have (and have already paid
for). Instead of plunking down tons of
money at the theatre, rent a movie and
pop some popcorn for a movie night at
home.
These money-saving ideas and
many others show us that there are
See HICKS, page
Right now we gotta fine enough glass
jars, which is takin’ some time for roo
tin’ through trash an’ we only had 37
last count.
Y’all could help by just puttin’ the
glass jars down on the groun’ by your
garbage cans so we don’t haveta climb
inside to fine em. We’d preciate y’all
washin’ ‘em out to, which ain’t too
much to ask, seein’ as how this is gone
build up the economy.
Qncet we get it goin’ good, we prolly
gone hire some of y’all.
Piggette’s already runnin’ ‘roun’
tryin’ to stir things up and get a ordi
nance cause we ain’t got no hedges
out front an’ sayin’ all that vinegar in
the air is gon’ cause allergies, but we
sayin’ ‘least we doin’ sumpn, an’ any
body got a better idea they oughta step
up afore we have our ribbon cuttin’
I hope y’all know it’s Dog Days now,
which means all them dogs out there
has got a attitude cause they hot, an’
all they gon’ do for the next three-four
weeks is lay around with they tongues
hangin’ out. Some of ‘em don’t even
bother to bark.
Us hogs alius make the most of it
cause ain’t nobody guardin’ the gar
dens an we can get us plenty of maters
es.
"One voice can make a difference"
Proud of all those who ran
Sometimes you can watch a ballgame and
come away thinking it was a shame either team
lost.
It’s typically a statement reserved only for the
best contests we’ve seen; marathons, teams that
are so closely matched they battle from wire-to
wire, all the while holding use glued to the affair.
Warner Robins American Little League’s world
title was like that.
This year's political race was too. Face it, we
had some really, really good candidates out there
this year. County commission. Perry City Council.
The race for sheriff was a sight to behold.
And all the candidates fought hard, wire-to
wire. All of those advertisements among these
and other newspaper pages - and radio ... and
TV - that helped us put food on the table for our
families was one form of proof. Not to mention
all those signs posted everywhere. But even
further, they were out there on the streets, walk
ing and talking, waving their banners despite the
heat, and even in some cases getting drenched
from one of our infamous evening thundershow
ers. But they listened. And they learned about
the issues you have on your mind, about you in
general.
It made them better candidates. (And for those
who won, please know that as good stewards of
the community we have to hold you accountable
for each and every word you vowed.)
Jerry Vincent had the opportunity - and took
advantage of it - to be a Good Samaritan. While
he was out campaigning, he came across a man
who had been the victim of a hit-and-run. He
promptly helped the man out of the road and then
after making sure he was OK, called 911.
These are the sort of candidates we cast our
votes for.
Yes, somebody had to lose. That’s just the way
it is - in baseball and in politics.
But just like that marathon that goes extra, extra
innings and is a seesaw affair from start to finish,
it’s OK to be proud of both teams.
And that is the message we would offer to all
of the candidates who ran proud and went the
distance for this 2008 election year.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Why roads instead of sirens?
Why has it taken so long for our county commis
sioners to alert us of the need for a siren warning
system for tornadoes, etc? Instead of using our current
SPLOST to pave the whole county with asphalt, why
couldn’t we have a siren system in place by now? The big
storm was in 1953 - 55 years ago. It all'sounds like crisis
management to me.
(Also) will the new Centerville branch library have
expanded hours or will all our libraries still be closed on
Sundays and holidays when patrons need to use them?
- Frank W. Gadbois, Warner Robins
What ‘right’ to vote?
In the Saturday, July 12 edition of the HHJ, a writer of a
political endorsement referred to the individual right to
vote granted to you in the constitution. There is none. The
United States is one of 11 nations in the world that doesn't
provide an explicit right to vote in its constitution.
Amendments 15, 19 and 26 provide for non discrimina
tion in voting on the basis of race, sex and age.
For more info, Google “Right To Vote”, then go to the
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. web page.
- L.C. Rooks, Warner Robins
y&on&ton pJnme 3)aurmti
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