The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Many Americans think the threat of covid-19 will continue for months, survey shows

Most Americans are still concerned about the spread of covid-19 in their communities – and they expect the pandemic to continue to be a concern into 2021, according to a survey from Consumer Reports, a consumer research, testing, and advocacy organization.

A majority of Americans – 78 percent – remain concerned about the continued spread of covid in their area over the next month, including 44 percent who are “very concerned.”

The number of people who have been “very concerned” about covid rose mid-summer as the number of covid cases across the United States spiked. Forty-one percent of adults were “very concerned” about the pandemic in May and June. The figure rose to 53 percent who were “very concerned” in July, and then dropped to 44 percent in August.

Check out my podcast interview on ‘Safest Family on the Block’ today at 2 p.m. PT

I’ll be the guest of Jason Brick on his new podcast, Safest Family on the Block, today at 2 p.m. PT. You can see the podcast on YouTube. Click here to see the interview.

Brick is a martial arts practitioner and journalist. As a father, he’s a staunch advocate of a safe home and that’s why he created Safest Family on the Block.

Over two decades as a consumer journalist, I’ve written many times about safety in the home, including child safety. On Tuesday, we’ll be discussing toddlers and why it’s important for parents of toddlers to be informed about consumer and product safety.

Places to travel for Labor Day 2020? As close to home as possible

Miami, Orlando, New York City, Las Vegas, Chicago, Seattle, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Denver, San Francisco.

These are cities that have been on the top of my lists for Labor Day travel in past years. But not this year.

It’s a pandemic. This year’s recommendation is stay close to home, limit non-essential travel, and have a backup plan if your location is already crowded. Only 10 percent of people plan to travel on Labor Day.

Stop using lawn darts made by Crown Darts UK and dispose of them, the company and CPSC warn

Lawn darts are banned in the United States due to serious risks of skull punctures and other serious injuries, especially to children.

About 19,400 darts made by Crown Darts UK were sold in the United States and about 4,048 in Canada.

No incidents or injuries have been reported.

Estate Planning 3-2-1 – Part 3: One task that can make – or break – your estate plan

By Lauren A. Pitman, Attorney

Founder and Author of the Side by Side Planner

Imagine this: a person goes through the trouble of hiring an attorney, making an estate plan, and keeping the plan accessible to their loved ones in an emergency. Then, their loved ones discover a glitch. The deceased’s life insurance policy is payable-on-death to only one of the three children, as it was created many years ago when the family only had one child.

Now, it‘s up to that child to decide: was this my loved one’s true wish for this money, or do I have to share it? What happens now?

Estate Planning 3-2-1, Part 2: Two ways to ease family tension by personalizing your estate plan

By Lauren A. Pitman, Attorney

Founder and Author of the Side by Side Planner

If I have learned anything in more than 15 years as an estate planning attorney, it’s that there’s really no such thing as a “normal family.” That’s because every family is beautiful, whether your “family” is your children and grandchildren, beloved nieces and nephews, or a network of close friends.

That’s why online estate planning tools don’t work: they aren’t customizable enough to work for a real-life family. Real families are too important to risk. I have seen too many sibling relationships fall apart after the death of a parent over what’s “fair.” In extreme cases, contests or disputes lead to permanent family fall-out.

A good estate plan can do more than just preserve relationships: it can even heal old wounds or set things right within a family. Only you know what you think is fair for your beneficiaries.

Estate Planning 3-2-1 – Part 1: Three key lists to keep with your estate plan

By Lauren A. Pitman, Attorney

Founder and Author of the Side by Side Planner

An estate plan is meant to make life easier for the people you love. You make it for yourself – so you maintain control over your medical decisions and the way your assets are distributed, to protect the legacy you’ve built – but really, it’s about the people you love.

It’s about lightening the load for them. If something happened to you, like an accident or injury, your loved ones would already be under a great deal of stress. The last thing they want to worry about is bureaucracy and paperwork.

That‘s where an estate plan comes in. You have done the work ahead of time, so your loved ones can focus on what is important: taking care of you and each other.

Baby boomers venturing out some into the new pandemic world

These days, I’m still not going out much. I pick up groceries from my local food coop weekly and order everything else.

However, we’re having socially distance, outdoor events to celebrate the ratification of the 19^th Amendment, which guaranteed women the right to vote. It was ratified 100 years ago on Aug. 18, 1920, when Tennessee became the 36^th state to approve votes for women. I’m photographing the events, four so far with the fifth and sixth, the final ones, tomorrow.

Meanwhile, boomer bloggers are writing about what’s happening in their lives these days:

Safest Family on the Block: I'll be featured on Tuesday podcast

I’ll be a guest on the podcast Tuesday at 3 p.m. PT. We’ll be discussing consumer and product safety. Over two decades as a consumer journalist, I’ve written many times about safety in the home, including child safety.

On the safety podcast, we’ll be discussing toddler injuries and deaths from accidental poisonings, furniture and TV tip overs, swimming and other water accidents, window covering cord entrapments, strollers, toys, hot cars, and more.

35 tips for reducing your food costs

Like many people these days, you're probably feeling the pinch of tough economic times.

If you're looking for ways to reduce your food costs, here are 35 suggestions:

1. Go through your checkbook and credit cards to see how much you've spent in the last one to three months on food eaten at home and in restaurants. Check the "USDA Food Plans: Cost of Food" and determine the level of spending you'd like to reach. Four food plans are discussed: thrifty, low-cost, moderate-cost, and liberal. The amounts are for food eaten at home only.
2. Set up a meeting with members of the household to determine what changes can be made and who will do what jobs.
3. Plan menus for a week. Making menus means there will be less food wasted and shopping trips can be reduced.
4. Use a shopping list based on the menus when buying groceries.
5. Compare prices among stores using weekly ads.
6. Compare serving prices among brands in the store.
7. Find ways to reduce or stretch the amount of meat served. Eating more beans, lentils, and rice is one way to do this. Serve salads as a main dish to make meat, chicken, and fish go further. Serve omelets loaded with vegetables as a main dish.
8. Cook from scratch more. Use less processed food.
9. Buy store brands rather than more costly brand names.
10. Check out buying in bulk. Food co-ops and some grocery and health food stores offer bulk items. The savings are astounding on spices.
11. Eat out less often. Look for buy-one-entree-get-one-free coupons for restaurants. Be sure to read the details on the coupon. See my article "Read the Fine Print, Even on a Coupon." One survey indicated people eat out 1.9 times a week.
12. Buy the largest containers or packages of food that you can use before it spoils. Large items generally cost less per serving than smaller ones. Be sure to compare the per serving costs.
13. Buy fruits and vegetables in season. See if you can find a farmers' market with good prices or check to see if farms in your area sell directly to consumers. Try u-pick opportunities and freeze the fruits and vegetables. I love to u-pick raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries.
14. Try thrifty food recipes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
15. Make your own master-mix for items such as pancakes and biscuits.
16. Try collecting coupons to see if you can find any that will help you save money. Many coupons are for brand name food and using them may be more expensive than buying the store brand. Keep coupons in your car.
17. Cook more of a main dish and eat leftovers for lunch or freeze the remaining amount for a dinner next week.
18. Take a class in cooking vegetables with herbs to bring new, exciting variety to your meals.
19. Grow a vegetable or herb garden. If you don't have a yard, try container gardening or a community garden.
20. Invite friends to share in a cooking party. Make meals you can freeze to use later in the week.
21. Don't shop when you're hungry, or take children with you to the store.
22. Invite friends for a potluck rather than an expensive dinner party.
23. Compare prices for organic food so you can begin or continue to eat it. See Rebecca Blood's blog, Rebecca's Pocket, to learn how she lived on the amount of money food stamp recipients receive using organic food.
24. Serve smaller portions.
25. Eat less food.
26. Cut out sweets and chips.
27. Make your own salad dressings.
28. Try tofu. It doesn't have much flavor so mix it with beans, lentils, rice, sauces, or herbs and spices. See the allrecipies for "Vegetarian Tofu Main Dish Recipes."
29. Cut alcohol consumption.
30. Avoid fast food and junk food.
31. Cook oatmeal, corn meal, and rice cereal you buy in bulk instead of eating more expensive, processed dry cereals.
32. Figure out an alternative to drinking bottled water. Research how much it would cost to filter water in your home, or buy distilled water at a food co-op or store.
33. Make your meals attractive. Serve foods with different textures and colors.
34. Pack lunches rather than eating out.
35. Review "Dietary Guidelines for Americans" to make sure you're meeting nutritional needs with your new, cost-cutting plans.

Copyright 2020, Rita R. Robison, Consumer and Personal Finance Journalist