January 2025

November 21, 2024 by taylor.4411

As the holiday season approaches, it’s a great time to share gifts with your loved ones. If you’re considering giving the gift of food, there are many options, including subscription boxes, home-delivered groceries, and homemade treats. However, when sending food gifts, it’s important to prioritize food safety to keep your loved ones safe.

The most crucial step when giving food as a gift is to communicate with the recipient.

• Ask about any food allergies or aversions they may have.
• Find out if they will be home when the food is delivered so they can refrigerate it promptly. Perishable items or cooked meals can cause food poisoning if left out for more than 2 hours. Bacteria that lead to food borne illnesses multiply rapidly when food is in the “danger zone,” which is between 40°F (4°C) and 140°F (60°C).
• Let them know how the food should arrive. Perishable items should arrive frozen, partially frozen with visible ice crystals, or at least at refrigerator temperature (40°F (4°C) or below when measured with a food thermometer). If the food arrives above 40°F (4°C), it should be discarded.
• Ensure they understand how to store the food. All perishable items should be placed in the refrigerator or freezer as soon as possible.
• Consider providing safety tips for preparing and cooking the food, as well as advice on storing leftovers.

When gifting homemade canned goods, it’s essential to follow proper guidelines. Adhere to Cottage Food laws when gifting home-canned items. A Cottage Food Operation refers to a person producing non-hazardous food items in their home, such as baked goods, jams, jellies, and fruit butter. Home-canned foods are items that someone has canned for their family’s consumption. It is not advisable to share foods that do not appear on the Cottage Food list. Home-canned foods can carry risks, such as botulism, a severe illness caused by a toxin produced in improperly canned items.

There are many non-perishable food items that are a great option for gifts. Below are some low-risk food gift ideas and recipes you may want to try.

As the holiday season approaches, gifting food can be a delightful option, but it’s important to prioritize food safety. Make sure to follow the tips above to keep your family and friends safe this holiday season.

Author: Megan Taylor, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences/4-H Youth Development, Union County

Reviewer: Jennifer Little, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Hancock County

References:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). About botulism. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/botulism/about/index.html

Gifts From the Kitchen – Cooperative Extension: Food & Health – University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Cooperative Extension: Food & Health. (2024, November 6). https://extension.umaine.edu/food-health/recipes/gifts-from-the-kitchen/

Cottage Foods. Ohio Department of Agriculture. (n.d.). https://agri.ohio.gov/divisions/food-safety/resources/cottage-food

Holiday Tips for Food Gifts. FoodSafety.gov. (2023, September 21). https://www.foodsafety.gov/blog/holiday-tips-food-gifts

August 29, 2022 by jenkins188

With lifestyles constantly changing we need new opportunities for managing our well-being. Lifestyle Education is an on-going need for all family members. Everyday we hear how our health and wellness is under “attack”. We question the information being presented by and through the worldwide economic markets. America prides itself and supports research-based educational institutions. American History supports this fact by our legislative branch of government passing the Morrill Act of 1862 in which land was set a side to establish “land-grant colleges and universities” ; and in 1914, passing the Smith-Lever Act that established the Cooperative Extension Service in Agriculture and Home Economics.

What does this mean to Americans today – 108 years later? The demand for Continuing Lifestyle Education is higher today then in 1914. The Ohio State University Family & Consumer Sciences Extension Educators have stepped up to address the demand by offering Virtual Dining with Diabetes, a Lifestyle Education opportunity.

Registration: go.osu.edu/dwdfallseries2022

Written by:  Margaret Jenkins, OSU Extension Assistant Professor, Clermont County [email protected]

Reviewed by: Beth Stefura, OSU Extension Educator, Mahoning County. [email protected]

References:

Jones, Jo M. and Spiegel, Marilyn. Memories and Milestones of OSU Extension 1905-2013. Columbus, OH: The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, 2013.

Remley, Daniel and Leadership Team. National Extension Dining with Diabetes Working Group. Housed at Ohio State University Extension in College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, https://fcs.osu.edu/programs/nutrition/dining-diabetes. 2022.

Boschetto, Lacee R. and Williams, Amber S. Enriching an FCS Teacher Education Program with a Non-Formal Educational Emphasis. Proc. of American Association Family & Consumer Sciences Annual Meeting, Orlando, 2022.

April 1, 2022 by jenkins188

Let’s focus on Financial Wellness for a minute! 

Are you one of the almost three in four Americans surveyed recently by the American Psychological Association who said they are experiencing financial stress? Financial stress can affect people physically, emotionally, and psychologically and result in unhealthy coping behaviors.

Financial wellbeing includes being fully aware of your financial state and budget and managing your money to achieve realistic goals. When you analyze, plan well, and take control of your spending, you can make significant changes in how you save, and ultimately how you feel resulting in living a more hopeful life. 

Ohio State University Extension designed an Accounting for Your Money Hope Chest to “help people help themselves” as we work to achieve financial wellness during this time of rapid social and economic change. Managing and controlling our spending and saving is needed to build hope and manage emergent financial stress.

The purpose of the Hope Chest is for individuals and families to –

• Prioritize spending by separating needs from wants
• Identify realistic/SMART goals
• Gather current financial spending and saving information
• Locate emergency resources
• Analyze their current budget
• Develop a “new” Accounting for Your Money calendar
• Take control of spending resulting in more saving for family goals

Work through the steps of the Accounting for Your Money Hope Chest with your family members and/or co-spenders as you and your family adjust to changing basic needs and wants. Determine how to best spend your money during this period of rapid social and economic change. Your family will be empowered to meet the new challenges brought about by the change, reducing financial emergencies and easing future financial stress.

Written by Margaret Jenkins, Assistant Professor, Family and Consumer Sciences, OSU Extension Clermont County

Reviewed by Nannette L. Neal, Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, OSU Extension Clermont County

Sources: 

May 18, 2023 by jenkins188

Copyright Haven Life

I am reminded of the challenges families face as we pay our monthly costs for living today. During the first week of every month, I go through the process of paying for regular fixed monthly expenses. Fixed expenses have a specific due date with an amount set by signing a contractual agreement such as rent/mortgage, a student loan, internet, cellphone, or car payment.  Other types of regular expenses may have a variable amount due each month based on monthly purchases or usage rate such a credit cards and utilities.  We receive paper or electronic statements monthly to advise us of payments due. Other spending categories that are fixed with variable costs are food, gasoline, clothing, personal care, and health expenses.  Paying bills today seems to take more time and energy than before the pandemic. Director Chopra at the April 2023 Financial Literacy and Education Commission meeting stated the pandemic turbocharged a transition to banking and digital payments. These changes include:

• An uptick in trading individual stocks and crypto assets
• A marked increase in the number of banked individuals, as illustrated through a recent FDIC Ohio survey
• A jump in consumer reliance on digital payments platforms.
• The pandemic, Economic Impact Payments and social changes propel banks to increase Junk Fees
• Further adoption and increased use of apps like Google Pay, Apple Pay, Venmo, and Cash App.

These banking transitions have increased risk and added additional time and effort to paying our bills.  We are constantly challenged to navigate the sea of emergent digital products and services being marketed to us. 

Revisit Ohio State University Extension’s Accounting for Your Money Hope Chest to “help people help themselves” as families work to achieve financial wellness during this time of rapid social and economic change. Managing and controlling our spending and saving is needed to build hope and manage emergent financial stress.

The purpose of the Hope Chest is for individuals and families to –

• Prioritize spending by separating needs from wants
• Identify realistic/SMARTER goals
• Gather current financial saving and spending information
• Locate emergency resources
• Analyze their current budget
• Develop a “sustainable” Accounting for Your Money calendar
• Take control of spending resulting in increased saving for family goals.

Work through the steps of the Accounting for Your Money Hope Chest with your family members and/or co-spenders as you and your family adjust to changing basic needs and wants. Determine how to best spend your money during this period of rapid social and economic change. Your family will be empowered to meet the new challenges brought about by the change, reducing financial emergencies, and easing future financial stress.

Written by: Margaret Jenkins, Assistant Professor, Family and Consumer Sciences, OSU Extension Clermont County

Reviewed by: Beth Stefura, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, OSU Extension Mahoning County

References:

November 14, 2022 by jenkins188

The board game called LIFE was originally created in 1860 by Milton Bradley. The game simulates a person’s travels through their life, from early adulthood to retirement, with college if necessary, jobs, marriage/companionship, and possible children along the way.

As we all travel the journey of life, we all make decisions to fill our needs and wants. Filling our needs and wants requires MONEY, and each decision has costs associated with fulfillment. We call this the opportunity cost of a decision. Each time we make a decision to spend or save MONEY. We also make a decision to NOT spend or save for something else.

Americans live and work in a market economy that demonstrate the six characteristics in the image below:

1. Private property
2. Freedom of choice
3. Motive of self-interest
4. Competition
5. System of markets and price
6. Limited government

Healthy Finances refer to a state of financial well-being.  A team of researchers assembled by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) suggests financial well-being can be defined as a state of being where you: 

1. Have control over day-to-day, month-to-month finances 

1. Have the capacity to absorb a financial shock 

1. Are on track to meet your financial goals 

1. Have the financial freedom to make the choices that allow you to enjoy life.

Use a notebook or journal to write about three money decisions you made within the past four weeks.  Next, go back and reread what you wrote and circle the words that describe the emotions you experienced in the decision-making process.   

Whatever the emotions, make space for them and acknowledge what they’re telling you. Make time to learn from them and decide which ones to let go as you move forward on life’s journey.

Author: Margaret Jenkins, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, OSU Extension Clermont County

Reviewer: Mackenzie Mahon, 4-H and Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, OSU Extension Clermont County

References 

June 11, 2022 by jenkins188

Take steps to explore your financial well-being

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The OSU Extension Accounting for Your Money Hope Chest was released July 7, 2020, in the midst of the global pandemic and updated April 1, 2022 to address emergent global economic upheaval.  What is a Hope Chest? Historically, the term hope chest symbolized hope in a marriage or union…key words include vessel and a symbol of hope. The update contains current research to “help people help themselves” by aligning spending and saving within our control.

The past 26 months have taxed individuals and family’s financial wellness. It makes sense to explore the status of our financial well-being.  The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau developed a tool to gauge individuals financial well-being.  The research was led by a team from the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED).  The research team suggests financial well-being is defined as a state of being where you:

§ Have control over day-to-day, month-to-month finances§ Have the capacity to absorb a financial shock§ Are on track to meet your financial goals

§ Have the financial freedom to make the choices that allow you to enjoy life

Because individuals and family’s value different things, traditional economic measures such as income or net worth do not capture the emergent aspects of financial well-being today. We must dive deeper, as the quality of our lives is largely determined by the choices we make.  By becoming aware of how to make choices that are best for you and others, you can become what is known as a self-forming person.

Self-forming people are those who take responsibility for their own lives.  They craft their futures by the actions they take and the choices they make.  Self-formation is a lifelong process of maturing and developing thinking skills. It develops as you interact with others, deciding what is most important to you, and taking action that is best for yourself and others.

Now click on the Financial Well-Being questionnaire tool, answer the 10 questions, and tally your score. Then use the information you learned about yourself to assist you when you take the first steps to prioritize your spending separating your needs from your wants. Click here to begin the process.

Below is the link for the Accounting for Your Money Hope Chest tool to help you develop and move forward with your state of self-formation and financial wellness. 

Click image to access the complete Hope Chest

Written by Margaret Jenkins, Assistant Professor, Family and Consumer Sciences, OSU Extension Clermont County

Reviewed by Mackenzie Mahon, Extension Educator, 4-H/FCS, OSU Extension Clermont County

Sources: 

• A Sorgente, M Lanz – International Journal of Behavioral …, 2019 – journals.sagepub.com.  The multidimensional subjective financial well-being scale for emerging adults: Development and validation studies
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, (2022) Your Money Your Goals. at consumerfinance.gov/practitioner-resources/your-money-your-goals
• J.F Laster – Journal of the Japan Association of Home Economics …, 2008 – jstage.jst.go.jp… Journal of the Japan Association of Hemc Economics Educution50(4) (2008.t Nurturing critical literacy through practical problem solving

January 16, 2025 by horstman124

How many times have you made a New Year’s resolution only to realize that it is the same unsuccessful one you choose almost every year? My New Year’s resolution has been to live a healthier lifestyle for countless years now. Every January, I tell myself that I will buy a gym membership, subscribe to fitness apps, and buy things that I think will help me reach this goal. In reality, I do not need any of those things right now. I end up wasting my time, energy, and money to achieve this never-ending goal. This year, I decided to take a different approach to my New Year’s resolution by developing healthy habits. But setting new routines and habits is highly challenging. I realized that I need to work on lifestyle changes to reach that New Year’s resolution rather than just setting one goal for the year and not making a realistic plan for myself.

Starting Small:

A study conducted in the United Kingdom examined how long it takes to form healthy habits. They found that adults take an average of around sixty-six days to form a habit, so understand that it takes a little over two months to stick. I don’t think I have ever made it through January without letting go of my New Year’s resolution! The key to forming a habit is the consistent repetition of the behavior. This habit doesn’t have to be a considerable commitment. Adding too many changes in your life will make it difficult to achieve lasting change. For example, instead of forcing myself to go to the gym for an hour, I will go for a 30-minute walk while listening to my favorite podcast. Or I could start drinking one extra bottle of water each day. Setting small, achievable goals is more realistic when building momentum. What is one small change you could make to help you reach your goal?

Maintain Consistency Without Self-Criticism:

Nobody is perfect, and everyone has setbacks in their journey. Try your best not to get discouraged if something does not immediately work for you. Every challenge is an opportunity to learn and grow! Keep trying or try something new that works for you. Think about why you set that goal in the first place. Was it for you, or was it for someone else? Researchers found that people who set goals for themselves are more likely to accomplish them rather than goals set for someone else. Find something you want to do for yourself, and you will be more motivated.

Remember to start small. Find one or two things you can change to reach your overall goal, and why not make it fun? Find an accountability partner you trust who can lift you up when things get tough. Try these things for at least sixty-six days and see what changes can happen if you put your mind to it. I hope you will join me in reevaluating our New Year’s resolutions in a way that works best for you. Remember to care for yourself while reaching your goals and avoid getting discouraged. The new year is for new beginnings and goals, but do not forget to recognize everything you accomplished in 2024. The 2025 New Year will lead to an even more incredible you!

Written by: Emma Horstman, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences Paulding County

Reviewed by: Katie Schlagheck, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences Ottawa & Sandusky County

Sources:

Arlinghaus, K.R. & Johnston, C.A. (2018). The Importance of Creating Habits and Routine.         

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6378489/

Jimenez, G. (2024). Slipping on Your New Year’s Resolution? Science Tips to Get on Track.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/slipping-on-your-new-years-resolutions-science-tips-to-get-on-track/

Cultivating Health. (2022). 7 Tips to keep your New Year’s resolution

https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/cultivating-health/7-tips-to-keep-your-new-years-resolution/2022/12

January 14, 2025 by kschlag

Ah, winter, the sounds of snow crunching beneath your feet, fires crackling in the fireplace, and dry, rough skin. In the winter, due to the lack of heat and humidity, our skin has a hard time keeping in moisture, leading to dry, rough skin and cracked lips. This is especially true for those who have skin conditions such as eczema as these tend to flare up more in the wintertime. However, for anyone in cold winter climates, taking good care of your skin is important, as it is the largest organ of the body. There are some simple steps you can take to help prevent damage to your skin this winter.

Cover as much skin as possible
Use gloves, mittens, a scarf, hats and more to have the least amount of skin exposed to the elements so they don’t become dry. This is especially important on sub-zero temperature days to avoid frostbite.

Add layers or a blanket
Turning on the furnace or fireplace creates dry heat and takes more moisture out of the air in your home. Consider adding more layers of clothing or a blanket before turning on the fireplace or turning up the furnace.

Use a humidifier
Our skin is so susceptible to getting dry due to lack of moisture in the air. Adding a humidifier to your home can help bring some of that moisture back in. Do this early in the season as a preventative measure.

Change how you bathe
Use warm water in the bath or shower, as hot water tends to make dry and cracked skin worse. Keep your bath short to avoid drying out your skin even more.

Look at your products
Use moisturizer immediately after washing to help put moisture back into your skin. Avoid any products with alcohol as these can dry out your skin even more. The American Academy of Dermatology has more suggestions on products to help in the winter including cleansers, and face & body moisturizers.

Drink your water
Keeping yourself hydrated helps your skin also become more hydrated. Drink the recommended amount of water, about 8 glasses a day, to help your skin stay moist throughout the season.

Don’t forget the sunscreen!
Even in the winter, we are not immune to the sun and UV rays, even if we cannot see them. Use SPF 30 or higher when outside to protect from these rays, especially on skin that is not covered by clothing. Look for a sunscreen that also has moisturizer to help give the skin some added protection.

Love your lips
Oftentimes people forget about protecting their lips in the winter. Use lip balm to help keep in moisture and added bonus if it has sunscreen too.

If you do end up with dry winter skin, you may need to see a dermatologist to get it under control. In the wintertime there is no escaping the cold. We can however take steps to protect our skin and prevent it from damage that may occur. You only get one skin, make sure you take the time to care for it, not just in the wintertime but everyday.

Written by: Katie Schlagheck, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences Ottawa & Sandusky County

Reviewed by: Emma Horstman, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences Paulding County

References
American Academy of Dermatology Assocation. Your Winter Skin Survival Kit. 2021. https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/skin-care-basics/care/winter-skin-survival-kit
American Academy of Dermatology Assocation. Cold weather and your skin. 2023. https://www.aad.org/news/cold-weather-and-your-skin
UC Health. Winter Skin Care Tips for Preventing Dry, Cracking Skin. 2021. https://www.uchealth.com/en/media-room/articles/winter-skin-care-tips-for-preventing-dry-cracking-skin
Cleveland Clinic. Skin. 2021. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/10978-skin