Three ways to save money in 2015
(NAPSI)—Good news for some homeowners looking to save money: Utility costs are your biggest housing expense after the mortgage, but there are more ways than ever to save on energy bills. Homeowners who act now can save thousands in the years ahead.
Connected Home Bliss
Beyond the convenience of controlling your home appliances from a smartphone, the ability to preset your dishwasher or adjust your heating to run during low usage times can save hundreds each year. Programmable thermostats alone can trim about $180 a year from your bill by reducing your heating or cooling when you need it least, according to Consumer Reports. Studies also show that the more you know about your energy usage, the more likely you are to conserve.
Swap and Save
Nearly half of your home’s energy use can come from products you plug into the wall. But hundreds of products, from computers to toasters, carry the ENERGY STAR energy-efficiency certification. Swapping old lightbulbs and household appliances for options bearing the government-backed ENERGY STAR label can immediately lower your energy bills. Choosing solar power can mean savings, too.
Solar Power For Less
SolarCity, America’s largest residential solar provider, recently introduced a program called MyPower that can help homeowners cut their utility bills by using solar energy to power their homes. MyPower can allow customers to pay less for solar than they previously paid for power from the utility each month. Visit www.solarcity.com to learn more.
Embrace childhood with fun & flavors of Winter
(Family Features) As a kid, the winter season was always a special time of year filled with snow days, ice-skating, favorite movies and fun board games. Bringing back carefree moments from winters past can be as easy as gathering together family and friends for game night and sipping your favorite wintertime drink – hot chocolate.
Nearly 70 percent of Americans agree that hot chocolate is the drink that most reminds them of their childhood, according to a new survey by Wakefield Research. This winter, while the weather is brisk, warm up by taking a flavorful walk down memory lane with these fun takes on the classic hot chocolate.
The Rocky Road Hot Chocolate and Gingerbread Hot Chocolate are heart-warming treats that ward off winter chills and satisfy your sweet nostalgic cravings. The key ingredient is the Limited Edition TruMoo Chocolate Marshmallow milk. The rich, velvety-smooth milk combines your favorite chocolate and marshmallow flavors into a drink that’s delicious when enjoyed cold, and equally good when tried hot.
Like regular TruMoo, Chocolate Marshmallow milk is made with wholesome low-fat white milk from local dairies, and contains no artificial growth hormones or high fructose corn syrup.
For more recipe ideas, visit www.TruMoo.com, or look for TruMoo Milk on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
Rocky Road Hot Chocolate
Servings: 2
2 cups TruMoo Chocolate Marshmallow milk or TruMoo Chocolate milk
1/4 cup coarsely broken graham crackers
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Chocolate chips, graham cracker pieces, mini marshmallows and toasted almonds for garnish
In small saucepan over medium heat, heat chocolate marshmallow milk, graham crackers and vanilla until milk is hot.
Pour into mugs. Garnish with chocolate chips, graham crackers, toasted almonds and mini marshmallows, if desired.
To heat in microwave, combine milk, graham crackers and vanilla in large glass measuring cup or bowl. Heat on high 1 minute or until warmed through. Garnish as above.
Tip: For an extra toasty flavor, broil mini marshmallows until lightly browned before garnishing.
Gingerbread Hot Chocolate
Servings: 2
2 cups TruMoo Chocolate Marshmallow milk or TruMoo Chocolate milk
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Dash ground cloves
Cinnamon sticks and gingerbread cookies for garnish
In small saucepan over medium heat, heat chocolate marshmallow milk, cinnamon, ginger and cloves until just boiling.
Remove from heat. Garnish with cinnamon stick and favorite gingerbread cookies if desired.
To heat in microwave, combine above ingredients in glass measuring cup or bowl. Heat on high 1 minute or until warmed through. Garnish as above.
Source: TruMoo
Public water lectures being January 14 at Hardin Hall
Lincoln, Neb., Jan. 7, 2015 — Seven free public lectures on current water issues and research come together to form the University of Nebraska’s spring semester water seminar beginning in January.
The lectures will be held roughly every other week from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Wednesdays, beginning Jan. 14. All lectures will be in the first floor auditorium of Hardin Hall, northeast corner of 33rd and Holdrege streets, on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln East Campus. Subsequent lectures are Jan. 28, Feb. 11 and 25, March 11, and April 8 and 22.
“Each year we assemble a broad base of informative and educational talks on current state and regional water issues and current research that we hope are appealing to both students and the public,” said Chittaranjan Ray, director of the Nebraska Water Center, which has helped organize and offer the annual water lectures since the 1970s.
Jasper Fanning, general manager of the Upper Republican Natural Resources District in Imperial, opens the series with a talk on the Nebraska Cooperative Republican Platte Enhancement (N-CORPE) pipeline designed to pipe groundwater into the Republican and Platte rivers when needed to meet river flow requirements.
Other talks focus on UNL’s groundwater monitoring program, uranium contamination in municipal water systems, high-resolution GIS monitoring of the water cycle, the value of groundwater, wellhead protection programs and groundwater models for decision-making.
On Jan. 21, an off-week for the normal lecture series, Chuck Schroeder, executive director of the University of Nebraska’s Rural Futures Institute, will talk on the new NU institute and its missions.
Co-sponsoring the lectures with the Nebraska Water Center, part of the Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute, is UNL’s School of Natural Resources, which also offers the lecture series for student credit.
The complete January through April lecture schedule appears below and is online at http://watercenter.unl.edu. Individual lecture videos and speaker PowerPoint presentations will also be posted at that website within a few days after the lecture.
> Jan. 14 — Jasper Fanning, general manager, Upper Republican NRD, “N-CORPE Pipeline Project.”
> Jan. 28 — Aaron Young, survey geologist, UNL School of Natural Resources, “Groundwater Monitoring Program.”
> Feb. 11 — Lynn Mayhew, assistant utilities director, Grand Island Utilities Department, “Uranium Contamination in Municipal Water Supplies.”
> Feb. 25 — Paul Houser, spatial analyst and remote sensing/GIS, George Mason University, “A Vision for an Ultra-high Resolution Integrated Water Cycle Observation and Prediction System.”
> March 11 — Kremer Memorial Lecture: Michael Schneiders, president, Water Systems Engineering Inc., “The Value of Groundwater.”
> April 8 — Ryan Chapman, wellhead protection coordinator, Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, “Wellhead Protection.”
> April 22 — T. Prabhakar Clement, Harold Vince Groome Jr. Endowed Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Auburn University, “Worthiness of Complex Groundwater Models for Decision Making — When Should we Say Enough Is Enough?”
30
WRITER: Steven W. Ress, Communications Coordinator, Nebraska Water Center, Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute, 402-472-9549, [email protected]
In depth farm bill meetings
By Ryan Flaming, County Extension Agent, Agriculture & Natural Resources
Kansas State University is putting on in-depth Farm Bill meetings across the state the next two months. This is a list of when and where they will be. At these meetings will be some of K-states best economist and specialist to help you out with your questions about the new farm bill.
Farm Bill In-Depth Educational Meetings:
January 12: Wichita
January 13: Pittsburg
January 14: Emporia
January 15: Ottawa
January 20: Salina
January 21: McPherson
January 22: Pratt
January 26: Goodland
January 27: Scott City
January 28: Liberal
January 29: Dodge City
February 10: Phillipsburg
February 11: Hays
February 12: Frankfort
February 13: Atchison
You can download or look at a schedule & all off the meeting information at http://www.agmanager.info/events/FarmBill.
If you have any questions about these meeting please call me at my office.
