21 Things You Should Never Buy New
If you're looking to get the most value for your dollar, it would do your wallet good to check out secondhand options. Many used goods still have plenty of life left in them even years after the original purchase, and they're usually resold at a fraction of the retail price, to boot. Here's a list of 21 things that make for a better deal when you buy them used.
1. DVDs and CDs: Used DVDs and CDs will play like new if they were well taken care of. Even if you wind up with a scratched disc and you don't want to bother with a return, there are ways to remove the scratches and make the DVD or CD playable again.
2. Books: You can buy used books at significant discounts from online sellers and brick-and-mortar used book stores. The condition of the books may vary, but they usually range from good to like-new. And of course, check out your local library for free reading material.
3. Video Games: Kids get tired of video games rather quickly. You can easily find used video games from online sellers at sites like Amazon and eBay a few months after the release date. Most video game store outlets will feature a used game shelf, as well. And if you're not the patient type, you can rent or borrow from a friend first to see if it's worth the purchase.
4. Special Occasion and Holiday Clothing: Sometimes you'll need to buy formal clothing for special occasions, such as weddings or prom. Most people will take good care of formal clothing but will only wear it once or twice. Their closet castouts are your savings: Thrift stores, yard sales, online sellers and even some dress shops offer fantastic buys on used formalwear.
5. Jewelry: Depreciation hits hard when you try to sell used jewelry, but as a buyer you can take advantage of the markdown to save a bundle. This is especially true for diamonds, which has ridiculously low resale value. Check out estate sales and reputable pawn shops to find great deals on unique pieces. Even if you decide to resell the jewelry later, the depreciation won't hurt as much.
6. Ikea Furniture: Why bother assembling your own when you can pick it up for free (or nearly free) on Craigslist and Freecycle? Summer is the best time to hunt for Ikea furniture--that's when college students are changing apartments and tossing out their goodies.
7. Games and Toys: How long do games and toys remain your child's favorite before they're left forgotten under the bed or in the closet? You can find used children's toys in great condition at moving sales or on Craigslist, or you can ask your neighbors, friends, and family to trade used toys. Just make sure to give them a good wash before letting junior play.
8. Maternity and Baby Clothes: Compared to everyday outfits that you can wear any time, maternity clothes don't get much wear outside the few months of pregnancy when they fit. The same goes for baby clothes that are quickly outgrown. You'll save a small fortune by purchasing gently used maternity clothes and baby clothes at yard sales and thrift stores. Like children's games and toys, friends and family may have baby or maternity clothing that they'll be happy to let you take off their hands.
[See 20 Things You Should Never Buy Used.]
9. Musical Instruments: Purchasing new musical instruments for a beginner musician is rarely a good idea. (Are you ready to pay $60 an hour for piano lessons?) For your little dear who wants to learn to play an instrument, you should see how long his or her interest lasts by acquiring a rented or used instrument to practice with first. Unless you're a professional musician or your junior prodigy is seriously committed to music, a brand new instrument may not be the best investment.
10. Pets: If you buy a puppy (or kitty) from a professional breeder or a pet store outlet, it can set you back anywhere from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars. On top of this, you'll need to anticipate additional fees and vet bills, too. Instead, adopt a pre-owned pet from your local animal shelter and get a new family member, fees, and vaccines at a substantially lower cost.
11. Home Accent: Pieces Home decorating pieces and artwork are rarely handled on a day-to-day basis, so they're generally still in good condition even after being resold multiple times. If you like the worn-out look of some decor pieces, you can be sure you didn't pay extra for something that comes naturally with time. And don't forget, for most of us, discovering a true gem at a garage sale is 90% of the fun!
12. Craft Supplies: If you're into crafting, you probably have a variety of different supplies left over from prior projects. If you require some additional supplies for your upcoming project, then you can join a craft swap where you'll find other crafty people to trade supplies with. If you have leftovers, be sure to donate them to your local schools.
13. Houses: You're typically able to get better and more features for your dollar when you purchase an older home rather than building new. Older houses were often constructed on bigger corner lots, and you also get architectural variety in your neighborhood if the houses were built or remodeled in different eras.
14. Office Furniture: Good office furniture is built to withstand heavy use and handling. Really solid pieces will last a lifetime, long after they're resold the first or second time. A great used desk or file cabinet will work as well as (or better than) a new one, but for a fraction of the cost. With the recession shutting down so many businesses, you can easily find lots of great office furniture deals.
15. Cars: You've probably heard this before: Cars depreciate the second you drive them off of the dealership's lot. In buying a used car, you save money on both the initial cost and the insurance. It also helps to know a trusty mechanic who can check it over first. This way, you'll be aware of any potential problems before you make the purchase.
[See 20 Tips for Cleaning on the Cheap.]
16. Hand Tools: Simple tools with few moving parts, like hammers, hoes and wrenches, will keep for decades so long as they are well-made to begin with and are well-maintained. These are fairly easy to find at neighborhood yard or garage sales. If you don't need to use hand tools very often, an even better deal is to rent a set of tools or borrow them from a friend.
17. Sports Equipment: Most people buy sports equipment planning to use it until it drops, but this rarely happens. So when sports equipment ends up on the resale market, they tend to still be in excellent condition. Look into buying used sporting gear through Craigslist and at yard sales or sports equipment stores.
18. Consumer Electronics: I know most folks like shiny new toys, but refurbished electronic goods are a much sweeter deal. Consumer electronics are returned to the manufacturer for different reasons, but generally, they'll be inspected for damaged parts, fixed, tested, then resold at a lower price. Just make sure you get a good warranty along with your purchase.
19. Gardening Supplies: This is an easy way for you to save money, and all you need to do is be observant. Take a look outdoors and you'll likely find such gardening supplies as mulch, wood, and even stones for free or vastly reduced prices. Used garden equipment and tools are also common goods at yard sales.
20. Timeshares: Buying timeshares isn't for everyone, but if you decide that it suits your lifestyle, purchasing the property as a resale would be a better deal than buying it brand new: on average, you'll save 67 percent on the price for a comparable new timeshare. If you're new to timeshare ownership, give it a test run first by renting short term.
21. Recreational Items: It's fairly easy to find high ticket recreational items like campers, boats, and jet skis being resold. Oftentimes, they're barely used at all. As long as they're in safe, working condition, they'll make for a better value when purchased used than new.
Lynn Truong is the co-founder and Deals Editor of Wise Bread, a blog dedicated to helping readers live large on a small budget. Wise Bread's book, 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget, debuted as the #1 Money Management book on Amazon.com.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Piggy Bank and teaching you kids to save money-
It's always good to start teaching you kids to save money and the joy of puttting Money into the bank- It happen by mistake, I started saving are spare coins in my son's piggy bank. We would go to the bank every 7 to 10 days and count are coin's and place to money into his account, given me and my wife a chance to save some money in a bank account that was very handy. My son now LOVE's placing coin into his piggy bank, he counts every coin and get so happy when we go to the bank.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Bible School and a Stay at Home Daddy
Most people might take there kid to Bible School and leave or work in the same classroom as there son or daughter. I have the great pleasure this week to teach/coach the Recreation program at are bible school with my 21 month old son at my side the whole time. He is having a blast, playing with the kids, teachers and Paster Dave. He would rather his father be a music teacher, but Recreation is a nice second option in the eye of my son. I have a whistle tons of balls and we say ready set go alot!!!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
She Works. They’re Happy.by tara Parker-Pope
She Works. They’re Happy.
By TARA PARKER-POPE
Published: January 22, 2010
Graham Roumieu
Last week, a report from the Pew Research Center about what it called “the rise of wives” revived the debate. Based on a study of Census data, Pew found that in nearly a third of marriages, the wife is better educated than her husband. And though men, over all, still earn more than women, wives are now the primary breadwinner in 22 percent of couples, up from 7 percent in 1970.
While the changing economic roles of husbands and wives may take some getting used to, the shift has had a surprising effect on marital stability. Over all, the evidence shows that the shifts within marriages — men taking on more housework and women earning more outside the home — have had a positive effect, contributing to lower divorce rates and happier unions.
“Women no longer need to marry up educationally or economically, so they are more likely to pick men who support a more egalitarian relationship,” said Stephanie Coontz, director of research and education for the Council on Contemporary Families and author of “Marriage, A History: How Love Conquered Marriage.”
She pointed to herself as an example. “In my marriage, I have more education and, because he’s retired, more income,” she said. “I picked him not because I needed a meal ticket, but because I liked the fact that he respected me and had no problem sharing the responsibilities of daily life with me. More and more women now are able to make those choices.”
The changing roles in marriage often aren’t what many couples plan, but instead are a reaction to unexpected financial pressures. That’s what happened to Cynthia and Brian Walder of West Springfield, Mass., who had four children in five years. Although her first and second pregnancies were carefully planned, a surprise set of twin boys meant that their day care costs would be prohibitive if both parents kept their jobs. “Someone had to leave their job and stay home,” said Ms. Walder, who is 34.
Her marketing job with an insurance firm provided the family’s health benefits, so about a year ago, Mr. Walder, a 36-year-old real estate broker and consultant, opted to stay home. “It was stressful,” he said. “If you’d asked me five years ago would I be in this spot, I’d say ‘No way.’ ”
While it’s widely believed that a woman’s financial independence increases her risk for divorce, divorce rates in the United States tell a different story: they have fallen as women have made economic gains. The rate peaked at 23 divorces per 1,000 couples in the late 1970s, but has since dropped to fewer than 17 divorces per 1,000 couples. Today, the statistics show that typically, the more economic independence and education a woman gains, the more likely she is to stay married. And in states where fewer wives have paid jobs, divorce rates tend to be higher, according to a 2009 report from the Center for American Progress.
Sociologists and economists say that financially independent women can be more selective in marrying, and they also have more negotiating power within the marriage. But it’s not just women who win. The net result tends to be a marriage that is more fair and equitable to husbands and wives.
The changes are not without their challenges. “With women taking on more earning and men taking on more caring, there’s a lot of shifting and juggling,” said Andrea Doucet, a sociology professor at Carleton University in Ottawa. Her study, the Bread and Roses Project, tracks couples in the United States and Canada in which women are the primary breadwinners. But the dynamic is “not as easy as you’d think it would be,” she said. “You can’t just reverse the genders.”
Men, for instance, sometimes have a hard time adjusting to a woman’s equal or greater earning power. Women, meanwhile, struggle with giving up their power at home and controlling tasks like how to dress the children or load the dishwasher.
Linda Duxbury, a professor at the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University, recalls moments in her marriage when she was hesitant to give up control.
“My husband would dress our daughter for school, and I’d say, ‘Oh my God, she looks like a clown,’ ” Professor Duxbury recalled. “He would say, ‘That’s your hang-up. She’s happy in it. If you don’t like my choice, then you do it.’ ”
She added, “In many ways women are their own worst enemies — we want men to do it, but we want to tell them how they should do it.”
Men, meanwhile, can struggle with the social expectation that husbands should always be the breadwinner. The recession, among other things, has made that expectation less realistic.
“Today, men need their wives’ income,” says Joshua Coleman, a psychologist in San Francisco who wrote “The Lazy Husband: How to Get Men to Do More Parenting and Housework.” “There is an issue for men of: ‘What is my value here if I’m not bringing in money? I understand you want a communicative, empathic guy who does housework and parenting, but how much pride can I take in that?’ ”
A magazine editor in New York, who asked not to be named to respect her husband’s privacy, said that during her 10-year marriage, her husband lost his job, and her higher income became a regular source of tension.
“All of the sudden, I was bringing in all the money,” she said. “It was difficult to find a balance between trying to be supportive and nurturing and saying, ‘But we really need cash so, honey, could you take a part-time job?’ ”
Then he suggested she get an M.B.A. to increase her earning power. “I remember thinking at the time, ‘I’d hate that, and why does he think I need to have a dumb job just to make a lot of money?’ ” she said. “It put doubt in my mind: maybe there is a part of him very comfortable with me making the lion’s share of the money long term.”
Kristen W. Springer, a sociologist at Rutgers, has found that among men in their 50s, having a wife who earns more money is associated with poorer health. Among the highest earning couples in her study, a husband who earns less than his wife is 60 percent less likely to be in good health compared with men who earn more than their wives.
And despite the sweeping economic changes in marriage over the last 40 years, all is not equal. Even among dual-earning couples, women still do about two-thirds of the housework, on average, according to the University of Wisconsin National Survey of Families and Households. But men do contribute far more than they used to. Studies show that since the 1960s, men’s contributions to housework have doubled, while the amount of time spent caring for children has tripled.
And the blurring of traditional gender roles appears to have a positive effect. Lynn Prince Cooke, a sociology professor at the University of Kent in England, has found that American couples who share employment and housework responsibilities are less likely to divorce compared with couples where the man is the sole breadwinner.
Mr. Walder, who stayed home with his four young children, said it was challenging to set up a new daily routine. “In most instances the wife is the one who makes the decisions when it comes to the kids, and the husband follows the lead,” he said. “It’s weird to swap that role.”
His wife said she found it difficult to cede her role as the parent in charge. “It took me awhile to get to that point where I didn’t feel like I had to be at every doctor’s appointment or supervising and laying out a specific lists of chores,” she said.
But today, the Walders say the experiment has been a blessing. Most days, Mr. Walder takes the children to the library, playgroups or the museum. He handles light cleaning and laundry on weekdays and usually makes dinner. On weekends, Ms. Walder takes a bigger role with the children and does heavy cleaning, shopping and meal planning.
“I think she has the harder job,” Mr. Walder said. “If you asked me a year ago, I had the harder job. But now that I’ve got it, I love it. I wouldn’t want to give it up.”
Mothers tend to shower him with praise. “I get the same reaction from all the moms,” he said. “They say, ‘That’s great, my husband wouldn’t be able to do it.’ I think they’re selling their husbands short. All guys could do it, just like all women can be the breadwinners.”
Tara Parker-Pope writes the Well column for The New York Times and is the author of “For Better: The Science of a Good Marriage,” to be released May 6 by Dutton.
A version of this article appeared in print on January 24, 2010, on page ST1 of the New York edition.
By TARA PARKER-POPE
Published: January 22, 2010
Graham Roumieu
Last week, a report from the Pew Research Center about what it called “the rise of wives” revived the debate. Based on a study of Census data, Pew found that in nearly a third of marriages, the wife is better educated than her husband. And though men, over all, still earn more than women, wives are now the primary breadwinner in 22 percent of couples, up from 7 percent in 1970.
While the changing economic roles of husbands and wives may take some getting used to, the shift has had a surprising effect on marital stability. Over all, the evidence shows that the shifts within marriages — men taking on more housework and women earning more outside the home — have had a positive effect, contributing to lower divorce rates and happier unions.
“Women no longer need to marry up educationally or economically, so they are more likely to pick men who support a more egalitarian relationship,” said Stephanie Coontz, director of research and education for the Council on Contemporary Families and author of “Marriage, A History: How Love Conquered Marriage.”
She pointed to herself as an example. “In my marriage, I have more education and, because he’s retired, more income,” she said. “I picked him not because I needed a meal ticket, but because I liked the fact that he respected me and had no problem sharing the responsibilities of daily life with me. More and more women now are able to make those choices.”
The changing roles in marriage often aren’t what many couples plan, but instead are a reaction to unexpected financial pressures. That’s what happened to Cynthia and Brian Walder of West Springfield, Mass., who had four children in five years. Although her first and second pregnancies were carefully planned, a surprise set of twin boys meant that their day care costs would be prohibitive if both parents kept their jobs. “Someone had to leave their job and stay home,” said Ms. Walder, who is 34.
Her marketing job with an insurance firm provided the family’s health benefits, so about a year ago, Mr. Walder, a 36-year-old real estate broker and consultant, opted to stay home. “It was stressful,” he said. “If you’d asked me five years ago would I be in this spot, I’d say ‘No way.’ ”
While it’s widely believed that a woman’s financial independence increases her risk for divorce, divorce rates in the United States tell a different story: they have fallen as women have made economic gains. The rate peaked at 23 divorces per 1,000 couples in the late 1970s, but has since dropped to fewer than 17 divorces per 1,000 couples. Today, the statistics show that typically, the more economic independence and education a woman gains, the more likely she is to stay married. And in states where fewer wives have paid jobs, divorce rates tend to be higher, according to a 2009 report from the Center for American Progress.
Sociologists and economists say that financially independent women can be more selective in marrying, and they also have more negotiating power within the marriage. But it’s not just women who win. The net result tends to be a marriage that is more fair and equitable to husbands and wives.
The changes are not without their challenges. “With women taking on more earning and men taking on more caring, there’s a lot of shifting and juggling,” said Andrea Doucet, a sociology professor at Carleton University in Ottawa. Her study, the Bread and Roses Project, tracks couples in the United States and Canada in which women are the primary breadwinners. But the dynamic is “not as easy as you’d think it would be,” she said. “You can’t just reverse the genders.”
Men, for instance, sometimes have a hard time adjusting to a woman’s equal or greater earning power. Women, meanwhile, struggle with giving up their power at home and controlling tasks like how to dress the children or load the dishwasher.
Linda Duxbury, a professor at the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University, recalls moments in her marriage when she was hesitant to give up control.
“My husband would dress our daughter for school, and I’d say, ‘Oh my God, she looks like a clown,’ ” Professor Duxbury recalled. “He would say, ‘That’s your hang-up. She’s happy in it. If you don’t like my choice, then you do it.’ ”
She added, “In many ways women are their own worst enemies — we want men to do it, but we want to tell them how they should do it.”
Men, meanwhile, can struggle with the social expectation that husbands should always be the breadwinner. The recession, among other things, has made that expectation less realistic.
“Today, men need their wives’ income,” says Joshua Coleman, a psychologist in San Francisco who wrote “The Lazy Husband: How to Get Men to Do More Parenting and Housework.” “There is an issue for men of: ‘What is my value here if I’m not bringing in money? I understand you want a communicative, empathic guy who does housework and parenting, but how much pride can I take in that?’ ”
A magazine editor in New York, who asked not to be named to respect her husband’s privacy, said that during her 10-year marriage, her husband lost his job, and her higher income became a regular source of tension.
“All of the sudden, I was bringing in all the money,” she said. “It was difficult to find a balance between trying to be supportive and nurturing and saying, ‘But we really need cash so, honey, could you take a part-time job?’ ”
Then he suggested she get an M.B.A. to increase her earning power. “I remember thinking at the time, ‘I’d hate that, and why does he think I need to have a dumb job just to make a lot of money?’ ” she said. “It put doubt in my mind: maybe there is a part of him very comfortable with me making the lion’s share of the money long term.”
Kristen W. Springer, a sociologist at Rutgers, has found that among men in their 50s, having a wife who earns more money is associated with poorer health. Among the highest earning couples in her study, a husband who earns less than his wife is 60 percent less likely to be in good health compared with men who earn more than their wives.
And despite the sweeping economic changes in marriage over the last 40 years, all is not equal. Even among dual-earning couples, women still do about two-thirds of the housework, on average, according to the University of Wisconsin National Survey of Families and Households. But men do contribute far more than they used to. Studies show that since the 1960s, men’s contributions to housework have doubled, while the amount of time spent caring for children has tripled.
And the blurring of traditional gender roles appears to have a positive effect. Lynn Prince Cooke, a sociology professor at the University of Kent in England, has found that American couples who share employment and housework responsibilities are less likely to divorce compared with couples where the man is the sole breadwinner.
Mr. Walder, who stayed home with his four young children, said it was challenging to set up a new daily routine. “In most instances the wife is the one who makes the decisions when it comes to the kids, and the husband follows the lead,” he said. “It’s weird to swap that role.”
His wife said she found it difficult to cede her role as the parent in charge. “It took me awhile to get to that point where I didn’t feel like I had to be at every doctor’s appointment or supervising and laying out a specific lists of chores,” she said.
But today, the Walders say the experiment has been a blessing. Most days, Mr. Walder takes the children to the library, playgroups or the museum. He handles light cleaning and laundry on weekdays and usually makes dinner. On weekends, Ms. Walder takes a bigger role with the children and does heavy cleaning, shopping and meal planning.
“I think she has the harder job,” Mr. Walder said. “If you asked me a year ago, I had the harder job. But now that I’ve got it, I love it. I wouldn’t want to give it up.”
Mothers tend to shower him with praise. “I get the same reaction from all the moms,” he said. “They say, ‘That’s great, my husband wouldn’t be able to do it.’ I think they’re selling their husbands short. All guys could do it, just like all women can be the breadwinners.”
Tara Parker-Pope writes the Well column for The New York Times and is the author of “For Better: The Science of a Good Marriage,” to be released May 6 by Dutton.
A version of this article appeared in print on January 24, 2010, on page ST1 of the New York edition.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Six smart summer snacks for kids
Six smart summer snacks for kids
By Marie Oser
Posted Wed Jun 9, 2010 10:20am PDT
Related topics: Health, Food and Drink, Kids, Tips More from ecomii Healthy Living blog 5
votes
Buzz up!
1
digg
digg Kids need a lot of energy to keep going during the summer. As soon as the school year is over they are suddenly on the go, riding their bikes, swimming, playing sports, or off to the park to meet friends. Daily schedules are out the window, and it can be a challenge to make sure they are eating as well as they should.
It’s a good idea to stock up on small portable foods that pack a lot of nutrition. Kids, teens, and ‘tweens all tend to eat lots of small meals throughout the day and it’s a good idea to keep wholesome snacks on hand.
Whole grain waffles, pretzels, breadsticks, tortillas and pita pockets, hummus, granola, and trail mix are convenient foods for a quick pick-me-up that are healthful and satisfying.
Any snack a child makes is a snack that child is likely to eat, and younger children will especially enjoy being involved in choosing and preparing simple snacks. Having fresh and dried fruit, popcorn, nuts, nut butters, and a variety of raw veggies on hand can make quick and healthy snacking a breeze.
Here are six snack ideas that are healthful and economical. For healthy kids and a healthy planet, be sure to choose organic foods with little or no packaging.
Smart snack ideas:
Fruit kabobs are easy and fun. Chunks of fruit, such as apples, peaches, pineapples, bananas, grapes, and strawberries are tasty and colorful. Little ones will appreciate most any fruit threaded onto wooden skewers.
Spread almond or peanut butter on thick slices of apples, pears, and nectarines. Cut fresh, crisp celery stalks into 3-inch pieces, fill with nut butter and sprinkle with fresh blueberries or raisins.
Smoothies are super-easy to make and a great way to get a chilled beverage packed with sweet fruit, vitamins, and minerals into your kids on hot summer day. Combine a handful of frozen strawberries, a medium banana, and a cup of fortified orange juice, soy, almond, or rice milk in a blender and buzz for a minute.
Combine whole grain, ready-to-eat cereal, and granola with dried fruit and nuts in a zipper-top sandwich bag for a tasty high-energy snack to go.
Carrot wraps are easy to make in advance. Spread a whole grain tortilla with hummus, top with carrot sticks, sliced avocado, and baby spinach. Roll up, slice in half, and wrap each half tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Kids love dips. Hummus and guacamole in many styles are pretty convenient and widely available, but you can mash a ripe avocado with a dollop of your favorite salsa, too. It doesn’t get much easier (or fresher) than that.
Marie Oser is a best-selling author, writer/producer and host of VegTV, Follow Marie on Twitter
By Marie Oser
Posted Wed Jun 9, 2010 10:20am PDT
Related topics: Health, Food and Drink, Kids, Tips More from ecomii Healthy Living blog 5
votes
Buzz up!
1
digg
digg Kids need a lot of energy to keep going during the summer. As soon as the school year is over they are suddenly on the go, riding their bikes, swimming, playing sports, or off to the park to meet friends. Daily schedules are out the window, and it can be a challenge to make sure they are eating as well as they should.
It’s a good idea to stock up on small portable foods that pack a lot of nutrition. Kids, teens, and ‘tweens all tend to eat lots of small meals throughout the day and it’s a good idea to keep wholesome snacks on hand.
Whole grain waffles, pretzels, breadsticks, tortillas and pita pockets, hummus, granola, and trail mix are convenient foods for a quick pick-me-up that are healthful and satisfying.
Any snack a child makes is a snack that child is likely to eat, and younger children will especially enjoy being involved in choosing and preparing simple snacks. Having fresh and dried fruit, popcorn, nuts, nut butters, and a variety of raw veggies on hand can make quick and healthy snacking a breeze.
Here are six snack ideas that are healthful and economical. For healthy kids and a healthy planet, be sure to choose organic foods with little or no packaging.
Smart snack ideas:
Fruit kabobs are easy and fun. Chunks of fruit, such as apples, peaches, pineapples, bananas, grapes, and strawberries are tasty and colorful. Little ones will appreciate most any fruit threaded onto wooden skewers.
Spread almond or peanut butter on thick slices of apples, pears, and nectarines. Cut fresh, crisp celery stalks into 3-inch pieces, fill with nut butter and sprinkle with fresh blueberries or raisins.
Smoothies are super-easy to make and a great way to get a chilled beverage packed with sweet fruit, vitamins, and minerals into your kids on hot summer day. Combine a handful of frozen strawberries, a medium banana, and a cup of fortified orange juice, soy, almond, or rice milk in a blender and buzz for a minute.
Combine whole grain, ready-to-eat cereal, and granola with dried fruit and nuts in a zipper-top sandwich bag for a tasty high-energy snack to go.
Carrot wraps are easy to make in advance. Spread a whole grain tortilla with hummus, top with carrot sticks, sliced avocado, and baby spinach. Roll up, slice in half, and wrap each half tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Kids love dips. Hummus and guacamole in many styles are pretty convenient and widely available, but you can mash a ripe avocado with a dollop of your favorite salsa, too. It doesn’t get much easier (or fresher) than that.
Marie Oser is a best-selling author, writer/producer and host of VegTV, Follow Marie on Twitter
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