Issue Date: October 10, 2004
How to get rid of an old car
Ready to ditch your old car? You've basically got four options:
Sell it. Private sales offer the best payoff. "A weekend's worth of work can get you $1,000 or more over the trade-in value," says Philip Reed of the car-buying site Edmunds .com. Thoroughly clean it and do basic maintenance. Then place a classified ad in your local paper. Once you have potential buyers, be prepared to schedule test drives and to haggle over the price.
Trade it. Perfect for the hassle-averse. You just exchange keys and drive off in your new ride, leaving the dealer to handle the paperwork. The catch? Dealers won't pay full market value. According to Edmunds.com, the trade-in value on a '97 Honda Accord LX sedan with 84,000 miles is about $5,400, around 17% less than the $6,545 it would fetch if you sold it.
Donate it. Charity car donation programs, such as Goodwill's, are more popular than ever. The charity gets the cash; the donor takes a tax write-off. But you can deduct only the fair-market value of the car, which may be far less than the "blue book" price when you adjust for the vehicle's condition. The Internal Revenue Service also requires you to have the car appraised if you're deducting more than $5,000. And be sure to get written acknowledgement of the contribution from the charity.
Bequeath it. Teenagers long have benefited from parents' hand-me-downs. Plus, the car may be worth more to your family as basic transportation than it could ever sell for on the open market.
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Waist-saving menus
Restaurant food easily can sabotage weight-control plans. Here's how I handle four types of menus:
Steakhouse. Choose one of the leaner steaks, such as sirloin or top round. Most steaks are way more than you should eat, so take evasive maneuvers. Order a salad (substitute it for the fries) to sate your appetite. Plan to eat just a third of the steak. When your 20-ouncer arrives, cut off the portion you'll eat, then have the waiter doggie-bag the rest. It'll make for two more meals that week.
Japanese. You can't go wrong with sushi; it's a high-protein, low-fat meal. Start off with a serving of soybeans. At a Japanese steakhouse, order the fish, and eat only half as much as they serve you.
Italian. Take the opportunity to fit in a fish serving. If you order pizza, ask them to go light on the cheese.
Mexican. Get fajitas, and don't ask for a refill on the tortillas. Stay away from the cheese and sour cream, and you'll be fine.
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Yes, take vitamins with food
Is it better to take vitamins in the morning or the evening? With meals or between?
Kempton H. Roll, Asheville, N.C.
Time of day usually makes little difference (check the label for directions). But taking supplements with food is important because a little fat, in food, can facilitate absorption. A recent study at Oregon State University showed that very little vitamin E was absorbed when taken on an empty stomach or with fat-free milk. The same is true of beta carotene, even in carrots. People who ate a salad with fat-free dressing absorbed virtually no beta carotene; they absorbed slightly more with a reduced-fat dressing, and the most with a full-fat dressing, reports a new study at Iowa State University.
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Is this ORD or LAX?
Before setting off on any flight, find out the three-letter airport code for your destination. When an airline agent tags your bag, you can glance at the code and rest assured your luggage is going where you are. Some airport codes give a hint to their location (such as RAP for Rapid City, S.D., or LAX for Los Angeles), but many don't. Did you know ICT is Wichita, MSY is New Orleans and CVG is Cincinnati?
Let's say you're heading to Chicago O'Hare (ORD) and connecting to a flight to Jackson Hole, Wyo. (JAC). If that second leg is mistakenly tagged JXN, your bag will end up in Jackson, Mich. And one letter can make a world of difference: Consider that New York's La Guardia Airport is LGA, but Long Beach, Calif., is LGB, and Gatwick Airport outside London is LGW.
Think you know them cold? Say you're on your way from MKE to PIE. Would you pack a down jacket or a bathing suit? If you answered the latter, you know you're flying from Milwaukee to St. Petersburg, Fla. For a complete list, go online and visit airportcitycodes.com.
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