Issue Date: December 4, 2005
Shop around to avoid rising ATM fees
As if you weren't paying enough already, ATM fees nationwide are rising. A Bankrate.com survey shows banks charge an average of $1.35 for using another bank's ATM, up from $1.29 last fall. And the fee banks charge non-customers who use their ATMs rose to $1.40, up from $1.37.
Using other banks' ATMs costs consumers $4 billion a year. If you do that three times a week at nearly $3 a pop, you'll pay more than $400 in ATM fees a year.
The UPSIDE: To attract customers, some banks are bucking this trend. Washington Mutual and PNC Bank, to name two, offer no-fee ATMs. And for customers who maintain a certain minimum balance, Commerce Bancorp branches will refund ATM fees that other banks charge.
MY ADVICE: Look for no-fee ATMs, and remember to withdraw enough cash to keep you covered until you can get back to your own bank.
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Breast cancer tactics
Two martinis or three beers a day (40 or more grams of alcohol) boost a woman's odds of breast cancer 40%. Even a daily glass of wine boosts odds 12%, finds a new Australian study that tracked about 17,000 women, ages 40 to 69, for a decade.
But the danger can be offset: Heavy drinkers who regularly took 400mcg of folic acid, a B vitamin, had no more risk than non-drinkers. But heavy drinkers who regularly got only 200mcg of folic acid had double the risk of non-drinkers. The reason: Alcohol impairs absorption of folic acid.
Caution: Other research shows that drinkers with a family history of breast cancer may not be equally protected by folic acid.
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Scientific sources for this article:
Baglietto, Laura. BMJ 2005;331:807 (8 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.38551.446470.06 (published online August 8, 2005)
Eat, Drink and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Health Eating, by Walter Willett, (Free Press, 2001), p. 166
Sellers TA, Cancer Causes Control, 2004 Mar;15(2):113-20
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Pamper your kids without spoiling them
Your son's Christmas wish list includes an iPod, a snowboard and some new video games. What's a parent to do?
No one wants to be a grinch. But giving in to every whim actually can spoil the holidays and your child, not to mention break the bank. "If a holiday wish list becomes a shopping list, then the child doesn't have anything to strive for and hasn't learned he doesn't always get everything he wants," says Maggie Mamen, author of "The Pampered Child Syndrome."
Don't give your child every item on his wish list, Mamen instructs: "Our job as parents is not a popularity contest, and saying no is sometimes necessary."
And encourage kids to give gifts so they learn the season is not just about receiving. Teach them to give meaningful presents by becoming gift detectives and learning what recipients would like. Also, let them wrap the presents. It's not about perfect corners, but rather the child's involvement. Finally, volunteer with a charity, like a food bank, so your kids understand that not everyone's stocking is stuffed with goodies.
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How to not look like Santa
The good news? Despite the belief that the holidays inevitably add 5 to 10 pounds to our waistlines, the National Institutes of Health says holiday weight gain averages only 1 pound.
The bad news? We don't lose that weight during the rest of the year.
"Long-term studies show most people gain 5 to 10 pounds over 10 years. Now we know that can be accounted for by holiday weight gain alone," says Jack Yanovski, M.D., an obesity expert at the National Institutes of Health. "The biggest factor in weight gain was activity. People who were more physically active than usual actually lost weight during the holidays, and those who were less active gained."
We know the buffet line soon will beckon, so here's how you can plan ahead to be more active during the holiday season.
Dance it off. Stand as far away from the buffet line as possible, and hit the dance floor at every opportunity. Dancing is a great calorie burner.
Walk it off. Recruit friends and co-workers for "day-after" power walks. You'll burn calories while reliving party highlights.
Schedule workouts. At the least, stick to your routine. Even better: Add a few minutes to every session or an extra day each week.
Minimize alcohol. Have a glass of water between each drink, or stick to just one cocktail. Alcohol supplies empty calories, and it also impairs willpower.
Finally, after indulging, get back on the wagon. Between parties, eat small portions of nutritious foods, and keep moving.
Contact Contributing Editor Jorge Cruise, author of The 3-Hour Diet, at 3hourdiet.com.
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