Issue Date: July 23, 2006
Homeowners may be underinsured
Home rebuilding costs have soared in the past several years -- a fact that many homeowners may not fully appreciate. And that means some households are underinsured.
"What would it actually cost to rebuild your home from the ground up? That is what you're buying insurance for -- to rebuild your home and to replace your belongings," says Jeanne Salvatore of the Insurance Information Institute. To ensure you are adequately covered, do the following:
Make sure your policy covers rebuilding (the home) and replacement (your things). You need both.
Reassess annually how much coverage you need, given home improvements and new (or discarded) possessions. At knowyourstuff.org, you can download software to create an inventory of household belongings. Then, keep your list up to date.
Add special riders as needed. Collectibles, jewelry, furs, art and antiques may not be covered under the standard homeowner's policy.
Want more coverage without raising your premium? Up your deductible, which can save you 10% to 25%. Then use the money saved to create a special home-repair fund.
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Midsummer crops
Contrary to popular belief, sowing crops during the summer is possible. A few guidelines: Choose seeds that will germinate during warmer temperatures, follow the directions on the seed packet, water diligently to ensure that the seeds get at least 1 inch of water per week, and allow for enough days from the time you sow the seeds until the first frost arrives in your climate for them to grow to maturity.
Here are a few of my favorite crops to sow in midsummer:
Flowers. Zinnia, cosmos, cleome and Jerusalem dwarf sunflower (along with other sunflowers) love summer's blazing heat.
Greens. Try chicory, chard, collards, warm-weather lettuces, cucumbers, China Choy cabbage, carrots, summer squash, peppers and quick-germinating (65 to 75 days) tomatoes like Patio Princess.
Herbs. Basil, oregano, thyme, sage and coriander love the heat.
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What we want in a hotel
Hotels may tempt us with promises of comfortable beds and free WiFi. But the bottom line is that the room rate is what leads most travelers to choose one hotel over another, according to a recent poll conducted exclusively for USA WEEKEND by Harris Interactive and commissioned by Best Western International.
Room price was most important for 78% of the more than 2,300 adults Harris polled on their top five considerations when choosing a hotel. The runners-up were convenient location (64%) and free breakfast (49%). As for customer service, 75% of hotel guests notice free parking, while 67% said feeling "at home" was very important, and 54% want free airport shuttle service.
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Sunscreens in your food
Studies say drinking green tea helps prevent sunburn.
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Planning a picnic? Bring "sunblocks": tomato, pomegranate, salmon, green tea and dark chocolate. No kidding. Scientific tests show that high-antioxidant foods can bolster resistance to damage from ultraviolet light that promotes sunburn, wrinkles and skin cancer. When you eat certain antioxidants, they help stabilize skin cells, preventing and repairing damage.
Best bets from the lab
Chocolate. Women who drank a hot cocoa high in "flavanol" antioxidants daily for three months had 25% less reddening after UV irradiation and more moist, less scaly skin than women drinking low-flavanol cocoa, says new German research. Another source of flavanol is dark chocolate. The downside: It can have a lot of calories. (Mars makes a flavanol-rich bar, CocoaVia, with only 100 calories.)
Tomatoes. German research also finds that lycopene (the antioxidant in tomatoes) reduces sensitivity to sunburn. Drinking tomato juice or taking 10mg lycopene daily for three months cut signs of sunburn from a UV lamp 25% to 48%. Processed tomato products are rich in lycopene.
Pomegranate. At the University of Wisconsin, antioxidant-rich pomegranate extract inhibited changes in human cells exposed to UV light.
Fatty fish. EPA, which is an omega-3 fatty acid in fish, reduced signs of UV damage in skin cells, says a recent Korean study. In a British test, taking 4,000mg of omega-3 a day (the amount in about 12 ounces of salmon) for three months cut sunburn damage 30%.
Green tea. Several studies show drinking green tea helps prevent sunburn and precancerous changes. In a small study, drinking about 2 cups of green tea reduced UV skin damage.
Contact Jean Carper at stopagingnow.com. Scientific sources are at usaweekend.com.
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