Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/675091
DEARMARY:I'veno- ticed that the 1-gallon jug of white vinegar at the store says it's mixed with water to have 5 per- cent acid- ity. Is it pos- sible to buy pure vinegar and dilute it to whatever acidity I want? And the jugs are heavy and take up a lot of storage space. I'm thinking there is an easier way to do this. By the way, I love all of the homemade cleaners you share! — Cally DEAR CALLY: Yes, there is a way that you can mix your own vinegar to the exact level of acidity you desire. White vinegar con- sists of 5 to 20 percent ace- tic acid and water. It has a variety of industrial, medi- cal and domestic uses. An easy way to mix vin- egar to have 5 percent acidity is to mix cup acetic acid with 1 gallon of water. To mix vinegar with 30 percent acidity (which is ideal for a very potent weed killer), mix 3 cups of acetic acid with 1 gallon of water. The challenges are find- ing acetic acid and then finding a place to store it safely. You must label the bottle clearly and keep it out of reach of children and pets. Acetic acid has very strong fumes and should be handled with care. You can get a quart of food-grade glacial ace- tic acid from Amazon for about $19 including ship- ping. One quart would make 8 gallons of vinegar with 5 percent acidity ( cup acetic acid per 1 gallon water) at a cost of about $2.40 per gallon. This mix- ture would be supermar- ket-strength white vine- gar that you could use as a salad dressing; a sub- stitute for fabric softener; your own scum and soap remover for the tub and shower; a homemade weed killer; and many other things. Making your own white vinegar mixture will help you lighten your load and consolidate storage space. As a bonus, you can easily save a few bucks over time depending how much vin- egar you use. I pay about $3 for one gallon of white vinegar at my Costco in north- ern Colorado (it comes in a 1.32-gallon jug for about $4). I rip through a gal- lon in no time at all, so I usually buy several jugs at a time. I know what you mean about having a heavy load! The average price of a gallon of white vinegar at Walmart is about $5. Compare what you are paying at a store to the $2.40 cost per gallon it takes to make your own. I think we've got a winner! Thanks for the idea. CAUTION: If you use white vinegar as a substi- tute for liquid fabric soft- ener, DO NOT use full- strength acetic acid! Only use white vinegar with 5 percent acidity ( cup ace- tic acid to 1 gallon of water). DEAR MARY: I have bags and bags of hotel soaps that I brought home from trips. I guess we trav- eled more than we real- ized. Anyway, do you know a place or organization that would be interested in them? I have already melted down way more bars of soap than I need. — Elgie DEAR ELGIE: Oh, yes! Consider gifting these toi- letries to a homeless shel- ter in your area. Home- less shelters are one of the most direct ways to give your toiletries to some- one in need. You can find a homeless shelter near you on the Homeless Shelter Directory. Another option would be a local women's shel- ter. Giving women in these shelters access to their own toiletries gives them a sense of ownership and the opportunity to start fresh. Visit WomensShel- ters.org, a great resource for shelters across the U.S. Does your church send out ministry teams during the summer or fill shoe- boxes of supplies for needy kids during the Christmas season? Toiletry items are perfect for both occasions. I've given bags of toiletries to young people to take with them to third-world countries, orphanages and schools. Children in need — and the workers who help them — are thrilled to receive any toiletry item. I know that my church will take all of the toiletry items I have. That's how much the donations are needed and appreciated. A church or synagogue in your area may be just as grateful. I hope that helps. Wouldyouliketosend a tip to Mary? You can email her at mary@ everydaycheapskate. com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Ste. B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. EVERYDAYCHEAPSKATE Mixyourown vinegar solution Mary Hunt Have you recently en- rolled in Medicare, or will you in the near future? If so, let me be the first to say, welcome! What should your first step be as a new Medicare beneficiary? I rec- ommend taking advantage of the "Welcome to Medi- care" preventive-care ben- efit. During the first 12 months that you have Medi- care Part B, you can get a "Welcome to Medicare" pre- ventive visit with your doc- tor. This visit includes a re- viewofyourmedicalandso- cial history related to your health. Your doctor will also offereducationandcounsel- ing about preventive-care services, including certain disease screenings, shots, and referrals for other care, if needed. When you make your ap- pointment, let your doctor's office know that you'd like to schedule your "Welcome to Medicare" visit. You pay nothing for this if your doc- tor or other qualified health care provider accepts Medi- care payment rates. If your doctor or other health care provider per- forms additional tests or services during the visit that aren't covered under this preventive benefit, you may have to pay coinsur- ance, and the Part B deduct- ible may apply. Here's what your doctor will do during your "Wel- come to Medicare" visit: • Record and evaluate your medical and family history, current health con- ditions, and prescriptions. • Check your blood pres- sure, vision, weight, and height to get a baseline for your care. • Make sure you're up- to-date with preventive ser- vices such as cancer screen- ings and shots. • Order further tests, de- pending on your general health and medical history. Following the visit, your doctor will give you a plan orchecklistwithfreescreen- ings and preventive services that you need. You should do a little preparation before you sit down with your doctor. Pull together your medical records, including immuni- zation records. Even if your current physician does the visit, gather as much medi- cal information as you can to make sure nothing is overlooked. Try to learn as much as you can about your family's health history before your appointment. The informa- tion will help you and your doctor understand what screenings you should get and what to watch for in the future. And bring a list of any prescription drugs, over- the-counter drugs, vita- mins, and supplements that you currently take, how of- ten you take them, and why. If you've had Medicare Part B for longer than 12 months,youcan geta yearly "Wellness" visit to develop or update a personalized plan to prevent disease or disabilitybasedonyourcur- rent health and risk factors. Medicare covers this visit once every 12 months. Your doctor or other pro- vider will ask you to fill out a questionnaire, called a "Health Risk Assessment," as part of this visit. An- swering these questions can help you and your provider develop a personalized pre- ventionplantohelpyoustay healthyandgetthemostout of your visit. The questions are based on years of med- ical research and advice from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Pre- vention. When you make your ap- pointment, let your doctor's officeknowthatyou'dliketo schedule your yearly "Well- ness" visit. Note: Your first "Well- ness" visit can't take place within 12 months of your enrollment in Part B or your "Welcome to Medicare" pre- ventive visit. However, you don't need to have had a "Welcome to Medicare" pre- ventive visit to qualify for a "Wellness" visit. As with the "Welcome" visit,youpaynothingforthe yearly"Wellness"visitifyour doctor or other qualified health care provider accepts Medicare payment rates. If your doctor or other health care provider per- forms additional tests or services during the same visit that aren't covered un- der this preventive benefit, you may have to pay coin- surance, and the Part B de- ductible may apply. Cate Kortzeborn is Medicare's acting regional administrator for Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and the Pacific Territories. You can always get answers to your Medicare questions by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). SENIORS What you need to know about medicare The Tehama County Child Abuse Prevention Council would like to wel- come the last baby born in the month of April in Tehama County. Parents Idania and Au- reliano Gracia welcomed their new baby boy Max- imiliano Licea Garcia born on April 30 at St. Elizabeth Community Hospital. The council, as part of their National Child Abuse Prevention Month celebration, honored the new baby with a gift bas- ket to kick off its Period of PURPLE Crying proj- ect. The ongoing proj- ect, in partnership with St. Elizabeth, educates families on the period of some infant's lives, be- tween the ages of 2 weeks and 4 months, where the baby may cry incessantly and unconsolingly. PURPLE Crying can be a source of frustration and difficulty for already sleep deprived, over- whelmed parents of new babies. The project seeks to educate families, in- cluding family members and other caregivers, that it can be a normal part of development and that it is temporary. "PURPLE Crying can be difficult for the par- ents to deal with, as the baby can't seem to be soothed," said Diana Gei- ger, CAPC member and leader of the project. "We wanted to give families some resources to under- stand it, and some skills to cope." The project, funded by generous community do- nations, directs families to a video on this period of life. Once they com- plete the video, they may take a survey and enter to win a gift card. The fam- ilies will receive a bag of gifts and goodies to take home from the hos- pital, as well as informa- tion and resources. While it kicks off in April, the project will continue year-round. The first baby born in April received diapers, wipes, toys, CAPC gown, outfits, First Five new parents kit and other mis- cellaneous baby items in their gift basket. "We are so happy to kick off this ambitious project by honoring this new little person," said Geiger. Although we receive a grant from Tehama County Social Services we must also raise funds in order to adequately provide a comprehen- sive child abuse preven- tion program to our com- munity. Six children in the last five years have lost their lives from neglect or child abuse in Tehama County. The Tehama County Child Abuse Prevention Coun- cil is working very hard to bring down this num- ber. Consider helping end child abuse and neglect in the county by donating. Every dollar collected will go directly to strengthen- ing families in Tehama County through informa- tion and education. For more informa- tion on how to make a tax deductible donation or about CAPC and the PURPLE Crying Project, call Diane Sugarman at 529-1500 extension 130 or visit the TehamaCAPC Facebook page. CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION Co un ci l we lc om es l as t Apr il b ab y COURTESYPHOTO Maximiliano Licea Garcia was born April 30at St. Elizabeth Community Hospital. FollowusonTwitterandFacebookforupdatesandmore. Super Summer leagues and promotions starting now Offermayberevokedwithoutnotice. No discounts apply. Look for new items to be included for discount. 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Main St. starting at $ 29 95 + $ 8 25 certificate Shop Equipped With 4SmogMachines For Fast Service No appointment Needed LaCorona Garden Center 7769Hwy99E,LosMolinos•530-576-3118 15% Off All Products We stock serveral Fertilizers & Soil Earth Juice house & garden, Roots Organic, General Hydroponics, Humboldt Nutrients, Advance Nutrients Fox Farm Products, Chicken Feed and More Saturday, April 30 th - 8am TEHAMA COUNTY CHILDSUPPORTSERVICES Services •Establishingpaternity(fatherhood) • Locating absent parents • Requesting child support orders from the court • Requesting medical support orders from the court • Enforcing child support orders To apply for services, request an application from the Tehama Child Support in person or by phone at 1005 Vista Way, Suite A in Red Bluff or 1-866-901-3212 www.tehamachildsupport.org. LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, May 4, 2016 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A5