Beech Tree News Network

I used to tease my late husband that if nothing else were available, he would read a cereal box. I may be just as bad. Lately, some of my reading has included the following information.

Calorie Burn:  By doing simple household chores, we burn calories. A 150-pound person could burn about 179 calories in 45 minutes by sweeping, washing dishes or performing other household tasks. By scrubbing the floors for 20 minutes, 84 calories would likely be burned. A 20-minute run over the carpets pushing a vacuum will use 75 more calories. And a 15-minute dusting session would likely burn close to 40 calories (http://www.msn.com/en-us/health/weightloss/heres-how-many-calories-7-win...).

Least Educated:  A recent MSN article identified the least-educated county in each state. The location in fiftieth place was Windham County, Connecticut (Percent of 25-year-olds without a high school diploma: 11.99%) and in first place, Starr County, Texas (Percent of 25-year-olds without a high school diploma:53.28%).The article included the statistics listed below for Kentucky and surrounding states:

·       #26. Alexander County, Illinois

Percent of 25-year-olds without a high school diploma: 25.9%

·       #24. Dunklin County, Missouri

Percent of 25-year-olds without a high school diploma: 28.13%

·       #21. Grundy County, Tennessee

Percent of 25-year-olds without a high school diploma: 28.91%

·       #15. Sussex County, Virginia

Percent of 25-year-olds without a high school diploma: 31.38%

·       #7. McDowell County, West Virginia

Percent of 25-year-olds without a high school diploma: 35.55%

·       #6. Owsley County, Kentucky

Percent of 25-year-olds without a high school diploma: 36.85%

·       #5. LaGrange County, Indiana

Percent of 25-year-olds without a high school diploma: 36.91%

·       #2. Holmes County, Ohio

Percent of 25-year-olds without a high school diploma: 44.22%

(http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careersandeducation/the-least-educated-pl...)

Saving Money:  Many probably decided to save money in 2017 as a New Year’s resolution. The Modern Woodmen (2017 winter issue) magazine included an article about budgeting. How do we find money to save? The author(s) advised that we pay ourselves first by putting a percentage of each paycheck into an accessible savings account. This article explained that the goal for one’s emergency savings fund should be to cover three to six months of income. This fund would be used to cover unexpected expenses like home or car repairs.

Retirement:  The Daily News (November 27, 2016, C5) included an article that stated: “The American dream of a blissful retirement, free of financial worries, is dying.” Experts predict that many elderly Americans will have to (1) work longer, (2) move in with kids and (3) make use of assistance programs. With traditional pension plans through employers becoming rare, the importance for Americans to save has increased. As expected, baby boomers have placed pressure on Social Security as they tapped into the system. The article predicted that those households with low retirement savings would have to cut their spending by more than 10% after retirement.

Pedestrian-friendly Neighborhood:  A recent issue of the Women’s Health Reporter newsletter stated that pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods are linked to better health. The author explained that studies have shown the more pedestrian-friendly the environment in which a person lives and works, the greater the chances he or she will walk more and make healthy lifestyle choices.

Though I wish life were a rose garden, the information in some of my reading is not so pretty. But as Winston Churchill said, “I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught” (https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_learning.html). And Anne F. Beiler said, “…Life is hard, but God is good. Try not to confuse the two”
(https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/life_is_hard.html). Words of wisdom!