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Category: August 2022

Elimination of Food Sales Tax

Posted on by djbechard

The Kansas Legislature passed a bill to eliminate the state sales tax on groceries by 2025. This will not happen immediately, as the tax will gradually decrease over time.

The first sales tax decrease from 6.5% to 4% goes into effect on January 1, 2023. The tax will then drop again from 4% to 2% on January 1, 2024, and will be eliminated entirely on January 1, 2025.

Many regular grocery store items will qualify for this change, but prepared foods do not. Foods that do qualify for the sales tax elimination include basic grocery items like produce, milk, eggs, bread, meat, bakery items, bottled water and soft drinks, candy and dietary supplements

Foods that do not qualify and will still be taxed at the state’s 6.5% rate include prepared foods that are ready to eat or just need reheating, foods sold along with eating utensils provided by the seller, alcoholic drinks and tobacco.

Local taxes on food will also remain in effect, meaning that groceries won’t be totally tax-free if the town, city or county where you shop has a local or county sales tax.

By: Brenda Langdon

K-State Master Gardeners

Posted on by djbechard

Extension Master Gardeners come from a variety of backgrounds and share a passion for gardening, an enthusiasm for learning, and a commitment to helping others. Master Gardeners have successfully completed basic training in the discipline of horticulture and they share their time and expertise as volunteers in their community to promote Post Rock Extension District’s educational mission.

If you are interested in becoming a Master Gardener, please reach out to Cassie at choman@ksu.edu or 785-738-3597

Learn more here: https://www.postrock.k-state.edu/lawn-garden/master-gardner/index.html

By: Cassie Homan

Eating Smart as We Age

Posted on by djbechard

We’re all aging, there’s no way to get around that. But, we can age gracefully and healthfully by taking on daily healthy habits such as staying physically active, sleeping restfully, staying socially active, and eating healthy foods. Focusing on nutritious foods will help maintain a healthy body and protect against various illnesses. Use the following tips to eat a nutritious diet for optimal aging.

  • Focus on fruits and vegetables. The current Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend adults should consume 1.5–2 cup-equivalents of fruits and 2–3 cup-equivalents of vegetables daily. Include a vegetable and/or fruit at every meal or snack and focus on making half of your plate fruits and vegetables.
  • Control your portions. Overloading your plate, taking on seconds and eating until you feel stuffed can lead to excess calories, fat, and cholesterol. Typical portion sizes have drastically grown throughout the years and it’s important to listen to your body’s fullness signals.
  • Everything in moderation. It’s important that you eat healthy foods most of the time, but it’s ok to treat yourself every once in a while. Focus on those fruits and vegetables first to make sure you’re reaching the recommended amounts and don’t allow junk food to take the place of foods your body needs to thrive.
  • Drink enough water. Every system in your body needs water. If you don’t drink enough water, you may become dehydrated which can leave you feeling sluggish or tired. Severe dehydration can lead to confusion and changes in heart rate. Although fluid intake varies from person to person, on average, you should drink enough fluid that you rarely feel thirsty and produce colorless or light-yellow urine.
  • Say NO to sodium. Reduce your daily sodium intake by keeping the salt shaker off the table, eat less processed foods, choose foods that have “low sodium,” “reduced sodium,” or “sodium free” labels, cook at home more, and pay attention to condiments.
  • Consume less sugar. There are many dangers of including added sugars in your diet such as tooth decay and adverse health effects such as obesity, lower HDL levels, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes. Added sugars are often hidden ingredients that are dense in calories and have zero nutrients. Reduce your added sugar intake by eating fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, limit candy, baked goods, and other sweet treats, opt for water instead of sugary drinks, sodas and sweet teas, and limit processed foods.

Back to School Budgeting

Posted on by djbechard

The excitement of a new school year also brings financial stress for parents as they work through the budget to pay for enrollment fees, school supplies, lunches and in some cases new clothes.

The earlier you can start looking at the prices of school supplies, the faster you will recognize a good price and be able to get that item at a good value.  Comparison shopping will allow families to price name brands versus generics and shop around for sales.

Back to school is a good time to talk about the cost of things with your children as well as how you make decisions about spending money.  This will help them learn and give them an understanding about finances that they can carry forward in their lives.

Spread out your purchases. Buy what you need now, and postpone some for later. When kids return to school at the end of summer, they could probably keep wearing their appropriate summer clothes and get the new clothes, shoes and coat when the weather turns cooler.

Keep saving in mind to start budgeting for extracurricular activities.  Have a conversation with your children about how many extracurricular activities they will participate in and what is most appropriate for their age. Include those costs in the family budget.

By: Brenda Langdon

Tomatoes Slow to Ripen?

Posted on by djbechard

The hot weather we have had recently not only interferes with flower pollination but also can affect how quickly fruit matures. The best temperature for tomato growth and fruit development is 85 to 90F. When temperatures exceed 100 degrees, the plant goes into survival mode and concentrates on moving water. Fruit development slows to a crawl. When temperatures moderate, even to the low to mid 90s, the fruit will ripen more quickly.

Tomato color can also be affected by heat. When temperatures rise above 95 degrees F, red pigments don’t form properly, though the orange and yellow pigments do. This results in orange fruit. This doesn’t affect the edibility of the tomato, but often gardeners want that deep red color back.

Pick tomatoes in the “breaker” stage. Breaker stage tomatoes are those that have started to turn color. At this point, the tomato has cut itself off from the vine and nothing will be gained by keeping it on the plant. If tomatoes are picked at this stage and brought into an air-conditioned house, they will ripen more quickly and develop a good, red color. A temperature of 75 to 85 degrees F will work well.

By: Cassie Homan

Be an Active Family in August

Posted on by djbechard

Kids need at least 1 hour of physical activity a day, and adults should strive for 150 minutes of physical activity each week. All sorts of activities count, and you’ll find that time will fly when you choose activities that you and your family enjoy. If your family enjoys swimming, hiking, or playing basketball spend time as a family getting active those ways. If your family prefers walking, soccer, or tennis chose those activities. Remember that your kids look up to you as a role model, so if you’re active they’re more likely to be active too.

Reporting Medicare Fraud

Posted on by djbechard

If you think there is something wrong with a bill for a Medicare service call your doctor, provider or the facility first to check if there was an error. You may want to speak to the billing department as well.

If you are still concerned and have Original Medicare, you can contact the Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC).  The MAC is the company that processed your Medicare claim, and their information can be found on your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN). Alternatively, you can call 1-800-633-4227.

If you are still concerned and have a Medicare Advantage Plan, contact your plan directly. Your plan’s phone number should be listed on the back of your benefit card and on your Explanation of Benefits (EOB).

To report fraud, contact Medicare at 1-800-633-4227, the Senior Medicare Patrol Resource Center 877-808-2468, or the Inspector Generals fraud  hotline at 1-800-447-8477. Medicare will not use your name while investigating if you do not want them to.

By: Brenda Langdon