TAKING
by Rebecca Wolf
Extension Home Economist
Marriage and Money-
A Lesson to be Learned
Several months ago I jotted a
note to myself to write a column
on money and family stress -- not
realizing how close to home it
would hit!
In three weeks, I will be getting
married, and for the last three
months financial decisions and
family stress have been an inti
mate reality for me. So what have
I learned? Three things: every
“expert” can continue to learn, it’s
important to “practice what you
preach,” and it’s “easier said than
done.” All cliches; all true.
The area of family economics,
finances, and budgeting has been
identified as THE top family stres
sor. Married men and women and
single parents all name it as the
top cause of family stress. Money
and disagreements over money is
one of the top three reasons for
divorce in the United States today.
But fortunately, we do know
about healthy families and how
they have come to grips with the
strains of making financial deci
sions and stretching the ever
shrinking dollar. This coping
starts with a realization that hav
ing more money is not going to
remove financial stress from a
family’s life.
All families that have learned to
handle money stresses without
having them rum family relation
ships have four qualities in com
mon. First, they talk about money
on a regular basis. They don’t link
self-esteem and earning power.
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“In the last two years we put in alfalfa with
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the only tillage used. The alfalfa seedlings are
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T have better pastures since I suited using the Aer-
Way to aerate and renovate my pastures. Using the
Aer-Way has helped me get the nutrients where they
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without running the Aer-Way first
Aw t Wav
TIME
v That means, if you are a member
of the family, you are important
and your opinions and desires are
considered, whether you bring
home a paycheck or not This also
means that the person earning
more money does not necessarily
always have the last say.
These stress-effective families
also develop good money man
agement skills and teach their
children about money. The inter
esting thing is that their ideas vary
- some live by very strict budgets,
some give specific allowances,
others have a looser style of plan
ning and require their children to
work for money. But the common
chord is the family’s satisfaction
with the system they have chosen.
trying to pay for a wedding
while still paying rent, buying
groceries, and making other regu
lar purchases, has made me inter
ested in how healthy families deal
with racing inflation or a cut in
income. According to the
research, these families tend to
scale-down expenses rather than
add income. They also scale down
expectations. For instance, they
may decide having a new car
every three years is not as impor
tant as it used to be.
The families that have learned
to deal with money stresses will
also tend ip respect others’ deci
sions about everyday expenses.
They don’t quibble over those
expenditures. But they regularly
talk, share, and compromise on
major purchase decisions. Cou
ples also report a willingness to
I
RICK & KATHIE ARNOLD
Twin Oaks Farm
Truxton, New York
SANDY FISHER
Brookview Farm, Manakin-Sabot Virginia
give in to a husband or wife on
occasion knowing that during
some future decision, the roles
will be reversed.
I’m already practicing some of
these ideas. I’m sure that during
the coming months and years of
married life I will struggle with
more decisions.
You may want to look at your
family and how it deals with
money issues. Do they cause you
continual stress? Consider taking
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“About 25 percent of bottled
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processed tap water from munici
pal systems.” says Dr. Paul Robil
lard, assistant professor of agricul
ture engineering in Penn State’s
College of Agriculture. “Some
bottled waters are high in sodium
and most lack fluoride which
helps protect teeth.”
Sales of bottled water have
quadrupled over the last decade,
partly because consumers are con
cerned that their water sources are
endangered by chemicals acciden
tally released into the
environment.
Aggressive advertising also has
convinced many consumers that
drinking bottled water is a sign of
affluence.
“But there’s no need to spend a
lot of money on bottled water if
it’s no belter than your own tap
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Currently there are limits on
more than 30 contaminants in
municipal water supplies. In the
next few years, this number is
expected to exceed 80.
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“My dairy farm is located on rolling terrain in
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Dairy Farmer
Reedsburg, Wisconsin
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JOHN VANDORP
Woodstock, Ontario
Daily and hog operation
Lancaster Arming, Saturday, September 14, 1991-811
the time to begin practicing some
of the things that stress-effective
families have shown - talk about
money (don’t avoid the subject
just because the conversation may
become tense), remember to show
other family members they are
important Include them in deci
sions whether they contribute a
paycheck or not If you don’t feel
comfortable making money deci-
Drink Bottled Water?
“If you’re on a public water sys
tem, you can find out from your
local government where your
water comes from, what conta
minants it is tested for and
whether any of these are present in
quantities that pose a health risk,”
says Robillard.
Contaminants found in water
supplies include lead, nitrates,
radon and benzene. Chlorine used
to disinfect water sometimes can
interact with compounds pro
duced when organic materials,
such as dead leaves, decay. The
combination can result in harmful
byproducts.
Consumers who have private
wells will find it more difficult to
obtain accurate information about
their water. “Testing of home
wells can be expensive and con
fusing,” says Robillard. “You can
consult local health officials or
your county extension office for
advice on the specific tests needed
for your location.”
If you do decide to drink bottled
water, know what you’re buying.
Many types of bottled water are
available at grocery stores and
through delivery services.
Spring water reaches the earth’s
surface from underground aquif
ers. Sometimes it is naturally car
bonated by carbon dioxide gas.
Spring waters whose labels don’t
state that they are “natural” may
have undergone some processing,
such as the addition of minerals.
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“We really noticed the improvement in the fields where we
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thinned-out areas.”
LARRY STRITE
Rich Baron Farm, Greencastle, Pennsylvania
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sions, ask a spouse to teach you.
Begin a regular savings plan -
even if it is only $5 per week into
an emergency fund. And finally,
teach your children and grandchil
dren the lessons you have learned
and are learning now.
Rebecca Wolf is a Home Eco
nomist with Penn State
Cooperative Extension in
Lehigh County.
Mineral water usually contains
large amounts of dissolved miner
al salts, such as calcium, sodium,
magnesium and iron. Some com
mercial mineral waters actually
are tap water with minerals and
carbon dioxide added. Depending
on your water source, your tap
water actually might contain more
minerals than some commercial
mineral waters. No studies to date
have shown that either a low or
high mineral content benefits
human health.
Distilled water is processed by
heating water and condensing its
vapor. It tastes bland and is used
mostly for industrial household
use, such as in steam irons and
batteries.
Sparkling water is “naturally”
carbonated, which means the
water was effervescent in its
underground source. These natur
al gases usually are drawn off
before the water reaches the sur
face and are reinjected later during
bottling to ensure a consistent pro
duct
dub soda is water to which
minerals and mineral salts have
been added.
To obtain free fact sheets on
bottled water, water testing and
water treatment, contact the
Department of Agricultural and
Biological Engineering, 236 Agri
cultural Engineering Building,
Penn State, University Park PA
16802 (814) 865-7685.