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Month: July 2023

Creative ways to cut your energy costs this summer

Creative ways to cut your energy costs this summer

By Kimberly Palmer (NerdWallet)

Blasting the air conditioning to counteract stifling heat can provide much-needed relief this summer, but the utility bills that follow might not be as pleasant. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the price of electricity has been steadily climbing over the past two years.

“Most U.S. households will continue to pay high costs for energy throughout the summer because of high energy prices and the anticipated hot temperatures,” says Courtney Klosterman, home insights expert at insurer Hippo.

The good news is you might have more control over your energy usage than you think. Paula Glover, president of the Alliance to Save Energy, a nonprofit that advocates for energy efficiency policy, estimates that based on numbers from the Energy Department, consumers could save 10% to 20% a year on energy bills just by shifting habits and making some energy-efficient investments. But, she adds, “You have to be diligent.”

Here are five steps you can follow to lower your energy bill this summer: read more

Terry Savage: Don’t let quiet summer hamper financial planning

Terry Savage: Don’t let quiet summer hamper financial planning

The financial markets are in their most boring summer days as I write this column. Even news about unemployment and interest rates doesn’t seem to rock the stock market. The long-awaited recession appears elusive, and inflation appears to be waning.

Meanwhile, the anchors on financial TV programs are struggling to create interest in their world — even cheerleading for a cage match between two tech tycoons. So, is this the right time to take your eye off things financial and enjoy the longer summer days?

Or is it the perfect time to reassess and revise everything from your investment allocation to your will? I vote for the latter since this is a great time to get the ear of your adviser, attorney, accountant and other professionals. Right now, they’re not busy putting out fires or approaching year-end deadlines.

Here are a couple of activities to consider.

If you’re 73 or over, you must take a required minimum distribution from your retirement funds by year-end, or face stiff penalties. The first step is to figure out how much you must withdraw. That’s based on the year-end value of all your retirement accounts last December 31. read more

Disney: What’s new to chew at 2023 Epcot Food & Wine fest

Disney: What’s new to chew at 2023 Epcot Food & Wine fest

Walt Disney World has released the full menu for the upcoming Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, with dozens of new items to peruse.

By our count, there are 30 new dishes to consider and four new global marketplaces across the theme park, three of which have menus packed with new-to-fest options. The foursome is dubbed Bubbles & Brine, Char & Chop, Wine & Wedge and Swirled Showcase.

Although the event begins July 27, some of the kiosks, including the quartet of newbies, join the lineup later. (Disney has shared exact dates on some but not all.) There’s time. The event wraps up Nov. 18.

Old favorites – we’re looking at you, cheddar and bacon soup and filet mignon at Canada – are back, but today we’re all about the fresh offerings. Here are fresh options for the 2023 Food & Wine Fest:

  • Mexico has a completely new lineup featuring tostada de carnitas (braised pork on a fried corn tortilla), taco de costilla (a slow-braised beef short rib on a corn tortilla) and pastel imposible, layers of traditional Mexican flan and tres leches with guava and cajeta.

Theme Park Rangers Radar: SeaWorld dance party, Haunted Mansion hatbox, Tiana watch 2023

  • Italy also revamped its menu with focaccia ripiena, cavatelli with sweet sausage ragoût and bacon plus lemon ricotta cheesecake with vanilla cream and strawberry compote.
  • China’s new entree is the crispy duck bao bun with hoisin.
  • Japan is introducing fire taiko roll (sushi with spicy tuna, cucumber, and pickled daikon radish) and beef wagyu don, a traditional Japanese rice bowl with American wagyu beef.
  • At Greece, there’s Impossible moussaka, a plant-based option.
  • The Flavors of America marketplace has three new offerings: an Italian hot beef sandwich, cioppino (a seafood stew) and chilaquiles, corn tortilla chips tossed in salsa verde with ranchero chicken, queso fresco, cilantro-lime crema and a soft-poached egg.
  • Flavors From Fire serves chimichurri-marinated skirt steak tacos and a spiced chocolate tart with barbecued potato chip crust, salted whisky-caramel and smoked sea salt.
  • At the Alps marketplace, there’s dark-chocolate fondue with berries, pound cake and meringues.
  • Brew-Wing at the Odyssey, which has a Muppet Labs touch, will have orange-cardamom wings, Impossible Buffalo chicken tenders (with plant-based blue cheese, plant-based ranch and celery) and the Muppetsationally named “Unnecessarily Spicy, Yet Extremely Tasty Scotch Bonnet Pepper-Curry Wings with cool cucumber yogurt.”
  • Fry Basket adds to its tater-driven menu with pickle fries with dill ranch.
  • On the very sweet side, Refreshment Port offers a cinnamon-sugar beaver tail, and that kiosk near American Adventure has a funnel topped with candied bacon, vanilla ice cream and a maple syrup drizzle.

Shetland pony, destined for Cinderella carriage duty, born at Disney World

  • The four new marketplaces are “opening later this fall,” Disney says. At Char & Chop, expect roasted porchetta with lemon-parsley salsa verde and shaved fennel salad, grilled Impossible spicy sausage and “Meat Assorti,” a trio of shaved meats with baby arugula, pickled mustard seeds, truffle oil and grilled ciabatta.
  • Bubbles & Brine offers jumbo shrimp cocktail, Jonah crab claw cocktail and caviar with traditional accompaniments, champagne cream and blini.
  • Wine & Wedge goes with assorted artisanal cheeses, boursin fig and balsamic soufflé with fig tapenade, Southern pimento cheese and an item with artisanal cheeses and accoutrements paired with Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese, Hartley apple brandy and Florida Orange Groves Winery Black and Blue Port.

Additional festival marketplaces include Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Coastal Eats, Connections Cafe, Connections Eatery, France, Germany, Hawaii (which opens Aug. 15), India, Ireland, four Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea locations, Kenya, Noodle Exchange (debuting Aug. 15), Simmering Sips, Spain and  Tangierine Cafe (Morocco pavilion). read more