Aside from personal finance and debt relief stuff, the other topic we’re pretty interested in here at The Frugal Farmer is self-sufficiency.  Even a simple storm can render families unable to access fresh water or food from the grocery store, so preparedness and self-sufficiency isn’t just for the conspiracy theorists.  That being said, with all of the talk about U.S./South Korea/North Korea relations lately, I’ve been reminded of an article I received years ago from a prepper friend.  The article, among other info, contains a list of the top most valuable items that disappeared quickly during the Sarajevo War.   Now, granted, we don’t live in a third world country here, but recent storms like Hurricane Sandy left residents nearly as vulnerable as what these Sarajevo War residents went through.  Here’s what one person had to say about how to prepare when things change quickly where you live: Read more

The following is a guest post.  If you are interested in guest posting for The Frugal Farmer, see our Guest Post tab at the top of the page or by clicking here.

About today’s author: Dave Stephenson is a dedicated internet blogger that loves to write about lifestyle and the world, covering topics including family, health, and pets, all the way through to technology, media and travel.

 

Ways to Handle Unexpected Family Expenses

Most families understand the fact that raising a family is filled with costly expenses, many of which are unexpected and require a little financial flexibility.  An unexpected expense could be anything: unplanned home repairs and spur-of-the-moment medical expenses are certainly two of the most frequent.

Without proper planning, unexpected family expenses can quickly drain a budget and leave very little money left over for anything else.  So what’s the best way to handle these financial “surprises”?  There are a number of ways to get around such problems and keep the household running smoothly:

 

What are you really responsible for?

 When a financial emergency pops up, most people are so stressed with wondering how they will come up with the money that they don’t really consider the notion that they may not be responsible for the entire bill.  It is important to take a step back, assess the situation and establish exactly what your rights and responsibilities are in such an instance.  For example, if there is a water leak in a rented home, it is the landlord, not the tenant, who is responsible financially.  Before footing the bill, whatever it is for, it is essential to check out the matter thoroughly.  If the matter is health related, for example,  will the health insurance cover any of the required treatment?  Or if the washing machine breaks down is it still under warranty?  Don’t rush into grabbing your check book and doling out money until you’ve assessed the situation and determined what you’re really responsible for.

 

Create a family budget

 No one can predict the future, so budgeting for a specific emergency expense is impossible.  But what’s not impossible is planning for everyday expenses such as the mortgage or rent, groceries, utility bills, and school fees.  Bills that a family pays every month, or on a regular basis, are easy to predict and plan for.  So, create a family budget and stick to it.  Then, it will be easier to carve out some extra cash to set aside for any unexpected bill that might arise.  The key is to make sure that the extra funds aren’t used to cover everyday expenses.

 

Buy only what you can afford

 A common mistake that many families make when managing their money is buying things they just can’t afford.  A good rule of thumb is to always pay with cash or a debit card, which draws directly from one’s bank account.  In this way, credit cards are not used for day-to-day expenses and sinking further into debt is avoided overall.

 

Preparing for a fiscal emergency

 Having that emergency fund set aside is a great idea, but how realistic is this when most families today are surviving paycheck to paycheck?  Making room in one’s budget for unexpected expenses isn’t as hard as it may seem – the trick is to just start small.  For example, every time a deposit is made into your checking account, use online banking to transfer a small portion of the income into a separate savings account that is not easily accessed.  Click here to read more about different family banking options.

Another good tip is to put any extra money into the emergency fund – a tax return, a bonus at work or an extra paycheck are all ideas of extra money you can add to your emergency fund.  Families can also fund their emergency account by putting off a large planned purchase, such as an expensive family vacation or a new car, or perhaps by bringing supplemental money into the family by doing things such as holding a garage sale and putting the proceeds into the spare account.  Because the purpose of this account is to tide the family over in times of financial duress or a spell of unemployment, the overall goal should be to have three to six months worth of living expenses set aside to meet such unexpected financial emergencies.

By preparing your family and putting some of the above tips into place, unexpected family expenses will have much less of a negative impact on your family, both emotionally and financially.  Decide today to prepare your family.

We’re reading more and more about how sleep is so crucial to good health, healing and overall functioning in life.  So I was only semi-surprised when I came across an interesting article the other day and thought I’d share it with ya’ll.  Read here about how the loss of an hour in the spring  session of Daylight Savings Time has been shown to increase risks for heart attacks, murders, suicide, etc.  For those of you who need to set your clocks an hour ahead tonite, make sure you sleep in or go to bed early, just in case. :-).

 

By Dr. Mercola

A number of studies indicate that springing ahead to Daylight Saving Time (DST) may be hazardous to your health. Although the one-hour time change may seem minor, when it comes to your body’s internal clock, it actually is a big deal.

The latest study suggests turning your clock ahead for DST may set the stage for a small increased risk of heart attack the following day.¹

The findings were published in the March 2013 edition of the American Journal of Cardiology.² The study showed a small rise in heart attack rates the Sunday following the shift to DST, the Saturday night when you lose an hour.

However, the study showed a small tick downward the Sunday following the change back to standard time, when you gain an hour. Given that heart attacks appear to increase following the shorter night, it is reasonable that sleep deprivation may be to blame.

There are numerous studies showing the adverse health effects of sleep deprivation. But the studies involving one-hour time changes point to just how sensitive your body is to seemingly insignificant changes in your diurnal rhythms.

The lead researcher of the featured study speculates that a more significant result may be found with a larger sample size—the population in this study was quite small. When you consider these results in light of prior studies, the issue becomes more of a concern.

Heart Attacks, Car Crashes, and Suicides ALL Tick Up After Springing Ahead

The scientific research paints a disturbing picture of what the “extra” hour of daylight may be costing us. The following studies are illuminating:

• Heart Attacks: A 2012 University of Alabama study found that heart attacks increased by 10 percent on the Monday and Tuesday following the time change to DST. Heart attacks decreased by 10 percent on the first Monday and Tuesday after clocks are switched back in the fall.³
• Heart Attacks: A 2008 Swedish study found your chances of having a heart attack increase in the first three weekdays after the switch to DST, and decrease after you set your clock back to standard time in the fall. Heart attacks increase by five percent the first Monday after the time change, and 10 percent on Tuesday.^{4, 5}
• Suicides: Suicide rates for males rise in the weeks following the start of DST.⁶
• Automobile Accidents: Traffic accidents increase by eight percent on the Monday following the changeover to DST.⁷ And fatal alcohol-related traffic accidents increase for the first week after setting the clocks ahead.⁸ Workplace accidents and injuries increase by 5.7 percent, and 67.6 percent more workdays are lost as a result of injuries following the change to DST.⁹
• Productivity and Quality of Life: People are less productive once DST is implemented. Till Roenneberg, a Russian chronobiologist, reports that most people show “drastically decreased productivity,” decreased quality of life, increased illness, and are “just plain tired.”¹⁰

The “Monday cardiac phenomenon” has been recognized for some time, although not necessarily linked with sleep deprivation until recently. There are more heart attacks and other cardiovascular events on Mondays than any other day of the week, and the incidence of sudden cardiac death is markedly pronounced on Mondays.¹¹ This was thought to relate to work stress, but it may have more to do with the changes in sleep associated with the transition from weekend to work week. Why would such a seemingly insignificant change in your schedule lead to such profound changes?

Circadian Rhythms are Tied to Immune Function

Every cell in your body has its own internal clock, including cells in your immune system. Each cell’s internal clock helps it prepare for a stress or stimulus. When we mess with that internal clock, your cells are not able to prepare for the usual stresses.

So, when you set your clock forward and miss an hour of sleep that your cells were expecting, the negative impact of stress worsens, having a detrimental effect on your body. Immune response and inflammation vary with the time of day. Your immune function is temporarily compromised while your body “resyncs”—even if your sleep is decreased by only an hour. This is why many people feel so discombobulated right after the time change.

Experts disagree about exactly how long it takes your body to recover. Some say two to three days, others say it’s more like five. Till Roenneberg says his research indicates most people never truly recover. The effects of a change in time/sleep schedule are worse if your health is already compromised. If your immune system is stressed by poor nutrition, lack of exercise, or high levels of stress, your risk for an adverse event will be amplified. Time changes could raise levels of stress hormones and inflammatory chemicals just enough to trigger a heart attack—especially if you are particularly vulnerable.

Sleep Is More Important than You Think

Sleep problems are present in epidemic proportions in this country. Forty-three percent of Americans report rarely or never getting a good night’s sleep.¹² Short-term sleep deprivation is associated with:¹³

• Memory and cognitive impairment
• Impaired performance and alertness
• Occupational injuries
• Automobile injuries
• Impaired relationships

Chronic sleep deprivation is associated with increased blood pressure, heart rate, blood clotting, and C-reactive protein, an inflammatory marker associated with deadly heart attacks. According to Clinical Psychologist and sleep specialist Rubin Naiman, PhD, sleeping less than six hours per night (or sleeping more than nine) may double your risk of angina, coronary artery disease, heart attack and stroke.

Sleeping less than six or more than nine hours per night may also increase your risk for diabetes by impairing the way your body responds to insulin. Impaired insulin sensitivity, also known as insulin resistance, occurs when your body cannot use insulin properly, causing your blood sugar levels to rise to unhealthy levels. Insulin resistance is a precursor to type 2 diabetes, as well as a risk factor in many other chronic diseases.

Ideally, you should sleep enough hours that your energy is sustained throughout the day without artificial stimulation—with the exception of a daytime nap. Humans are biologically programmed to nap during the daytime. Training your body to resist the urge to nap in the afternoon can lead to inability to easily fall asleep at night. Engaging in shift work dramatically increases mortality.

Is DST a Waste of Time?

The U.S. began observing Daylight Saving Time during World War I as a way to conserve energy, although many experts argue that the time change lacks any measurable benefits. More than one study shows DST results in an increase in energy use, rather than a decrease.¹⁴ Portions of Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands do not participate in DST. And in 2011, Russia’s president Dmitry Medvedev cancelled DST due to the “stress and illness” it causes on human biological clocks.¹⁵

There is even a movement, including a petition, to end Daylight Saving Time for good.

There is very little good to be said about switching to Daylight Saving Time. Research is pointing to a long list of adverse effects, including increased heart attack risk, increased automobile accidents, lost productivity at work, increased chances of getting sick, and even higher suicide rates. There is also little evidence to suggest that DST reduces energy usage, which was its original intent. But there are some things you can do to mitigate the effects of the time change—at least until the powers that be decide to get rid of it altogether.

How to Protect Yourself During the Spring-Forward

University of Alabama Associate Professor Martin Young suggests the following natural strategies to help your body resync after the time change:

• Wake up 30 minutes earlier on Saturday and Sunday, to minimize the impact of getting up earlier on Monday morning
• Eat a nutritious breakfast
• Go outside in the sunlight in the early morning
• Exercise in the mornings over the weekend, in accordance with your overall level of health and fitness
• Consider setting your clock ahead on Friday evening, allowing an extra day to adjust over the weekend

I generally agree with his suggestions, to which I would add the following:

• Pay attention to your diet, making sure you are consuming plenty of fresh, whole foods, preferably organic, and minimal amounts of processed foods and fast foods; keep your sugar consumption very low, especially fructose; I invite you to review our total nutrition plan here.
• Practice good sleep hygiene, including sleeping in complete darkness, checking your bedroom for EMFs, and keeping your bedroom temperature no higher than 70 degrees; for a full report about how to maximize the quality of your sleep, refer to our previous article on sleep.
• Optimize your vitamin D levels.
• Manage your stress with whatever stress-busting techniques work for you.
• Consider supplementing with melatonin if you have trouble sleeping.