Everybody loves a hot shower, why not crank up the water heater so you have plenty of hot water?
Safety, safety and more safety is the reason. While hot water is nice for the shower and washing dishes it can be a real danger when mixed with young children or even the elderly. It is important to remember that hot water can severely burn skin in a very short time. Below are some guidelines for setting the temperature on the hot water heater and why.

150 degree water can burn skin in 2 seconds

140 degree water can burn skin in 6 seconds

125 degree water can burn skin in 2 minutes

120 degree water takes approx 10 minutes

As you can see the burn time drops off rapidly at 125 degrees. There is also the added bonus of cost savings associated with setting the temperature at a lower setting. Dropping the temperature from 150 degrees to 120 degrees can save up to 12% on the hot water bill.

It is a good idea to check you water temperature now and consider lowering the temp especially if you have young children in the house.

Odds are you have become aware of the the organic food movement. You may have also noticed the prices of organic foods are quite a bit higher than the "standard foods". One way to take the plunge into buying organic to to choose the organic versions of foods that typically absorb more pesticides and save your money on other foods that typically don't have the heavy concentrations of chemicals.

The Environmental Working Group has assembled a short list;


The Dirty Dozen
Peach
Apple
Bell Pepper
Celery
Nectarine
Strawberries
Cherries
Kale
Lettuce
Grapes, imported
Carrot
Pear
Clean 15
Onion
Avocado
Sweet Corn
Pineapple
Mango
Asparagus
Sweet peas
Kiwi
Cabbage
Eggplant
Papaya
Watermelon
Broccoli
Tomato
Sweet Potato

Take this list with you when you go shopping, it will help you choose you fruits and vegatables.