Selecting ripe fruit is easy if you know what to look for. These tips will help you select ripe fruit that is ready to be taken home and eaten.
🍇Grapes
If white grapes are ripe they will have a yellow tint to them. Red grapes will have a deep color and every grape will be about the same shade. While still in the store shake the grape stalk. If more than a grape or two fall off they are overripe and will not taste as good.
Kiwi
The skin of the kiwi should be free from bruises. Softly press on the kiwi and if it gives slightly it is ripe. If you are able to push into this fruit and it has a mushy feel then it is no longer good.
Apples
To select a ripe apple look at the skin of the apple. It should be free from bruises and nicks. Apples with a lot of green, besides the Granny Smith apples, are not ripe. The apple should be firm to the touch as well. It should not feel hard but it should not have a mushy texture either.
Oranges
There is an easy way to tell if an orange is ripe. Run your hands around the fruit. It should have a plump feel to it. The surface of the orange will be smooth. It should also feel heavy when held. If the orange passes the above testing then give it a light squeeze. The fingers should be able to bounce back without a problem. The orange should have an oval shape. It if is too round then the orange is under ripe and will have a bitter taste.
Tangerine
To tell if this fruit is ripe look at the color. If there is some green on the fruit that means that it is not ripe. Give the tangerine a light squeeze. Like the orange, if the fruit is ripe, it will bounce back and will not be mushy. The tangerine should also have a bit of a heavy feeling to it as well.
Strawberries
To find the best strawberries; they should be plump, have a deep red color, and be shiny. The cap should be securely attached. The berries should be medium sized since they will contain less water than larger berries. Avoid berries that are green or have a pale color to them.
Blackberries
These berries will not be glossy and will have a little bit of a dull look when they are ripe. The best time for blackberries is the midsummer. The berries should be plump and dark.
Blueberries
Blueberries are at their best from June to August. When purchasing these berries they should be blue in color and should not even have a tint of red to them. The berries will have a bit of a silver look that is shimmery. That means they are ready and at their peak. These berries will not continue to ripen once they are picked so it is important to select carefully when purchasing them.
Plum
When looking for a ripe plum it should be heavy, but it should not be too soft. If the plum is very soft it is overripe. When squeezing the plum it should have a little bit of a give to it and not be mushy. The plum should also have a deep color.
Cherries
Cherries will have a deep, almost black, color when they are ripe. The cherry should be firm to the touch. It will also be juicy when bitten into. The stem should be firmly attached to the cherry but it should twist off without a problem.
Avocado
Avocados have become very popular over the past couple of years. They are full of healthy fatty acids that are good for the body. When purchasing a ripe avocado there are some things to look for. The avocado should have a very deep color, almost black. If it is green then it is not ready. The avocado should yield to some gentle pressure when squeezed. If it is too soft or too firm then it is not ready to eat.
These are some ways to tell if these popular fruits are ripe and ready to eat. By giving these fruits these simple tests it will help you, as a consumer, determine that you are getting the best tasting fruit.
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Category Archives: Health and Fitness
3 Ways to Teach Your Children how to Save $
A study discovered that most children have established their money habits by age 7.¹
Before they might know what a 401(k) or mortgage even are, their financial future is already starting to take shape. It’s never too early to teach your kids the wisdom of budgeting, limiting their spending, and paying themselves first. So the sooner you can instill those lessons, the deeper they’ll sink in!
Fortunately, teaching your kids about saving is quite simple. Here are two common-sense strategies that can help you instill financial wisdom in your children from the moment they can tell a dollar from a dime!
Give your child an allowance
The easiest way for your child to learn how money works is actually for them to have money. If it’s within your budget, set up a system for your child to earn an allowance. The more closely it relates to their work, the better. Set up a list of family chores that are mandatory, and then come up with some jobs and projects around the house that pay different amounts.
What does this have to do with saving? The simple fact is that spending money you receive as a gift can feel totally different than spending money that you earn. Teaching your children the connection between work and money instills a sense of the value of their time and that spending isn’t something to be taken lightly!
Teach your child how to budget
Budgeting is one of the most essential life skills your child will ever learn. And there’s no better time for them to start learning the difference between saving and spending than now! The same study that revealed children solidify their spending habits at age 7 also suggested they can grasp basic financial concepts by age 3!
So when your kid earns that first 5 dollar bill for working in the yard, help them figure out what to do with it! Encourage them to set aside a portion of what they earn in a place where it will grow via compound interest. Explain that the longer their money compounds, the more potential it has to grow! If they’re natural spenders, help them determine how long it will take them to save up enough to buy the new toy or game they want and that it’s worth the wait.
Start saving for yourself
Remember this–the most important lessons you teach your children are unconscious. Your kids are smart. They watch everything you do. Relentlessly enforce spending limits on your kids but splurge on a vacation or new car? They’ll notice. That’s why one of the most critical means of teaching your kids how to save is to establish a savings strategy yourself. When you make and review your monthly budget, invite the kids to join! When they ask why you haven’t gone on vacation abroad for a while, calmly inform them that it’s not in the family budget right now. Model wise financial decision making, and your children will be far more receptive to learning how money works for themselves!
The time to start teaching your kids how to save is today. Whether they’re 2, 8, or 18, offer them opportunities to work so they can earn some money and give them the knowledge and resources they need to use it wisely. And the sooner your kids discover concepts like the power of compound interest and the time value of money, the more potential they have to transform what they earn into a foundation for future wealth.
1- “The 5 Most Important Money Lessons To Teach Your Kids,” Laura Shin, Forbes, Oct 15, 2013, https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2013/10/15/the-5-most-important-money-lessons-to-teach-your-kids/?sh=2c01a4956826
Support National Entrepreneurship Week
This past weekend was a busy one with Valentine’s Day and President’s Day happening back to back. But did you realize there was another day this past weekend? Saturday kicked off the start of National Entrepreneurship week.
Having taught aspiring entrepreneurs for some years now, National Entrepreneurship Week is not new to us. But we realize a lot of folks probably didn’t know there was an entire week where organizations across the country held events to support and celebrate entrepreneurs in their communities and provide resources to help emerging entrepreneurs.
So how will you show your support? Will you make a special effort to shop with entrepreneurs in your local community or simply show them love on social media by liking and sharing their posts? Whatever you decide to do, remember that now more than ever they are a key part of the economy. Last year caused a dynamic shift in the way many businesses operated resulting in losses for many and gains for some. However supporting local entrepreneurs helps them and helps your community in that as they expand they are able to create jobs for others.
So what are we at ECV Talks doing to support National Entrepreneurship Week? We’re hosting a FULLY LIVE & FREE Entrepreneurship class this Saturday, February 20th at 6 PM EST. Why is it special that it’s fully live? Well we started this Entrepreneurship week with a video replay of our first virtual version of this Entrepreneurship master class so that Ms. ME herself could be in the chat answering questions. But this coming Saturday we’re dropping the reformatted master class with the latest tips you need to save your side-hustle or escape to entrepreneurship.
So Reserve Your Spot TODAY! This is the last time this class will be offered for a few months as we begin our next small group session of our Escape to Entrepreneurism 6 week course. Want more info about the course? Come to the free class and ask questions. We’ll see you there!
Passive Income: How It Works
What if there were a way to increase your cash flow without starting a second job, changing careers, or getting a raise?
If you’re like many, that sounds exactly like what you and your family need! Who wouldn’t want some extra money coming in? It might seem like pie in the sky, but it’s not a fantasy.
Earning a passive income is more achievable than you might realize. Read on to discover how passive incomes work, what makes them so advantageous, and common ways to create them.
In general, a passive income is cash flow that requires little to no regular effort to create and maintain.
That’s not to say that they don’t require work. But the labor involved in opening a passive income stream is normally upfront—you spend time and/or money in the beginning to set up the income stream, then sit back and reap the rewards as time goes on.
It’s an advantageous model because it can potentially free up your time—which is the most valuable resource you have.
But be warned—not all opportunities to create passive income are created equal. Here are a few proven strategies for you to consider!
Create digital products. EBooks, online courses, stock photos, and stock music are all passive income generators. They require initial time investments to create and publish, but then earn you money as users buy them over time.
Rent out property. Renting is a classic source of passive income. It requires money upfront to buy the property—and maybe time and more money for renovations. But once rent starts coming in, they’re income sources that don’t require your daily attention. (Note: Becoming a landlord may have other costs involved, like repairs or replacing old equipment or appliances.)
Build a team of sales professionals. This is the hidden gem of passive income. There’s a starting commitment of time to learn about your market and how to close sales. Then you’ll need to create a team of salespeople. Every time they make a sale, you earn a portion of the profit. Once you’ve mastered the basics, the sky’s the limit for how much passive income you can potentially earn!
If having a passive income stirs your interest, let us know. Register for our FREE class this Saturday, February 13th at 2:30 PM EST to get ideas for your passive income opportunity and what things need to be part of your plan. Afterwards if you’re interested you can get a FREE review of your financial position, skills, and the opportunities available and see which one might work best for you!
Really we’re offering both of these items for free, no catch. Of course we’d love it if you find out that our first course offering is a great fit for you, but even if it isn’t you’ll still be eligible to get the free review. So go ahead and register and tell a friend or three!
Tax Season Cometh – Pt 2
You read Pt 1 and came back for Pt 2. We salute you. So now without further ado the tax tips you’re looking for…
- Start saving for a down payment on a house.
Maybe you’ve already paid down your debt with past refunds, have an emergency fund and are a regular retirement saver. Is it your dream to own a home? Then apply your refund to that savings bucket. If you’re ready to pull the trigger on your purchase or bought in 2020 with the historically low interest rates we’re seeing right now, don’t forget that your points can be deductible as can home mortgage interest and real estate taxes. - Maximize HSA contribution to decrease taxable income.
Similar to the dependent care FSA mentioned in Part 1, health savings account contributions decrease the amount of taxes you pay in the year you make contributions. The trick is that HSAs aren’t available to everyone as they are meant for people with high deductible health insurance plans. However if you do have access to one, not only can you stash money pre-tax to cover your medical expenses like eyeglasses, prescriptions and doctor visits, but the account can earn interest and rolls over from year to year and from employer to employer.
If you don’t qualify for an HSA perhaps your employer provides access to a Medical FSA. You can elect how much to contribute from your pre-tax income and use the funds on medical expenses. Here’s where this account gets tricky. The funds are a use-it or lose-it deal so you need to be really good at estimating how much you’re going to spend in a calendar year or risk losing some cash. This didn’t used to be a big deal years ago because you could use up whatever was left at the end of the year buying OTC products, think 🩹💊 . Thanks to coronavirus (bet you thought you’d never see those words used in a non-sarcastic manner 🙂) you can do this again. However, stay alert to hear if the government switches this feature back off again. Honestly we hope they never do, but if it does happen just know that it’ll mean getting a prescription for things like Tylenol just to use your money. - Take advantage of catch up retirement contributions if you’re 50+.
Didn’t start saving for retirement with that first job? While you might be behind in your savings you don’t have to stay that way. The limits on contributions are actually $1000 higher if you’re 50 or older. So find a way to minimize other expenses so you can max out your contributions.
- Defer retirement to help grow savings.
This one might not seem like a great tip if you’re nearing retirement age. Unless you’re facing the reality from the comic above that you didn’t save enough and will either need to significantly downsize your life to try to stretch your limited savings or continue working. If you continue working, you can still contribute to an IRA and as the previous tip stated, contribute more.
- Take all RMDs to avoid 50% penalty.
First of all RMD stands for Required Minimum Distribution. The IRS wants to collect taxes on all of that money you saved for retirement throughout the years without paying them a piece. So once you hit 70.5 years old, they force you to start taking money out whether you need it or not. The catch? If you don’t withdraw all that they tell you to take out they hit you with a 50% penalty. So to avoid losing money to useless penalties, just go ahead and take out the full RMD. - Make estimated payments to avoid underpayment penalties.
Did you take our advice from our Divorce Your Job series or our posts on starting your own side hustle? Well watch out for an increased tax liability since you’re now considered self-employed. Make estimated tax payments throughout the year to avoid wasting money on penalties.
- Document your business expenses to lower tax liability including up to 100% of health insurance costs.
And we don’t mean document like in the comic above. Need tips on how to keep track of all of your business expenses? While Quicken is a software we’ve used in the past and Quickbooks is always a great go-to, maybe you’re not ready to learn a new program.
Join us on February 13th at 2:30 PM EST for our free Entrepreneurship class and ask about other tracking options. - Subcontract and deduct non-core administrative expenses.
Getting bogged down with administrative tasks instead of focusing on the key activities of your business? Hire somebody else to do it for you and deduct the cost from your taxes. Looking for a virtual assistant to handle calendar management, social media and other admin tasks for you? Allow us to provide those business services for you by the hour. You don’t have to file any tax paperwork until you reach $600 paid for services. The form that you’d end up filing is the 1099-NEC.
Did you find any of these tips helpful? Talk back to us in the comments.
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