The Leaf-Chronicle from Clarksville, Tennessee • 28

Good Deals The Leaf-Chronicle www.theleafchronicle.com Friday, October 18, 2002 Page C4 Work Bytes 3 GOT A GOOD DEAL? Are you known as a thrift maven or King of the Savers in your circle of friends? if so, share your secrets with us! Send your ideas to consumer reporter Senee Seale Moon by phone: 245-0217, by e-mail or by mail: Senee Seale Moon, The Leaf-Chronicle, P.O. Box 31029, Clarksville, TN, 37040-0018. Please include your first and last name, city you live in and a contact phone number with each submission. HOME TIPS Corn bedding The newest fluffy bedding at Bed Bath Beyond comes from fibers made with corn grown in Nebraska and Iowa. Nature Works is a new fiber derived from by-products of cornstarch, developed by Cargill Dow and the Pacific Coast Feather Co.

The filling looks and feels like synthetic cotton and is hy-poallergenic. Bed Bath Beyond sells the corn bedding under the label Natural Balance. For information and environmental benefits of using corn, go to www.nature-worksfibers.com. Gannett News Service Homes Gardens FOOD TiPS Donna WilsonThe Leaf-Chronicle Levester and Mary Eatmon shop at Wortham's Food Town on Madison Street. During the economic turmoil of the past year, many people across the country have been making a shopping list and sticking to it.

Consumers tighten their belts and shorten shopping lists D8wnSss2rlo Good manners show you're worth your salt "Move from the outside the outside That's the mantra I find myself muttering every time I sit for a formal meal Start with the utensils on the outside, then move closer toward the main plate. I've always figured that that's probably the only thing you needed to know. Probably the most heinous dining infraction I've ever committed was buttering my entire roll at once. Are those dining errors really that big of a deal? Experts say not to underestimate the impact that manners and social skills have in a business-oriented situatioa Knowing the basics of social graces is key for the candidate interviewing with a prospective boss during lunch, or to the executive trying to clinch a lucrative deal. Business etiquette encompasses everything from passing bread, to handshaking to making conversation.

Jodie Vesey, a public speaker and trainer for The Etiquette Institute, says 85 percent of getting, keeping and moving up in a job is based on people skills: That includes image, attire and attitude. The other 15 percent is based on technical knowledge. "A person who makes other people feel comfortable and welcomed, and encourages conversation is practicing good etiquette," Vesey said. If skill, experience and education are equal among candidates vying for a the difference could be how you handle yourself in a social setting, said Dee Hurst, director of human resources at the University of Iowa's Tippie College of Business. Knowing the basics of formal dining breeds confidence, enabling individuals to focus on projecting a positive self-image, she said, rather than worrying about which water glass is yours.

Tips from Hurst: Don't chew and speak at the same time. Eat slower, take smaller bites and completely chew food before jumping back into the conversatioa Hurst shares the story of one horrified employer who watched a job candidate eat ice cream for dessert. One spoonful of ice cream slid in and out of the person's mouth at least three times, Hurst said, before it was finally consumed. Follow the host's lead. Want to order an appetizer or cocktail? "Keep an eye on the host to set the tone," Hurst says.

That includes pacing your eating with everyone at the table. Write the columnists at The Des Moines Register, P.O. Box 957, Des Moines, Iowa 50304-0957. AND THE SURVEY The Smart Shopping Survey, sponsored by "all' laundry brand, found the following results: 84 percent avoided ATM machines that charge an additional fee. Nearly one quarter (24 percent) have tried to use an expired coupon.

More than a third (35 percent) have driven all the way home to get coupons they had forgotten. The average number of miles people would be willing to drive to get the best gas prices is five. About two-thirds (65 percent) frequently comparison shop to get airline tickets with the best flights. The majority (88 percent) compare the prices of different brands to make sure they get the best value before making a decision. Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) shop at more than one store to take -advantage of low prices.

Almost half (48 percent) save between 1 1 to 30 percent on average weekly grocery or household shopping because of different saving techniques. North American Precis Syndicate, Inc. By ANN MERRILL Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune If you want to know how the troubled economy is affecting consumers, look in their grocery carts. Driven by financial concerns, consumers are paring their shopping lists.

"I watch the specials," said LaVonne Martinson, who bought two discounted half-gallons of ice cream at a grocery store Monday morning. A retired postal worker, Martinson said she's aware of the ailing economy and shops less often than a year ago. She also practices penny-pinching by using coupons and a list to help avoid impulse buys. Consumer spending reports for August indicate Martinson isn't alone. The US.

Commerce Department this week reported that consumer spending, which accounts for two-thirds of economic activity, rose only 03 percent, less than the 0.5 percent many economists expected. In this kind of economy, "you tend to be more careful," said Gloria Xanthos, who was buying two loaves of bread. "I am focusing on healthy food, the basics that tend to be less costly." The consumer austerity is a double-whammy for grocers al- What's for dinner? It could be tomatoes with free booklet "What's For Dinner," with a recipe for each day of the week, is available by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to: What's For Dinner, California Tomato Commission, 1625 E. Shaw Avenue, Suite 106, Fresno, CA 93710. Information and recipes are available online at www.tomato.org Knight RidderTribune A Information Services a- Culinary scholarships LOUISVILLE, Ky.

A total of $92,000 in scholarships for culinary education and research is being offered by the International Association of Culinary Professionals Foundation, for the 2003-2004 iacademic year. Among new scholarships for which 2003, high school graduates may apply are: Le Cordon Bleu, Mexico: One full-tuition scholarship for a 10-week basic cuisine certificate course, taught in Spanish. The Julia, Child Endowment Fund Scholarship, France: One $5,000 scholarship for independent study in France, Martini 6c Rossi Scholarship, Italy. One $5,000 scholarship for independent study in Italy. Applications, for which there is a $25 fee, will be accepted through Dec.

15, 2002, the IACP says. Information and application forms may be obtained by e-mail addressed to program coordinator Trina Gribbins by mail to IACP Foundation, 304 W. Liberty Street, Suite 201, Louisville, KY 40202; by fax at (502) 589-3602; or from the IACPF Web site at: www.iacpfoundation.org Associated Press have an impact if they move their dollars from high-margin gourmet items to lower-margin commodity goods. "It's not a dramatic shift we're seeing yet, but it's enough to be noticeable," Hooley said of recent sales. "People are still coming in but the average sale per customer is down." Grocers may find a bit of silver lining in restaurant trends, For years now, consumers have been spending more of their food dollars in restaurants, but at least one survey indicates that growth may be waning in the face of the recessioa "We've seen a falloff in restaurant spending growth.

It was flat to a 1 percent decline in the eight-week period that ended Sept. 6," said Harry Balzer, vice president of NPD Group, a Port Washington, N.Y.-based market research firm. "What's been going on in the past eight weeks? The stock market. Wealth is being lost every day," Balzer said. "My 401(k) is now a 201(k)." Consumers' hunger for convenience, which has fueled restaurant sales, is still important, "but at least temporarily, the need for money is stronger," Balzer said.

environment regular coffee, I will correct that notion. In my opinion and according to much of the literature, the opposite is true. Because coffee beans ripen more slowly under shade, a finer coffee is actually produced. Shade-grown coffee saves the trees and makes the birds happy. That means we can preserve the environment and still enjoy our coveted cup of Columbian.

Jerry Romansky is a syndicated columnist and author, Readers are invited to write: Ask Jerry, Post Office Box 11800, Washington DC 20008. E-mail: askjerryearthlink.net. Grocery shoppers already have begun trading down, said John Hooley, executive vice president of grocery company Supervalu "Our private label sales are up and our meat guys are telling me that the prime cuts are still selling, but that they're seeing a pick up in (bulk) ground beef," Hooley said. Budget frozen entrees and lower-grade toilet paper are gaining popularity at the expense of their premium counterparts. Even customers who continue to spend the same amount may 'Shade-grown' coffee allows you to save Q.

DEAR JERRY: At this moment, my wife and I are enjoying our morning cup of coffee. As we look out the window in our breakfast nook, we are experiencing three of our daily pleasures the glorious trees, the beautiful birds, and our delicious coffee. The trees and the birds are soothing parts of nature. We want to be socially conscious and help preserve them both. What can we do? CAMERON Cheyenne WY A.

DEAR CAMERON: You can ready reeling from new competition from supercenters, warehouse clubs and other retailers that have begun selling groceries. "People make the assumption that if you're in the foodbusiness you'll be fine because people gotta eat But food is something you can flex. You can't do that with your mortgage, rent, car payment or most utilities," said Jim Almst-ed, owner of three value food stores in Minneapolis-St. Paul. "If you were buying T-bone before, you might buy hamburger now." Ask Jerry Jerry Romansky buy "shade-grown" coffee.

When regular coffee is produced, trees are destroyed. As a result, birds lose a pleasing part of their environment This does not happen on shaded coffee planta Grove 1 A 1 7 PIECE tions, which protect the endangered habitat. To obtain further information about shade-grown coffee, contact the American Birding Association. The address is P.O. Box 6599, Colorado Springs, CO 80934.

The telephone number is (800) 850-2473. The Web address is www.ameri-canbirding.org. To purchase shade-grown coffee, check the shelves of your natural-foods market' or search the Internet with the words "shade-grown coffee." In case you believe that shade-grown coffee is less flavorful than across from gate 6 Do you remember the DCS Will your system operate without electricity? Does your home have cold spots? mr) FREE 3 Tables! FREE EE 2 Lamps! Why not let us install a clean burning energy efficient gas log set or heater in your home. Warm up that cool spot, have heat for your family if your electricity goes out, save money, be comfortable and prepared. Call today for your free Easy Tester Eixts ocyweo 1 5 1 36 Ft.

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