Author: mathews-smith.1

Back-to-School, Back-to-Saving!

Summer break is coming to an end, and parents, grandparents, guardians and children are all preparing for the kiddos’ return to school. Although a new school year stirs excitement, back-to-school spending can really add up, causing stressful financial situations. Is there a way to purchase all of your back-to-school items without breaking the bank? Stress less for school success by considering the following tips and tricks for your next school shopping trip.

A hand putting a coin into a piggy bank in front of a chalkboard and school supplies.

  1. Establish your monthly budget.

Consider your monthly income, as well as all of your monthly expenses, including housing, transportation, food, healthcare, and “other” items, such as clothing, personal care, recreation, life insurance, retirement savings, education, etc. Determine how much money you are willing to spend on school supplies for each child.

What items are needed? Consider clothes, shoes, school supplies, backpacks, lunch boxes, school meals, technology, and extracurricular activities.

  1. Take advantage of coupons, deals, and Back-to-School sales.

Ohio Sale’s Tax Holiday is currently running from August 1st through August 14th, 2025. Goods of any kind priced at $500 or less are exempt from tax during the holiday period.

  1. Check out stores carrying gently used items and thrifting for supplies such as:
  • Textbooks
  • Uniforms
  • Sports equipment
  • Technology
  1. Create a back-to-school nest egg that you can contribute funds to each month to sustain your back-to-school trips annually.

Even contributing $50.00/month will accumulate to $600.00 of back-to-school funds in one year!

  1. Practice financial literacy with your children heading back to school.

Create their back-to-school list as a team, involving your child in the conversation and decision-making process about needs versus wants, allowing them to write the list, reviewing the list together, etc. Have a conversation with your children about money as you shop, highlighting topics such as over-spending, bargain-hunting, price comparison, prioritizing spending, etc. Recap the shopping experience with your child at the end of the trip.

Equip both you and your child for success this school year by practicing financial literacy strategies during your back-to-school shopping adventure. Super savings, super smiles!

Written by: Caitlin Smith, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Guernsey County

Reviewed by: Kate Shumaker, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Holmes County

Minding your Mental Health in May

Flower brain collage.How are you feeling today? Have you checked in on yourself lately? May is “Mental Health Awareness Month”, and this year’s theme is “Turning Awareness into Action.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describe mental health as “the component of behavioral health that includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Mental health is a state of well-being that enables us to cope with the stresses of life, realize our abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to our community.” When we’re not operating as our typical selves due to stressors, it can have detrimental effects on our daily lives.

There are several factors that influence our mental health, including:

  • Biological and psychological factors
    • Emotional skills
    • Substance use
    • Genetics
  • Social, economic, geopolitical, and environmental issues
    • Poverty
    • Violence
    • Inequality
    • Environmental deprivation

Check in on yourself. If you feel like you are struggling with your mental health, there are ways to manage your mental health and help is available!

What can you do to manage your mental health?

  • Try to get at least 30 minutes of exercise each day. Thirty minutes of physical activity does not need to be consecutive, it can break down into intervals throughout the day (a 10-minute morning walk, 10-minute stretch break, and 10-minutes of biking in the evening)
  • Eat well-rounded meals including lean protein, veggies, whole grains, and low-fat or non-fat dairy.
  • Prioritize your sleep, aiming for 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Prepare your mind and body by putting down your electronic devices for 1-2 hours before bedtime.
  • Spend some time journaling, meditating, or trying a new hobby! Spring is perfect for outdoor activities such as gardening, hiking, or biking.
  • Set small goals each day and focus on what you are able to accomplish.
  • Lean on supportive family members and friends who will lend a listening ear.

If you or a loved one are struggling with your mental health, do not lose hope! There are resources available.

For immediate mental distress:

  • Call or text 988
  • Chat 988lifeline.org
  • TTY users, use your preferred relay service or dial 711 then 988

If you haven’t recently, try a self-check-in. This May, turn your Awareness into Action.

Written by: Caitlin Mathews-Smith, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Guernsey County

Reviewed by: Kate Shumaker, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Holmes County

For More Happily Ever Afters

Valentine’s day is commonly associated with traditions and gestures expressing love and affection for those you care about. The holiday falls on February 14th and is named after the mysterious historical figure, St. Valentine.

Stories of St. Valentine’s origin are dark and describe a tale of a priest who married lovers in secret, was imprisoned and set to be executed, and sent out a note signed “From your Valentine” to the jailer’s sick daughter who he helped heal. Another story describes St. Valentine as someone who distributed heart-shaped parchment to soldiers during times of war as messages of positivity to keep their spirits up.

Fast forward hundreds of years later, and a more recent connection to Valentine’s day as we know it today, is a poem called, “The Parlement of Foules”, written by English poet Geoffrey Chaucer. Per Ottawa University, the poem “describes a conference of birds that meet to choose their mates on St. Valentine’s Day-February 14.”

Overlapping heart shapes drawn on sand on beach near water.

Valentine’s messages grew in popularity during the Middle Ages as noblemen would write poems to their wives in the form of a “valentine note”, and by the 18th century it was common for people across all social statuses to exchange “gifts of affection, written notes, and handmade cards.”

Our modern-day valentines can be attributed to the “Mother of the American Valentine,” Esther A. Howland. Esther started her own company, the New England Valentine Company, and mass-produced Valentines cards out of Worchester, Massachusetts, popularizing a few styles we still use today, such as the classic colored-paper and white lace design valentine.

To continue the tradition of declaring your love on Valentine’s day, show your significant other you care by signing up  for a free, self-paced online class on communication, commitment, problem solving, and fun and friendship.

The Strong Couples project offers the online classes, for free, in addition to five brief video calls with a trained coach. This educational program is not counseling but teaches couples to use tools that improve their relationship. This program is for couples together six months or longer in all life stages. The Strong Couples project is led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Illinois Extension. Ohio State University Extension is a partner of this project.

Build greater intimacy and connection this Valentine’s Day using the Strong Couples project, for a more happily ever after!

Written by: Caitlin Mathews-Smith, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension.

Reviewed by: Kate Shumaker, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension

 

Leaving Plastics in the Past

Plastic, a ubiquitous material that was once admired for its durability, flexibility, and endless number of uses. Historically, plastic was developed as an alternative to natural ivory in 1869 by John Wesley Hyatt. The popularity of the game billiards contributed to the strain of the supply of ivory, leading to a New York firm offering $10,000 to anyone who could find a suitable replacement (www.sciencehistory.org), and the rest is history. Fast forward approximately 150 years later and plastics are used in:

  • Appliances
  • Bags, sacks and wraps
  • Bottles and jars
  • Casing of lead-acid batteries
  • Clothing and fabrics
  • Cups
  • Disposable diapers
  • Furniture
  • Household items such as shower curtains
  • Medical devices
  • Toys
  • Trash bags
  • Utensils

Production of plastic surged over decades, and per Science History Institute Museum & Library, “The possibilities of plastics gave some observers an almost utopian future with abundant material wealth thanks to an inexpensive, safe, sanitary substance that could be shaped by humans to their every whim.”

Plastic containers in bright colors.

Concerns began to arise in the 1960s, a decade noted for environmental conscientiousness, when people noticed plastic debris accumulating in the oceans. Despite plastic items ending up in landfills, plastic particles ended up in the air, soil, and water.  Compounded with the release of the book Silent Spring by Rachel Carson–a work detailing the dangers of chemical pesticides, and the Cuyahoga River fire, people began to question the sustainability of long-term plastic usage and its impact on the environment.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines “microplastic” as plastic particles ranging from 5 millimeters (mm) to 1 nanometer (nm) in size. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) cites a 2023 study by Bartman, Copotelli, Gaspar, and Ross, where microplastics were present in the drinking water of mice then detected in their tissue. AAMC further states “Microplastics have been detected in fruits and vegetables, plastic water bottles, the air, cosmetics, and household dust. Now, researchers are finding them in almost every part of the human body, including in breast milk, the placenta, testicles, hearts, livers, and kidneys.”

Microplastics can be found “everywhere: from trash, dust, fabrics, cosmetics, cleaning products, rain, seafood, produce, tables salt, and more.” (www.harvard.edu). This is alarming, considering microplastics found in the body contain chemicals that have been linked to multiple diseases including (Ocean Blue Project):

  • Three forms of cancer
  • Disruptions to the endocrine system and hormone imbalances
  • Endometriosis
  • Male fertility struggles
  • Problems for fetus development
  • Respiratory disease
  • Asthma
  • Cardiovascular disease

Though it’s unlikely we can completely eliminate our exposure to plastics, there are certainly actions we can take to reduce the plastic use in our personal lives.

  • Avoid single-use food/beverage containers, like bottled water.
  • Avoid highly-processed foods.
  • Utilize wooden cutting boards.
  • Use glass storage containers or another non-plastic alternative.
  • If you drink tea, consuming loose-leaf teas.
  • Vacuum often to reduce airborne microplastics.
  • Consider purchasing organic materials: cotton, silk, wool, hemp, and other natural fibers.
  • Wash clothing less frequently, run full loads, and dry clothes on a clothesline.
  • Research political candidates who support plastic-free initiatives for the future.
Recycled colorful plastic lid decorations riveted to ceiling.

As for reducing environmental plastic waste, there is hope for the future. We can take action into our own hands by practicing the 3 R’s: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Reduce plastic waste using the tips mentioned above. Reuse plastic by using old plastic bags for multiple shopping trips, as trash liners or for pet waste. Recycle plastics accepted by your local recycling facilities. Identify these items by the number of the plastic, located on the bottom of the container. To quote Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, “Everything great must be dealt with while it is still small.”

Written by: Caitlin Mathews-Smith, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University, Guernsey County, mathews-smith.1@osu.edu

Reviewed by: Jessica Lowe, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University, Pickaway County, lowe.495@osu.edu