The Salina Journal du lieu suivant : Salina, Kansas • Page 50

To ask any USA WEEKEND columnist a question, visit usawMkanii.com. ii HELPFUL TIPS FOR YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE MoneySmart SHARON EPPERSON ParailtSlliait By ANN PLESHETTE WURPHY Will canceling cards hurt my credit score? We held four credit cards with high limits and no balances, but we were told this actually hurt our credit score. So we asked for lower limits on two and canceled two. Was this smart? CAROLINE ICINC, La. You may have made matters worse for yoiir credit score, at least temporarily.

Your credit report is a snapshot of your credit history, so a closed account is reflected on your credit file and can affect your score. Fii-st, closing lines of credit raises "debt-to-available-credit" ratio. That's the amount you owe vs. the amount you still can charge, and it's an important factor in determining your score. (Because you don't carry any balances, you're OK, but for those who do owe money, read on.) If you have a credit limit of $10,000 and a balance of $3,000, then youi- debt-to-available-credit ratio is "You definitely want to keep your ratio under on each card," says Greg McBride of Banki-ate "For a higher score, keep that ratio under Second, closing lines of credit that you had for a while can make a credit history appear shorter than it is, which can work against your credit score.

DONT RftNIC: Timely payments ultimately will be reflected in yom- report and get score back to par Safeguanl your kids'Web ith the alarming news about Idds' exposure to online pornography (a third of aD 10- to see it, a new study says), the number of available options to help safeguard children is growing. Among them: (formerly called AskJeevesforKids.eom) offers information handpicked by an editorial staff and geared toward kids ages 7 to 14. Only G-rated pages and those written specifically for children are included on the site. Yahooligans.cora, for ages 7 to 12 and among the oldest kids' search en-, gines, is staffed by educational professionals and ex-teachers who personally review every site in the du-ec- tory. Bonus: SBC Yahoo! Parental Con- EatSmart JEAN CARPER Nutty cfiiclcen fingers Here's a crunchy treat with lots of flavor, high protein, antioxidants in nuts and low saturated fat an alternative to deep-fi-ied chicken.

COCONUT PECAN CHICKEN 1 'A cups plain fat-free yogurt Vs cup sweetened coconut flakes VJ cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs) Vi cup finely chopped pecans 1pounds chicken breast, cut into 1-inch-wide strips Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put yogurt in a small bowl, and set aside, in a shallow pie plate, combine coconut, panko and Dip chicken strips In yogurt to cover, then roll in panko mixture. Place strips on an oil-sprayed baking sheet. Spray top of chicken. Bake 15 minutes.

Reduce trols allows parents to customize settings and control access to sites for each child. more than 6,400 librarian-picked sites, with categories as varied as Weird Mysterious, Health Family, and Science Math. The site accepts no advertising and was created by the Ramapo Catskill Library System, a public library in Upstate New York. Bonus: It provides reading levels on each results page. NetNanny.com lists more than 20,000 child-friendly sites selected by Net Nanny employees for quality and appropriateness.

The software package that needs to be downloaded costs offers 180,000 sites that teachers review. It costs $4.95 monthly. Features include multidisciplinary timelines, a famous person search and results that are tailored to specific reading levels. ANN PLKSHETTE MURPHY is ABC'S Good Morning America parenting expert and author of The 7 Stages of Motlierhood, now in paperback heat to 350, and bake 15 more minutes. Check that coating browns but does not burn.

If desired, broil 2 minutes for an even crunchlertop. SERVK6 PERSERVIN6: 288 protein, 18g carbohydrates, 12g fat (3g saturated), 67mg cholesterol, Ig fiber, 187mg sodium FitSmart JORGE CRUISE The skinny on whole grain Making whole grains a part of your diet is getting easier, but why bother? One reason: A Harvai-d study showed that women who ate more whole grains consistently weighed less than those who ate fewer. "It's easy to get the recommended three servings a day. One bowl of oatmeal is 2.5 servings, and many of our favorite foods are now available in whole grain versions," says Cynthia Harriman, director of food and nutrition strategies for the Whole Grains Council (wholegrainscouncil.org). "It's great for weight loss.

Comparing whole-wheat flour to white flour, wliite has more calories." While shopping, look for the Whole Grain stamp or the words "good source" or "excellent source" on packaging, ca WEEKEND Main Office Advertising Office 7950 Jones Branch Or. S35 Madison Ave. McLean, Va. 22107 New York, N.Y, 10022 Telephone: 800-487-2956 E-mail: u5awigiusaweekend.com For reprints call 800-487-2956. Preildent ft CEO Marcia Bullard Publisher Charles Gabrleison Executive Editor VP Jack Curry Rob Harrison Relations Dave Barber Development Bene Ann Yarus Edward Maxwell Resources Bhavna Sharma Sonia David Frank Oolcimascolo Managing Editor: Brenda Turner Creative Mansgen Casey Shaw Senior Editars: Craigh Barixiza, Carol Clurman, Constance Kurz, Lorrle Lynch, PrIsclllaTotten Copy Chief: Jill Golden Copy Editor.

All CybulskI Make A DIffenince Day EdHor. Pamela Brown Senior Writer Dennis McCafferty Associate Editor: MIchele Hatty Fact Checker: Elena Kelthley Editorial Assistant: Kathy Rowings Design Director. Leon Lawrence III Art Director. Pamela Taylor Photo Editor: David Baratz Online: Amelia Stephenson Office Coordinator: Troy Artis Contributing Editors Pam Anderson, Kathy Balog, Ken Burns, Jean Carper, Stephen Covey, Jorge Cruise, Steve Dale, Kenneth C. Davis, Sharon Epperson, Oennie Hughes, Walecia Konrad, Lisa Ling, Lou Manfredini, Dr.

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