This story originally appeared on Self. Women’s labor force participation has grown significantly in the last 70 years; while men still outnumber women in the workforce, the gap has narrowed considerably. More women than ever are pursuing higher education, and, in fact, women have earned the majority of college degrees for the past few decades. Despite this progress, however, a sizable gender pay…
Source: moneytalksnews.com
Few things compare to the deliciously sweet taste of a perfectly ripe pear.
But what happens when theyâre past that point of ripeness? You know â when they start to form brown spots and become mushy and unappealing.
Donât throw away those mushy pieces of fruit! Here are 11 recipes that are perfect if youâre wondering what to do with overripe pears.
Do you love to make smoothies? Yes? OK, good, because overripe fruit is perfect for freezing and using in smoothies. Cut off any parts of the pear that have gone bad, cut up the rest, seal it in a zip-close bag and put it in the freezer.
If your pears are just slightly overripe, you can cook them into a pear jam. You need a lot of pears for this recipe â about three pounds â but the only other two ingredients are lemon juice and sugar.
Store the finished product in Mason jars, and spread it on toast, add it to desserts or yogurt or even cook it with meat. There are so many ways to use jam itâs not even funny.
Pear crumble is not only delicious, itâs also easy to make. Besides pears, the rest of the ingredients are staples you probably already have in your pantry or fridge. For this recipe, the mushier the pears, the better.
Save money on groceries with these savvy shopping tips.
Kitchn.com suggests mashing your browning pears and using them as a pancake topping or folding them into your batter. Fruit is always a delicious complement to breakfast foods.
You could also use the mashed pear on top of ice cream. Sundaes, anyone?
Blend them with some olive oil, vinegar and seasoning for a salad dressing thatâs a little on the sweet side. Perhaps try out this delicious pear vinaigrette. Hint: The sweetness pairs well with salty toppings.
This is pretty much a homemade Fruit Roll-Up.
Slow-bake your fruit into pear and cinnamon fruit leather. Although it does take a while in the oven (six to seven hours), itâs worth it.
Who doesnât love ice pops? Thereâs no baking required for this recipe â these spiced ginger pear frozen pops only require a blender and some ice pop molds. You could also get creative and add in whatever fruits or flavors you want.
Do you like fruit and wine? Make some adult frozen pops with Riesling and overripe pears. These boozy popsicles sound amazing for a party or even just an afternoon treat.
This vanilla spiced pear butter goes perfectly on toast, muffins, oatmeal and ice cream. This recipe uses seven pounds of pears and yields four pints of butter, but you could halve or quarter the recipe.
If youâre feeling ambitious and decide to make the full recipe, you can freeze the rest and have pear butter year-round.
If you love to bake, use your overripe pears for pear and cinnamon muffins â this oneâs fun to make with kids.
Much like mushy brown bananas make for delicious banana bread, mushy pears are great for pear bread.
Iâm not one for baking, so Iâm not sure I could conquer pear muffins and bread, but this cocktail? It looks too delicious to not give it a try.
Using the past-its-prime pear, smash and strain your way to this pear bourbon smash cocktail.
Instead of applesauce, try some homemade pear sauce. All you need besides pears is sugar, water, lemon juice and (optional) cinnamon spice. You could make a large batch and freeze some to use as easy healthy snacks.
Jacquelyn Pica is a former SEO specialist at The Penny Hoarder.Â
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.
Source: thepennyhoarder.com
Source: getrichslowly.org
![This article originally appeared on NerdWallet](https://www.getrichslowly.org/wp-content/uploads/nerdwallet.jpg" "This article originally appeared on NerdWallet")
Those ubiquitous checklists of âdorm room essentialsâ for college freshmen are filled with items that will be ditched by the end of first semester.
Some parents âgo to the store and grab a list like they did when their kids were in elementary and high school and just go straight down the list,â says Lisa Heffernan, mother of three sons and a college-shopping veteran. Or they buy things they only wish their students will use (looking at you, cleaning products).
You can safely skip about 70% of things on those lists, estimates Asha Dornfest, the author of Parent Hacks and mother of a rising college sophomore whoâs home for the summer.
Freshmen really need just two things, says Heffernan, co-founder of the blog Grown and Flown: a good mattress topper and a laptop.
Here are seven items you can skip:
Items left behind when students pack for the summer are telling. Luke Jones, director of housing and residence life at Boise State University, sees unopened food â a lot of ramen and candy â and stuffed animals and mirrors.
Jones says many students regret bringing high school T-shirts and memorabilia and some of their clothes (dorm closets typically are tiny).
Before you shop, find out what the college forbids (candles, space heaters, electric blankets and halogen lights are common). Have your student check with assigned roommates about appliances (whoâs bringing a fridge or microwave?) and color scheme if they want to set one. Know the dimensions of the room and the size of the bed. And most of all, know your budget. Not everything has to be brand new.
Ten things â besides the all-important mattress topper and laptop â that many students consider dorm room essentials include:
Afraid youâll forget something important? You might, Heffernan says. But chances are, you or your student can order it online and get it delivered. Consider doing this with some items simply to avoid the hassle of bringing them yourself, and remember that âdorm necessitiesâ often go on sale once school starts.
If you or your student still want to replicate the rooms youâve seen on Instagram and Pinterest, think about how the room will actually be used.
Once your son or daughter moves in, the room will never look like that again. Opt for sturdy items and be realistic. Will throw pillows make the place look more homey and inviting, or will they be tossed on the floor until parentsâ weekend?
Dornfest, a co-host of the Edit Your Life podcast, offers a compelling reason not to make things too comfortable. âA freshman needs to be encouraged to get out of the dorm room,â she says. âAnything that pulls you into campus life can be good.â
Sheâs not advocating a monk-like environment, but rather one that encourages breaking out of routines. College should be a time to try new things and meet people from different backgrounds. Dornfest advises making the bed as comfortable as possible and keeping a few reminders of home. The ideal dorm room is more launch pad than cocoon.
More from Nerdwallet
- Budgeting for College Students
- How to Build Credit at 18
- How to Choose a Student Credit Card
The article 7 Things College Freshmen Donât Need â and 10 They Do originally appeared on NerdWallet.
Source: getrichslowly.org
