Shop smart, with this tip from Woman's Day magazine: Opt for one large container of your family's favorite munchies instead of smaller bags or boxes. If just one out of 10 products you bought had little or no packaging, it would eliminate 50 pounds of waste per household a year.

— Gannett News Service

FASHIONABLE FACE GUARDS

COLORFUL, FUNCTIONAL PARTICULATE MASKS

It's not what you would expect from a costume and custom fashion designer, but Bertha Fernandez has partnered with Dr. Denyse Ray to create LadyEase particulate masks and Little LadyEase for girls. The masks, in pastel colors, are designed for women's and girls' faces, with a matching pouch for emergency and daily use — especially useful during voggy days. They sell for $15.99 online at www.ladyease.info, or call 635-6548.

— Paula Rath

FINAL WORD

"That's what it meant to be Grandmaster Flash. I am one of the best to ever do it. But undisputedly I am the first. And nothing was going to change that. First is forever."

Grandmaster Flash | the original turntablist, in "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash: My Life, My Beats" (Broadway Books)