Do you like free stuff?
Beginning with the holidays of 2005, we started a Monthly GLC Giveaway. Once a month, when I post a giveaway alert to the grocerylists.org home page, all you have to do is write in to request one of the specific books (or whatever the giveaway is). If you're the first to request the item, you get it. Just keep watching the home page. Posted at 11:29 AM Central Time

Starting Jan. 1, food manufacturers must clearly warn of allergens
"Nicolas' mom tucked a marshmallow into his lunch bag as a treat. But it made him so ill, he struggled to breathe. The guilty ingredient: casein, which comes from milk. Nicolas is allergic to milk. 'I read the label,' says his mom, Terri Cloutier of Wellington. 'Who'd think that was milk?' Label reading just got easier for Cloutier and others dealing with food allergies." Posted at 8:23 AM Central Time

Ring in the new year with an unfrenzied, impromptu party
"No need to stress out over your New Year's Eve party even if you haven't begun to plan yet. Impromptu? Definitely. Impossible? Not at all... First, make a list of what exactly you'll be serving: six to eight tapas, one or two desserts and drinks... Once you have your menu, make a detailed grocery list of exactly what you'll need to buy, including both alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks. Don't forget to list decorating items as well, such as candles or vases. Shop at least one day ahead so you can begin preparing the food the night before the party." Posted at 7:15 AM Central Time

Food shopping can be easier
"Do you ever walk into the grocery store and feel overwhelmed when trying to sort out what's healthy and what's not? There are many ways to make shopping a little more enjoyable and to make choices a little easier. First, prepare by eating a well balanced snack before you go shopping. You are more likely to make an impulse buy when hungry and there are too many tempting, high-fat, high-sugar foods available." Posted at 10:12 AM Central Time

How To Save On Groceries
"Many consumers know the effect oil prices have had on the cost of gas, but did you know it's affecting you at the grocery store? The shrink wrap on products is the reason." Posted at 10:38 AM Central Time

Post-holiday shopping tips: Is sale price really your best deal?
"Read sale ads carefully. Some may say 'quantities limited,' 'no rain checks,' or 'not available at all stores.' Before you step out the door, call ahead to make sure the merchant has the item you want in stock." Posted at 10:37 AM Central Time

Free stuff! Free stuff! Free stuff!
UPDATE: The books are all gone. Congrats to John, Karen and Joseph. | It's the giving season, and we have a few extra food-related books on our hands and are looking to give them away -- completely free -- to you, dear GLC readers. No strings attached. It's not even a contest. The first person to write in and request one of these three books gets it for free. Limit one per person. First come, first served. These are guaranteed to be books. With pages and words. Obviously, you must include a mailing address -- but we won't use your email or postal address for anything other than sending you the book.

Gone! Claimed by John of Madison, Wisconsin!
A Field Guide to Buying Organic | A great guide/manual/reference book for all things organic: "From the impact of organics on your health, the economy and the environment, to navigating your local market, here is everything you need to know, including when paying for organic is worth it -- and when it's not."

Gone! Claimed by Karen of Little River, South Carolina!
Hidden Kitchens: Stories, Recipes, and More from NPR's The Kitchen Sisters | Hidden Kitchens, the James Beard Award-nominated radio series on NPR's Morning Edition, is the inspiration for this book, which "explores the world of street-corner cooking, legendary meals, kitchen rituals and visionaries -- how communities come together through food."

Gone! Claimed by Joseph of Tenafly, New Jersey!
The Fourth Star: Dispatches from Inside Daniel Boulud's Celebrated New York Restaurant | "New York's food establishment had been stunned when Daniel Boulud's flagship restaurant was awarded only three stars from the New York Times. From that moment on it became Boulud's unspoken mission to regain the four-star rating he'd previously garnered..."

Happy holidays!
The GLC Crew and keaggy.com Posted at 3:30 PM Central Time

The OFT'S twelve shopping tips for Christmas
"With the Christmas shopping season now in full swing, the Office of Fair Trading has come up with Twelve Shopping Tips to help shoppers avoid problems and get the best deal." Posted at 10:01 AM Central Time

Buyback gets guns off street, out of homes
"One worried mother walked into the Homestead police station yesterday to turn in two handguns. She said her 17-year-old son had somehow gotten hold of the weapons. Her job was to take them away -- forever. She did it through the 12th annual gun buyback program organized by Goods for Guns of Allegheny County and the Pittsburgh Housing Authority. The woman left with $100 in Shop 'n Save grocery certificates -- $50 for each handgun -- and the hope that her teenager had averted trouble." Posted at 9:31 AM Central Time

Eco-Healthy Shopping tips for X-mas
"Friends and family of new and expectant parents can help give their favorite baby an eco-healthy start by following a few simple shopping tips when selecting gifts this holiday season. The tips are offered by the Oregon Environmental Council (OEC) as part of its Tiny Footprints eco-healthy parenting program." Posted at 9:13 AM Central Time

Firefox extension: Grocery List Generator
"The GLG (Grocery List Generator) is a helpful little tool to store your recipe-ingredients and other groceries you need regularly. It creates a well-organized grocery list to help make your grocery shopping as easy as possible." Posted at 8:16 AM Central Time

CraftyPod: Interview with Jeffrey Yamaguchi of 52 Projects.com
Check out CraftyPod, a podcast all about making stuff... In this show:
- An interview with Jeffrey Yamaguchi, author of 52 Projects.com, and a new book by the same name.
- Some thoughts on the power of making projects: how they help you, and how they connect you to others.
- Ways to "Think Outside the Craft." Posted at 10:38 AM Central Time