Will the battery in my hybrid keep going?

Debit, credit cards
Thanks to everyone who e-mailed last week about credit and debit cards. I never realized my first column would generate so many questions. I will answer one this week and hope to answer many more — specifically about service fees — next week.

I have several credit cards due to college expenses. Should I continue to pay more than the minimum on the smaller balance cards?  Or should I pay the minimum on the smaller balances and put the most money toward the highest balance, which just so happens to have the worst interest rate? I graduated a few years ago and I really need to get a handle on this.
Kimberly A., Jacksonville, Fla.

Credit card debt can quickly get out of hand, so I’m glad to see you want to get things under control. According to a recent report from the College Board, the average student graduates with about $2,700 worth of credit card debt.

In general, the smart way to pay down what you owe is to make the minimum payments on the cards with the lowest interest rates and pay as much as you can afford on the cards with the higher rates.

Sit down with copies of your latest statements and see what the rates really are on those various accounts. You may be paying a higher rate than when you first got the card. This can happen if you missed a payment or were late on a payment on any of your credit cards.

Gerri Detweiler, author of The Ultimate Credit Handbook, suggests contacting the banks that issued your cards to see if you can negotiate a lower rate. “You’ll need to be persistent and keep asking,” she notes, but if you can get them to drop the rate even slightly, that’s money in your pocket. Remember, as you pay down your balances “you will free up available credit and your credit score should go up,” Detweiler notes.

Finally, don’t add to your credit card debt as you try to work it down. Go on a cash-only basis. If you don’t have the money to pay for it, don’t buy it.

Organic produce is high on my shopping list, but it sure is expensive. Is it okay to buy regular fruits and vegetables and use a produce wash? Will that fight some of the pesticide residue?
Kelly S., Bellevue, Wash.

You’re right. Organic produce can put a real dent in your shopping budget. Washing and peeling (when practical) can reduce your exposure to any pesticide residue present on the surface of non-organic produce. With leafy vegetables, such as lettuce and cabbage, removing the outer leaves can also help.

Washing fresh produce — whether organic or not — is a smart thing to do, because pesticide residue isn’t the only potential food safety problem. All fruits and vegetables, no matter how they’re grown, can be dirty or contaminated with harmful bacteria.

As you noted, there are produce washes you can buy at the store. “Most of those washes are made up of diluted vinegar or baking soda with a hefty price tag,” says Urvashi Rangan, a senior scientist with Consumer Reports.

But here’s the tricky part. “With many fruits, especially soft ones like peaches or berries,” Rangan tells me “washing can only get you so far, since the pesticide is actually on the inside part of the fruit as well.”

So what can you do to reduce your possible exposure to pesticides without breaking the bank? In its February issue, Consumer Reports suggests buying the organic versions of the fruits and vegetables that are most likely to contain the highest amount of pesticide residue.

Here is the magazine’s “buy organic as often as possible” list: apples, bell peppers, celery, cherries, imported grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes, red raspberries, spinach and strawberries. For more information, check out the full Consumer Reports article "When It Pays to Buy Organic."

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