INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Don't hesitate to ask neighbors, friends, and garden store employees for advice when you start out gardening. Even if you do have to pay for the seeds, they often cost very little. Plant any fruit or vegetable suitable for the local climate, and eat them once they are completely grown.  Grow square foot gardens if you don't have much space. If you collect enough coupons, you might eventually get a free or cheap product. Most stores only allow one coupon per item, so you're better off looking for a reward program. Hotels are often in need of staff, and may offer a meal in exchange for a few hours of dish washing. Don't expect a swanky establishment to take you in without references, though. They usually happen twice per month in rural areas of the US. Some farmers will allow you to "glean" their fields after the harvest is completed. Usually 25% of the remaining product is still quite usable. Most restaurant staff get free food every day. Typically, you get a free meal during your break, and may be able to take home extra food at the end of the day. Humanitarian aid organizations often need volunteers, and will feed and house you if you're willing to spend a long time working abroad. The army is another option if you meet the physical fitness requirements.

SUMMARY: Grow an edible garden. Collect coupons or reward points. Offer to work for food. Ask the Department of Agriculture and ask about food giveaways. Apply for restaurant jobs. Volunteer for long-term programs.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Have you ever had an overwhelmingly successful and productive day, but yet upon reflecting, found yourself focusing on nothing but the negatives?  This is called filtering. Like a filter, your mind ‘filters’ out all of the positives and increases the significance of the negatives. This will help you identify and focus on the things that you are grateful for. Write in detail about one particular thing you are thankful for instead of creating a general list. Writing less frequently is better in achieving optimum results, so aim for writing once or twice a week. Try and focus your writing on people, and not things since focusing your gratitude on people tends to be more meaningful. Personalizing is another form of negative thinking.  It occurs when something negative happens and you automatically assume that you are responsible for it. Instead of jumping to conclusions, become curious and ask how or what questions to gather more information.  For example, you call up a friend and tell them that you plan on visiting them later that day.  They respond that today wasn’t such a good day and that they will call you tomorrow to reschedule.  You assume they are trying to avoid you. Instead of assuming, you could ask, “What happened for you to reschedule our visit?” Catastrophizing is irrationally predicting negative outcomes and assuming that if a negative did occur, the results would be catastrophic.  One type of catastrophizing is making a catastrophe out of a non-catastrophic situation. For example, that slight burning sensation isn’t a heart attack.  You just ate an extra large Philly cheesesteak with the extra onions, green peppers, and jalapenos. It’s just heartburn.  Combat this type of thinking by reminding yourself, “I am causing my own suffering. Can I stop doing this?” This thought will remind you that you are responsible for creating your own worrying at the moment, and only you have the power to make it go away. Try to avoid assuming negative outcomes for future events. For example, you have an upcoming interview, and you anticipate the interview going horribly wrong despite all of your diligent preparation. Combat this type of thinking by taking notice of when it occurs.  Jot down what happened, your thoughts on what happened and how you reacted and responded. You’ll begin to notice a pattern to your thinking. You can then reverse this type of thinking by engaging in positive self-talk. For example, you wanted to make a special dinner for your significant other but instead ended up burning the meal.  You find yourself thinking that your significant other is going to be angry and the evening will be ruined. Instead, tell yourself that it’s okay because everyone makes mistakes.  You can simply go out to eat someplace nice. Polarizing is when you tend to view things outright as either good or bad. There is no room for a happy medium.  Perfection is the only option. Write down your polarizing thoughts to help recognize your over dramatic thinking. When you put things in writing, it helps make your thinking more concrete and easier to analyze. For example, if you wrote down, “I missed the soccer game. I’m a horrible mother,” you might recognize that you were being too hard on yourself.

SUMMARY: Realize whether you're clinging to negatives. Keep a gratitude journal. Remember that it’s not always your fault. Avoid catastrophizing. Believe in positive outcomes. Keep in mind that not everything is simply black or white.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Find the center of the watermelon and cut through the fruit at the mid-point.

SUMMARY: Cut the watermelon in half.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Guys who are using a woman for sex often give few or no details about themselves. Have you gleaned what you know about him from friends, personal observation, general conversations, past interactions, or has he really volunteered personal and revelatory information about himself to you? This is a VERY telling point, so it is worth considering carefully. Does he get bored quickly when you discuss your work, your hobbies, your activities, general daily issues? Does he try to stop the discussion and turn it back into "fixing everything with a snuggle on the couch"?. If so, he might be pushing aside the emotional entanglement of a real relationship just so that he can keep open the using side without feelings of guilt. He could also present himself as a counselor and offer advice about all of your issues, but not disclose any of his so that you can be involved in his life. Have you never heard him randomly ask if you're upset, ask how your day was, or just wonder why you had tears in your eyes? If he seems absolutely allergic to your emotions, then chances are it's not because he's too shy to ask or too awkward to help you deal, but it's because, well, he just doesn't really care that much. If he's just into you for sex, then any of your complicated, messy feelings will be a hurdle for him and nothing more. This may seem like a no-brainer, but many women refuse to see what's right in front of their eyes, even if they hear it. If he has told you that he's just into casual dating, that he doesn't have time for anything serious, or that he's just not a relationship kind of guy, then he probably meant it. You might have brushed this aside, thought he was just trying to play hard to get, or were convinced that you could change him. Well, if he has specifically told you that he's essentially not interested in much more than sex, then you need to rethink your "relationship." Have you been hooking up for months and haven't ever talked about what you're going to do even a month from the day you see your guy, let alone next summer? Have you been at it for over a year but you haven't made any moves to get more serious? If not, then he may just see you as a temporary thing and isn't ready to be the boyfriend you want him to be. Is he interested in emotional discussions about his feelings? Does he discuss where things are headed with the two of you? Or is it more you? Or is he more interested in whether you've purchased new crotchless undies and if you remembered to pop into the pharmacy this morning for additional supplies? Or if you considered trying out that new sexual position?

SUMMARY:
See if he never reveals personal information. See if he's bored when you talk about yourself. See if he rarely seems to care how you're feeling. See if he tells you he doesn't want a relationship. See if he never talks about a future with you. See if all he talks about is sex.