Coloradans can now fight against a weaker economy and hunger through the ‘Tamale Act’

Feed the community while keeping money in it.

By

Erik Barnes

Jun 11, 2026

By Erik Barnes

June 11, 2026

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Photo credit: Canva – Colorado is allowing more people to sell homemade meals to others.

The citizens of Colorado are being presented with an opportunity to make more money through home-cooked meals. The state has passed into law the “Tamale Act,” which allows people to make and sell food made in their personal kitchens. This creates a means for many people to make supplemental income and/or start a full-fledged home-based business.

Previously, there were restrictions for folks to sell food outside of official commercial businesses and restaurants. Now that the Tamale Act has been written into law, many restrictions are lifted, including access to foods that were previously prohibited. The law is an expansion of the Colorado Cottage Foods Act that allowed the sale of non-refrigerated food items excluding dairy and meat products.

There are still requirements in play for safety and public health. The sellers must complete a food safety and handling course with proof of completion. The homemade food also cannot be transported more than once or for longer than two hours.

Colorado’s officials weigh in

According to government officials, this law allows opportunities for both home cooks and consumers alike.

“This is a big win for Colorado cooking entrepreneurs!” said Governor Jared Polis in a statement. “This important bill expands Coloradan’s access to tasty homemade foods while supporting small kitchens and empowering Colorado’s cooking entrepreneurs and small business owners. Some of our favorite restaurants were started in a home kitchen, and today we are taking action to remove barriers for home-based cooks to earn a living and legally sell delicious food to Coloradans growing our economy and supporting communities,” said Governor Polis.

“People already sell prepared food – like tamales, pupusas, and baked goods – to their friends, family, and neighbors,” added Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez. “This is a way that Coloradans share their culture, support each other, and work hard to earn extra money and support their families. This law creates a pathway for this to happen in a safe and legal way.”

Addressing two issues with one law

This act helps two growing issues in the United States overall. Per a Talker Research 2024 poll, 77% of Americans feel too exhausted to cook for themselves after work. Because of this, many people turn to unhealthy, cheap takeout for sustenance rather than healthier home cooked meals. Laws like the Tamale Act provide an opportunity for people to pay people within their community for a home cooked meal that is likely cheaper and healthier than fast food from a national chain.

The other issue, as mentioned by the Colorado government, is the growing need for a side hustle. Per a 2026 survey by Omnisend, one in three Americans turned to a side hustle to help stay afloat with their bills. This is to survive, mind you, not thrive. According to recent Gallup polls, the increasingly difficult job market has shown many that they can better benefit from turning their delicious recipes into a side business.

How to start a home cooking business

If you want to start a home cooking business, there are a few things to keep in mind.

First, the legality. While Colorado has just reduced restrictions on selling homemade food, there may be more red tape in your state. The Food and Drug Administration recommends researching your local laws to see what’s restricted. You’ll also want to know what kind of permits, licenses, and certifications you’ll need before putting your food up for sale.

After all of that is researched and settled, there are other considerations. The Food and Liability Insurance Program offers some tips: depending on the scale of your homemade food business, you may want to invest in specific equipment to make larger batches of meals. You may also want to register as an LLC and/or get your food business insured.

Marketing is also an important aspect. Setting up a website and social media accounts featuring a brand can help spread the word locally. If you want tips for that, you may want to scour online for your favorite homemade food businesses and ask what worked for them.

With a little bit of research and grit, many people in local communities will be fed either through delicious home cooked meals or through the profit generated from them.

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Photo credit: Canva – That coffee you brewed can provide a money-saving cleanser.

Everyday Economics, Money

4 reasons why coffee grounds are a money-saving cleaning supply

A fresh pot leaves a fresh overall house cleaner.

Erik Barnes

6/4/2026

Due to the rising price of gas and other issues, more people are looking for various hacks to make the most out of their purchases and cut down costs. As a result, more people are brewing coffee at home rather than grabbing a latte to-go from Starbucks. Now, making coffee at home doesn’t just save money on caffeine fixes; it can also save money on dishwashing soap, facial scrubs, pest control, and many other household needs.

Coffee grounds are the secret cleaning supply you brew each morning. It sounds odd, but it’s true, effective, and reduces expenses. Whether you use a French press or a can of Folgers, coffee grounds could do the job that several other cleaning or home products can.

Here are five reasons you keep your coffee grounds around:

1. They help scrub cookware (and yourself) better

You’ve likely seen ads for dish soap that specialize in cutting through grease or burned on stains on pots and pans. It turns out dried coffee grounds can be just as, if not more, effective when paired with cheap dish soap.

After used coffee grounds are dried up (if you’re impatient, you can use your oven to bake them dry), they become incredibly fine and coarse. Paired up with basic dish soap, the coarse grounds gently scrape off grease, grime, and tough-to-scrub burn stains. This can apply to nearly any metal or porcelain cookware. Since coffee grounds are so refined, they can do heavy-duty cleaning without damage. If a food stain is incredibly stubborn, adding salt to your coffee grounds with the dish soap can act as a safer sandpaper for those stains.

While great for dishes, coffee grounds can do the same thing with stains and gunk clinging to grills, sinks, tubs, kitchen floors, and other surfaces.

Coffee grounds aren’t just safe for scrubbing dishes; they’re also safe for scrubbing you. If you’ve been handling sticky or greasy items while cleaning the kitchen, coffee grounds can reduce the amount of hand soap needed to wash it off.

Leftover coffee grounds can also be DIY’d into an effective exfoliant for your face. In fact, there could be health benefits, too. A 2013 study found that caffeic acid in coffee facial scrubs may increase collagen production to reduce wrinkles and signs of aging. Like any exfoliant, it sloughs off extra oils and dead skin cells. The difference is in the cost: used coffee grounds do the trick just as well (if not better) than expensive store-bought scrubs.

2. Coffee grounds deodorize everything, everywhere

While many people can enjoy the scent of coffee, the grounds can eliminate other scents in your home. This doesn’t mean that you’re covering up bad smells with coffee smells. Far from it. Coffee contains nitrogen which neutralizes odors much more effectively than sprays and air fresheners.

The good thing is that coffee grounds can help improve or remove smells in almost any part of the home. Place a small bowl of coffee grounds in the refrigerator and freezer to remove food smells. Put a small cup of grounds in your closet to reduce odor from the laundry hamper. Pour some dry grounds in some old socks and put them in your shoes to deodorize them overnight.

Here’s the other benefit: While humans tend to like the scent of coffee, pests don’t.

3. Most bugs hate coffee

No one wants a bug infestation of any kind in their home, and one of the best nontoxic ways of keeping them out is with coffee. No sprays, no traps, and no need for an additional purchase. Just coffee grounds.

The scent of coffee is intense to many insects’ heightened sense of smell, so they tend to shy away from its source. Affected insects include ants, wasps, bees, slugs, and fleas among others.

In moderation, used coffee grounds can help deter outdoor pests in your garden while also acting as fertilizer for some plants. If you enjoy the outdoors, burning dry coffee grounds like incense can also keep mosquitoes away.

4. They can buff out scratched wooden furniture

Before you spend money on wood filler, scratch repair kits, or the like to fix surface scratches on dark wooden furniture, you may want to try coffee grounds instead. Spread a paste made from dried grounds and water onto the scratches. Let it “soak” for a few minutes and then wipe the coffee ground paste away. It may take a few tries, but many light scratches look better. Some outright disappear after absorbing the coffee and its color into the surface of the wood.

Coffee grounds are a waste product for sure, but they’re a waste product that could save money in the long term—and hat shouldn’t go to waste!

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Two persons petting a cat while unpacking boxes in their new room.

Everyday Economics, Money

What a roommate can save you in 100 US cities: 2026 study

Shared rent can mean serious savings.

Good Partner

5/15/2026
Jaclyn DeJohn, CFP for SmartAsset

What a roommate can save you in 100 US cities: 2026 study

New college grads, transplants from other cities, and others might find myriad advantages in including a roommate in their housing plan — one of those being cost savings. Particularly in high cost-of-living areas, an extra cushion in the budget could make a big difference in discretionary spending, paying off debt, or investing for the future. Across large U.S. cities, splitting a two-bedroom apartment with a roommate versus living alone in a one-bedroom apartment could save the average renter about $541 per month, or nearly $6,500 per year. In many cities, the average savings climb much higher.

With this in mind, SmartAsset ranked 100 of the largest U.S. cities based on the percentage of monthly rent saved by sharing an apartment with a roommate.

Key Findings
- Adding a roommate gets you the best value in Cleveland, Ohio. Splitting a two-bedroom with another person saves you nearly 48% compared to renting a one-bedroom alone. The average cost of one-bedroom rent in Cleveland currently sits at $1,150, nearly identical to the average two-bedroom rent of $1,200.
- The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment is only $900 in this city. Shreveport, Louisiana, has the lowest two-bedroom rent out of 100 large cities. With an average one-bedroom price of $790, it ranks 10th overall with a savings of 43% with a roommate, or $340 rent savings per person per month.
- In NYC, a roommate saves you $1,730 per month. The average one-bedroom rent in New York City is $4,380, while two roommates could split the average $5,300 two-bedroom rent for $2,650 each. Neighboring Jersey City, New Jersey has the second-highest raw monthly dollars saved with a roommate at $1,490 — or 46.7% savings over living alone.
- A roommate saves you the least in the cities. Relative to local housing costs, sharing your space is least cost effective in Scottsdale, Arizona, where splitting a two-bedroom nets you a 26.0% discount, or a $440 monthly discount. Seattle (28.2% savings; $550 per month) and El Paso, Texas (29.4% savings; $250 per month), also are most budget-friendly to singletons.
Top 10 Cities With the Most Savings With a Roommate

Cities are ranked based on the percent saved in rent between splitting the average two-bedroom apartment with a roommate and living in a one-bedroom apartment alone.
1. Cleveland, OH
- Percent savings with a roommate: 47.83%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $550
- One-bedroom rent: $1,150
- Two-bedroom rent: $1,200
1. Baton Rouge, LA
- Percent savings with a roommate: 46.88%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $450
- One-bedroom rent: $960
- Two-bedroom rent: $1,020
1. Jersey City, NJ
- Percent savings with a roommate: 46.71%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $1,490
- One-bedroom rent: $3,190
- Two-bedroom rent: $3,400
1. Memphis, TN
- Percent savings with a roommate: 46.24%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $430
- One-bedroom rent: $930
- Two-bedroom rent: $1,000
1. Boise, ID
- Percent savings with a roommate: 45.49%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $605
- One-bedroom rent: $1,330
- Two-bedroom rent: $1,450
1. Augusta, GA
- Percent savings with a roommate: 45.00%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $450
- One-bedroom rent: $1,000
- Two-bedroom rent: $1,100
1. New Haven, CT
- Percent savings with a roommate: 44.89%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $835
- One-bedroom rent: $1,860
- Two-bedroom rent: $2,050
1. Chattanooga, TN
- Percent savings with a roommate: 44.44%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $520
- One-bedroom rent: $1,170
- Two-bedroom rent: $1,300
1. Virginia Beach, VA
- Percent savings with a roommate: 43.94%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $725
- One-bedroom rent: $1,650
- Two-bedroom rent: $1,850
1. Shreveport, LA
- Percent savings with a roommate: 43.04%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $340
- One-bedroom rent: $790
- Two-bedroom rent: $900
Top 10 Cities Where It’s Most Cost Effective to Live Alone

Cities are ranked based on the percent saved in rent between splitting the average two-bedroom apartment with a roommate and living in a one-bedroom apartment alone.
1. Scottsdale, AZ
- Percent savings with a roommate: 26.04%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $440
- One-bedroom rent: $1,690
- Two-bedroom rent: $2,500
1. Seattle, WA
- Percent savings with a roommate: 28.21%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $550
- One-bedroom rent: $1,950
- Two-bedroom rent: $2,800
1. El Paso, TX
- Percent savings with a roommate: 29.41%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $250
- One-bedroom rent: $850
- Two-bedroom rent: $1,200
1. Albuquerque, NM
- Percent savings with a roommate: 29.47%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $280
- One-bedroom rent: $950
- Two-bedroom rent: $1,340
1. Denver, CO
- Percent savings with a roommate: 29.69%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $475
- One-bedroom rent: $1,600
- Two-bedroom rent: $2,250
1. St Louis, MO
- Percent savings with a roommate: 30.11%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $280
- One-bedroom rent: $930
- Two-bedroom rent: $1,300
1. Dallas, TX
- Percent savings with a roommate: 30.28%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $430
- One-bedroom rent: $1,420
- Two-bedroom rent: $1,980
1. San Francisco, CA
- Percent savings with a roommate: 30.47%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $1,155
- One-bedroom rent: $3,790
- Two-bedroom rent: $5,270
1. Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Percent savings with a roommate: 30.85%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $580
- One-bedroom rent: $1,880
- Two-bedroom rent: $2,600
1. St Petersburg, FL
- Percent savings with a roommate: 31.33%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $470
- One-bedroom rent: $1,500
- Two-bedroom rent: $2,060
Data and Methodology

This study examined data from 100 U.S. cities, comparing the average rents for one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments between March 2025 and March 2026 based on data from Zumper. Specifically, the cost of a one-bedroom was compared with half the cost of a two-bedroom for each city, assuming each roommate pays equal rent.

This story was produced by SmartAsset and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
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Photo credit: Jason Ardan/The Citizens' Voice via Getty Images – Customers browse the fresh produce at a Wilkes-Barre, Pa., farmers market in June 2025.

Everyday Economics, Money

Who shops at farmers markets in the US?

Six groups explain who shows up and why.

Good Partner

5/15/2026

Bret R. Shaw

People who shop at the more than 8,700 farmers markets operating in the U.S. either year-round or seasonally generally fall into six distinct groups. Three of them are more interested in farmers markets than the others. I study local food systems as a strategic communications scholar, and that’s the main takeaway from a study that I conducted with several colleagues.

As we explained in the March 2026 edition of British Food Journal, people who fall into those groups have different levels of interest in farmers markets but also have some things in common. Most people who shop at them are motivated to go because they want healthy, fresh food, they support local farmers and they think going to the farmers market is fun.

This is not a niche activity. An earlier study I worked on found that 81% of U.S. adults said that they shop at a farmers market at least once a year.

For both studies, we pulled survey data from a nationally representative sample of 5,141 U.S. consumers that was conducted Aug. 2-11, 2023. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 1.8 percentage points.

Researchers define farmers markets and local food in different ways. So we asked respondents to simply think of farmers markets as places where they can buy food directly from more than one vendor and where all or most of the items are locally grown, raised or made. We defined local food as being grown in their state or 250 miles or less from their homes.

Highly engaged, health-focused and emerging interest

We determined that about 18% of those surveyed are “highly engaged” farmers market shoppers. They care a lot about food and enjoy buying, preparing and eating fresh food. They are excited about many aspects of farmers markets, which are places where this group shops for a variety of reasons, such as supporting local farmers, buying nutritious, delicious food and connecting with community.

Nearly 65% of these shoppers were women. This group was the most diverse, with 27% of respondents identifying as Hispanic, 20% Black and 4% multiracial. They also had significantly lower average annual household incomes than other groups, averaging US$40,000-$50,000.

We found that another 18% of the people surveyed were “health-focused.” Like the highly engaged shoppers, they make buying and eating healthy food a high priority. However, this group doesn’t enjoy cooking as much. The health-focused group tends to avoid genetically modified foods, as well as convenient options like takeout food, frozen dinners and microwave-ready meals.

About 58% of them were women and their average age was 57, making them the oldest of the groups. Roughly 70% of the health-focused group was white, making it less diverse than the highly engaged group but more diverse than some of the other groups.

Finally, about 19% of the respondents were what we called “emerging interest” farmers market shoppers. They value convenience and learning about food. This group was the most likely to see going to the farmers market as a fun activity.

Emerging interest shoppers were nearly evenly split by gender, with 52% women. Their average age was 44 years old, making them the youngest of the groups.

It’s not always a love of radishes that draws shoppers to these stalls. Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

Convenience, practicality and happenstance

We also identified three groups of consumers who were less interested in farmers markets than the highly engaged, health-focused and emerging interest shoppers, even if some of them do occasionally shop at the markets anyway.

About 16% of farmers market shoppers are people we identified as “convenience” shoppers. They are more likely to eat frozen dinners and buy takeout. They rarely cook meals from scratch using produce and other fresh ingredients.

About 43% of them say they never or rarely shop at a farmers market. Around 59% of them are men and 37% are people of color.

Tashana Small sells mac and cheese ‘cupcakes’ topped with pulled pork, Buffalo chicken tenders and Cajun shrimp at a farmers market on Long Island in 2023. Erica Marcus/Newsday RM via Getty Images

Roughly 17% of these shoppers fall into a “practical” category. They methodically plan their grocery shopping and are among the least interested in farmers markets, with more than half saying that they either rarely or never shop at them.

Practical consumers were close to evenly split by gender; 53% were women. Their income tended to be the highest of the groups, typically in the $60,000-$75,000 range.

We called the 12% of the shoppers in the final group we surveyed “uninvolved.” This group showed very little interest in farmers markets or any other food-related activities. About 3 in 4 rarely or never go to farmers markets. Nearly 70% of uninvolved farmers market shoppers were men and 76% were white.

When someone in the uninvolved group goes to a farmers market, they may be going out of happenstance or because someone in their life wants them to go – not due to any personal interest.

If you forget, you’ll miss it

We believe this information could help farmers markets better serve their customers and perhaps attract more shoppers.

People can, of course, go to farmers markets for more than one reason, and not everybody fits neatly into one of these categories. And everyone we surveyed had something in common: Forgetting to go was the biggest reason shoppers of all kinds didn’t make a trip to the farmers market in a given week.

This article originally appeared on The Conversation. You can read it here.

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