Insurance might cover food loss from storm

Recent columns on how to cut the cable cord and tune in sports for free and how to save on K-Cups and coffee brewers have generated some terrific — and not so great — reader tips, and a few consumer questions. Keep ’em coming!

Dear Doreen: I’ve been following news about crowds lined up to get food vouchers through disaster assistance. Isn’t spoiled food covered by homeowners insurance? — J.A., Pembroke Pines

Dear J.A.:

If you have homeowners insurance (not everyone does), it might be. If you lost power during Hurricane Irma (who didn’t?) and your food spoiled, your policy may cover up to $500 to replace it under “perils,” which includes windstorms, according to the Insurance Information Institute at III.org. We received $500 for our food, which was our policy’s coverage limit. If you’re not sure if your loss is covered, check your policy, or ask your agent.

When it comes to spoiled food, the rule is: When in doubt, toss it out. If food in your refrigerator or freezer remains above 40 degrees for more than two hours, it should be discarded, according to the Department of Agriculture’s food safety rules. Experts say you can’t rely on appearance and odor.

Don’t risk getting food poisoning to save a buck. I had to toss everything after Irma, and it was painful because it was wasteful. On the bright side, I ended up with a sparkling clean refrigerator and freezer.

Dear Doreen: I know the frustration you and your hubby are having watching online sports for free. I have found a way to beat the system! I have Googled a few websites to stream sports live for free with no membership. They do require some ad elimination and tinkering, but they work! Lately, the Chrome browser has stopped access due to the potential to download a bad virus. Apple blocks the sites altogether. I use the Maxthon5 browser. The key is do not sign up or subscribe to anything. When you see tabs opening, close them. I’ve been doing this for years without problems or infecting my computer. — K.R., Delray Beach

Dear K.R.: While I appreciate the sentiment behind your tip, I think it’s a bad idea and

strongly recommend not using this hack to watch games for free. I did not publish the names of the websites you recommended because it’s highly likely these websites operate illegally. First, I don’t condone or advocate “beating the system” by watching unlicensed streams of sports or pirated movies over the internet. It’s stealing. As I pointed out in my column, Sling TV, which has legal rights to broadcast events, is affordably priced starting at $20 a month. Also, sketchy sites pose a substantial risk of infecting computers with viruses or malware that hijack browsers, as you pointed out. A 2016 study found that 50 percent of these sites have ads with malware. Further, AdBlock, a free browser extension that helps protect against popups and viruses, advises on its support page that “anything that’s free on the internet that you would pay for anywhere else is likely to come with hidden costs such as malware.” These viruses may compromise your personal information or identity. You also may be exposing your computer’s Internet Protocol address (IP), which could expose you to legal trouble. There’s a reason Apple and Google block these types of sites. View at your own risk.

Dear Doreen: I read your Oct. 1 column on how to save on K-Cups and brewers. We have had a Keurig for several years and love it. Here’s my tip: Big Lots has great prices on large boxes of K-Cups. Sometimes the store offers a 20 percent off, so even better! — D.K., via email

Dear Doreen: I recently read your column on ways to save on brewers. It was excellent, however, the price you quoted for the Cooks Single Serve Coffee Maker at JC Penney was less than the price I could find online. Did you use a coupon or get a sale price? My Keurig is costing me more money than I would like. — B.W., via email

Dear B.W.: Of course I got it on sale! I never pay full price for anything, although my husband, Dan, says that’s because I always stick him with the bill. Since I wrote that piece, I’ve noticed that JCP.com is no longer selling the Cooks appliance. Instead, I suggest the Mr. Coffee Single Cup K-Cup coffee maker, which sells for about $60 at various retailers.

Dear Doreen: I saw your column comparing Amazon’s Whole Foods to other supermarkets. How come you didn’t write about Costco? — C.C., via Facebook

Dear C.C.: In that piece, I surveyed Whole Foods’ cheaper prices on organics against the same items at Walmart, Publix and Aldi. It was an apples-toapples price comparison of national grocery chains. Like BJ’s and Sam’s Club, Costco charges an annual membership fee. I’ve written about the wholesale clubs’ great prices and high quality in the past, and I’m a fan. But it would not have been fair to compare their prices to grocers who don’t charge to shop at their stores. Connect with me: