Consumer News: These library cards could save you hundreds every year (and you don't have to live there)

Caffeine may leave drinkers feeling more alert while alcohol continues to impair judgment and coordination

• Caffeine can make people feel less intoxicated without lowering the amount of alcohol in their bloodstream.

• That false sense of sobriety may lead someone to drink more or underestimate how impaired they really are.

• Mixing alcohol and energy drinks has been linked to risks including alcohol poisoning, injuries, dangerous heart effects, and severe dehydration.

As college students head back to campus, the New Jersey Poison Control Center at Rutgers is warning about a combination that can show up at parties, tailgates and other social gatherings: alcohol and energy drinks.

The concern comes down to the different ways the two substances affect the body. Alcohol is a depressant that can cause drowsiness and impair coordination and judgment. Caffeine, meanwhile, is a stimulant that can make someone feel more awake.

That doesn't mean caffeine cancels out alcohol's effects. Instead, it can make those effects harder to recognize. Someone may feel more alert or less drunk even though their alcohol-related impairment hasn't gone away.

As students prepare for a new school year, it's important to understand that energy drinks don't make alcohol safer, Diane Calello, executive and medical director of the New Jersey Poison Control Center at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, said in a news release.

While caffeine may make someone feel more awake, it can hide the warning signs of intoxication and create a false sense of sobriety. Students may think they're less impaired than they really are.

What this means for consumers

The biggest concern is that someone who feels more alert may continue drinking because they don't realize how impaired they are.

According to Rutgers, that can increase the risk of alcohol poisoning, injuries, and impaired driving. The poison center also warns about irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, sleep disruption, and severe dehydration.

Consumers shouldn't rely on caffeine to sober up. If someone who has been drinking becomes difficult to wake, has trouble breathing, experiences a seizure, or develops other serious symptoms, Rutgers advises calling 911. The person should be kept on their side and monitored while help is on the way.

The poison center's advice is straightforward: don't mix alcohol with energy drinks, and don't assume feeling awake means you're less impaired.

Modernas new shot showed stronger protection than a standard vaccine, while additional research is still underway in older adults

• The FDA approved Modernas mFlusiva for adults ages 50 and older, making it the first mRNA-based seasonal flu vaccine approved in the U.S.

• In a Phase 3 trial of more than 40,000 adults, the vaccine reduced the risk of confirmed influenza-like illness by 26.6% compared with a standard-dose flu vaccine.

• Adults 65 and older received accelerated approval, meaning Moderna must conduct additional research to confirm the vaccines clinical benefit in this age group.

The FDA has approved Modernas mFlusiva, also known as mRNA-1010, for preventing influenza caused by the virus strains included in the vaccine. The approval covers adults ages 50 and older, although the FDA used two different approval pathways depending on age.

Adults ages 50 to 64 received traditional approval based on clinical efficacy data. For adults 65 and older, the vaccine received accelerated approval based largely on immune-response data, along with supporting efficacy findings. That means additional research will be required to confirm its clinical benefit in this older population.

"The FDA approval of mFLUSIVA, our fourth approved product in the United States and the first mRNA-based flu vaccine, demonstrates the continued strength and versatility of our mRNA platform," Stphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna, said in a news release.

"Flu remains a significant public health challenge, and mFLUSIVA provides an important new option for America's seniors. This approval also reflects the ongoing potential of our mRNA platform to help address important public health challenges through continued scientific innovation. We are grateful to the clinical trial participants, investigators, regulators, and Moderna teams whose contributions made this milestone possible."

How researchers tested it

The main Phase 3 study included 40,805 adults at 301 sites across 11 countries. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either a single injection of mRNA-1010 or a standard-dose flu vaccine. Researchers followed them through the influenza season, for roughly six to eight months.

Researchers looked specifically for influenza-like illness confirmed by RT-PCR testing. During the 2024-2025 Northern Hemisphere flu season, 968 cases were recorded more than the 836 cases researchers had expected to need for the study. That allowed the primary analysis to be completed after one flu season.

For adults 65 and older, another Phase 3 study compared mRNA-1010 with Fluzone High-Dose and measured antibody responses to four influenza strains.

What the results mean

Among adults 50 and older, mFlusiva had a relative vaccine efficacy of 26.6% compared with the standard-dose vaccine. In other words, people receiving mFlusiva had a lower risk of the specific influenza-like illness measured in the study than those receiving the comparison vaccine.

The FDA also found that mFlusiva produced stronger immune responses than Fluzone High-Dose against all four vaccine-matched strains in adults 65 and older. However, the agency noted remaining uncertainty around protection against one strain, B/Victoria, and how the vaccine will perform across different flu seasons.

The vaccine's side effects were generally mild to moderate and lasted a median of two days, although reactions were reported more often than with the comparison vaccines. The FDA found no safety concerns in an integrated safety population of 35,965 adults ages 50 and older.

For people 65 and older, the story isn't quite finished: Moderna is required to conduct a large Phase 4 study designed to verify the vaccine's clinical benefit under real-world conditions.

The smart way to save money when cooking at home

• 31% of Americans are cooking at home more to save money, but eating in only saves if you shop and plan wisely.

• Maximize savings by meal planning, using versatile ingredients, comparing unit prices, and freezing leftovers.

• Avoid budget killers like food waste, impulse buys, overbuying in bulk, and assuming homemade is always cheaper.

Sticker shock at the grocery store is changing the way Americans eat.

A new survey of 2,000 U.S. adults found that nearly one-third (31%) say they're cooking at home more often than they were a year ago, largely to stretch their food budgets.

The trend comes as grocery prices remain significantly higher than they were just a few years ago, forcing many families to rethink how they shop, cook, and reduce food waste.

But simply eating at home doesn't automatically lower your grocery bill.

The biggest savings come from planning meals around ingredients you'll use multiple times, minimizing waste, and avoiding common shopping mistakes that can erase any potential savings.

Five ways to save more when cooking at home

• Build meals around versatile ingredients. Potatoes, eggs, rice, pasta, and beans are inexpensive pantry staples that can be used in breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. The more meals you get from the same ingredients, the lower your overall food costs.

• Plan your meals before shopping. Creating a simple weekly meal plan helps prevent impulse purchases and ensures ingredients get used before they spoil. One rotisserie chicken, for example, can become tacos, soup, and sandwiches over several days.

• Compare unit prices. Don't assume the largest package is always the best deal. Check the shelf tag's price per ounce or pound to find the true bargain.

• Freeze leftovers before they go bad. Bread, cooked meats, rice, shredded cheese, and many vegetables freeze well. Freezing food before it's forgotten is one of the easiest ways to reduce waste.

• Shop your pantry first. Before heading to the store, see what ingredients you already have. Building meals around food that's already in your kitchen can reduce duplicate purchases and keep perfectly good food out of the trash.

When cooking at home doesn't save you money

Cooking at home is usually less expensive than dining out, but it can easily become more costly if you're not careful. Here are some ways that the cost of cooking at home can add up.

• Buying ingredients for a single recipe. Specialty spices, sauces, and produce that you'll only use once can make one homemade meal surprisingly expensive. Instead, try to choose recipes that share ingredients across multiple meals.

• Throwing away food. Food waste is one of the biggest budget killers. Fresh produce, dairy products, and leftovers are frequently discarded because they weren't used in time.

• Buying more than you need. Warehouse clubs and bulk purchases only save money if you actually consume the food before it expires. Otherwise, those savings disappear.

• Paying for convenience. Pre-cut vegetables, marinated meats, meal kits, and individually packaged snacks often cost significantly more than preparing the same foods yourself.

• Shopping without a plan. Wandering the grocery store without a list often leads to impulse buys, duplicate purchases, and ingredients that never get used.

• Assuming homemade is always cheaper. Grocery store prepared meals, warehouse club rotisserie chickens, and family meal deals can sometimes cost less than buying every ingredient from scratch especially for one- or two-person households. Compare the total cost before assuming homemade is the better bargain.

Chrysler, Mack, and Escape Trailers are part of this week's recall roundup