Best electronics for the holiday shopping season No matter what electronic gadget consumers are looking for this holiday season, they’ll find quality products at unusually low prices as retailers and manufacturers try to entice purchasing in this tough economy. Consumer Reports

A sweet sweet potato treat With Thanksgiving ‘round the corner, it’s time to pay homage to the humble tuber we all know and (some of us) love: the sweet potato. It might be the only time of year when we give it any thought at all, but sweet potatoes, according to “The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink,” are “the sixth principal food crop in the world.” Eat In and Save

Use up evaporated milk In the back of the pantry, you might find a couple of cans of evaporated milk that are close to expiring. It typically lasts about a year unopened in the pantry and once opened and refrigerated, you have about a week to use it. It’s wonderful when used in mashed or scalloped potatoes, coffee or tea, scrambled eggs, pies or French toast, to a name few. Frugal Living

No need to farm out family ranch’s estate planning Q: I am a 78-year-old widower and have two sons, two grown grandchildren and one great-grandchild. We all live and work on the family farm (300 acres worth $450,000) I inherited from my father. Since my stroke, my sons run our small farming and cattle operation in the Southeast. I have an IRA ($120,000), certificates of deposit ($100,000), and some old farm equipment. I receive Social Security and a pension from my old “day job,” totaling $25,000 per year. A financial person recently told me that if I didn’t begin planning, estate taxes and probate would “eat me up.” He suggested putting everything into a living trust that will cost me about $3,000. I have a will that leaves everything to my sons equally. I have a power of attorney that allows my sons to handle things if I am unable to function. Should I consider this trust? Do I need to avoid probate? Should it cost $3,000 to accomplish this? Next Steps

The Ghost of Christmas Parties Past “Two years ago we had the office party at a fancy nightclub. Last year it was downsized to the executive conference room. This year it’s going to be separate checks at the Olive Garden. What’s next? The bus station?” Paul did not look happy. He missed the open bar of years gone by. He missed the uniformed staff circulating with trays of hors d’oeuvres and flutes of champagne. He missed the Christmas bonuses. But mostly, he missed letting other people do his job. Now, with the staff cuts, he had to do the work of all the people he used to manage. Village Idiot

N.Y. archbishop takes on the N.Y. Times Maureen Dowd of The New York Times has long enjoyed flaunting her Catholic schoolgirl pedigree like a badge of honor. Still, the Pulitzer Prize winner took her game to another level in a recent column attacking Rome for its investigation of religious orders which shelter sisters who oppose many of the church’s teachings. On Religion

House shrinks, anger grows DEAR BRUCE: I just purchased a bank-owned house, built in 1990, that the real estate agent stated had 3,965 square feet of living space and a 550-square-foot unfinished basement, per county records. The new bank appraisal shows only 2,988 square feet of living space; 1,000 square feet is unfinished masonry basement. The county appraiser will come to see the error and probably correct the taxes. However, I believe the agent should have to pay for this error for misrepresenting the size of this home by 1,000 square feet. With the stated size, the house was a reasonable buy, even though old and abused. With the corrected size, I could have bought anything new at this price. — D.B., Oregon Smart Money

Booze makes a comeback with the 21st Amendment Q: The Volstead Act brought the U.S. Prohibition. Who or what was Volstead? — N.W.V., Hutchinson, Kan. Mr. Know-It-All