Monday, November 22, 2010

The "Real Simple" Guide To Avoiding Holiday Fights:

If you and your family members tend to bicker this time of year, here's a list from "Real Simple" magazine on how to avoid holiday fighting.

--If you REALLY want to avoid a fight on Thanksgiving, the best thing to do is keep quiet and just try to get through the night. But if you CAN'T, here's what to do with seven types of difficult family members . . .


#1.) The Slacker. If there's someone who never helps out in the kitchen and won't even set the table, don't yell. Instead, give them a specific task with specific instructions.� If they STILL won't help . . . THEN you can start yelling.

#2.) The Person Who Loves the Holidays WAY Too Much. If there's someone who wants everybody to wear pilgrim and Indian hats at the table . . . and they're over the age of 10 . . . you don't have to take part.

--But don't talk about how stupid it is, or you'll look like a jerk.

#3.) The Emotional Wreck. There's bound to be at least one person who's going through tough times this year. So make sure you give them a chance to vent about it BEFORE you sit down for dinner.

#4.) The Person Who Dominates Every Conversation. If you're the host, seat them next to people who won't care . . . like kids. And try to steer the conversation toward topics that other people are experts in.

#5.) The Person Who Does Everything, Then Makes You Feel Guilty. If someone insists on doing all the cooking, then complains about it, they're probably doing it to feel superior . . . which is why it's annoying.

--But the only thing you can do is offer to help. And if they won't let you, then all that turkey is guilt-free.

#6.) The Bully. If someone starts causing trouble, try to keep things light. For example, if they say something like "You got the beauty and your brother got the brains," say something like "Yeah, and obviously you got the charm."

--If you insult them point blank, it'll start a fight. But if you do it in a light-hearted, funny way, they'll shut up.

#7.) The Alcoholic. Talk to them ahead of time and let them know that if they get drunk, they'll have to leave. Then if they DO get drunk, you just have to make sure they get home safe.

--Telling them to leave might actually CAUSE a fight, but getting them out of the situation will avoid a BIGGER fight.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Four Secrets About The First Year of Marriage

If you recently got married, or you're thinking about it, prepare: "Brides" magazine has a list of four secrets about the first year of marriage . . .

#1.) YOUR SPOUSE WILL GAIN WEIGHT. Most people lose a few pounds for their wedding, but start gaining them back as soon as the ring's on their finger.

--And that's okay. Just don't neglect your health COMPLETELY. Studies show that people who get married and stay married live longer . . . unless they gain 50 pounds and never leave the couch.


#2.) YOU WON'T SEE YOUR FRIENDS ANYMORE. You'll still see your BEST friends, but everyone else will slowly fade away. And "Brides" magazine says to concentrate on spending time with your best friends, or you'll lose them too.

--It also helps if you each do things WITHOUT each other. If you do everything as a couple, only other couples will want to hang out with you.


#3.) YOU'LL GO TO BED ANGRY, EVEN THOUGH YOU SAID YOU NEVER WOULD. It doesn't make sense to stay up all night fighting if you have to work the next day. Just don't forget about it the next day or pretend it didn't happen.


#4.) YOU'LL HAVE TWO PAYCHECKS, BUT YOU'LL STILL BE BROKE. According to "Brides" magazine, you'll save on rent, but make up for it by spending money on setting up your new place. And if you have kids, you'll have to spend a lot more.

--But it's worth noting that the website Bundle.com did a study in New York and found that married couples spent less on just about everything, including groceries, clothing, and entertainment. And they spent almost HALF as much eating out.

Think that making home improvements will help you sell your house? Nope...

With the housing market still swirling around in the toilet, you might be thinking, "Well, maybe if I redo the kitchen that'll help me sell it for a decent price." The answer is . . . no, it won't.

--"Remodeling" magazine just released the results of their annual survey and found that home improvements are having LESS of an effect on selling price than EVER.

--Up until last year, the average home improvement project boosted a home's price by 86.7% of the cost of the project. In other words, if you spend $10,000 to improve your house, it adds $8,670 to the sale price.

--But in the 2009-2010 survey, home improvements only added 63.8% of their value to the home's selling price.

--The average project cost a homeowner $50,908 and only added $32,497 of value at sale time.

--The survey found that the best projects you can do to add value are exterior enhancements that might not cost that much . . . like door and window replacements. Adding an attic bedroom also helped add value to the house.

--Adding home offices, sunrooms, backup power generators, bathrooms, and garages recouped the least amount of their costs.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Just in time for Black Friday- 5 Things Outlet Malls Won't Tell You...

#1.) There are good reasons why you have to drive forever to get to them. One, the land is cheaper. And two, they know that if you drive that far, there's a better chance you'll feel like you HAVE to spend money to justify the trip.

#2.) A lot of the stuff isn't leftover from the main store. Outlet malls aren't the home of damaged merchandise or the main store's extra inventory anymore. They're mostly filled with slightly lower-quality items made specifically for the outlet.

#3.) Some of the outlets aren't really outlets. There's no legal definition for an outlet mall. Usually it just means more than half the stores are outlets. So plenty of the stores sell stuff at full price.

#4.) You're going to have to deal with WAY more tourists than at a regular mall. Outlet malls aggressively market to tour groups and tour busses . . . and they're FILLED with the kind of awful tourists you might not find at the real mall.

#5.) The coupon books probably aren't a good value. A lot of outlet malls sell coupon books to use at their stores. But most of the coupons aren't that great . . . just a lot of "buy something, get a crappy free gift" kind of deals.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Five Bogus Cold and Flu Myths Your Mom Believed

It's November, which means we're all about to start getting sick. And the magazine "Prevention" has a list of the five most common myths about how to prevent and recover from a cold.

--They're all things your mom probably said were true . . . but she was wrong.

MYTH #1.) YOU'LL GET SICK IF YOU GO OUT IN THE COLD WITH WET HAIR. Researchers gave two groups of people the same cold virus, then exposed one group to cold, wet conditions while the other group stayed dry.

--You'd think it would make a difference, but it didn't. The people who stayed dry were just as likely to get sick.


MYTH #2.) FEED A COLD, STARVE A FEVER. Actually, you should drink plenty of water and keep eating either way. It doesn't matter what your symptoms are.

--When you have a head cold, your immune system needs the nutrients. And when you have a fever, your metabolism speeds up and needs more calories to keep fighting off infections.


MYTH #3.) IF YOU HAVE A COLD, YOU SHOULD AVOID DAIRY PRODUCTS. It might seem like dairy products make your body produce more mucus. But research shows that's probably just an example of the placebo effect.

--In other words, in one study, people who knew they were drinking milk reported more nasal symptoms than people who drank soy milk. But when they didn't know which kind of milk they were drinking, they only reported minimal effects for both.

MYTH #4.) YOU LOSE MOST OF YOUR BODY HEAT THROUGH YOUR HEAD. Wearing a hat DOES help you retain body heat, but not because that's where you lose most of your body heat.

--You only lose about 10% of your body heat through your head, neck, and face. Which makes sense, because your head, neck, and face account for about 10% of your body's surface area.

--It just FEELS like wearing a hat is really effective because your face is five times more sensitive to temperature changes than other parts of your body.


MYTH #5.) YOU SHOULDN'T EXERCISE WHEN YOU'RE SICK. The only way to get rid of a cold is to rest. But a little exercise can actually make you feel better.

--In a study from Ball State University, volunteers with bad colds were divided into two groups. The first group only rested, and the second group rested but also exercised for 30 minutes a day, five days a week.


--In both groups, symptoms lasted for just over eight days on average. But the people who exercised felt better during the afternoons and evenings.


--Just don't overdo it. Intense workouts that last more than 90 minutes can weaken your immune system.