tips for the day

Chillies don’t just add kick to your salad, they can also pep up your body’s ability to burn calories for hours. The compound capsaicin is found in chillies and boosts your metabolism slightly, increasing the energy your body burns during digestion. But don’t make your food so hot that you’ll want to wash it down with a basketful of bread. Eating capsaicin may curb your appetite for 3 hours, say researchers.

People tend to snore when they’re on their backs. To stay on your side, place a tennis ball in a sock and safety pin it to your shirt right between your shoulder blades. If you end up on your back, it’ll prompt you to roll onto your side without waking you up.

Put your metal walk in door to good use as a memory jogger. Using magnets (gimme’s work best because they are so strong) attach your family’s calendar, notes, school projects or "to do" lists to the door. As you leave the house, you will see the attached papers and will "remember" what you previously forgot. A great way to use your otherwise unused door.     
        

To keep your wallet safe on vacation from pickpockets or simply to assure you don’t lose it from your purse, purchase a wallet with a wrist strap. Using a plastic coated spring key chain, attach one end to your wallet and another to a large safety pin which you attach to an inside seam in your purse. that way you never leave your wallet on a counter and no one can take it from your purse either. Where your purse goes, it goes as well.

Replace part (up to 1/2) of the sugar in your cookie recipe with honey. Honey is liquid at room temperature and never hardens. Experiment with the replacement portions, and once you’ve found the "sweet spot" so to speak, you’ll have the soft cookies you’ve always dreamed of for your favorite cookie recipes!

When selling your home, often you only have a short time to ready the house. Think ahead and make a list of jobs for each family member to be responsible for. Even elementary age kids can help dry mop floors, pick up trash or spray rooms with Lysol. With a list in hand, this also has an added bonus of eliminating people yelling "what do I do now?" Better planning makes for a better showing and a better showing makes for a sale!

I am a firm believer in cooking good healthy meals at home. This has led me to a business. I now cook meals for friends. I am also aware of labels and what things are in the products I buy so not only are my friends getting a home cooked meal that is healthy, but I am getting paid for what I would do at home anyway.

Set a goal each day for yourself of packing X number of boxes to take to charity, as trash, and to take with you to your new home. Though you will realize there is much left to do, when you accomplish your goal, you will feel satisfaction that you are one step closer to moving than you were yesterday.

When mulching plants you have just planted, place the pots they came in on top of the plant. Dump mulch around the pots to the desired depth. When smooth, remove the pots and bring mulch closer to the plants without touching the stems. Fast and easy mulch application with little effort.

Don’t pay interest! Enter credit card purchases into your checkbook like a debit. It helps to use red ink for the debit part. When your bill comes, just add up the red figures and pay off the balance. You’ll be working from real balances and can’t overspend. This is great for first time cardholders.