25 Useful Tips…

Save: The date
At the beginning of the year, note birthdays, anniversaries, or other important events in a date book or PDA, and while you’re at it, jot down a “send card” or “mail present” message to yourself a week before each event. Unless you have a huge roster of kith and kin, the process shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes. Friends and family will think you’ve got an elephant’s memory and will gush with gratitude. Of course you have to check the calendar every week or two, but it’s worth a little effort for that big reward.

Save: Tax returns
The good news is that you don’t have to rent a storage cubicle to handle the piles of paperwork. You can toss supporting personal documents after three years and supporting business materials after six. Be sure to shred any items that include your social security, credit card or account numbers, and recycle the ragged results.

Save: Classic clothing
Forget the fads and hold onto clothes that will stand the test of time: a great pencil skirt; a never-goes-out-of-style suit; sleek neutral slacks; a camel hair coat; a tailored white button-down shirt; great-fitting dark denim jeans and the like. Keep these classics in mind next time you’re tempted by fashion’s flavor of the moment. Go ahead — get wild with accessories, but there’s something to be said for bonding with the basics.

Save: Family photos
Place family snapshots in acid-free archival albums (lightimpressionsdirect.com) to make sure they’ll be in happy-to-hand-down condition for generations to come. Remember to make prints of your digital photos so they don’t get lost or forgotten on your hard drive.

Save: Home improvement records
If you intend to sell your house at any point on down the line, you’ll be able to show potential buyers what you’ve invested in the property, and the records may also help lower your tax bill when you sell the house. For more information, visit realtytimes.com.

Save: Plastic take-out food containers
You’re probably already reusing these freebies to store leftovers or to pack picnic goodies. But did you know that they’re also great for storing craft supplies like beads, buttons, magnets, and thread? Even unused portions of mixed craft paint can be stored in the condiments containers. As long as it fits, it’s got a home. Label each container using a china marker, stack, and store.

Donate: To a good cause or save for a yard sale
Whether giving away the goods or saving them for a sale, package them now in clearly marked cardboard boxes that can be stashed in the attic, a dry garage, or your basement until yard sale season commences, or until you have time to visit your local charity drop-off center. Be sure to keep an inventory list of what you donate to share with your accountant at tax time. A write-off is very likely.

Donate: Old clothes and bags
Any clean piece of clothing, bag, or shoes that you haven’t worn in the last 18 months. Dressforsuccess.org will let you know where you can contribute business wear to aspiring career women in need. Or check your local Good Will or Salvation Army for specific drop off days, times and article restrictions.

Donate: Old computers or electronics
Before donating any piece of electronic equipment, make sure that it’s functional and reusable. It’s always best to check with your local donation organization to see what their requirements might be. If your electronics or computer equipment have simply bitten the dust, it’s important to recycle or dispose of them properly. To find out how, visit the Environmental Protection Agency at epa.gov.

Donate: Toys
It’s great to give castoffs a second chance to bring fun to kids in distressed situations, but remember that donated dolls, games, etc. should be clean, safe, complete, and in generally good condition. If you wouldn’t let your kid play with it, then that one-armed G.I. Joe and money-less Monopoly game should be sent to the big toy store in the sky.

Donate: Books you are finished with
Books that you’ve read, especially paperbacks, or whose pages have remained unrifled for more than a year. Why not mark the boxes of yard sale candidates now with the prices you plan to charge? 50 cents for paperback? $1 for hard covers? Consider giving art books and good-condition hardcovers to a local library, school, or college.

Donate: Rarely used small appliances
Come on, when was the last time you whipped up Belgian waffles? And that fruit drying thingamajig is taking up way too much room in the cupboard.

Donate: Unused exercise equipment
Be honest. If you haven’t used the NordicTrack since ABBA was a hit, don’t torture yourself with its guilt-inducing presence. Besides, if you truly want to start a health regimen, you’ve got the best, completely free equipment already: your feet! Did you know that a half-hour of brisk grocery shopping burns around 130 calories? And here’s even better news: A Vanderbilt University study shows that if you add laughter to any behavior, even sitting on your rump, you’ll burn 20 percent more calories. Now that’s something to giggle about.

Donate: Old eyeglasses
North Americans toss 4 million pairs of glasses each year. UniteForSight.org makes sure that castoffs are put to good use in developing countries. Your local Lion’s Club will also accept donations that will go to sight-limited seniors and other needy recipients. And don’t forget prescription sunglasses, because everyone can use a great set of shades

Recycle: Unread mags and newspapers
Bundle up any newspaper or magazine that you haven’t read within a week of receiving or buying it. You may think you’ll get back to it, but the odds are against your ever making it to the back page.

Transform: Old Socks
If your big toe has liberated itself from sock-bondage, use the less-than-perfect foot cover as a furniture or shoe-buffing mitt.

Transform: Tattered clothes
If your former toddler’s tees, or any other of your clothes, are too stained to risk donation without deep embarrassment, repurpose them as cleaning rags.

Cancel: Catalog subscriptions
52 million trees are used each year to make the paper for the 19 billion catalogs that we receive. Shopping online will keep at least a leafy oxygen-producing tree or two alive a bit longer. And catalogchoice.org will help you cancel all your subscriptions for no charge.

Toss: Anything past its expiration date
Anything in your pantry or freezer that has passed its expiration or “best if used by” date. If you’re not certain how long something’s been in the old igloo, say “sayonara,” and next time label tightly wrapped items with the date you place them in cold storage. Generally speaking, foods should be kept in the freezer for only two to three months before use, so that trout from your 1995 vacation might have to go. And never refreeze food that has been defrosted.

Toss: Outdated medicines
The current cost of some drugs might tempt us all to hold onto them as long as possible, but a number of medicines do more than lose their potency over time – they can become dangerous. Unfortunately, there’s no perfect way to dispose of over-the-hill pills and expended elixirs, but never pour them down the drain or in the toilet. Experts recommend that you scatter loose pills in with other trash to avoid children finding a tempting bottle. Adding kitty litter to liquid medications and putting the absorbed results in your bagged waste is probably the easiest way to get rid of syrups and such. But perhaps just as important as how you dump drugs is how you store them. Unless advised otherwise, they should be kept at an even room temperature, and sadly, the humidity of a bathroom can reduce the effectiveness and longevity of almost all medications. A high cabinet in a temperate spot is your best bet for smart and safe storage.

Toss: Bad Cans
Periodically check your pantry for any canned food items that might be swollen, badly dented, have rust spots, or that spurt when opened. You’re not just saving space — bacteria from tainted canned foods can be dangerous to deadly.

Toss: Left-out leftovers
Any perishable food that’s been left at room temperature for two hours or more is basically a breeding ground for bad things. This does make me wonder how I survived an entire childhood of bag lunches that sat in the cloakroom for much longer, but happily you can be more well-informed than my mom. And remember that no matter what, anything that contains mayonnaise or eggs should be kept consistently refrigerated.

Toss: Flammable materials properly
Partially used cans of paint or other flammable items that haven’t been used in a year should be disposed of according local toxic waste restrictions. Be sure to consult your disposal center for details and DO NOT pour these or other solvents down the toilet or drain. Paint that might be needed for touch-ups can be stored in airtight recycled take-out containers.

Toss: Yarn and string scraps in your yard
Bits of leftover twine and yarn are perfect liners for a bird’s nest or robin roost. Place these bird goodies on bushes in your yard as the weather begins to warm, and odds are that you’ll be keeping a feathered friend and her brood a bit toastier this season.

Donate, Recycle, or Toss: One old item
Get rid of one item you think you simply can’t part with. In a short spell you’ll probably find that you barely remember what it was that made you hold onto it so tightly. Letting go of the old, both literally and symbolically, is liberating and good for the soul. It might also remind you that “things” aren’t worth nearly as much as those you love.

A Greener Laundry

Photo: Sandra Cunningham/iStockphoto

Being clean isn’t always green, especially when it comes to laundry. The dirt: The average household does 400 loads a year, consuming 13,500 gallons of water. And most laundry detergents contain solvents, optical brighteners, colorants, builders, and surfactants—in short, pollutants. Washing machines also expend lots of energy, especially when you use warm water. Dryers are even worse, consuming, on average, 875 kilowatts per year—6 to 10 percent of total residential energy use. The good news: A few easy changes will make a huge difference.

Start by switching to an environmentally friendly detergent, such as Ecover. And when you’re ready for a new machine, choose one with the Energy Star label: It will use 30 percent less energy than a regular model and save more than 7,000 gallons of water a year.

Run only full loads and use cold water whenever possible: About 90 percent of the energy used washing clothes goes to heating the water. For lightly soiled laundry, cold water is just as effective as warm water, and it prevents colors from fading.

Clean your dryer’s lint trap before each load to increase air circulation and energy efficiency. Better yet, hang clothes to dry. The sun breaks down stains, won’t wear out your clothes the way a tumble dryer does, and doesn’t cost a thing.

Photo: Sandra Cunningham/iStockphoto

Bathroom Greener

The bathroom is the room where we begin and end each day, with a variety of cleaning routines designed to help keep us healthy. Odd then, that the room in which we clean our teeth, our skin and the rest of our bodies (not to mention dispose of our waste) is often filled with toxic chemicals, and, even then, not very clean itself. So, how do you stay clean, promote good health and go green in your bathroom?

As with many sustainable lifestyle subjects, when it comes to going green in the bathroom, one hand washes the other. Eschewing excessive water use—and thousands of gallons of wasted water—avoiding a deluge of disposable trash and a myriad of toxic cleaners supposed to make the room “safe” for your use, all can come from a few simple steps that combine to help you live greener in the bathroom.

So, to make your bathroom a greener place, we’ve compiled a bevy of tips to help clear the air, go with the low-flow and keep the toxics out of your way. Changing up your habits and greening your bathroom will help make the planet greener, your home healthier and your personal health more robust.

Don’t Let So Much Water Go Down the Drain

There are a trifecta of water-saving opportunities in the bathroom. By installing a low-flow showerhead, a low-flow faucet aerator and a dual-flush toilet, you’ll save thousands of gallons of water each year.

The first two are easy DIY jobs—learn how to install a low-flow faucet—and a toilet can be done with a little homework. To really go for the gusto and go for a water-free toilet, check out composting toilets.

Flush the Toilet with Care

When it comes to using the toilets themselves, be sure you’re reaching for toilet paper created from recycled sources—remember, “rolling over” is better than “rolling under”—and avoid using products made from virgin boreal forest trees. The Natural Resources Defense Council has a solid list of recycled paper sources, so you aren’t literally flushing virgin trees down the toilet.

And when it comes time to flush, close the lid before hitting the button to prevent the spread of bacteria around your bathroom. Ready for the next step? Install a dual-flush toilet or dual-flush retrofit on your current toilet.

Ditch Those Disposables

Toilet paper is about the only “disposable” product allowed in your green bathroom, so when it comes time to clean up, avoid the temptation to reach for disposable products. That means paper towels and other disposable wipes should be replaced by reusable rags or microfiber towels for mirrors, sinks and the like. When it comes time to scrub the toilet, don’t even think about those silly disposable one-and-done toilet brushes.

In the same vein, more and more cleaners are being sold in refillable containers, so you don’t have to buy so much packaging and can reuse the perfectly-good spray bottle, instead of buying a new one each time you run dry on glass cleaner.

Think Sink

Once you have your low-flow faucet aerator installed, your behavior can also help keep water flow down. Be sure to turn off the water while you’re brushing your teeth—some dentists even recommend a dry toothbrush. You’ll save 6 gallons of water each day, assuming you’re diligent about brushing twice a day.

Boys: If you shave with a wet razor, put a stopper in the sink and don’t leave the water running. Half a sink-full of water will do the job.

Clear the Air with Green Cleaners

Bathrooms are notoriously small and often poorly ventilated, so, of all the rooms in the house, this is the one that should be cleaned with green, nontoxic cleaners. Common household ingredients, like baking soda and vinegar, and a little elbow grease will do the job for most everything in the bathroom.

If DIY isn’t your style, there are a bevy of green cleaners available on the market today.

Take Green Cleaning into Your Own Hands

Doing it yourself is a great way to insure that you’re going as green as possible, since you know exactly what went into the products you’re using. A few reliable favorites: Spray surfaces that need cleaning—sinks, tubs and toilets, for example—with diluted vinegar or lemon juice, let it sit for 30 minutes or so, give it a scrub, and your mineral stains will all but disappear.

Getting lime scale or mold on your showerhead? Soak it in white vinegar—hotter is better—for an hour before rinsing it clean.

And to create a great tub scrub, mix baking soda, castile soap (like Dr. Bronner’s) and a few drops of your favorite essential oil—careful, a little bit goes a long way here.

Keep Your Skin Free and Clear with Green Personal Care Products

Anything that’s a struggle to say three times fast doesn’t belong in your bathroom, and that certainly goes for personal care products like soaps, lotions and cosmetics.

For example “antibacterial” soaps often include endocrine disruptors, which, in addition to breeding “supergerms” resistant to these cleaners, may be doing your body serious harm and are wreaking havoc on fish and other organisms after they escape into the water stream after you flush.

That’s just one example. Remember, the rule goes like this: If you can’t say it, don’t use it to “clean” yourself.

Go Green with Towels and Linens

When it comes time to dry off, towels made from materials like organic cotton and bamboo are the way to go. Conventional cotton is one of the most chemically-intensive, pesticide-laden crops on the planet—to the tune of 2 billion pounds of synthetic fertilizers and 84 million pounds of pesticides each year—causing a whole laundry list of environmental health problems for those who apply the pesticides and harvest the crop—not to mention the damage done to soil, irrigation and groundwater systems.

Bamboo, in addition to being a fast-growing sustainable alternative to cotton, is also reputed to have antibacterial qualities when spun into linens.

Shower Yourself with a Safe Curtain

If your shower has a curtain, be sure to avoid polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic—it’s pretty nasty stuff. The production of PVC often results in creating dioxins, a group of highly toxic compounds, and once in your home, PVC releases chemical gases and odors. Once you’re done with it, it can’t be recycled and is known to leach chemicals that can eventually make their way back into our water system.

So be on the lookout for PVC-free plastic—even places like IKEA carry them now—or go for a more permanent solution, like hemp, which is naturally resistant to mold, as long as you keep your bathroom well-ventilated.

Maintain Your New Green Ways

Once you go green, you’ll want to keep it that way, so remember to do regular light maintenance—unclogging drains, fixing leaky faucets, etc.—with green in mind.

Let’s all help Mother Earth in any small and simple ways we can. After all these our own planet too..

Belly Tips

You’d love to have a flat belly for the party tonight, but thanks to one too many sodas or that basket of tortilla chips, zipping your pants is a real struggle. Abdominal bloating not only looks bad, but can cause physical discomfort. The good news? Experts say stomach bloating is a condition you can avoid pretty easily.

We’re not talking about extra pounds of stomach fat here, but the temporary abdominal distention that plagues most everyone from time to time. Unless your stomach bloating is because of a medical condition, such as liver or heart disease, the only real cause is intestinal gas – not “water weight,” says Michael Jensen, MD, an endocrinologist and obesity researcher at Mayo Clinic.

“It is a myth that bloating in the stomach is from fluid accumulation in healthy adults, because the abdomen is not a place where fluids accumulate first,” Jensen says. “Instead, you would see it in your feet or ankles as long as you are upright.”

So what causes gas to accumulate and wreak havoc on how you feel and look? Experts say there are several causes, from food intolerances to constipation.

Flat Belly Tip No. 1: Avoid Constipation.

Too little fiber, fluids, and physical activity can lead to constipation, which can result in bloating, Jensen says.

To avoid this, eat a diet high in fiber (25 daily grams for women and 38 for men) from whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Also, drink plenty of fluids (aim for 6-8 glasses a day) and aim for physical activity for at least 30 minutes, five times a week.

If you’re eating a low-fiber diet, gradually bump up the fiber level, making sure you also drink plenty of fluids for better tolerance.

Flat Belly Tip No. 2: Rule Out Wheat Allergies or Lactose Intolerance.

Food allergies and intolerances can cause gas and bloating, but these need to be confirmed by your doctor. Many people self-diagnose these conditions and unnecessarily eliminate healthy dairy and whole grains from their diets. If you suspect you have an allergy or intolerance, see your doctor for tests.

You may benefit from reducing the amount of the suspected food and/or eating it with other foods. In the case of dairy, it can help to choose aged cheeses and yogurts, which are lower in lactose.

Flat Belly Tip No. 3: Don’t Eat Too Fast.

Eating quickly and not chewing your food well can cause air swallowing that leads to bloating, says Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.

So slow down and enjoy your food. Your meals should last at least 30 minutes. Also, keep in mind that digestion begins in the mouth, and you can decrease bloating just by chewing your food more, Blatner says.

There’s another benefit to slowing things down: When you take your time to thoroughly chew and taste your food, your snack or meal becomes more satisfying. And studies have shown that if you eat more slowly, you may end up eating less.

Flat Belly Tip No. 4: Don’t Overdo Carbonated Drinks.

The fizz in carbonated drinks (even diet ones) can cause gas to get trapped in your belly, Blatner says.

Instead, drink water flavored with lemon, lime, or cucumber. Or just reduce the number of fizzy drinks you consume each day. Try some peppermint tea for a soothing beverage that may help reduce bloat.

Flat Belly Tip No. 5: Don’t Overdo Chewing Gum.

Chewing gum can also lead to swallowing air, which can cause bloating.

If you’ve got a gum habit, alternate chewing gum with sucking on a piece of hard candy or eating a healthy, high-fiber snack like fruit, vegetables, or lower-fat popcorn.

Flat Belly Tip No. 6: Watch Out for Sugar-Free Foods.

“Many of my patients suffer from bloating because they consume too much sugar alcohol in artificially sweetened foods and drinks,” which can lead to bloating, Blatner says.

Experts recommend consuming no more than 2-3 servings per day of artificially sweetened foods and drinks.

Flat Belly Tip No. 7: Limit Sodium.

Highly processed foods tend to be high in sodium and low in fiber, both of which can contribute to that bloated feeling, Jensen says.

Get in the habit of reading food labels, Blatner advises. When buying processed, canned, or frozen foods, shoot for no more than 500 mg of sodium per serving in any product — or a total of 2,300 mg of sodium per day.

Flat Belly Tip No. 8: Go Slow with Beans and Gassy Vegetables.

If you’re not used to eating beans, they can cause that gassy feeling. So can the cruciferous family of vegetables, such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower.

That doesn’t mean you should give up on these super-nutritious, high-fiber vegetables.

“Don’t be nervous about beans,” Blatner says. “Just work them into your diet slowly until your body adjusts to the compounds that can initially cause gas.”

Or, you can take an enzyme product like “Beano,” which can help reduce gas from beans or vegetables.

Flat Belly Tip No. 9: Eat Smaller Meals More Often

Instead of three big meals per day, try eating smaller meals more often. This can keep you free of the bloated feeling that often follows large meals (think Thanksgiving). Eating more frequently can also help control blood sugar and manage hunger.

So go for five to six small meals each day, but make sure the quantity of food and calories are proportionate to your needs. To create a daily meal plan that includes the recommended amounts of all major nutrients, visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “mypyramid” web site.

Flat Belly Tip No. 10: Try Anti-Bloating Foods and Drinks.

A few studies suggest that peppermint tea, ginger, pineapple, parsley, and yogurts containing probiotics (“good” bacteria) may help reduce bloating.

“These are safe foods that are good for you when used appropriately, so why not try them and see if they help you de-bloat?” says Blatner, author of The Flexitarian Diet.

A Final Word About Stomach Fat

Experts agree that laxatives, water pills, fasting, and skipping meals are not recommended, either to help you de-bloat or lose weight.

If you’re looking to flatten your belly for the long term, there’s no substitute for losing a few pounds, Jensen says.

“For most everyone, when you lose total body fat, your body reduces belly fat preferentially,” he says. “Even though people lose weight differently, there is a little more lost in the abdominal region than elsewhere.”

Experts also say that doing ab exercises all day long won’t get rid of the excess belly. Although you can’t necessarily spot reduce, you can strengthen abdominal muscles with routines like Pilates and exercise ball workouts. And, stronger muscles can help your belly appear flatter.

“Toning and strengthening the abdominal muscles can help you look less fat [and] improve your appearance, muscle tone, and posture, which is also very good for your back,” Jensen says.

What Is The Difference?

• Happiness and Optimism

  Some people believe money leads to happiness. Not true. Once you’re living comfortably, more money doesn’t buy more happiness. The reverse, however, is true: Happiness leads to money. And success. Likewise, so does optimism. Both enable you to solve problems, conjure ideas, take long-range consequences into consideration and come back and try again if you miss the first time.

• Resilience

  People who have moved from a bad financial situation into comfort or wealth have resilience. They can overcome—on the job, in their personal lives, with their finances. They don’t deny the bad things that happen, but they’re able to turn their focus to things over which they have control with the belief that they have the ability to effect change. The good news is you don’t have to be born with resilience—you can learn it by controlling the things you can control and letting go of the others.

• Connectedness

  Ever heard of social capital? It’s the asset created when relationships between people change in ways that lead to action, generally for good. It’s an important component of The Difference, and the wealthy and financially comfortable not only have more of it than people living paycheck to paycheck, they know how to use it. They cast a wider net, socializing with neighbors, co-workers, people who can help them advance financially or in their careers. To get your share of social capital, you have to make time for people and put yourself forward as a leader.

• Passion

  It is a key element that moves people from a life of financial struggle to one of financial success. The wealthy, simply put, want it more than the rest of that. Some want it in the form of money, but most are quite passionate about the careers they choose to pursue. And, at a time where doing what you love may seem not so possible, it’s important to know you can learn to love what you do.

• Intuition

  Over the years, your brain has scored up scads of patterns, information that tells you that if one thing happens, something else is likely to follow. We feel these signals in our gut—and we call them hunches. They are really our intuition, a sixth sense that is more developed in the wealthy than in anyone else. You can learn to bring yours forward by adopting strategies like giving your intuition a little room to breathe: Jean herself says she has the best aha! moments when she’s not searching for them.

• Habitual saving

  The wealthy people in our study certainly have the funds to be crazy spenders, but most are not. Both wealthy and financially comfortable individuals say that saving more money has been an “absolutely essential” financial goal as an adult. If you’re not a habitual saver already, The Difference will show you how.

• Invest in stocks

  Jean did the research for this book when housing prices were cratering and the markets were falling out of the sky. Yet, one lesson emerged again and again: The wealthy understand the need to take risks in the market—in good times and in bad—in order to make their money work as hard as they do.

• Gratitude

  The Karma Kickback. The people who get rich—and stay rich—are not just grateful. They practice gratitude by giving back to their communities, to organizations they believe in and the people they care about. Even if you are thinking of something you view as mundane—like your job—when you think about it as a gift, you focus on what life might be if you didn’t have it.

While browsing and checking out the Oprah website I came across to this interesting yet very simple ways of being positive and being happy.

Some of us neglect to be thankful for everyday that we are alive, working, had a roof over our head, food on the table, family and friends who are there when we need them.

So here it is I am posting it for all of us to be reminded of how lucky we are.