8/15/09

Skip the free gift with your purchase of cosmetics. While it's tempting to take the travel tote or loot of unneeded moisturizers and makeup with your purchase, the reality is that you probably will never use it. The accessories and makeup will just get stashed away in the closet, or worse, thrown in the trash a few months later. Only take the free gift if you truly do want it and need it. Otherwise, politely decline.

8/14/09

Check the grease plates under the burners in your kitchen stove. Are they clean or grimy? If grease and burnt food debris are building up, give the plates a good scrub or replace them altogether. If you let the gunk build up, the heat won't reflect off the plates and will make the stove less efficient.

8/13/09

Hanging artwork in your home can be disastrous for your walls. To avoid marking your walls with holes from misplaced nails, plan ahead. Rip open a brown paper grocery bag and trace the artwork on the paper. Do this for all the pieces of artwork you plan on hanging. Tape each piece to the wall and move them around until you're happy with the arrangement. Then hammer the nail through the paper, rip off the template and hang the artwork: A perfect placement every single time.