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It’s that time again! Mistletoe & holly…family & friends…lots of sharing- germs, that is! We each get sick about three times a year - so we’d like to believe we know fact from myth, when it comes to colds and flu. But, surprisingly, a lot of people don’t really know the difference between the two! So here are the facts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Read the rest of this entry »
Thanksgiving’s not even here yet, and you’re already starting to stress about the holidays- sound familiar? Here’s how to curb some of that- it’s some holiday shopping intel: Read the rest of this entry »
Credit is going to be tight this holiday season, and if your usual gift-buying plans include ignoring your maxed-out credit cards, opening a new store credit card, and getting 20% off all of your purchases, you may be in for an unpleasant surprise. This year, your application for a new credit card will probably be denied. Why? According to Newsweek magazine, most retailers no longer run their own credit card programs. Today, banks do it for them. The banks are getting pickier about the people they offer credit to, and they’re considering more than just your income, spending and payment history. They may also look at the unemployment rate in your community, and whether home prices in your neighborhood have dropped more than in other areas. Even worse, banks are lowering the credit limits of people who already have cards, which may further cut your spending power.
For example, Read the rest of this entry »
Most of us experience ‘gut feelings’ at one time or another. Things like instantly loving or hating a property when we’re house hunting, or the snap judgments we make when meeting new people. Intelligence from Science Daily tells us that gut feelings are the result of our brain doing what it does best: Analyzing information from our senses and comparing it to past experience. Pretty much the process we go through when we make conscious choices, but, when we have a ‘hunch’ or ‘gut feeling’ the brain goes into overdrive and skips a few steps. Since it happens without our mulling over the pros and cons, the brain uses changes in body chemistry to get the message across. Here’s how to read those changes and make good decisions on the fly. Read the rest of this entry »
The holidays are all about family get-togethers. No matter how well-behaved people try to be, squabbles are usually inevitable. Laurie Puhn, a family and divorce mediator in New York City, says most of the time, hurtful words aren’t intentional. Someone makes an offhand remark – “You paid too much for that car,” or “You should patch things up with so-and-so. ” - and all of a sudden, harsh words are flying. So, here are some phrases Puhn says you can use to defuse a potentially nasty conversation. These come from her book Instant Persuasion: How to Change Your Words to Change Your Life. Read the rest of this entry »
On this day in 1951 Area Codes were introduced when the mayor for Englewood, New Jersey direct-dialed the mayor of Alameda, California. The 10-digit North American Numbering Plan, which provides area codes for Canada, the US, and many Caribbean nations, was devised in 1947 by AT&T and Bell Labs. Eighty-four area codes were assigned. By 1960 all telephone customers could dial long-distance calls. Read the rest of this entry »
Want to fend off holiday weight gain from endless (but fabulous!) upcoming family dinners? Then, here’s a list of the six super-foods to eat every day. They’re packed with disease-fighting nutrients, and enough fiber and protein to keep your belly full for hours. They’ll also help you cut 600 calories a day – which means you could lose one pound a week! Here are the facts, courtesy of Yahoo Health: Read the rest of this entry »
Remember when you were a kid, and your parents would check for monsters under the bed? Well, you might want to bring that tradition back. Instead of looking for the Boogey Man, you should look for BUGS! Here’s a rundown of the critters that could be crawling around your bedroom, courtesy of Rodale Publishing: Read the rest of this entry »
Trick-or-treat night is fast approaching, and for many parents, the festivities bring about a question they ask themselves year after year: Should parents let their kids eat all the candy they want as long as it lasts, or should they ration the candy out, perhaps by one piece a day? Read the rest of this entry »
Here’s a note of caution- some gas pump intel! Be aware of the dangers of using a debit card at the gas pump. According to MSNBC, more and more thieves are using gas pumps to steal peoples’ account information, and debit cards are an especially big problem. Why? When a crook steals a credit card, he has to go and buy merchandise – and then sell it. With a debit card, the crook can get cash. So, stealing debit card information can be a lot more appealing to thieves! Read the rest of this entry »