Ditch Anger for Good

Left unattended, anger can manifest as resentment and unhelpful feelings toward a person or event, or even lead to depression and anxiety. Processed and acknowledged, though, anger can help us to identify personal boundaries and assert those with others. If you are having difficulty with anger, try these expert tips to better manage your feelings: • Strike while the iron is cold. In other words, do not respond to someone when angry. You may say something you later regret. • Find a way for the body to release the stress hormones associated with anger. Go for a walk, head to the gym, or go for a swim. Get your body moving. • Ask for a timeout. If you’re feeling anger in a heated discussion with a loved one it’s perfectly OK to ask for a timeout. You can park the topic and circle back to it once you both have calmed down and have a different perspective. • Meditate. This may sound like the last thing you’d want to do when you’re angry, but meditation can actually help deescalate the stress your body is feeling and provide a sense of calm and relaxation. That’s just what the body needs when experiencing anger.

Money Management for Single-Income Households

Money management is a stressor for many people, though it can be even more pronounced when you’re a single-income household. Here are a few things for single parents to consider when it comes to managing money. • Create a Budget. Finding a budgeting method that works for you is important—otherwise you won’t use it. There are free online budgeting tools such as Mint or PocketGuard, or you can build your own spreadsheets. Even a notepad and pen is better than NOT budgeting when money is tight. • Pay Down Debt. With debt comes interest, so make paying off debts a priority. Look at the interest rate on any credit card balances or loans and pay off the ones with the higher interest rates first. • Ask for Assistance. There are numerous organizations and programs available to help families with children. Many are managed at the state level, so contact your state’s or county’s department of health and human services. For child care specifically, check out childcare.gov for federal and state resources, including financial assistance. Remember that asking for assistance isn’t solely about money—if you have family nearby, for instance, they may be able to offer non-monetary help in the form of child care.

Great Time to Organize Your Closet

Is your clothes closet (or your teenager’s closet) a “hot mess”? Try these ideas to make it more functional. This is a great time to work on it with spring coming in just a few more weeks. • First things first: Empty out your closet and donate or consign everything you haven’t worn in the last two years. • Install closet organizing products available at stores such as the Container Store. Save time by inviting a friend to help! • Neatly stack folded clothes on shelves using inexpensive shelf dividers (see stores above). Stack no higher than 10 inches. • Hang scarves/belts/purses on shower curtain rings attached to a wooden hanger. • Get piles of shoes off the floor. Try an under-the-bed container. • For a quick fix, buy a small dresser or a bookcase from a garage sale or thrift shop and put it inside your closet.

Chronic Fatigue

There are a number of medical conditions that can cause fatigue. Sleep apnea is one of the most common, and while it’s related to snoring sleep apnea requires a doctor’s diagnosis for treatment. Other common fatiguing medical conditions are thyroid disorders, anemia, kidney disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, and diabetes. Many heart and lung conditions can make people tired. Some women experience fatigue during menopause. Chronic infections such as Lyme disease or Epstein-Barr also cause fatigue. Some medications can make people feel tired, while stopping medications or changing the dose can do the same in others. Food allergies and sensitivities can wreak havoc in your digestive system, and one side effect can be feeling tired and sluggish. The more severe the allergy, the more pronounced the reaction tends to be. Depression manifests itself physically in numerous ways and doesn’t necessarily look the same for everyone, but tiredness is a common symptom. And while anxiety often feels like overstimulation, it can also produce feelings of exhaustion. Because fatigue is a symptom of such a wide variety of issues, it’s important to seek medical help and get to the root of what’s causing your tiredness. Your doctor can help you sort through possible causes and prescribe the right treatment.

Tracking Product Recalls

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), there are approximately 400 recalls issued every single year by that agency. There are many more under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Some product recalls make the local evening news, and some are even big national stories. But given how many things are bought and sold every day, it’s not a bad idea to learn about how to track recall information yourself. One of the easiest ways to find out about product recalls is to sign up for the email alerts on the recalls.gov website. It’s a collection of six different federal agencies that track the safety of various products, such as cars, food, medication, toys, and electronics. You can receive notices as frequently as you’d like, either immediately after a recall notice or in a daily or weekly digest format. Information is available in English and Spanish. You can also search the website before you make a purchase to find out if there have been any prior recalls or safety issues. The CPSC keeps a running list on its site of all recalled items (cpsc.gov/Recalls), including photos of the product, what the problem is, and what to do if you own the item. If you find that you have purchased an unsafe item that isn’t listed, you can report it by visiting saferproducts.gov.

Cozy Home

Even before phrases like “isolating in place” were part of the vernacular, making your home a cozy space was a great idea. We spend so much time in our homes that it’s important to create a space that relaxes you and allows you to rejuvenate for whatever is next on your to-do list. Here are a few easy ways to make your home the cozy sanctuary you crave. • Choose fluffy fabrics. Bump up the squish factor significantly with a faux fur throw pillow, blanket, or throw rug. • Opt for warm lighting. Candlelight isn’t the only kind of “warmth” we mean here. Look for light bulbs that give off a warm-toned light. • Layer in lap blankets. Drape a super-soft lap blanket over the arm of your favorite chair to snuggle in with a good book. • Add more textiles. Hard surfaces make sounds echo, which may make a room seem more cavernous than it is. Lay down a big area rug or hang textile art to dampen sounds. You may want to consider upgrading your loungewear, too, to include fuzzy slippers or a fluffy new bathrobe.

Ditch Anger for Good

Left unattended, anger can manifest as resentment and unhelpful feelings toward a person or event, or even lead to depression and anxiety. Processed and acknowledged, though, anger can help us to identify personal boundaries and assert those with others. If you are having difficulty with anger, try these expert tips to better manage your feelings: • Strike while the iron is cold. In other words, do not respond to someone when angry. You may say something you later regret. • Find a way for the body to release the stress hormones associated with anger. Go for a walk, head to the gym, or go for a swim. Get your body moving. • Ask for a timeout. If you’re feeling anger in a heated discussion with a loved one it’s perfectly OK to ask for a timeout. You can park the topic and circle back to it once you both have calmed down and have a different perspective. • Meditate. This may sound like the last thing you’d want to do when you’re angry, but meditation can actually help deescalate the stress your body is feeling and provide a sense of calm and relaxation. That’s just what the body needs when experiencing anger.

Three Big Tips When Buying a Home

• Understand how much home you can afford. Calculate the two numbers bankers and mortgage lenders use to determine the how much they will loan to you: payment-to-income ratio and debt-to-income ratio. • Understand the basics of home financing. Your ability to afford a home will be related to its price, your down payment (and the amount you’ll finance), the interest rate and points of your loan, the term and the type of your loan. Study these items and the relationship between them. • Save thousands by making your own mortgage acceleration payment schedule. Take your current monthly mortgage payment of principal and interest and multiply that number by 13. Divide that total by 12 to get your new “accelerated” monthly payment.

Trim Childcare Costs

As any parent can attest, childcare accounts for a gigantic chunk of a family’s budget. While it’s not exactly something you can simply cut, there are some things you can do to ease the financial burden. • Family Members: Extended family nearby who are retired and willing to help, even if it’s only a day or two each week, can help you save money on daycare. • Securing Daycare Early: When there are multiple daycare options in your area, do your research well in advance and reserve a spot ASAP. If you wait too long, the best (and, often, most affordable) ones will be full. • Alternating Work Schedules: If either you or your partner has a flexible work schedule, it could be relatively easy to take turns looking after the kids. • Nanny-Sharing: Hiring a nanny can be expensive, but if you share the cost with another family (or two) it could be a cost-effective solution. • Dependent Care Accounts: Look into your insurance options at work. If you have a dependent care flexible spending account, you can normally contribute up to $5,000 annually (married couples/single/ head of household; pre-tax) for childcare costs. For 2021 only, the limit was raised to $10,500 with the American Rescue Plan. • Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit: If you don’t have a dependent care account, you can normally claim up to $6,000 per year ($3,000 per dependent) with the child and dependent care tax credit. For 2021, families can claim a max of $16,000. Visit https://www.irs.gov (search ‘child and dependent care tax credit’) for all the details on what expenses qualify. • Investigate Subsidies: In some cases, childcare subsidies may be available to you through work, school, or military service. This map can direct you to what’s available in your state: https://www.childcareaware.org/resources/map/

Things To Pack To Make Your Flight More Enjoyable

• Noise cancelling headphones to provide a more peaceful flight • Snacks, especially on long-haul flights • Hand sanitizer to keep the germs away • Podcasts: Download the latest episodes of your favorite podcast before getting on your flight • Sneakers or slippers

Create A Multipurpose Garage

A garage may seem like the space to dump miscellaneous items, tools, and garbage/recycling. “It’s not cluttering up the house, so why does it matter?!” you might think to yourself. Here’s the thing, though: you could be losing an opportunity to use it for storage and a new functional space. Some good ways to make it a dual-purpose room include: • Install an attic lift to gain additional storage for items you only use one season a year, like camping stuff. • Store bikes on hanging racks that are flush with the wall. • Consider installing a livable floor coating, like epoxy or polished concrete. Then you could portion off a part of the garage to use as a media room, den, or creative space. • Speak to your electrician about adding outlets and lighting so that the space can be used at all times of day. • Add drywall and insulation to keep the space warm in winter time and give it a more home-like feeling. • Use storage systems like shelving racks and give each rack a job. For example, store similar items together like tools, which you can keep separate from gardening stuff, or use a rack for overflow storage for the kitchen.

Eco-Friendly Diet

It’s impossible to ignore all the news about climate change, and yet you might not realize that one thing all humans do can have an enormous impact on the health of the planet—eating. The foods we choose to cook and consume have economic as well as environmental costs, and it’s important to take them into account. Author Michael Pollan’s famous diet advice is as solid as it is succinct: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” In other words, choose real foodstuffs over processed foods, don’t overdo it, and prioritize plant-based foods over meat. The industrial food system is responsible for a whopping 1/3 of greenhouse gas emissions, and nearly half of that comes from animal agriculture. Reducing meat consumption is a great way to lessen your diet’s environmental impact. And before you purchase fish, consult the Seafood Watch website or app (seafoodwatch.org/recommendations) to make sure you’re not about to buy something on the “avoid” list. Vegan and vegetarian diets can be extremely eco-friendly, but even an entirely plant-based diet has potential environmental drawbacks. Transporting fresh zucchini to, say, Minnesota in January has a huge carbon footprint. Eating what’s in season where you live is always the best option. Look for farmers markets or a local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) resource. Local Harvest has directories for both farmers markets (localharvest.org/farmers-markets) and CSAs (localharvest.org/csa). Some of our favorite things, like chocolate and coffee, can have negative environmental impacts when produced on an industrial scale—but simply choosing fair-trade chocolate and coffee reduces that impact in a big way. Palm oil is increasingly hard to avoid these days, as it’s found in a huge variety of everyday foods, but its production devastates tropical rainforests. Read the labels on foods before you buy and try to avoid anything that doesn’t clearly indicate the type of oil it contains (corn oil, sunflower oil, etc.)—if it’s not stipulated, it’s probably palm oil. It turns out that an eco-friendly diet is not only healthier for the planet—it’s also healthier for us.

Increased Credit Limits - Not Always Positive

Most credit card holders have received a congratulatory letter notifying them their credit limit has been increased. While a higher credit limit might sound good, there are some things to think about to determine whether it’s the right idea for you. You can call the card company and ask them NOT to raise the limit if you choose.  Impact on Credit Score: A higher credit limit can improve your credit score over time, but only if you keep roughly the same balance. Credit scores consider your debt-to-credit ratio, so charging more when your credit limit goes up can make your credit score go down.  Rewards Potential: If you stay on top of your credit card bills, having a higher credit limit can earn you bigger and better rewards—like cash back or airline tickets.  Alternative Sources of Credit: Having a couple of credit cards gives lenders a fuller picture of your ability to repay loans. If you already have multiple cards, a credit limit increase might be the best option. If you only have one card, maybe open a second credit card account instead.

Become a Savvy Grocery Shopper

Here are some supermarket tips and secrets that will make you a savvy shopper.  Approach grocery shopping like a job. You need to have a plan (take a list) and a budget to make the best use of your time and money.  Stick to a time schedule. Shop for what you need and get out. It is said that if you’re in the store more than 30 minutes, you’ll spend an extra 50 cents to $1 per minute as you walk the aisles.  Shop alone. Real Simple Magazine says parents will spend 10-40 percent more if they take their kids along. It might be worth it to hire a babysitter!  Only buy “food” at a grocery store. Generally, you’re better off buying toiletries, cleaning supplies and pet food at a big-box discount store.  Know the floor plan. Shop the perimeter first for fresh fruits and vegetables, protein and milk. You’ll find some good buys in the center aisles, but you’ll also be tempted by items like frozen convenience foods.  Don’t assume everything on sale is a bargain. Stores often display “sale” items at the end of the aisles. Manufacturers pay to have their products put there so they aren’t necessarily a good deal.  Check “price per unit.” Sometimes it’s cheaper per unit to buy two smaller items than it is to buy one supersize package.  Look high and low. Stores often place higher-priced items at eye level (brands pay for the space). Check prices on the top and bottom shelves.  Pay attention at checkout. Shoppers lose up to $3 billion a year on scanner mistakes (current sale prices not reflected).

Happiness Boosters

If you find yourself wallowing in negativity, science says you should do the following to improve your mood: • Volunteer. Donate a few hours to help in your community or give money to a good cause (check charitynavigator.org for ideas). • Flip through photos. Hang a few at eye level throughout your home for quick viewing. • Create a gratitude list. Write down a few things that you are thankful for in your life. Be specific. Tuck the list away and pull it out when you feel a case of the crummies coming on. • Let the light in. Sunshine lifts spirits and aids in sounder sleep at night.