I try to set goals each day and meet my goals. I'm ok working hard on and staying late for things that matter, but when I am busy with busywork, I start asking questions. If I'm getting too much work thrown at me, I show my management my work pile and ask how the new work stacks up against the work I already have. I…

This is perfect for baked-on crock pot foods and I love using it on my ceramic cook top. I tried everything to get the cooked-on drips of food off of the ceramic, and this was the only thing that did the trick. I also have an antique porcelain counter/sink in my basement as a utility sink, and the previous owners…

I agree that it is about respect. Even with my current roommate (husband), I work at changing my natural tendency if I know it bothers him. I've had friends 'crashing on my couch' for the weekend, who completely trashed my livingroom, making it nearly impossible to walk through, and I never offered my couch to them…

I lost my cat as a child because the door came down on it, as he tried to escape. At that time, there were no safety mechanisms on the garage door. I'm pretty sure it broke his back, but I didn't do a lot of analysis at the time because it was extremely disturbing. It was an extremely heavy, wooden door that was…

Egg shells are not air tight to begin with - how else would those little chicks breathe? If you've ever put eggs in water, you'll see that their shells breath and release air. Eggs also have a much longer shelf-life when they are uncooked. You run a higher risk of growing bacteria by keeping cooked eggs in your…

That was eggsactly what I was going to suggest as a reply. It works great!

I like this graphic! It's simplicity is what makes it good. One comment though...once you have a mortgage, you don't consider paying that off before you start planning for your retirement. Long-term 'investment' type debt is a different animal - small business loans and mortgages will hopefully help you in the long…

Before experimenting with a substitution, always make sure that the ingredient isn't a 'structural' ingredient. For example, a basic cake recipe is going to call for a few core ingredients. Replacing eggs with mashed potatoes is not going to work.

If you have an emergency fund built, you're meeting your company's 401k matching threshold, maximizing your Roth IRA contribution, aren't saving for a down payment on a car or home, and you don't feel that you can invest money somewhere that would return more than the value of the loan, by all means, pay it down.

I own Chacos, which are about $100 sandals that are sturdy enough to hike in and are incredibly comfortable and supportive. Chaco has offered shoe restoration since the beginning, and when the soles wear out or the webbing gets tattered, you can mail them in and pay for restoration. Sure, restoration can cost about…

Remember that the Nook uses it's battery when you change pages or if Wifi is on. If it's on a shelf with Wifi off, it's going to last a long time. If you're sitting in a cafe all morning, on Wifi, buzzing through pages and pages of content, it's going to eat at the battery life much quicker. With things running in…

So you don't just "wait" to do another set, you move on to another body part.

Jet lag and busy weekends feel about the same to me, but I'm usually headed just 6-7 time zones to the East. I prefer over-night flights that arrive bright and early in the morning when traveling from the mid-west to Europe. When I arrive, I drop bags at the hotel, and spend as much time in daylight as possible that…

Having a physical reminder to pause instead of fill works very well. I'm sort of anti-podium, and am good at commanding my physical presence when I have free movement. I would put a small rock in my shoe or even wear a toe ring, which is enough to get your attention, but not be distracting. That little physical…

My opinion is, no matter the car, you should feel like you're driving and in control in a rain, snow, or ice storm. Light rain is one thing, but when you put your wipers into "Berserk mode", it's time to turn off the cruise and feel the resistance on your car. Your car may sense sliding, but you are an amazing,…

Using fresh herbs in food is a no-brainer for kicking up flavor. Like most leafy greens, these plants are packed with important nutrients, anti-oxidants and good-for-you stuff. If you'll spend money on vitamins or pain medications, why not try a little tweak to your diet to see if it helps your indigestion or pain. …

This is true of almost all produce but especially fruit. Apples, oranges, lemons, peaches, plums, grapes... Don't select them by their looks, pick them up. They should feel heavier in the hand than they look like they should. If the produce feels heavy then check it for bruises or moldy bits. If it passes both tests…

That kind of improvement will pay you back over time, regardless of whether the future home buyers recognize it. If you're planning to be in a house for 3-5 years, and have to do major fix anyway, take every opportunity to improve your energy efficiency while you're at it!

We use a sports wash. I think it's called Sport Suds. It's pricey, but works better than anything else we've tried. We also tumble dry all of our stuff. Some say that the dryer can break down clothes, but we honestly thought we were going to have to toss a bunch of nice-looking performance gear because of the…

It is do-able. My packing tip is to get all of the things you think you need out, and lay them across your bed. Match up outfits, and take out any shirt/pant/skirt/shoe etc. that has a single match (i.e. "these shoes will only work when I'm wearing this skirt"). Each top should have 1-2 bottoms, each jacket/cardigan…