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Treat Financial Fitness Like Physical Fitness to Achieve Your Goals


For many of us, physical fitness and financial fitness are difficult goals. When we're under stress if we can't reach for a cupcake, we at least want to buy ourselves something nice. If you see the skills of financial fitness and physical fitness as being connected, you might find better stress relievers.


LearnVest explains:



Whether you're overeating or overspending, the gratification that comes from indulging in something that's bad for you can happen in a flash—and the effects are usually just as fleeting, which is why many people fall into a pattern of repeating the behavior, packing on pounds and debt in the process.



We've talked about the importance of delaying gratification to control your urges and small habits strengthen your willpower, and both of those come into play here, too.


3 Ways Managing Your Money Can Be Like Getting in Shape | LearnVest


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Create a “Donation Station” to Downsize Your Clutter


We all have stuff around the house that we're not using, like clothes that no longer fit or a book you've finished reading. Create a "donation station" in your house, so even outgoing clutter has a place.


Clutter damages your checkbook and messes up your brain, so you want to prevent it. We've covered the Four Box Method for cleaning up junk, but that's for a scheduled cleanup of your home. Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie says it's better to constantly purge the clutter.


She explains:



I have my donation station in my linen closet and every day I add to it and weekly I bring the contents of it to the thrift store. Purging shouldn't be something left for a spring cleaning activity. Purging should be a regular occurrence that we utilize for DAILY clutter creep decision making.


Start small by making a decision between two things…one can stay and one can go. Which one will it be? I don't live in a cluttered home however I am so into the habit of purging that I can always find something that can go. Always.



Hit the link for other ideas to live a less cluttered life.


The Clutter Creep and Why We Allow It to Happen | I'm an Organizing Junkie


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Turn Your Leftover Pumpkin Into Delicious Fall Snacks


Now that Halloween's over, many of us have an excess of pumpkins. They're good for more than just carving or making into pie.


Over at food blog Chow, they've got a list of quick recipes for using every part of the pumpkin for some fall feasting.The recipes range from healthy smoothies to more indulgent pumpkin fries and pumpkin chips. If you've had them for a while, check to make sure they aren't rotted out. Check out the link for all the delicious ideas.


11 Delicious Things You Can Make from a Pumpkin | Chow


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Watch for Stricter Baggage Rules on Ultra Low-Fare Airlines


Airlines like Spirit, Allegiant and Frontier may have low fares, but they'll charge you differently for checked bags. Factor these costs into your decision before you go with a low-fare or low-fee airline.


Over at Tourist Meets Traveler, they remind us that standard weight and size aren't always uniform:



Check the weight of your bag. The standard weight limit of 50 pounds isn't the case with low-cost flights. Don't be surprised if the limit is 40 pounds for your discount airline.


Check the dimensions. At Allegiant, acceptable dimensions for a carry-on are 14″x9″x22″. Checked bags may not be larger than a combined 80 linear inches including wheels, handles and decoration. However, you are allowed one free "personal item" 15″x7″x16″ so try stuffing everything you can in the personal item and avoid baggage fees altogether.



Hit the link for more fees to avoid with bargain airlines.


Avoid Low Fare Airline Fees With These 8 Tips | Tourist Meets Traveler


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Top 10 Better Ways to Cook an Egg


Eggs are one of the most versatile—and nutritious—foods. In addition to the traditional ways you've been taught to cook and enjoy eggs, here are a few more interesting "egg hacks" you can use just about every day.


10. Cook the Egg in Something Delicious


Top 10 Better Ways to Cook an Egg


One of the reasons eggs are so awesome is they go so well with other foods. Some foods make perfect egg cups or containers, imparting even more flavor to your egg dish: avocados, bell peppers and onion rings, orange peels, and, of course, bacon come to mind.


9. Cook Eggs When You Don't Have Any Proper Equipment


Top 10 Better Ways to Cook an Egg


This one's a little odd and best suited for the campsite or just experimenting, but nevertheless, you can fry an egg using paper, a hanger, and binder clips. Or maybe when you're out traveling and hungry for a decent breakfast in your hotel room you'll remember you can make eggs (and other breakfast food) with the iron.


8. Easily Peel Boiled Eggs in Seconds


Top 10 Better Ways to Cook an Egg


Peeling eggs is a hassle sometimes when the shells crack into tiny sharp bits or refuse to let go of the egg. There are tons of solutions to this first world problem: blow the egg out of the shell, plunge them in hot water at the start (and then quickly cool them off in an ice bath), time the water boiling perfectly, and/or crack the eggs on flat surfaces (for less shell and better safety). Or shake the shells off with the "bumper car" method or the (crazy Japanese) Tupperware way.


On the other hand, why bother with peeling when you can just cut right through the boiled egg?


7. Cook Eggs with Unusual Kitchen Tools


Top 10 Better Ways to Cook an Egg


Pots and pans aren't the only egg-cooking equipment you might have on hand. A pressure cooker makes easy-to-peel, hard-cooked eggs and steamed eggs in minutes, or you can use an espresso machine to scramble eggs. You can even use your slow cooker to make a breakfast casserole overnight and wake up to a hot breakfast like the one shown above.


6. Make Eggs Last Longer


Top 10 Better Ways to Cook an Egg


To possibly keep eggs from spoiling too before their time, avoid the in-the-door egg storage containers and keep the eggs on a shelf instead. They should last three-to-five weeks. You can also make and store poached eggs in the fridge for days. (The Kitchn says two days, but Serious Eats says up to five. Go with what you're comfortable with.) You can also freeze eggs in ice cube trays to make them last longer.


5. Quickly Test If an Egg Has Gone Bad


Top 10 Better Ways to Cook an Egg


Cook with a rotten egg? No thanks. Just put the egg in question in a bowl of water to see if it's still good.


4. Cook a Big Batch of Eggs at Once


Top 10 Better Ways to Cook an Egg


Got a big brunch party coming up or just many hungry mouths to feed? Making a whole bunch of eggs at once doesn't take much more effort. Bake eggs in the oven, perhaps with the help of muffin tins or a towel; make a big batch of scrambled eggs and bacon in the oven; poach many eggs in a skillet with teacups teacups or in a pot with mason jars; or poach them the regular way with a handy steamer basket. If you're boiling many eggs at once, a towel can keep them from cracking in the pot.


3. Separate Eggs with a Water Bottle


Top 10 Better Ways to Cook an Egg


There are many ways to separate the egg whites from the yolk, from the three-bowl method to other alternatives, but, really, just watch this video.


2. Cut Egg Cooking Time


Top 10 Better Ways to Cook an Egg


Eggs don't take long to cook, but if your stomach is growling and every minute counts, a few tricks will have you eating sooner. Cut up boiled eggs in a jiffy for egg salad with the help of a cooling rack or other type of grate (or just use your hands). Substitute a fresh tortilla for flour to make less time-consuming crepes. Or turn to your microwave to make scrambled eggs in a minute or sunny-side up or poached eggs.


1. Perfect Your Egg Cooking Techniques


Top 10 Better Ways to Cook an Egg


Now let's talk egg perfection—or at least, the more general, little tricks to up your egg game, like knowing the right temperatures for different egg consistencies.



Finally, perhaps the mark of the egg master: the art of the one-handed egg crack.


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Create a “Lunchbox Zone” to Prevent Snack Thieves at Home


When you have kids in the house, you'll often want to pack a treat or two with their lunch. Those sugary or salty snacks will tempt the kids, though, not to mention some adults. Creating a "lunchbox zone" in the pantry may help curb snacking.


Parent Hacks suggests a separate area reserved just for lunchboxes:



This year, as part of my back-to-school organizing , I designated a "Lunches Only" shelf in a small cabinet in my kitchen. Stuff on that shelf is off limits for any other purpose (including my work-at-home husbands' snack attacks).



Provided your kids are good at following rules, this should keep them away. This won't stop your spouse if they're a hardcore snacker, but it removes the excuse "I didn't know that was just for the kids."


Easier school lunch packing: designate a pantry "lunchbox zone" | Parent Hacks




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