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Month: January 2019

  • The Best Real Estate Apps to Find Your Forever Home

    The Best Real Estate Apps to Find Your Forever Home

    If you’ve been looking for a home to call “forever,” you’ve probably noticed how hard it can be to find the right one. Whether it’s because the prices aren’t right, the neighbors are too noisy or some other reason, shopping for a home can be a difficult process. However, today we’re here to help you find the best real estate apps for finding your forever home. Let’s find an app to help you get settled in somewhere for good!

    Best Real Estate Apps

    Century 21 Local Listing Search

    Our first app is ideal for searching in your local area and finding a home that is nearby. Not everyone wants to move across the country, after all! For the people looking to just move within their area, this is a great app to start with. Expected search features, such as number of bedrooms and bathrooms, are all present here, of course.

    The app also lets you check the area for nearby restaurants, grocery stores and schools, ensuring that the listing you’ve found isn’t too far from civilization. If you prefer, you can even draw in your own search area to find how far from given locations a home is. If you’re looking for a specific part of town you want to move to, this is a great app for that laser-precision.

    Xome

    Xome is a great app for those who love having options for selecting the best home for their unique needs. You can use the great “Xome Zoom” feature to zoom in on a listing and get a feel for where it is in the community. You can see the home’s score based on walkability, nearby schools and other factors. This tells you whether the home in question is good for families, for easy of walking to nearby parks and shops, and how much traffic you could expect in the area.

    Another great feature of Xome is the Xome Concierge service that allows you to go through a real agent to answer your questions regarding a listing. If a listing has a more complex feature or unusual setup that you need more information on, or if you’re simply having a hard time understanding something, this is a great service. You can even set up live walkthroughs of listings via Xome, making it a great all-in-one real estate app.

    Homes.com

    The aptly named Homes.com app is a great place to start for any prospective home buyer. You get access to a robust suite of search features, allowing you to see the relative value of given neighborhoods based on nearby property values. You can search recent foreclosures if you’re looking to save a bit of money, and you can even narrow your results by likely mortgage payments. That’s thanks to the Homes.com calculator, a big selling point of this app.

    Homes.com’s app is also well-regarded for its robust stats and pictures of every listing. You can find detailed and in-depth stats for the homes, including sale prices over the years, damages and upgrades reported, and even more. The pictures are also very illustrative, capturing the home and its rooms from many helpful angles to help you get a clear idea of what the place is like.

    Redfin

    Redfin is a golden standard for real estate apps. This is a very “big-picture” app, helping you find the right criteria and showing you the best ways to save on a great home. The first way it does this is through features like a foreclosure notifier, allowing you to scope out homes that might be on the market for much less than you expect them to be. You can also set up notifications for when a home goes up for sale by the owners, as well as for when short sellers make alterations to a listing.

    Redfin has a robust suite of search features that allow you to select based on nearby schools, home property values and the like. This way, you can be sure when you’re searching for homes that the home you’re getting is right for you. The app even has a built-in realtor feature that allows you to set up visits to homes so you can see if you like it in person!

    The cherry on top is the robust social and sharing features the app offers. If you find a listing that you really like you can send it over to someone you know via text, email or even through your preferred social media. This is really the best overall app for finding your forever home.


  • Change the Mood with These Color Changing Smart Lights

    Change the Mood with These Color Changing Smart Lights

    If you often host guests or find yourself wishing you had more control of the mood lighting of the rooms in your house, smart lights are the right option for you. Smart lights not only allow you to control your home’s lighting with your voice, they also enable you to change the mood and color of the lighting on the fly. Notably, GE’s popular lighting solutions are going smart this year with the new C by GE line of smart lights. This year’s newest devices will be joining the C-Sleep and C-Life smart bulbs that GE has already released.

    Smart Lights from GE Launching in 2019

    What’s the Big Deal?

    You might be asking what’s so special about smart lights. They’re just lights, after all. What could be so fancy or special about them? Well, quite a lot, actually. Smart lights like GE’s C line are known for their awesome ability to connect to one another via Bluetooth. Importantly, they also connect to smart home hubs like Amazon’s Echo Devices or Google’s Home devices. This allows for voice control and full integration with your smart-home infrastructure.

    Whether you’re commanding the device with your voice or through a smartphone app, access to these kinds of lighting makes your home higher-end and safer. Walking into a room and commanding the virtual assistant to activate the lights makes it that much less likely you could trip or fall, and it also makes it easier to navigate when your hands are full.

    Smart lights also make hosting a breeze. Simply call out what mood setting you want the lights in, or what color you’d like to switch the lights to, and they follow up immediately and easily. Getting the lights set up with your smart home hub is a breeze, and you need only set up your preferences and profiles once to get the system ready to go. It’s as easy as flipping a switch!

    What Are They Compatible With?

    As you may expect, these smart bulbs are compatible with most smart home hubs that are currently on the market. They currently work with all Amazon Alexa-enabled devices, including the Echo and Echo Show lines of products. Additionally, C by GE smart lights are compatible with Google Home out of the box, so whichever of the two main home hubs you have, you’re good to go. Google Home owners also get the added benefit of not requiring a C-Reach Plugin Hub to connect to their Home device.

    GE has announced plans to update the device software, so they are compatible with Apple’s HomeKit software. This will allow the use of Apple’s HomePod ecosystem, including Siri commands. That means that by the end of the year, the entire C by GE line of smart lights will be available for all major types of smart home hub!

    New Switches

    The first line of new switches coming in 2019 for the GE smart product line is a robust showing. Namely, a smart dimmer (with or without motion and light sensors) and a smart on/off switch are both on the way. Both forms of the dimmer are coming in the first quarter of 2019, retailing for $50 and $75, respectively. The standard on/off switch is slated for the second quarter of 2019 and will retail for $40, making it the more budget-friendly option.

    Smart switches are a clever and intuitive way to take standard lightbulbs and make them smart lights. Whether you prefer voice controls, Bluetooth controls or just using a smartphone app, these switches are the fastest way to make your lighting smart-enabled!

    New Bulbs

    In addition to this slate of new switches, GE is also introducing a line of new color-changing bulbs. These include the A19 color-changing smart bulb, the BR30 smart floodlight and color-changing ropes lights. The A19 will retail for $40, the BR30 will go for $45 and the rope lights are slated to sell for $75. All three of these lighting options are set for a Q2 2019 release.

    Surprisingly, these are the first standalone color-changing bulbs that are being sold by GE. That means for the first time, GE will directly compete with other smart color-changing bulbs like Philips Hue and Sylvania. This makes these new smart bulbs worth watching, as competition breeds innovation and is always better for the consumer.

    These bulbs look set to be comparable in many ways to the primary competition. Their pricing is quite similar to the Philips Hue brand, and early reports say the light and color quality are also on the same excellent level as the Hue line.

  • The Easiest Way to Mail Almost Any Packages

    The Easiest Way to Mail Almost Any Packages

    In the more than two centuries since Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first Postmaster General in 1775, the Postal Service has grown and changed along with America, boldly embracing new technologies to better serve a growing population.

    Mailing letters and packages is far more comprehensive and easier than the days of purchasing large books of stamps and doing the math yourself to ensure Fred the mailman would deliver.

    No longer do you need to know that in 1974, the price per .5 ounce package was .02 cents extra. We live in the post digital revolution, an age where everything is done for you with just a few clicks.  Don’t forget though, with conveniences comes options.

    Because there are so many different shipping variables and options to choose from, it’s difficult to make an apples to apples comparison without locking down some of the basic parameters. Shipping can be expensive, and sometimes it’s hard to know which option is best. In addition to the major shipping services — the U.S. Postal Service, UPS, and FedEx — there are nontraditional ways to ship that many people don’t know about.

    Here are some tips and general info to help guide you through shipping and postage in 2019.

    Quick Comparison

    A comparison of the Postal Service, UPS, and FedEx found that the Postal Service generally charges the lowest rates — but not always. UPS and FedEx offer competitive rates for ground shipping and more options if you’re in a rush, so comparing costs can save money.

    The services have their own price calculators, but a good comparison tool will look at more than one at a time. Enter information for a package or envelope traveling within the United States to see cost estimates for different services. Easy!

    The US Postal Service Automated Kiosk

    When it comes to everyday shipping within the United States, it’s difficult to beat the US Postal Service on price and ease of use. Regardless of naysayer opinions, the USPS has more locations in more places than most private shipping companies, and more cost-effective options for people who don’t have accounts or regular shipping needs.

    If you hate standing in line at the Post Office, find a location with a self-serve kiosk near you. You’ll be in and out in no time. Walk up, weigh your item (if it’s necessary), print a label, stick it to your item, put it in the slot, and walk away.

    Try online shipping if you don’t want to make the trip to the post office. One way to save on U.S. Postal Service costs is to pay for your shipping online. You can save up to 16 percent on priority mail orders and up to 60 percent on express mail. You also get free pick-up service, priority mail delivery confirmation and shipping supplies when you pay online with the post office. Pretty cool and convenient.

    Stamps.com

    Stamps.com is a leading provider of internet based mailing and shipping solutions in the United States. Customers of both Stamps.com and its wholly owned Endicia receive discounted rates on some packages relative to both USPS.com and USPS retail locations. Under the ShipStation, ShipWorks, and Shipping Easy Brands, customers access multi-carrier solutions to ship packages through multiple carriers, including the USPS, UPS, and FedEx.

    The first benefit of using Stamps.com is the price. At $19.99/month, Stamps.com is cheaper than most other shipping software solutions, especially if you’re shipping between 50 and 500 orders a month. In addition, a subscription with Stamps.com gives you access to discounted shipping rates from USPS. What’s more, Stamps.com is simple to learn.

    Because it is a bare-bones tool, there isn’t a whole lot to figure out in order to get shipping. What’s more, Stamps.com support is reportedly good, and the company does a great job with their support documentation. You’ll be able to find answers to many of your questions with a quick search.

    FedEX and UPS

    To help cut FedEx and UPS costs, consider prepaid shipping, which offers a discount rate of up to 20 percent. This means you buy a quantity of shipping labels upfront and affix them to packages as needed rather than pay for each package when you send it out.

    Prepaid shipping works best when you know you’ll be sending out the same weight packages repeatedly and can determine the shipping cost in advance.

  • Best Hatchbacks for 2019

    Best Hatchbacks for 2019

    Hatchbacks are an interesting configuration of vehicle. For their small size and reasonable engines, they’re rather practical in terms of size and cargo space. They first appeared in post-WWII Europe as an alternative to station wagons.

    In the US, during the oil crisis, many families downsized significantly and found hatchbacks to be great options for saving on gas. In 2019 the culture has changed but hatchbacks remain popular among families! Today we’re looking at some of the best hatchbacks for 2019.

    Best Hatchbacks for 2019

    Hyundai Elantra

    The simple, straightforward and likeable Hyundai Elantra is a favorite of no-frills customers. It’s got a great platform, two distinct trim levels and a reasonable price. The Elantra GT sports a 2-liter 4 cylinder engine with 161 horses and 150 pound-feet of torque. The other trim level, the Elantra GT Sport, is a bit meaner. It has a 1.6-liter turbo four with 201 horsepower, 195 lb-ft and offers an optional 7-speed dual-clutch.

    The first trim level and the sport level both come standard with manual 6-speed transmissions, though they can both be ordered with automatic transmissions. The Elantra offers great fuel economy, sports great cargo space and has a nice, luxurious interior.

    The ride quality has been described as smooth, quiet and enjoyable. If you’re looking for an affordable, reasonable and no-frills hatchback, consider going with this sensible option from Hyundai. If you really like sports performance, the Sport trim will scratch that itch, too.

    Buick Regal Sportback

    Following a rough 2017 and poor sales of the Regal, the Sportback was redesigned as a hatchback-style vehicle. The lighter, more nimble and sportier Sportback is a unique take on the Buick style, making it an interesting pick and a solid contender for best hatchback of 2019. The 2-liter turbo 4 is a great engine for getting up and taking off, putting out a respectable 250 horsepower. For torque, the engine gets 260 or 295 lb-ft, depending on whether you go for the front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive configurations.

    The starting price for the Buick Sportback is a reasonable and affordable $20,000, though the trim levels and options go all the way up to $40,000 for those who want way more luxury. In either event, the vehicle sports some great standard features, stellar selection of options and unparalleled luxury that you expect from a brand like Buick. This is a solid choice for discerning drivers.

    Kia Forte5

    The Kia Forte is most well-known for its sedan configuration, though the Forte5 hatchback-style configuration remains popular. It’s a bit more powerful, sporting an engine with 164 horsepower, or 201 in the SX trim. The engine in the Forte5 is a more impressive 1.6-liter turbo four engine.

    The sleek Kia is a serious contender when it comes to the discussion of which hatchback you should go with. The cargo space is great when you compare it to how powerful the engine under the hood is. While the engine is mighty and the storage space is great, the Forte5 also sports numerous amenities within the cab for the savvy driver. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are supported, and the infotainment center is nothing to scoff at.

    Safety features are also a high priority for the Forte and Forte5. The body is made of strong material and is highly rated for safety and crash ratings. This is a great pick for someone looking for a more budget hatchback with great features and an excellent engine.

    Honda Civic Type R

    The Type R configuration of the Honda Civic doesn’t look like a hatchback. It looks like a lean, mean, bad-ass machine. And that’s not a bad thing, at all. Hatchbacks are known for their practicality and value to families. That makes the Type R quite a unique car in its field. It’s eye-catching, sleek, and looks like it might eat lesser hatchbacks. If you want to look mean and ready to roll, this is the best hatchback for you.

    For roughly $34,000, the Type R brings you 306 horses, 295 lb-ft and a 2-liter turbo 4 engine that can be pushed all the way past 7,000 rpm when you need to move. That’s beyond awesome for the price and further solidifies Honda as a premier car maker for lovers of performance and practicality. The enhanced Dual Axis technology in the suspension takes torque steer out of the equation. The engine computer reads the conditions and makes the Type R run smooth like butter. If you want a well-balanced, sporty compact with a hatchback and a great price, look no further.

  • Best Ways to Get More Vitamin D

    Best Ways to Get More Vitamin D

    Are you not getting enough vitamin D in your daily activities? Maybe you spend all day inside due to work, or maybe it’s not easy for you to get out into the sun.

    Whatever the case, you need to make sure you get enough vitamin D, especially if you have rheumatoid arthritis or at risk for developing it. Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory type of arthritis that can be delayed or treated effectively with vitamin D.

    Best Ways to Get More Vitamin D

    Some Basic Information

    First, let’s go over some of the vitamin D basics. Vitamin D has a lot of functions in regulating the immune system. That makes it very important in taking care of rheumatoid arthritis, as RA is a result of problems with the immune system. Low levels of vitamin D can lead to complications with RA and can even cause brittleness in the bones.

    Generally speaking, adults should aim to get 600 IU of vitamin D per day. This amount should be increased for anyone with RA or with a vitamin D deficiency. The most dangerous thing about RA is that most prescription medication for it can cause further loss of vitamin D in patients who may already be deficient.

    Getting the Habit of Getting More

    It can be good to talk to your doctor about vitamin D. If you think you may have a deficiency, you should speak to your general physician. If they are able to help you determine that you do have a deficiency, you need to get into the habit of getting more sunlight into your life.

    Your doctor may tell you a few of these methods for upping your vitamin D intake, but if you simply want to start increasing your intake on your own you can implement these lifestyle changes yourself.

    Sunlight

    The most direct was to get more vitamin D into your system is just by sitting in the sun. Try to spend between ten and fifteen minutes sitting in the sun every day. If you have darker skin, consider sitting outside for longer. Consider using sunscreen to reduce the risk of sunburn and wearing sunglasses so you don’t incur damage to your eyes. There are health risks included with UV exposure, including increased chance of skin cancer, though you can use sunscreen to try to reduce your risks.

    Similar to sitting in direct sunlight, you could consider sitting near a large window in indirect sunlight. This is a great option for people in poorer health who might find it difficult to get outside. Make sure the window is open, though! Most window panes are designed to block the kinds of sunlight that help to produce vitamin D.

    Sushi

    A great way to keep a steady flow of vitamin D in your system is to eat fish that are high in the vitamin. Cod, salmon, tuna and sardines are all great sources of the vitamin in question. In fact, when they’re cooked they lose a bit of their natural vitamin content. That means that the best foods for vitamin D production are tuna and salmon sushi rolls! We can think of worse things to eat anyway, so take the excuse to dig into some tasty sushi!

    Other Foods

    If you’re not big on raw fish, no sweat. There are some other types of food you can consider incorporating more of into your diet to help your vitamin D intake. Namely, fortified orange juice and eggs for breakfast are great ways to up your intake. You could also consider adding more mushrooms to your diet as they are quite high in the vitamin. Fortified cereals are also good options for breakfast!

    You can thus picture a pretty vitamin deficiency-friendly breakfast. A tall glass of fortified orange juice, a bowl of fortified cereal, a big cheese and mushroom omelet all while sitting in front of an open window. This is the ideal way to start your day to bring a ton of IUs of vitamin D into your system.

    Supplements

    The most straightforward thing a doctor can do for a patient deficient in  this vitamin is to simply prescribe them a supplement. These supplements are orally-ingested and simply deliver a burst of the vitamin in question into your body’s system. Generally speaking these supplements are taken with food, and should be taken in addition to spending more time outside and eating vitamin D-filled foods.

    Remember, always talk to your doctor about changes in your lifestyle or diet. These changes might put you at risk for certain factors, so always talk to your doctor first.

  • Ford Edge ST Review: Sports Car Performance in an SUV?

    Ford Edge ST Review: Sports Car Performance in an SUV?

    While the Ford Edge might not seem like the most important car in the company’s lineup, it’s got more going on than you think. You see, the 2019 Ford Edge itself is simply a mid-cycle update to one of Ford’s lesser-selling car models.

    The 2019 Ford Edge ST, however, is a different story. The Ford Edge ST is the first utility vehicle to be uptuned by Ford’s ST performance wing. What does this mean for the long-term world of vehicle sales?

    For Edge ST Review

    Context for Cars

    The last few years have been difficult for traditional cars. SUVs, trucks, minivans and the like have all overtaken traditional car sales. This means that fans of serious power might be feeling like they’re a little left out. Many people who would otherwise be buying powerful sports cars are instead opting for responsible choices like SUVs so they can take their kids to soccer practice and pick up groceries between gunning it down the road.

    This context should show just how important an SUV with sports-car like power could be. The Ford Edge is hardly a noteworthy vehicle, but the Ford Edge ST? This could be a game-changer. This could show the ways that traditional carmakers could be making concessions to fans of traditional muscle who also need to get their families around town.

    The Specs

    So, what kind of car is the 2019 Ford Edge ST? It’s a bit longer and a bit lower than the 2018 version, and it is a little weightier. It weighs about 75 more pounds, due in large part to a higher amount of standard equipment at all trim levels. It’s got the same cargo space and legroom as the 2018 though: the change in look is strictly cosmetic. This year’s Edge ST does look a bit meaner than the previous iteration, which underscores the increase in real power.

    While the standard Edge is sporting an unsurprising 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder, things with the ST are much more interesting. The Edge ST has a mean 2.7-liter Ecoboost V6 under the hood that can really go. For just how much go we’re talking about, you need look no further than the hard-and-fast specs. The engine boasts 335 horsepower and a respectable 380 pound-feet of torque. As those numbers show, this is comparable to some diesel engines in terms of torque, and has as much horsepower as some sports cars.

    How it Compares

    Ford faithful may recognize the Edge ST’s engine as the same 2.7-liter Ecoboost found in the F-150 since the 2015 iteration. That engine, with its strong construction and quality materials, is just as rugged, reliable and awesome here as in the top-rated truck that Ford is known for.

    The Edge ST also sports eight speeds, the seventh and eighth of which both top overdrive. The final drive ratio is lower in the ST compared to other Edges, too, coming in at 3:39:1. Surprisingly, in spite of all this increased performance, the Edge ST still brings better gas mileage to bear with its 19 miles in the city and 26 on the highway. The standard Edge only gets 17 in the city and 24 highway.

    The options on the 2019 are all pretty stellar, even when it comes to standard trim levels. LED headlights, FordPass app, Co-Pilot 360 safety suite and even a WiFI hotspot all come standard with the SE trim. Those safety features are nothing short of impressive, with automatic headlight brightness adjustments, lane assist, forward collision warning and more. Expected features like blind spot detection and cameras for backing up are also all present, as one might assume.

    Pricing

    This is the part that most people are most curious about. The Edge ST is available starting at $43,350, making it a rather expensive vehicle for most families. Even the standard Edge starts at $30,990 for the front-wheel drive configuration. That makes the Edge, in all configurations, a rather expensive new car for families. However, following Ford’s discontinuation of several popular lines of traditional cars, it seems likely that the Edge ST will be the smallest performance car in Ford’s lineup soon.

    The Edge ST costs nearly double the price of base Ford Focus ST. This is a bit concerning, of course, as Ford has discontinued production of the Focus as well as the C-Max. The Fiesta and Taurus are both expected to end production in 2019. This means that going forward, Ford will be selling only SUVs, trucks and the like, and cars will no longer be part of their portfolio.

  • How to Prepare Your Classic Car for Transport

    How to Prepare Your Classic Car for Transport

    Your antique hot rod is like a fine wine that gets more desirable  after every year, which makes finding and preparing for classic car transport a lot more daunting. The easiest way to take the stress out of transporting your classic car is to plan and prepare what you need to do ahead of time, to ensure your vehicle safely gets where it needs to be.

    The calamity and devastation of a beautifully restored classic automobile being damaged during transport can be unbearable.

    Actually, only a small number cars moved by auto transport companies are damaged in the process. Odds are that your antique vehicle will arrive  in pristine condition. You can further protect your investment by choosing your auto transport company carefully and by thoroughly preparing your classic car for its journey.

    When you’ve invested in a classic car, you want to take every precaution to protect your investment. When you move or need to transport your car for service or for a show, shipping your car, rather than driving it can help reduce the chances of accident or depreciation.

    Here are some great tips to help you and your vintage machine out.

    Do Your Research Before Hiring a Transport Company

    If you’re shipping your car, don’t trust just anyone. Doing a little research ahead of time when selecting a classic car shipping company can save you a headache down the road. Ask fellow car enthusiasts or friends who have shipped their classic cars which companies they’ve used. Were they happy with the work? Was anything damaged or missing after the car was shipped? Read up on consumer reviews of classic car transport companies on sites like Angie’s List Classic Cars.

    Once you have a few companies in mind, check their safety records with the local highway patrol, your state’s transportation department or with the federal Department of Transportation. If the company transports across state lines, they should have a presence on the Federal DOT’s safety database, which lists inspections performed and major accidents.

    One of the first things you’ll find out about transportation companies is that there are a lot of them. Many of them carry your normal, everyday cars for people relocating across the country, while others focus specifically on collector cars. There is a wide spectrum of transporters, from guys with dually trucks and one-car open flatbed trailers, to the big names in the industry with their enclosed, double-decker trailers. In other words, do your research.

    Document the vehicle’s condition

    This is highly important. Take photographs of your car and any loose parts before shipping to document their condition. Should an accident or damage occur during the vehicle’s transport, photos will help you get maximum compensation for your insurance claim.

    At the delivery, thoroughly inspect the vehicle upon delivery if your car will eventually be shipped back to you or if you’re meeting it at its destination.  Be sure to completely evaluate the vehicle and check for any damages before accepting it. If you’re shipping your vehicle to a restoration shop or a new buyer, make sure they conduct a complete inspection and review any noted damage description that should have been filled out when the vehicle was loaded.

    The Q’s and A’s You Need To Ask

    How much does it cost?

    “It depends,” is the short answer. Fuel prices, distance and door-to-door services can all add to the price.

    Does the company specialize in collector cars?

    If they do, they know not to handle your collector car like cattle headed off to market.

    Does the company have a U.S. Department of Transportation number?

    Federal regulations require a USDOT number for interstate commerce, and 25 of the 50 states require all commercial vehicles to obtain a USDOT number.

    Does the company have comprehensive insurance that covers its cargo as well as its truck and trailer?

    Have the company mail or fax you a copy of its insurance policy. $100,000 liability on transported vehicles is common.

    What is the company’s policy on deposits?

    Is it non-refundable and when does the company require the deposit?

    What is the company’s payment policy?

    Is it strictly cash, do they accept money orders, do they accept checks or do they take credit cards? Do not ship with a company that demands payment in full before the car is dropped off.

    Where does the company drop off and pick up cars?

    Most trucks and trailers can’t fit down or turn around on narrow residential streets, so they’ll need a big parking lot for loading and unloading.

  • Save Money on Paper Towels

    Save Money on Paper Towels

    Paper towels are undoubtedly useful. They serve certain functions that dish clothes don’t. For example, I would rather wipe my mouth with a paper towel than a dish cloth. I don’t like cleaning a toilet with a dish cloth because afterwards, I have this icky cloth I have to contend with. I would rather throw away a used paper towel and be done with it.

    However useful, we use far too much. Annually in the U.S., we use more than 13 billion pounds of paper towels, and that number is growing every year. This leads to over 3,000 tons of paper towel waste just in the U.S. alone each year. If each U.S. household used one less 70-sheet roll of paper towels, 554,000 trees could be saved every year. If each U.S. household used three less rolls per year, it would eliminate 120,000 tons of waste.

    Discarded paper towels create 254 million tons trash every year globally. By cutting back on paper towel use, you can save money, reduce landfill waste, save trees, and more. Let’s look at some ways to use less and save money on these glorious paper towels.

    Price Compare Like a Champ

    Buying paper towels is surprisingly complicated. There are different numbers of rolls in a package and different amounts of square feet on every roll, so the cheapest price may not be the best deal. The best way to determine what to buy is to compare apples to apples based on the price per square foot. To do this, divide the price by the number of square feet listed on the package. So if a 100 square foot package of paper towels is $5, you would divide $5 by 100 and end up with $.05 per square foot.

    If you do that with the different packages–the cheapest ones versus the ones on sale, and so on–you will find the lowest price per square foot of paper towel. That is the one to buy.

    BUT buying the cheapest brand can backfire. It is true that very cheap paper towels (Walmart’s brand, for example) don’t absorb well, which means you end up using more of them, going through the roll faster, and losing the money you thought you were saving by buying the cheapest price per square foot.

    Consumer Reports did an test on paper towels and found that Bounty Extra Soft, Walgreens Ultra Quilted, CVS Big Quilts, Kirkland Signature from Costco (which is what I usually use), and Up & Up from Target had the best absorbency. I generally believe in buying the cheapest roll of paper towels unless a brand has proven itself to be bad.

    Recycle Old Clothes

    I have found that cutting up an old cotton tee shirt, sheet or a flannel sheet has worked great at making cheap napkins. I keep them folded in a little basket on the kitchen table so we just pull one out when we need it. If I have company at the table, I break out the good napkins.

    When I have bought paper towels on sale with a coupon, I take my serrated knife and cut the roll in half and that gives me twice the towels for one price. Of course, you have watch yourself and not just use more from the halved roll.

    Reduce Use

    You may think, “I don’t use too many paper towels” but it’s easy to see how paper towel use can get quickly out of hand if you consider these estimates for a family of four. Use as napkins at meals = 84 sheets per week. Use as hand towel in the bathroom – (4 potty breaks a day x 4 people) = 112 sheets a week. Washing up before meals and before cooking (3 meals a day) = 105 sheets a week. Washing and drying fruits and veggies (assuming you eat them at each meal – which you should) = 63 sheets a week.

    Cleaning two bathrooms once a week = 20 sheets a week. Wiping down the kitchen after cooking = 42 sheets a week. That’s 426 paper towel sheets a week (typically 3.5-7 rolls a week – most paper towels have 60-120 sheets per roll) and I haven’t even covered cleaning up spills, pet messes, kid messes, washing hands after baby diaper changes, snacks and more. Paper towel use adds up alarmingly fast.

    If you become conscious of your paper towel use, you can easily cut down. Use one sheet to dry your hands, just give them a shake first. Use newspaper to clean windows, it works better anyways.

    The Final Paper Towel Thought

    While looking for ways to save money on paper towels, I realized something. There are really only two things you need to do to save money on paper towels… never pay full price. Use fewer paper towels. That’s really all there is to it!

  • Meal Prep Delivery Services to Try Out in 2019

    Meal Prep Delivery Services to Try Out in 2019

    When you get home from work, do you feel like cooking dinner? Sometimes you might, but usually you’re pretty tired, right? Maybe you just order takeout instead, or you opt, instead, to grab food on the way home. Well, that’s alright, but it can get expensive, and the food might not be as good for you.

    If you want to save some money and eat healthier at home, consider meal prep! There are a ton of meal prep delivery services that can help you get started meal prepping, saving money and eating healthier.

    Meal Prep Delivery Services to Try Out

    Freshly

    The first service on our list is Freshly, a great service for those who love easy-to-prep food that’s ready to rock. Freshly’s food options arrive at your home fully cooked and ready to go! They’re fully insulated and their packaging is all sustainable. The best part is that the meals they offer are all peanut-free and gluten-free, meaning people with allergies can feel safe ordering from them!

    If you’re buying for just yourself, you can get four meals for one person for $50 per week. If you’re looking for a more comprehensive food solution, go with the 12-meal plan that runs $108 per week. In either case, this is a great way to circumvent eating out too much or preparing food that’s bland or bad for you.

    Blue Apron

    The guys who got this whole meal-kit thing going to begin with are still a fantastic choice for people who want to have meals delivered to their very door. If you’re a culinary newbie looking to get a grip on how to cook, or simply like the added ease of having recipes and ingredients delivered to you, this is the service for you. Interestingly, Blue Apron makes sure that cook and prep times for their meals stick to around 45 minutes, making it easier for working folks to make themselves food.

    Blue Apron is based on sustainability. Their main goal is to change the food industry of the US by practicing sustainable farming and shipping directly, as well as eliminating food waste. The chefs and farmers work together to craft their recipes, ensuring that every meal has a story and is as sustainable as possible. It’s hard not to get behind a program that straightforward and responsible!

    If you want to try it out, it’s $60 per week for two people to get three meals. That goes up to $96 for four people, though it keeps the meal count at three!

    Home Chef

    The Home Chef meal kit delivery service makes our list due to how flexible they are with various options available for different dietary needs. For instance, if you’re vegetarian, pescatarian, vegan, avoiding dairy or any other dietary need, Home Chef has got you. Just tell them what your dietary needs are when you sign up, and your meals will be the right mix for you.

    If you’re really new to cooking and want a good way to get started, Home Chef has you covered. They have a basic suite of kitchenware you can buy from their site to get yourself started with cooking from home! This is a great way for beginners to start cooking. Between the detailed explanations and ingredients delivered right to you, this is a great way to begin cooking for yourself.

    Their normal meals are ten dollars per serving, and you can pick your servings. Shipping is ten bucks for orders under forty-five dollars, though any order above that get free shipping!

    Sun Basket

    If you want a meal prep delivery kit with the highest-quality ingredients, this is the one. Natural, organic, antibiotic-free food is the standard for Sun Basket. No added hormones, wild-caught seafood, sustainability and high-quality are all standard for Sun Basket’s ingredients. You can select between vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian or Paleo options if you need to, making this a great service that anyone can try out.

    Nutritionists approve each and every meal Sun Basket ships, meaning you know you’re getting good, high-quality meals for your money. Also great is the packaging: the meals are shipped in packaging that is totally recyclable, compostable and sustainable. It’s really guilt-free when you get down to it!

    If you want to try it, you can get three meals a week for two people for $72, or you can get two meals for four people for $88 per week. There are other plans available, those these are the best for trying out the service.

  • Guide to Starting the Mediterranean Diet

    Guide to Starting the Mediterranean Diet

    When it comes to diets, not many of them are regionally based. However, one diet in particular is based on the relative health of people from a specific region of the world. That region, of course, is the Mediterranean.

    Historically, people from the Mediterranean region have had lower risks of things like diabetes, heart disease and other dietary ailments. In order to replicate this, many dietitians recommend this Mediterranean Diet as one to help you be happier and healthier.

    How to Start the Mediterranean Diet

    The Mediterranean Diet

    The diet primarily took off due to its relative simplicity and evidence-based claims of its health benefits. Studies show that people who eat this diet have lower risk of heart disease, strokes and other premature deaths related to diet. Generally speaking, the Mediterranean Diet is comprised of foods found around the various cultures of the Mediterranean. This could include areas such as Greece, Libya, Spain, France, Italy, Albania, Turkey, and Syria, and many others.

    What to Have

    While you can look to Mediterranean countries for inspiration, there are some rules related to the diet itself. Namely, the things you want to include in normal quantities in your diet include vegetables, fruits, seafood, potatoes, grains, breads, olive oil, legumes, seeds and nuts. Herbs and spices to make your food tastier is all good, too!

    You’ll want to eat cheese, yogurt, eggs and chicken in smaller quantities than normal. That’s not that you can’t have them, just that you should have less of them. Consider having these in smaller quantities or only one of them per day and at only one meal. For instance, consider cutting chicken, cheese and yogurt out of your diet and just having eggs with your breakfast.

    You’ll also want to make red meat a very rare occurrence in your diet. Consider having it once a week or even less. Consuming too much red meat can put you at a higher risk of heart disease and other lifestyle-related diseases.

    What Not to Have

    So now you know what’s alright in the Mediterranean Diet, let’s talk about what you should avoid. Soda, juices and other drinks sweetened with sugar should be cut from your diet altogether. The same goes for refined grains, refined oils, processed meats and foods with added sugars. Generally speaking, if you would call it “junk food” then you should stop eating it.

    That means that candies, white bread, margarine, canola oil, ice cream and the like are all right out. While that might sound restrictive, it’s not as bad as it might sound. You still have a wide variety of great foods to choose from when it comes to making yourself food on this diet!

    Some Specifics

    Now, as for what you can have when on the Mediterranean diet. Specifically, foods from various Mediterranean countries is what you’re going to want to make. Spinach, onions, carrots, tomatoes broccoli and the like are all great vegetables to start with. You can supplement these with nuts like almonds, macadamia nuts, almonds, cashews and hazelnuts. Fruits you should incorporate are grapes, figs, apples, bananas and oranges, among others.

    For tubers, consider adding more sweet potatoes, yams, turnips and potatoes to your diet. These are all great option to base entire meals around! Brown rice, buckwheat, barley, corn and whole-grain pasta and bread are all wonderful options, too.

    Salmon, crab, shrimp, oysters, trout and tuna are all great seafood options to add to your meals on this diet. Remember, try to keep meat options to one meal a day or less. They’re generally not as good for you as plant-based meals!

    If you want to have poultry occasionally, stick to chicken, duck and turkey. For dairy, cheeses and Greek yogurts are okay. The occasional egg, whether it be chicken or duck, is alright, too. Healthy fats, like olive oil, olives, avocados and the like are all great too.

    Spice Things Up

    This is the fun part! Whatever meal you make, you should definitely spice them up with great seasonings. For instance, you can go with nutmeg, garlic, mint, basil, sage, cinnamon, pepper and many more to make your food really pop!

    Remember: this is a big, varied and flexible diet. You’ve got the option to pick from a huge variety of types of food and delicious meals. This diet is a great way to lose weight, get healthier and feel better, all at once. Not to mention, there are surely some delightful Mediterranean restaurants in your area that you can try without guilt on this diet!