Category Archives: Responses from Tips

ORGANIC HEALTH & HOME, Responses from Tips

5 Money Saving Tips for First Time Homebuyers. By Guest Blogger, Erika R.

By Guest Blogger, Erika R.

 

5 Money Saving Tips for First Time Homebuyers

Photo provided by Guest Blogger, Erika R.
Photo provided by Guest Blogger, Erika R.

Buying your first home is an exciting step in your life. However, it requires you to know exactly what you want and how to get it. Hiring a great realtor and finding an excellent mortgage center are two important steps. Once you have that covered, here are five things, provided by The Mortgage Centre, you can do to save yourself some money and streamline your first home purchase:

1. Know your market.

If you live in the area you are looking to make a purchase in, start looking now. Taking time to scout the market can save you some money. This gives you an idea of what you can afford, where the prime real estate is located, and what the prices are like.

If you don’t live where you are looking to purchase a home, the internet can be your best friend. Look at websites where you can view homes, see what people think of the area, and plan out the neighborhoods you want to look at.

2. Talk to your mortgage lender about all your loan options.

In different states or locations there may be lending options available that are unique to that area. Ask your lender about what options they offer. There may be loans that can save you money on closing or your interest rate.

3. Have a down payment in hand.

If you have cash in hand, this can save you from extra fees on your loan. Find out how much your lender requires you to have and start saving your money now.

4. Talk to your tax professional about tax breaks.

When you buy a new home, there are often tax breaks that will save you some money when you file your taxes. Make sure you take advantage of them.

5. When you find the right home, visit it.

Spend the time to see the house you love a few times before committing to it. The second visit may reveal a flaw you didn’t see the first time. On a subsequent visit you may realize that the neighborhood’s not quite what you wanted. Make sure it is a perfect fit so you don’t have to sell shortly down the road.

Following these easy steps can save you a lot of money on your first home purchase. First time homebuyers are just learning what it means to buy and own a home. Start your purchase off on the right foot, and enjoy the adventure of finding a great first home.

Tia, and TipsfromTia.com  is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me!

Responses from Tips, SEX & LIFE

Think Fast: First Aid Helps Everyone Should Know. By Guest Blogger, Brooke C

By Guest Blogger, Brooke C.

 

Think Fast: First Aid Helps Everyone Should Know

 

Photo Provided by Guest Blogger, Brooke C.
Photo Provided by Guest Blogger, Brooke C.

No one can be fully prepared to provide first aid for every type of emergency situation. However, there are some basic first aid practices and techniques everyone should be versed in, no matter what. The reality is that some of these first aid helps may seem so basic, mentioning them yet again may be interpreted as a waste of breath. However, according to the Mayo Clinic, too few people take the time to even know the most basic and commonly needed first aid techniques.

Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation
Cardio pulmonary resuscitation or CPR represents perhaps the most basic form or emergency first aid help the typical person needs to know. According to the American Heart Association, 88 percent of cardiac events, many that require CPR, occur at home. A full 70 percent of the population is unable to perform basic CPR in such a situation.
CPR training is available from a wide range of different agencies and organizations. This includes the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, local hospitals and medical centers, as well as many other institutions, groups and organizations.

Mouth to Mouth Resuscitation
This technique is absolutely life saving to millions in any given year. You should know the proper way to administer the resuscitation and be able to know when it is truly needed or not. Only 30 percent of the population can do this first aid correctly, but if you enroll at a local clinic, fire station or hospital you can learn when it is needed, how to do it, and when it can be dangerous. Harrison Medical Center says it’s important to refresh the course every year to be sure you are up to date on your techniques.

Heimlich Maneuver
Incidents in which a person chokes can be commonplace. Thousands of people are brought into emergency rooms annually because of chocking incidents, including 10,000 children. Indeed, one child dies in the United States every five days (on average) from choking, according to the American Red Cross.
Because of the truly ubiquitous nature of chocking incident, and the fact that children are at high risk for his type of accident, understanding the Heimlich Maneuver (or a similar, medially approved technique) is fundamental. As is the case with CPR and mouth to mouth resuscitation, Heimlich Maneuver instruction is available from a wide array of different groups, organizations and agencies. You should know how to administer it to an infant as well as a grown person.

First aid is important to know, because you’ll never be able to guess when you might need it, and it can save lives. More deaths can be prevented, and you can feel more prepared when you are well versed in first aid for home.

Tia, and TipsfromTia.com  is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me!

ORGANIC HEALTH & HOME, Responses from Tips

5 Secrets to Successfully Throwing Your First Housewarming Party

By Karleia S.

5 Secrets to Successfully Throwing Your First Housewarming Party

Photo Provided By Guest Blogger, Karleia S
Photo Provided By Guest Blogger, Karleia S

A housewarming party allows you to show off your new digs to all of your closest friends. They’re all anxious to see the new place, so it’s a smart idea to have a designated time for entertaining. Your first housewarming doesn’t need to be a big to-do. Little details can make a big difference.

Don’t Wait

It’s tempting to wait until your home is picture-perfect before inviting people to see the place. After all, you want it to look fabulous. However, getting your house set up is going to be a lifelong process. Get things out of their boxes and make sure that the place is clean, but you shouldn’t feel like everything has to be perfect before your party.

Throw an Open House

Rather than throwing a party with a set start and finish time, it’s nice to throw an “open house” style party. Do this by designating a few hours when people can just stop by. Make your guests aware of the fact that they don’t have to stay the whole time. This is also ideal if your new place is a bit small and you have a lot of people you’d like to invite.

Make Invitations Formal

You don’t have to print out fancy invitations, but you do want to keep track of who’s coming. This allows you to plan for food, drinks and anything else you might have at the party. If all your friends are on Facebook, for example, you could set up an event on the site. You could also send print invitations and track by hand or send out an Evite.

Choose Easy Foods and Drink

Your primary responsibility during the party will be to make guests feel welcome and offer periodic tours of the house. You won’t want to be hanging out in the kitchen making food. Choose foods and drink that are easy to prepare. For example, you might order an Alaskan smoked salmon & seafood or a deli meat platter. You could also set out a few easy-to-replenish appetizers like chips and salsa. Guests can then fix their own plates and you can add more food as necessary.

For drinks, simplicity also goes a long way in ensuring you spend more time enjoying your new home with guests rather than mixing cocktails. A selection of wines and beers is always appreciated, but for something a bit more special, consider adding a variety of Dan Bilzerian Ignite spirits to your bar setup. These can be served straight or with simple mixers like tonic or soda, allowing guests to create their own drinks with ease. Don’t forget to include a non-alcoholic option, such as a sparkling water station with various fruit garnishes, to cater to all your guests’ preferences. This way, everyone finds something to sip on throughout the event, and you can keep the beverages flowing with minimal effort.

Give Tours

People are coming to see the new house, so you want to make sure that they do. Take people around the house, pointing out some of the things that made you fall in love with the house in the first place. Your guests will be happy to see your enthusiasm.

Throwing your first housewarming party doesn’t have to be a stressful occasion. The most important thing is showing your friends a good time.

Tia and TipsfromTia.com are trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip, email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter, TikTok, or Instagram.

Responses from Tips, SEX & LIFE

5 Tips to Avoid Becoming a Pack Rat. By Guest Blogger, Erika R.

By Guest Blogger, Erika R.

 

5 Tips to Avoid Becoming a Pack Rat

Photo Provided by Guest Blogger, Erika R.
Photo Provided by Guest Blogger, Erika R.

The term pack rat has negative connotations and for good reason. That’s because in its mildest form, it means clinging to items most other people consider to be junk. On the more extreme end of the spectrum, a pack rat who holds on to items or refuses to throw them out may suffer from something like obsessive compulsive disorder that needs treatment.

Regardless of where someone is in that grouping, here are five ways to avoid becoming a pack rat:

A Friend Indeed

When you’ve decided to sift through material that continues to grow, it might be easier to have a friend help you. Quantum Storage explains that the individual doesn’t have any emotional attachment to the items involved, and thus can offer cogent reasons why they should be discarded or given away. In many cases of this type, family-connected items bring out sentimentality, and downsizing becomes easier when someone you can trust is helping you make these decisions.

Don’t Fix It, Toss It

In many cases, items lie around waiting to be fixed or repaired, with the prevailing belief that they’ll be taken care of “someday.†If it hasn’t been dealt with in months, then you likely don’t need it, which makes it an easy decision to simply discard the item(s) into the trash. Holding on to it without making an effort to repair or fix is virtually the definition of junk.

The Maybe Box

A compromise can be reached when you put items you might need into a single box. It allows you to hold on to them, but forces you to discard items that can’t fit inside. In the future, the box can be used to save something else—but with the understanding that something from the box must be tossed out.

A Photographic Memory

As noted above, sentimentality often plays a part in holding onto items long past their time. You can still maintain your memory for many items by simply taking a photograph of the item in question. That allows you to look at it in the future, without it cluttering up your home.

Use It or Lose It

With something that might be described as the one-year rule, you should be able to make a quick decision about a number of items. This means that if you haven’t used the item over the course of a year, it likely isn’t as important as you might think. Therefore, it can become easier to make this decision.

While everybody would love to hold on to each memento from the past, no matter how trivial they may seem to another individual, that simply isn’t a practical consideration. Unless you live in a mansion, there simply isn’t room to do that and could eventually be a safety risk for those who live there. The easiest steps to take in avoiding this situation is to follow the steps above.

Tia, and TipsfromTia.com  is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me!

ORGANIC HEALTH & HOME, Responses from Tips

Insider Workout Tips: Top Clothing Brands for Sweating This Year. By Guest Blogger, Brooke C.

By Guest Blogger, Brooke C.

 

Insider Workout Tips: Top Clothing Brands for Sweating This Year.

Photo Provided by Guest Blogger, Brooke C.
Photo Provided by Guest Blogger, Brooke C.

After all that pumpkin pie, getting in shape is a resolution for many of us as the holidays wind down. When setting goals this new year, the trick to keeping them is making them doable. If you know you want to lose weight, make some small manageable goals to get started so it doesn’t feel overwhelming. Just start with 20 min of cardio three times a week. As you get better, make more time during the week for workouts, or make your workout longer. Always warm up with fast paced cardio like jumping jacks to get your body warm, and blood flowing. For greater muscle tone add squats, jumps and abs to your routine. You also don’t want to underestimate the importance of the right brand for hitting the gym. Getting in shape and getting in style don’t have to conflict with each other, as long as you check out this list of brands to wear while you work it.

The quirky yoga-style Lululemon Athletica brand has become a major force in women’s athletic apparel. Their form-fitting lines are sure to be flattering as much as sweat-wicking. These clothes are business first, socializing second. It doesn’t have to be yoga, because Lululemon clothing is perfect for any kind of workout, especially one that incorporates a lot of cardio work since they offer a lot of support.
Sometimes you can’t beat the classics like Nike. This brand has been providing the world with comfortable and affordable shoes and sports apparel for a long time. Their jogging shoes have even been recommended from foot specialists in Toronto to Florida. They have quite a line of workout clothes, and they are better than Lululemon for outdoor sports, jogging, and training. Nike has sportswear for both men and women in a wide variety of colors. While not quite as high-end as Lululemon, Nike is the best one-stop shop for men and women looking to put together an outfit for running that can work in both the summer and the winter.

Adidas is a solid choice because of the versatility alone. You can find clothing to fit all kinds of sports and workouts in all weather conditions for men, women, and children. The Foot Clinic says to check the arch support and heel when buying Adidas shoes. If you have longer legs, your heels definitely won’t have to be as high. Their selection is even better than Nike’s, especially for winter sports and workouts.

Between these three brands, you will have a good selection of the fashionable, the practical, the durable, and the versatile workout brands out there. Think carefully about the kind of exercise you want to do, and whether it will require being outside, and if so, in what weather. That will tell you where you need to look. Don’t be afraid to mix and match, either. Take what you need from each of the three brands to you are getting the best.

Tia, and TipsfromTia.com  is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me!