Stupid Tip Of The Day: Locked Out Of Home

Stupid Tip Of The Day: Locked Out Of Home

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I don’t care how smart you are, everyone and anyone are capable of locking themselves out of their home. A mild distraction, a freak gust of wind, or just a busy rush to the door is all it takes. I’ve done it – and I bet you have, too. But it’s one of those situations that everyone does, but no one talks about. I thought I would put that right today by giving you some clever tips to solve an incredibly dumb situation.

Check for open windows

Before launching a granite slab through your beautiful French windows, stop and take stock. There might be a window open somewhere, which could solve your problem straight away – if it is safe enough to get up there, of course. Just be wary of what is inside, as well as your stability. It’s also worth trying every other door knob that gives you access to your home. Again, you might be lucky, and it will save you plenty of embarrassment as well as a good deal of money.

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Get help

First of all, ring up your housemates or family members. If they have a key and are coming home soon, it’s probably worth waiting around before you spend any money. It’s also worth asking around for some help – particularly if you are going to scale any heights to use a window. They can help you by lending you a ladder, and supporting it so you can get to the window safely.

Call a locksmith

Don’t ‘um’ and ‘ah’ about it – when you are locked out of house, call a locksmith. The quicker you do, the sooner you will be inside again. Ask for quotes, first – prices can vary wildly. You might have to pay a call out charge as well as the service fee so be prepared to dig deep into your wallet. That said, a locksmith will still be a lot cheaper than repairing a window, door, or the medical bills you might have to pay when you come down with hypothermia.

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Break in

If it’s too late for the locksmith – or you just can’t afford it – you might have to break into your home. I would recommend knocking around your neighbors and telling them what you are doing unless you want the police called for suspicious behavior. However, you don’t’ have to take to your impressive wooden door with an ax – there are more subtle ways to break in. You could try the credit card method for breaking in if you have spring bolts in your locks. If you can find a screwdriver, you could take off your door knob, too. As long as the deadbolt hasn’t been used, it should give you access to move the locking tool inside.

Prepare for next time

Finally, don’t ever let this happen again. It’s one thing to be ultra secure, but being locked out is never a nice experience. Drop a spare key around to a trusted neighbor or nearby friend. If you hate your neighbors, try buying a hide-a-key device – it could be a flowerpot or it might be a combination lock with a spare key inside. However, be aware that burglars know where these will be hidden, so choose somewhere completely out of the way. Hope this has helped – I’ll see you soon for another stupid tip of the day!

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! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram.

Easy Changes To Make To Your Night Time Routine For The Sake Of Your Health!

Easy Changes To Make To Your Night Time Routine For The Sake Of Your Health!

For a lot of us, we tend to always do the same old things before we head to bed. But how many of these are healthy? So many people make errors at night time which could actually damage their health! Therefore, here are some easy changes to make to your nighttime routine, for the sake of your health.

You need to stop opting for a late night snack

It’s so tempting to have one last biscuit before you head off to the land of nod. After all, we do tend to get peckish before bedtime. But eating so late will cause your gut to struggle to process the food. And it can lead to you waking up with a bad belly in the morning. Not only this, but certain research has found that opting for a late night snack can affect your long-term memory. Therefore, you need to try and cut out the snack before going to bed. Eat a hearty dinner which should keep you full until bedtime! That way, you won’t jeopardize your health with that snack!

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You need to stop having a cigarette

For a lot of people, they opt to have a cigarette before heading to bed at night. They feel that it will help them to sleep better and relax their body. But, in fact, nicotine in cigarettes can actually make you more alert. Therefore, it might affect your ability to get to sleep. And not only that, but cigarettes are so bad for your heart and lung health. Therefore, you need to try and cut the cigarette out of your life for the sake of your health. If you do need to have something before bed, consider vaping instead. You can get e liquid which you can use to help you to relax before bed. Or you could even consider reading instead to help calm your body.

You need to ensure you brush your teeth

Although a lot of us aim to brush our teeth before bed, we sometimes just don’t have time. Or we forget to do it before we get under the sheets. But it’s so important that you do brush your teeth. After all, if bacteria is left behind in your teeth, you could end up with a cavity before long. And poor dental health can lead to many other health issues. Therefore, you need to make sure you don’t go to bed without giving them a thorough brushing session. And remember to floss after so that you can get rid of any remaining bacteria.

You need to prepare your lunch for the next day

So many of us end up having to go out for lunch at work as we didn’t leave enough time to make it in the morning. And it could end up causing us to make an unhealthy decision which could cause us to put on the pounds. Therefore, you need to make some lunch the night before that you can consume at work. You should prepare something healthy in the kitchen. That way, you can head to bed knowing that you are all sorted for tomorrow’s lunch!

And remember to stop watching television and switch into relaxing mode around an hour before bed. It gives your body a chance to relax so that you can have a good night’s rest and stay healthy.

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! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram.

How To Tackle The Hardest Thing About Christmas: Buying Gifts For Men

How To Tackle The Hardest Thing About Christmas: Buying Gifts For Men

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Christmas is one of the happiest times of year. You can celebrate with your friends and family and spend a lot of time with people that you might not otherwise see as much at different times of the year. There are beautiful decorations up everywhere and a great deal of holiday spirit from a lot of people. But Christmas isn’t all a barrel of laughs. Even though the process of gift giving brings a lot of joy to people, it can also be very difficult at times. Men are particularly hard to buy for. Although women can be hard too, it’s easy to resort to the old cliché of toiletry sets or scented candles – they may not be interesting gifts but they’re usually appreciated! But it’s harder to know what to get for the men in your life, whether that’s your partner, your dad, your uncle or your brother. The most important piece of advice is to consider their interests and go with what you think they might like. Here are some tips to help…

Pets

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For anyone who loves their pet, there are a plethora of possible Christmas presents. For the truly dedicated dog owner, a present for their dog basically means a present for them – so check out any doggy accessories you could get like a new leash or boots so the dog can be walked all the way through the winter despite the cold temperatures. There are a lot of great books out there for animal lovers, from stories about celebrities’ experiences with their pets to books where you can test your dogs’ and cats’ IQs. The poet Mark Doty has written a memoir about how caring for his dog helped him recover from the loss of his partner. Pets can change people’s lives and if your recipient feels that way then there are plenty of gifts to choose from.

Cars

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If your gift recipient loves cars, it’s sometimes hard to know what to buy for them if you’re not as into all things motoring as they are. Accessories for their car would always be appreciated, like new mats to protect their floors from muddy footprints, or maybe a new glossy encyclopedia on all the best luxury cars. If they’re into music, then you could get a Bluetooth cassette so they can stream their phone through their speakers, or maybe a new car stereo and speakers for better sound quality. You could also go for an experience day, and send your loved one rally driving or trying out a Porsche or Lamborghini!

Music

Music is something that most people love – and that it’s easy to buy gifts for. A gift card to a ticket website will be loved and appreciated, or maybe tickets to a show that you know they’d be interested in. If you’re booking a Christmas treat for your partner, try dinner and a nice hotel afterwards too, for a perfect gift experience. Remember that experiences are much more treasured in the long term than material gifts – some time spent together will be valuable and create some special memories. If your recipient is a fan of a specific genre of music, consider buying them a book on the history of it so they can get to know their favourite artists, albums and songs on a deeper level. If your dad’s into older music, try checking out more recent bands and musicians who have been inspired by his favourite artists, so he can branch out into some new tunes.

Home Improvement

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If your recipient is into home improvement, there are plenty of must have products to beef up the contents of their garage and tool boxes. If you don’t know much about DIY and home improvement, go to your local store and talk to whoever works there about the latest must have products. They’ll be able to help you pick something out, whether it’s a cordless drill, a new wrench, or a smart new tool belt. You could also talk to your loved one about what he wants – maybe you could go and pick out a new work table together.

Film And TV

For anyone who loves TV and film, the first gift option would always be a subscription to Netflix or Hulu. Not only are there a lot of great TV shows and films on there, but they’re also starting to get bigger and better with their own programming, meaning that they’re the only place that you can get new popular TV shows like Stranger Things and Jessica Jones. If your gift recipient is already subscribed to these services, consider Apple TV or maybe get an Amazon Fire stick so they can easily watch their favourite internet TV shows on their TV instead of their laptop. Even if you’re buying for your dad or an older relative, these services are pretty user friendly and intuitive so they should be easy to use even if you have to show them how to set it up! If your recipient is a film buff, try a gift card to a movie theatre or maybe a DVD of a director’s cut of their favourite movie. Biographies of film directors and the golden age of Hollywood would be an interesting buy, to show the behind the scenes of an incredibly interesting – and sometimes seedy – industry.

Art

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If your loved one is into art and design, then there are plenty of gifts you could give them. Take them for a day out to your best local art gallery, or purchase them some prints of their favourite works, which you could then get framed so they can be hung up on the wall and displayed for the whole family to enjoy. Glossy coffee table books are great for art addicts as they reproduce some of the world’s most beautiful artworks in beautiful high definition photography and give you some information and insight about the works as well. If your loved one has always wanted to get into art but isn’t completely sure how to do it, you could give him a voucher to a local art class, along with some art supplies like a good quality sketch pad, some pencils, and some oil paints. Make sure that you stick to the form of art that your loved one enjoys – if they love Old Masters then they might not appreciate a Banksy book as much as you want them to!

Fashion And Grooming

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For anyone who loves fashion and grooming, there are a load of great gift ideas out there. Remember to go for more classic designs if you’re getting something clothing related, so it doesn’t date as easily and your recipient can keep wearing it for a long time. Older relatives might be a little put off by gifts that are too fashion forward! Men who are interested in looking good might enjoy a beard care set, which might include trimmers and wax. A tie is always a good, safe bet for an older relative, but a scarf in a bright colour like red or forest green, or good old traditional navy blue, might seem a little more personal. If you’re feeling like splashing your cash on a little luxury, then go for a nice watch or some soft cashmere socks.  Make sure you think about what they want and what they might look good in – you don’t want to buy a gift that will lie unused at the back of their closet, so go for traditional styles that aren’t too adventurous but that still put a modern twist on old favourites.

Gardening

As people get older, there’s often nothing that they love more than becoming more green-fingered, so if you’re looking for a gift for your dad or an uncle, look no further. If they live in a small space, then a small house plant would be a good idea, or maybe a selection of herbs that they can grow along their kitchen windows. If they like to spend a lot of time outside, then look for new garden implements like secateurs, trowels or spades. So long as you make sure that your gift is practical and not solely decorative, they’re sure to love it. You can also get gardeners’ boxes full of plant tags and other small implements that gardeners might need and that they’re frequently running out of – that’s also a great gift, along with a waterproof cushion for them to kneel on to protect their knees from the ground. If you really want to splash out this Christmas then you could purchase a greenhouse, so that they can grow vegetables like tomatoes in there. Get a fold-up chair as well, so that your recipient can relax and admire the fruits of his labor.

Always remember that the best way to pick Christmas gifts for your loved ones is to consider what they’re interested in and go from there. No matter how much you might want to share some of your favourite things with your recipient, remember that their Christmas present is about them and what they might like instead of your needs and wants. Happy shopping!

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! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram.

 

Dress for Success: What to Wear for An Interview

By Guest blogger Diana S.

Dress for Success: What to Wear for An Interview

 

image-7-1Looking for a job? Well, if you’re one of the lucky few who landed an opportunity for an interview, it’s important to take the necessary steps to make sure you actually get the job. Obviously, making a lasting first impression is one of the most important steps in any job interview, so how you dress can greatly increase or decrease the chances for success. That being said, whether you’re male or female, it’s best to prepare yourself properly for what awaits you and check out some of the biggest do’s and don’ts of interview apparel.

Inform Yourself

image-3-4Before you go window shopping to search for the perfect attire, it’s best to inform yourself thoroughly about the dress policy of the company you’re applying to. Major companies usually have a specific dress code that employees should follow, so dressing accordingly can greatly help you score some bonus points from the employer. Another factor that can greatly help you determine what type of attire you should wear is the type of job you’re applying for. For instance, while a formal suit works in most business settings, if yore applying for a creative job or a job in the fashion industry, perhaps you should tone it down a bit. It’s important to learn how to dress appropriately for the job you’re applying to, so the expression Dress for the job you want, not the job you have can sometimes be quite helpful (especially if you don’t have a job to start with.)

Gentlemen

Fortunately for the male population, it doesn’t take much for a man to look dashing during an interview. When in doubt – a suit will suffice. The only thing men should pay attention to is the colour palette and combination of different materials. In order to avoid confusion, the best solution is to rely on dark colours like black, grey or navy blue in the combination with black or brown leather shoes. When it comes to fabrics, cotton is always the best choice, while a linen suit can be a good choice for summer. Accessorising should be quite simple and professional, so a nice watch and a single-coloured tie will be adequate. If you’re applying for a job in a company whose dress code is business casual, try to focus your attention more on that business part, rather than the casual. This means that trousers, leather shoes with a nice shirt and a blazer are a perfect combo, while sneakers, graphic t-shirts and similar should stay in your closet.

Ladies

Ladies have more than a few options. For completely formal settings, women have the opportunity to choose from a wide array of ladies suits, which is a great option if you’re not used to wearing skirts or dresses. Another nice option is the pencil skirt-blouse combo, which always makes a great interview choice. Of course, there are certain fashion don’ts that women should simply avoid. Some of these things include too much sparkly accessories, shoes in bright colours and with huge heels, as well as too much makeup or flashy nails. A nice scarf or a pair of statement earrings are a far better choice, while a stylish hair pin can always leave a lasting impression, especially with a nice, professional hairstyle.

image-5-2Unless stated otherwise, it’s best to play it safe and go for a simple yet professional attire. The goal is to show your potential employer that you’re reliable, skilled and most importantly – the right person for the job. Your attire can greatly help you in achieving that, but it also depends on how you wear the garments. Feeling comfortable and natural in the clothes you wear is equally important as what you’re wearing.

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! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram.

 

 

 

Busy Moms – Learn These Kitchen Hacks And You’ll Never Look Back

Busy Moms – Learn These Kitchen Hacks And You’ll Never Look Back

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When you’ve got children to look after, a house to run, a husband to tidy up after and a job too, life can get a little busy. It’s not unmanageable for you, but sometimes you wish you had a little help, just to make the days a little easier. Days fly by and the kids start to grow, so if you could only slow things down a little and get some of that time back, life would be great.

Well, you can. But like everything, it’s only easy when you know how. We all want our families to be happy, healthy and safe, but we’d also like just a little more time to enjoy parenthood too. If that sounds like your daily life, then hopefully these hacks for the kitchen will help you free up a bit more time.

Slow Cooking

You’re probably more than familiar with your Crock Pot already, but if you’re not, head out and grab one now. You can make so many varied, healthy and delicious meals, just by cooking them slowly and all in one pot. Not only does slow cooking save you time, but it cooks the food for you. You do have to prepare the ingredients for some meals, but most of the time you just throw them all in, stir and leave them to cook.

Steam Sensations

It’s be a lucky guess, but you probably eat a lot of vegetables in your household, don’t you? With children, you have to. But how do you cook them? Chances are, most of them will be boiled or roasted, and some will be fried. But what about steaming? When your roasting, boiling or frying vegetables, you have to be nearby to stir or season. But with a steamer, you add them in, leave them, and they cook. Plus, steaming leaves all of the goodness in the veg, so it’s a win-win cooking situation!

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Alternative Ovens

We’re all used to our conventional oven by now; we swear by them. But, there are alternative options out there. And no, not grilling machines – they don’t count. What we’re really talking about here are pretty much small ovens that sit on your counter. And as this review makes clear, you’re really getting a small Wolf oven on your countertop, with all the quality that you would expect with Wolf ovens. Not only are they quicker to heat up, they’re also easier to clean – saving you time twice!

Multifunction Mixers

Kitchen appliance have been all the rage in recent years. They take a lot of the prep work out for us and some even do the cooking too. But, there’s also a new machine on the market that can do it ALL for you; the all in one appliance. And yes, that does mean the chopping, mixing, mincing, juicing, blending, steaming and stirring too! Before long, the kitchen won’t even need you!

One Pot Pastas

And then, for when you’re all appliance’d out, there’s a good old-fashioned favorite – just using one. Using one pot for meals is simple, easy and quick. It can save you all the effort and cleaning that you would usually put into cooking. Pasta is an excellent meal choice for this. You add the pasta, ingredients, and sauce and the pot does the rest.

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! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram.

Everyday Tips from Tia