Kristin van Ogtrop's Blog, page 157

Save Your Credit Score by Using Automatic Payments

Did you know that one late payment can affect your credit score by as much as 20 points?  To avoid late payments, set up your credit cards so that you pay the minimum amount due on the due date each month. This will keep you from being slapped with late charges or fines. And set a reminder on your calendar [...]

Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe Round Up

St. Patrick’s Day is this coming Sunday, and green beer (while fun) isn’t the only way to celebrate. Consider taking some time to cook this weekend and trying your hand at one of these corned beef and cabbage recipes. (Click the links or the images to see the recipes.) Food 52 shares this corned beef and cabbage with a parsley-mustard [...]

Next Time You Do Laundry…Wash This

The next time you start a load of laundry, head to your suitcase and dig out your travel pillow (and blanket and eye mask, if you have one). It’s easy to forget about these in-flight essentials when you just pack them back in your bag in preparation for your next trip. But airplanes see lots of passengers, and get dirty [...]

Rental Damage Left By Kids from Apartment Therapy

Our little boy has officially entered the toddler years and I am beginning to understand the strong need for cabinet locks, toilet clamps, sharp edge protectors, socket covers, gates on the stairs, ect. The number one reason is, of course, for the safety of your child, but number two (and what I am currently learning), to decrease overall damage to [...]

Today’s Thought

Get the daily thought in your inbox. See more inspiring quotes on our Pinterest board. What’s Hot on RealSimple.com 5 Ways to Get Rid of Oily Skin How to Offer Words of Sympathy How Can I Fix a Cracked iPad Screen? Filed under: Daily Thought

How to Store Perfume to Make it Last Longer

If you rotate your fragrances by season like you do your wardrobe, resist the urge to display all your bottles on your vanity year round. Exposure to light and heat can make your perfumes spoil more quickly. (You’ll know it’s time to get rid of them when they start to have an odd smell underneath the actual fragrance.) Instead, when [...]

Sheryl Sandberg’s Book: What Do You Think?

If you are a living, breathing, human resident of our fine nation, at this point you can’t escape Sheryl Sandberg and her new book, Lean In. I am less interested in the book itself (which I read, though quickly) than I am in all the conversation around the book.  I really can’t figure out what I think about the whole [...]

Gracefully Exit a Conversation With the Phrase “I Need”

We’ve all been there. Stuck at a party or a work function in a conversation that you desperately want to escape, but you can’t see a way to without being rude. Next time your find yourself in that conversation, remember that the easiest way out is to start with “I need.” Whether it’s “I need to get a snack, I haven’t [...]

A Surprising Benefit of Drinking Milk

We all know drinking milk can help us develop strong bones, but did you know it can also fight garlic breath? A study published in the Journal of Food Science showed if you drink milk while eating a garlicky dish, you’re much less likely to develop “malodorous” breath when you’re done. All kinds of milk work well, but whole fat [...]

Choose a Thick Eye Cream for Best Results

Even if you have oily skin, be sure that the products you use around your eyes (especially your night cream) are thicker and richer than your normal moisturizers. Why? Because the skin around your eyes has far fewer oil glands and can dry out (leading to more fine lines) more easily than the rest of your face. Get our step-by-steps [...]