Create that Buzz

Even as we learn to save space, maximize time, here at handy tips provide you with more than just household hints. Here’s an invaluable tip for all our dear readers who may have online shops or businesses – advertise on blogs. The readership of blogs have gone up to the millions and if you would love to get your product or services promoted, this is the new deal in advertising. In the past years, it has been on the news that a wide chunk of advertising campaign went towards the blogging industry.

And why not? If it’s buzz that you’re looking for, then this is by far one of the most effective way to get your products and services known. I should know because after having blogged for more than three years, there have been countless of products on line that I only got to encounter because of running through it from one blog to another. The internet has probably more visitors than those people who actually read newspapers in this age. It is just but wise to put in that investment where it will count in the long run.

Ease the Burden by Shopping Online

Another handy tip for all homemakers who have found themselves getting rightfully acquainted with their computers and getting savvy on the internet. We can always make use of every inch of time we can spare from shopping online. Try to do your homework and compare prices. Internet has given us all the convenience of shopping right from your computer and having them arrive at your doorstep in no time. This will come in handy for anyone who has better things to do than go to the grocery shop and buy items.

One word of advise though, your must get yourself a list even as you browse along and sort through all those online shops, here’s the warning, not all online shops have a user friendly ecommerce software. You’d be surprised how this one thing could spell out the difference in your experience in shopping online. The better shops are those that carry Ashop shopping cart software.

Medical Records

Our family has been stricken with diseases these past couple of months. This just reminded me to kepp all the materials, documents, like that of medical or dental insurance in one safe place and where it is easy to locate. I was hospitalized less than a month ago and some important documents were needed for us to be able to enjoy the benefit of our medical insurance. Some documents that are needed to be filed in this category are PhilHealth payments slips, photocopy of marriage and birth certificates.

One important thing to remember when you decide to change dental or medical providers is get a hold of a summary of your records from them. This will come in very handy as you hand this over to your next provider.

Another tip for those who have offsprings ready to leave home, make sure they have a copy of all medical records, including vaccinations, recent x-rays, a list of childhood illnesses, et al. These will come in really handy when medical attention is required.

SDB Storage

A Safety Deposit Box or SDB from a bank is where many people keep their valuables and hard to replace items in one. Always remember to keep a list of what is inside your SDB unit in a safe place at home.

Suggestion on things to store in you safety deposit box:

• a copy of your will.
• stocks, bond, futures, bank certificate
• insurance policies (fire, home, et.al)
• records of properties (mortgages, deeds, titles)
• documents (birth, marriage certificates, passports)
• an inventory of valuable items with cost and purchase of each(jewelry, equipment, collectibles)
• valuables (jewelries, coints, silver)

Handy Tips on BlogTV

One of things this site wants to do soon is to be able to post a live tv of Handy Tips and Hints right from our place to every household who would care to check our sites. It would be such a cool possibility to be able to share tips through live tv.Maybe when we have built that needed traffic, we will be able to do that. A live show like what BlogTV.com offers bloggers all over the world the facility to show songs, presentations or just about anything random about you and your blog’s niche.

What’s more is that you actually get to chat with your viewers, schedule your own live broadcast or do live tv. Their site is very user friendly and easy to navigate. I sure hope to be able to maximize what their site can offer.

Donate Items

There is always someone who will benefit if there are items you do not use anymore. Books, toys, clothes, appliance, furniture or one can even donate boats and be sure they are used for charity. You can actually choose your recipients and be assured that what you give is used for a special cause. Like for instance for boat donations, I vouch for carangel.com. I say this because if I had one and I no longer use I will surely donate my boat to charity rather than wind up with costs in getting it disposed.

Record Keeping

There should be a place for your permanent file where you keep your copies of birth, marriage, divorce and death certificates. You could also keep your important papers like life, fire insurances, et al. You should have these things handy and copies should be kept within your home just in case you would need them. If you do not have copies of those certificates, apply for one from the appropriate office or local government sector where the certificates are handled.

You should keep in mind to protect these items from fire and flood. If possible, keep it in a safe or a metal or a footlocker box.

Odds and Ends

To keep clutter under control, assign a temporary place or box where all the odds and ends are placed. Assign this place than have those bits and pieces end up on the table top or worse lose it. A hook where you place keys. We all know that keys are the most common things that we misplace every so often. A small dish where we put some loose change, earrings, those little things. A mug to hold pens and pencils.

If you have the misfortune of having messy housemates, then feel free to have their things tossed their out-of-place belongings in that temporary box where you can easily point out to if they begin looking for their stuff.

An Ounce Over a Pound

This post will emphasize on the popular saying, "An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure."

It is way better to lean towards the preventive mode, rather than burn yourself out in figuring out out a way to remedy a problem.

Better keep out of children's reach those felt tip markers, crayons, pens, which are great potential trouble makers and some parents get often surprised with writings on the walls. This is better than having to scrub for hours on end those nasty wall markings. I would have to say that nothing beats the discipline we can right from the beginning instill on our children. I prefer this more than having to clear away all those markers. It works better that way for me and gives me a sense of fulfillment especially when I see my son knowing where he should only use the markers. But honestly, if we just have those little pieces lying around, even the most disciplined child will get tempted to claim the liberty to write on the walls.

Let's go to the kitchen. To prevent splatters and the frequency of having to wipe your stove top every after cooking, you can choose to use a bigger wok, pot or pan to prevent slop overs.

Never fill glasses and cups to the rim. Spillage is inevitable when you test the limits. Supply coasters for those glasses to protect your furniture, especially those which are made of wood. Confine eating, munching of foods in areas around the house. I personally prefer that people around the house do not eat inside the bedrooms, especially on the bed. And if you can at all help it, avoid serving crumbly and drippy finger foods during parties, so as to minimize clean ups.

Remember that these are not rules to follow, only mere suggestions. Life should be fun. Weigh the odds and if you think the benefit outweighs the others and you really think people around the house could adapt to it, then go and make life easier for all of you and apply these things!

Pointers to A Successful Garage Sale

I know I have not posted in a while. If you will check out our other blogs here, here and here, you'll understand why. I have been sick lately. I just could not pass up this opportunity to share with you some pointers even as mother has planned to hold her very own garage sale very soon.

Here are quick tips to remember:

1. First and foremost, check with your local officials or your village if you would be needing a permit to hold your garage sale. The last thing you would need is the hassle that could be caused by officials asking you for permits that you never knew you have to get a hold of.

2. Arrange the items to be sold per category. If you think you do not have enough items to be sold, ask friends and neighbors to participate.

3. Post advertisements with time, place date of your garage sale event on shops, supermarkets, bus stops, street corners provided you will not get in trouble for doing this.

4. Properly price your items with tags or tapes (keep in mind: when in doubt, lower your price)

5. Group items by category.

6. Be prepared to bargain. You are after all doing this to get rid of extra stuff. Reduce your prices a tad during the last two hours of your sale date.

7. Give all the leftover items to your church or charity.

Written in association with wooden garage door suppliers.

Trade Off System

This is something rather unpopular. When we buy things, this is especially true for shopaholics, there is a tendency to hoard without our knowing it. I have been especially made conscious about this when I watched on Oprah how some people develop to be "hoarders" over time.

A trade off system is what I figured would make sense and can be a very effective tool to combat this disorder called "hoarding." This is how it works, when you decide to buy anything for the house, make sure to give something away or discard those that you no longer use. Of course, first thing to consider is, that the things you discard or give away should belong to you.

We make sure to practice this right inside our home. When we are given the blessing to be able to buy new things, we put aside a thing or two to give away to bless others too. This is a practice that would help our souls not to attach ourselves to material things that we do not make use of to begin with. :d

Mailbox Tips

One of the neatest things you could decorate your lawn or garden with that could be very useful is a mailbox. But how do we choose the best one from all the mailboxes available in the market?

There are a few tips that we should keep in mind, regardless of your preference, which may be conservative or novelty, fancy or powder coat - prioritize two things by asking these questions: Does it complement the theme of the house? The second question to ask is, How important is the safety of your mail to you? Being able to answer both questions will narrow down your choices to these options. There are regular mailboxes and there those with locking features. It's really all up to you. You could check out this site for mailbox galore.

Fashion Tip

New York Fashion Schools have the reputation of legitimate education of the ins and outs of fashion industry. Being one of the fashion capitals of the world, the city of New York has earned its right and has proven through the generations its reputation when it comes to fashion. There is really more than just what we see on the catwalk. You should seriously consider going to one of the fashion schools in New York if your dream is to rise to be one of the best merchandiser or model of fashion. One top notch fashion school in New York that would surely meet no less than excellent standards is Katharine Gibbs School.

This is a tip that would really come in handy for those people who want to learn more about fashion and do good at it. The evolution of fashion through the number of reality television shows catering to it has attracted a lot of people to the spotlight of the fashion industry. We see from those television shows it is a tough career to take. One has to learn the ropes and excel to make it to the top. There is more than just meets the eye to say the least. To know fashion and excel at it are two different things.

Checklist in Cleaning Your Closet

How do we actually weed out things that we no longer need in our closet. Here is a list that you could ask yourself about each item that you think you have to let go.

1. Have I actually made use of this in the past year? If the answer is no, then let it go.

2. Does it have a sentimental value? Keep it if the answer is yes.

3. Do you think it will come in handy in the future? If the answer is yes, but there is nothing specific in mind that you could use it with, then put it in your giveaway box. If you are having a hard time doing this, then it only means you are settling to hanging onto pieces of clutter.

Getting Outside Help

I personally get help twice a week to do general cleaning. If you think you cannot finish all your housework in a reasonable time, hiring someone to help you from time to time should be considered. It does unburden me to do the "big" things and just go ahead maintain house from day and and day out. You will be surprised how much is accomplished when someone helps out even once a week, or in my case, once every couple of weeks.

If hiring a professional outside help is out of your budget, then be creative. You can look into school children, even college students or neighbors who are willing to take over the job. This will save you a tad. For one, housecleaning, ironing or even doing the grocery can be done by non-professional help. It is really all up to you.

Vacation Tips on Hotel Reservation

Here’s one sure handy tip for you dear readers! Picking out the best place for your family to go on a vacation may not be the easiest of tasks, but I have found just the place for you to check out:HotelReservations.com. There are a lot of choices for a household to pick out when it comes to the perfect getaway place, but there are just easy things to make sure you all consider.

First things first, before you book for that hotel, make sure everything is what they say they are. Read reviews and use the ever reliable Google Search to learn more about the place you are looking into. Secondly, get in contact with a reliable package handler. An example of this is the site I just mentioned above. They sure stand out among all the other companies offering the same service. Check out this sample of the $100 rebate coupon that they offer

You get $20 when you book for 3 nights, $30 when you book for 5 nights, $50 for 8 nights, $75 for 10 nights and $100 with a 12 night booking. You save more as you stay longer. This tip will sure be handy for those families like ours wanting the best deal for their money. You are given a wide range of hotels, motels or even resorts to choose from. You can actually go on a vacation 70% less than you would actually pay for in other companies. They have packages for destinations all over the world. A real one stop shop for vacationers of all races.

Check out their site and make that reservation. Dial 1-800-447-4136 if you are from the US and Canada or 00-800-1276-3549 if you would be calling from Europe and their world wide contact number is (1)817-333-5105. They have the lowest price in the market, you check this out for yourself.

A Place for Everything and Everything in Its Place

I guess this is one of the few things that we have to make sure everyone in our household conforms with. The tendency most households have is nurturing the disease of putting things somewhere "for now," which can actually take forever until you got those things taken care of. Seriously!

Consider asking yourself where you will put thing every single time you buy anything. Define a place in mind, rather than putting off the mind work to settling taking care of it later.

One of the neatest things you can have around the house is have an "odds and ends" box. This is where you can put orphaned socks, mittens, even unidentifiable screw or machine parts. Make sure to sort the contents from time to time to dump things that you have considered useless. Practice not having to hoard unnecessary things. If there are things you think you need to dispose of but some people could still make use of, donate them to charity rather than keeping them in the attic staying useless for years.

Keep the same items all together, so people around the house don't need rummage endlessly. Always store related items together at the nearest place where you actually use them. Accessibility is always beneficial.

Protecting Your Household

One of the best things that we can do for our household is protect and guarantee the family’s name. No matter how well you manage your physical household, the threat the outside world has in conquering to destroy everything you worked hard for is just there. It is a real serious matter to consider.

Lifelock is the leader in identity theft protection. It guarantees one’s name. Unlike other programs offering the same service, only Lifelock secures a person with $1,000,00.00 while he is under coverage. That is not a small amount and it gives a good level of security for your name and household. They offer the most advanced and safest identity protection system.

This is an invaluable tip for everyone to consider. Criminals of all shapes and forms are lurking around getting the best of technology concocting modus operandi. This is the bad side of technology. We hear about these high tech crimes day in and day out and they do get worse. That is why it is wise to be ready, guard and secure your good name. For more information, check out LifeLock.com. They currently offer great discounts with their promo codes. Check this site out and learn more.

Stay in Style and Still Save

It is not cheap to be in style these days. A pair of glasses that is of good quality can get really pricey. Here’s my Great Discovery: Zenni Optical. Their lens edge polishing and beveling with anti scratch coating is the real deal for those who have less than perfect vision. The wide range of Zenni Optical $8 Rx Glasses gives you the freedom to pick out what suits your personality. These days staying in style does not mean getting expensive anymore. The Best Thing Found: Zenni Optical.

Your Kid's Room

My two year, 9 month old son has recently began sleeping on his own bed. This is one of his milestones as he moved away from sleeping on the family bed. A real concern for me is how to get him to start taking good charge of his room and care for it. His room is where all his stuff is. His big container box for his toys, his closet, bed and his potty. I believe it is not too early for him to form a habit of keeping his own room clean.

It always helps to train early. It may almost be impossible to get everything spic and span, especially with a toddler around. But at least things has to be in a manageable level. I have trained my son to pack away his toys from the age of six months and now even though there are times he just feels he wants to do other things, when he is told to pack away, he knows this has to come first before he will be able to go play or ride his twist car.

A kid has to be reminded to tidy his room everyday until he gets used to packing away his toys. If you will choose to have your child straighten up his room on the weekends, it will take more than an hour, while daily maintainance could possibly just cost him five minutes a day. This will allow him to see that maintaining his room is not a burden.

Arrange your kid's room in such a way that it is easy for them to maintain. This should only take common sense to supply the child with things he can easily reach. Child-sized furnishings. This makes him see that he belongs to this room. Give the child a sense of responsibility in owning his or her own room. This will make taking care of the room come naturally for your little one.