Unemployment has hit record highs, as COVID-19 has caused millions to lose their jobs. Here’s how filing for unemployment could affect home buying.
The post How Unemployment Can Affect Your Plans To Buy a HomeâNow and Later appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.
It happens. A collections notice shows up, a debt collector starts calling or you find a negative report on your credit history, but you know you paid the account in question. Can you sue a company for sending you to collections for money you didn’t owe? Find out more about what the law says about… Read More
The post Can I Sue a Company for Sending Me to Collections? appeared first on Credit.com.
Getting a new car is a big decision, and you should choose your next vehicle carefully. But if you think finding the right car is difficult, deciding whether to lease or buy can be even more overwhelming. Start the process right by understanding the minimum credit score to lease a car and determining whether this… Read More
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Article originally published September 1st, 2016. Updated October 29th, 2018. Itâs a common question around these parts: how do I fix my credit? And, while credit scores do have a lot of nuances, the answer is actually pretty straightforward: pay all your bills by their due dates, keep your debt levels low, add a mix of accounts… Read More
The post What’s the Fastest Way to Boost My Credit? appeared first on Credit.com.
Once a month, cover your hands in petroleum jelly or thick hand cream, then slip them into some soft cotton gloves for the night. In the morning, your skin will have absorbed all the cream, leaving you with the smoothest, softest hands you’ve ever had. You can also soften your feet the same way (use socks rather than gloves, of course).
Apricot kernel oil, available at vitamin and health-food stores, is rich in vitamins A and E and is an excellent moisturizer. Combine two tablespoons of it with a half cup of brown sugar and two tablespoons of lemon juice for an exfoliating—and hydrating—hand scrub. Massage well into hands, then rinse.
For rough patches on the hands and feet, try this rub scented with rosewater, which has been used for centuries to soothe irritated skin and is thought to help regenerate skin tissue. Whisk together two tablespoons of it, along with one tablespoon of honey, one tablespoon of apricot kernel oil, and one tablespoon of lemon juice, in a small bowl. To use, rub onto rough patches on the hands and feet, then rinse.
We love this olive oil scrub for its simplicity and effectiveness! In a small bowl, add a quarter cup of olive oil and enough sugar to make a damp, runny mixture. Rub it into your hands or feet, then rinse for smooth, moisturized skin.
In a small bowl, stir together a quarter cup of flaxseed or almond meal and a quarter to a half teaspoon of olive oil. The mixture will be just barely damp. Rub well into dry, rough patches on your feet, then rinse.
You can pay a lot of money for a fancy sea salt scrub, or you can make your very own version in just a few minutes. Sea salt contains natural minerals not present in regular table salt. It also helps remove dead skin cells and other toxins present in the skin. In a small bowl, add one cup of sea salt and just enough olive oil to make a slightly runny mixture—you don’t want it to be too loose. Rub into dry hands and feet for several minutes before rinsing off.
Try this quick hand scrub that combines the exfoliating power of sugar and the lactic acid in sour cream. Mix one tablespoon of sugar and one tablespoon of sour cream together, and rub into hands for a minute or two. Rinse to reveal soft, smooth skin.
Try this overnight hand mask to gently remove dead skin cells. Whisk together a half cup of buttermilk and one tablespoon of almond oil in a small bowl. Submerge your hands completely, remove, and allow to dry. Then cover your hands with cotton gloves and leave on overnight. In the morning, rinse your hands well to reveal brighter skin.
For more all natural remedies from all around the internet, check out our Health and Beauty Tips board on Pinterest. And don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Instagram!
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With cold weather approaching, it’s time to take a couple days and get your home ready for the winter weather. To help you get started, here is a checklist with some of the most important tasks to get your house ready for the snow and cold.
In the winter, you want to make sure your home is a fortress. You don’t want any of your precious heat escaping, and you don’t want any of the winter weather getting in. To help you figure out your home’s leaky spots, you can hire a professional to do an energy audit on your home. This is a great option if you don’t have the time, or the desire to climb on your roof.
Windows: Swap out your screen windows for storm windows. During that process, check around your windows to make sure they are well sealed. To help identify small gaps, carefully hold a lit match or lighter a couple inches from the frame of the window. Move the flame around, always making sure it’s a safe distance from surfaces and fabrics, and watch for the flame to “dance.” If the flame moves, there is air movement in that spot. Use caulk to seal around the frame, or use a plastic window insulation kit to cover an entire window.
Heavy curtains will help keep more heat from escaping through your windows.
Doors: Replace your screen doors with storm doors. Again, check the seals during that process. If you can see any light around your doors, you have a significant gap for warm air to escape. Even if you can’t see any light, you still want to check the rubbery weather stripping around the door. If it’s brittle or cracking, it’s not doing its job. Installing a new weather stripping kit from a hardware store is a quick fix to make sure your doors are sealed.
Ducts: As time goes by, seals on duct work can come loose. Check your duct work to make sure your ducts aren’t letting any heat out into your attic, which can cause snow to melt and refreeze as ice dams on your roof.
Roof: Before winter arrives is a great time to check your roof for the season. Climb up (or at least get on a high ladder) and examine the shingles. Replace any that are missing or broken.
SEE ALSO: Who Knew's How to Prepare Your House for Winter
Furnace: Before it gets too cold, have your heating system checked out by a professional. The first really chilly day of winter is not the time to figure out your heater isn’t working. Have a heating and air company come out, check the systems, and change the filters, and you’ll be ready for Old Man Winter when he arrives.
Water Heater: The end of fall is a great time to drain your water heater. This should get done once a year, so if you haven’t done it recently, make sure you do before you find you only have really cold water in your house.
Chimney: If you have a chimney, make sure you sweep it (or have it professionally swept) before lighting any fires for the season. Removing the excess soot, as well as the birds and animals that made their homes in chimneys throughout the year, will help prevent fires and smoke damage. Also, examine the damper to make sure it’s still looking good. If it’s bent or warped, warm air will be able to escape through the chimney.
Reverse Ceiling Fans: If you have ceiling fans, now is the time to reverse them. Putting them in reverse will help blow down warm air that would otherwise be stuck near the ceiling, which will likely mean you can turn your heat down a degree or two.
If your fan runs on a remote, there is likely a button on the remote to switch the direction. If your fan runs on a switch, look for a small toggle or switch on the fan motor to make the change.
Gutters: Make sure your gutters are ready to handle the winter precipitation. Empty the fallen leaves and anything else that has gathered in the gutters. Make sure they are secure to the roof, and repair them as needed. Also, make sure the drain pipe from your gutters is long enough and directing winter rains and melting snow away from your home’s foundation.
Water Lines: Prevent burst pipes by turning off all exterior water lines or insulating the pipes. If you have a sprinkler or irrigation system, drain the lines to make sure no water is left to damage the underground lines.
RELATED: Domestic CEO's Fall and Winter Home Maintenance Checklist
Tools: Be ready to get yourself out of the house by making sure all your winter tools are in good working condition. Turn on the snow blower, visually check the shovels, and stock up on salt or deicers. Having everything in its place and ready to go will give you a good start on digging out from a big blizzard.
Pantry: During the winter, it’s always a good idea to keep extra food supplies in your pantry in case a big storm prevents you from getting to the store. Boxed and canned foods are the best because they take no electricity to store (in case that goes out), and have a long shelf life. Stock your pantry with a week’s worth of pastas, canned fruits and vegetables, soups, rice, beans, and bottled water, and you’ll be ready if the big one hits your town.
Boxed and canned foods are the best food to keep in stock because they take no electricity to store (in case that goes out), and have a long shelf life.
Lights: If a winter storm takes out your electricity, make sure you are ready with flashlights and candles to light your home. Keep flashlights in every room, and teach your kids where they are in case they need to find them in the dark.
Heat: If you have a wood burning fireplace, keep a solid stash of wood ready in case your power goes out. If you are in an area prone to losing power, you may also want to invest in a generator to run your furnace a couple hours a day during power outages. A good stash of blankets and comforters will help you get through chilly days and cold nights.
Detectors: Winter means an increase of home fires and carbon monoxide leaks. Make sure you and your family are protected by replacing the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and testing them before winter hits.
All the tasks on this list are important to get done before the snow starts falling. If you don’t have the time to do them all, hire a trusted professional to help you knock a few off tasks off your list. You’ll be thankful that you have everything done and ready as soon as the first big storm hits.
I’m the Domestic CEO, helping you love your home.
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Can’t stop scratching a bug bite? Just place a piece of papaya (the fleshy part, not the skin) on it. Papaya contains an enzyme called “papain,” whose protein-digestive properties helps to decompose insect venom, which will stop both itching and swelling.
That jar of vapor rub at the back of your medicine cabinet isn’t just good for breaking up chest congestion, you can also use it to stop mosquito and other bug bites from itching and swelling. Just dab a little on the spot, and you’ll stop scratching in seconds, thanks to the combination of menthol and eucalyptus.
Covered in mosquito bites? Get some relief with a surprising ingredient: whipped topping. The same nondairy topping that you’d use for ice cream or pies also helps stop insect bites from being so darn itchy.
To help reduce the itchiness associated with insect bites, try applying an antiseptic mouthwash (such as Listerine) to the area with a cotton ball.
See also: How to Get Rid of Bad Breath Naturally
Ease mosquito and other bug bites by rubbing them with some dry bar soap like Ivory. It will provide quick relief from itching!
If you don’t have any bar soap on hand, you could also use hand soap (it’s just harder to keep on the bite!).
Tame that painful bug bite with a little tea. Soak a bag of black tea in warm water and then apply it to the bite. The tannic acid will help reduce swelling and pain.
If it’s bug season and your family has got the itch, apply this solution to the affected areas for relief: Add two tablets of Alka Seltzer to a half a glass of water. Use a cotton ball to rub this into your bites, and let it sit for 30 minutes
Want to eliminate the itch from a bug bite? Look no further than the milk of magnesia in your medicine cabinet. Dab a little bit on the spot, and the antacid will stop the itchiness in its tracks.
You may have heard that hemorrhoid cream can relieve undereye puffiness, but did you know it could also help your mosquito and other bug bites? Applied topically, it will reduce the pain and the swelling of an insect bite.
We love this quick fix for an insect bite! Just rub antiperspirant or deodorant over the spot and the itch will go away. It contains some of the same ingredients as anti-itch creams.
Related: 6 All Natural Ways to Get Rid of Body Odor
Here’s a clever use for that roll of antacids you’ve got at the bottom of your purse: an itch reliever! Crush one tablet with enough water to make a paste and spread it over any itchy spots for relief, especially mosquito bites.
We know this one sounds a little goofy, but it actually works. The next time you get a bug bite, try applying a little thousand island dressing to stop the itch.
Have a bug bite that won’t stop itching? Get relief with a dab of toothpaste (the white, non-gel variety works best) and it will take the itch away as well as a dab of calamine lotion does.
A great way to stop mosquito (and other) bites from itching is with a dab of diluted rubbing alcohol. In fact, ammonia is the main ingredient in many of the itch-relief products currently on the market. Just mix four parts water for every one part alcohol. You can also use ammonia in place of the rubbing alcohol.
Caution: Don’t apply rubbing alcohol or ammonia if the skin is broken near the bite! It will sting.
If you’ve just come back from a long weekend camping, you’ll love this tip. Use meat tenderizer to treat insect bites! Moisten a teaspoon of tenderizer with a little water and rub it immediately into the skin. Commercial meat tenderizers contain papain, the same enzyme as papaya. It actually decomposes insect venom, easing itchiness and swelling.
The next time you get a bug bite, crush an aspirin tablet and rub it into damp skin. The active ingredient in aspirin, salicylic acid, is an anti-inflammatory, and it will reduce the pain of the swelling and itching.
Just for fun: How to Solve Your Biggest Summer Problems
For more ways to deal with insects and bites from all around the internet, check out our Bug and Pest Natural Remedies board on Pinterest. And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!
Image courtesy of Shutterstock.
If you’re looking to repair your credit, you may have come across websites that advertise a credit privacy number, credit protection number or CPN. These numbers are nine digits like a Social Security number (SSN), and sellers claim that you … Continue reading →
The post Why You Should Not Buy a Credit Privacy Number (CPN) appeared first on SmartAsset Blog.
