Do you have a few absolute favorite holiday decorations in your collection? Maybe a few pieces of tinsel, strands of beads or figurines handed down from Auntie Liz? This is the year to decide which holiday decorations are going to make the cut into your official holiday decoration supply. Yes! This is the year to purge out the so-so decorations that your just not that into anymore. If your decorations don’t match the theme of your other decorations, don't fit anywhere or you haven't displayed them in years its time for them to go. Crushed, cracked and broken items are a no brainer for the trash can.

As you start decorating this year really think about each and every piece and ask yourself if you LOVE it. You want to surround yourself with items that make you happy. Donate the decorations that you don’t want to someone who would enjoy them a little more than you.

Have fun decorating.

Are you a movie buff? Do you like to see all the new releases? Sometimes we get so busy we forget to see those movies in the theater. But in this day and age you almost never have to even step foot in a theater because of online DVD rentals like Netflix and Blockbuster. Online DVD rentals provide a convenient way to see movies in the comfort of your own home. There is nothing better than winding down on a Friday night by having dinner and a movie.

A quick tip is to put new releases on your list now while they are fresh in your mind. That way you will be the first to receive them when they are released to DVD.

Bonus tip – Need a Christmas gift? Give your friends and family an online DVD subscription for 1 month to a year. It's the gift that keeps on giving and movies that get returned will not create clutter.

I saw an episode of friends where Monica was vacuuming the outside of her vacuum cleaner with a dust buster and it got me thinking “When was the last time you cleaned your cleaning supplies”? Sounds strange but how long have you had those scrub brushes or sponges? Have you ever used a broom out in the garage and then back inside on your kitchen floor? Or when was the last time you changed the filter in your vacuum or even the bag! There are so my cleaning tools we assume are keeping our home clean but you might want to take a closer look – “Do you need cleaner, cleaning supplies”?

I have been looking forward to Thanksgiving for the past few months. It's one of my favorite meals and it's once a year. I especially enjoy Thanksgiving because I don’t have to do anything in the kitchen. This is pretty amazing! I do bring a few of my double layer pumpkin pies that I have been making for 15 years, so I do a little work. Once you make something that everyone likes you are sort of required to make it forever. I usually get that nervous look when I walk in the door to see if I’m carrying something and then I’m asked “Did you bring the Karli pumkin”? Oh yes and I usually bring extras. Last year I made one pie for dinner and then made miniature pies for take homes gifts. The pie I make has a graham cracker crust that I buy premade and they also sell the same crust in miniatures. The miniatures pie crusts come in a tin with a little plastic insert the can be flipped over and used as a lid. Great for travel - Genius! This way I have individual pies for guests to take home. I like this better then trying to divide up a pie that can turn to mush after coming to room temperature. Plus after everyone is already stuffed, nobody wants to imagine they would eat again…ever. So many times the pies have gotten thrown out and it never fail I get a call the next day “Loved the pumpkin pie, I wish I would have taken some home…bummer! So make sure your guests go home with all the leftovers this year. If you know ahead of time that you will be giving guests bags of turkey day leftovers (YUM!) think ahead and pack up some stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and whatever else you’ve made t 10 times to much of. Store in the fridge until everyone is ready to go. Then you can just make up the bags as everyone is leaving. This gets you out of the kitchen and your guest will enjoy their best leftovers ever!

Yesterday I wrote about avoiding fridge restock if you are planning on going out of town for the holidays. This brings me to another important task that I think everyone should do before the holidays.
Donate unused items in your home that you know you will never use! Give these items you intended on using but just never got around to it. Now you can give them to someone in need during the holidays that otherwise may not even receive a gift.
This can be done by putting items from your cabinets, closets, drawers and pantry.
For instance – do you have a pair of brand new slippers that you will never wear and maybe a pair of pajamas and a robe? Put them all together in a box, dig out some wrapping paper or the gift bags you have been storing (birthday is just fine) wrap them up and drop off at a woman’s shelter or retirement home. If you want to take it a step further, add a few travel sized toiletries or perfumes and a new hand towel.
You can do this for anyone! Make another box some other useful things like coupons for a free gift, fun snack foods, a book, crossword puzzles or stationary and stamps. The sky’s the limit on this plan and wow is ever practical!


So go shopping in your own home and start packing up those items!

Are you going away for the Thanksgiving holiday? Do some home organizing before you head out of town and don’t buy anymore food that will rot in your fridge while you are away.
Finish eating the food you already purchased. Go through your cabinets and see what ingredients you have on hand to whip up a simple pasta, rice or bean dish. Add fresh tomatoes or veggies that are just hanging around in the fridge. If you have extra food that you know will not get eaten take to the local food pantry or give to a neighbor who is hosting the feast. Everybody wins here!

Do you want to see your friends and family over the holidays but for whatever reason you can’t all be together? Share your Thanksgiving toast or light the menorah during Hanukkah by celebrating virtually! Set up your webcam or ichat and share your holiday live over the Internet. Celebrate this year in Virtual Style.

Have you tried texting? I think texting is the way to communicate these days. For one you can have a private conversation without disturbing others. This keeps your phone etiquette in check. If you are in a noisy place and can't talk then texting is the way to go.
Another great advantage of texting is you can ask a question without getting into a long conversation when you do not have time.
Give it a try!

Its 5:30 and your on your way home from work. You are so hungry you could literally eat anything. Here’s my tip to avoiding diet sabotage. Grab the healthiest food you can find and shove it into your glove compartment! This could be a couple bags of assorted nuts, dried fruits or granola bars. Eat healthy when you can instead of junk food. If you take the bus or train just make sure you have a couple of smaller portions tucked inside your bag. Another tip is the pack cut up fruit or veggies for your after work snack. You know you need to get some healthy snack in during the day why not eat at this time of the day.

Stop! Don’t throw away any computer equipment, cell phones or other electronic device before checking with your local Staples store. They are offering a recycling program for the low low price of $10 at 1,400 store locations. Please do not throw any of theses in the garbage when it can be properly recycled. Items do not need to be purchased from a Staples store and the brand doesn’t matter. Just don’t bring tv’s, mice, keyboards or printers.
Just recycle!

I just heard about this program by Nike that recycles athletic shoes in any condition, any brand and turns them into sports surfaces! They collect shoes from partnering retail stores, National Recycling Coalition and other shoe collections. The shoes get ground up and used for running tracks, tennis cort's and play grounds. They use a system called the Nike grind to separate the rubber, foam and fabric from shoes. The recycled material gets used again to make the surfaces and more shoes!

Need to get rid of those DVD's, VHS tapes or any other computer related items? Contact Greendisk and let them recycle those items properly. Get their Technotrash box, fill up with computer or techy items and send back to them. Its that easy!

Want to spend less time clothes shopping this season? Last week I tested out my new way of shopping so you can get in and out of a store in a flash!
Here are a few of my shopping tips.
#1 – Go online before you go shopping. Check out what’s in stock before you make your decisions and see what you already have in your closet.
#2 – Make a visual shopping list by copying and pasting your clothing picks into a word document. Include the sku# and size. Also, make note if there is a second color choice in case they are out of stock and anything else you will need to go with the outfit.
#3 – Give your shopping list to the salesperson and let them find your items. They know where everything is located and can tell you immediately if something is available. It’s much easier to hand over a list then try to describe what you are looking for. Most of all its a time saver!

Hope this helps on your next shopping trip!

This weekend is Fall back, so don’t forget to change your clock and catch a few more z’s. I’ve heard you should not only change the time on your clocks but also change the batteries in your smoke detector.
Try to think of some other things you can do twice a year that happen the same weekend as Fall back and Spring forward. One easy tip is change over your summer & winter wardrobe.