How To Save Energy In Your House

The truth about making money from home

Although there is certainly no shortage of "green" reasons to save energy in your house, one of the biggest reasons of all for becoming energy-efficient is that you will be able to save yourself quite a bit of money in the long run; if you follow these simple tips to make your home more energy-efficient, you will soon notice your bills shrinking and your disposable income increasing as a result!

One of the best things you can do to save energy in your house is to replace your incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps; while compact fluorescent lamps will cost you more money out of pocket than incandescent light bulbs do, these new light bulbs will actually save you lots of money in the long run - in fact, while a typical light bulb last  about a thousand hours, a compact fluorescent lamp lasts for about ten thousand hours, which will save you as much as $80 over the life of the bulb!

Another thing you will want to do is check to see whether or not your house has good insulation in the walls and attic, as effective insulation will allow your house to retain its heat in the winter, and to retain its cool air in the summer; many houses have unfinished attics, or hardly any wall insulation (or both!), and such houses tend to lose lots of money for their owners - so look into this in your own house, and see what you can do differently.

Replacing your windows, or upgrading the ones you have, is another big key to saving money on your energy bills, as more cold and heat is transferred through windows than through any other part of your home; if you are replacing your windows for any reason at all, upgrade to replacements that are Energy Star-rated, and you will find that the extra cost at the time is off-set in the long run.

It might seem like you will be stuck doing lots of work - in exchange for very little instant gratification - as you try these new things, but in the long run you will be able to not only have a positive impact on the environment, but will be able to save quite a bit of cash in the process!

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How To Make A Living Doing Something You Love

The truth about making money from home

A lot of people separate their life into categories that include "work" and "hobbies" (or "work" and "play"), and even though they sometimes think it would be nice if they were able to make a living doing something they truly love doing, they never really take any steps toward making this dream a reality - but one thing that is important for you to realize, especially if you have something specific that you enjoy doing, is that it is not only possible for you to make money off this hobby of yours, but it is entirely realistic.

The first thing you will need to do if you have one such hobby, before you are able to make money off this hobby, is take this hobby seriously; a lot of people have something they love doing, but they have not taken enough time to truly get good at this thing, but when you take the time to get good at this hobby (which should not be difficult to do, if you truly enjoy doing it!), you will put yourself in a much better position to make money off this hobby.

If you are looking to make a money off this hobby of yours, you should also realize that you will probably not make a living off it right away, but this does not mean you cannot make money; once you have worked hard and have gotten good enough at this hobby that you feel you can make money off it, you can start pursuing different avenues by which you might make this happen, getting creative in the ways you can make money in the evenings and on weekends with this hobby, and even considering teaching this hobby to others who are interested in order to pull in some extra cash!

And as you start to gain some traction and make some money with this hobby of yours, you should also do some research to find out what you can do to get your name out there even more - as the more you get your name out there, the more likely it will be that you will be able to make more money!

As you keep working at your hobby - continuing to get better at it, constantly looking for creative ways to make money with it, and forever looking to expand - you will keep seeing progress, and you may even find that you are soon making a living doing this "something you love"!

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How To Wean Yourself Off Coffee

The truth about making money from home

One of the first things for you to realize about coffee is that, in moderation, not only is "not bad" for you, but is actually beneficial; of course, by the same token, you should never put more than 200 to 300 milligrams of caffeine into your body per day, which is equal to about two or three cups, and if you are drinking more than this each day – or if you simply think you are addicted to coffee and would like to change this - you will want to understand how you can scale back.

If your body is used to drinking coffee first thing in the morning, you will not be doing yourself any favors if you cut yourself off from coffee completely; rather, the best approach for morning coffee drinkers is to gradually push back time of day when you have your coffee, moving it back 15 minutes or half an hour at a time, doing so gradually so that your body does not notice much of a difference.

If, on the other hand, not typically do not drink your coffee until later in the day, you can start to gradually scale back the amount of coffee you drink; you should not put caffeine into your body any later than eight hours before you go to bed, so once you reach this point in the day with your coffee drinking, you will be at a place where you can start scaling back gradually rather than gradually pushing the time later.

And as you begin to seriously scale back your coffee drinking, another thing that will help is finding a way to replace this energy you are used to getting; a few great ways to consider are replacing that coffee with fruit, with other healthy foods, or even with a couple pieces of dark chocolate, which will get you some sugar and some caffeine without being too unhealthy!

It is really not that difficult to scale back on your coffee drinking, as long as you take the proper steps; keep these tips in mind as you work toward this goal yourself, and soon you will be drinking as little coffee as you want – or even, no coffee at all!

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How To Become A Movie Extra

The truth about making money from home

When you watch a movie, you may notice that there are usually a lot of extra people in each scene that are doing nothing but walking around, saying no lines and playing no role, and serving no real purpose except to simply be there; these people, of course, are called extras, and while some of these people are certainly being extras on movies because they hope to break into Hollywood themselves, a lot of other extras in movies are simply people who thought it would be fun to be an extra in a movie! If you have ever thought that being in a movie might be fun - even though you have never really acted before and have no real desire to be an actor - here are a few things you will need to know about becoming an extra in a movie.

If you live in one of the areas where the filming of movies is common, such as Southern California or New York City, becoming an extra in a movie will be a whole lot easier for you, as there will be a lot more movies being filmed around you; if you live in these areas, simply keep an eye out in newspapers and local periodicals for ads for casting calls - but even if you do not live in a place where movies are filmed often, you can search online for casting calls of movies that may in fact be shooting in your area.

You will have to bring a headshot with you when you attend the casting call (even if you are not interested in being an actual "actor"), and you should bring a resume if you have ever been in any movies before; typically, casting calls are held in a large area, and the main thing they will be looking for is people who will fit in with the look of the movie, and who will be able to show up on the day when they are supposed to be there!

Becoming an extra on a movie is actually quite easy, as long as you simply show up to a few casting calls with a headshot and - if applicable - a resume; and once you have landed a "role" in the movie all you have to do is show up on the day of the shoot - and wait around until they need you, at which point you will be able to make your major motion picture debut!

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Beard Trimming Techniques

The truth about making money from home

The beard is always a great addition for a man to make to his face, as the beard looks great, is comfortable, and protects the face in all sorts of inclement weather and uncomfortable situations - but for the first-time beard grower (and even for those who have cultivated a garden of hair on their face for a long time!), it can sometimes be difficult to know exactly how to trim the beard. While one's personal approach to beard growing and beard trimming is a solo search, this does not mean that you have to find your own way altogether; make sure you pay attention to these beard trimming tips, and you will be able to avoid the myriad mistakes made by your forbears.

Trimming around the beard will be the first thing you will want to learn about; many guys have a tendency, when they have first started growing the beard, to start trimming too early, and to trim too close to the beard itself - instead, you should wait through at least two full weeks of beard growing before giving your beard its first trim, and you should always start out "too wide" instead of "too narrow."

When trimming the beard itself, you will need to have a good idea of the length you want to keep, and then you should purchase a good beard trimmer that can help you maintain this length; without a good beard trimmer, you will have a hard time keeping your beard at the length you desire.

And even after you have used the beard trimmer on your beard, you will still find some long hairs or some uneven spots that you will want to clean up; make sure you use a good pair of scissors to clean up these spots, instead of making the mistake so many men make of going in with the beard trimmer and buzzing too close!

With these tips in hand, you will be well on your way to forging your own path, with a beard of your own that is both beautiful and magnificent!

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How To Prepare The Coals On A Charcoal Grill

The truth about making money from home

An electric grill offers the benefit of great convenience, as it enables you to cook by simply flipping a switch or pressing a button, but even in spite of the convenience provided by an electric grill, a lot of people cannot ditch their charcoal grill because of the superior taste it provides; if you have a charcoal grill yourself, one thing you will want to realize is that starting your coals with lighter fluid is the wrong way to do it, as using lighter fluid will give your food an inferior taste, which completely nullifies the benefits of grilling your food on a charcoal grill.

If you want to fire up your charcoal grill the right way, the first thing you will want to do is remove both of the metal grates inside the grill, and then you will want to ball up some sheets of newspaper and place them in the bottom; make sure these balls of newspaper are not clumped so tightly together that the fire cannot get going, and make sure they are not so tightly wadded that no air gets in.

Once the balled-up newspaper is in place, it will be time for you to replace the lower grate and stack your coals over the newspaper in a pyramid formation; in figuring out how many coals you should use, know that there should be enough coals to cover all of the grate if you spread them out, without any of them stacking on top of others.

You can light the newspaper once you have reached this point, and this should get the coals going; you will still want to keep an eye on things, however, as it might take a couple times to get the coals to take (if it is taking a while, consider opening the air vent at the bottom of the grill to get some airflow).

You are just about ready to cook once you have reached this point; give the coals about ten or fifteen minutes to get hot from bottom to top, and then you will be able to spread the coals out across the bottom grate, put the cooking grate over the coals, and throw your meat on the grill; if you have followed these steps properly, you will have coals that are hot and perfect for cooking, and in no time at all, you will have a delicious meal that you would not be able to match on a gas grill.

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Taking A Look At The Tiger's Wife

The truth about making money from home

One of the best times of year for finding new books to read is summer, as it is always pleasant to relax out by the beach while you make your way through a new novel; one problem a lot of people face, however, is that while they want to read new authors, they may not have time to actually find new authors who they will enjoy. While tastes certainly have a tendency to vary from reader to reader, one place to go these days for impressive new authors is the recent list put out by the New Yorker, in which they list the “20 best authors under the age of 40."

The youngest author on the list the New Yorker released last year was Tea Ohbret, and her debut novel “The Tigers Wife” has since become a sensation; Ohbret grew up in Yugoslavia and moved to the States at the age of 12, and she uses this background as a catalyst for her debut novel.

“The Tigers Wife” is – on the surface – the story of a young woman and her relationship with her grandfather who just passed away; but even beyond this, the story is about the changes in a country, the changes inherent in growing up, and the changes in the way people tend to see the world as the experiences in their lives tend to build upon one another. In "The Tigers Wife," you will come across writing that is extremely polished and controlled, with no words missing, and with no extra words where they could be left out, which gives the reader a sensational reading experience that causes them to feel enraptured by and encapsulated within the story.

Of course (as is the case with any book!), this book is not for everyone; if you prefer fast-paced thrillers, it is unlikely that you will enjoy this novel, but if you enjoy sitting down with a beautifully written piece of literature, consider picking up "The Tigers Wife," and you just might find that you have stumbled upon the perfect summer read for you.

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Keeping Your Cat From Pooping Outside The Litter Box

The truth about making money from home

If you have on your hands a cat who refuses to poop in the litter box, you certainly have a clear understanding of exactly how annoying this can be; after all, you would think it would be obvious to them where they are supposed to poop - and you would certainly like to stop having to clean up after them!

If this is a situation you have found yourself facing, the first thing you need to realize is that your cat does, in fact, know where they are supposed to poop, and there is a good chance they are simply pooping in the wrong places in order to be rebellious.

The first thing you need to make sure of is that you are using a high-quality litter that is not causing your cat to search for other places to poop; furthermore, you will want to make sure you are keeping your litter box regularly cleaned, as picky cats will try to use a clean area for a bathroom if their litter box is too dirty for their liking.

The next thing to focus on is that you make going to the bathroom something that is positive for them, just as you would if you were potty training a child; each time you see your cat go to the bathroom in their litter box - even if you have to set them in there yourself in order to make them do so - praise them and reward them with a treat!

And finally, you will want to make sure it is unpleasant for them to go to the bathroom outside the litter box, and the best way to accomplish this is to use a spray bottle on them when you find poop around the house - showing them the poop and spraying them in the face again and again.

It can be difficult to get a rebellious cat to start doing the right thing, but if you start following these tips, you will soon achieve success!

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Tips For Building A Fire When Camping

The truth about making money from home

Fire is one of the most essential elements of survival, and even though you will hopefully not need fire "to survive" when you are taking a camping trip, it is still vitally important for you to know how to build a fire. If you follow these tips, you will know how to build a fire both easily and safely whenever you go camping.

A lot of people will go camping with matches or with a butane lighter, planning to use these to start their fires, but matches can get ruined if they happen to get wet, and a butane lighter can quit working with no warning at all. When you take a camping trip, you will want to make sure you have something that will enable you to start a fire every time; the Army Model Swedish Firesteel is one of the most reliable and most effective ways to start a fire every time.

Safety is the next most important aspect of building a fire while you are camping, as you will want to do everything you can to make sure your personal fire does not become something that spreads through the forest or land around you. Dig a pit for your fire (it does not need to be deep, but it should be at least a few inches below ground level), and then line the outside of this pit with rocks to keep your fire contained.

After you collect your wood, you will be ready to start your fire; but don't just try to set fire to the wood. You should stack the wood over kindling, and then you should start the fire with some kindling in a small pile away from the fire; once you have this kindling going, you can transport it to the larger pile of kindling, and this will get your fire going.

When you have a camping fire, you will need to make sure you keep a constant eye on it, and you should always cover it up completely before you move on the next morning. When you follow all these steps, you will be able to have a great, roaring fire whenever you go camping - and you will also be able to make sure that the fire stays where it is supposed to stay!

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Plant Propagation

The truth about making money from home

Have you ever looked around your neighborhood and drooled over the wonderful plants your neighbors have growing only to feel upset that you can’t afford to do the same? With a little know how and time, you can achieve the same landscaping. A number of garden plants are easily propagated cheaply once you know what you are doing. In a short amount of time and with one or two plants you can turn them into an entire garden.

You can propagate plants in a number of ways depending on the type. Some plants are easy to propagate such as sedum, day lillies, and hostas. Simply dig wide of the plant to save as much roots as posible and remove it in clumps. After the clump is dug out. Wipe down the blade of your shovel with a 10% bleach solution. This helps to not introduce bacteria or viruses that may be carried on your shovel when diving the plant. It is as simple as chopping through the center of the plant bunch in order to divide it in two. Then replant each bunch and make sure to water it well for the next two weeks. It is actually very important to divide perennials often to keep them healthy.

Plants like coleus, and herbs can be rooted from cuttings. Before cutting the plant make sure you again soak your tools in a 10% bleach solution. Baby food jars are a great container to use to root cuttings. Then fill the jars with vermiculite and water until the vermiculite is moist. Cut a fourth of an inch below where the second set of leaves attach to the stem. Remove the set of leaves and dip the new cut end into the rooting compound. Then carefully plant the cutting into the vermiculite. It should start to root within the next couple weeks. Make sure you keep your vermiculite moist but not overly soaking.

Gardeners guide to propagation is a great book to learn more about plant propagation.

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Is Eating On A Schedule Necessary?

The truth about making money from home

One thing that is odd is the fact that a lot of the advice you will find on “the right foods to eat,” or “the right ways to eat” conflict with one another, which often muddles the whole issue of knowing what to eat and when to eat; one aspect of this that especially tends to give people problems is whether or not it is good to eat on a schedule, and while some people and sources will tell you that eating on a schedule is good, and while others will tell you that eating on a schedule is bad, the true answer is: it all depends!

One thing that is absolutely true is that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, as breakfast will enable your body to start working, and to have energy heading into the day; this means that whether you are hungry or not when you wake up in the morning, you should always take the time and make the effort to get a good, healthy breakfast into your body before you start your day.

It is certainly good to eat regularly in the rest of the day as well, but one thing to realize is that your body will often have cravings when it does not truly need food if you consume a fair amount of grains and sugars; because of this, it is important to have a set eating plan – as far as the times of day when you will typically aim to eat – if you regularly consume a fair amount of grains and sugars, as this will keep you from giving into your cravings, and will enable you to be much healthier as a result.

On the other hand, if you tend to avoid grains and sugars for the most part, your body will also experience far fewer cravings, and will instead “tell you” when it needs food; if you avoid grains and sugars in your regular diet, you can pretty much avoid the whole “eating on a schedule” thing, and can instead listen to your body, putting food into it when you feel hungry, and not putting food into it when you are not particularly in the mood for food.

Healthy eating is a complicated and sometimes confusing thing to understand, but with this information in mind, you will at least know whether you should be eating on a schedule, or can instead simply listen to what your body is saying.

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Exploring The Movie Capote

The truth about making money from home

If you are a fan of literature, or if you are a fan of great movies, or if you are simply interested in watching as many different movies as you can, one movie that will be especially great for you to add to your list is the movie Capote.

Near the very end of 1959 (both in real life, and in the movie), in an otherwise unremarkable town in Kansas, a brutal - and seemingly inexplicable - quadruple murder occurred, and Truman Capote (who at the time was one of the most well-known writers in America, having published Breakfast at Tiffanys and become friends with every significant celebrity of the time) decided to travel to the town to write a story for The New Yorker about the killings and the effect they had on the town. Shortly after Capote arrived in the town, however (along with Harper Lee - who Capote grew up with, and who would soon publish the enduring classic To Kill A Mockingbird), he realized that he needed more space for the story than The New Yorker would allow; he needed to write a book.

The movie Capote follows the author (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman - who won a Best Actor Oscar for playing the enigmatic Capote) as he dives into both the town and the story - with the movie really taking on life when the killers are caught, and when Capote forms a close bond with one of the two men who conducted this brutal slaying of an innocent and unarmed family.

This movie is not only remarkable for its story - which is, in itself, a masterful depiction of the writing of one of the most significant works in the history of American literature - but it is also remarkable for the cinematography, the directing, and most of all the acting. Even if you are not a fan of literature, you will surely enjoy watching Philip Seymour Hoffman control the screen in an incredibly demanding role; and of course, if you are a fan of literature, you will love watching Capote to see the story of the writing of In Cold Blood - one of the most important works of literature to ever come out of the American landscape.

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