FitSugar

Get in Gear: Nathan Speed 4 Water Holder

FitSugar — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 11:00:00 PST

If you're into long-distance running or training for a marathon it's imperative to stay hydrated. Carrying around a huge water bottle can be annoying though, and most hydration waistpacks only hold 20 ounces of water or less.

Check out this Nathan Speed 4 Nutrition Speedbelt ($34.95). It's a long name for a holder that you wear around your waist that houses four, 10-ounce bottles. That means you get 40 ounces of water total, and because the bottles are spread out, you won't feel uneven pressure or strain on your back or hips. The bottles can also be filled up with special electrolyte drinks or carb gels, since long-distance runners need extra calories in order to keep running. I love that you can easily pull the bottles out with no problem, and they're curved so they fit in one hand comfortably. There's also a little pocket in the front for small essentials. The waistbelt is adjustable so you can get a snug fit without it bopping up and down as you run. Order it from teamestrogen.com.

21 Disposable Products You Can Reuse

Wise Bread — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 09:00:39 PDT

Even when the product is supposedly "disposable," you can always reuse it. Wise Bread shares awesome ways to reuse these 21 disposable products.

It’s said that we live in a disposable society. But the word "disposable" is a misnomer. Disposable is considered throwaway, something you use once and dump, regardless of the life that may be left in it. As a frugal shopper with a concern for the state of our environment, I think that just won’t do.

I often reuse many so-called “onetime-use” items, and I asked friends, family, and colleagues to tell me which disposable items they squeeze more life from. Here’s my list, including some of the surprising ideas I was given.

RELATED: 25 Things to Throw Out Today

1. Butter Wrappers

If you’re like most people, you unwrap your butter, pop the stick into your handy holder, and throw the wrapper away. But wait a second - instead of trashing the wrappers, keep them in a sandwich bag. The next time you need to grease a baking tray or dish, you’ve got something all ready to go.

Read on for more.

10 Surprising and Easy Holiday Decorating Ideas From Sabrina Soto

Elka Karl — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:00:41 PST

You don't have to spend hundreds of dollars to create an amazing holiday look at your house this year. Sabrina Soto, Target Style Expert for Home and HGTV Designer on The High/Low Project shows us just how easy it is to use everyday objects and materials to create a unique and beautiful holiday decorating scheme. Keep reading for her ideas!

Candy If it’s colorful, festive and/or sugar coated, then food can be one of the easiest ways to fill a pretty bowl or decorate a Christmas tree (think peppermint candy cane garland or wreath).
Food Coloring Gather a small assortment of multisized clear or glass vases and apothecaries jars, like this one, on your coffee table. Fill each with water to various levels to give the display a visual effect. Take red and green food coloring and add a few drops to the mix until you achieve your desired hue. Add a few pillar candleholders with LED Flameless candles around the cluster of vases and jars and let the glow of the candle glisten off the glass and water.
Foliage There’s no better way to bring in the spirit of the season than with some of nature’s own beauty. Pine cones are an obvious find this time of year, but don’t overlook the beautiful berries and leaves that you can gather. After a little maintenance, scattering a few along the table or getting crafty to make a wreath can bring a piece of the outdoors in this holiday.
Books The books on your shelf can serve as one of the easiest decor focal points for the holidays. There are some great ways to take your bookshelf and transform it to a work of holiday art. Start by selecting some of your favorite holiday wrapping paper in either solid, iridescent red or green and mix in patterns, like stripes. Wrap each book as if it were a present and style out the bookcase.
Wine and martini glasses The easiest way to create an elegant centerpiece is to turn the glasses upside down and they immediately become candlesticks. I recommend using LED flameless candles for safety!
Holiday Plates Plates can instantly take holiday decorating from the table right to your walls. A set of four red snowflake chargers like these from Target, would look beautiful in a scattered arrangement on a kitchen wall or leading up a staircase.
Wine Bottles These can serve as nice decorative pieces throughout the home. Remove the label and add a couple of wild berry stems or flowers for a centerpiece. Reuse the corks by carefully cutting a horizontal slit along the top and making your own placecard holders for your next dinner party with friends and family.
Rope and clothespins Holiday cards are more glamourous than ever. An easy way to display them is to create a simple garland out of rope and attaching the cards with clothespins!
Kids' Art In the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the kids are creating art, drawings and projects to celebrate the season nearly every day at school. Use their mini masterpieces and give it the attention it deserves by taking it off the fridge and placing it in matted picture frames. The colors and drawings will complement the tree, lights and trimmings.
Fruit A metallic (spray) painted pear with a decorative ribbon and tag could make such a simple, yet elegant placecard for your dining table.

Do you repurpose everyday objects for holiday decor? What do you use?

Guerrilla Guide to the Holidays: Holiday Etiquette

LearnVest — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:15:17 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

As the holidays approach (just seven weeks away!), you’re only getting more prepared.

If you’ve been following our weekly Guerrilla Guide to the Holidays, you’ve already made your travel plans and selected the perfect gifts for everyone on your list.

And it’s only the first week of November.

Since you definitely don’t want to quit while you’re ahead, the next thing we’ll help you cross off your to-do list is . . . mastering holiday etiquette.

While it’s certainly a time of year to express appreciation, all those family visits and rites of gift-giving, whether with friends or coworkers, can also mean frayed nerves, stepped-on toes or general awkwardness.

But guess what? With a little preparation - and our guide to holiday etiquette - you can navigate the next few weeks with nothing but grace, gratitude and good cheer.

Handling Awkward Money Situations

Family and Money:

It’s the Murphy’s Law of Relationships: The people who love us most also have the greatest power to hurt our feelings. Combine the general sensitivity surrounding money issues with the kinds of probing questions that family members have a knack for asking, add a dose of holiday stress, and anyone can end up in an explosive situation.

But you can ward off fights with this simple, disarming tip: When someone inevitably asks, “When are you going to get a bigger house?” or “Why did you buy such an expensive purse?”, simply respond, “Thanks for your concern about my personal finances. You’ll be happy to know that I budget carefully and am in good control of my money, which is why I’m waiting to buy a bigger place/I was able to get this purse.” Then go back to eating your cookie.

Old Friends and Finances:

You come back home and want to see all of your best friends from high school-only now one makes three times what you do, while you know another just lost her job.

Here’s how to catch up with each, without letting money come between you.

6 Daily Must Dos to Prevent the Common Cold

Jenny Sugar — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 04:06:25 PDT

As we wave farewell to Summer and the colder weather of Fall blows in, the risk for coming down with a cold may increase. Aside from getting a flu shot at the beginning of cold season, here are some everyday things you can do to fight back and keep the sore throat and sniffles from getting you.

Wash produce. Even if produce has a peel you don't eat, make sure to wash before consuming. Bananas, mangoes, oranges, and kiwis have all been touched by many people: someone picked it, someone else packaged it, a fellow consumer touched it, the cashier picked it up, and the person bagging it also got their hands on it. If you eat fruit before giving it a good wash, well, it's no wonder you come down with a cold.
Disinfect commonly touched items. Make sure you disinfect items you use a lot like your phone, keyboard, mouse, doorknobs, light switches, handles on the fridge, microwave, and cabinets.
Keep up with your regular exercise routine. I know Fall often means busier schedules, but make exercise a priority to keep your immune system strong.
Get enough sleep. Proper rest will give your body the energy to fight germs should they attack your system.
Wash out your reusable water bottle once a day. I don't mean just dump out the water and refill it again - disinfect your bottle, inside and out. It's something that is touched and carried around by you every day, and since it comes in contact with many public surfaces (the lunch table at work, bottle holder on the treadmill at the gym, seat on the bus, etc.), who knows what kind of germs are lurking on it and getting into your mouth.
Wash your hands often. This is especially true after shaking hands with someone, before you sit down to eat, or if you've touched something others touch often like grocery store carts, gym equipment, or magazines in waiting rooms. If you can't get to a sink, use antibacterial gel.