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The way you charge your smartphone could limit the life of the battery. Don’t use cheap power cables, wall plugs or wireless chargers that may damage your phone. Don’t let the battery charge drop to zero and avoid keeping a phone on and charging overnight because both can be bad. Your battery works best when it’s charged between 20 and 80 percent. Source Link

Storing leftovers can stretch your food budget but be sure you’re using the right container. Glass won’t absorb odors or stains and is safe for reheating in the oven and microwave. Don’t put hot food directly in plastic containers that can leach harmful chemicals and don’t save hot foods in takeout containers that aren’t designed for storage or heat exposure. Source Link

Keeping down the dust in your home can help with allergies and there are steps you can take to make it easier. Cut down on knick-knacks and clutter to make surfaces easier to clean and keep indoor humidity to 35 to 50 percent to eliminate dust mites. And wash plush surfaces like bedding in hot water to reduce dust. Source Link

When can that drawer full of papers head to the shredder? ATM transaction receipts, financial offers and other junk mail can go right away, but save pay stubs for a month. After a year you can shred utility bills, bank and credit card statements and paid medical bills. Keep tax-related forms for seven years and never throw away birth, death or marriage certificates. Source Link

How can you know if you’re having a “silent” heart attack that happens without any of the typical symptoms? A silent heart attack may include indigestion, feeling like you have a strained muscle in the chest or upper back, or prolonged, excessive fatigue. Diagnosis after the fact is important because having a silent heart attack increases the risk of heart failure. Source Link

Here are some monthly maintenance tasks for inside and outside your computer. Delete files you don’t need using the Storage Sense feature in Windows that will erase temporary files and save space. Likewise, look at Installed Apps to see unused programs that you can delete. Clean those crumbs out of the keyboard and dust the cooling fans to prevent overheating. Source Link

How you lay when you sleep could have an impact on your health. Side sleeping is considered the best because you’ll reduce the risk of snoring or sleep apnea when sleeping on your back. Sleeping on your left side can help prevent stomach acid from moving up when you lie down, and sleeping on your right side may improve heart function for those with heart disease. Source Link

Many people are hard-wired to avoid idleness, but you can train yourself to do nothing. Start small and sit quietly for five minutes in a peaceful place with a view of something pleasant. Add five minutes to this routine until you can sit quietly for 20 minutes each day. And remember to turn off your phone and tablet or anything else that can send an alert. Source Link 

All food scraps don’t have to go down the garbage disposal or into the trash. Soak orange peels in a jar filled with white vinegar for two weeks to make a citrus cleaning spray. Do the same with cucumber peels soaked in water for five days to make your own cucumber water that’s great for feeding your plants. Source Link

It’s easy to find ways to save money when you’re on vacation. Don’t eat out for every meal. Pick up groceries for a few days. Don’t buy overpriced treats at theme parks or tourist attractions. Instead, eat a big breakfast and drink water. Don’t bring home silly souvenirs that will become clutter, and don’t buy expensive plane tickets if you can drive to the location in less than a day. Source Link

Smart items in your home need extra steps to ensure that they don’t invade your privacy. Select a unique password and use an option for two-step verification, and know how to turn off cameras and microphones on devices. Enable auto-delete of your commands for a voice assistant and check smart phone apps for the latest updates. Source Link

You want a healthy drink without sugar or artificial sweeteners but don’t like the taste of plain water, so add some natural flavor. Infuse it with real fruit, or try naturally-flavored sparkling water. You can even add a teaspoon of honey or plant-based zero-calorie sweetener like stevia to your drink. Source Link 

There’s more to the cost of buying a car than the sticker price. Paying it off in the shortest term you can afford will save on interest charges and don’t forget sales tax if you have it in your state. Consider insurance premiums for the make and model of car and get several estimates and look at gas mileage for the most economical driving for years to come. Source Link

Beware of the risks of sharing your bed with your baby. A study found that bed-sharing did nothing to boost mother-infant bonding and increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, even when parents are careful. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends room-sharing with an infant but not bed-sharing. Source Link

They call it a “junk drawer” but it still needs an occasional cleanup. Start by removing everything and only keeping what’s useful, like scissors, tape, pens and markers or extra house keys. Get rid of whatever you don’t need and then use drawer organizers for big things and half an egg carton to get 12 pockets to hold those small items. Source Link 

Not all debt is created equal. A mortgage lets you build wealth through rising home values and a student loan for an education to get a good job will pay off with much more in lifetime earnings. But debt from credit card balances you can’t pay off every month or an auto loan or lease every few years will have you spending more instead of living within your means. Source Link

A specific way of breathing might help keep your stomach from feeling the effects of stress or anxiety. Try taking deep breaths from your diaphragm that expand your abdomen. This activates the autonomic nervous system and makes your GI tract less sensitive to stimuli that could cause an upset stomach. Source Link

It can be tricky to know what to say to a grieving friend. Don’t say, “I can’t imagine what you’re going through.” Instead, acknowledge how difficult it must be and say you’re there to help. Do say, “I don’t have the right words” to show you aren’t avoiding a talk. And never start with, “At least they’re in a better place” or “no longer suffering” because that minimizes the loss. Source Link