The John Tesh Blog

7 steps to take this month in your job search

Maybe it's a little extra income for the holidays you're looking for, or maybe you fell prey to an economic driven layoff from your old job. It might be a case of kids well on their own way, and you feel ready, at last, to re-enter the workforce. No matter where your job  search falls right now, though- here is a new month, full of possibilities, and 7 specific things you can do this month to get yourself back on your feet, from Jean Chatsky, career and money expert for Oprah.com.

Ask anyone with a great job how they got where they are, and you'll probably hear that they got very lucky. But successful job hunters make their own luck with hard work and lots of preparation. You can use the strategies below to make sure you've got the essential ingredients for a fruitful job search—a killer résumé and sharp interviewing skills. Looking to help your kids find a good summer job? We've got some advice for that, too, and now's the time to prepare for the end of the school year.

Create a Killer Résumé
Your résumé is your chance to make a great first impression. That single piece of paper (or, these days, that one e-mail attachment) will determine whether or not you get an interview. Dust off an old copy and add any new experience or skills that you've acquired since you last looked for a job. If you've been out of the workforce, consider adding any volunteer work you've done or classes you've taken that have helped you hone in on an existing skill or learn a new one.

Share a copy of your updated résumé with your friends and family, and get their input on how you can make it sharper and more compelling. Pay special attention to the questions they members ask. If you find you need to explain or amplify a certain item, it may mean it isn't as clearly written as it could be.

Practice Interviewing
You may think that the best interviewees think quickly on their feet and come up with smart, insightful answers (and they do), but for most of us, interviewing is like playing a musical instrument—it takes plenty of practice. Setting up informational interviews with former colleagues, acquaintances and friends of friends in industries you're interested in is a great way to polish your interviewing skills. So is role playing with friends.

Before you head into an interview, tell your family who you'll be interviewing with and what you know about them and the company they works for. Have members take turns asking you questions they think your potential new boss will have on their list. After you answer, ask for feedback on what you could have done better. By the time you get through that exercise, the actual interview will be a piece of cake!

Susan Strayer, a career coach and author of The Right Job, Right Now, suggests job hunters create an inventory of stories that they can rely on during an interview. Think of several successful projects you've completed, times you've taken an important role in your employer's success and praises you've received from bosses or clients, and be ready to briefly retell those experiences at the appropriate moment.

Help Your Child Get a Summer Job
If you have a high school or college-age child who's looking for summer work, he or she will need a sharp résumé and good interviewing skills. To help them find leads for great summer jobs, don't forget your local network of family members, friends and teachers, says Randall Hansen, founder of Quintcareers.com, a website for young job seekers. In addition, have  your child check out websites such as CoolWorks.com, SummerJobs.com and  ResortJobs.com, all of which list lots of temporary positions at resorts and summer camps throughout the country.

Create a Network
Think of your friends as an instant job-hunting network that can provide ideas, advice and contacts you need. Then, branch out to family and former colleagues, says Robin Ryan. Tell everyone you know you're on the hunt and ask them for names of acquaintances that might be able to help you. Go on as many informational interviews as you can possibly manage. True, there may be no openings, but you'll have made an in for when a position is available. The person you're interviewing with may very well know others in their industry that you should also talk to. Plus, you'll brush up your interviewing skills.

Target Your Search
Although it's tempting to answer dozens of want ads and send your résumé to everyone you know, the quality of your applications, not the quantity, is what will get you results, says Robin Ryan. "You can spend 20 or 25 hours a week looking for a job—after that you're wasting your time," she adds.

Determine the industries and businesses you're most interested in (and best qualified for) ahead of time and concentrate on those contacts and openings first. Remember, targeting also means adding a personal touch. Always send a well-tailored cover letter with your résumé—no form letters or mass mailings.

Use the Internet Wisely
Sites like Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com can give you a great sense of what types of openings are available and what kind of salary range you can expect. And, it certainly can't hurt to answer ads that appeal to you. But answering blind ads shouldn't be the bulk of your search, says Susan Strayer. So often you hear nothing back. Posting your résumé on these sites can also be a waste of time. Better to look for openings on the websites of companies and industry associations that you're interested in.

Be Patient

It generally takes three to six months for people to find a job, says Robin Ryan. The wait can be frustrating, but the process gives you a chance to really evaluate what kind of job is right for you. Devote yourself to this process as though it is your full time job; find a way to network (which might mean finding a way to volunteer your way into networking, temporarily); rest, and treat yourself to some daily exercise (since you do have, for the time being- the time to give to it.

And- have a wonderful Monday; welcome to November!

John

Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

Check out the new John Tesh Social Network. You can connect with new friends, post your own blog, visit various forums, upload your favorite John Tesh music and share your photos.  To learn more about how to join, click here.

Clearing out your car, your computer, and then your garage. Un-cluttering, Part Two.

We talked about a lot couple of weeks back about the things in our homes that are overwhelming our lives, and Andrew Mellen, an Oprah contributor, mapped out a plan to use, discard, or donate (see Oct. 12.) This is all about some Autumn cleaning: figuring out what you should keep and what needs a good "heave-ho"; then figure out how to make what you have work for you...hope you got a good start inside your daily living areas. But how about some other areas where you spend a lot of your life, overall?

The Car (Or, "The Storage Space on Wheels")

If you have to clear off the backseat for company, there's a problem.

What shouldn't be in the car: old food wrappers, toys, the dry cleaning or recycling you've been meaning to drop off for a week (just take it out of the car until you're ready to make the trip), out-of-season tools (if it's June, you can remove the ice scraper from the trunk).

What should be in the car: registration, insurance certificate, owner's manual, maps and/or GPS, extra pair of sunglasses in case of glare, small folding umbrella, headset for your cell phone (preferably you're not talking while driving, but if you are, please be hands-free), envelope with supermarket and drive-through restaurant coupons and any gift certificates you've received (it's pointless for them to be in the drawer at home).

What should be in the trunk: tool kit, flashlight, working spare tire. In winter, add ice scraper, bag of kitty litter (for traction in snow), a small blanket.

The Chaotic Computer

You don't want to spend an hour looking for a scone recipe—or your résumé—because you're searching through all the stuff on your desktop. If you can't see the pretty picture on your computer screen because it's full of icons for documents, downloads, and photos, start making folders. Color-code them: The folder for your financial documents can be green, the one for your job search can be blue. Like goes with like—all your résumés in one folder, all photos in another. Label each one clearly. Then put all your folders in "My Documents," a master folder that you have whether you're on a Mac or a PC.

You can save e-mail correspondence, but discard the one that says, "Great, see you at 12 on Thursday!" and save the one with information about what you discussed.

By the way, if you're constantly responding to e-mail, you're being pulled away from the things that you need or want to do. Try checking it hourly. Or dare I suggest (gasp!) once in the morning, and once in the afternoon?? Try holding yourself to that rule for your Facebooking, or Tweeting, too.

The Basement (yes, you're gonna have to step in) or Garage

Where do you start? With the bad, scary corner. First, get rid of un-salvageables. If the basement flooded and a whole bunch of stuff got waterlogged, these are no longer your possessions; they're a mildew-fest. Just say goodbye.

Once you've gotten rid of the garbage, start grouping similar items, which makes it easy to see what there's too much of and what's broken. Tackle one category at a time—the holiday decorations, the seasonal clothing (yep- including all the boxes of the "don't fit right now" clothing), the journals or paperwork- now long outdated- that you've been keeping for years. If you have enough room, spread everything out to take stock of it all. And while you're getting excited for the holidays looking through all those decorations? You guessed it:

When everything has been sorted, prune. Yep- just like you do in the garden every year: Is this important enough to save? Is it useful? Discard what isn't...like that beautiful star for the tree with the twinkling lights...which haven't twinkled in three years, painfully obvious when you look at the unlit lights...time to say goodbye.

Next, containerize what's left, but don't buy storage bins until you have an understanding of what you're putting into them. It doesn't serve you to come home with two 40-gallon tubs if what you need is 19 shoe boxes. Better idea? Clear plastic storage containers (check around for a good sale price- sure to be had getting closer to the holidays); of course, you can label boxes, but if you can spare a few bucks to really set yourself up to be able to see the contents immediately- go for it. And if you also use your basement as a play space for your kids or to entertain, get rolling shelves that can be moved to one side of the room and perhaps even covered with drapes (the ones that have been packed in a box you just found- get it? Make your things work for you!)  Happy Tuesday!

John

Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

Check out the new John Tesh Social Network. You can connect with new friends, post your own blog, visit various forums, upload your favorite John Tesh music and share your photos.  To learn more about how to join, click here.

12 ways to unclutter your life

Think of this scenario: If your house were burning and your family, pets, and purse or wallet were already out of harm's way, what else would you want to save? Probably not the blender that only works on one speed, the china you inherited but never use, or that picture from last Thanksgiving that is one of the worst pictures of you ever taken! So here's a question to ask yourself: If I wouldn't grab them in case of a fire, why do I still have them in my home now?

There's no reason to be surrounded by things that don't work, that you don't need, or that you don't even like. Andrew Mellen is a professional organizer, writing for Oprah.  His job is to help his clients figure out what they should keep and what they should kiss goodbye; then they figure out how to make what they have work for them. You can do it yourself by following the steps outlined here:

The Ground Rules

1. Everything you own should have value, either because it's functional or beautiful or you just love it. Remember the question of what you'd grab if your house were on fire; that's your baseline for determining an object's worth.

2. Every item needs a place where it "lives." Setting things down on the coffee table or kitchen counter creates piles and confusion. My clients mock me when I say, "Where do your keys live? They live in a bowl or on a hook by the front door"—but you never lose anything when you put it where it lives.

3. Focus on one thing at a time. Multitasking is supposed to help you get more things done quickly, but when you try to do 19 things at once, everything ends up incomplete. You're trying to simplify your life, so simplify your approach to getting organized. Now let's get started.

 
A too-crammed Kitchen

Your kitchen is a food preparation area, not a storage space. The idea here is to weed out what you're not using, then put similar items together and in the best places.

Appliances: Machines that are broken or aren't used are just taking up space. If your Crock-Pot has a missing lid that you say you're going to replace someday, or you're keeping the bread maker just because it was a gift, get rid of it.

Food containers: All your plastic storage items should have corresponding lids. If you don't have one or the other, it's a recycling item.

Pots and pans: If there isn't a lot of space in your kitchen, use a pot rack. If you have the space, hang them along the wall for fast access.

Knives: If you're short on counter space, consider the type of knife block that fits in a drawer.

Plastic bags: Everybody has a plastic bag full of other plastic bags. Use the ones you have for trash can liners, or take them back to the supermarket for recycling. Keep canvas shopping totes in the car so you don't accumulate more plastic bags. Mesh shopping bags roll up small enough to be kept in your handbag for unexpected trips to the market.

Cookbooks: Unless you're a collector or you have a lot of room, edit them. How often do you use the cookbook? If you've had it for years but it's never gotten a single stain or burn from use, donate it.

That Pile of Mail

If you can't finish the mail, don't start the mail. You can't slice chicken for dinner and sort your bills at the same time, so when you come in the front door with a stack of mail, put it in the basket, box, or whatever container you have handy for this purpose. You don't have such a container? No wonder there are so many piles of mail around your house.

When you're ready, take your mail basket to wherever you deal with paperwork. First, pull out the circulars and flyers and set them aside; you'll either clip the coupons or put them in the recycling bin—later. Also set aside the catalogs. If you're shopping for something specific, save them. (Caveat: no multiples. The new catalog replaces the old one, which gets recycled.) If you're getting catalogs you never wanted in the first place, pull off the pages with the mailing label and put them aside; that's an action item for later. Then separate the rest: bills, personal correspondence, time-sensitive invitations, requests for charitable donations, membership renewals, new credit card offers, and so forth.

Open the bills first because they represent a relationship that must be honored; if you want the services, you have to pay. All the stuffing that says "You've been selected to receive these free gifts" goes into the recycling bin. All you want is the bill and the return envelope.

Put any invitations aside; later on, you'll transfer those into your calendar and send your response.

If there's room in your home office, have small bins in which to stack bills, invitations, and the correspondence you're keeping.

When you're done sorting, then you can read your magazines. Or get those back pages you ripped out, call the companies that sent them, and tell them what you don't want—their catalogs.

Your Overstuffed Closet

Lots of folks have a lot of "someday" best. Someday I'm going to fit into these again. Someday this trend might return. Someday I'm going to wear this. The problem is, "someday" doesn't exist; there's only today. Here's what to do with what's being worn only by your hangers.

Clothes that don't fit: If you've gained weight, keep the smaller-sized clothes that you'll get the most use from and work on fitting into them again. If you've already lost weight, don't keep a whole closetful of big clothes as though one day you're going to suddenly be struck fat; donate them.

Trend items: If you're waiting for something to come back in style, don't. Even if it does return, it will look dated—and so will you.

Special occasion outfits: The rule that says "If you haven't worn it in a year, donate it" is a fine guide for when to say goodbye.

Sentimental pieces: You say, "I really loved this jacket." I know you did. But if you haven't worn it in ages and it doesn't work with your other clothes, it's time for it to go away. If you're saving your wedding dress, be honest—do you have the space to store it? Do you have a daughter you're saving it for, and is it a timeless classic she won't roll her eyes at? If the answers are yes, keep it. If you're short on storage space, you have only sons, or your dress has puffy sleeves, lace, and buttons up the arms because you did a kind of Linda Ronstadt circa 1974 thing, give it to a thrift store or DonateMyDress.org, which provides formal wear to girls who can't afford prom or special occasion dresses.

Now that you have a closetful of clothes that you actually wear, organize them—all the short-sleeved shirts together, all the jeans together, etc. Do the same with your shoes. If you have the space, they can be kept on shelves so you can see them immediately. If not, try stacking shelves or hanging shoe racks.

The Drawer Full of Photos

If you don't have time to put your photos in an album or scrapbook, it's okay to stop pretending you're going to do it. Get clear shoe boxes to store them in instead.

Then get a kitchen timer. Why? Because sorting through photos leads to reminiscing, and suddenly it's three hours later. But you're not looking at photos now—you're organizing them so that looking at them later will be more fun. Decide how long you have and set the timer.

Group the photos by subject—the family reunion, your trip to Istanbul. While you're grouping, you're also sorting: Is it a clear picture? Do you even know who those people are? Throw away any that don't measure up, and any in which you can't stand the sight of yourself. When you're done, label the boxes accordingly: "Family Reunion, February 2008."

The Inherited Items and Mementos from Aunt So-and-So or Uncle Joe

Your home is not a museum. Many people subscribe to the unwritten rule that you're obligated to keep your great-aunt's dishes, even if you don't like them, just because she used them. But maybe your great-aunt never liked them either and also felt too guilty to let them go. Things don't have to become yours simply because they belonged to a relative. You're not living her life, and you're not a bad person for giving inherited items away.

If the acquired stuff is worth money, you may feel bound to it financially: "It's real silver—I can't give it away." Yes, you can. Donate it, document what it's worth, and take it off your taxes. Or give it to another family member who would really like it. Or sell it on eBay. And if you like something enough to keep it, consider it a replacement, not an addition—keep Grandma's reading lamp, but donate the one you already have.

Mementos from your own life are harder to part with because when you see them, you relive the story: To you, it's the cashmere V-neck you wore on your first date with the man who would become your husband; to anyone else, it's just an old sweater full of holes. The key to parting with items suspended in time is not to replay that story. Leave the room, come back in, and see what you're really holding on to—a sweater that's seen better days. Rule of thumb: If it serves no purpose, let it go.

At the end of this project, you'll have accomplished three goals: There will be less stuff, what's left will be in order, and everything will be in containers that work with your space. Being organized isn't about getting rid of everything you own or trying to become a different person; it's about living the way you want to live, but better. There are enough things in the world that you can't control—but you can bring some order into your home and your life.

If you think this can't be accomplished in time for the holidays, how about setting your sights now on a 2010 New Year's resolution? Start now with what you know can be finished; pick up the rest come January 1st.

Happy Monday- and thanks to all who made our Buffalo and Pittsburgh concerts this past weekend so absolutely fantastic- we loved spending time with you!

Hackers are becoming stronger- keep yourself protected with stronger passwords

Keeping yourself protected online becomes a larger issue year by year, as hackers who want to steal your identity seem to stay ahead of the game in coming up with new ways to do it! Put that against a backdrop of economic uncertainly and losses everywhere, and it's a recipe, potentially, for your disaster!  Experts say the stronger your personal passwords you use for online accounts, the better.  Unfortunately, the same experts find that, sadly, most of our personal passwords are way too easy to crack. Here's a beautifully crafted set of guidelines to help you create beautifully crafted passwords, from PC World's Michael Scalisi:

When it comes to password strength, educating users is just as important as enforcing policies.

While security has never been more important than it is today, the fastest way for an IT professional to become the most despised person in the company is to start enforcing a strong password policy. A policy perceived as overbearing may cause people to write down their passwords on a sticky note near their computers, circumventing its very purpose. Your policy will be ineffective if users don't know how to create strong passwords that are easy to remember.

Left to our own devices, Scalisi says people will choose passwords that are simple for them to remember. They'll use their spouse's name, their dog's name, their favorite sports team or a recent vacation spot.

Scalisi also reports that occasionally while working on a user's computer, he'll need to log on as that person after a computer reboot. But maybe by that time, the user has wandered off, not wanting to hover over the IT guy. He says that, generally, he prefers not to know other people's passwords, so he doesn't usually ask. In this situation, he'll take a guess at the password, and has been right a surprising number of times- even dealing with the most powerful people in the company! It's easy for him to guess simply glancing around the offices and note what users obsessions are- what their interests are. Clearly, password policies are needed.

By using the following tips, people will be able to create easy-to-remember passwords that follow these typical requirements: at least eight characters long and with at least three of the following character types: uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers and special characters.

Substitute numbers for letters and vice versa.  (o instead of 0, 4 instead of A, 1 instead of L, E instead of 3)

• Substitute words for numbers (one, two, three...)
• Combine both of the above (0ne, thr33, flve)
• Use capitalization in random places (bLue, happY)
• Use special characters (!@#$%^&*(){}[]) to punctuate and separate words
• Create passwords out of words, numbers or phrases you'll remember
• Misspell words

Using these tips, you can create memorable passwords that will be nearly impossible to guess. Here are some examples of converting memorable information into a complex password

We'll start with some easy ones:

• Friday becomes frYday!
• Robert becomes #robERt#
• 867-5309 becomes 8siX753o9

More complex passwords:

• 19 Peach Place becomes: 0ne9peacHpl!
• I love Jill becomes: eYelov3Jill
• My dog Fritz becomes MeyedogfrltZ

While some of these examples look nearly indecipherable, it's also obvious that they're not difficult to memorize -- as long as you know the originating word, number or phrase and the basic methodology used to create it. By educating users on how to create strong passwords, the security of the company is stronger, and users will benefit additionally by have safer personal experiences with online banking and social networking.

Ready to bolster a few passwords now?  Gr8!  hAve a souper weakEnd!

John

Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

Check out the new John Tesh Social Network. You can connect with new friends, post your own blog, visit various forums, upload your favorite John Tesh music and share your photos.  To learn more about how to join, click here.

Feeling a little too crowded in "your space"?

Feel like you're running out of space for all your stuff? LifeOrganizers.com is behind these 10 simple ideas for using your space more effectively. 

1. INSUFFICIENT OR INEFFECTIVE? Do you have insufficient storage space or ineffective storage space? There's a big difference. Insufficient storage space means you don't have enough space for your things. Ineffective space means you have enough space for your  things, but you're not making the best use of that space. Most closets and cabinets have the volume to hold twice as much as they are usually constructed for. And you probably have quite a few nooks and crannies for storage that you haven't even thought of. Of course, it's important to make sure you don't have things you don't like, things that are outdated, things you could be donating- but it is also important to have effective storage space for the things you do like and enjoy.

2. ADD-A-ROD. Looking for extra storage space in your closet? If you have the type of closet with two+ walls for hanging clothes, on one wall hang a rod at head height for long clothing (dresses, pants, etc.). On the other wall, hang two rods- one above the other- for shorter clothing (shirts, skirts, blazers, etc.) In other words, you're not restricted to only one clothing rod.

3. INSTALL SHELVES. Most shelves can be moved up-a-notch or down-a-notch. If you have three inches of space above your linens, you may consider adjusting the shelf so the shelf below it has more space. Or, perhaps you can add another shelf in between. Plastic, multiple level shelves are wonderful for kitchen cabinets. And corner shelves are great for picture frames, knick knacks and other small treasures.

4. USE STORAGE UNITS. Storage units, which can be picked up from housewares or hardware stores, are great space savers. Your spices can be removed from drawers and placed on a spice rack. There are racks for canned goods that, when a can is taken from it, the next can in line rolls forward. Some of these hold over 40 cans! Ice cube trays are inexpensive storage containers for smaller items such as earrings. There are coffee tables on the market with storage space hidden inside. Under bed containers are perfect for storing quilts and linens. Be creative and make use of these great tools!

5. DON'T FORGET ABOUT WALL SPACE. Look around and you're sure to find quite a bit of empty wall space. There are many uses for this new-found space. Pots and pans can be taken out of cabinets and hung on walls. Tools can be placed on peg boards. Shelves can be installed for picture frames and knick knacks. Many stores now carry corner shelves that can be installed in a snap.

6. PUT FREQUENTLY USED ITEMS WITHIN ARMS REACH. Whenever possible, store regularly used items where you use them most. You can, pretty easily, create a toilet paper holder on, say, the back of a bathroom cabinet door with just a small dowel, 2 nails and 2 loops of rope. It holds three rolls of toilet paper, and it's right near the area it's needed most. You shouldn't have to walk from one room to another to retrieve items you use every day. Store linens in the bedroom. Store videos near the television. If you use the scissors in the office area and in the sewing room, have two pairs of scissors, one in each room.

7. ADD-A-DRAWER OR SLIDING SHELF. Many hardware and housewares stores carry drawers that can be installed underneath a cabinet. These are great if you have a home with limited drawer space. In addition, you can also install shelves under cabinets that slide out when you need them, and slide back in when you're finished with them.

8. KEEP YOUR DESK CLEAR. A clear desk is directly related to your productivity. You will get more done, if you're not constantly under a pile of papers and files. A sturdy, full-suspension filing cabinet is a must for any home or office. Portable file boxes that hold hanging file folders also come in handy. There are plenty of storage choices for CD-roms and diskettes. Desk supplies belong in an on-the-desk caddy or in trays inside your desk.

9. REARRANGE. Everyone is different, and has different needs. Make your home or office work for you. What if you, for example, have a dining room that you never use- even when you have company over? Maybe your friends and family gather, typically, in a large and inviting kitchen you do have, so you'll not ever be likely to start using your dining room. Next, maybe you've got your home office trapped down in your dark basement.  Starting to see the connection here? Rearrangement, my friend, is in order here, to turn that dining room into your new office. Using all your space efficiently requires new thinking about your surroundings to make them work for you, even if they seem a little out of the ordinary.

10. ROTATE. You may have many items you love in your home or office, but not enough space. Rotate them. In other words, keep some things in storage for a month or two and display some of your things. Then, once that time is up, make the switch. The items on display go into storage; the items in storage go on display.  You use all your things- just not all at once- pretty neat idea!

And the neatest thing?  A newly efficient space that makes you feel good, and that makes you, and your family, work more efficiently all the way around!

John

Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

Check out the new John Tesh Social Network. You can connect with new friends, post your own blog, visit various forums, upload your favorite John Tesh music and share your photos.  To learn more about how to join, click here.

New Uses for Old Things- that will save you some time, too!

Pretty cool to get some new, or "Oh!  Hadn't thought of that!" use from things you probably already have at home, and save yourself a little time in your day, too!  Real Simple shines the light, so get ready to dig through your catch-all drawers for what you need:

1.

Slow Silver Tarnishing with Chalk

Original Purpose: Drawing the lines for a rousing game of hopscotch.
Aha! Use: Slowing the tarnish on your good silver. Tie up a few moisture-absorbing pieces in cheesecloth and store them with your cutlery.
Reward: Shinier flatware that reflects well on you in no time flat. Now here's an idea.  Go ahead and do this, then wait until your spouse goes to clean the silver before your next special dinner.  How about that for an unexpected surprise?

2. 

Organize Linens with Binder Clips

Original Purpose: Keeping your morning briefing in order.
Aha Use: Restoring order in the linen closet. Store sets of napkins clipped together and they'll always be ready to set the scene at dinnertime.
Reward: No minutes wasted searching for elusive matching colors.

3.

Clean Your Dishwasher with Lemonade Kool-Aid

Original Purpose: Quenching your thirst.
Aha! Use: Cleaning lime deposits and iron stains inside the dishwasher. Pour a packet of lemonade Kool-Aid (the only flavor that works) into the detergent cup and run the dishwasher while empty.
Reward: The citric acid in the mix wipes out stains, so you don't have to.

4.

Use WD-40 to Remove Crayon Marks

Original Purpose: Greasing a squeaky wheel.
Aha! Use: Removing crayon from almost any surface: plastic, metal, TV screens, freshly painted walls. Just apply a small amount and rub away with a clean cloth.
Reward: The living room won't look like a romper room after little Sammy's visit.

5.

Use Eggshells to Clean Bottles and Vases

Original Purpose: Playing a central role in the chicken-and-egg debate.
Aha! Use: Cleaning the hard-to-reach places in bottles and vases. Drop some crushed shells in the bottle, add warm water and a drop of dishwashing liquid, and give it a good swirl.
Reward: Shells that scrape off the gunk you can't get to, so you can save your elbow grease for the dinner dishes.  Well...I guess that's a bonus.

6.

Remove Adhesive with Mayonnaise

Original Purpose: Key tuna-salad ingredient.
Aha! Use: Adhesive remover that banishes old stickers from mirrors, glass, and bumpers. Apply a generous helping to persistent adhesives and coax off with a flexible putty knife.
Reward: Unstick sticky surfaces without the noxious fumes, or the cost, of the commercial stuff.

7.

Laundry Bag as Dishwasher Item Saver

Original Purpose: Saving delicate unmentionables from getting stretched in the spin cycle.
Aha! Use: Keeping mini Tupperware lids, baby-bottle caps, and other small items from falling through the dishwasher rack.
Reward: No more diving for treasure on the floor of the dishwasher.

I'm thinking about sticking some stickers around the office walls for awhile, just so I can have a go at the mayo trick!  Have a super Monday-

John

Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

Check out the new John Tesh Social Network. You can connect with new friends, post your own blog, visit various forums, upload your favorite John Tesh music and share your photos.  To learn more about how to join, click here.

10 Tips for Reinventing Your Home- Go ahead- it's worth it!

Now that homeowners no longer obsess about how much their homes have increased in value in the past week, they're reacquainting themselves with the joys of home ownership from a new, healthier perspective.

Recognizing that larger is not necessarily better and that less can actually be more, many homeowners are looking for ways to make the homes they're in more useful, comfortable and enjoyable.

Here is Jay MacDonald from Bankrate.com with the ideas that may help you make the house you're in your dream home:

1. Show your true colors. "Paint is the cheapest and most powerful thing you can do to put your personal stamp on a home," says Barbara Corcoran, a New York City real-estate agent and NBC's "Today" show real-estate expert. "Paint your home the colors you enjoy living with, the colors you feel happiest within."

2. Ditch some stuff. "You probably have more stuff than you need. Get rid of some of it," says James Gauer, author of "The New American Dream: Living Well in Small Homes."

3. Start simple. Find the simplest remodeling solution within your home's existing footprint before considering expanding its size, says Marc Vassallo, co-author of "Not So Big Remodeling: Tailoring Your Home for the Way You Really Live."

4. Dine in a booth. "I've yet to see a small living/dining room where a free-floating dining table and chairs really works," Gauer says. "A dining banquette against the wall looks and feels luxurious and comfortable while taking up considerably less space."

5. Check out books. "Put a wall of books in any room and it's cozy and inviting," Corcoran says.

6. Consolidate doorways. "Attempt to locate all the doorways to the kitchen on one side of the room and eliminate any that are not absolutely necessary," Vassallo says. "This leaves the rest of the kitchen for continuous countertop and appliance arrangement while limiting the flow of foot traffic through the work area."

7. Plan your furniture first. "Never buy furniture without first laying out a furniture plan," Gauer says. "Chances are, that sofa you're eyeing is too big and will just make your living room feel crowded."

8. Let there be light. "The right lighting can make a heck of an improvement,"  Corcoran says. "Throw in task lighting to make tasks easier, mood light to make a room sexier. And don't forget dimmers! I can't imagine lighting without them."

9. Add a column. "Create a more open floor plan by removing a wall and replacing it with a new support beam and columns," Vassallo says. "Columns allow for differentiation of places with minimal view obstruction."

10. Dare to be modest. "Modesty requires us to arrange our homes first and foremost to suit the real needs of our private lives with no thought to public display, to eschew the showy and unnecessary and embrace the appropriate and suitable," Gauer says.

Selling your home right now just may not be in your cards.  That's why we have a great cliche to fall back on, "Love the one you're with."  Weekend's upon us?  Got a little spare time for a little reinvention?  Could find yourself falling in love- with your home- all over again.  Have a great weekend-

John

Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

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Three Ways to Simplify Your Money Management

It's not your imagination, nor or you turning into some sort of old 'fogie' for believing that managing your money is a lot harder than it used to be.  It is getting harder.

You have to make a lot more decisions than folks did a generation or two ago, and be much more up on your financial toes than your grandfolks perhaps did.

Instead of one health plan, you may need to choose from half a dozen- if you can afford coverage at all. Instead of an employer-provided traditional pension, you have to manage your own 401(k) and figure out not only how much to save but how to invest- without losing it all.

Instead of a single credit card with a relatively low rate- all that was available to most households in the 1970s- you probably have a wallet full of options, all with different rates, terms and due dates to monitor.

Fortunately, technology is riding to the rescue. I love the advice from MSN Money's Liz Pulliam Weston, and she's rounded up- again!- totally-make-great-sense tips for having an easier time managing your finances.  Used properly, it can help you stay on top of your  money with minimal effort. Liz spells out these tips in her book "Easy Money: How to Simplify Your Finances and Get What You Want Out of Life", and could go a long way towards helping you streamline your financial life:

Simplify and de-clutter

Use direct deposit. This should be a no-brainer, but many people who are eligible for direct deposit of their paychecks don't ever sign up. Perhaps it's an irrational fear of electronic transactions holding them back, but they should get over it. Direct deposit is easier, faster and safer than running around with a live check in your wallet.

Get true overdraft protection. Real overdraft protection links your checking account to a savings account, line of credit or credit card. Money is drawn from one of these sources if you write a check or initiate a debit card transaction for more than you have in your account. The annual cost is reasonable -- $20 to $50 is typical -- and you may pay another small fee anytime you use the overdraft.

What you don't want is "courtesy overdraft" or "bounce protection" that many banks and credit unions automatically offer their customers. That "service" can cost you $30 to $40 every time you make an over-limit transaction, and those fees can add up quickly. Take as example someone who racks up more than $200 in bounce fees buying songs for an MP3 player; because of an overdraft- even by a mere dollar!- each 99-cent tune could trigger a $30 fee. Be very careful navigating around overdraft protection; in the end, your bank will profit from the "courtesy" extended toward you.

Consolidate your accounts. Clutter isn't limited to the tangible stuff in your home. You also can create financial clutter when you have accounts all over the place. Too many accounts make it harder for you to adequately monitor your money, and you may pay more account fees than if you were able to maintain higher balances in fewer accounts.

For example, you could:

• Roll 401(k)s from previous employers into your current plan or into an individual retirement account (IRA).

• Combine IRAs as long as they're the same kind and they're all yours. You can't combine yours with a spouse's, for example, or combine regular IRAs with Roth IRAs -- at least not without serious financial consequences.

• Combine taxable brokerage accounts. If you have different goals for the various accounts you have now, you could consider maintaining separate accounts but at least consolidating them with the same brokerage house.

Trim your credit cards. The more cards you use, the more due dates and interest rates you're forced to monitor. If you pay off your balances in full, consider carrying just one card in your wallet, with another at home as a backup. If you're carrying credit card debt, consider leaving all your cards at home. Don't close accounts, since that could hurt your credit scores, but stop using them until you've retired your debt.

Consider two checking accounts. Consolidation isn't always best. If you have trouble figuring out how much money you can spend and how much needs to be reserved for bills, consider a two-account system.

Folks who utilize a two-account system typically have their paychecks deposited to a checking account at a brick-and-mortar bank -- often one that offers free checking if you use direct deposit. They have a second checking account they use to pay bills. If they can't get the second account free from their bank, or their bank doesn't have free online bill pay, they use an online bank, such as ING Direct, that offers fee-free checking and bill-pay services.

Next, they total all their bills for the year, using the previous year's bills as a guide, and divide the result by the number of paychecks they get each year. They set up automatic transfers so that this sum is whisked every payday to the second account.

Some go further by setting up automatic payments for most or all of their bills. Others prefer to control when bills get paid using the online bill-pay system that comes with their second account.

This two-account system takes a little effort to set up and monitor, but done right you'll eliminate uncertainty about whether you can cover your bills. What's left in the first account is the cash that's available for spending on clothes, eating out, etc.

A schedule for success

Set up a high-yield savings account. Saving for retirement and paying off credit card debt need to be the first and second priorities for most folks. Once you're on track there, though, you should consider building up an emergency fund, and today's high-rate online savings accounts can help you accomplish that. Accounts offered by ING Direct, Emigrant Direct and HSBC Direct, among others, are FDIC-insured and offer attractive rates. They typically link directly to your checking account at your brick-and-mortar bank. Set up automatic transfers so you don't have to think about saving -- you just do it.

Create alerts. Banks, brokerages and credit card companies will send you e-mails to alert you to all kinds of events: when your checking account drops below a certain level, for example, or when your credit card payment is due. Get online access to your accounts and explore the possibilities.

Move your due dates. If you have too many bills falling due at the same time, see if you can shift some to another time of the month. Many credit card companies, for example, will allow you to pick your own due dates.

Create a bill calendar. Even if you have e-mail alerts, you still should have all of your bills' due dates mapped out on a calendar. This can be a calendar on the wall, on your desktop or on your phone. The only requirement is that it be a calendar you look at daily. You're responsible for paying your bills even if you don't receive a statement, and this calendar can help make sure you don't wind up paying unnecessary late fees or inadvertently ruining your credit. (A single skipped payment on a credit account can knock nearly 100 points off your credit scores- what a big YUK.)

Pick the no-brainer options. If you really love picking individual stocks or researching the heck out of your mutual fund choices, go with that. If you want an easier route, though, seek out funds that do the heavy lifting for you. "Life cycle" and "target date maturity" funds not only choose the investments but re-balance them regularly so you don't have to mess with figuring out how much of your 401(k) to put in stocks and how much in bonds.

Don't procrastinate -- aggregate

Monitor your money. People who wait for their statements to arrive in the mail typically catch fraud later than those who monitor their accounts online, according to Javelin Research & Strategy, an online research firm. Real-time access to your accounts can help you prevent overdrafts and over-limit fees, too. You can try bouncing from site to site to check all your accounts, but you have better options.

Your bank may offer account aggregation, which allows you to view accounts held at other institutions. If you're comfortable having your transactions aggregated online, you can use sites such as Wesabe, Mint and Yodlee.

Many people would prefer personal-finance software programs like Microsoft Money and Quicken. These programs, which live on your computer rather than online, allow you to automatically download transactions and keep track of your finances while providing some powerful financial-planning software. Recent updates have vastly improved cash-flow-forecast features, which can show you in advance when your checking account is about to run on fumes. (Microsoft is the publisher of MSN Money.)

Each of these 10 options requires some upfront effort on your part, but after your systems are in place you'll be able to stay on top of your money in just a few minutes a week. If that isn't a worthwhile goal, I don't know what is, and what if you could have a little more "me-time", instead of "bill-time"?  Sounds pretty good.

John

Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

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Summer vacation- over already? Help your kids survive "back to school"!

Yep, it's summer, and as twisted as it sounds, that SHOULD mean back-to-school prep for parents to avoid the inevitable nervous breakdown that comes with waiting until the last minute on absolutely everything. Let's learn more from MSNBC's Kids and Parenting:

Make a well-visit appointment with your child's pediatrician if summer camp paperwork didn't require an up-to-date health and immunization record and one is needed for school. Schedule eye exams and dental appointments. Everybody's trying for the same appointment times, so planning ahead pays off. Bring along necessary forms for the doctor's signature.

Athletics programs may require a physical on a short cycle, say only six months old, and many doctors will do a special "sports physical" covering less ground if it's not time for an annual, Vozza said.

If your child is entering a new school, you may still be recovering from the admissions and registration process, but you need to watch your pile of summer mail for any back-to-school correspondence from the PTA or teachers. Also, make sure you've notified the people you've listed as emergency contacts.

Sure, for-ever it's been suits and beach covers, but now you've got to make your kids focus on school clothes.  If they need to sign off on fall wear, shopping early makes sense for the best selection and helps to avoid sizes selling out.

Clean out your child's closets before you shop for back to school, or the old and beat up will be buried under the new and pristine. Begin sorting through closets before school begins, or soon after, and remember that the weather is usually still warm for a few weeks after classes start, Vozza said.

Have you registered your child for fall sports and made enough copies of required documents to cover sports, school and after-school obligations? Have you signed up for the onsite afterschool program?

Buy new cleats, sports uniforms, helmets, karate, ballet or gymnastics clothes, ice skates, inline skates or other equipment they've outgrown or might need, like tennis rackets. Does anything need to be monogrammed?

Confirm the sitter if that's your after-school childcare plan. Confirm daycare and ask for a list of required items. Confirm bus routes. Angela Gifford at Mom4Life.com also suggests making carpool connections, something that shouldn't wait until the last minute if you're depending on sharing pickup and drop-off responsibilities with other families.

Any idea how to outfit a dorm room these days? CollegeView.com urges a check of the school's Web site for what's not allowed before shopping ensues (toasters, air conditioners and space heaters are often prohibited). Download the school's checklist and make contact with roommates to divide up common appliances and decor, like rugs and coffee makers.

Some useful items that might fly under your radar because you're preoccupied with pricey computers and other high-tech gear: No stain, good-stick tak to hang posters, closet extenders like hanging shoe and sweater storage, reusable shopping bags, a hand vacuum, sewing kit, collapsible hamper, first aid kit, small tool kit, strong magnetic clips, clothesline or drying rack.

Has your new college kid ever cleaned the bathroom? This might be a good time to introduce him to the cleaning supplies aisle. Does he know how to do laundry? Hit the bank for a few rolls of quarters if that's what school machines take.

On the computer front, consider signing him up for an offline data storage service for easy and safe backup as he takes on more work in college.

The first things to go out the window as soon as Summer vaca hits are any hint of a sleep schedule and getting going early in the morning. While there's no need to maintain those regimens over summer, rebuilding them in the fall takes time.

Two or three weeks before school begins, start nibbling away at bedtimes and your back-to-school, out-the-door drills.

"Make a list for kids to follow and tape it to their bedroom doors, so they know exactly what they have to do without you asking," Vozza said. "Things like brush your teeth, make your bed."

The list can include lots of other things that don't apply to the laid-back summer: Putting shoes and backpacks by the door, picking clothes out the night before.

And...ready or not- you're off- everyone in the family!  Next week- we'll tackle the sometimes predictable headaches and tummy aches early in a school year masking the real culprits:  fear and nervousness. 

Have a great weekend-

John

Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

Check out the new John Tesh Social Network. You can connect with new friends, post your own blog, visit various forums, upload your favorite John Tesh music and share your photos.  To learn more about how to join, click here.

It appears that someone stole your identity. It's a mess, yes, but here's your mess-kit.

So you may have thought to yourself over some time, "Why, if anyone wants to take my identity- go ahead!  There's nothing there!"  But, oh, oh... You've got PLENTY that a would-be identity thief would want, and it could very well be your so-called 'nothing', which translates to a hacker as a good place to hide!

If you suspect your identity may be compromised, place a fraud alert with the three credit bureaus. When you place an alert, you are entitled to a free copy of your credit report. After that, take advantage of the free annual reports the bureaus are required to give all consumers. Stagger your requests so that you get a report every four months. Beware: A fraud alert applies only when someone tries to open a new line of credit. It won’t keep someone from using existing accounts.

• "Phishing" refers to a person or a group of cyber-criminals who create an imitation or copy of an existing legitimate Web page to trick users into providing sensitive personal information. Responding to "phishing" emails put your accounts at risk.

  Usually a phishing-attack is done in combination with email spam. Spamming is simply to send millions of emails with one mouse click. This way phishers can reach a huge target population very fast. Hence it’s name, “fishing” from the big internet ocean.

  If you've been phished, contact the real bank or other company named in the fraudulent e-mail. You also may want to notify the Internet Crime Complaint Center and forward the e-mail to spam@uce.gov.

If you are the victim of identity theft, MSN Money suggests the following 8 steps:

• Make an identity-theft report to the police. File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. Also, contact the office of your state's attorney general; you may be able to file a report there. Get copies of all this paperwork and keep them in a safe place.

• Close accounts that have been tampered with. Contact each company by phone and again by certified letter. Make sure the company notifies you in writing that the disputed charges have been erased. Document each conversation and keep all records.

• Place a seven-year fraud alert or a "freeze" on your credit reports. Liz Pulliam Weston lists the steps to take:  

  A credit freeze, for those who don't know, is a way to block your credit reports to make it a lot tougher for an identity thief to get a loan or open a credit account in your name. That's because while a freeze is in place, no one, not even you, can open an account in your name. Lenders, insurers and even employers doing background checks are not able to access your credit file.

  You can have the freeze lifted, or "thawed," if you need to get new credit, but you have to give the bureaus a specially issued personal identification number and a few days' notice to do so.

• Begin the process of having the fraudulent information removed from your credit reports. Do not let credit report errors fester- you must be very quickly reactive to trouble you find.

• Consider purchasing identity theft insurance. It cannot protect you from becoming a victim of identity theft, but it can help you pay the cost of reclaiming your financial identity. Be wary of identity theft protection services; the Consumer Federation of America has found they may not be worth the cost.


• Find victim support at the Identity Theft Resource Center, a non-profit organization.

I hope- most sincerely- that you've not been a victim of identity theft! If so- use this list to be sure you've covered all the bases you need to.  If you haven't- YES, consider this as preventive measures!  Have a super Monday-

John

Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

Check out the new John Tesh Social Network. You can connect with new friends, post your own blog, visit various forums, upload your favorite John Tesh music and share your photos.  To learn more about how to join, click here.