We all have eaten oatmeal for breakfast at some point in our lives. It is inexpensive, easy to make, and if we believe the health claims, it is exceptionally good for us. Helping to lower cholesterol, fighting diabetes, and reducing the risk from certain cancers, to name a few of its benefits.

But did you know that oatmeal can do more than just make a tasty breakfast?

1) Chicken pox, poison ivy, dry itchy skin? Have an oatmeal bath. Grind a cup or so of plain oatmeal in your food processor. Put it into an old stocking or cheesecloth and tie the open end so it form a pouch. You can hang the pouch over the water faucet so that the warm water runs through the pouch as the tub fills, or you can use the pouch the way you would a washcloth and apply to the affected areas.

2) Make an oatmeal paste. Cook the oatmeal a little thicker than you would for normal eating. Allow it to cool slightly, so that it is warm and will not burn you. Apply the paste with a spatula to the areas of the skin that have poison ivy, shingles, or other type of itchy rash. If possible, wrap the area with some type of plastic wrap. This is not necessary, but will prevent the oatmeal from flaking off as it dries. As the oatmeal dries, it absorbs the oils that make the poison itch and spread.

3) Make a facial mask. 1/2 cup hot, not boiling water mixed with 1/3 cup of oatmeal. Allow it to sit for a few minutes. Then add 1 egg white. Mix well. Apply to your face. Leave on for about 15 minutes. Then rinse with cool water and pat dry. Your skin will look rejuvenated and refreshed.

4) Make a dry shampoo. No time for the shower? Grind 1 cup of plain oatmeal and mix well with 1 cup baking soda. Sprinkle the mixture sparingly on the roots of your hair. Give it a few minutes to absorb the excess oil, then brush out. You want to go easy on this lest you end up looking like you are wearing a powdered wig.

5) Dieting? Oatmeal can help you control your weight. Replace your regular flour with oatmeal flour. It has less calories and more soluble fiber making you feel fuller longer so you will be less tempted to reach for that second, or third, muffin.

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The first step of wallpaper removal: NEVER put it up to begin with.

Please. If you are thinking of moving out of your house in the next century some time, don't hang wallpaper. You might think that there is no way people won't love your paper, but trust me it is a guarantee that someone will hate it. Remember how stylish the dark background wallpaper with teeny tiny flowers was a decade or so ago, or the large striped paper with a 12" border around the ceiling that made the room look like a big hatbox, or the cows and ducks in pastels phase, which screams outdated like your parents avocado green appliances. Yeah, how many of the people who hung those wallpapers now regret it. Or to be more accurate, how many current owners of those houses regret it.

You don't want to be that previous owner. You know that one that is talked about at dinner parties and neighborhood gatherings. The previous owner with no skills and even less taste.

One day you will sell your house. And the new owner will be faced with your wallpapering decisions. They will wonder how you could have ever thought it was worthy of hanging on the wall. Then when they are removing it and it has adhered to the wall and tears the plaster off in chunks, they will curse you.

If you can't follow this advice, if you just have your heart set on hanging wallpaper, please, for the love of all things holy, don't paper every single room. Confine yourself to one or two rooms.

Okay, so now you need to remove wallpaper. Where do you begin? Hopefully whatever wallpaper you are trying to remove has been hung properly.

There are many different ways to remove wallpaper. Some people use a steamer, a method I personally don't recommend. Unless you like to be aggravated and to burn yourself periodically.

Step One: Acquire your tools

You will need:

A scraper, I prefer to use a five-in-one tool above all over scrapers. (That link will being you to a site that sells them 5 for under $30. You can buy them and invite your friends over to help!)

A product such as DIF wall paper remover

Paper tiger, or something similar to score the wallpaper. If you are doing a small area using the pointy side of your 5-in-1 tool to CAREFULLY score the paper will work fine. But for larger areas you are much better off using a tool designed for the purpose.

A large sponge

Step Two:
Using your paper tiger score your wallpaper. Score it as much as possible. It makes the next steps easier.

Step Three:
Apply the wall paper remover using a roller and apply like you would wall paint. Allow it to sit until it has soaked under the wallpaper. Work in smallish areas because you do not want the remover to dry on the walls.

Step Four:
Pray that the person who installed the wallpaper used sizing so that the wallpaper comes off quickly and easily.

Step Five:
If you are like 95% of the homeowners removing wallpaper you will discover that the person who installed the wallpaper decided to skip the step of applying the sizing to the walls. Now is when you begin swearing. Be creative with your cuss words.

Step Six:

Using your 5-in-1 tool gently scrape the wallpaper off the wall. Gently being the key word. You do not want to cause any more damage to the wall below than is absolutely necessary. You might need to reapply your wallpaper removing product.

Step Seven:

Continue around the room until all the paper has been removed. At this point you might notice that there are bits of wallpaper glue still stuck to the wall. Using your sponge and a bucket of hot water, sponge down the walls to remove the residue.

Step Eight:

Allow the walls to dry for a few days before you do anything else. Depending on how easily the wallpaper came off, you might need to get out some joint compound and patch some ares of your walls.

Now you can decide if you want to wallpaper again or paint.

I am guessing you choose paint.

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The kitchen is often referred to as the heart of the home. It is the busiest place in the house, where guests and family congregate. But do you know what congregates with them? Stuff, that's what. And before you know it your counters are covered with clutter and all of your drawers resemble the junk drawer.

How do you keep your kitchen organized and clutter free?

1) If you don't use it daily, put it away. I am not a fan of appliances on the counter. At all. It doesn't take much effort to put things away and take them back out again. The only appliances that live on my counters are my coffee pot and my huge stand mixer. Some people argue for the toaster to be kept on the counter and to them I say, "Do you really eat that much toast?"

2) Keep the top of your refrigerator clear. Don't stick stuff up there. This one is going to be controversial, get all those papers and magnets and photos off of the front of your refrigerator. It makes your kitchen look like a cluttered mess. I know you think that yours looks different better, but trust me... it doesn't.

3) Store your items in your cabinets in a logical manner. Imagine yourself using your kitchen before you decide where to store your dishes. It makes much more sense to have your dishes stored near your dishwasher rather than across the kitchen. Your coffee pot is probably better near your sink, your spices and pots near the stove, napkins and place mats as close to your eating area as possible. Don't be afraid to rearrange the contents of your cabinets if you find your original placement isn't working for you.

4) If you have glass front cabinets or open shelving, make sure that the things that are visible are neat and orderly. If you have nice glassware, this is the place to store them. Decorative baskets can be used for hiding things that might not be attractive.

5) Get that spice rack off of your counter. There are several options for your spices from a rack that hangs on the inside of your cabinet door to tiered risers that raise the spice jars in the back row up so that you can see them.

6) Purge, purge, purge. Kitchen things seem to multiply on their own overnight. Go through your things with a critical eye and get rid of those that you don't use. I finally got rid of some random mismatched silverware pieces I had been hanging onto since college. Do you have older pots and pans that you aren't using? Cookie sheets that have seen better days? Cheap knives that don't even cut? A thousand and one plastic water bottles? Get them out of your kitchen and reclaim that space.

6) Pay attention to the details. Put your canned goods away with the label facing forward. Find a place to store and organize your mail other than the kitchen counter. Put your purse away in the closet.

7) Get in the habit of always putting things back where they belong. If you put your things away after you use them you will never be faced with a cluttered mess again.

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Anyone who has ever tried to outfit their bedroom knows that bedroom furniture is not cheap. So what do you do if you are short on cash, yet long for a stylish room? You do-it-yourself, of course.

There are a few things to consider before you begin. Think about your decorating style. Are you looking for something as a short term solution or are you looking to invest the time and energy into making a headboard that will last your for the long haul. How much time and energy do you really want to spend making a headboard? Do you want to make your headboard from items that you already own, then look around your house, garage, or attic at things that you have laying around that could be repurposed.

Here are some ideas to get you started.

Think beyond the metal scroll screen. There are many types of screens out there that can suit your own personal taste. You can even use vintage shutters hinged together.

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An old door can be made into a fabulous headboard that will be the focal point of your bedroom. You can sand and paint the door.

Or even leave it in its found state for that rustic, shabby chic look.

By now we have all seen how a section of picket fencing can be made into a quaint headboard that is perfect for a little girl's garden themed bedroom. But what about for a little boy? Look at this headboard made from baseball bats! I know quite a few sports minded little boys who would love this.

An interesting and contemporary twist on the traditional upholstered headboard. This can easily be recreated with 12" x 12" squares of plywood that you upholster yourself in fabrics that coordinate with your bedroom. Another twist on this would be to buy 12" x12" stretched canvases and paint them. I have also seen identical picture frames used as a faux headboard. Each frame was matted and had black and white family photos. While I thought it looked nice, I am not so sure I want to have my children's faces in 12" x 12" hanging right there over my bed. But maybe that's just me, I don't know.

Turn an old fireplace mantel into a unique headboard. I love that there is then a shelf above the bed for decorating.

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So you are moving. You are not alone. Approximately 40 million Americans will change their home address this year. Whether you are moving across the country or around the corner being organized will help things go more smoothly on both ends.

1) Purge. Moving is the perfect opportunity to lay your hands on all of your belongings. Give them the critical eye. Is it useful? Is it beautiful? Does it make your life better? If the answer to all of those questions is no, then get rid of it. Don't make the mistake of thinking that you might find a place for it at your new house. Odds are if you didn't like it enough to find a place for it at our current home, you won't find a place for it at your new home either.

2) Begin early. It is never too soon to start packing before a move. There are many things in your home that can be boxed up in advance and not missed. Seasonal items, toys, seldom used kitchen appliances come to mind first. Even decorations and pictures can be boxed up a month or more in advance. Find one area of your home to store the packed boxes.

3) Quantity. You will need more boxes than you think. Look around objectively at all of your things. Estimate how many boxes you think you will need to use. Double that number and it will probably be a good place to start. Do the same for the packing tape.

4) Think of your back. Remember, don't make your boxes too heavy to lift. There is nothing worse than struggling with boxes that are too heavy.

5) Like with like. Begin packing a box in one room and finish packing in the same room. No matter how tempting it is to just fit that one random item into that space in the box, resist the urge.

6) Label it. Label your boxes with the room they are going to in your new house, not necessarily the room they are in at your current house. Colored dot stickers are perfect for having a visual reminder. Each room has a different color dot. When you arrive at your new home stick a corresponding colored dot on the door of the room. When people are helping to carry in your boxes they won't have to pause and ask each time where you want it to go.

7) Mark it. With a permanent marker write on the outside of the box exactly what is contained in the box. Even if you think you will remember. You won't. Heck, by the fiftieth box you pack you won't even remember why you wanted to move in the first place.

8) This leads me to, mark all sides of the box. It might seem like overkill, but I assure it is not. Invariably one of your helpers will stack the boxes in the corner of the room with the labeling facing the wall. You don't want to have to move the boxes or climb on top of them just to find out their contents.

9) Get real moving boxes. Craigslist is a great resource for used moving boxes. While it is fine to collect random boxes from stores, they don't fit together as well as moving boxes. This is especially important if you have tight moving van space and/or a long distance move.

10) Use unprinted newsprint to pack fragile items with. You can get the end of rolls from your local newspaper or you can buy rolls from any of the moving van rental companies. While it is fine to use newspaper, the print will rub off on your items and you will have to wash everything on the other end of your move. Decide for yourself if saving a few dollars is worth the hassle.

11) Last On/ First Off, or things you can not live without. These will be in the last boxes to get on the truck and be the first off. Distinguish these couple of boxes somehow from all the others. Paint them red, let the children color them, whatever the case may be so that you can locate these boxes easily in the sea of cardboard.

What should be in these boxes?

Think about the items that you can not live without, or of you have children what they can not live without. Coffeemaker, coffee, DVD player, shampoo, vodka... whatever it is that you will need at your new home before the heavy duty unpacking begins.

Cleaning supplies. Designate one of the last on/ first off boxes to these items. Think hand soap, paper towels, toilet paper, paper plates, plastic cups, that sort of thing. Inside one of these boxes you also want a big box of black trash bags. Remember all of that paper you just wrapped your things in? Somehow on the other end of your move this paper will multiply.

Bed linens. Most likely you will want to sleep at some point after your move. Make sure that you clearly label your bed linens so that you can immediately make your beds after setting them up. Consider that part of unpacking. You will be happy later that night.

12) Random personal items such as a change of clothes, toothbrushes, that stuffed animal your child can not possibly sleep without, put in one of your suitcases and toss in your car. This is also a good place to put the remote controls, power cords, cameras, and mail. Things you don't want to get lost in the shuffle and were probably using up until the last moments.

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We all know people who can no longer fit their car into their garage. Perhaps we are even among them. (Hey, I just moved, okay? And we downsized dramatically! And there are no basements! And, and, and... I'll take my own advice soon, I swear!) The garage has become a repository for all the stuff that they have nowhere to store. Look around your neighborhood, I am willing to bet that most people are using at least one of their garages for storage.

Did you know that Americans are renting storage units to store all of the stuff that won't fit into their houses? According to this article "self-storage units cover 72 square miles, the area of Manhattan and San Francisco combined." That's a whole lot of people storing a whole lot of stuff, that frankly they probably do not need.

My take on the self storage phenomenon for the average suburban American? Get rid of it. Make decisions about what you really use and need, then get rid of the rest. If it isn't useful or making your life better in some way, then you do not need it. The problem that most people have is that they do not organize their stuff and therefore they cannot find it when they need it.

Where do you begin.

First ask yourself what the things are that need to be stored in the garage? Begin by making a list of the items you need to live in your garage. It might be different from mine.

Sports Equipment
Yard toys
Tools
Lawn/garden care
Seasonal Storage
Cars

Next thing about where to logically store these items in your garage.

I have the toys and sports equipment stored on the wall near the entrance into the house. Presumably the children can put their stuff away while they are on their way into the house from playing outside or coming home from a sporting event. Not that this actually happens every time, but at least I can say, "You walked right by it!"

Similarly, store things like your lawnmower and other lawn care items near the back door of your garage where you enter and exit to your yard.

Install some shelving on which you can store bins. Ikea has some fabulously inexpensive shelving that gets the job done. If you are handy you could also build similar shelving with 2x4s. The Container Store also has shelving units for the garage. They are decidedly more expensive, but if the aesthetics of your garage storage matter to you, the elfa system might be more to your liking.

Containerize. Yes, this is so a word. The things you use regularly need to be the most accessible. If you have to work to get the items you need, your system won't last, no matter how good your intentions. For example, I keep all of the out of season sports gear segregated into individual containers: baseballs one bin, baseball gloves a second bin, baseball pants yet another bin. And because I don't readily need these bins I store them on one of the highest shelves. When baseball season comes I know exactly where to find what I need and I bring the bins down and replace them with whatever other off season sporting items need storage. Items that are used regularly are stored permanently on lower shelves.

Make the container fit. Small items, small container. Large items, large container. You don't want to be searching through a shoebox sized bin for the proper sized screw.

Label. Label the bins and the shelves. That way there is never a question of where things belong. I am a fan of removable labels on the shelving, just in case there is a time when you might want to rearrange the way things are stored. You might decide that your Christmas lights need to be readily accessible at anytime, you never know.

Go up. Large screws in the ceiling of your garage can hold bikes or ladders.

Hopefully taking these few steps will get that car back in the garage or at the very least enable you to walk through the garage without tripping.

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Not everyone has a dedicated mudroom for storing their coats, shoes, backpacks and other paraphernalia. However, even the smallest coat closet can be made into an effective and organized space. Many people like to keep the coat closet relatively empty for guests. Unless you're entertaining daily, reclaim your coat closet and instead get a coat tree for your front hall for hanging guests coats.

Reclaim your coat closet in these three easy steps:

Step One: Remove. Pull everything out of the closet. Yes, every single thing. As you pull the items out, segregate them into piles. Kids' coats, grown-up coats, hats, kids shoes, etc

Step Two: Assess. Decide what actually needs to live inside the closet. Can your vacuum cleaner move to a different location? What about all of your dress coats? I have many and realized one day that they don't all have to be in the front hall closet when I have a walk-in closet in my master bedroom. Move any of these items to their new home.

Step Three: Purge. Go through your items and get rid of anything that you don't need, like coats that no longer fit, mismatched gloves and mittens, scarves you never actually wear, and boots that are too small. Donate whatever is still usable to a shelter and throw away the rest.

Now you are left with the things that you have decided actually belong in your closet. It's time to organize.

Consider how you live and use your things. For example, if you live somewhere rainy, you don't want your umbrellas stored in a basket on high shelf out of reach. This system will just frustrate you and cause you not to use it.

Try hanging the rod higher than normal. This will give you room underneath the rod to either hang another rod, install some shelving, or even use some drawers to store the kids' socks and mittens. Remember if the kids can't reach it themselves, they aren't going to be able to put it away. One of the best things that you can do for them, and yourself, is to teach them to be self sufficient.

Think outside the box. An over-the-door shoe organizer doesn't have to be for shoes. Use it for scarves, mittens, and hats. It can also be a great place to store a pen and some note cards for those last-minute notes you need to send off to school.

Think like a child. They do not like to put stuff away. Make it easy for them. Instead of a second lower clothing rod, try some coat hooks. They can hang up their coats and backpacks themselves.

Alternately, hooks on the back of the door are perfect for hanging backpacks and purses. A set of hooks down low for the children and another set up high for the grown-ups.

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Everyone has had the experience of a light bulb breaking off in the socket. Getting the bulb out of the socket can be a real challenge.

Have you ever heard of the potato trick? You take half of a raw potato, push it into the bulb base, and then turn the potato to remove the bulb. I guess this would be effective if I had potatoes on hand, but I usually don't. Also, potatoes can be messy and I picture a lot of moisture, something which doesn't seem like a good idea around electricity.

There are other more effective ways to get the broken light bulb out of the socket. So get out your toolbox.

1) Make sure that you've turned the power off to your light fixture. If it's a lamp, unplug it. If it's an overhead light, turn off the circuit breaker.

2) If you have some sort of work gloves, put them on. If you don't, be very careful. If you're working above your head, put on glasses of some type. You don't want glass shards falling in your eyes.

3) Using your needle-nosed pliers, grab the edge of the metal base of the light bulb and bend it slightly inward.

4) Turn the base in the same direction you'd turn to remove an intact bulb. Psst, that's counter-clockwise.

5) Once you're done, vacuum up the area glass to completely get rid of any glass shards.

But what do you do if the light bulb is screwed deeply into the socket and there is no metal edge to grab? You can try to shove the needle-nosed pliers in between the space of the light fixture and the metal light bulb base, but you risk damaging the light fixture itself. The easiest thing to do is to head back to your toolbox and grab your regular pliers.

1) Insert the pliers into the broken base as far as they can go.

2) Open the pliers so that they're pressing on the inner sides of the metal bulb base.

3) Holding the pliers in this manner, turn them counter clock-wise. The broken light bulb base should come loose.

4) Of course, vacuum up the area when you're done.

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Curtains can change the entire feel of a room. They're both decorative and utilitarian. They can block out the sunlight, insulate a window, and provide privacy -- not to mention spruce things up aesthetically.

Learning how to hang curtain rods so they're at the right height and level can seem tricky, but it's really no more difficult than hanging pictures.

How to Hang Curtains: 1. Measure the Window
First, measure the width of the window. You want the curtain rod to be at least five inches longer than the window. You can attach the curtain to the window frame, but generally it is more visually appealing to move the rod outside the frame to the drywall. Drywall is also easier to fill and repair than wood should you decide to move or even change the style of curtain rod.

Exceptions to this are if you are hanging long dramatic window treatments and want to alter the perception of the window size. By attaching rods several inches to a foot above the top of the window opening and hanging long curtains, you can make short windows look longer. For long skinny windows, extending the curtain rod out on each side of the window a foot or more will make the window appear wider.

Using your tape measure, measure out from the side of the window frame. Make a light pencil mark. Now measure up from the window frame. Two inches is the standard measurement for both of these, but as discussed above, you can do whatever feels right for your decor. (Note: two inches out is standard for where the bracket should be installed. The rod itself extends beyond the bracket.)

How to Hang Curtains: 2. Make Sure the Curtain Rods Are Level
Once you've measured the location of the curtain rod hardware on each side of the window, get out your level and make sure that the marks are level. This is especially important in older house where settling can cause houses to be uneven.

How to Hang Curtains: 3. Install the Curtain Rod Hardware
Using your drill, drill a small hole on your mark. This is called a pilot hole. Never, ever, ever just screw something into your wall without making a pilot hole first. If you hit a wood stud behind the drywall, you're in luck! You can just screw your bracket in with the hardware that has been provided.

Most likely though, you won't hit a stud. In this case you'll have to use drywall anchors, which look like tiny plastic projectiles. Once you tap them into the wall they spring open behind the Sheetrock and anchor in your screw.

You are going to need to drill a hole that is the exact same size as the anchor. This is not as difficult as it seems. And remember you can always go larger if the hole you initially drill is too small. Drill your hole. Gently tap your anchor into place with your hammer. It shouldn't slide in too easily,nor should take brute force to try and muscle it into place.

Screw in your curtain hardware directly into the anchor. Repeat the process on the other side of the window. Then hang your curtains. Step back and admire your work!

Looking for more information on how to hang curtains? Check out the first half of this short clip:

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The recession has cause many of us to scale back on our unnecessary expenditures and to cut out some of them all together. But not being able to afford spa-like treatments anymore doesn't mean that you have to give them up entirely. Some inexpensive products most of us have around the house can be used to spruce up our beauty routines.

Aspirin is simply a beta-hydroxy acid or BHA, a very effective type of salicylic acid. Salicylic acid is found in popular OTC acne medications and is a key ingredient in many skin-care products for the treatment psoriasis, calluses, corns, keratosis pilaris, and warts. Exfoliating your skin,and hair, has never been simpler.

1) Aspirin Facial Mask

Take about four to six uncoated aspirin tablets and crush them into a powder.
Add a few drops of water to make into a paste.
Spread on your face.

After about 10 minutes, the mask will dry and become flaky. With water, gently rub the paste into your skin in a circular manner. Then rinse it off. The aspirin will slough off all of your dead skin cells and leave your face feeling rejuvenated.

For some variety, you can also add some honey or unflavored yogurt to the aspirin mixture before applying it to your face. Honey is a terrific natural moisturizer rumored to have been used by Cleopatra.

2) Removing Residue and Build-up from Hair

People with blond hair know the hell that is having green hair from swimming in a chlorinated pool. To remedy this problem dissolve eight aspirin in a glass of water. Rub the resulting liquid into your hair. Leave for about 10 minutes and then rinse it out. Shampoo in the usual way.

Have your shampoo and conditioner left your hair looking flat lately? Or maybe the styling products have left a build-up on your hair that even your best shampoo can not remove. You can easily remove the product build-up by crushing 6-8 aspirin into a palm full of your conditioner. Apply the paste like mixture to your hair. Leave on a few minutes and then rinse it out. Your hair will be squeaky clean.

3) Unsightly Feet

Professional pedicures are often one of the the first luxury items that get the ax. After all, how difficult is it to paint your own nails? As we all know, however, having a pedicure is more than just slapping polish on your toenails. Aspirin can be used to help get rid of those calluses on your feet.

Grind five or six aspirin into a powder.

Add 1/2 teaspoon each of lemon juice and water.

Apply the mixture to the calluses on your feet. Wrap your feet in a warm towel and cover it with a plastic bag.

Relax for at least 10 minutes while the aspirin gets to work softening your rough feet. Remove the bag and towel, and file down the softened callus with a pumice stone. Don't forget to moisturize when you are done.

Your feet will be beautiful in no time.

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A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about inexpensive white wines and the overwhelming feedback was for a similar list of red wines. Personally, I find red wines trickier to navigate. There seem to be more bad cheap red wines than good ones, which can be very disappointing.

I have a soft spot in my heart for red wines. I grew up in a large Italian family where red wine was a nightly drink with dinner. No pasta dinner was complete without red wine. Even for children, and including red wine that my Uncle Anthony made himself. Yes, seriously. I know everyone can't go (or wants to go) this route, but during a recession we're all looking for ways to stretch our budget. And, recession does not mean that we have to give up wine all together.

Red wine is versatile and can be served with a variety of dishes from hot dogs to a fine steak. Here's a list of Recession Reds that are sure to please your palate and your pocketbook -- all for under $10 (or less!) a bottle.

Not surprisingly, I have two Yellowtail recommendations. You can't go wrong with either of these choices.

1) Yellowtail Merlot. Once again the Yellowtail brand comes through. It's a highly drinkable red wine that goes with everything. Everyone just seems to love it.

2) Yellowtail Shiraz. This is a sweet and fruity wine. And like its white wine counterparts, it goes down easily.

3) Ravenswood Vintners Blend is a strong oaky merlot. This is a strong dinner wine that is paired well with steaks and other grilled meats. It's not one you're going to pop open and just sit around and drink.

4) Fuzion is an Argentinian wine. It's a blend of shiraz and malbec grapes. It has a light, sweet vanilla taste. Pair this with lighter fare, appetizers, cheese platters.

5) Little Penguin Merlot -- catchy name, cute label and light fruity taste. This wine is comparable to Yellowtail. It goes with everything and is well loved.

6) Fish Eye Merlot. Nice and fruity. Not overly strong. Highly drinkable, a crowd pleaser, very cute label. Does the label matter? No, but it does look nice setting out on the table and I am all about aesthetics.

Tell us -- what inexpensive red wines are you fond of?

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Not all home improvements are created equal. I have already written about which improvements you should avoid completely, as some renovations give you a much larger return on your investment (ROI) than others. If you are trying to decide between adding on an office or doing a full remodel of your outdated kitchen, you probably want to consider which one will be worth the most in the long run.

1) Kitchen: Whether large or small in scope, renovating your kitchen is always money well spent. In recent years the trend has moved away from formal living areas to the kitchen really being the focus of the home. Entertaining has become more casual and many people are not even bothering with formal dining and living rooms anymore. With that, there has become and increased focus on the kitchen not just being functional but also attractive and decorated.

Kitchen renovations can be as large as tearing everything out and replacing it all, to just replacing old appliances, from refacing cabinets to simply replacing cabinet hardware.

ROI at resale: 75-80% according to the 2008 annual survey by Remodeling Magazine

2) Bathrooms: Along with kitchens, this area of the home gives the largest return on your investment.
A mid-range bathroom remodel, one in which everything is replaced with comparable items and all plumbing lines remain where they are located, gives the largest return on your investment.

If you can't afford or don't want to do full upgrades, consider refacing the cabinets, changing out hardware for something more contemporary. Shiny brass and chrome are currently on the outdated list having been replaced in favor of satin nickel and oil rubbed bronze.

ROI at resale: 75% , according to the 2008 annual survey by Remodeling Magazine

3) Siding: This one surprised me since I personally have intense hatred for vinyl siding. But apparently the rest of America doesn't feel like I do. Replacing the siding on your home has the highest return on your investment of all the major remodeling projects. If the siding on your home is in need of repair, painting, and a lot of TLC, it may be wise to consider replacing it with either vinyl or fiber-backed cement.

ROI: 80% for vinyl. 87% for fiber cement according to the 2008 annual survey by Remodeling Magazine

4) Landscape: Remember that first impressions are often what sell a house. This doesn't mean that you have to invest tons of money to see a pay-off. You want to have a well-groomed front lawn. Even simple things like planting flowers near the front of the house and mulching the flower beds will make a huge difference on the percieved value of your home. When prospective buyers pull up to the front of your home they will assume that the care and attention given to the outside of the home reflects the level of care and attention given to the inside of the home.

5) Increase the outdoor living area. The rise in casual entertaining has made having an outdoor kitchen/living area a must-have for many areas of the country. The trend for moving the indoors out can be seen in all of the home magazines this season. Creating this outdoor living space does not have to be expensive. If you DIY a project of this type, you will get more return on your investment than you put in.

6) Paint is always in style. It is inexpensive and provides a large amount of bang for your buck. A simple change of color to your walls can make a huge difference in how the room feels. I have a fondness for Benjamin Moore paints and at their website they have a great program that allows you to "paint" your room different colors.

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Most home owners renovate their homes because they have a vision of how their home could be better. They believe that in the end they will see an increase in the value of their home. But as many a wizened home renovator knows, this isn't always the case.

Before you spend money on those home improvementsyou think you can't live without, you need to consider how long you're planning to live in your home. Only a couple years? Then, you really want to pay attention to the cost versus value ratio of any extensive projects.

Are you in your home for the long term, trying to turn it into the castle that you've always wanted -- perhaps complete with a moat and drawbridge? Well, then you shouldn't look so much to the cost versus value ratio, but rather look more to the amount of enjoyment that you'll get out of the house. Who knows? Perhaps in twenty years moats and drawbridges will be all the rage.

According to the Census Bureau, the average American moves about 12 times during his or her lifetime. This means that most of us probably do care about the return on our investment. To get the most bang out of your renovating buck, here are five home improvements that you should NOT do.

1) Over-improving for the neighborhood. This is perhaps the biggest mistake that homeowners make, not realizing that the value of their home has a finite limit. A $200,000 kitchen renovation in a neighborhood where the top price of the other houses is only $200,000 is not going to make your house worth $400,000.

2) Putting in a pool. Even in markets where the weather is sweltering hot most of the year, you will not recoup your investment. In many areas a pool is a detriment and turns people away from your home. You should never add a pool thinking it will improve the value of your home. If you are in your house for the long term and would enjoy a pool, then by all means get one, because some factors, such as personal enjoyment, can not be measured monetarily.

3) Installing unusual or outlandishly expensive upgrades. A wine cellar, expensive "green" upgrades, and pool-sized jacuzzi tub are among the items you should avoid installing if you're looking to recoup your investment. Each of those things appeals to a small niche market, but other potential buyers may not pay extra for them.

4) Adding a new roof. I know! Who would have guessed this one. What the studies have shown is that people don't really care much more about the roof than whether or not it leaks. Roofs are costly, do not replace yours unless it has issues.

5) Factoring in fancy technology. Technology is rapidly changing and upgrading. BetaMax anyone? Chances are that whatever state-of-the-art gadget you install in your home today will be obsolete by the time you sell your home. Remember when everyone was scrambling to put Internet cables all over their homes? Now most of us are wireless and a few more unfortunate of us have outlets in the wall to remind us.

Up next, home improvements that give you the most bang for your buck.

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It happens. People buy houses. Sometimes you know them well, sometimes you hardly know them at all. Then they have a housewarming party. What sort of present do you buy for them? How much money should you spend? What if you really want to stay away from an impersonal gift card? These questions have sent me into a panic in the past.

The amount of money you spend is entirely subjective and up to you. Though I believe that the less money you spend, the more thought you need to put into the gift. I know I would rather receive a $20 coffee table book than get a card with a rumpled $20 shoved inside. The former says that you care about the person enough to shop for something that you thought they might like, even if you are working with a limited budget. The latter? Well, that says you didn't spend all your money at the bar last night.

1) Wreath for the front door. When we bought our first house many years ago, it was in the late autumn, right before the holiday season kicks into full gear. One of the nicest housewarming presents I received was a fresh wreath to hang on the front door. It was handmade and beautiful, perfect for our first Christmas in the house when our cash- strapped selves were not going to be buying any extras.

I like this present because you can make it yourself, it is disposable and it can be hung on any door. If the new homeowner does not like the wreath for their front door, they can politely hang it on their back door or an interior door or wall, where ever they desire.

If it is near the holidays you might want to get them an ornament for their Christmas tree commemorating their first Christmas in their new home. it might sound kitchsy now, but I assure you that in years to come they will treasure it.

2) Plants. The potted variety are usually best. Don't forget to also pick out a nice pot. If you know that they are avid gardeners why not get something they will enjoy for years to come like a rosebush or some perennial bulbs.

3) Are they first-time home dwellers? Meaning they have recently moved from apartments? Some yard tools are always appreciated. A weed whacker, rakes, gardening tools like this cute garden gift set, etc. You can chip in with a few friends and buy them an outdoor grill or lawnmower, too.

4) Strapped for cash yourself? Offer your services. Buy an empty paint can, fill with a paint stirrer, some paint brushes and make a coupon offering your painting services. I can tell you from experience that having a friend help paint makes the job so much less tedious.

5) If they are new to the area consider a GPS for their car. Program in all of your favorite places, shopping centers, and emergency rooms. You can go in on one of these with a friend or two to make it much more affordable. Speaking as someone who has recently moved across the country, I can tell you that I have found my GPS indispensable.

A much less expensive version of this idea for people on an extreme budget -- college students I am looking at you -- is a 3-ring binder filled with local attractions, restaurant menus, and maps. Collect these items and store them inside plastic sleeves in a-3 ring binder.

6) Welcome mat. I bought a friend one that said "Happily Ever After." The choices are endless and you are not confined to one that simply says "Welcome." If your friend has their heart set on something else for her front door, no need to fret. A door mat can go at the backdoor, the garage entrance, the mudroom. I'm not sure that you can ever have too many mats on which to wipe off your feet.

7) Basket of kitchen utensils. Think of things that they might not buy for themselves. The Pampered Chef catalog is a great place to start. A pizza stone, along with some other pizza-making goodies and a cookbook on making pizza would be a great themed basket.

So tell me, what are your ideas for a great housewarming present?

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More and more couples are choosing to do their wedding preparations themselves. Whether it is because they are on a budget or because they are trying to stamp the wedding with their own personal style, it is a growing trend that shows no signs of abating any time soon. Just do a google search of the terms DIY wedding and over a million sites will pop up.

A DIY wedding does not mean having to sacrifice anything. It is not just something for the super crafty who make their own dresses out of fabric scraps, hot glue, and stray buttons. No, it means having the wedding that you want on your own terms. While many couples are DIY-ing their weddings to save money, most DIY affairs are driven by the desire to add personal touches to such an important day.

Writer Holly Burns, along with her fiancee Sean Slinsky, has been blogging about their DIY wedding plans for the past several months on her blog Nothing But Bonfires. From the proposal in Italy to making their own invitations, their wedding plans have a fairytale quality. They are the first couple that I have known personally to undertake a DIY wedding.

For Holly and Sean a DIY wedding was a natural extension of things that they already loved doing.

Sean and I are both pretty creative -- he's a graphic designer and I'm a writer -- so it just seemed pretty natural to want to have a lot of control over certain elements of our wedding. We both take a lot of enjoyment in making things in our everyday lives, so it seemed like it would be kind of fun and easy to carry that over into our wedding too. I'm also, admittedly, a little bit of a perfectionist, so I knew that if I had a vision of something -- and I had a lot of visions of a lot of somethings!

Looking through the various wedding websites it is hard not to fall in love with all of the home-spun touches, the things that make the weddings unique to each couple. For many couples it is about making the day more personal and intimate, about appreciating the beauty in the simpler things. Having lots of homemade touches is sweet and fun and charming, I think, and when you look at the things you made, you'll remember the fun you all had making them together, Holly says of their DIY efforts.

I asked Holly what sort of response she was getting from people when she tells them all of her DIY plans. I think more and more people are DIY-ing elements of their weddings these days -- whether it's due to budget or to the preponderance of wedding blogs packed full of eye candy and interesting ideas to try -- so I haven't really met anyone who's been too surprised. My mother thought I was creating too much work for myself at first, but it's the kind of thing I just love doing---it's not work to me!

It isn't just about doing things yourself in lieu of hiring people. It is about a level of attention to detail that many people might overlook, but were things that were important to them. Holly bought vintage stamps and mixed them together with contemporary stamps for sending their wedding invitations. The look reminds me of a well worn suitcase covered with travel stickers, which is fitting given the theme of their wedding is travel. And have you ever heard of having your mail hand cancelled?

Even the most adventurous DIY-ers have a line that they will not cross when it comes to wedding projects. Holly says," I'm pretty in awe of anyone who makes their own dress---I don't think I'd attempt that one. I'm not really very good at anything to do with sewing, actually, so I think I'd steer clear of that, lest I make a terrible mess!"

Look! Gluing teeny tiny doilies into teeny tiny RSVP envelopes. No touches are too small.

Needless to say, the list of things that Holly and Sean are doing themselves is impressive. The wedding plans have also turned into a family affair with siblings and parents lending a hand.

Sean and I are doing all the paper products ourselves -- the invitations, the place cards, the butler cards, the programs, the signs, the menus, the cocktail napkins etc -- because that's where our strengths lie in our day-to-day jobs; my mother is making the cake because she's an excellent baker; my sister and I are going to arrange the bouquets and centerpieces because I have a very clear idea of what I want and how to make it happen...we're also DIYing the music for dancing -- no DJ, just doing what they call an iTunes reception; hooking our computer (with loooong playlists) up to a PA system we're borrowing from a friend.

Holly suggests that anyone wanting to DIY their own wedding start with the following websites where she has found inspiration.

WeddingBee

Once Wed

Oh So Beautiful Paper

100 Layer Cake

and of course, Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine, the online version is here

Holly's final piece of advice, as someone who is heading into the final weeks of planning before her wedding, Start early! Seriously, start as early as you can. I've got a Google doc a mile long of all the projects I want to do before the wedding, and I want to get to everything, but time just starts to fly once you get to the three-month mark. Start early! Start now!

You heard her.

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Is your home looking a little tired? Are you dreaming of doing some renovating, but lack the funds to do so? Well, you aren't alone. According to the latest research form Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies, so far there is a 12.3% drop in 2009 spending on home improvement projects. This is a slight improvement over the 13.6% drop in 2008. But things aren't expected to get much better any time soon.

Most of us think of home improvements and imagine huge projects that cost buckets of money and lots of time. The truth is that most homes can benefit from smaller projects, from a little attention to detail that often gets neglected. Most often renovations are undertaken because we want our homes to look better and function better.

With this in mind, I've rounded up my favorite tips and tricks to easily improve our homes on a very limited budget:

For less than $50:

1) Update bathroom and kitchen faucets. This might seem like a daunting project, but it is really quite simple. Just remember to turn your water supply off before you begin. A new shower head can make all the difference in how you feel about your morning shower, which in turn affects how you feel about your bathroom.

2) Add new hardware to your kitchen cabinets to change the look of your outdated cabinetry. Change brass hardware to brushed nickel for a more modern look.

3) Install new light fixtures to change the entire look of a room. Most can be purchased relatively inexpensively at the big box stores. There is no reason to live with horrible lighting.

For less than $10:

4) Stock up on cleaning erasers. I use them all the time to clean my walls, doors and trim work. I honestly never realized how filthy children are until I had my own. Spending half an hour cleaning off doors where dirty little hands grab them, the walls next to the staircase where they insist on running their hands while they walk up and down the stairs, and the balusters on your staircase, makes a huge difference in how a house looks.

5) Keep touch-up paint on hand. Sometimes the cleaning erasers are not enough. Don't be afraid to pull out your paint and touch up the areas that look less than beautiful. A tool like the Rubbermaid Paint Buddy Touch-Up Tool is perfect to keep on hand. Stock up on several for your home's primary colors. Remember your front door. I generally touch up the paint on my front door every spring. Of course maybe you don't have children who throw rocks and sticks at the door and then kick it every so often just for good measure.

6) Quick-repair those loose cabinet knobs. Cabinet knobs falling off when you pull on them? Most likely the threads inside have been stripped. Fill the hole in the cabinet where the knob screws in with some broken toothpicks and wood glue. Allow it to dry. Screw the knob back on.

For free ... who doesn't love this price?

7) Declutter, declutter, declutter. Did I say declutter? Nothing makes your home feel closed in more than piles of stuff stacked everywhere. View your belongings with a critical eye. If your things aren't useful or don't make you happy in some way, get rid of them.

8) Embrace the things that you can not change. Bright pink bathroom tile? Avocado green appliances? And, no budget to invest in changing them now? Work your decor around what you can't change, rather than try to mask it. Even though you may loathe the tile or appliances, make the room look as though you chose those items on purpose. You will be surprised how much a little shift in attitude can make all the difference.

What small fixes have you used to update the look and functionality of your home, when your budget doesn't allow for a big investment? I'd love to hear from you in our comments!

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So, now that you have taken the steps to reduce the influx of junk mail, how do you organize the mail that is still coming into your home? You need to develop a system. Remember that only you know what will work for your needs. Plenty of organizational systems sound good in theory, but might not be right for you.

This mail sorter has a place for everything in one compact space, making it easy to tuck into the corner of your desk or kitchen counter.

If you have a little more room and are looking for something that will also look attractive as well as functional, this desk top organizer will hold much more than just your mail. The Florence Desk Organizer has drawers and divided slots to hold mail, stamps, scissors, envelopes, and a small toddler -- whatever you need to tuck away.

Don't need to have something complicated. A series of attractive folders can do the trick also.

Personally, I love the streamlined appearance of this type of system. The folders can be labeled and changed according your changing needs. One idea is to label a folder with the month. Everything that needs to be filed for that month just goes into the folder. At the end of the month the folder goes to live permanently in the file cabinet. I know some of you are saying, "But everything needs to be filed separately!" To that I say, "Pshaw!" It is that sort of perfectionist thinking that prevents us from doing any organizing at all. Strive to be just good enough; it's very freeing!

Locker baskets from See Jane Work can hold school papers, file folders, and your mail, all stylishly in one place.

Limited desk or counter space?

Perhaps a hanging wall unit is what you need. It can hold all of your catalogs, magazines, and notices sent home from school. The trick is that once each pocket is full, you EMPTY IT. Do not start piling new magazines elsewhere.

Not that I know a thing about that.

Remember, there is nothing that says all of your needs have to be solved in one place. If my outgoing mail is not right next to the door, I will never remember to mail it.

This letter/key holder has a nice sleek design. If you don't have a lot of incoming or outgoing mail, it would be a great choice to handle both of those needs.

I like this for next to the back door, or perhaps entrance to garage. Hanging your keys there means that you will never leave without looking at it. Perfect if you are like me and forget to mail grandma's birthday card until two months past her birthday.

This wall mounted unit does everything but pay the bills for you. The slots are adjustable to suit your needs and can be labeled. Have more than one person in your household receiving mail? This just might be the solution for keeping all of you organized.

If you want to pull out the big guns and organize not just your mail, but your entire life, Pottery Barn has fabulous modular wall units. They can help you get a handle not just on your mail, but help organize your electronic devices, you calendar, your magazines, keys, you name it. And look great while doing it.

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Dealing with the mail that comes into my house has become the bane of my existence. I have heard the advice from all the organizational experts, telling me the first thing to do to gain control over the mail clutter is to stop the mail from coming into your house to begin with. Think of it as being eco-friendly too. Save the trees along with your sanity.

Here's a list of websites to help you get control of the junk mail:

1) Direct Market Association They provide their mail preference service to marketers for the sole purpose of removing consumers' names and addresses from the marketers' mailing lists.

2) End the credit card solicitations Register at this site to rid yourself of those endless credit card solicitations.

3) Catalog choice is a website that will let you opt out of unwanted catalogs.

4) Want someone else to handle it all for you? 41pounds will do just that for a fee. Interesting note, the company is named 41 pounds because that is the weight of the junk mail the average American receives every year.

Second, pay your bills online. Are you still paying your bills the old fashioned way, using checks and stamps and envelopes? How quaint. Now stop it. If every U.S. home viewed and paid its bills online, the switch would cut solid waste by 1.6 billion tons a year and curb greenhouse-gas emissions by 2.1 million tons a year.

Have your paychecks directly deposited into your account. Enroll in automatic bill pay with places that do this such as: gym memberships, daycares, and schools. My son's orthodontist had this set up and it was great not to have to think about it every month. Many banks allow you to pay your bills electronically for free. You will still, however, get a paper bill in the mail. Check out this extensive list of companies that will send you a bill electronically instead.

You can go completely paperless by joining a bill pay service. For a fee companies will collect all of your bills and send you email reminders to pay them, which you then do electronically. The US Postal Service has eBillPay for a fee of $5.95 per month. Or check out CheckFree.com

Third, start a trend of using electronic invitations rather than traditional invitations within your circle of friends. There are several different online sites for sending electronic invitations, evites being the most widely used. I find electronic invitations so much easier to keep organized. They come to my email, I reply instantly and add the date to my desktop and iPhone calenders.

I also have a huge wall calendar that I write on so the children and I can see the entire month at a single glance. Nope, can't jet off to Paris this weekend -- we have two baseball games, a birthday party, and swimming lessons. Not that anyone has asked me to jet off to Paris at a moment's notice, but if they did I would instantly know whether I could go. Or not.

Next time: How to organize the non-junk mail that still comes to your home.

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Do you go to your local liquor store for a bottle of wine and cluelessly wander up and down the aisles? I certainly have done that in the past. So many bottles of wine, so much of it so very expensive.

And, asking for advice on inexpensive white wine is difficult. I have received advice about which countries to stay away from, which countries I should definitely buy -- and often the advice is conflicting. People want to know what I am going to eat with my wine. Eat? Do I have to eat with it? Okay, in that case, chips and hummus. Do you have a wine to go with that? Oh, and it has to cost less than the hummus and chips.

I know I am not alone out here. So I'm donning my DIY mixology cap and have compiled my own white wine list.

This is a wine list for those of us who enjoy drinking white wine, but know nothing about it -- other than knowing whether or not we like it. There are no terms like "oaky" or "full bodied." We prefer terms like "good" or "not good," or better yet, "after a few glasses it isn't too bad."

This is a wine list for people who do not swirl their wine glass and stick their noses inside said glass. It's for people who DO NOT spit, at least intentionally. As a matter of fact, we view the spitting out of good wine as a sacrilege. This is the wine list for people who fill the wine glass to the top and take hearty sips. A list for people who like to impress their friends with how little they spent on that delicious white wine they are drinking.

These are wines I can personally vouch for as a cheap white wine aficionado. I have had all of them in the past, oh let's say, month. Even better, they all retail for well under $10 a bottle.

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So tell me, what is your favorite cheap white wine?

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