Blog Posts by Redbook

Long days, curling waves, flashing fireflies - Mother Nature provides lots of summer fun absolutely free. But we've found her some competition this year. These giveaways and too-good-to-be-true freebies will keep you and your wallet on vacation all the way to fall. By Sandy M. Fernández, REDBOOK.

1. Do a sun salutation
Top yoga teachers will lead free outdoor classes at the third annual Yoga in the City festival in San Francisco (May 12), Chicago (June 2), New York City (June 9), and Los Angeles (June 30). More than 20,000 people joined in last year, so you might want to stake out your mat early.

2. Bite into a doughnut
Friday, June 7, celebrates National Doughnut Day, which began as a way of honoring Salvation Army "lassies" who served baked goods to troops during World War I. In their honor, Dunkin' Donuts is giving away a doughnut with every drink, and all Krispy Kreme stores nationwide are participating with no purchase necessary (check the company's Facebook page for details).

3.

It happens to everyone: You buy a bunch of herbs for a recipe, then watch the leftovers decompose in your fridge. Carla Hall tells you how to use them up deliciously. REDBOOK.

Basil
"When you think of basil, you think of pesto, mozzarella cheese, tomato sauces, and pasta dishes. But basil is also great with corn, zucchini, eggplant, even fresh strawberries."

Chives
"Use them in place of scallions. They taste great with eggs. If you can, snip them with kitchen scissors instead of cutting them with a knife; if your knife's dull, you'll bruise them."

Related: 31 Days of Artisan Ice Cream

Cilantro
"Did you know the stems are flavorful too? Add cilantro to Mexican food: guacamole, tomatoes, rice. I make a tuna salad with cilantro and lime, peanuts, ginger, and chili. If your dish has lime in it, you can usually use cilantro too."

Related: The Hottest Summer Party Ideas of 2013

Mint
"I love it in salads, and it's great in marinades-mint, olive oil, and garlic-for meat. And it makes an amazing pesto!

You always knew that ditching the dangerous stuff was smart, but did you also know it could be gorgeous? These lacquers deliver high-quality results without those nail-biting chemicals. By Alyson Penn, REDBOOK.

More from REDBOOK:

• 100 Stunning Sandals Under $100

• 100 Hot Celebrity Hairstyles For Every Hair Type

• The 33 Most Iconic Eyes Makeup Looks in History

The fascinating, the gross, and the totally inexplicable things men like to do alone, courtesy of our spy, Aaron Traister. REDBOOK.

1. We (try to) fix things
It sounds crazy: You've asked us repeatedly to deal with some D.I.Y. project, and when do we tackle it? When you're not even there to see. I'm more inclined to plaster the holes in the playroom (what are they doing up there-jousting?) if my wife, Karel, isn't around to needle me. Also, it helps when "someone" isn't hanging over your shoulder making "helpful" suggestions about how to "apply the plaster in the smoothest possible fashion." Of course, Karel's happy when she comes back to an improved home, but I'm not sure how she'd feel about the rest of my while-you-were-out list...

2. We park the kids in front of the TV
A six-hour Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles marathon is not an option when Mom is home. Karel's finely tuned guilty conscience will lead her to believe she's being a "bad mommy." But when people talk

Is it us, or has coffee become the new wine - all of a sudden, everyone's geeking out over the finest artisanal blends. Upgrade your morning Joe with these hand-selected picks from the top coffee labs from coast to coast. By Laura Li, REDBOOK.

1. Four Barrel
Four Barrel prizes human interaction with coffee above all else, which translates into lots of human hours spent sourcing, roasting and cupping to ensure quality. The San Francisco-based shop also offers subscriptions so connoisseurs can receive premium brews year-round. The store's current favorite is the Colombia Cannor, says Accounts Manager and "Coffee Helper" Matthew Hein. "Jasmine and strawberry fragrances precede a heavy cream mouthfeel, punctuated by plum and cranberry acidities with caramel and vanilla sweetness throughout."

2. Fonté Coffee

The draw of Fonté Coffee is its micro-roasting, which Master Roaster Steve Smith describes as a balance between available and commercially viable, high-quality

"Foundation balances your skin tone to make you fresh and gorgeous, and it's so easy," says Mally Roncal. Use her fail-proof method to apply it fast and you'll be wearing a smile, not a mask. By Mally Roncal, REDBOOK.

More from REDBOOK:

• 100 Stunning Sandals Under $100

• The 33 Most Iconic Eyes in History

• 50 Knockout Date-Night Hairstyles

Staying on budget is like starting a new diet - it can be difficult to begin, impossible to resist splurging, and works a hell of a lot better with some support. Make being frugal fun, flirty, and yes, manageable, by getting your partner on board. By Brie Schwartz, REDBOOK.

Cook the books
Playing chef can be one of the easiest ways to increase your profits, and doing so doesn't mean skimping on ingredients or romance. Buy succulent cuts of steak and salmon, dim the lights, shut off your phones, and decant a bottle of Merlot that would have cost four times as much at a fine restaurant. Bonus: it's totally not tacky to smooch at the table. Then, put your savings towards a truly special, decadent date night. Hate the kitchen? Error-proof meals made in the slow cooker can be prepped quickly before work and are easily stretched throughout the week. On the weekends, bag the expensive brunch and eat breakfast in bed, which may just lead to a steamy afternoon of other gratis activities.

By Lauren Le Vine, REDBOOK.

When it comes to cult TV shows, it's impossible to watch just one episode - and I'm speaking from some major experience here. That's why many Americans prefer to hold off on the week-to-week viewing schedule of yore (one new episode a week? Nonsense!) and binge-watch entire seasons of captivating TV like Breaking Bad, Friday Night Lights, and Downton Abbey all at once. I mean, have you ever tried to watch just one episode of Lost? It takes insurmountable determination to avoid immediately pressing play on the next one...and then the one after that, and before you know it, whoops, there was something you two needed to do today, right? Oh well, it's too late now. Guess you'll just have to watch another episode instead.

Related: 25 Totally Free Date Ideas

Binge-watching shows together can be a very intimate experience. If you start The Wire together, it means you have to finish it together, watching every episode side-by-side, riding the emotional roller