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Send your guy and your kids to see the latest blockbuster at the multiplex. Wait another day to return that holiday gift that doesn't fit. You're going to put a couple of hours to good use: It's money-makeover time! Now, this makeover may not sound as exciting as one that involves a spa facial, but it has its own kind of charm: It's profitable. These New Year's to-do's can save you more than $30 a month in fees alone, while putting you on track to save much more.
40 minutes; annual savings: up to $400
The bank that wooed you with gift cards, enhanced interest rates, and other perks may not be your best option anymore; in fact, it may be costing you - big-time - to keep your cash there. Find out by reviewing your previous three to six months' worth of bank statements. If you haven't saved them, as I always do (what can I say? I'm a financial columnist), you should be able to find them online. Check how much you have been paying in fees. You may see
Read More »from Make Over Your Finances in Two HoursAre you feeling as frantic as I am? I haven't finished my Christmas shopping and it's December 23rd. My solution: cookbooks! Here are 10 of my favorites from this past year.
1. First, some shameless self-promotion: You've got to get our Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen ring-binder cookbook. It's an amazing resource with all the recipes you could want. The best part is that we really do triple-test our recipes to ensure that they'll always work at home. Ever try a recipe from online searching only to have it not come out well? That won't happen with our book or any of our triple-tested recipes.
Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen Cookbook
2. Just a little more self-promotion: I spent years working with chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten to put together Home Cooking with Jean-Georges. Everyone always asks me if a regular home cook can actually make the recipes in here and the answer is a resounding yes! They're not necessarily quick, but they're totally doable and really, really delicious.
Cooking at Home with Jean Georges
3. Eleven Madison Park: The
Read More »from 10 Best Cookbooks for Great Last-Minute Gifts
Over the past year in the test kitchen, we've noticed our grocery bills creeping higher and higher. Have you noticed the same thing at home? We dug around and found out which ingredients have been adding up:
1. Nuts: We noticed a price hike for pecans, and it turns out other nut prices jumped too. According to Market Analysts Mintec, the average wholesale cost of nuts, including almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, brazil nuts, pistachios, peanuts, and macadamias, increased 36% from April 2010 to April 2011.
Eggs
2. Eggs: The inventory of hens that lay the eggs we eat decreased in 2011, bringing egg prices up 22.8%. The good news is that eggs have always been budget-friendly and still are easy on the wallet.
Related: 6 Top Food News Stories of 2011
Apples
3. Apples: A host of reasons account for the 12.3% price increase and one of them is us, the consumers! We're buyin' up the delicious-and more expensive-varieties like Honeycrisp and SweeTango. That larger percentage of
Read More »from 5 Most Dramatic Food Price Hikes of 2011
Here are the six food news stories that changed the way we think about eating, buying, and cooking our food in 2011.
1. Release of Nathan Myhrvold's "Cookbook," Modernist Cuisine: The Art & Science of Cooking (March 2011): Called "one of the defining cookbooks in history" by Josh Ozersky, this $625, six-volume exhaustive tome covers mostly "modern" cooking (aka "molescular gastronomy"), along with the science of what happens when you cook (e.g. what happens when you roast a chicken or boil veggies) and the history of food. Hefty in both weight and price tag, this cookbook is not for everyone, but it certainly marks a watershed moment in cookbooks as more than just a bound collection of recipes.
Related: 16 Slow-Cooker Suppers
2. USDA Lowers "Safe" Pork Cooking Temperature (May 2011): The USDA lowered the recommended cooking temperature for pork, steaks, roasts, and chops 
to 145 from its previous recommendation of 160 and says not to take pinkness or color as an indication
2011 has flown right by, and with it's passing came a number of decorating trends (good and bad). Here are some our favorites.
1. Global Goodies
I remember visiting my great-aunt Irene and great-uncle Irv's apartment as a kid, and being totally amazed by the artifacts they had adorning the place. Sculptures from Paupua New Guineai, pillow covers from India-the place just had character. Nowadays, it's no longer necessary to leave the comfort of your own computer to find Indian block-printed linens (above are from West Elm), or woven blankets from Peru. Shops high and low were saturated with vibrant ikats, sunny suzani styles. Thankfully, this trend is showing no sign of slowing down.
2. Gray Gone Wild
Starting last year, people started referring to gray as "the new neutral". Seeing that it's not going anywhere and continues to show up everywhere. We love it on everything from casegoods to uphostered pieces to bedding.
Related: 50+ Bedroom Decorating Ideas
Read More »from 8 Best Decorating Trends of 2011We evaluated travel mugs for temperature retention, leak- and spill-resistance, stability, comfort while drinking, ease of opening with one hand, ease of washing, and durability:
Pros: The slim bottle rests comfortably in your hand, and the screw-on cap won't leak or spill.
Con: The long, narrow shape makes it hard to clean, but a bottle brush will help.
(In stainless steel; chantal.com)
Related: Best Bakeware
Pros: The locking lid provides a leak- and spill-proof seal. A carabineer is built into the handle of the mug for clipping onto a bag.
Cons: If you take a sip while driving, the long shape and bulky handle may obscure your view. Drinks didn't hold their temperatures very long.
(In blue, red, silver, black, green, and brown; Amazon.com)
Pro: An open/close button on top of the mug makes it easy to open and sip using only one hand. While the mug
The Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen baked up 11 nationally available yellow cake mixes in 9-inch rounds (the only size all mixes had in common), and along with our consumer testers, chowed down to find the tastiest. Read on to see which of them takes the proverbial cake.
Tasters loved the King's cake for its not-too-sweet, homemade flavor with a hint of maple, although some found the texture to be a tad dry and "a little gritty." This cake mix is available at grocery stores and through King Arthur Flour - the Baker's Catalogue. (kingarthurflour.com)
320 calories and 16 grams of fat (6 grams of saturated fat) per 1/14th of a baked cake
Related: Best Applesauce
The best of the three Mrs. Crocker's mixes we tested, the Golden Vanilla mix made a cake with a delightful "light and fluffy"
By The Good Housekeeping Research Institute
Whether you're hosting an impromptu dinner party or an after-school playdate, multigrain crackers are a pantry must-have for their flavor and fill-you-up fiber. Our tasters sampled 24 cracker brands made of healthy grains from barley and rye to millet and oats. On their own or paired with cheese these winners will make entertaining - or snack time - a snap.
Tasters fell for the salty, nutty flavor and "crispy and light" texture of Pepperidge Farm Baked Naturals Cracker Chips ($3.49), the favorite out of our test. The "tortilla chip-like" crunch made them hanker for a big bowl of accompanying dip.
Related: Best Cake Mixes
A close second, Vinta Crackers ($3.79) strike the perfect balance between salty and sweet. The poppy seeds and "mild" buttery flavor were also big hits.
Tasters enjoyed Kashi's TLC 7 Grain Crackers ($3.40) "salty" flavor and
No one wants to be a killjoy at a Christmas party or a family get-together. But when it comes to dealing with the temptations of the season's high-calorie bounty, you don't have to be a Grinch.
You do need a plan, says Susan J. Bartlett, Ph.D., an associate director of clinical psychology at Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center in Baltimore and a specialist in weight and eating disorders. Last year, she led a small group at the center through the following eat-right strategies. Her expertise and her students' experiences provide practical lessons for anyone to try.
It Just Keeps Going
The holiday season consists of nearly two months of celebrating, says Bartlett, with goodies appearing in homes and offices at Thanksgiving and continuing until the beginning of January.
"By Christmas, most of the plans to eat less and exercise more have dwindled, and it's easy to gain a significant amount of weight, even seven to 10 pounds," she notes. One way to monitor your intake over time: Keep
