Blog Posts by Woman s Day

By Mary Hunt shopper

If you think saving at the supermarket stops with clipped coupons, think again. From in-store vouchers to special sales, there are plenty of ways to stretch your dollar-that is, if you know where to look and what to do. Read on for 10 helpful tips that will make your next food run a little lighter on the wallet.

Don't assume you have to buy 10 when the store offers 10 for $10, for example. This is a trick to get you to load up your cart.

Do buy the quantity you need and can afford. If the deal is 10 for $10, that's often just another way of saying $1 each.

Don't assume the scanner is always right. Supermarkets adjust prices on thousands of items every day; sometimes prices are programmed incorrectly. According to a study by the Food Marketing Institute, 1.35% of the items scanned turned out to be overcharges.

Do pay attention as every item is scanned. If there's a question or error, stop the clerk to correct it on the spot. Then double-check

By Beth Levine

You can train yourself to stop saying yes when you want to say no-and do it respectfully and thoughtfully, says William Ury, PhD, cofounder of Harvard University's Program on Negotiation.

Step 1: Figure out what you really want. Learn How to Say No

If you're unclear about how you feel or if someone catches you off guard, give yourself time to think it over before answering. Tell the other person you'll get back to her at a certain time, then put yourself in a quiet space and ask yourself if the request feels right.

Step 2: Find the yes.

Most of the time, when you want to say no, it's because you need to say yes to something else, such as guarding your money, sanity or time. Look at a given situation and decide where your yes lies. Example: Your brother asks you to cosign a loan. You feel guilty not helping him out. But you aren't saying no to him-you're saying yes to protecting your children's college funds.

By Laura Eckstein

Painting your home is a big investment, so you want to choose a color that will work for years to come. Exterior paint colors tend not to be trendy, but just as we've embraced organic elements in our food and clothing, there's been a shift toward earth-inspired shades. "Natural hues and textures-from the soft grays of natural stone to understated lichen gray-greens to warm red clay tones-provide inspiration for exterior color," says Melissa Birdsong, vice president of trend, design and brand at Lowe's. And people are considering more saturated colors. "There has been a shift toward browns with a deeper red undertone, and driftwood grays," says Mary Lawlor, color stylist for Kelly-Moore paints. But don't despair: Even if you stick to a "safe" color, the way you treat the trim can pull it in a different direction. Victorian homes usually have high contrast between the trim and the body of the house for a traditional look. If you want to downplay that, use a trim

By Sarah Jio

Trying to get more shut-eye? Take a look at your diet. Eating the right foods in the hours before you hit the hay may help you fall asleep faster, say experts, and even improve the quality of your sleep. Keep reading for your get-sleepy grocery list, and remember to stop noshing two hours before bedtime to give your body enough time to properly digest.

Almonds

"Almonds are a winner," says Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, medical director of the Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Centers, and author of the bestselling book From Fatigued to Fantastic! "They contain magnesium which promotes both sleep and muscle relaxation," he says. "And they have the added benefit of supplying proteins that can help maintain a stable blood sugar level while sleeping, and help promote sleep by switching you from your alert adrenaline cycle to your rest-and-digest cycle." Try this bedtime snack: Have a tablespoon of almond butter or a 1-ounce portion of almonds to help your body relax. Photo:

By Woman's Day Staff

• Learn to Tailor Like a Pro

Learn to Tailor Like a Pro

If your pants aren't quite fitting right, skip the pricey trip to the tailor and take matters into your own hands. All you need are a few basic tools and the following four steps to create a new hemline in a matter of minutes. Before you start, just be sure to check the label: If your pants contain cotton or rayon, prewash to allow for shrinkage.

Step 1

Remove the original hem with a seam ripper; try on the pants with the shoe you'll wear. Standing in front of a full-length mirror, fold the fabric up inside each leg so the bottom of the fold falls three-quarters of the way down your heel. Place a pin at the back of each leg; stand up and check the length in the mirror. Adjust as needed.

Step 2

Take off the pants; turn them inside out. Starting at the pin on one leg, use a hem gauge to measure the length from the edge of the fabric to the bottom fold. Use that measurement to fold and pin the hem

By Danielle Braff

8 Tricks for Boosting Your Metabolism

Remember how, during your teens and 20s, you could eat practically anything and not gain a pound? Now that you're hovering around middle age, you've probably found that's just not the case anymore. Part of the problem is that your metabolism decreases as a result of other age-related factors, like decrease in muscle mass. However, there's no need to give in to a bigger pant size just yet! Read on for eight ways to rev up your metabolism and keep those unwanted pounds from your waistline.

Do Intervals
Mixing in fast-paced intervals raises your metabolic rate higher than doing a steady cardio workout, and will continue to do so up to an hour after you're done, says Kristin McGee, a trainer and Pilates instructor whose client list includes Tina Fey and Bethenny Frankel. An Australian study also found that women who did intervals while they were biking lost three times as much fat as those who worked out at a steady pace. If you're a walker, simply

By Brynn Mannino

Have you been loyal to the rules of weight loss, but the scale still won't budge? Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation out there that may be throwing a roadblock in front of your dieting efforts. Below, experts clarify eight of the most common weight-loss myths-like the notion that eating several small meals throughout the day will speed up your metabolism or that you have to hit the gym to lose weight-so you can get on the right track and lose those extra pounds.

Myth #1: You have to work out to lose weight.

While it's true that a turn on the treadmill burns calories, exercising is not mandatory for shedding pounds. "Weight loss is a simple matter of calories in versus calories out," says American Dietetic Association spokeswoman Karen Ansel, RD. In truth, if you already lack restraint when it comes to intake, exercising may actually contribute to overeating, since you'll inevitably feel hungrier than usual. Understanding how much you really

By Brynn Mannino

Each New Year's, revelers around the world chow down on specific foods to summon good luck for the next 365 days. While some traditions call for noodles and others call for fruit, all the edibles connote forward movement, prosperity and health. Whether or not you're superstitious, take a look at our list of common celebratory eats. If no luck comes your way, at least you'll go into the new year with a full belly.

Long Noodles

In China, Japan and other Asian countries, it's customary to eat long noodles, signify longevity, on New Year's Day. Since the noodles are never to be broken or shortened during the cooking process, the typical preparation for "Long-Life Noodles" is a stir-fry. Photo: Thinkstock

Pork

In some countries, including Cuba, Spain, Portugal, Hungary and Austria, pigs symbolize progress. Some say it's because these animals never move backward, while others believe it's all in their feeding habits (they push their snouts forward along