Photo: Bicycle Bob/ Creative CommonsI love cozy nights, walking in sock feet from the dinner table to the couch to watch movies or snuggle and talk. After darting around to work events all week, volunteering at school and running to soccer practices, most of the time I just want to stay home.

Read More: Schedule a Regular Date Night with Your Sweetie

Since Trey and I blended our families five and a half years ago, he's been resolute about the necessity of date nights. No excuses, once a week. Over the years I've become a believer. Date nights are vital to our marriage. We reconnect and talk to each other without our conversation being drowned out by whining. Yes, we talk about the kids, but we also talk about our future and our work. Here are five tips for figuring out date nights even when the odds are stacked against you.

Read More: 10 Cheap and Easy Kid-Free Date Night Ideas

1. Consider a babysitting swap. If a few willing girlfriends team up, you can alternate who gets to stay home with the kids and who goes out. There

Read More »from 5 Smart Date Night Ideas for when You Can't Afford an Expensive Dinner

Out, out! Darned, spot!

You know what they say: The unsoiled life is not worth living. Fine, we made that up, but we can all agree that life is more fun when we aren't panicking over lipstick smears and condiments gone rogue. A stain can be a bummer, but don't let it ruin your day -- or your top. Get our fixes for ketchup splatters, wine dribbles, pen marks, and more.

Chopping Block

A hot stove is a hotbed for cooking-related stains. If grease is the culprit -- think butter, oil, or mayonnaise -- first, treat the area with a dry solvent. Using an eyedropper, rinse with isopropyl alcohol; dry well. Spray a dish-soap solution on any remaining residue and soak the item in an enzyme detergent before washing.

Proteins such as blood and egg require a different fix. Should a runaway yolk or a chopping mishap leave you with damages, spray a dish-soap solution on the stain and let it sit before rinsing in tepid water. If a stain remains, treat the area with an enzyme detergent and wash according to

Read More »from 7 Secrets for Removing Stubborn Stains

By Louis DeNicola, Cheapism.com

The best way to get a good deal is to shop around, right? But running from store to store can gobble up time and gas. That's where price matching comes in: Top retailers from Best Buy to Walmart have pledged to match competitors' prices, so you can get the best deals from around town with only one stop. Problem is, these guarantees are far from straightforward. Cheapism recently examined eight retailers' price-match policies and found scads of rules and exclusions. Here are seven things every bargain shopper should know about price matching.

Related: Which retailers offer the best price matching policies?

1. Most policies require the competitor to be a local store, but what qualifies as "local" may be up for debate. Retailers tend to leave it to store managers familiar with the area to decide what lies within the same market or within a "reasonable distance." Best Buy sets a specific radius of 25 miles, while JC Penney in Alaska will match the prices of

Read More »from 7 Keys to Successful Price Matching

By Woman's Day StTurn an old frame and some burlap into a pretty, practical catchallaff

From WD's Pinterest boards

Use it to keep reminders, invitations and bits of inspiration in sight-and out of that stack on your desk.

The crafter Artist Emily Boan sells repurposed vintage pieces at local boutiques in Charlotte, NC, and through her Etsy shop. Photo by: Alison Gootee/Studio D; Craft & prop styling by Shana Faust.

TIME 3½ HR
COST $32

Materials

· Decorative frame

· Scissors

· Several yards of burlap

· 1 piece of mounting board, cut to fit frame

· Spray adhesive

· Craft knife

· 3 pieces of self-adhesive mounting board, each cut to fit the frame width and about ¼ its height

· Pencil or pen

· Heavy-duty adhesive

· Hot-glue gun and sticks

· Books or clamps

· Staple gun, staples

1. Remove glass or backing from frame.

Related: Discover 15 clever uses for common household items.

2. Cut a piece of burlap to cover the top ⅓ of the mounting board, leaving an extra 1" at the board edges. Spray this section of the board and the burlap piece with adhesive and press the Read More »from DIY Hanging Paper Organizer