The sidewalks and parking lots are crowded – and a little holiday ettiquette may be in order...

Do you stay to the right and pass on the left – when you’re walking?

According to Charles Purdy, author of “Urban Etiquette,” that simple rule of etiquette should apply when malls, aisles and sidewalks get crowded with shoppers. Here are some other tips to help keep holidays happy – if everyone would cooperate:

 

• When jockeying for a parking spot – it should go to the car with the blinker on first, not the closest.

• When cash register lines are disorganized – go with the flow. Huffing and puffing or trying to whip the line into shape won’t save you much time.

• If you’ve got a cart full – have a heart and let the person with one item ahead of you.

• Go ahead and hold the door for the person behind you. Even if two or three people take advantage of your courtesy, it will only eat up about 10 or 15 seconds of your day.

Have you ever measured your legs? You should...

Is one of your legs longer than the other?

It turns out 1 in 5 people with arthritis have legs that are mismatched – by 3/4 of an inch or more. Leg length can have a big impact on the rest of your body. If there’s a difference, it puts a lot of strain on your knee and hip joints which speeds the development of arthritis.

Have a doctor – or a tailor – measure your legs. If there is a difference over a half inch, you should consider wearing a simple, inexpensive heel lift to prevent undue stress on the rest of your body.

A lot of drivers take some obvious safety tips for granted...

Buckle up and don’t speed. Those simple driving tips should go without saying...

The more we drive, the more we take some basic safety tips for granted. Here are 5 no-brainers worth repeating:


• Don’t drive drunk. Over 30% of all auto fatalities in the U.S. involve alcohol. Even low blood-alcohol levels reduce reaction time and coordination and lowers inhibitions.

• Don’t speed. For every mile per hour faster you drive - the likelihood of being in an accident increases by 4 or 5 percent. Driving 10 miles per hour faster increases your crash risk by as much as 50%.

• Avoid distractions. The reaction time of a 20 year-old with a cell-phone or distracting passenger is that of a 70 year-old driver. Keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheel. That text or call can wait until your car is in park.

• Don’t drive drowsy. Another 20% of accidents involve sleepiness. As soon as you feel a yawn coming on, take action immediately. Dozing off at the wheel can happen with little or no warning.
• Wear your seatbelt. You may have heard stories of freak accidents where someone would have lived had they not been buckled in – but the truth is, most of those are exaggerations or urban legends. Even a low speed accident can result in disaster to an unbelted driver or passenger.

If you use a lot of paper towels – I’ll tell you which kind NOT to buy...

If you’re the environmentally conscious type – and buy “earth-friendly” paper towels – save your money...

Consumer reports put 23 types of paper towels to the test and found some of those pricey “earth-friendly” brands to be the wimpiest. What’s worse, their “green” claims don’t mean a lot. There are no governmental regulations for those products and in many cases they just add to the price and don’t help the clean up the environment one bit.

If you’d like to be more environmentally conscious – look for paper towels and other paper products that are labeled “recycled.” That claim does hold some merit. The best way to conserve money and the environment is to get out of the habit of using disposables for simple clean-ups. Save the paper towels for cutting boards, countertops and greasy or germy spills.

Do you ever get a wicked cramp in your foot?

Few things are more annoying than a crippling foot cramp which seems to come out of nowhere...

According to Kathryn Teng, staff physician at the Cleveland Clinic, the most common reason for that is a subtle electrolyte imbalance or dehydration. Get up and walk around, have a drink of water and massage that foot to relieve the cramp.

Occasional foot cramps are usually nothing to worry about – but frequent cramps could be. If your feet cramp every night or during the day when you walk, a blood-clotting disorder or nerve damage could be to blame – and it’s time to see a doctor.

If you’re tempted to buy some gifts at that pop-up store in the mall...

Tis the season for pop-up shopping!

From calendars and accessories, to handbags, toys, tools and more, holiday pop-up stores in malls and shopping centers have arrived. Here today and gone next month – some of them are worth the trip. Christina Norsig, CEO of PopUp Insider says pop-up shopping can be a real bargain if you know what to look for:

• Find out about returns. Ask about their policies and if you’ll have to pay a stocking fee.

• Inspect the goods. If it looks cheap or sub-par, keep shopping. Quality varies from shop to shop and you’ll probably find better quality for the same or similar price elsewhere.

• Ask when their clearance sale starts. Pop-up shops have to pack up and get out right after the holiday and are usually eager to slash prices and sell their merchandise before their lease is up.

The next time you’re lost – should you ask a man or a woman for directions?

If you’re lost, you may want to pull over into a nail salon instead of a gas station for directions...

Researchers at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia have determined that women give more accurate directions than men. Be patient though. They also determined that women take their time and think about it before telling you which way to go – while men tend to blurt the route right out, often with errors or skipping important details.

Do you have any questions? Here are some good ones for the end of an interview...

One key moment of an interview is at the end, when you’re asked if you have any questions...

If you don’t have one, you may come across as disinterested. If you ask a question that’s already been explained, you risk being perceived as a flake. If you have trouble coming up with that final question, Stephanie Daniel, of Keystone Associates, has 3 really good suggestions:

• Are there any work issues here that keep you up at night that I might be able to help with? This helps the employer start to envision you as an employee.

• What’s your best advice to someone starting out at this company? The answer could yield some really valuable insight for you.

• Could you describe your ideal candidate for this job? This is another great opportunity for insight. Many job descriptions are not written by the person you’re interviewing with and this question could help personalize it a bit.

How many people really get a shiny new car with a big giant bow for Christmas?

Who are these lucky people getting new cars with big red bows on top this year?

December is a big month dealerships – and yes – they sell some of those cars as gifts. Industry experts estimate about 10% of December sales wind up parked under someone’s tree. More men buy cars as gifts than women do – and mom’s and wives are the most auto-gifted.

If you’re tempted, the end of the month is a really good time to buy a new car as dealerships try to put up big numbers before the calendar year changes. It's worth haggling for the bow - they run anywhere from $50 to $300.

There’s some really good, exotic new produce on the shelves.

The next time you’re in the produce isle – slow down by the citrus selection...

There are some new varieties on the market that are really delicious. Here are a few varieties to try:

• The Dancy tangerine: Super-sweet and easy to peel with hints of honey and orange blossom.

• The Melogold grapefruit: This extra-large and extra-juicy grapefruit is the sweetest one yet.

• The Moro orange: Similar to a blood orange, they have a crimson flesh with a hint of berry in the taste and their also known as raspberry oranges.

• The Cara-Cara orange: These have a unique flavor of cherry and rose petals with salmon colored segments.

The stores are brimming with decorations, shoppers, and shoplifters...

As the retail industry peaks at this time of year, so does shoplifting...

Ad Week has a list of the top ten items that are leaving the shelves, under cover:

1. Food – choice cuts of meat top the list. Supermarkets are now considered the stores with the most theft.

2. Liquor is another top hot commodity.

3. Power gadgets and tools are the most stolen items by men.

4. Electronics like smartphones and video games are slipping away and as many as 100,000 laptops are reported stolen annually from big box stores.

5. Disposable razors are expensive – and frequently stolen.

6. Items like deodorant and body wash are often stolen in mass quantities and resold at flea markets and corner stores. Axe and Dial are the hottest brands.

7. Clothing theft is up 31% since 2009.

8. Toys - Let's Rock Elmo is this year's must-have and most-stolen.

9. Expensive perfume - the sample bottles are most vulnerable.

10. High-end sneakers - thieves wear flip flops into the store, and something more valuable out.

If you’re tempted to reuse that water or drink bottle – don’t...

Some everyday items can be really bad for our health...

Claudia Cornwall from Best You Magazine has a few we should be avoiding:

• Clamshell takeout food containers – if they are the Styrofoam type, they contain polystyrene which can leach into our food.

• Non-stick cookware, when overheated, may give off carcinogenic fumes. When cooking with non-stick, be sure not to let an empty pan smolder on a hot burner.

• Worn and pitted pots and pans contain aluminum which can be absorbed by the food we cook, especially leafy vegetables and acidic food like tomatoes.

• Reusable sports water bottles could contain bisphenol A, a suspected hormone disrupter. They are usually labeled with #7 in the recycling symbol. Don’t put plastics labeled #3, #6 or #7 into the microwave or dishwasher.

• Reusing water and soft-drink bottles is not a good idea either. They are intended for single use only and are prone to picking up bacteria after that.

• Plastic toys labeled #3 can contain PVC which could damage the liver, kidneys and reproductive systems of animals - and interfere with children’s growth and development. Don’t let children or pets suck or chew on #3 toys.

Have you heard about the MVP of sports drinks?

Water and Gatorade are fine – but if you’ve got a cramp – reach for the pickle juice...

It’s been used in sports for decades and a new study out of BYU put pickle juice to the test. Subjects exercised to the point of mild dehydration and had cramps induced. Those who drank pickle juice felt relief within 85 seconds, almost twice as fast as water or other sports drinks.

Buccaneers team nutritionist Kevin Luhrs says pickle juice is a natural source of sodium and other electrolytes. Sodium is a component of sweat and the pickle juice helps replace what was lost and helps retain water in the body.

Did you know snooping can make you fat?

If you’re tempted to check that cell phone, Google that salary or listen in on that chat – loosen your belt first – it could make you fat...

Jeffrey M. Schwartz, author of “You Are Not Your Brain,” says habitual snooping does a number on a person’s physical and psychological health.

Doctor Schwartz explains snooping is super stressful. Worrying about being caught in the act of snooping and trying to cover your tracks as you poke around in other people’s business - triggers the production of cortisol and can lead to an increase in appetite. Snoopers are also at risk for high blood pressure and memory loss due to the overactive fight-or-flight response.

Should religion matter in a new relationship?

New relationships are exciting – and fragile...

eHarmony has a few life aspects that could be deal breakers later on:

• Secrets: If someone has to curb themselves around friends, family or co-workers - that charade can be a real burden on the partner.

• Jealousy: If you feel threatened by the people your partner interacts with – that’s not likely to change. You’ll need to determine if that’s their problem, or yours.

• Religion: For some couples, it doesn’t matter – until it matters. In other words, religion can have a bigger impact on a relationship once you’re older or start to consider a family – and little differences can suddenly seem a lot bigger.

• Family: If your family is intrusive domineering, belittling or just plain crazy – there’s a good chance your partner won’t be able to handle that.

• Finances: Never lie about money. If the relationship lasts, financial surprises or hidden debts can be catastrophic to the trust.