Health

 

One of the most important things for you to do is to take care of yourself, get plenty of sleep and exercise, and eat well in order to remain healthy.

Without sleeping enough (7 to 8 hours per night) recent studies show that we can become ill with serious consequences and also gain weight! A healthy diet and eating at least three times a day will help keep up your immune system and your strength.  Exercise can help maintain body strength, tone and also be a stress reliever.

One of the best ways to avoid becoming ill is to wash your hands regularly and try to avoid people who are coughing and sneezing and not taking precautions to cover their mouths and noses. Don’t use their phones, eat or drink after them or anyone else for that matter. Dressing properly when the weather is rainy or extremely cold is also a way of staying healthy.

Health is a very broad topic. There are many books available at the local library that can help you learn more. Here we are sharing a few things that will help you feel better should you become ill with the stomach flu or a cold and ways to prevent becoming sick.

 


BRAT Diet:
 
The BRAT Diet is good to you when you have been sick with the flu and just able to keep something down. It also helps with diarrhea.

• Bananas
• Rice
• Applesauce
• Toast

It doesn’t sound all that enticing and is pretty bland but when you have been sick it will be good for you, giving you needed strength and helping your digestive system get back to normal.

Also, while on the BRAT diet try to avoid using too much butter ...if at all, on the rice or toast. Adding excessive fats to your diet after being ill will only make you queasy again and set you back a bit.  It's best to just say 'No' for a few days.




Chicken Broth for Colds:

Chicken Broth is nature’s penicillin. When sick with a cold a cup of chicken broth every few hours will help. Heat a cup or more at a time and if you like, add salt and pepper for more taste. You can also add rice.

Chicken Broth can be found in the soup aisle at the grocery store and comes in flavors: Plain and Roasted Garlic.

If you have had the flu and experienced vomiting and diarrhea and are able to try to keep something down, start with a small amount of chicken broth and a little rice. As you start to feeling better use the BRAT diet mentioned above along with chicken broth between meals.




Washing Hands


In public facilities:

It is really important to keep your hands clean and the reason is because, especially in public places you can pick up some nasty germs. If you haven’t washed your hands and touch your mouth, eyes etcetera you can end up with some nasty viruses. One of the dirtiest things to touch is the grocery cart handle. Research has shown that it is filthy and crawling with germs including e-coli.

Carry a small bottle of anti-bacterial hand wash with you in your pocket or purse and wash your hands before touching your face or handling food or the straw in your drink if you happen to be at a drive-thru. If at a restaurant go to the ladies’ or men’s room and wash your hands. Hopefully there is paper towel to dry your hands with. Air Dryers are OK but some people don’t wash their hands after using the restroom and so they using dirty hands to open the door and you get to carry those nasty germs back to your table, eating utensils and food. If there is paper towel use it to open the door with. If not get tissue from the toilet paper roll avoiding touching anything with clean hands and use that to open the door.

Hopefully you do have that little bottle of anti-bacterial hand wash with you because the menu you are handling is also dirty and contaminated with germs. Maybe that person that didn’t wash their hands in the restroom has handled it. Who knows!

Some people get paper towel, holding it under their arm while they wash their hands before using the restroom. After drying their hands they use the paper towel to open and close the stall doors and then before leaving they wash their hands again. Before washing they get paper towel, hold it under their arms while they wash, dry their hands and use the paper towel to open the door. Many places are aware of this and place a trash can by the door so you can open it, drop the towel in the trash and leave without touching the door or making a mess.

When using the restroom facilities never sit on the toilet seat unless it is covered. You do not want to pickup a disease. If the restroom is not equipped with disposable seat covers make your own using strips of toilet paper.

Today it is better to be overly cautious than not at all.








Whether renting or you own your own home there will be times you will want to do projects that will require certain tools to get a job done.

The tool needs list will grow and grow especially when you are able to buy a home. It doesn’t matter whether you are a guy or gal … you’ll need tools.


Basic Tool  Kit List:
 
___ Claw Hammer

___ Screwdrivers

_____ Various sizes of Phillips and Flathead

___ Nails

___ Screws

___ Small Hack Saw

___ Wire

___ Adjustable Wrench

___ Pliers


What will you use all this stuff for?


You’ll need a hammer to hang pictures and to pull the nails or hangers out in case you hung the picture in the wrong place or you are rearranging or even moving. When you want to remove the nail, use the claw part of the hammer. Fill in the holes with spackle or toothpaste. Don’t use striped toothpaste.

If you have purchased a book case or unfinished furniture or other things that require assembly you will probably need a screw driver and a hammer. Invest in a cordless screwdriver with a rechargeable battery. This will save time and be less strenuous on your wrist.

A hack saw can be used to cut off table legs if you should decide to get an old used breakfast table to use as a coffee table or end table. 

Wire can be used to hang pictures.









Whether you have made arrangements ahead of time for hotel accommodations or you are on a road trip and need to stop for a good night’s rest always check the room for cleanliness.

After checking in and accepting the room assigned to you, do not unpack until you have checked the beds, telephone and bathroom for cleanliness. Also check whether there is soap, enough towels and bath clothes, glasses or other amenities than are commonly offered with the room. If there is a coffeemaker…is there coffee?  Does the television work? Before using the phone, make sure it is clean. Telephones are great for transmitting bacteria and germs and if the receiver is the slightest bit dirty go down to the front counter and ask that they send some one to clean it or give you the supplies and you will clean it but only if the rest of the room is acceptable.

When checking the beds, remove the pillows and carefully look across the top of the bed and sheets. The bed may be neatly made but the linens may not have been changed. If there are any hairs of any kind notify the front desk and request room service to come change the sheets or ask for a new room.  Check the bathroom commode for cleanliness, the floor for hairs and dirt as well as the tub or shower stall.

If you find the bathroom is not clean you do want a new room.

Don’t assume that the new room will be clean. Check it too. If you find hairs in the bed or bathroom take your things and go back to the front desk, inform the person in charge that you are leaving and why and make sure that you are not charged.

If you are offered a room at no charge if it is acceptable, get that in writing before accepting the room and staying for the night. Do be sure it is acceptable before you agree even if it is free.

Housing

Okay you are ON YOUR OWN or working on getting there.  The very FIRST thing you need is a place to live!  And, there is a great deal to think about.  Do you rent an apartment or a house? Do you qualify to buy?

Your decision to look for a house versus an apartment will depend on the monthly rent….which is less expensive and which has the least responsibility.  Generally rental houses can be a little more expensive than apartments because there are more amenities. Also, will you have room mates? Will you be renting by yourself? Will you be renting as a couple. Or instead of renting will you be buying a house?

When renting a house, unless the owner/landlord provides a lawn and gardening service you will be responsible for mowing, weeding, and blowing leaves; keeping up the yard in general. If the service is provided ultimately you’ll be paying for it as it will be included in the rent. This will make the rent higher.

Do you want to deal with yard work? This is also something to think about if you are in a financial position to be able to afford to buy a house.  If the house you are considering has a lot of landscaping, flower beds and yard in general: it may be beautiful. You may have the idea that doing all the yard work will be fun and you will enjoy it. But, if you would rather be spending the day at the beach or the lake or reading a book there won’t be time because you’ll need to do the yard work to keep things looking nice. After all, you don’t want neighbors to complain about your scraggly yard and how it is bringing down the value of homes in the neighborhood. There are codes to think about too. Some cities have a limit on how tall the grass can grow!

But all of this won’t matter if you can also afford a lawn care and garden service and the house payment too.

A word of advice, read all leases carefully. It is possible to be so excited to be getting a home of your own, whether a house or an apartment, that you don’t pay much attention to the RULES. But, DO pay attention. There may be so many rules you feel as if you are in prison. So maybe you should keep looking.

Before signing the lease, please remember, you are signing a legal agreement. If you break the agreement regarding the length of time…for example you sign a 12 month agreement and move out in nine months you will mostly likely still have to pay the last three months of the lease. If you don’t you may have a collection agency harassing you. You won’t like it. So you do want to fulfill the lease and give a dated 30 day written notice that you will be vacating.

Example of a written notice:


December 31, 2007


John Doe/Jane Doe
Property Manager
Charming Place to Live Apartments
100 Charming Place Lane
Charming Town, CA 00000

 
Dear John,

This 30 day notice is to inform you I will be vacating my apartment, #200 Charming Place Lane on January 30, 2008.

I will be coming by your office to drop off the keys by noon that day.

Please let me know as soon as possible if I need to complete any particular paper work

 

Sincerely,

Jane Smith/John Smith

 

If you are giving notice on a house then take the letter to the landlord/owner. How do you pay the rent? Do you take it or mail it or does the landlord pick it up?  If you mail the rent  then mail the notice but send it certified mail and attach a copy of the letter to the receipt for the certified letter and the return receipt you will receive that will have the landlord’s signature. This is proof the letter was sent and received.

By the way…if you are sending the rent through the mail it would be a good idea to send it certified as this is proof it was sent on time. This is a way of protecting yourself. Your landlord cannot say you paid the rent late and charge you late fees.

All of this may seem like a hassle but it is a way of protecting yourself.

Normally you would pay your apartment rent in person at the Management Office. Always get a rent receipt.

Also if there are damages, you are liable for those. You can lose any security deposits plus you can be sued to pay more if the repair costs are more than the security deposit.

There are many things to consider and questions to ask when renting or buying for that matter. You might really think about it before you buy and rent an apartment or a house for a year at least. This will give you a chance to think about what you really want. Most likely you aren’t in a position to buy and won’t be for a few years.

For questions about renting either a house or an apartment see Apartments.

In general all the questions apply to renting either one. Print out a copy of the questions and take them with you so you won’t forget to ask something. It is important to be clear on these issues because if not there could be problems that you don’t want or need in the future. Jumping into a rental agreement without being clear what you are responsible for or liable for is not what you will want to deal with.

 (see Apartments/Housing)