BusinessVoice News Network

The 50-30-20 Budget Rule can make it easier to manage expenses now and save for the future. Allocate 50 percent of your take-home pay to necessities like mortgage or rent, utilities and groceries. Use 30 percent of that after-tax income for wants, like a new phone or a fresh outfit. The remaining 20 percent is for savings or paying off debt. Source Link

For your next visit to the doctor, be sure to bring some important information on your family. Knowing about conditions like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure or cancers experienced by siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles can help your doctor identify if you’re at higher risk and need a special schedule of screenings. Source Link

Your tennis shoes can come clean in the washing machine, with some important caveats. A machine wash works for polyester, cotton and canvas kicks, but leather sneakers should be hand-washed, and any stain may need to be spot-treated separately. And a wash cycle does a better job of killing odor than helping your tennis shoes come clean. Source Link

A young child will get the most benefit if you go low-tech when reading to them. Children whose parents used print books instead of a tablet or other digital device got more out of the experience. Researchers say a tablet can be distracting with its touch features and e-books with sounds and music blocked interaction between parent and child. Source Link

Your phone offers plenty of shortcuts to make life easier. Ask your voice assistant to remind you of something you need to do later when you enter a certain room, or add items to a grocery list as you see that you need them. And when you’re trying to find others in a crowd, show them where you are with the prompt, “Where am I?” and then share that location with your group. Source Link

Eating nuts can be a great tool for weight loss, but be sure to watch your portions and choose wisely. Walnuts give you antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids, while peanuts and almonds can curb hunger. Pistachios are lower in calories than other nuts and cashews are a low-fat crunchy alternative to less healthy snacks. Source Link

When it’s time to clean up your act on that laptop make sure you have the right tools to get rid of the grime. Start with short sprays of canned air to blast away crumbs or dirt in the keyboard and dust that’s blocking the cooling vents. Then use a dry microfiber cloth to remove smudges from the screen and add a bit of water to that cloth to wipe down the case. Source Link

Watch for these red flags when choosing a home mover. Beware when a mover gives you an estimate without an on-site inspection of your household items or says they’ll provide a written estimate after they load the truck. Never sign blank documents or put down a large deposit before the move and avoid a mover that demands cash payment. Source Link

Your smartphone’s camera can catch those action shots easily with a few simple steps. On an iPhone, swipe the shutter button to the left for “Burst Mode,” then lift your finger to stop and select the best shots by tapping Burst > Select > Done. To do the same thing on an Android phone, simply hold down your shutter button. Source Link

Are you guilty of these bad driving habits that annoy others who share the road with you? Top complaints are about people who ride in the left lane instead of using it only for passing, not using headlights in rain or snow or sitting at a green light. And if you’re behind that driver who doesn’t go on green, be kind and give them to the count of three before using your horn. Source Link

How can a healthy colon prevent those calories on the lips from making it to your hips? Eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains gives your gut microbiome more fiber to absorb and eliminate hundreds of calories per day. Processed foods are stripped of fiber and are digested and absorbed by the stomach where every calorie counts. Source Link

Beware of fake delivery-service text messages that can direct you to hacker websites. Ask yourself if you’ve ordered something to be delivered by the service that’s listed in the text. Look for misspellings and awkward grammar and a lack of a tracking number. If there is one, copy that number and paste it into a Google search box to see if it’s real or fake. Source Link

You want Alexa to be ready to help anywhere in your home, but here’s where you don’t want to put an Amazon Echo or Dot. Keep it away from a kitchen sink or anywhere water could cause damage, or near a TV where it could mistake a program’s dialogue for a command. And keep Alexa away from windows where someone outside the house could hijack it. Source Link

Hitting the “pause” button on that next online or in-store purchase might be just the break your budget needs to avoid impulse spending. Give yourself 24 hours to think about going to the store and see if you still want that thing tomorrow. And when you’re buying online, leave items in the shopping cart and come back later. Sometimes, you’ll find a lower price when you come back. Source Link

What are some of the do’s and dont’s of good dental hygiene? Do choose a toothbrush with a smaller head and soft bristles, but don’t scrub hard. Use a fingertip touch to hold the brush. Do brush with a rotating motion and at a 45-degree angle, or let your electric toothbrush hover over each tooth. And don’t rinse after brushing your teeth. Allow the fluoride in toothpaste to continue to work after you’re done. Source Link

Achieving financial wellness takes planning and persistence to make it work. Set a budget and review it monthly to see if the spending matches your plan. Make a point to review retirement or investment accounts twice a year, and use automatic transfers from checking to savings and automatic payments on car loans or mortgages to avoid late fees. Source Link

The right way to clean your ears is simple because you don’t really need to do it. Ear wax naturally works its way out and if you see some use a wet washcloth to wipe it away. A few drops of half-and-half mixture of water and hydrogen peroxide can loosen ear wax, but cleaning with a Q-tip can push wax back into the ear canal. Source Link

That expired milk in the fridge doesn’t necessarily have to go down the drain. Sour milk can be used in savory baking recipes and those that call for buttermilk, like crepes, pancakes and waffles. Milk that’s slightly turned is great with sugary cereal and expired milk can be mixed with breading for fried veggies or cheese. Source Link