Thermos Intak® Steel Hydration Bottle: Neat Solution for Thurst

One of my many self-promises is to DRINK MORE WATER! So when my sister recommended a new (and cute) water bottle...I listened. The Thermos Brand Intak® Steel Hydration Bottle is an 18 oz. stainless steel container with a nifty push button opener that reveals a short bendable straw when opened. The container keeps your water cold for 12 hours...even in a hot car. The straw allows easy drinking..even while driving. It comes in very cute designs...flowers, polka dots, stripes. The size of the water bottle fits nicely in your hand and also perfectly in your automobile cup holder. The Thermos retails from about $18 to $23. I found mine for $18 at Walgreen's. Online I saw this on Amazon.com and Target.com for a few dollars more. You may also find it in your local Target. It's my new NEAT SOLUTION for staying hydrated.

Trash Compactor : A Neat Solution for Families

Sometimes the neatest solutions are right under your nose...those everyday things that you take for granted. The trash compactor is one of those. I do not know if I can ever live without this "unnoticeable" appliance...and I certainly don't know how any one with more then 2 people living in the household can manage without one. Basically, it can cut trash volume by about 75% with a compactor. REALLY! This saves enormous amounts of time and saves on space in your waste receptacle. It is small, quiet, "non-smelly" (except on fish day). Lowes has a nice buying guide online with more info about how to choose the right model for you. They range in price from $450-$800. I think ours was on the low end of this scale and it has worked fine. The best news is that we have never spent extra money on the special compactor bags. We use regular old Glad bags and have not had a problem. So for a neat solution for trash...consider this option.

iPod Shuffle : Neat Solution for MUSIC

After having renewed my resolution to exercise regularly this year, I was in need of a new way to listen to music while on the treadmill. My old (and I do mean OLD) "mini" radio was big, clunky, unreliable, and would run out of batteries just as I was breaking a sweat. First my husband offered me a "hand-me-down" iPod. It was better than the radio...but still a bit inconvenient. We ended up at Best Buy where we were sold on the iPod shuffle. $49 and holds hundreds of songs. The best part... it is so small and light and has a clip that securely
fastens the little gadget to your shirt (or whatever). I loaded it with all of my favorite "get my motor running" tunes. You know.. the ones that make you forget you are actually exercising. Unlike the regular iPods, the Shuffle doesn't let you choose a particular song. This is OK with me... the less I have to do... the better. It does, however let you skip a song you are not in the mood to hear or replay a song you want to hear again. Apple just came out with a newer, smaller, Shuffle so I am not sure if it is going to replace this one or is in addition. The new one is $79 and there is apparently a voice that tells you what song you are listening to. More info than I need for exercising :) I have to say.. I am not a technogadget freak...but I love my new little green Shuffle!

Yapta.com Neat Solution for Travel

Airfare prices are as predictable as a ...teenager. One day they are up...next day they are down. Yapta.com is a great, FREE, service to help you track airfares. This is how it works... You want to fly from New York to Paris in July. You log in to Yapta, put in your city of origin, your destination and the dates you want to travel . The data base searches airlines (some, not all) to see what flights are available. You "Mark" the flights you want Yapta to track for you...they email you when the fare drops! Last year my family traveled to Europe. I tracked many flights for several months...waited until a HUGE DIP in price, bought four tickets and saved $1500 ! If you are flexable on dates or locations you have spend a bit of time looking up all of the various options to track...but the time was worth it in my case. I have used this service MANY times and have saved thousands. You can even continue to track after you have purchased. Several airlines
(Jet Blue, for one)will give you a credit if your fare goes down after purchase. With a son who flies several times a year for college...it is a Neat Solution I am glad I found.

I love Etsy.com ...Neat Solution for Gift Buying

Do you love to buy handcrafted items for gifts (or gifts for yourself)? Etsy.com is a website where almost every conceivable item is available for purchase direct from the artist. Jewelry, clothing, decorative items, gifts for baby, wedding, anniversary, birthday. It is very easy to navigate, the purchase was simple, the artist communicated with me directly, the shipping was reasonable and the unique jewelry came on time and in a great gift box. If you are an artist or crafts person...it is a great place to sell your items.. they come up on Google searches often...so i guess they really know what they are doing in terms of search technology. So next time you want to find a really different gift...try Etsy.com. It could save you time, money and the torture of the mall.

By the way... THIS is where I purchased my gifts.

Apricot Scrub... Neat Solution for Young Skin

OK... So big birthday last month...50! The rest of the body is going to hell but the skin looks great. What do I use religiously? Yep.. that $3.99 tube of St. Ives Apricot Scrub. I have been using it almost everyday for about 16 years. I spent the night at a co-workers apartment... she had it in her shower... I tried it and loved it. There are abrasive particles in the pasty cream that take all of the dead skin off. It has a nice fragrance and rinses off easily. Best of all I can pick it up at any grocery store or pharmacy. I have NEVER found any skin care or cosmetics in the department store that is worth the price you pay. I am no beauty expert ..for sure...but I know what works for me. It has been an affordable Neat Solution for my skin for years.

Food Chopper

The Zyliss Food Chopper is one of the most frequently used gadgets in my kitchen. It is a low tech piece of equipment...no plugs, no memory cards.... just an easy to store, easy to clean easy to use chopper. I find it especially handy when finely chopping onions, celery, carrots or herbs. It retails for around $10-$15 depending where you shop. Bed Bath and Beyond carries this item for $9.99. it really comes in handy when chopping all of those vegies for Pico De Gallo !

Pico de Gallo....Neat Solution for Recipes

Pico de Gallo is a mixture of finely diced onion, tomato, cilantro, and pepper. These days most grocery stores have this prepared in the produce section of the market. It is a fantastic NEAT SOLUTION for making many dishes go from blah to BLING. Try it in eggs, salads, rice, any meat including pork, beef, pork, fish. It is a low cal topping for toast, crackers, baked potato. Always have it on hand and voila......instant BLING.