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I Downsized My Home and Saved $15,000 a Year—Here’s How It Changed My Life Shutterstock Downsizing is no longer something only retirees do. With today’s inflated housing prices , people are looking for financial relief and are willing to swap a bigger house for a smaller space to save. According to a recent Bankrate survey , 62 percent of baby boomers, 49 percent of Gen Xers, and 33 percent of millennials would downsize for affordable living, while 38 percent of Gen Zers would prefer to stay in a larger home but have roommates or live with family members....

I’m a Diet Coach and These Are the 5 Things I’d Do to Lose Weight Fast Inside Creative House / Shutterstock Losing weight quickly can seem like a daunting goal, especially if you want to avoid anything ineffectual like a crash diet. But it is possible, according to Jenna Rizzo , a diet and fitness coach. In a recent TikTok video , Rizzo shared her five-point plan for how to lose weight fast, saying it’s the exact series of steps she’d follow if she wanted to lose 20 pounds in (approximately) two months....

Iconic Department Store Century 21 Is Reopening Next Week Shutterstock READ THIS NEXT: Tuesday Morning Is Going Out of Business and Closing All Stores . Shutterstock Century 21 had a humble beginning, with just a small storefront on Cortlandt Street in New York, according to Forbes . The discount department store expanded over time and became a popular destination for shoppers to score significant savings on high-fashion items. But despite managing to stand the test of time for nearly 60 years, COVID forced Century 21 out of business....

If This Pops Up on Your Computer, Turn It Off Immediately, FBI Says in New Warning iStock From the chance to reconnect with old friends to the ability to watch funny videos at any moment, the internet has provided us with quite a lot to be grateful for. But unfortunately, with the good comes the bad. The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has long been advising Americans to be cautious when going online, as criminals are keen on attacking people virtually, and there are so many different ways you could be making yourself a target for scammers....

If You Get an Email From the IRS With These 3 Words, Don’t Click on It fizkes / Shutterstock If you’ve already filed your tax return , despite the deadline being delayed, we commend you. And we also imagine you’re probably checking your bank account nonstop to see if you’ve gotten your refund. According to the IRS, you should get your refund within 21 days of filing your taxes, so if you find yourself waiting longer, you might be concerned....

If You See This on the Trees in Your Yard, Scrape It Off and Kill It Immediately Virrage Images / Shutterstock Trees are not just aesthetically pleasing—they also clean our air, help prevent flooding, and provide us with much needed shade on a late-summer day. With that in mind, if the trees in your yard are being threatened , odds are that you’ll want to be proactive about protecting them. One thing in particular could be putting your trees in danger, and if you notice it, you’ll need to take immediate action....

If You Spot This Bug, Don’t Kill It—But Report It Immediately, Officials Say Shutterstock It’s a great time to be outside right now, with the transition to summer finally delivering some warm and sunny weather. Some of us like to spend these months exploring new parks or hiking trails, while others prefer to tend to our own gardens or backyards. In either setting, you unfortunately won’t be alone, as different bugs and other critters also arrive in warmer weather....

If You’re Over 65, Your Thermostat Could Be Affecting Your Brain Health, New Study Finds iStock On a frigid winter day, we are soothed by the comfort of a fuzzy blanket and our home’s heating system . While a strong-working furnace can keep our fingers and toes from turning into icicles, cranking up the thermostat to the nth degree can also have its consequences. Researchers now say that keeping your home too warm (or vice versa, too cold) can negatively affect your brain, especially among those 65 and older....

IRS Issues New Warning on Claiming Expenses: “Taxpayers Should Be Careful” Yavdat / Shutterstock Ahead of tax season every year, many of us seek out ways to reduce our taxable income. One popular way to do so is by setting up a flexible spending account (FSA) or health savings account (HSA), which can help you pay for a variety of medical expenses. Both allow you to allocate pre-tax dollars for these expenses, which then don’t affect your adjusted gross income (AGI) when you file your return....

Jo-Ann Fabrics Is Closing Stores, Starting Jan. 22 The Image Party / Shutterstock Jo-Ann Fabrics, now formally known as JOANN, is a crafter’s heaven . The popular retail chain carries everything from sewing patterns and beads to yarn and thread, making it a one-stop shopping destination whenever you start a new project. But if you regularly rely on your local store for supplies, you might be dismayed to learn that JOANN will soon be closing some locations soon....

Leah Remini Claimed Sharon Osbourne Got Her Fired From “The Talk” JC Olivera/WireImage When the daytime talk show The Talk premiered in 2010, its panel of co-hosts included the show’s developer, Roseanne star Sara Gilbert , as well as Julie Chen Moonves , Sharon Osbourne , Holly Robinson Peete , Marissa Jaret Winokur , and Leah Remini . By the middle of the first season, Winokur announced that she’d be leaving of her own accord....

Major Banks, Including Wells Fargo, Are Closing Even More Branches Cassiohabib / Shutterstock Closing bank branches isn’t necessarily surprising news, as more and more customers now rely on the convenience of online banking. But the rate at which banks are shuttering locations may seem slightly concerning, as several major banks recently announced closures, including PNC, Santander, and Wells Fargo. Now, there are more banks paring down their locations, and your local branch could be affected....

Mary-Kate and Ashley Finally Reveal Why They Hate Being Called “The Olsen Twins” lev radin / Shutterstock Given that they’ve been famous since they were literally babies, it’s not surprising that the way the world views Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen differs from the way they view themselves. Today, the sisters are the 37-year-old creative directors of the luxury fashion brand The Row, and their acting days are far behind them. But, in a new interview, they shared that there is still one holdover from their time as child stars that they find disappointing....

Must-Have Tech, Toys, and Gadgets for Celebrating Summer Right Amazon Yes, after an unusually cool spring, summer is finally here in all it’s hot and sweaty glory, which means several things. Chiefly: sun, mercifully longer days, and the return of long-weekend getaways to what we can only presume are to wonderful destinations. But no matter how you’re disporting yourself this summer, we’ve tracked down all of the grown man’s toys, gadgets, and other items you need to absolutely crush each and every one of your summer activities....

Never Buy Multivitamins With These 6 Ingredients, Doctors Say PeopleImages / iStock If you feel your diet is falling short, the best thing to do is to make a diversified, healthy meal plan that fills in the nutritional gaps. That’s because though one-third of all American adults currently take supplemental vitamins, research has returned mixed results about their efficacy. In some cases, taking a daily multivitamin with certain ingredients can even cause more harm than good, leading many doctors to advise against their use....

New Study Links Everyday Chemical In Your Home to Over 350,000 Heart Disease Deaths Javier Gibert / Shutterstock Recent research has been sounding the alarm on the health hazards of microplastics —from the shocking finding that there’s a spoonful of them in our brains to the danger of heating takeout containers in the microwave. And now, a new study published on April 29 has identified a potential link between a widely used chemical in household products and a significant number of heart disease deaths globally....

Officials Issue Alert Amid “Incredibly Contagious” Mumps Outbreak—These Are the Symptoms iStock From COVID and the flu to measles and norovirus, there’s no shortage of illnesses to be on the lookout for these days. But another new concern just popped up: On March 5, the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) issued an alert urging individuals to be wary of mumps. According to the press release, officials are investigating an outbreak of eight suspected cases of mumps in the state....

One of the Best and Brightest Meteor Showers Peaks on Friday—How to See It iStock Calling all early morning risers and astrophiles! Before sunrise on Friday, the Geminids meteor shower will reach peak activity , Space.com reports. The light display, which occurs every year around mid-December, is known for its yellow-greenish tinted hues. In some parts of the country, stargazers can even see a new meteor shoot across the night sky every minute , says the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)....

Own Scrabble with These 43 Words That Start withX Shutterstock While Scrabble is considerably less stressful than some other game night classics (Sorry!, Monopoly, Settlers of Catan), a good game can easily turn sour as soon as the letter X is introduced to the board. Sure, everyone enjoys a good brain twister now and then, but finding words that start with X is less like a challenge and more like a nightmare—or at least it was , before now....

Popular Seasonings Are Being Recalled Over “Serious Allergic Reaction” Risks, FDA Says iStock Since most seasonings last for a rather long time, many of us rarely clean out our spice cabinets. But you may want to pick through your pantry right now. That’s because the U.S. Food Drug and Administration (FDA) has just issued two new alerts about popular seasonings being recalled in multiple states. RELATED: Mouthwash Is Being Recalled Nationwide Due to “Risk of Poisoning,” Officials Warn ....