The Oscars are a Month Away - - Do You Know Your Oscar Facts?

The Academy Awards give recognition to the good and the great of Hollywood, and this year will mark the 88th edition of the most prestigious awards ceremony for actors and motion pictures in the entire world.

- Tatum O’Neal won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in 1973’s Paper Moon. She was just 10 years old.

- Christopher Plummer became the oldest person ever to win an Oscar for his role in Beginners (2010). He was 82 years old.

                      

- Liza Minnelli is the only Oscar winner to be born of two Oscar-winning parents. She won the Best Actress Oscar in 1972’sCabaret.

- All nameplates for potential Oscar winners are prepared prior to each year’s Academy Awards ceremony.

- The first-ever Academy Awards ceremony was held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in 1929.

- The Academy Awards ceremonies of today are televised in more than 200 countries.

- Kathryn Bigelow is the only woman ever to win a Best Director Oscar, for 2009’s The Hurt Locker. She is one of only three women ever, to be nominated.

- Peter Finch and Heath Ledger were the only two actors to be posthumously awarded Best Actor Oscars, for their roles in Networkand The Dark Knight respectively.

- Meryl Streep is the most nominated female actress in the history of the Academy. She has been nominated 19 times, winning three Best Actress Oscars to date.

- Jack Nicholson is the most nominated male actor in the history of the Academy, with 12 nominations. He has won three Best Actor Oscars throughout his career.

- Jack Nicholson, Daniel Day-Lewis and Walter Brennan are tied for the most Best Actor Oscar wins, with three each.

  

- Katharine Hepburn won the Best Actress Oscar no less than four times, making her the most successful actress in the history of the Academy.

    

- Movies Ben-Hur (1959), Titanic (1997) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) each won no less than 11 Oscars a piece during the year they were nominated.

- Post-1950 Oscar statuettes, awarded to the winners, all bind their recipients to giving the right of first refusal to the Academy if they want to sell them. The sale Price is $1, and this is done to discourage recipients from selling their statues for financial gain.

- The sealed envelopes used to announce the winner of each Academy Award began to be used from 1941 after the Los Angeles Times broke an embargo that prevented the names of winners from being published earlier than 11pm on the night of the Awards.

- Legendary director Alfred Hitchcock was nominated five times for a Best Director Oscar, but never took home the award.

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-The most frequent Oscars host is Bob Hope, who hosted the ceremony 19 times.

- Walt Disney is the most nominated person in the history of the Academy, with no less than 50 nominations. Composer John Williams is the most nominated person alive today, with 49 nominations.

- The longest-ever acceptance speech in Oscars history was five-and-a-half minutes long, and given by Greer Garson when she accepted a Best Actress Oscar for her role in 1943’s Mrs. Miniver.

- Oscar statuettes made during World War II were made out of plaster due to metal shortages. Traditional ones came back after it ended.

- The Best Foreign Language Film category was added to the Academy Awards for the 29th edition in 1957.

- 2014 Best Picture nominee, Boyhood, took 12 years to shoot in total, but required just 39 shooting days over those 12 years to complete.

                                                                                                                        

- Marlon Brando holds the record for the most consecutive Best Actor nominations, with four.

Discrimination harms homeownership

Some facts about the housing market:

• homeowners have more wealth than non-homeowners; and
• white (non-Hispanic) households have a higher homeownership rate than non-white households.
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Therefore, it’s no surprise that non-white households have less wealth than white households. In fact, a recent Zillow analysis reports the average white family’s wealth equals $114,785 as of 2011. The average black family’s wealth equals a fraction of that, just $24,792. Using this data, Zillow found that if black families became homeowners at the same rate as white families, their average wealth would rise to $32,871.

In 2011, the homeownership rate for white households was 72%, compared with a 52% homeownership rate for black households. Zillow claims that six percentage points of the 20 separating the two rates can be accounted for by socioeconomic factors (i.e. the average income of black households is less than white households). This still leaves a homeownership gap of 14 percentage points, unexplained by income, savings or household characteristics.

So aside from socioeconomic factors, what can account for the difference in homeownership between racial groups?

The sad fact is, a large, highly documented system of housing discrimination exists, keeping homeownership rates low for racial minorities, particularly black and Hispanic families. Discrimination comes from three sides in the process of buying and keeping a home:

• intentional mortgage discrimination;
• implicit (and sometimes explicit) discrimination from real estate professionals; and
• a higher likelihood of default and foreclosure.
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The many forms of discrimination

In 2012, Bank of America and Countrywide agreed to pay $335 million in response to discriminatory mortgage lending, which adversely affected 200,000 people nationwide.

While certainly not the first instance of mortgage discrimination, this was the largest proven act of racial discrimination in the mortgage industry. Countrywide charged minority families higher fees and steered them into subprime mortgages, even though minority homebuyers’ credit histories were similar to the credit histories of white applicants. As a result, many of these homebuyers eventually defaulted and lost their homes to foreclosure following the 2008 recession.

Beyond mortgage discrimination, real estate professionals act out a more insidious form of racial discrimination. According to a decades-long study by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), implicit racial discrimination ensures minority homebuyers (and renters) are:

• shown fewer properties; and
• given less information by real estate agents.
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Explicit racial discrimination still exists in the real estate profession, though less so today. In these more rare cases, real estate agents refuse outright to show properties or take applications from racial minority groups.

Finally, black homeowners (and likely other racial minorities) are more likely than White homeowners to lose their home during a recession.

Aside from being steered into bad mortgage deals, as cited in the Bank of America/Countrywide case, black homeowners are statistically more likely to lose their job during a recession. When this happens, black workers often have less money set aside in savings to tide them over until they can find another job (partly due to black and other racial minority workers having lower average incomes than white workers to start, even when working in the same field). Therefore, black homeowners are often the first to lose their homes during a recession — 45% more likely than white homeowners in fact, according to a Cornell University Study, as cited in Slate.

For instance, due to the 2008 recession, the average wealth of black households fell by half. The average homeownership rate in 2014 was:

• 71% for White non-Hispanic households;
• 41% for Black households;
• 45% for Hispanic or Latino households; and
• 58% for Asian-American households, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

All of this discrimination contributes to negative housing attitudes on behalf of members of racial minority groups.

Real estate agents can make a difference

While the relatively low homeownership rate for racial minorities is partly due to socioeconomic circumstances and homeownership attitudes, the Zillow analysis shows most of it is due to outside influences, such as housing discrimination. Therefore, the homeownership rates of racial minorities really ought to be higher than they are presently.

In turn, the housing market has the opportunity to benefit from more qualified homebuyers encouraged to enter the market. The potential benefits are seen across California, as lower homeownership rates exist in areas with higher racial minority populations. But what can real estate professionals do to encourage more households to become homeowners?

While real estate agents can’t do a thing about the third aspect of housing discrimination (what happens during a recession), they can be watchful of their own actions, and that of lenders.

For all clients, real estate agents need to be vigilant for signs of predatory lending. Agents can make sure all clients are fully aware of the details of the mortgage they are agreeing to pay back. After all, most homebuyers will only participate in the mortgage process a handful of times in their lifetime at most, and they need guidance to make sure they aren’t taken advantage of by a predatory lender. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB’s) mortgage shopping tools are a good place to direct homebuyers for homebuying and mortgage guidance.

Finally, real estate professionals need to maintain high anti-discrimination standards by following the laws set out in California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act. To ensure brokers, agents, mortgage loan originators (MLOs) and landlords don’t violate non-discrimination laws — even unintentionally — professionals need to:

• ask the same questions of all applicants — for landlords, feel free to ask about matters that will actually impact tenancy like pets or water beds, but never ask about a protected status like race, religion, sexual orientation, pregnancy, etc.;
• keep records of client interactions — while a client is unlikely to pursue legal charges for discrimination, it’s best practice for an agent to keep track of all client interactions and property tours for several reasons, including identifying any unintentional biases; and
• when in doubt, contact a local fair housing expert for advice — find a list of experts at HUD’s website.

Choosing a Laptop That’s Best for You

Our cell phones have become an essential part of our lives, and most people have at least one computer at home, but we still need a comfortable mobile work solution that is durable and will keep working for several years. You may ask yourself “But which laptop is right for me?” – That’s something only you can answer, and it’s especially harder if you don’t know what you’re looking for exactly. This article will give you a better understanding of laptop terms, parts and what kind to get for yourself, without overpaying for things you don’t need.

The Different Kinds of Laptops The laptop market is teeming with options, with different tiers and uses for each type. From the smallest laptops (also known as “netbooks”), through hybrid devices that combine laptop and tablet capabilities, and up to the largest kind that can replace your old desktop computer thanks to their large screens and full keyboard. All of these categories reflect just a few basic differences – screen size, weight, and performance. The laptop that’s best for you is simply the one that answers all of your needs. For most people, the ideal size is somewhere between the “regular” size and an Ultrabook (a powerful, lightweight laptop). This is usually the final consideration you should address, but address it you must. Pro tip: Don’t be tempted to buy a hybrid, even though the idea of getting both a laptop and a tablet for the price of one may be appealing, but hybrids or often heavier than regular tablets and often less powerful than ordinary laptops. The only exception is the new Microsoft Surface 3, which is the first true hybrid. Size and Weight After we’ve selected the type of laptop we need, it is time to examine the most important factors in buying a laptop. The size and weight of your device will directly affect your device’s mobility and usability. Nobody wants to carry excess weight around, but for many people, using an 11” netbook, with its tiny keyboard, is an even worse option.

Standard screen sizes and weight: 11-12 inches – The slimmest and lightest laptops you can find. Their weight would rarely be more than three pounds, but their keyboard is small and uncomfortable, and the screen size is very small. 13-14 inches – The most common screen size for laptops that are aimed at combining power and mobility. The screen size is suitable for most people, and the keyboard is generally comfortable enough. The average weight of these laptops will be 3-5lbs, with some that can be lighter (but often more pricey). 15 inches – This is the size of the average laptop, and, even though, their weight can reach 6lbs, they are very comfortable to use. Laptops this size often come with a DVD or Blu-Ray drive and a plethora of connection ports. 16-18 inches – Laptops this size or often marketed as desktop replacements or gaming laptops. They’re meant to remain in one spot most of the time, but the reduced mobility is compensated by increased performance, in particular, when it comes to games and working with CPU-heavy software (which most of us don’t use). These giants’ biggest downfalls are the weight (often 7lb or more), and a much lower battery life.

Brand and Operating System Both of these considerations are directly linked – If you buy an Apple Macbook, it’ll use Apple OS X, Non-Apple laptops will come with Microsoft Windows 8.1 or Google Chrome OS. When first introduced, Windows 8 was difficult for new users to get a hang of, but with the upgrade to windows 10, many frustrating features were fixed or improved and the current version is comfortable to get accustomed to, as it’s suitable for both touch screens, as well as keyboards and mice. Apple OS X also enjoys an easy, comfortable user interface, though people who are accustomed to Microsoft Windows might find it difficult to switch. As far as branding is concerned, we recommend that you go with a well-known brand. A laptop is an investment and an important tool, so if anything goes wrong – you would want someone to fix it, quickly. The bigger brands usually offer extended warranty for the battery, a vital part of your laptop, and often one of the first to break. If you’re not sure which brand to go with, check out Google information and reviews to be better-informed. CPU – Central Processing Unit The CPU is the brain of the computer and affects your laptop’s weight, performance, and power consumption. At this time, the most common CPUs found in laptops are Intel’s Core i-series: i3, i5, and i7. The 7 series is overkill for anyone who doesn’t indulge in the newest computer games, so most users will prefer the 3 and 5 series. If the specification states that the CPU is a Core M, it means it’s an older model and may not be recommended. Pro tip: Intel recently launched the 5th generation of its Core i platform, giving it a considerable boost in performance and with lower power consumption. The new series is named “Broadwell” and if you want to make sure your new laptop is equipped with the newest generation, it’s easily discernable in the model number: a Core i5-3337U is a 3rd generation processor, while a Core i7-5500U is a 5thgeneration processor.

Battery Life Every laptop can be connected directly to a power socket, but that’s not why we buy them. You want a laptop with a decent-enough battery life, that’ll save you from running around and looking for a power plug just to check your emails. A laptop’s battery is comprised of several power cells, and more cells mean more power. Keeping that in mind, not all batteries are created equal, so the best way to assess which battery is better, is by comparing the wattage-hours. The higher the number – the longer your battery will hold. Given that information, it’s still hard to calculate exactly how long your battery will last, as power consumption relies on many variables – CPU, size and type of screen, graphics card, etc. A 15-inch laptop should last at least four hours in extensive use, while an ultrabook should last at least five. If you can spare some more coin, you can get laptops with seven or more operating hours. Graphics Card The graphics card is one of the most power-hungry components in desktops, but since laptops are not often used for computer games or complex video-editing software, users don’t need such powerful graphics cards. The built-in Intel Graphics cards are more than suitable for your everyday use and even the occasional game. Pro tips: If you decide to get a laptop with a screen size of 13 inches and above, it’s recommended that you check if it’s capable of playing full HD video (1920x1080) or higher. Lower resolution screens may make your laptop cheaper, but could also reduce your experience if you want to watch high definition videos. RAM Ram is the computer’s quick-access memory, and stands for Random Access Memory. It is used as faster short-term memory, allowing the computer to run software more efficiently. Quality laptops will have 4Gb of RAM, and some will even offer 8Gb, which gives the laptop a performance boost. Hard Drive (HDD) The HDD is the long-term memory of the computer. This is where all your photos, videos, documents and software are kept. So going big is always advisable. Don’t settle for anything less than 320Gb, and if you can – opt for 500Gb. If you can afford it, getting a Solid State Drive(SSD) will speed up your performance, with a minor increase in your power consumption. However, at this time, SSDs are expensive, so only get one if you truly feel like you need it.

Connections and Ports Finally, an aspect many people ignore is the type and number of connection in their laptop. Any decent laptop should have at least two USB ports, though four is recommended. Make sure that the USB ports are USB 3.0 – the 3rdgeneration of USB connections and much faster compared to its predecessors. They can be used to charge your smartphone, connect an external keyboard or mouse, external HDDs, etc. If you’re considering using your laptop for entertainment, make sure it has an HDMI port, which allows you to connect it to a television screen, allowing you to transfer high-quality sound and video. Card readers are also quite useful to have, particularly if you use one in your smartphone or digital camera/camcorder. Another aspect people ignore is the charging cable. You’re going to want to get a spare one, in case you forget the original somewhere, or if it gets damaged somehow. You don’t want to be stuck with a laptop that doesn’t work, do you? Wireless adapters (not WiFi or Bluetooth) are a feature that has been introduced in the last decade, which allows you to connect your computer to advanced screens wirelessly. While some claim that it’s nothing more than a gadget, we believe it will become commonplace in all laptops soon enough.

Get Ready for the Real Hoverboard!

Flying is No Longer a Dream with the Newest REAL Hoverboard! We've seen how hoverboards have recently taken the world by storm with their innovative futuristic technology, and currently, they appear to be among the latest trends too. So, if you're impressed by what a hoverboard can do, you have to check out one of the latest types - the ArcaBoard. This invention just took the hoverboard to a whole new level, allowing people to literally 'hover' - yes, practically fly - over any surface, without touching the ground. What's more futuristic that that? The product is said to go on the market as of spring 2016, at a whopping price of $19,900! Watch this video to learn more about it!

RealtyShares Now Lets Investors Put Money Into Individual Real Estate Markets

About a year ago, RealtyShares launched as a new way for investors to put small amounts of money into real estate projects, kind of like a “LendingClub for Real Estate.” Now the company is launching a way for them to focus on investing in specific markets around the U.S.

RealtyShares works to crowdfund available real estate investments, allowing investors to put in as little as $5,000 into single-family homes, multi-family homes, and even commercial real estate projects. The cost of those projects ranges from $100,000 to the tens of millions.

For developers looking for funding, RealtyShares provides an easy way to quickly raise money for their projects. It funds about 10 to 20 projects per month and it takes an average of just four days for each RealtyShares investment to be funded. That compares to weeks or months for more traditional funding sources.

In the past year, the company had amassed about $300 million in real estate property value through more than 200 different properties across 59 different cities and 17 states. According to founder and CEO Nav Athwal, average return on investment has ranged from between 8 percent and 29 percent, depending on the type of project funded.

Athwal says most investors that have joined the platform so far have been IT professionals who are looking for new investment opportunities. As a result, the company has rolled out a new product that will allow them to focus on the areas that they know best — that is, the cities they live in.

RealtyShares has identified five specific markets with burgeoning tech and real estate sectors where it sees opportunities for investment. Those markets are Seattle, Dallas, Austin, Miami and Chicago, where the company hopes to more efficiently connect borrowers and investors.

Those market-specific products will enable developers to find funding from local investors who have an interest in development in their cities. And investors get the benefit of profiting from better yields in markets that have not yet been overdeveloped.

RealyShares has raised $1.9 million in funding led by General Catalyst, with other investors that include E*Trade COO Greg Framke and president of Gold Bullion International Savneet Singh.

Lack of affordable housing pushes Toyota from California to Texas

Sure, the low taxes, relaxed regulatory environment and Central Time Zone are nice. But none of those factors tops the list of reasons Toyota decided to plant its North American headquarters in Plano, bringing in more than 3,000 jobs, mostly from California.

The main driver of Toyota’s move from Torrance, California, was housing costs, according to Albert Niemi Jr., dean of the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University, who has inside knowledge about the move. Niemi shared the anecdote at an SMU Cox Economic Outlook Panel on Friday morning.

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Toyota is moving its headquarters to this Plano location (the vacant area in the… more

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“It wasn’t so much that we don’t tax income,” he said. “It was really about affordable housing. That’s what started the conversation. They had focus groups with their employees. Their people said, ‘We’re willing to move. We just want to live the American Dream.’”

Toyota did the math and found that housing costs in Los Angeles County, where Torrance is located, are three times per square foot the cost of a house in Dallas-Fort Worth.  “They’re paying the same salary,” Niemi said. “So in real terms, they’re going to triple the affordability of housing they can buy if they move to Texas.”

In North Texas, median home prices are three to four times the median income, said Chuck Dannis, real estate adjunct professor at SMU and senior managing director of National Valuation Consultants. In Torrance, Calif., homes cost about seven times the median income.

The median home in Dallas-Fort Worth costs about $210,000, and the median income is roughly $58,000, Dannis said. In Torrance the median home price is $508,000 and the median income is $76,000.

On the bigger-picture housing front, North Texas homebuilders are constructing half the number of homes they were in 2006 through 2008, Dannis said.  housing costs and availability were among a wide range of topics discussed at the breakfast on the SMU campus. Oil prices made the list as well.Bruce Bullock, director of the Maguire Energy Institute at SMU Cox, said lower oil prices will prevail next year as OPEC production is expected to remain high. The good news for Texas is that the Permian Basin in West Texas is the “sweet spot” for drilling right now, with the lowest costs and highest returns for oil companies, Bullock said.

How to Safeguard Your Internet Security

Wireless routers are wonderful things! They let us use our laptop all around the house, without having to worry about messy cables everywhere. They keep our tablets connected to the internet and our smartphones from wasting costly data packages. But the downside is, that anyone in the area can also use your wireless internet, which can slow down your browsing speeds or even get you in trouble with the law, if someone uses your connection for illegal purposes.

You might be asking yourself: “What can I do? I don’t know anything about passwords and routers!” – That’s why we’ve created this  guide to setting up your wireless router’s password.

It’s highly recommended that you get your wireless router’s user manual. If you don’t have it, don’t worry, most routers work in a similar way. I would also recommend that you perform these actions with a computer that is connected to the router with a cable – When you change or set up a new password, the old one no longer works, so you’ll lose your connection to the router before we’re done with our setup, so a physically connected computer is our best bet. This guide is fairly easy and shouldn’t take more than 5-10 minutes of your time.

OK, let’s start: 1. We need to setup the router, so we’ll start by logging into the configuration menu:  Launch a web browser (Like Chrome , Firefox , or Explorer ), and type the router’s address (known as the “IP Address”) in the address bar. The most commonly used router addresses are192.168.1.1 , 192.168.0.1 , 10.0.1.1 . If you entered the correct address, you’ll be prompted to insert your username and password. If you do not get the username/password prompt, you might be using the wrong address. You can check what your router’s IP address is by holding the  keyand pressing “R” on your keyboard, and in the widow that pops up, type “cmd” and click “OK”. You’ll see a command prompt with a black background. Type “ipconfig” (without the quotation signs) and hit the enter key. You’ll get a bunch of lines of text, but the only one you care about is the “Default gateway” – that will be your router’s IP address. Write it down, close all the open windows and insert the address into your internet browser’s address line.

2. Now we enter the username and password into the new prompt window. Usually, the username is either admin, Admin or ADMIN, with the password either being identical or being “password”. (If these don’t work, you can use this website to input your router maker’s name and get the list of common usernames & passwords.)

3. Now we’re in the router’s configuration menu, let’s find the wireless control menu. Look for an option called “Wireless”, “Wireless settings”, “security” or “WLAN”. Some variations of these exist, but the gist of this is to find the wireless security menu. Can’t find it? Turn to your manual. (Can’t find your manual? Go to this site and choose your router’s make and model for a free manual.)

4. Make sure that you set the security type (encryption) to WPA2 – this is currently the best type of encryption. Find the password field (might appear as "passphrase", "password" or "encryption") and fill it with your new password. If you want to be extra safe – make a random password, mix letters and numbers, use upper and lower-case letters or use symbols like “$” and “!” in your password. The more unique the password is – the stronger it is. Using a familiar number, word or name is not a good idea. You can always get a sticker, write down the password on it and stick it on the router so you don’t forget it.

5. We’re almost done! Now let’s change the network’s name. Look for the field called “SSID” (that’s what the wireless network name is called). Change the name to whatever you like, but make sure to only use letters and numbers. The reason we’re doing this is because when people see a wireless network with a default name, they’re more likely to try and break in, but are less likely to try that on a network with a unique name.

6. We’re done! You should have a “Save”, “Apply Changes” or “Apply” button at the bottom of the screen - click it and let the router do its thing (could take between a few seconds to a minute). Your router is now protected. (If you had any devices still connected to the old network name, you’ll need to reconnect them to the new one.)

CONGRATULATIONS! Your wireless network is now safe!

22 Money Saving Ways to Stay Warm at Home

Are you tired of paying steep utility bills because the heater was on for the majority of the winter season? There are many ways to cut corners and avoid the expensive bills at the end of the month. You won't believe how simple most of these DIY tips actually are! Save a little extra with these 22 cost efficient solutions:

1) Bundle Up at Home

If you're feeling cold at home, just reach for a few more layers of clothing. Instead of turning up the heat, wear an extra sweater or jacket. You can even drape yourself in a blanket for extra warmth.

2) Cuddle Up with Your Loved One

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Snuggle up with your loved one underneath the covers. Your body heat should help keep you warm.

3) Bake Something!

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The holiday season is the perfect time to test your baking skills. You can whip up a batch of fresh chocolate chip cookies, bake an apple pie or some banana nut muffins, and stay warm at the same time. The delicious aromas are always a plus too!

4) Place a Panel of Aluminum Foil Behind Radiators

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Aluminum foil has many practical uses. One of the uses is to stay warm, by placing a panel of the shiny foil behind the radiators or wall mounted heaters. The foil is used to reflect more heat back into the room and prevent it from leaving the rooms of the house.

5) Thick Curtains Prevent Heat from Escaping at Night

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Heat leaves the room quicker than you can imagine. You don't even have to spend a penny on brand new curtains either. You can take old blankets or bed sheets and roll them up to block out the heat from escaping.

6) Try a Little Bubble Wrap Insulation

A couple of extra sheets of bubble wrap can be applied to prevent heat from escaping through windows. You're going to need an Exacto knife, a spray bottle and a few sheets of bubble wrap. Begin by spraying the windows with the bottle spray, before jamming the wrap against the windows. Use the knife to remove any excess wrap and voila!

7) Use Caulk to Trap the Heat Inside

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Keep warm by caulking all the cracks that let air out along the window frames. You can purchase an entire tube of caulk for less than $10 at your local hardware store. If you're unfamiliar with the caulking process, just ask a friendly neighbor or friend.

8) Reverse the Direction of the Ceiling Fans

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Did you know that you can save money by simply reversing the ceiling fans? The reversal process of the fan allows for warm air to flow all throughout the rooms, saving you a few extra dollars at the end of the month on utility bills.

9) DIY Candle Space Heater

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You can make your own mini heater by using a couple of ceramic flower pots. The ceramic surface acts as a natural heater, trapping the heat inside the rooms. Click here for a more comprehensive tutorial.

10) Move Around a Little

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Get up and walk around the house for a little while. Exercising not only helps keep the blood flowing, it also causes you to break a sweat very quickly. It's important to stretch before attempting any exercises so that your joints are loose and ready to go.

11) Program Your Thermostat

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The last thing you want to do is to keep your thermostat running when you're not at home. You can avoid the excess utility charges by simply programming your thermostat to 56 degrees Fahrenheit (13 Celsius) at night and to 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 Celsius) when you're at home. You can save nearly 10% extra on your heating bill at the end of the month this way.

12) Try Using Chimney Balloons

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Chimney balloons are used to prevent outside drafts from entering your house. They are also reusable and removable, making them very practical as well. You can watch this DIY video or follow the simple instructions in the tutorial over here.

13) Keep Your Laundry Air Dried

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Air drying your clothing increases humidity, which helps provide you with a natural warmth. You won't need to turn on the electric dryer for longer periods of time either. You can drastically reduce the electric bill by allowing your clothes to dry out naturally.

14) Drink Something Hot

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Keep yourself warm by sipping a hot beverage when you feel chilly at home. The hot temperature will ensure that you remain warm on the inside, whether you prefer a nice hot cup of cocoa, coffee, tea or a fresh bowl of chicken soup.

15) Wrap a Warm Blanket Around the Water Heater Tank

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A good way to conserve energy and reduce utility bills is to insulate the water heater tank in the basement. An old blanket that you don't use can help keep your tank thoroughly insulated, and save you an additional 5% on your bill.

16) Keep the Hot Water Pipes Thoroughly Insulated

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Keep the pipes warm and insulated, in order to prevent heat loss. The concept saves energy, similar to the water heater tip. The good news is that you also won't have to wait around for the water to get hot before you take a shower. Here is a helpful DIY tutorial you can easily follow.

17) Use Rugs to Cover the Cold Floor Boards

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The worst thing for your feet is to get cold, which can also cause you to get sick. Add a few rugs throughout various parts of your home if you don't have carpeting. The rugs also add extra layers of insulation, blocking out the cold air beneath the floor boards. You should always walk around the house with warm slippers in any case.

18) Use Leftover Pipe Foam to Protect Against Drafts

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Don't throw that extra foam into the trash can just yet! The excess pipe foam can be used to block out those chilling winds from entering your house. You can use this heat-trapping technique for each room in the house as well.

19) Weather Stripping Method

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Weather stripping is an ideal way to keep heat from escaping window and door gaps around the premises. You can save as much as 15% on your energy bills through weather stripping. Here is a simple page-by-page tutorial you can follow to keep your home well insulated.

20) DIY Bed Warmer

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Electric blankets may help reduce the cold, but they can also be very costly. You can grab a few old bed sheets to keep your mattress nice and warm. Follow the DIY bed warmer tutorial here.

21) Open the Curtains in the Morning

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Nature provides us with free heat, in the form of sunlight. The window glass allows the light to enter your room. The heat is then reflected off the furniture and walls, providing you with plenty of warmth. So, go ahead, pull down the shades and curtains, and soak in the natural sunlight!

22) Sleep with a Hot Water Bottle

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A hot water bottle can be used either below the pillow or slightly above it. Enjoy a warm night's sleep, just like this cute little cat in the picture is doing.