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The cruel truth of home remodeling is that expectations and plans likely won’t match up with reality. A recent survey of 1,300 U.S. homeowners by real estate search site Trulia finds that 90 percent of homeowners plan to remodel their home at some point, but 47 percent (almost half) of them are not willing to spend more than $5,000 on that remodel. A similar survey from home improvement site Porch finds that 69 percent of homeowners want to do a major home improvement project in the next year, and they plan to spend an average $3,911 on those repairs and improvements; 83% plan to spend less than $5,000 on their remodeling....

The Best Items to Shop at HomeGoods Seasonal and Holiday Décor “My first stop at HomeGoods is the seasonal or holiday displays because they’re typically full of fun, fresh, and out-of-the-box finds,” says Jenny Reimold, an interior stylist and HomeGoods style expert. “I love hunting through the seasonal items and have found inspiration for many of my tablescapes and holiday trees!” Throw Pillows After checking out the seasonal aisles, Reimold’s next stop is throw pillows and blankets....

Butternut squash is incredibly versatile. It’s just as delicious when pureed and served with pork as it is roasted and served with salad greens. You can use it to bake bread or layer it into lasagna, and (news flash), butternut squash is probably what you’re actually eating when you cook anything with canned pumpkin. Butternut squash is also incredibly good for you, says Hillary Cecere, RDN, a registered dietitian for Eat Clean Bro....

“Savings accounts give individuals a safe place to keep the money they may need to make short-term purchases and fund upcoming goals,” says Eric Roberge, a certified financial planner and the founder of Beyond Your Hammock. Of course, some savings accounts are limited in scope; they are meant to be used for college, for example, or to be applied as a down payment on a home. Some are overflow accounts, where we store excess money for a “rainy day....

Even if you haven’t had a similar wake-up call, chances are good that you could be underpaid and not know it. “We’ve been socialized, as women, not to talk about money,” says Sallie Krawcheck, co-founder and CEO of Ellevest, a digital investing platform for women. “But that means we don’t know how much we should be making, and we don’t negotiate pay raises as often as we should.” If you have a gut feeling that you might be working the same job for less money than your coworkers, it’s time to research an exact number and then speak up....

Here, a 101 guide from career experts on taking a work sabbatical, and ultimately using it to enrich your life and career—instead of having it set you back professionally. What is a work sabbatical? A work sabbatical is defined as an opportunity to take a company-approved break from your regular work duties, explains Jamie J. Johnson, MS, CCC, a career advisor at The University of Phoenix. There are many iterations on this concept....

“What do I want from life?” I asked myself. “Well…I want to be happy.” I had many reasons to be happy: My husband was the tall, dark handsome love of my life, we had two delightful girls, and I was a writer living in my favorite city. I had friends, I had my health, and I didn’t have to color my hair. But too often I sniped at my husband or the drugstore clerk....

“By this point, there will have been a good frost, allowing for better needle retention,” she adds. “As long as your tree has enough water every day, it will last all Christmas season.” That said, if you can’t make it to a Christmas tree lot or don’t have access to a vehicle (we’re looking at you, city dwellers), you can shop online for live Christmas trees. “Measure the width of the door through which you’ll be bringing in the tree, and make sure your chosen tree fits through it easily,” advises David Murbach, manager of the gardens division at New York City’s Rockefeller Center....

For example, a gray paint color that appears neutral on the paint swatch might reveal a green undertone when applied to your walls, or a bold, rich blue could turn out duller than you expected. Depending on the room’s lighting, the color you chose can look significantly different than it did in the store. Natural light is a huge factor, of course, but the type of lightbulbs you choose also influence whether your paint colors appear dimmed-down, intensified, or true to life....

Whether you need some assistance figuring out the basics of where to start, have a specific health condition you want to address, or just want a little motivation to continue on your journey, it can be helpful to enlist a professional nutritionist in your quest for better health. There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing a nutritionist that can make the process confusing. But the reward for finding a great nutritionist you love working with can be pretty priceless....

The best defense is a snow shovel appropriately sized to help you get ahead of the problem. Shoveling with a shovel that’s the wrong height or weight can spell a workout complete with a sore back and arms. Luckily, there are many smartly-designed snow shovels to help clear your home’s paths without any pain. The Most Common Types of Snow Shovels 1. Standard Shovel Standard shovels are the most common type used for snow removal....

The complaint we hear time and again when it comes to cooking with fresh herbs, however, is the knife skills portion of the prep work. We get it: nailing that perfect-looking chiffonade from a handful of harried basil leaves takes technique. We tapped Chef Samuel Gorenstein, the owner of Miami’s My Ceviche restaurant who was named to Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list (he’s also a two-time James Beard Foundation Rising Star), to walk us through the proper way to slice, chop, and chiffonade fresh herbs....

While an occasional display of irritation isn’t a bad thing, experts say being consistently bent out of shape can harm your relationships, pummel your self-esteem, and contribute to things like high blood pressure and heart disease. And anger itself is just the tip of the iceberg. “It’s almost always being driven by another emotion, such as fear, resentment, or insecurity,” says Carlos R. Todd, a licensed counselor and a certified anger-management facilitator in Charlotte, N....

How to Shop for Turkey Breast Opt for a bone-in, skin-on turkey breast for the most succulent, flavorful meat. The turkey breast will most likely be found in the frozen section, so it’s critical to give it time to defrost before you start cooking. A six- to seven-pound turkey breast will comfortably feed six to eight people. While you’re at the shopping stage, make sure you have an instant-read thermometer at home, which is the only consistent way to get a perfectly moist turkey breast....

How to Cook a Whole Chicken in the Oven This is our Test Kitchen’s tried-and-true method on how to bake a whole chicken in the oven. Here’s how you can make a roast chicken dinner in five easy steps, with five (or fewer!) ingredients. Step 1: Prepare the Chicken Preheat the over to 375°F. Make sure to note how much your bird weighs, as this determines how long to roast a chicken in the oven....

This veggie’s loaded with vitamin C, potassium, and fiber, so there are countless easy, healthy acorn squash recipes you can cook. It can be prepared in several delicious ways, too (find plenty of fun recipe options below), but our favorite might be the simplest: roasted (or baked) acorn squash. Cooking acorn squash on a sheet pan in the oven is an incredibly low-maintenance, comfort-food favorite that takes less than five minutes to prepare....

Erika Woelfel, vice president of color and creative services at Behr Paint, credits some of this renewed craving for color as a reaction to time spent mostly at home during the pandemic. “When we couldn’t seek adventure through travel and socializing outside the home, we looked to bring a little adventure inside,” she says. Woelfel also notes the influence of popular TV series such as Bridgerton, The Crown, and The Queen’s Gambit, which showcased deep, dramatic colors in their costuming and set designs....

How to Deep-Fry a Turkey To start, you’ll want to prepare the turkey for frying by removing the neck, giblets, plastic ties, or pop-up timers. From there, use the following steps to make a deep-fried turkey. Getting the Right Fried Turkey Temperature Our Test Kitchen recommends frying the turkey in 350°F peanut oil or other vegetable oil for 3 minutes per pound. Take the internal temperature in the meaty part of the thigh (it should register 180°F)....

Enter: Hot oil treatments for hair, a hairstylist-recommended way to practice self-care and bring life back to your locks. But before you go pouring a bottle of steaming oil over your head, give this a read. We asked hairstylists the burning questions about hot oil you’ll need to know, plus how to execute the treatment safely. How Hot Oil Helps Hair Using hot oil hair treatments has many benefits for dry hair and a dry scalp....

The good news is that the price tag of an outdoor renovation project is, in many ways, in your hands. It will be based mainly on what you set out to create and how you decide to accomplish the work. Options range from embarking on a DIY effort that costs a few thousand dollars to hiring professionals to create something with luxury-style glam on a much larger budget. “You can spend $500 to $2,000 for simple DIY improvements like fixing the lawn, planting shrubs, or building a pea gravel or concrete paver patio....