Spark-Plug Change? Avoid This Screw-Up. Chances are your car has an aluminum cylinder head. If you don't know, assume it does. The reason: Aluminum is a soft metal. And when combined with hard-steel tools, it's easy to damage the aluminum head.
   If you're changing the spark plugs, be sure to let the engine cool down before you get to work. If the engine is hot, the spark plug holes can easily warp after the old plugs are removed. Then you can easily strip the threads or cross-thread the hole. Or worse, you won’t be able the get the plug seated fully in place and it will blow out one day while your wife is driving the car.
   So beat these screw-ups by always making sure the engine is cold before you change the plugs.

When 'Protection Plans' Make Sense. You know how every time you buy something, the salespeople try to sell you can extended warranty? (“Would you like to purchase our protection plan on these SOCKS? It covers you in the event of a dryer-lint incident”) And, as we all know, in most cases, they’re a bad idea.
   According to Warranty Week—a trade journal for the warranty industry—retailers net about $15 billion a year on extended warranties. Consumer Reports has been ranting against extended warranties for years. You typically don’t need them. The stuff either doesn’t break, or it’s so cheap to replace that it’s not worth it.
   But there is a time when an extended warranty is a good idea: Whenever you buy something for a 13-year-old or anyone who is similarly hard on a cell phone, iPod, or other portable device. We've seen three cell phones die in two years. Thanks to a $60-a-year contract, they were free to replace. Same with a high-end iPod.
    In almost all cases, extended warranties are a waste of money. Money that could be better spent on food, beer, or even your kids’ education. But if you’re sure…really sure...that the item will get broken, buy the warranty.

Cheap romance. We know you're spending waaaaay too much on flowers for your beloved. You're just too romantic! So how do you help those bouquets last longer? Forget the old idea of a copper penny in the vase. It doesn’t work. And the packet of powder from the florist isn’t much better. What works best is the simplest—change the water every day!

Make the cut. How can you tell if the “expert chef” on television really is more than an empty toque with an expensive smile? Watch closely how he or she uses a chef’s (or French) knife. A real cook wouldn’t be able to survive one week in a commercial kitchen without handling one of these with ease. The blade of a chef’s knife is held firmly between your thumb and index finder at the point it where the blade joins the handle. Your remaining three fingers grip the handle. You use the tip of the blade to rock the knife up and down, rapidly chopping the food with the belly and heel of the blade. Bogus chefs? They cut food only with the point of the knife. Chop… chop… chop… It’s slow and sloppy. We bet these people never had to cook under fire. 

Read it and don't weep. Yes, even macho-types like Those Advice Guys (not us in particular, but some people like us) cry when cutting onions. Well, buck up and keep back the tears by first cutting off the ends and unpeeling the outer skin. Then rinse the onion under running water. Good-bye cry-baby!. This should leave you with less stink on your hands, too.

 

More onion skills. To keep an onion from falling apart as you chop it, take a geographical approach. That is, cut it pole to pole, not across the equator.

Waste watchers. Stop your fresh vegetables from going bad. With broccoli, asparagus, and herbs, trim about a ¼” off the bottom, put them in water, and refrigerate.  

Lettuce save you $$$. To keep lettuce from going brown and gooey, try these three tips:

1. Don’t cut it if you don’t have to.

2. Wrap it in paper towels and put it in an airtight container in the fridge.

3. Just before you use them, soak the green in cold water. It crisps them up.

Tender is the corn. When cooking corn, don’t add salt to the water—it makes the kernels tough.

Out! Out! Damned tick! Is there a tick on your dog? Forget that old down-home cure of putting a lit cigarette on the little critter (the tick, not the dog). In fact, the last thing you want is the tick to die there or leave behind its claws or head and diseases. Instead, use friendly persuasion to get the tick out. Pull on it gently with a pair of tweezers or even fingernails. Gentle! You want to evict him, but you don’t want him to trash the place in the process.

Drunken tick. The twezers didn't get the tick out? Buy 'em a drink...of rubbing alcohol. Get your pooch to sit still, and soak the tick with rubbing alcohol for as long as you can. Ten minutes is great. In time, the tick will get looped on the poison and pull out on its own, or at least be a lot more accommodating when you break out the tweezers.

 

Flea bag. If your cat or dog has ever had fleas, you know what a hassle it can be. There are lots of medications and ointments to get them off your pet. But what about getting them out of your house? Clean, clean, clean. And when you finish vacuuming, immediately throw away the vacuum bag. Otherwise, the flea larvae could hatch and spread around the house the next time you vacuum.

Dryer skin. If you get a mysterious itching and rash on your skin, it might just be the fabric softener dryer sheets you put in with every load of wash. Many people find they get an allergic reaction to the chemicals in dryer sheets. The downside of not using them? You could generate enough static electricity to jumpstart a Peterbilt.  
 

Medic!!! So you think Band-Aids are only for little kids with boo-boos? Think again. Research shows that bandaged cuts heal faster thanks to the moist environment, and they are less likely to scar.

Save water. Washing your boat, car, or patio furniture? Use a bucket. Don’t let the hose run. Typically, more than 5 gallons per minute flows out of a garden hose. A bucket holds no more than a few gallons.

Save money. Ask for a discount. Really. Just ask. In most parts of the world, the price that's on an item is just a suggestion. And increasingly, that’s the way it is in the U.S. You don’t have to be a jerk about it. All you have to do is ask if there’s a better price. Something along the lines of “Can you help me out on the price?” often results in an instant saving. And if you ask it nicely, no one is embarrassed.  

Save on health care. Even if you’re not a member of Congress, you can do something about high health-care costs—negotiate. According to a Harris Interactive poll, 54% of people who negotiated with their doctor got a better price. 45% were successful with a hospital. (Yeah, but did the doctor use a clean scapel?)

  

It's dangerous out there! Like in the woods, on the water, in a biker bar. But if you get hurt in your wild adventures, here are 5 tips to help.

1. Battling bugs and sunburn? Which goes on first—the sunblock or the insect repellant? We say the sunblock. And let it dry before putting on the bug spray. If you can, avoid an insect repellant that has alcohol, since it can break down the sunblock. Lotions—not sprays—are usually your best bet.

 

2. Mosquito mouthwash? There’s a lot of chatter on the internet about using Listerine mouthwash to keep mosquitoes from biting you. Well, Prevention Magazine cites a study that says it ain’t so. People with Listerine on their arms got as many mosquito bites as those without it.

 

3. Ouch! You've got pain, what do you  apply—ice or heat? Ice relieves swelling (for instance, a twisted ankle). Heat relaxes muscles (you’re sore after drinking 15 shots of tequila and taking part in a Jell-O wrestling competition).

  

4. Jellyfish bite? Aren’t you glad you always have white vinegar with you! Pour some of the magic fluid on the bite and it will keep the venom from spreading. Also ice the bite and slather on some hydrocortisome cream. (In a pinch, we suppose you could substitute a doctor for the white vinegar.)

5. Dental Hangover. Did you catch the movie, The Hangover? It’s pretty funny. You know how one of the guys wakes up one morning in Las Vegas and discovers his front tooth is missing. Of course, no one can remember how it happened. (Okay, Las Vegas isn’t the Great Outdoors. But it is The Wild) So what if you suddenly lose a tooth? Well, if you can recover the tooth, chances are it can be re-inserted into your jaw.  During the rescue, just make sure you don’t touch the root of the tooth, or you’ll risk damaging it. If the root is clean, place the tooth back into its socket and run to your dentist or the ER. If the root is dirty, gently rinse it with water—but don’t scrub. To protect the root, put the tooth in a container of whole milk. Then head for help. Don’t put the tooth in a plastic or paper bag—that can damage the root.

Fire-starter. Want to get a fire going without dousing everything and everyone with starter fluid? Take a few turns of toilet paper and make it into the shape of a bowl. Then cover the outside with a tablespoon or so of olive oil. Then pour a couple tablespoons of olive oil into the bowl. Put some kindling on top and light it.

Fast gets fat. Want to lose weight? Eat slower! Research shows that speedy eaters consume more calories and are 3 times more likely to be overweight. In other words, brake that bad habit.

Sun! Fun! Ransom! If you're traveling overseas and you're kidnapped, relax! (Or at least that's easy for those of us who haven't been kidnapped to say. Crisis-management outfit Clayton Consultants says that 95% of kidnappings are resolved with a pay-off.
That leaves us with two questions:
1. Do kidnappers take traveler's checks?
2. What about the other 5%?