Plumbing is an important aspect of home maintenance, and it typically involves pipes, fixtures, and fittings that ensure water supply, heating, and sanitation. Over time, plumbing can be affected by minor and major plumbing issues, like leaky faucets or clogged drains. Here, while DIY (do-it-yourself) is often a cost-effective approach, certain mistakes associated with DIY can lead to further expenses or damage. Here are some of those mistakes and how to avoid them: 1. Ignoring minor leaks A small leak may seem inconsequential at first as it does not majorly affect the water supply, but over time, it can breed mold and even cause water damage. To avoid this, one should address the source of the leak as soon as possible and take necessary actions to fix it. Usually, minor leaks are brought on by worn-out washers or seals, which can be fixed by replacing faulty pipes or using pipe tapes. 2. Not turning off water While fixing a plumbing-related issue, DIYers, in an attempt to get the job done quickly, may forget to turn off the main supply of water. So, the water may continue to flow and flood the area where repairs are being undertaken. So, one should shut off the valve before taking on any repair project. 3. Not checking local laws Plumbing runs through an intricate structural framework of buildings, so making changes to the system can affect more houses than one. A DIYer may not be aware of local plumbing regulations like building codes and permit requirements. So those planning to take up a plumbing project should contact the local council and ensure compliance with local laws. 4. Overtightening fittings DIYers often fear future leakages and overtighten connections like supply tubes, toilet bolts, and pipe fittings. This can actually break or deform the fittings, if not immediately, then over a period of time.

Making money online has never been easier! The ever-expanding online world is swamped with legit opportunities that’ll help add some extra bucks to your bank from the comfort of your home. And, the best part is that you don’t always need to have certain skills or qualifications to earn money. Don’t believe us? We’ve compiled a list of trustworthy websites that can help you make money online. Try them! Swagbucks If you have a hard time trusting online survey sites, you likely haven’t tried Swagbucks. It is one of the most popular and legitimate websites that will pay you for everything from filling out surveys to watching videos to shopping online. You will receive your earnings in the form of gift cards from top retailers like Amazon and Walmart or cash back from PayPal. Upwork Interested in taking up some freelance work? Consider creating an account on Upwork. It’s the world’s largest online marketplace to find great clients and grow your independent career. Regardless of what skill you have, be it writing, video editing, software development, graphic designing, or marketing, you can find work in no time. ThredUp If you’re looking for motivation to clean up your closet, then check out ThredUp. You can sell items you no longer wear or need for cash, such as jeans, shorts, tops, dresses, swimwear, shoes, handbags, and backpacks. Another great thing is that there is no shipping fee for sending them your package. Keep in mind that you will receive the payment only if your items are accepted. Gazelle Most of us have electronic waste lying around the house. So, why not make some money by selling them out? With Gazelle, you can trade your old Samsung, Pixel, OnePlus, iPhone, or any other phone, and even iPads and tablets for money. They will also cover your shipping costs.

Identity theft is one of the most common crimes that are rising in recent times. Significant data breaches have been hitting many people over the last few years. This has led to increasing cases of falsely using a person’s name and other private information to apply for a mortgage. To avoid such situations, it has become imperative to protect identity-related information. Here are a few popular and best identity theft protection services to manage and protect identity. LifeLock LifeLock offers a range of identity theft protection services such as ID verification monitoring, stolen wallet protection, checking/savings account application alerts, and home title monitoring. The services also include SSN and credit alerts, alerts on suspicious activity, dark web monitoring, credit card activity, as well as fraud alerts. These services usually start from around $9 a month and can go up to $26 a month in the first year of subscription. Identity Guard Identity Guard utilizes IBM artificial intelligence capability to offer advanced credit monitoring and identity theft protection. In addition, its services also include theft prevention and identity recovery assistance. One of the most notable features of this identity theft service is that it has identity theft insurance up to $1 million. Along with individual plans, Identity Guard also offers family plans. IdentityForce IdentityForce offers a wide range of identity theft services across two tiers. Customers can choose between UltraSecure and UltraSecure+Credit. The services on offer include monitoring credit information, checking public information records for address changes, monitoring court and arrest records, checking payday loan applications, and checking for identity information on illegal identity-sharing websites. In addition, it monitors registries of sex offenders to rule out any illegal use of identity along with tracking SSNs. ReliaShield Elite ReliaShield Elite offers protection and monitoring in different major domains that identify thieves who usually target:

Palatable meals can help you stick to any diet plan. If you’re on the keto diet, you’ll be happy to hear that there are many tasty recipes you can whip up for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. But, if you are specifically looking for delicious keto dinner ideas, you’re in the right place. Herein, we’ve rounded up some of the best keto recipes that make for a satisfying supper. Keto butter chicken Perhaps the best thing about keto is that you’re encouraged to feast on food high in fats. So, don’t miss the opportunity to try the keto version of the spicy and famous Indian dish — butter chicken. Traditionally, butter chicken is made using ghee or clarified butter. Ghee tastes almost like butter but has a slightly roasted, nutty flavor, and offers more nutritional benefits. Creamy Tuscan garlic chicken Featuring heavy cream and parmesan cheese, there is nothing not to dislike in this Italian-inspired dish. The best part is that it’s easy to make and requires ingredients that you likely already have. First, you need to prepare a little spicy and creamy sauce that requires heavy cream, chicken broth, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and parmesan cheese. Then add spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and cooked chicken. That’s all! Pepperoni pizza with fathead crust Craving a pizza? Try this thin-crust fathead pizza tonight! Though low in carbs and keto-friendly, this recipe is delicious, and everyone in your family can enjoy it. The pizza dough is made from almond flour, but add some yeast for bread-like flavor. For pizza sauce or marinara sauce, make sure to choose no-sugar-added varieties. And, if you’re using mozzarella cheese for topping, shred it at home as the packaged one doesn’t melt well. Keto beef stew If you’re a fan of stew, here’s another delicious keto dinner idea you’ll love — a beef stew.

LG has been a popular brand for quite some time, notably for manufacturing some of the best vacuum cleaners. But with an overwhelmingly wide variety of options to choose from, determining which one fits the bill can be difficult. Herein, we shortlist three of the latest and top-rated cordless vacuum cleaners offered by LG. LG CordZero™ A9 Limited Cordless Stick Vacuum This model is one of LG’s top-selling vacuum cleaners that can easily reach the most remote of nooks and crannies of your house. One unique feature of this vacuum cleaner is that it comes with a portable charging stand. You can select from its multiple power modes, depending on how dirty the surface is. Its five-step filtration system separates and filters dust into an attached bin. The 140AW Smart Inverter Motor™ with a 10-year warranty ensures maximum vacuum power for spotless cleaning irrespective of the type of floor. The twin batteries can be charged within four hours and can comfortably last for an entire cleaning session. This cordless vacuum cleaner by LG is priced at around $700. LG CordZero™ A9 Charge Cordless Stick Vacuum For dry as well as wet cleaning, this latest cordless vacuum cleaner by LG is what you want. The CordZero™ A9 Charge Cordless Stick Vacuum not only offers provides superior dry cleaning across all floor types, but its Power Mop combined with 140AW powerful motor attachment enables you to clean using just normal tap water. The Power Mop attachment comes with two sets of microfiber pads for a more efficient cleanse. Its twin battery system offers 120 minutes of uninterrupted cleaning in a single charge. Additionally, it comes with the Kompressor™ lever that compresses dirt, dust, and pet hair, which doubles bin capacity. This vacuum cleaner is price at around $800. LG CordZero™ ThinQ Robotic Vacuum The LG CordZero™ ThinQ Robotic Vacuum is designed for automated house cleaning.

Cholesterol is a naturally-produced essential fatty substance in the body. The type of fat found in the blood helps the body build healthy cells, thereby ensuring it functions smoothly. However, excess cholesterol is harmful as it can lead to fatty deposits in the blood vessels, narrow or clog the arteries and increase the risk of heart conditions. Below are six foods that help lower cholesterol levels and also improve heart health. 6 superfoods that help lower cholesterol levels Apples Apples are rich in a type of soluble fiber called pectin that brings down cholesterol levels by about 10 percent. It also helps reduce triglycerides, which is a type of fat in the blood. In addition to their fibrous content, apples also contain polyphenols, which could help control cholesterol levels. Avocados Avocado contains monounsaturated fatty acids or MUFAs, which keep the cholesterol levels in check and help in keeping the heart healthy. This fruit contains about 10 grams of fiber. You can pair it with whole grain, pumpernickel, or rye toast to make it even more fibrous. Add a squeeze of lemon juice or sprinkle some herbs like oregano for extra flavor. Dark chocolate Cocoa in dark chocolates contains flavonoids that control blood pressure levels and lower cholesterol. However, dark chocolates contain sugar and fats, so it is advisable to opt for unsweetened variants and have them in limited quantities. Fatty fish Having salmon, mackerel, and sardines regularly helps prevent serious heart conditions. The omega-3 fats in the fish are full of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and polyunsaturated fats that prevent cholesterol from shooting up and decrease triglycerides in the bloodstream. This maintains heart health. Nuts and seeds Almonds, walnuts, cashew, hazelnuts, pistachio, peanuts, pecans, and other varieties of seeds are full of vitamin E, protein, magnesium, and potassium that lower blood pressure and decrease the risk of heart ailments.

Food choices matter a lot when you try to combat a health condition. And diabetes is a chronic, long-term disease that needs to be managed with a combination of a healthy lifestyle and food choices. Quality sleep, an active lifestyle, and nutritious food choices can be rewarding for those with diabetes. However, while some foods make for a good choice, some can do equal harm. This article highlights the worst foods for those with diabetes. Starch While carbs are important, the source of carbs is what matters the most. Some of the worst choices in this food category for people with diabetes are rice, white flour, cereals, fries, white bread, and fried tortillas. Canned vegetables Vegetables are best eaten in their raw, organic form. Avoid canned vegetables and try to cook a meal from scratch, using fresh produce. Also, stir-fried veggies made using a generous amount of butter are not a good option too. Sodium-rich foods Pickles, frozen and canned foods are all high in sodium, which can spike the blood pressure levels in people with diabetes. Diabetes is an illness associated with the heart and kidneys, so the diet must be low in sodium. Artificial fruit juices and packaged by-products While fresh fruits are a good choice and are recommended to be consumed as is, other forms of fruits are to be avoided. Fruit juices are loaded with a generous amount of sugar and are best avoided. And other fruits by-products include jams, jellies, sweetened applesauce, fruit punch, canned juices, and fruit drinks. Dairy Whole milk, yogurt, sweetened yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, and ice-creams are some of the worst dairy choices for diabetics. Instead, those with diabetes must rely on skim milk, low-fat yogurt, and low-fat or non-fat sour cream. Fried foods High fatty food items can adversely affect heart health.

If you’re frustrated with how your cat uses its litter box, you’re not alone. Most cat owners admit that their furry friends develop issues with their litter boxes, which can be anything from not using the box altogether to defecating or urinating inside and outside the box. Health and behavioral issues could be attributed to this. Thankfully, there are a few tried and tested methods that can help solve your furry companion’s litter box problems. Consult the vet Before you try anything else, it’s best to take your cat to the vet. Sometimes, health issues can prevent your cat from using the litter box properly. These issues may include painful urination, constipation, diarrhea, injured paws, arthritis, dementia, diabetes, or kidney problems. The vet may inquire about your cat’s litter box problem in detail and recommend a urinalysis, stool check, or a blood test. Place the box in an appropriate location Like humans, cats need privacy when they do their business. If the litter box is currently located in a high-traffic area, move it to a quiet place where there’s the least disturbance. However, make sure that the new place isn’t too far or isolated, like in the basement. Also, avoid keeping the box close to their bed or food bowl. Have enough litter boxes If you own more than one cat but only one litter box, you may need to buy one for each cat. This may be especially necessary if you have an adult cat at home because they don’t like to share their private space with anyone else. Also, place a box for each cat in separate rooms. Clean the box frequently Just because they’re animals doesn’t mean they don’t need a clean place to relieve themselves. In fact, their sense of smell is much stronger than humans, so smelly litter boxes can be off-putting to them.

If you’re facing issues with your Wi-Fi connection at home, you don’t necessarily have to look for a new Wi-Fi fiber network in your area. In most cases, a few tiny tweaks by yourself can resolve the problem in no time. Buying a good router is a great place to start for better internet speed and quality. But, you won’t always be willing to cough up hundreds of dollars for the same. Relocate the router Wi-Fi router settings aren’t the only thing that matters to get a speedy connection. Where you place the device has also got a lot riding on it. Even subtle changes in the location can strengthen the network, just like how small movements compromise it. Your house’s structure and building material are just factors that interfere with a wireless signal. The more the number of concrete walls between you and the router, the weaker the signal. Reboot the router While it might not be a guaranteed fix, you can find your way out of a deadbeat Wi-Fi signal by rebooting the router. Doing so can act in your favor more often than not and provide a functional connection. That said, you need a change if you’re constantly looking for “fast Wi-Fi in my area” and are just as regularly rebooting your router. Look into service providers with better track records, and in the meantime, work with firmware that allows you to set up auto-reboot timers. Update the firmware Consider updating the router’s firmware as it can help improve performance and speed besides providing other benefits. You may consider using open-source firmware options that work well with most Wi-Fi routers. Most routers also come with preset settings that save you from screwing up the router and its functioning. That said, you might not necessarily be someone who wants to play safe.

It is no exaggeration to say that, at least biologically, people are what they eat. Bone health, especially, depends heavily on what one consumes. Certain foods, such as milk, soya beans, walnuts, salmon, broccoli, and spinach, strengthen one’s bones and joints. On the flip side, certain foods are terrible for the bones, making them brittle, porous, and vulnerable to damage. Some of the worst foods for the bones are listed here. Salt As much as salt benefits one’s health as a stabilizer and an antibacterial agent, excessive salt consumption saps the calcium from one’s bones over time. For instance, nutritionists believe that one loses approximately 40 milligrams of calcium for every 2,300 milligrams of sodium consumed. Sodium is one of the worst elements possible in this regard. Hence any foods containing it will be detrimental to one’s bone health. Excessive salt is usually found in canned vegetables, frozen meals, canned soup, store-bought baked goods, and other processed and over-packaged edibles. To counter such an excessive intake of salt, one can avoid processed food entirely, consume home-cooked meals, and control their salt content. Coffee Like sodium, caffeine also takes out calcium from all the bones in the body, making them brittle. As per certain research studies, people tend to lose 6 milligrams of calcium from their bones and teeth for every 100 milligrams of caffeine consumed. Coffee contains loads of caffeine, which makes it an avoidable food to keep the bones healthy. If one cannot avoid it entirely, one needs to consume it less frequently or try alternatives such as decaf coffees and tea instead. Cakes/pastries Like caffeine, sugar also harms one’s bones. People who consume too many sugary items such as cakes and pastries may not consume other nutrient-rich food. Instead of such foods, one can consume delicacies such as cranberries, prunes, and other antioxidant-rich items.

With a migraine, anything one eats can be a trigger. But that does not mean that one needs to skip out on desserts and other foods they enjoy. Swapping out certain ingredients can help create a migraine-friendly meal plan and boost one’s health. Gluten and sugar, the main ingredients in most desserts, are also the biggest triggers for people with migraine. Try these five updated dessert recipes to continue enjoying one’s favorite foods even with a migraine: Carrot muffins Made with migraine-friendly ingredients like carrots, gluten-free flour, and cinnamon, carrot muffins are loaded with magnesium and antioxidants to help keep migraine headaches under control, making them a great dessert or snack option. “Chocolate” pudding For many people, the phenylethylamine in chocolate has been linked to migraine headaches. Try switching cocoa with carob powder and sweetening it with dates to create a chocolate-free “chocolate” pudding that tastes like the real deal. Using cooked millet instead of flour gives this dessert an added dose of magnesium. Almond-orange cake with cream cheese frosting Prepare a delicious almond-orange cake with almond flour, oranges, and eggs. It comes together quickly and is a delicious gluten-free low-carb option for migraine sufferers. Frost it with cream cheese to give it a birthday cake that looks perfect for any party. Not-ella Carob Butter This simple 5-ingredient recipe only calls for toasted sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, stevia, carob powder, and coconut oil. It is ideal for people missing out on name-brand chocolate spreads and can be paired with fruit for a quick, healthy, and migraine-friendly dessert. Strawberries and cream pop Are you missing ice cream? Here’s the perfect hack! Use a freezer pop maker to make some at home using coconut milk, strawberries, natural stevia, and vanilla extract. These candy pops are low in sugar and rich in antioxidants from berries and healthy fats from coconut oil.

Immunization can be an important part of health, especially in our globalizing world, where one is exposed to many risks in the form of infections. Records for these risks are maintained by the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and according to them vaccinations can help protect one from many of these diseases. Delaying or not choosing to vaccinate or be vaccinated could have some health and social implications. Here are the most common ones: Pregnancy complications Unvaccinated pregnant women may be at a higher risk of contracting infections or diseases and passing them on to their child. For instance, a woman who contracts rubella during the first trimester of pregnancy is at risk of transmitting congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) to her baby. CRS can cause heart defects, developmental delays, and even deafness. Potential risk to others Those who choose not to get vaccinated or not vaccinate their children against vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) also pose a health risk to others, especially those with compromised immune systems from cancer or auto-immune diseases. Social isolation Skipping vaccinations, especially for children, can also result in social exclusion. If an unvaccinated child is sick or dealing with a disease, they may need to be isolated from others and sometimes even the family. A disease or infection outbreak in the community may also require one to keep their unvaccinated child at home, further isolating or excluding them from social engagements and activities. Risk to life Skipping or delaying vaccinations could have lifelong consequences. Those who are unvaccinated may require treatment that is more expensive or different when ill. There is also always the risk of healthcare professionals being unfamiliar with the care needed, posing a further health risk to those in need of medical attention. For children who haven’t been vaccinated, even basic infections such as the flu can be a risk.