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Real estate experts insist that folks hoping to buy in the next year should take the time now to follow the four steps below—improve your debt-to-income ratio, increase your savings, secure the best possible mortgage rate, and find a trusted agent who is an expert in your favored cities and neighborhoods—before aiming to buy. And these aren’t just helpful tips; they’re absolutely crucial to being a competitive home buyer in this prolonged seller’s market we’re in....

Pick this navigation app if: you have a tough commute or live in an area with heavy traffic. Pick this navigation app if: you want detailed driving directions and help finding a restaurant nearby in a single app. Pick this navigation app if: You’re skilled at following an app’s brisk instructions and want an app that will get you to your destination with little to no fuss. Pick this navigation app if: you travel abroad often and want help navigating the attractions in new cities....

If you want to spiff up your laundry the natural way and ditch harsh chemicals, these five chemical-free laundry tricks are for you. Your towels will be softer, your white clothes whiter—and you won’t have to pick up that bottle of bleach. Instead, use dryer balls (wool balls are a popular option), but the old-fashioned tennis ball trick works, too. Simply add a few tennis balls to the dryer when drying towels and linens, and they will fluff up the clothes and circulate the air inside the dryer, without adding chemicals....

“Research has shown that all roads lead to the health of our gut microbiome,” says Raphael Kellman, MD, founder of the Kellman Wellness Center in New York City. “Our well-being depends on this inner realm of thousands of microbes residing in our intestines. They greatly impact mood, metabolism, immune function, digestion, hormones, inflammation, and even gene expression.” He adds that a balanced bacterial population can mean excellent health, while dysbiosis—or microbial imbalance—triggers disease and chronic illness....

“Since WD40 contains a solvent, it’s a great degreaser and breaks down oil buildup. It’s not only good at removing fingerprints from stainless steel, but also works to prevent them,” says Leanne Stapf, chief marketing officer of The Cleaning Authority. “Spray surfaces with a light coating of WD40, then wipe it off in the direction of the steel grain. Use a soft cloth to avoid streaking and leave surfaces sparkling....

The solution: Get yourself a dual compartment bin ($70; homedepot.com), that has a section for waste and another for recyclables. That way, when you go to throw any trash away, you’ll be reminded to recycle whenever possible. If you don’t have a go-to source for dropping off your recyclables, beauty brands like Unilever have partnered up with Terracycle to collect hard-to-recycle items from around the world and convert them into consumer products....

To prevent more breakage from happening, blow-dry your hair on cool, and use a fine-toothed comb instead of a brush to detangle (brushing can drag the knots and result in breakage). If you use heat styling tools daily, invest in a quality heat protectant and avoid placing heat directly on to the ends of hair. According to Gillen, the key lies in pH-balancing hair care, which uses ingredients like lactic acid to regulate how your skin produces oil....

But as much as matzo pizza feels like an obligatory part of celebrating a week of bread-free living for Passover, it can also be a joy to make and prepare. Especially with some simple culinary creativity! Below, six fresh ingredient-forward, completely kosher matzo pizza recipes that amp up the Passover classic. To start, assemble each matzo pizza on a baking sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes in an oven preheated to 350℉, just until the cheese gets bubbly....

The best times to buy: April, November, and January. That’s when stores offer discounts of 25 to 30 percent on average, says Skirboll. “Thursdays and Fridays are the days with the best beauty deals,” she adds. “Retailers want to stoke weekend shopping sprees.”

While feeling sad is perfectly normal, author Allison Gilbert offers a more empowering approach in her book Passed and Present: Keeping Memories of Loved Ones Alive, which is full of concrete tools for preserving memories of those who have passed. “Taking steps to proactively remember loved ones is essential to healing,” she says. “Individuals who find appropriate ways to stay connected almost always fare better than those who don’t.” And, for Gilbert, embracing social media was helpful....

Chronic inflammation, however, happens when our body’s “fending off” response persists and leaves us in a constant state of alert. And it’s no secret that it can be detrimental to our health: Chronic inflammation has been linked to various diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, depression, arthritis, and Alzheimer’s. The good news is that we can use food to combat chronic inflammation. Instead of focusing on all the obvious inflammatory foods—sugar, soda, refined carbs, alcohol, red meat, and processed foods—let’s hone in on the delicious ingredients you can load up on to reduce inflammation....

That being said, true fans know that are margs are not created equal. Grocery and liquor store shelves are lined with packaged margarita mixes that make claims like “just add tequila!” But tequila and a splash of neon yellow sweetness does not a margarita make. The secret to a truly delicious margarita is using all the right (meaning fresh) ingredients in the right proportions. Translation: Don’t wing it! Instead, follow one of these flavor-packed, perfectly-balanced margarita recipes, and you’ll nail it every time....

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Houston-based relationship therapist Emily deAyala tries to help her clients to ask each other incredibly specific questions before they walk down the aisle. “As much as I can, I’ll throw some curve balls at them. What we want to do in premarital counseling is create a little of that anxiety, like, ‘Whoa, wait. I haven’t thought of that,’” she says, “so then we can help them work through that.” The following questions go one step further than kids, work, and money, digging right into the nitty-gritty of building a life together....