INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Know when to avoid going to the store or logging on to online shopping sites. If you’re feeling hungry, angry, lonely, or tired, don’t let yourself be tempted to shop. Recognize that you’re most vulnerable in these states and put the credit card away. If you get the sudden urge to shop, ask yourself if you’re feeling one of these things.  Deal with these states instead of going shopping. Remember these vulnerabilities by remembering the acronym HALT (hunger, anger, lonely, tired). If you go into a store knowing what you need, it’s easier to navigate your way around and stay on task. Before you head out to purchase items, take a moment and decide what you need. Write down the stores you need to go to and what you need in each store. When you’re in the store, stay focused on only getting the items on your list.  Whether you’re buying lots of things or just a few, a list will help you know what you’re looking for. If you get distracted by something that’s not on your list, write it down and save it for the next shopping trip. Plan your grocery shopping after you eat, not before. Plan a weekly (or bi-weekly) shopping trip so that you can anticipate going food shopping. If you can anticipate when you will shop for food, you can prepare ahead of time by eating and creating a shopping list Stay away from groceries and food when you’re hungry, as you’re more likely to spend more money when you are hungry. If you need to buy groceries and you’re hungry, stop and get a snack or a meal first. If you find yourself turning to shopping when you’re feeling emotional or having a bad day, recognize that there are other ways to deal with these emotions. Shopping is not the only thing that can lift your spirits or help you feel better. Emotional spending is often a culprit for impulse buys. If you feel like you want to buy something, do another calming or stress-relieving activity instead. For example, take a walk, take some deep breaths, meditate, listen to music, or write in a journal.

SUMMARY: Recognize when you’re most vulnerable. Write a list of what you need. Pick a time to grocery shop. Know how to cheer yourself up.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Odds are you've forgotten what some of the cursive letters look like since grade school.  Seek out some of the many cursive practice books that have lines on the paper to help you practice making the cursive letters.  There is more than one style of cursive, of course, and it is fine to give your cursive an individual flare, as long as it is still legible.  But it's probably best to start out by copying an existing style. Seek out websites with study tutorials and printable practice sheets.  Some even have animations of the pen strokes used to make each letter. Most people write by manipulating their fingers, what is called by some “drawing” the letters.  Handwriting artists utilize their arms and shoulders as they write, which facilitates a better flow and thus less angular, choppy handwriting.   Try “air writing.”  You may feel silly doing it, but it will help re-train your muscles. Pretend you are writing large letters on a chalkboard.  (In fact, you can practice writing on a chalkboard.)  You will naturally use shoulder rotation and forearm movement to construct your letters. As you become more proficient at air writing, reduce the size of your invisible letters and assume the positioning you would take to put pen to paper.  But continue to focus on using your shoulder and arm, not your fingers. The two essential moves in cursive handwriting are the upsweep and the curve, so practice them first before writing full letters.  You'll want your practice stokes and eventually your letters to be evenly spaced, so lined paper will be really useful here. If you want to write on a blank piece of paper, put in light, evenly spaced pencil lines with a ruler and erase the lines once you've written your letters. To practice the upsweep, start the pen just above the baseline, brush against the baseline as you pull down and slightly forward, then turn the curve upward into a straight line (angled slightly forward) through the midline and to the topline. The basic curve practice stroke resembles a lowercase “c.”  Start just below the midline, pull up and back to make nearly a complete counterclockwise, forward-leaning oval (taller than wide), brushing against the midline and baseline as you go and stopping about three-fourths of the way up to your starting point. As you move on to practicing whole letters and combinations, don't forget about the connections.  In cursive, they are the “air,” the space between pen strokes when the pen is lifted in script writing.  Proper connections will make your cursive writing not only more beautiful, but faster. Cursive writing is about writing faster by reducing pen lifts, but start out by practicing forming each letter and connection deliberately and precisely.  Pick up the pace only as you master the form.  Think of cursive writing as an art, because it is one.

SUMMARY: Study the cursive alphabet. Practice using your whole arm to write. Practice basic cursive pen strokes. Start slow.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Soaking your nails will probably not take any of the gel nails off by itself. But once you have soaked your nails, it will be easier to remove them with whatever acetone-free method you choose. If you choose to file off the gel nails after soaking, be sure that your nails are totally dry before you start. This will make the filing much easier.

SUMMARY: Remove the gel nails by peeling or filing.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: It's easy to attribute allergy sensitivities to the weather or season changes, but it can often be caused by irritants in the air in your home. If you notice a significant rise in your allergy symptoms, it might be time to test the air quality in your house. Some common allergy symptoms include:  Coughing Sneezing Watery eyes Nasal congestion Headaches Bloody noses You might think that getting sick is unrelated to the air quality in your home. Often, this is true, but certain contaminants (like asbestos, toxic mold, and other chemicals) can negatively impact your health. This is especially true if you seem to suffer from frequent bouts of pneumonia or bronchitis. Get your home's air quality tested if you notice any of the following symptoms:  Dizziness Nausea Rashes Fever Chills Fatigue Home construction can really impact the quality of air in your home. Whenever there is a renovation or new construction project, the air can be exposed to dust particles, chemicals, and other harmful materials that can collect in your HVAC system and then begin to circulate throughout the entire house. Even construction done by neighbors can negatively impact the air quality of your home, so be sure to keep an eye out for that too.

SUMMARY:
Notice an increase in allergy symptoms. Pay attention to any unusual or new health symptoms. Monitor any construction in your home and neighborhood.