Slip-and-fall accidents are common and can cause injuries ranging from scrapes and bruises to broken bones, head trauma and even death. Most accidents occur at home. Although senior citizens have a heightened risk, any person of any age can experience a slip-and-fall accident in a fraction of a second.

Eliminate Tripping Hazards
Go through your house and look for things that could cause someone to trip, such as throw rugs, furniture arranged too close together and electrical cords. If any floorboards are loose or uneven, have them repaired. If you have young children, pick up their toys and teach them to clean up after themselves when they’re old enough.

Prevent Falls Caused by Water
On a rainy day, leave wet shoes, umbrellas and raincoats in the entryway or on the porch. Wipe up the floor or put down mats or towels to keep it dry. Use non-slip mats in areas where the floor may get wet, such as the kitchen and bathrooms. If anything is spilled on the floor, clean it up immediately.

Make Sure There’s Plenty of Light
Many slip-and-fall accidents occur because someone can’t see a step or an object on the floor or ground. Keep the house and yard well lit. Use bright lightbulbs, especially near stairs. If staircases don’t have light switches at the top and bottom, contact an electrician to have additional switches installed. Nightlights in bedrooms and hallways can make nighttime trips to the bathroom safer. Outdoor lights can help people see puddles, ice and other hazards that could cause falls.

Make It Easier to Get Around Safely
If your house has stairs inside or outside, make sure they have secure railings. If anyone in your household has trouble standing, rising from a seated position or walking, install aids, such as grab bars in the bathroom. If an older adult in your family has difficulty walking, talk to the individual and his or her doctor about using a walker or cane.

Walking barefoot or wearing slippers can increase the risk of falling. Encourage family members to wear shoes in the house to help with balance.

Review Medications and Side Effects
Many prescription and over-the-counter medications cause side effects such as dizziness and drowsiness, which can contribute to falls. If you’re concerned that a medicine may be causing side effects that could put you or a loved one at risk of a fall, talk to that individual’s doctor about adjusting the dosage or switching to a different medication.

Keep Your Loved Ones Safe
Slip-and-fall accidents are common and can have devastating consequences, but many of them are preventable. Look for hazards in your home and ways to eliminate them to protect yourself, your family and your guests.

Everyone loves going away on an exotic vacation, but sometimes there’s nothing quite like staying home and taking a few days to relax. After all, when you have a luxurious residence, you don’t need to stay at a five-star hotel to treat yourself. If you’re ready to escape your daily stress without having to pack your suitcase, here are a few tips for the ultimate staycation.

Call the Cleaners
Whether it’s for a week or a weekend, you want your house to be looking it’s best when you start your staycation. Have the cleaners come do an extra deep clean so that it practically feels like a hotel. You might even want to take some time to declutter and organize beforehand, because nobody can relax in a messy environment. You’ll thank yourself later.

Pamper Yourself
This is the perfect time to pick out a few products to upgrade around the house, like bath salts that you can enjoy while soaking in the tub or fine linens for your bed. A plush, new bathrobe or fluffy set of towels might also be in order.

Make Reservations
The staycation is all about planning ahead and splurging a little bit (and you don’t have to feel bad about it because you’re already saving money by not booking hotels and plane tickets). Book yourself a day at your favorite spa and get a few treatments, then be sure to make a special dinner reservation. If you want to go to a play or concert, get your tickets ahead of time so that everything is in order.

Stock Up on Your Favorite Foods (and Drinks!)
Of course, you’re not going to want to go grocery shopping while you’re taking your staycation, so make sure you have the pantry filled with all your favorites. Everyone eats well when they go on vacation, so it’s perfectly fine to indulge in your favorite sweets.

Family Activities
Plan out a few activities that the whole family will enjoy, like going apple picking or taking a day trip to a nearby attraction. In the evenings, it’s always fun to spend time cooking together or playing a board game.

Is your home’s medicine cabinet full of expired drugs or medications you no longer use? It might be time to clean out the clutter. However, because a drug that was safe for you might be harmful for someone else, it’s important to dispose of your expired, unwanted or unused medicines in the safest way possible.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there are two ways to dispose of medicine at home, depending on the drug.

Some prescription drugs—such as powerful narcotic pain medicines and other controlled substances—could be especially harmful to others and have specific directions to immediately flush them down the sink or toilet when they’re no longer needed. This reduces the danger of overdose from unintentional or illegal use.

To see if your medication should be flushed, check the label or the patient information leaflet with your medicine, or consult the FDA’s list of medicines recommended for disposal by flushing. Notably, the FDA says there’s been no sign of environmental effects caused by flushing recommended drugs.

Meanwhile, almost all other medicines can be thrown into your household trash. These include prescription and over-the-counter drugs in pills, liquids, drops, patches and creams.

To safely throw drugs out, remove them from their original containers and mix them with something undesirable, such as used coffee grounds, dirt or cat litter. This makes the medicine less appealing to children and pets and unrecognizable to someone who might intentionally go through the trash looking for drugs.

Put the mixture in something you can close, such as a resealable zipper storage bag, empty can or other container, to prevent the drug from leaking or spilling out, and throw the container in the garbage. To protect your identity and privacy, scratch out all your personal information on the empty medicine packaging before throwing it away, as well.

Outside the house, drug take-back programs are also a great option to properly dispose your expired or unused medication. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) sponsors National Prescription Drug Take Back Day nationwide, and many communities also have their own take-back programs. Check with your local law enforcement officials to find a location near you or with the DEA to find an agency-authorized collector in your area. You can also check with your pharmacist, as some pharmacies have mail-back programs and disposal kiosks for unused medicines.

Using these methods to clean out your cluttered medicine cabinet will not only help free up some space, but also help ensure you do it in a way that keeps your family safe.

If the game of pool brings to mind smoke-filled pool halls, then think again. Pool is relatively easy to learn how to play, yet very difficult to master, which makes it a fun activity for the whole family.

If your new home has a large space that would make for a good game room, then consider a billiard table as the focal point of that space. This guide to the basics of pool table buying can get you started.

Cost Considerations:
A pool table is an investment. Basic tables, which are commonly found in homes, cost about $1,500 and can last for 10 years or more if they are well taken care of. Mid-range tables can cost up to $3,000. They feature high-quality slate, wood and bumpers and are more decorative than other tables. If money is no object, you can consider a custom table, but that’s really an option for serious players.

Who’s Playing?:
When debating the size of the investment you want to make in a pool table, think about who will be playing. If you envision family fun, you may want to go with a lower-cost option because you don’t want to stress over kids damaging the table or ripping felt. If you’re serious about the game, then a more expensive table might appeal to you.

Find the Right Accessories:
You need more than just a table to play pool. You will need to buy balls, cues, a bridge and chalk to start. If you want your game room to look its best, you’ll also want to invest in a rack and proper lighting.

Other Games:
You can add to the family fun by adding an air hockey, foosball or shuffleboard table to your game room. If you want to take things to the next level, buy a big TV and bar to make this a destination for entertaining friends and family.

Don’t Ignore Your Table:
Now that you’ve become a billiard table owner, you need to take proper care of it. Keep it covered when it’s not in use, and there will be times when you need to call in a service expert to repair pockets and cushions or to level the table.

And then you’ll be set up for years of family fun—and some friendly competition.

When it comes to running your household, there’s no doubt that nearly everyone could benefit from a helping hand at times. With all of the work involved to ensure that your day (and your family’s) runs smoothly, there’s no shortage of chores and planning involved.  Make your tasks a little easier by using one of these types of subscription boxes that your family needs.

Meal Delivery Kit

There are numerous options available for these boxes, meaning that you’ll find options for many food restrictions or particular diet plans. These boxes send packaged meal kits with all the ingredients you need to make a recipe. Kits include detailed recipe instructions and often are created to be ready quickly. This makes them an ideal option for busy families, eliminating the stress involved with meal planning. Whether you are gluten-free, vegetarian, paleo, or simply want to try new recipes, there are options to please the whole family–generally for less than the price it takes to eat out.

Date Night Boxes

Just as the name would imply, these subscription kits bring a date right to your door. Full of new or simple-but-enjoyable activities for an evening in, these kits are perfect for new parents and  homebodies alike. Enjoy your own personal marshmallow roast with a candle and chocolate fondue pot, or make a gourmet pizza and enjoy some dance instructions in the comfort of your own home. This subscription box will guarantee that no matter how busy your life gets,  you always have the ability to slow down and take a moment to spend special time with your partner.

STEAM Kits or Maker Kits for Kids

Inspire the children in your household with a kit that will finally pull them away from their video games, and allow them to explore and learn with hands-on projects. With options for toddlers to teens, you’re sure to find a box for all ages. Whether you join in on the fun by helping, or simply watch as older children tackle the task on their own, you are sure to be amazed at the end result. From homemade guitars, man-powered cranes, to costumes and artwork, there will always be a fun project to display upon a box’s completion.

With the ideal subscription box on your side, it’s easy to bring a little fun and smooth sailing to your own front door. Hectic weeknights just got a little bit easier.

Household chemicals and medicines can be useful and beneficial, but they can also be extremely dangerous. Accidental poisonings are common, especially among children, who are curious and may not understand the dangers around them. It only takes a second for a child to ingest a toxic substance, which can cause irreparable harm or lead to death. Many poisonings can be prevented by taking precautions.

Use and Store Chemicals Safely
When you finish using chemicals, put them away immediately. Make sure lids are screwed on tight. Store containers in a cabinet that children can’t reach or that has a child-proof lock. If you store chemicals in the garage or in a shed, keep them locked up.

Keep household cleaners, pesticides and other chemicals in their original containers. If you pour a chemical into another container, someone else might not take the time to look at the label, and a child who can’t read won’t know what the substance is.

Don’t mix chemicals. Two substances that are safe on their own can become extremely dangerous when combined. Even if no one ingests the mixture, toxic gases can cause harm.

Avoid Medication Mistakes
Ask the pharmacy to supply medications in bottles with child-resistant caps. Read warning labels on prescriptions, especially if you’re taking a drug for the first time. Put medicine away after the person who needs it takes a dose.

Don’t share prescription medicines with others. Even if you have the same medical condition, the other person may require a different dose or may take another medication that could be dangerous when combined with your prescription.

Follow dosage instructions carefully for both prescription and over-the-counter medicines. Don’t take medicine at higher doses or take doses more frequently than recommended. That won’t make you get better faster, but it can make you sick.

Only give your kids medications designed for children. If you have questions, consult your pediatrician.

Kids often resist taking medicine, so many parents try to make it more appealing by calling it “candy.” The problem with that strategy is that a child may like the taste of the medicine and take more when you aren’t around, which can lead to an overdose. Explain in simple, age-appropriate terms that the medicine will make your child feel better, but don’t call it candy.

Get rid of any unused or expired medications. Contact the pharmacy to find out how to dispose of them. Your community may collect expired medications at designated times and places.

Know How to Prevent Poisonings and What to Do If One Occurs
Accidental poisonings can often be prevented by recognizing potential dangers and taking precautions. Be particularly careful if you have kids or if children come to visit. If you suspect that you or someone else has been poisoned, seek help immediately. If the person is unconscious and is not breathing, call 911. If the person is awake and alert, call the national Poison Help Line at 1-800-222-1222.

Being pampered by someone else at a spa is relaxing—and expensive. If you don’t mind doing the beauty treatment yourself, you can do your own spa treatment at home and save a bundle.

Here are some DIY spa day ideas you can do at home:

A Soothing Atmosphere
Clean and declutter the room in your home where you’ll be doing your DIY treatments.

To create a calming mood, turn on some relaxing music, light candles or dim the lights, bring in a few plants and turn on an essential oil diffuser if you have one. Don’t use a cellphone on your spa day.

If you don’t have a robe, pajamas, sweatpants or other comfortable clothes, buy some. And get some comfortable slippers.

Prepare Drinks
For a spa day, keep hydrated with tea, fruit juice or fruit-infused water.

DIY Facials
We won’t go into all of the details of how to give yourself a facial on the cheap—you can find plenty of ideas by searching online—but it should start with a facial steam. This can be done over a bowl or sink of hot water, with warm towels, or a home facial steamer.

After that, create a mask to put on your face. It can be made with simple ingredients you find in your kitchen pantry: honey and oats mixed with hot water. DIY face masks can also be made with avocado, egg whites, milk and chocolate—though not all at the same time.

DIY Manicure/Pedicure
You may already have enough supplies to manicure your nails at home. If not, you can buy a nail file, cuticle cream, cuticle stick, nail buffer and nail polish at your local drugstore. You can make cuticle cream yourself at home, too.

For a pedicure at home, start by soaking your feet in warm water that you add Epsom salts or essential oils to. You can then do a Listerine foot soak to remove dead skin.

Once your feet feel refreshed, do a foot scrub. There are all kinds of recipes online that shouldn’t cost much money or need many ingredients. And whatever you do buy, you’ll have plenty to do it again and again.

There are also other things you can do for a DIY spa day at home. Ask your significant other to give you a massage, or simply put some vitamin E oil on your lips at night. Whatever spa treatments you do at home, your skin and your bank account will thank you.