How-to

Chances are you own a smartphone or a tablet—perhaps both. And if you do, you probably realize that you are carrying a very valuable piece of gear with you. They don’t just give these things away … You may not realize just how fragile these devices are, but when you think about it they have at least one entire side that’s a sheet of glass and the electronics within are sensitive to dust, moisture and physical shocks. Then there’s the data on your mobile device which often includes digital photos, your web browsing history, e-mail, instant messages and passwords. That thing is a ticking time bomb! However, if you protect your tablet or smartphone like a pro, you can make the most of it on the go—like it was meant to be used— without losing sleep. Here’s how to do it.  

One of the main reasons we buy cameras is to take photographs of people, i.e. portraits. This week I’m going to give you some tips and ideas to push you further and help you make portraits that you’ll be proud to hang on your walls. 

  You don’t have to be a pro to get rid of your cable subscription—all you have to do is call your cable provider. But what you need to figure out is how will I get great entertainment to watch. The good news is that there are more options every day for finding excellent content. But quitting your cable subscription cold-turkey can be pretty intimidating, especially if you tend to watch a fair bit of cable. I am going to try to make it easier.

I’m by no financial expert, but I have two things going for me that have made me somewhat of a pro in the “know where your money is going” category. First, I work for a large financial institution and part of my gig is to understand what we all “should” be doing with our finances. Second, my financial history is very similar to the Titanic—an epic fail—so I have had to make changes in my life to avoid future “icebergs.” So with that said, here are some tools, tips, and tricks to help you know where your money is going and be a financial rock star in 2015 and beyond.

Eggs benedict, maple bacon pancakes, and monkey bread – these are just a few of my favourite breakfast foods. But if you’re eating healthy, having a big and heavy breakfast might not be in the game plan. You don’t have to miss your favourites too much though, because there are substitutions you can make for your favourite recipes to make them into healthy breakfasts. Here are a few of my healthy breakfast recipes:  

It’s the start of another year, full of possibilities and potential. A good friend of mine recently mentioned that she’s planning to get serious about her photography this year, and I’m sure there’s a lot of people out there who’ve had the same idea. So I thought I’d put together some ideas to help our readers here on the Plug-In blog push their photography further.

This past year I decided to get into baking, but I quickly realized that there is a lot more to baking than eggs and flour. I found the key to decorating cakes like a pro is using the right equipment. Here are some tools and tips to help you successfully decorate cakes like a pro!

One of the things that stops people from having a smoothie every day is they simply don’t understand the health benefits. Maybe, during the 3 pm slump, they’re craving something that will fill them up fast and give them a boost of sugar-fueled energy instead of thinking about how they’ll feel after an hour of treating their body to something healthy. These are the smoothies you’ll want to start your day with and drink more than once when you need an extra boost:

If you’re looking for some good luck recipes to start your New Year off on the right foot, look no further – I’ve got a few great good luck dishes for you to choose from. 

With four kids in my house, we’ve done New Year’s at home more times than I can count, and just like our Christmas traditions, we have New Year’s traditions we like to do every year to make the night memorable. Here are a few ways you can celebrate New Year’s Eve at home.