What's the best way to prevent motion sickness? Take ginger. Several recent studies have shown the effectiveness of ginger as compared to other motion sickness solutions. The reason I like it is because it won't make me drowsy like over-the-counter medications. I personally learned of this when I was sailing near Hawaii several years ago. The captain of the boat had us take some ginger tablets right before some rough weather hit; we were all fine.

Did you know that you can make your own drywall stilts? Just get a pair of your old sneakers and two 5-gallon buckets. Bolt the shoes to the bottoms of the two buckets. By the way, you can also use this tip if you're trying to look taller in your Halloween monster costume. I once saw a guy do this. He scared the heck out of a bunch of kids and adults.

Money-saving tip: Without a doubt, eating home-cooked meals is cheaper than eating out. The problem is that many of us live busy lives - it's often difficult to find the time to fix meals versus picking something up. Let me suggest that you make Sunday night your time to fix all of the coming week's meals. Not only will this tip save you money, but it will also reduce your stress throughout the work week!

Before giving your dog a bath, put some steel wool in the bathtub's drain. The steel wool will catch the fur before it goes down the drain and clogs it.

If you are a parent with children and don't have a will, GET ONE! I'm serious about this. I've known two families who both lost their fathers unexpectedly and they didn't have wills. If something should happen to you, you would not want your family to have to suffer through the legal hassle of not having a will.

Worst Halloween tip I've ever been given: Wrap one of your hands with duct tape, sticky side out. Now when you put your hand in a candy bowl you'll get three times as much candy!

Tim Thompson lives in Gainesville. E-mail Tim your ideas for tips, tools or tricks.