This is simply a my suggestions of thins everyone should know how to do and should be doing. They won't guarantee success in anyway but are necessary for a well rounded life.
Learn to cook at least one meal of your own: It can be as easy as Lasagna or as complicated as Italian Wedding Soup. Either way everyone needs to know how to cook at least one company sized dish. People like coming over for a warm home cooked meal and they want something a bit different than what they cook at their own home. Maybe try my Seven Cheese and Chicken Stuffed Shells (they sound harder than they are), Mexican Pork Chops (it doesn't get much easier), or Chicken and Bean Burritos. If you don't like any of that sign up for the free Kraft Food and Family Magazine or head over to their archives and browse the old issues. Food and Family has easy seasonal food. Learn how to cook a meal or two and invite some friends over to dine with you.
Write Thank You Notes: I'm not excited about it but thank you notes are back in style. I've been getting more and more lately for a wider variety of reasons from gifts to help moving. A thank note is much more sincere and heartfelt than a verbal "thanks". I'm not good at writing thank you notes (my wife and friends will attest to that if necessary) they are usually scrawls inside a plain card. That being said I'm going to share how to write a thank you note.
Learn to cook at least one meal of your own: It can be as easy as Lasagna or as complicated as Italian Wedding Soup. Either way everyone needs to know how to cook at least one company sized dish. People like coming over for a warm home cooked meal and they want something a bit different than what they cook at their own home. Maybe try my Seven Cheese and Chicken Stuffed Shells (they sound harder than they are), Mexican Pork Chops (it doesn't get much easier), or Chicken and Bean Burritos. If you don't like any of that sign up for the free Kraft Food and Family Magazine or head over to their archives and browse the old issues. Food and Family has easy seasonal food. Learn how to cook a meal or two and invite some friends over to dine with you.
Write Thank You Notes: I'm not excited about it but thank you notes are back in style. I've been getting more and more lately for a wider variety of reasons from gifts to help moving. A thank note is much more sincere and heartfelt than a verbal "thanks". I'm not good at writing thank you notes (my wife and friends will attest to that if necessary) they are usually scrawls inside a plain card. That being said I'm going to share how to write a thank you note.
The good news is a thank you note doesn't have to exceed 4 sentences (plus the greeting and your signature). The first sentence is the gratitude sentence, "Thank you for this great blog post". The last sentence is recaps the the first sentence and is often just "Thanks again!" Don't overdue the exclamation points this isn't Seinfeld. The hard part is the middle two sentences. The second sentence will mention the use or the event, "I cooked your Seven Cheese and Chicken Stuffed Shells for a dinner party everyone loved them." The third sentence mentions the past and the future, "I really enjoy reading your blog, I look forward to next weeks post." Its also nice to include a p.s. if you can, "p.s. I'm going to make the Pork Chops this weekend."
Keep in mind two main rules; the note is only about thanks and the event or gift and a thank you note is always sent using snail mail never email. If you are worried your card will look empty use a postcard, they look full with 4 sentences.
Read books / newspapers / magazines / journals: 52% of adults read a book voluntarily in 2002 and in 1999 "50% of the population aged 25 and over read a newspaper at least once a week, read one or more magazines regularly, and had read a book in the past 6 months" (NIFL.gov). People who read are well rounded and informed, questions about reading habits are even becoming popular interview questions. People who read always have something to talk whether it's current events are a book they have a place to start. If you aren't sure where to start head over to Librarything.com to get a few suggestions.
Keep in mind two main rules; the note is only about thanks and the event or gift and a thank you note is always sent using snail mail never email. If you are worried your card will look empty use a postcard, they look full with 4 sentences.
Read books / newspapers / magazines / journals: 52% of adults read a book voluntarily in 2002 and in 1999 "50% of the population aged 25 and over read a newspaper at least once a week, read one or more magazines regularly, and had read a book in the past 6 months" (NIFL.gov). People who read are well rounded and informed, questions about reading habits are even becoming popular interview questions. People who read always have something to talk whether it's current events are a book they have a place to start. If you aren't sure where to start head over to Librarything.com to get a few suggestions.
Buy a DVD player and video game system: This is more for soon to be college students than adults but can be easily applied to adults. Video games and DVDs are a large part of the social fabric that is college. I realize parents won't like that advice but it's solid tested advice. If you don't want to buy the new systems your old NES or the SNES will be an excellent lower cost substitute. When I was in college we spent weeks playing the old NES mostly Mario, Duck Hunt, and the Track and Field game on the Power Pad.
