New Years Resolutions Youll Have No Trouble Keeping

Pretend that youve read Oprahs latest book club selection. If you really want to read the book, great. We hope you enjoy it. Otherwise, theres no point in wasting your time. When an Oprah-book fanatic starts questioning you, just say you found the book shes talking about thoughtful, poignant and enthralling, and you came away from it with a new understanding of the humanity we all share. (This pretty much covers any book Oprah has ever recommended.) Or you could just say, Oprah? Whos that? I only watch public television.

Avoid white cotton underwear. Maybe not entirely; no one wants to go on a brisk morning walk wearing a silk thong. But choosing something other than sensible bras and granny panties can be a great way to make you and your guy feel sexier. In a trailer for her upcoming WEtv show, Joan & Melissa, Joan Rivers holds up a red lace bra and crows, Viagra on a hanger. Exactly.

Keep your supermarket catering department on speed dial. Dont knock yourself out arranging party platters or cooking appetizers when your local supermarket can do a better job for about the same amount of money, especially once you factor in your time and aggravation. Most guests, especially the ones you love and care about, just arent that judgmental. As for the other kind of guest, dont worry about them. Youre not Martha Stewart; nobody is, except Martha herself.

Regift at every opportunity. Most people know immediately if a gift isnt for them. So if you cant return it, regift it. Keep it in its original container and bestow it on some lucky recipient as soon as possible. Who knows? They may like it. Or they may regift it themselves. Johnny Carson once said that theres only one fruitcake in existence; its just being passed from one person to another. We have the same hunch about that vanilla-scented body lotion/shower gel set all wrapped up in a gold organza bag.

Buy Girl Scout cookies only if you really want to. Yes, there are many Samoa fanatics among us, and if you dont know what that means, youve obviously never been lassoed by uniformed moppets who lie in wait outside supermarkets every spring. In other words, youre just plain un-American. But if you dont like those caramel-and-coconut cookies, or any other kind that the kids are offering, walk on by. No point in guiltily buying, and then guiltily eating, something you really dont like.

Make your own cooking rules. There is no shame in using an as-seen-on-TV device to microwave pasta, or in making a cake from a mix. If it works, do it. You can even come up with your own shortcuts: If youre supposed to microwave a meal for 3 minutes, take it out and stir, and put it in for another minute, guess what? You can just put it in for 4 minutes without bothering to stir! Believe us, it tastes the same.

Watch as many reality shows as you like. Many people who have nothing but contempt for these programs are unaware that they actually teach some valuable lessons: Dont blame other people for your mistakes. Kids need a mother, not a best friend. Dont spend more than you have. Gossip, though entertaining, can cause a lot of pain. Avoid martinis in giant glasses. Yes, you can be too old to wear a bikini. And perhaps most important of all: No matter how much money you spend on it, lip plumping never looks good. Happy New Year!What New Years resolutions would be easy for you to keep? What ones do you want to forget about entirely? Weve got a great new system for posting your comments, so talk to usand dont hold back!