“The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.” — Henry David Thoreau

How to be Smarter: If a friend keeps a spare key for you, also give them a short list of important phone numbers to keep with it—you can wrap a notecard with numbers around the key with a rubber band for safe-keeping. Then if your bag or wallet is lost with both your keys and cell phone in it, you also have access to numbers you might need to call but do not have memorized.

How to be Prettier: When folding clean laundry, put it at the bottom of your drawer—not the top—so that all your clothes get relatively equal wear.

How to be (less) Awkward: If the idea of going to events alone makes you nervous, a good baby step to take is to plan to meet a friend at an event, and head over a few minutes before the time you have agreed on. This will give you the experience of walking into an event alone and spending a few minutes solo talking to new people, but also will give you a level of comfort in knowing that your friend will be joining you soon.

This was originally written for Parade magazine; you can read all my Parade columns here. xo, Molly