Besides selling your stuff to the rag-and-bone man, there are businesses that offer a good price for your unwanted things.

Gadgets and Home appliances
Earn: From $100 to $300 for a two-year-old laptop or from $200 to $400 for a 42-inch LCD television, depending on the brand and model. A 10-year-old 36" Sony TV can fetch at least $40. A year-old fridge or top-loading washing machine in working condition earns you between $20 to $100, depending on the size. Provide buyer Jason Tan with the model number and brand of your appliance for an accurate quote. Or he can assess the items at your home, give you a quote and cart it away immediately. He takes furniture too - great if your're moving house.

Sell to: Jason Tan, tel: 9001-6482, email: recycle_green@hotmail.com

Maternity clothes
www.maternityexchange.sg

Baby products
Earn: To get a quote, email The Toy Rental Club with pictures of the items you want to sell. They take used items like strollers, baby car seats, breast pumps and mini toy kitchenettes. Small toys like dolls and stuffed teddies are not eligible. However, if they are fully stocked, they may not want your stuff at the moment so you'll have to try again another time.

Sell to: The Toy Rental Club, tel: 6276-7602, www.toyrentalclub.com. Email: enquiries@toyrentalclub.com

Travel guides
Earn: 85 per cent of the listed price for old guidebooks. Guidegecko sells brand new travel guides, and has a section where you can sell your old copies. There's no need to upload pictures of your book, just list the title, ISBN number, and book and shipping prices. They take a 15 per cent commission. The website moderator will send you an email when there is a buyer, but you need to ship the book to the buyer directly.

Sell on: www.guidegecko.com

Extracted from: Simply Her magazine (Jun 2010)

While lines form for treadmills and stationary bicycles in gyms, the stairclimbing machine is often the neglected wallflower in the cardio room.

But experts said that if you master the stairs, you’ll reap dividends in tight abs,
butt and thighs. One study of 10,269 Harvard alumni found that those who climbed at least 55 flights of stairs a week had a 33 per cent lower death rate.

Another study found that daily stair climbing among young women with sedentary lifestyles resulted in a rise in good cholesterol.

Dr Hank Williford of the American College of Sports Medicine said steppers are a good fit for women.

"They’re not bouncing around like with a treadmill and, still, they can increase their bone-marrow density and prevent osteoporosis."

Extracted from: Today newspaper (4 Jan 2010)

Malaysia
Penang: www.visitpenang.gov.my

1. It's important to plan early and properly. Do it now.

2. It's wise to draw up a timetable first.

3. Your time-management schedule should be designed to fit your needs and personality.

4. Be realistic about how and where you're going to spend your study time.

5. Prioritise your tasks to ensure that the most important things will get done first.

6. Remember to allocate more time for subjects you're not good at.

7. Once the master plan has been drawn, remember to follow it.

8. Use a diary to record any additional plans and schedule.

9. Evaluate your progress constantly. Be flexible and make adjustments to the plan.

10. Make your study area pleasant so that you can study in comfort.

11. Identify your peak performance period and take advantage of it.

12. Don't just study hard. Study smart.

13. Give yourself "mini" tests when you're revising. Get friends and family members to help.

14. Take time to relax and get enough sleep and rest.

15. Avoid cramming marathons. Take a break, get out and exercise.

16. Be ready for the big day. Have an early night before and be positive.

17. If you're desperate for time, pay more attention to topics that will earn you the most marks.

18. Don't panic during your exams, take time to read the questions carefully.

19. When taking your exams, try to keep to the time allotted for each question.

20. If you fall behind time, instead of writing half an answer, jot down your answer in note form

New Travel Booking Site: ViaSingapore.com

What: A real-time search engine that combs over 100 websites for the best travel deals, which allows users to comparison shop and book flights, hotels and packages.

Best for: Visitors who want to travel within Asia using Singapore as a stopover. Also good for people looking for cheap airfare.

How is it different from Zuji? "Most websites offering airfares don't include low cost carriers like Jetstar Asia. However, ViaSingapore includes these carriers, as well as full service carriers, which gives travellers more choice," says a spokesperson.

Extracted from: 8 Days magazine

Reorganise your workspace to work more efficiently.

Stationery
A compartmentalised unit stows everyday supplies neatly. Place it on the side of your dominant hand.

Files
Put oft-used files on your desk. If you have many files, collate them on a chair-level shelf or cabinet that you can reach without having to stand up or bend down.

Tech tools
Keep your phone, mobile and PDA in one spot, and place them near a power point so you can recharge them easily. Observe which side you tend to hold your phone - most people hold the receiver to their left ear. If that's most comfortable for you, save the space left of your computer for these gadgets.

Inspiration
Stick up a meaningful quote to keep you focused and motivated.

Calendar
For small cubicles, pin a calendar on the partition facing you. Flip calendars work best for medium and large desks - place it in front of you rather than at the side. You should be able to see the numbers from where you're sitting.

Document tray
Keep it within reach so you can sort new documents immediately. A four-tier tray works best - label them Inbox, To do, To file and Junk.

Pen holder
Place it on the side of your dominant hand. Have just two to three pens handy - it's all you need; store everything else in the drawer.

Drinking mug
Place your flask and cup in the furthest corner - this forces you to rest your eyes when you have a drink. Keep tea bags and snacks in the drawer.

Extracted from: Simply Her magazine (Feb 2009)

Stay healthy, happy and productive at work and avoid deskbound strains with these tips.

In the hot seat
- Sit with your feet comfortably flat on the floor and elbows level with the keyboard.
- Keep your arms parallel to the floor.
- Recline chair slightly to reduce pressure on the lower back.
- Push your hips very close to the back of the chair.
- Declutter the area below your desk so you have room to stretch your legs.

On the phone
- Avoid holding the receiver between the shoulder and the ear as it strains the neck.
- Use a headset if you use the phone frequently.
- Make sure the phone is within easy reach to avoid over-stretching.
- Use both thumbs to type messages on your mobile phone to minimise the strain on one thumb.

Using the keyboard
- Type lightly. Heavy pounding stresses the fingers and may result in elbow pain.
- Adjust the keyboard so it's in the middle of your body.
- Type with straight wrists; adjust the height of the keyboard if your wrists are bent when typing.
- Use a desktop rather than a laptop for prolonged typing - it has a bigger and higher screen and more well-spaced keys.

Monitor safety
- Make sure your monitor is placed at least an arm's length away.
- Keep the top of the screen at or slightly below eye level.
- Tilt the screen slightly so the base is closer to you than the top.
- Place the monitor perpendicular to the window if you are relying on natural light.
- Keep your head straight when working - tilting it causes neck strain.

Take a time out
- Follow the 20/20/20 rule - work for 20 minutes, take a break for 20 seconds and look 20 feet (6 metres) away.
- Mix sedentary and mobile tasks. Sitting still for long periods inhibits blood circulation.
- Stretch your neck, shoulders, wrists, arms and back occasionally.
- Make it a habit to blink every two to four seconds - this ensures your eyes are constantly lubricated, and prevents strain.

Extracted from: Simply Her magazine (Nov 2008)