Have you ever felt a little bit sad, or slightly lonely?  Well, you're not alone, and actually, it can be quite normal.  Here are 10 simple and easy ways to increase your mood and well being:

1. Go for a walk, outside.  Getting into nature, or into the garden, can be renewing and energizing
2. Sing along with music, or your favorite songs
3. Write down 5 things that you are grateful for
4. Buy or pick some flowers for yourself
5. Have a good laugh.  Better yet, with a friend. Watch a funny movie, or read an entertaining book
6. Have a 5 minute 'dance party'
7. Accomplish 1 item on your 'to-do' list
8. Do 1 good deed, or random act of kindness
9. Play with your favorite pet
10. Speak with a loved one

   source: Renew by UnitedHealthcare  photo: Cyndy Knauf   

1. Use a shopping list or an app so you're less likely to buy more than you need.  Shop more often and buy less.

2. Be realistic. What tends to happen is you buy all these groceries on the weekend because you’ve got big plans for cooking all the yummy recipes you cut out.  But by Wednesday, you’re ordering takeout.  Meanwhile, the food goes bad.

3. For two weeks, keep track of what you throw out to pinpoint what you are wasting and why.

4. Toss a variety of leftovers onto rice or into a tortilla or pasta salad. You can also sauté wilted lettuce with butter or olive oil and garlic.  Throw yesterday's leftover salad into the blender with some tomato juice, and voila, a yummy snack!

5. Don't worry too much about expiration dates, unless the food is moldy or rancid.

6. Start a compost pile and keep a bin on your counter to collect compostable food scraps.  This turns into the best organic fertilizer money can buy. You can even get a Green Cone for your yard which will compost everything including meat and bread.  Both available at your transfer station or local dump.

  source: realsimple.com. photo source: Peter Oumanski