7 Things You Didn't Know Could Wear Out Your Mattress

How to make instant oatmeal packets at home, 3 ways to repurpose last year’s calendar, and more. January 1, 2022 [View Online]( Happy New Year! Mattresses are one of the priciest pieces of furniture in our homes, particularly if you get one with all the bells and whistles. To protect that investment, avoiding the mattress-wearing behaviors in Today’s Good Thing is a good place to start. Also in today’s newsletter, I’m sharing one of my favorite food DIYs: homemade instant oatmeal packets. If you’re like me and miss the creaminess of store-bought instant oatmeal packets when you make quick oats, you’ll be thrilled to learn there’s an easy way to replicate that texture at home. Jillee TODAY'S GOOD THING 7 Things You Didn't Know Could Wear Out Your Mattress [Photos of Jillee rotating a mattress and putting a mattress protector on a mattress.]( Good mattresses don’t come cheap, so avoid these behaviors that can wear yours out prematurely. 1. Never Rotating It. Sleeping in the same position night after night will eventually create a permanent divot in your mattress. But you can slow down the process considerably by rotating your mattress 180° every 3 months or so. If your mattress is double-sided, flipping and rotating it regularly can extend its lifespan even more. 2. Not Using A Mattress Cover. Over time, organic matter like dead skin cells, sweat, and body oil can seep into your mattress and cause discoloration and musty odors. The simplest way to prevent this is to cover it with (or encase it in) a mattress protector, which will help keep your mattress looking and smelling like new. 3. Never Cleaning It. Keeping your mattress clean is vital if you want it to last as long as possible. Every 3 months or so, vacuum the surface of your mattress to clean and freshen it. I recommend sprinkling [this simple baking soda mixture]( over the surface first before you vacuum it to help absorb moisture and odors. 4. Jumping On It (Or Into It). It’s not so much the impact on your mattress that makes jumping on the bed a bad idea—it’s the impact on the support underneath it. Jumping or flopping onto your bed can damage your box spring or foundation, which can compromise your mattress's support and wear it out faster. 5. Dark And Stuffy Bedrooms. ​​Dust mites and bacteria thrive in dark, musty environments, so it’s important to let sunlight and fresh air into your bedroom regularly. It also helps to wait an hour before making your bed in the morning, so that any residual warmth and moisture can dissipate before you cover it up again. [2 More Things That Can Wear Out Your Mattress ➜]( Related • [This Is Every Bedding Item I Absolutely Swear By]( • [Forget The Linen Closet, Store Your Extra Bedding Here]( ⚡️QUICK TIPS⚡️ • From breakfast cereal to cold medicine and beyond, find out what you can stock up on for less during January. [Read more ➜]( • Looking to challenge yourself this year? Check out dozens of once-a-day and once-a-week challenge ideas here. [Read more ➜]( • If a blocked or slow drain is giving you grief, you might already have the perfect tool for the job in your garage. [Read more ➜]( COOKING Make Your Own Instant Oatmeal Packets [Photos of homemade instant oatmeal packets.]( The affordability of oats meets the convenience of instant oatmeal packets in this clever DIY. There’s nothing better than digging into a bowl of warm oatmeal on a cold winter morning. And while individual packets of oatmeal are certainly convenient, they’re a lot less cost effective than buying a big container of quick oats—even if they lack the thicker, creamier texture of oatmeal from a packet. But what if I told you there was a way to replicate the creaminess of instant oatmeal packets while still enjoying the affordability of quick oats? Not only is it possible, but it’s also downright easy! With just a few ingredients and a blender, you can make instant oatmeal packets for pennies that will fuel your family all winter long. Here’s how to make them: Measure out 10 cups of quick oats—put 7 cups' worth of oats in a large mixing bowl, and put the remaining 3 cups in a blender or food processor. Blend or pulse the oats until they achieve a powdery texture, then pour the blended oats into the mixing bowl with the rest of the oats. Next, add 2 teaspoons of salt, 1-2 cups of brown sugar (depending on how sweet you like your oatmeal), and 1 cup of powdered non-dairy coffee creamer to the mixing bowl. Stir everything together until well mixed, then either scoop individual 1/2-cup portions into 24 snack-size ziplock bags, or transfer it all to a large airtight container. Cooking Instructions: Pour one “packet” of oatmeal (or 1/2 cup of the oatmeal mixture) into a bowl or mug along with 3/4 cup of water. Microwave for 1-2 minutes until hot, then let it cool for another minute or two before serving with your favorite oatmeal fixings. [See The Full Recipe ➜]( UNUSUAL USES 3 Things You Can Do With Last Year’s Calendar [Photos of various uses for old calendars.]( When you replace your 2021 calendar, don’t toss it out—give it new life with one of these creative ideas. 1. Make A Gallery Wall. If your old calendar has pages with art or photos you can’t bear to part with, carefully cut them out and turn them into a gallery wall display. All you need are a few frames, something to hang them with, and maybe a pair of scissors to trim the pages down if necessary. 2. Make Candle Votives. Use the designs from your old calendar pages to make some gift-worthy candle votives. Grab some decoupage, a sponge brush, and an empty votive, then paste part of your calendar page to the votive and let it dry overnight. Once dry, put a candle in the votive or wrap it up and give it to a friend. 3. Make Custom Postcards. Make unique postcards by gluing your favorite calendar pages to 4x6” pieces of paperboard/cardboard. Write a short message on the back to someone you love and drop it in the mail. (If your New Year’s resolution is to send more handwritten letters, this project makes a great two-for-one!) JILLEE'S PICK Letter Board, But Make It Virtual [An image of a laptop screen displaying the virtual letter board on Letterfolk's website.]( During one of my online holiday shopping sessions a few weeks ago, I stumbled onto an online store called [Letterfolk](. They specialize in both letter boards of various shapes and sizes, and rubber floor mats with interchangeable tiles, which are sort of like a letter board for your floor. While I was perusing their site and doing my best to resist the temptation to buy absolutely everything, I noticed a link at the bottom of the page to a “[virtual letter board]( It turned out to be exactly what it sounds like—a virtual letter board with customizable board shape, letter size, frame color, text alignment, and more. As I was playing around with it, my first thought was that it would be a cute way to make an invitation for a casual gathering (like brunch or something), especially since you can easily save an image of your letter board creation. I also thought it would be a fun way to announce something on social media, like a new baby/grandbaby. If you don’t need any invites or have any announcements to make, why not use it to make shareable images of your favorite quotes or sayings for Instagram or Facebook? You can play around with [Letterfolk’s virtual letter board here]( (and if you end up making use of it, reply to this or any other email from me and tell me all about it!) REMEMBER WHEN Ringing In The New Year [An old photo of Dick Clark on the set of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve.]( When I was a little girl, my family always celebrated New Year's Eve at home. We would wear party hats all night long, and then just before midnight, all 8 of us would troop out into the front yard to bang our pots and pans together with the rest of the neighborhood. It was a strange tradition, but I always had a blast. Another great thing about New Year's Eve was that my mom would pull out our fondue pot. We usually enjoyed the classic combo of bread and melted cheese, but sometimes we would cook pieces of meat in hot oil. It seems miraculous now that we managed to avoid setting fire to anything while using those Sterno fuel cans. Once I became a teenager, my friends and I would go to youth dances put on by our school or church on New Year’s Eve. There were usually a couple of dances to choose from, and we would drive over an hour to go to the “best” ones (which were usually whichever dance we thought the fewest boys from our school would attend!) The one constant of New Year’s Eve for me across the years was watching [Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve]( on TV. I loved seeing the revelers in Times Square, the musical performances (Barry Manilow, Andy Gibb, KC and the Sunshine Band, etc.), and the ball drop at midnight, even if we were always 4 hours behind! A FEW MORE THINGS... New Year, New You: It’s New Year’s Day, a day for making plans, setting goals, and looking forward with optimism. Even if 2022 doesn't end up being the year you finally get serious about fitness or clean up your diet, embrace the spirit of hopefulness and possibility of the holiday anyway. Save your pragmatism for tomorrow—today, anything is possible! An Apple A Day: It’s also Apple Gifting Day, honoring the tradition of gifting apples to friends and family on New Year’s Day. As a symbol of good health, giving someone an apple today is a way of wishing them good health throughout the coming year. (Does it still count if the apples are in the form of fritters or pie? Asking for a friend.) Take The Plunge: Today, thousands of brave souls around the world will plunge into icy waters as part of a long-standing New Year’s Day tradition: the “[polar bear plunge]( One of the largest is Nieuwjaarsduik (“New Year’s Dive” in Dutch) in Scheveningen, a seaside town in the Netherlands, which has over 10,000 participants each year. What did you think of today's email? [Not good]( | [Just okay]( | [Loved it!]( 🏠[Visit the By Jillee Shop]( 🤗 [Join OGT Free]( Let's connect! 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