They should have a class for this

Lately, certain things have come up in life that I really wish I had learned in a class. In college, I remember hearing people discuss how there should be a "Life Skills" class. Certainly could have been more useful than some of the other classes I took!

Here are a few examples I've come across that there should be a class for:

• Filling out forms when starting a new job
  This always makes me feel so dumb. At high school jobs, it wasn't so embarrassing to ask for help from my supervisor. But now I feel ridiculous asking for help. Do I claim myself, do I not? What does that mean come April?
• Filing taxes
  So far I've received my two W2s from 2010. I've also been doing some freelance work (read: not paying taxes), so I have no idea how I'm going to go about filing my 2010 tax returns. Here's hoping I get some cash back this year, or at least break even!
• Insurance plans
  At my old job, I had two choices for insurance plans. When I changed jobs, I had to get an individual plan, and I was completely lost. It took me forever to understand what a "deductible" is. Seems like the descriptions of plans are more cryptic than they need to be. I just want to know what is covered!
  On a related note: I'm so thankful to be back on my dad's insurance plan thanks to Healthcare Reform!
• Negotiating pay/benefits
  I'm still not good at this and don't know if I'll ever be. Not a fan.
• Credit: what your score means, and what is good and bad for it
  Currently, my credit is frozen because I experienced identity fraud a couple years ago. However, I think I have good credit — enough to be approved for the apartment anyway. I do know that having a credit card or two is good. My car is also now in my name, so I'm sure that helps. Thanks to my parents for looking out for me and making sure I was building some credit. Just wish I knew more about it.

Did I miss anything? What else should have been covered before entering the "real world?"

DIY: Necklace holder

I've been meaning to post this for a while, but life sure has gotten busy!

Over Thanksgiving, I noticed a my mom's necklace holder hanging on the wall. She made it with wine corks glued to a wooden board — I knew I just had to have one.

I already had a vase full of wine corks, and previously, my necklaces were all hanging from one hook so I couldn't see them all.

Here is the result:

Sorry for the photo quality. Camera phone...

It's super easy to make. All you need are a bunch of corks, a wooden board, some thumbtacks, a couple wall hooks, a few nails or screws and some craft glue.

First, insert screws or nails into each end of the board. Then map out where you want each cork to go, and glue them to one side. Once the glue has had plenty of time to dry, screw hooks into the wall to hold up the nails on either end. You'll likely need one more nail or screw to go into the middle of the backside of the board to hold it an adequate distance from the wall; otherwise the corks will end up facing downward. Finally place the thumbtacks where you'd like to hand your necklaces or other jewelry.

So easy!