10 Gifts For Travelers

10 Gifts For Aspiring Chefs

10 Gifts For Fitness Buffs

10 Gifts For Book Lovers

10 Gifts For Hipsters

10 Gifts for Sports Fans

10 Gifts For Design Freaks

The Best Gifts In Tech

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If you're feeling adventurous and plan on deep frying a turkey for Thanksgiving, make sure you thaw the turkey completely before putting it in the fryer.

Or else, boom:

Or maybe this:

Or, even worse, this:

Don't burn your face off and learn how to properly deep fry a turkey HERE >

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Turkey frying accidents cost more than $15 million in property damage each year, endangering lives, homes, and deep frying egos from coast to coast.

Based on data over the last five years, State Farm has come up with the 10 states most likely to report grease and cooking-related claims this Thanksgiving. 

If you want to keep things cool this Thanksgiving, caution is key.

-Don't cook in-doors or in your garage.
-Fill the pot with cold oil first and then lower the thawed turkey in to see how much oil you should add or remove.
-Make sure the fuel is not burning when you put the turkey in hot oil
-Keep an extinguisher handy –– just in case.

See Also: Here's what really happens when you deep fry a frozen turkey >

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Young professionals in Manhattan are flocking to the new Mercedes House on 54th Street between 10th and 11th Avenues. The building gets its name from its location above the flagship Mercedes dealer on 11th Avenue.

You can't tell from street level, but the building resembles a gigantic "Z" shape zigzagging skyward from the street. It was conceived by Mexican architect Enrique Norten, who also designed the Cassa Hotel & Residences in Midtown and the Guggenheim Museum in Guadalajara, Mexico..

Hell's Kitchen is starting to bustle, with ultra-luxury highrise One57 opening later this year and more restaurants and venues opening in the area.

The apartments at Mercedes have been rolled out in two phases, with the second part of the building opening this past summer.

The building features studios, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom units, with rents starting at $2,925 for a studio and reaching $5,200 for a 2-bedroom. The complex also has an awesome amenities floor with a huge gym, two pools, and an outdoor movie theater.

We recently stopped by for a tour.

The Mercedes House is shaped like a Z, which can be seen from overhead.

The Colbert Report is filmed right down the street.

The building has 480 rental units, which have been released in two phases — one in May 2011, and one this past summer.

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We're currently reading "The First Apartment Book: Cool Design For Small Spaces" by Kyle Schuneman and Heather Summerville.

The authors provided some useful tips for apartment hunting that we had never thought of before, but that make total sense to ensure you're really getting the best place possible.

Here were five of our favorites:

1. Flush the toilet— and turn on the shower. These are helpful indicators of the water pressure situation.

2. Do a drive-by. "Most apartment viewings happen during the day, when everyone is at work. To get a more accurate feel for the block and parking situation, walk by after dark, or use Google Maps Street View to cyber-stalk your potential new neighborhood," the book says.

3. Bookmark this site:BedbugRegistry.com. That website reveals if there were ever bed bugs at that address, and if so, when.

4. How much is milk at the convenience store? See what the average rate of milk and laundry in the area is. If you're paying more than average for those that will increase your monthly budget in addition to rent.

5. Call someone who cares. Make a call from every room to see what cell reception is like. It'd be a huge bummer to not be able to use the phone in your new home.

SEE ALSO:  How To Decorate An Apartment On A Budget

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A few months ago, we looked at the practical ways Airbus is planning to change the future of flight. On top of imagining how to transform airports, the self-described "future-gazing Airbus" has come up with the plane of the future, and it is pretty wild.

The plane is nothing like what transports passengers today. On top of being more reliable, quiet, and fuel-efficient than current aircraft, it will have seats grown from plant fibers that harvest energy. Passengers can play golf and tennis on board, or have a virtual business meeting.

Of course, the concept relies on technologies that have not been invented, and is unlikely ever to be built. But, as Airbus notes, it is a useful thought experiment that pushes aviation engineers to think outside the box and radically advance the air travel of the future.

Unless we develop flying cars, Airbus says, planes will be the most efficient mode of travel in the future.

The plane can shift shape as conditions change.

The fuselage is curved to improve aerodynamics and allow for a more innovative cabin.

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Darren Star, the producer of "Sex And The City," is selling his $14.9 million One Central Park West pad, according to The Wall Street Journal.

A large perk of this apartment: killer views of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The apartment has three bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms.

You get a great view of the parade as it marches down Central Park West toward Herald Square.

The apartment is just over 3,000 square feet.

Star bought the apartment in 2004 for $6.1 million, according to The Wall Street Journal. He's done extensive renovations.

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The kitchen can be a high-stress place during Thanksgiving, especially if cooking starts to go awry.

Fortunately, there are several resources out there to help chefs in crisis mode.

We've rounded up a few of the most helpful ones.

• Butter Ball Hotline: Call 1-800-BUTTERBALL (1-800-288-8372) if you're struggling to defrost a turkey in a pinch or want to know if it's safe to start cooking a turkey in one oven and then move it to another

• The New York Times helpline: The Times' Sam Sifton and the rest of the dining section staff will be on hand to answer questions anonymously. Just hit the link above.

• USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline: Call at (888) 674-6854. The one holiday they are open is Thanksgiving. 

• Perdue Farms: Call 1-800-473-7383 for roasting, carving, stuffing, and gravy help.

• Foster Farms: Call (800) 255-7227 and get a live operator through Dec. 1.

• Crisco pie hotline: So you forgot about dessert? Call (877) 367-7438. The hotline provides tips and has the option for callers to connect with a live pie expert for pie-baking guidance.

SEE ALSO: How To Deep Fry A Turkey Without Blowing Yourself Up

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One of the best places to gather in a home is the kitchen. It's where meals are made and entertaining begins.

In fact, The Wall Street Journal even recently claimed that the kitchen is the "new great room," measuring as much as 3,000 square feet in newly built mansions.

But you don't need a mansion to have a kitchen with some cool amenities like a hidden refrigerator or gadget-filled island. In honor of the ultimate kitchen holiday — we're taking a look at some of the sweetest kitchens in homes currently on the market.

The open kitchen in this Southern California home, on sale for $20 million, has great views of the water. And the mix of stone and wood is lovely.

Click here to see more photos of the home >

The kitchen inside of this $800,000 Saratoga Springs home is very funky. We're impressed by the stainless steel range. Sitting at a round booth table like that looks like a great way to facilitate family conversations.

Click here to see more photos of the home >

Inside of a $27 million Chicago mansion, you'll find this Goliath kitchen. We really like the contrast of the dark wood island and light cabinets. There seems to be a ton of storage room and the two chandeliers are impressive.

Click here to see more photos of the home >

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Is it safe to use Wi-Fi hot spots with my smart phone while traveling abroad?

Trip Doctor’s Answer

If you live in fear, as I do, of racking up exorbitant international roaming charges on your smart phone, it can be tempting to hop on to a hot spot to do your browsing and e-mailing.

But though most of us know to avoid doing our online banking, say, via the free Wi-Fi connection at a public park, it might come as a surprise to learn that paid, password-protected networks put us at risk, too — including those found at cafés, airports, and even hotels.

And although many of us exercise caution with our computers, we are often guilty of leaving our phones and tablets exposed — a phenomenon that James Lyne, director of technology strategy for the British security-software developer Sophos, calls the “smart-phone invulnerability complex.”

According to Marian Merritt, Internet safety advocate at Norton by Symantec (maker of Norton AntiVirus), the two main risks you face when using a hot spot are having someone track your online movements via the network you’re logged on to or trick you into using a “fake” hot spot, either by offering it up for free or mimicking the name of a legitimate one.

In both instances, a hacker can potentially see your passwords, e-mail, social networks, bank accounts, documents, and more. Here’s how to keep this sensitive information safe.

Set up your phone’s security.

Switch off the wireless connection when you’re not using it. Also, don’t forget that your device, especially if it’s an Android, is vulnerable to malicious software. Norton, ESET, and Sophos all offer good mobile security and antivirus apps for smart phones.

Use long and strong passwords.

Make your passwords difficult to hack — and unique, so if one is stolen it can’t be used to unlock other accounts. Use a digital password manager if you have trouble remembering them all; Lyne recommends 1Password and LastPass.

Make sure the network is legit and encrypted.

Don’t assume that a hot spot is real just because the name that pops up in your phone looks correct. If you’re at a hotel or café, ask a manager to confirm the name of its network — and that the network is encrypted (i.e., locked and password protected). While online, stay on encrypted channels by using the website prefix https (rather than http).

Use a VPN (virtual private network). 

Even if you’re on a password-protected network, there’s still the possibility that someone will intercept your transmissions. To ensure absolute privacy, use a VPN service, which basically creates a network-within-a-network just for you.

Boingo offers a VPN through its subscription plans (from $9.95 a month) that lets you access more than 500,000 global hot spots. The new Norton Hotspot Privacy service ($49.99 a year) will also route all your traffic through a private connection.

Buy a data plan.

As a general rule (unless News of the World had you in its sights), your cellular network is secure. Both AT&T and Verizon have recently introduced affordable global data roaming packages: AT&T gives you 120MB for $30 a month; Verizon offers 100MB for $25. So when in doubt, stick to your wireless carrier.

By the Numbers

Proportion of social-network users who reported their accounts hacked:

1 in 10 in 2011
1 in 6 in 2012

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Japanese artist Yoko Ono has collaborated with Opening Ceremony to design a menswear collection inspired by her late husband, John Lennon.

A collection of drawings created as a wedding present for Beatles singer John Lennon in 1969 entitled “Fashions for Men” has inspired Yoko Ono’s quirky foray into menswear design.

Concept store Opening Ceremony, which recently launched in London’s Covent Garden, will stock the 18-piece collection of from November 30. Highlights include suit trousers with a hand silhouette sewn over the crotch (approx £210), a jumper with eyelets cut out around the nipples and a battery-operated lightbulb bra which can be worn underneath said top (£160).

Liverpool-born Lennon and Ono collaborated together on an album just weeks before he was assassinated in 1980. “I was inspired to create ‘Fashions for Men’ amazed at how my man was looking so great. I felt it was a pity if we could not make clothes emphasizing his very sexy bod,” Yoko told WWD .

She rather un-modestly continues: “So, I made this whole series with love for his hot bod and gave it to him as a wedding present. You can imagine how he went wild and fell in love with me even more.”

Each piece from the collection, which also includes hoodies (around £50) and two styles of boots has a run of just 52 items. A softcover book comprised of Ono’s drawings accompanies the collection, as well as sweatshirts and posters decorated with her sketches.

“We loved the idea of sort of celebrating the holidays with Yoko with this collection” said Opening Ceremony co-founder Carol Lim, while fellow founder Humberto Leon explained: “I think she just fell in love with John’s body and wanted to show off all of the parts of his body that she loved. There’s something so beautiful about that sentiment. And we’ve realized these designs in pretty actual terms of how she drew them.”

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As I learned on a recent press trip to Tanzania, luxury safaris are some of the best vacations out there.

With rates sometimes reaching $1,500 per person, per night, they aren't cheap. But that doesn't mean that everything about them is luxurious.

During my trip, I spent six nights in four different safari lodges in different parts of the country. They were all lovely, unique, and offered first-rate service. But over the course of the trip, I had some brushes with nature that made me jump.

Here were some of the more memorable moments:

• I brushed my teeth while geckos climbed up the outer and inner walls of my tent

• I awoke in the middle of the night to sounds of crunching — and saw a giraffe munching on a treetop nearby

• Within moments of each other, a mouse and large spider ran out from under a bathtub I was about to step into

• I found a small frog in my shower

• I sat in bed while bats circled the mosquito netting around me on several nights

• I laid awake while listening to hyenas howl over a zebra kill

• I saw a monkey on my deck licking the last drops of orange juice from a glass I accidentally left out overnight

• I nearly walked into the path of two elephants wandering through an open safari camp — and had to slowly back away until I reached a safe building

I also learned that safari camps may be beautiful, but they aren't necessarily built for people who prize convenience while on vacation.

One night, after returning from an evening game drive, I realized that bag containing my passport, phone, and wallet was missing. Since we were at a tiny camp and hundreds of miles from any other people, I hadn't bothered to lock it in the safe (lesson learned!)

I was alone in my room, and there was no phone to call the front desk — or a front desk at all, for that matter. It was after dark, and like all of the safari camps I'd stayed at, I couldn't leave my room without a security escort.

I didn't know what to do, so I blew the air horn I was told to use in case of an emergency.

Within a minute, two Maasai warriors with spears tucked into their traditional red robes were running to my room. I later learned that many safari camps and even businesses in cities like Dar es Salaam hire them as security guards.

Since there were no phones, one of the guards left to find a manager, who promised to sort the matter out and left to talk to the head housekeeper. In the meantime, I found the passport bag in a cabinet — the housekeeper must have put it there for safekeeping. But since I couldn't get in touch with the manager, I had to wait 15 minutes for him to return so I could let him know I'd worried him for nothing.

The brushes with animals and lost passport story are reminders that many of the best safari camps are truly off the grid. And that's what travelers love about them.

But if the sight of a spider or mouse makes you gag, and you like being able to reach hotel housekeeping on speed dial, you may want to stick with a Caribbean cruise.

 Disclosure: Our trip to Tanzania, including travel and lodging expenses, was sponsored by the Tanzania Tourist Board, Africa Adventure Company, Singita Grumeti Group, Coastal Aviation, Qatar Airways, Tanzania National Parks, Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority and Wildlife Division.

SEE ALSO: What It's Like To Stay At The Best Hotel In The World

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This post originally appeared on Zagat's Buzz Blog.

Give thanks this holiday season — to the chefs who are saving you from cooking for the family, that is.

Thankfully, the Big Apple is providing its residents dining options that will make you wish Thanksgiving were every day.

We've rounded up a list of hot spots where you can enjoy festive, seasonal dishes all day long after the parade. Just be sure to make those reservations now, as Turkey Day is traditionally one of the industry's busiest.

Back Forty

This East Village Thanksgiving prix fixe features a traditional bird along with options like roasted delicata squash and wild sockeye salmon. And don't forget to save room for dessert, because who can pass up heirloom apple pie? Seatings are available from 2-8PM, and it's $60 per person.

The Details:190 Avenue B # 1;212-388-1990

Del Frisco's

From noon to 9 PM this Midtown steakhouse will be serving up a special three-course prix fixe Thanksgiving menu. Eighty dollars will get you holiday favorites like butternut squash soup, apple sage stuffing and pumpkin cheesecake. And if you feel like tackling dinner at home, they're here to help — a selection of signature sides will be available for takeout so you can focus on not burning the bird.

The Details:1221 6th Ave.; 212-575-5129

Edi & the Wolf

Make your way over to this East Village Austrian restaurant to celebrate the holiday with chefs Eduard Frauneder and Wolfgang Ban's three-course prix fixe dinner. Enjoy dishes like roasted duck with sweet potato purée, spaetzle with wild mushrooms and Brussels sprouts and a sweet ending of pumpkin pie and champagne ice cream. Seatings are available from 3 PM-12 AM, and it's $45 per person.

The Details:102 Ave. C; 212-598-1040

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Sure, there are a number of things you've probably done to save money at hotels. Maybe you signed up for a loyalty program for the free WiFi and room upgrade ("when available"). Perhaps you booked at the respective hotel's web site to secure the "best guaranteed rate".

Meh.

You're probably thinking: Tell me something I don't already know. Well, as a travel writer for the past ten years (on a tight budget, for that matter), I'm divulging my best secrets. Some tips are common sense, some are things you might not have ever thought about.

Either way, the following advice is guaranteed to have you save $$$—without feeling ghetto about it.

Book a Sunday Night Stay
Easy math. If business travelers stay Monday to Friday, while leisure travelers occupy Friday and Saturday, leaving on Sunday, that means Sunday check-ins get very little love in the hotel world, thus lower rates prevail.

Thirsty? Head to the Gym
The last time I paid $6 for a bottle of water? Ten years ago. To save on those crazy prices, head to the fitness center, where complimentary bottles are usually offered. If it's a mid-range hotel, they'll likely have a water cooler, so bring an empty bottle and fill'er up.

Avoid Room Service
It seems obvi, but people order room service then wonder why their $20 hamburger from in-room dining suddenly costs $29! It's becoming more common for hotels to charge a service fee and/or flat delivery rate (if so, skip that "additional gratuity" line). And, depending on the hotel, service fees can range from 10 to 20 percent. So it's a good idea to just go to the hotel restaurant, lazy. (HC Ed Note: We let this one slide for budgetnistas, but we still totally love room service!)

Book Brand-New Properties
New hotels generally offer fantastic introductory rates. Before you book a hotel at your destination, see what hotel or resort has just opened. Some of these places won't be on sites like Hotels.com yet, so you'll have to do research. Also, you'll get better service at a new hotel as staff will be eager to please.

Book Through a Flash-Sale Site
For even deeper bargains on hotels, book with a flash-sale site. You have limited time to reserve (generally one week), yet the rates are often ludicrously unbeatable. For instance, my site Out Escapes offered rates at ME Cancun for $169 per night (including high season) and we threw in a $500 resort credit on top of that. Other sites like Jetsetter (while they're still with us) and SniqueAway are options as well.

Analyze the Amenities
Always, always check out the hotel web site for surprise benefits. For instance, free long-distance calls are becoming a trend at hotels in Mexico, Caribbean and Central America (like Palace Resorts in Mexico and Grace Bay Club in Turks & Caicos) but they're never really promoted. Some hotels and resorts also offer complimentary fitness classes, lobby lounge Happy Hour (yes, free booze, like Sheraton, Kimpton, and Andaz's Wine Hour) and check-outs later than noon. You can't assume the front desk will tell you all these things.

Pick Up the Phone
Call the hotel directly. Ask for a great rate. You'll be surprised how much wiggle room there is. In fact, I can't believe some people just pay the rack rates without calling for a better deal. There's a reservations manager on staff who basically expects you to ask for a discount. While you're at it, and if it's true, tell them you're celebrating a special occasion (like birthday or anniversary). This may get you an upgrade or bottle of wine. Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills sends a bottle of champers to your room at no charge!

Did you know that? Betcha didn't!

This post originally appeared on HotelChatter.

SEE ALSO: 15 Hotels For The Trip Of A Lifetime

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The Selous Game Reserve in southern Tanzania is nearly four times the size of Serengeti National Park, but is relatively unknown on the safari circuit, especially to tourists visiting from the U.S. who tend to hit the more popular game-viewing parks in the north.

It's a shame, because The Selous turned out to be one of my favorite destinations on a recent press trip to Tanzania. I saw a lion nearly take down a wildebeest and boated on Lake Tagalala, reputed to have the densest crocodile population in the world.

Click here to jump right to the hotel photos >>

Perhaps the best part was that our camp, called Beho Beho, was so remote that we didn't see a single other safari vehicle during our two-day stay in the park. It was like we had the entire 21,000-square-mile reserve to ourselves.

Beho Beho was a unique and stunning property. The British owners overhauled it from a private camp to a grade "A" lodge a little more than a decade ago, and have managed to create what they call a "house party" atmosphere in the middle of the bush.

The camp is centered around a massive stone "banda" — a three-sided building with an open front looking out onto a man-made watering hole and the plains beyond. Meals are communal, and guests rotate among the safari guides for their daily game-viewing drives.

The rooms — ten smaller bandas on either side of the main building — are huge, with canopied beds, sitting areas, and outdoor showers. The rate, including accommodations, meals, drinks, laundry, and safari activities, is $920 per person per night, and there's a three-night minimum.

There are also options for guests who prefer more privacy. Beho Beho recently opened a "treehouse" lodge a half-hour walk from camp, where couples can sleep in a tent hoisted onto a large platform. Another option is Bailey's Banda, a two-bedroom house that comes with a pool and private chef, available for a $1,000-a-night surcharge.

For travelers looking for something off the beaten path, there's no better place to stay.

Disclosure: Our trip to Tanzania, including travel and lodging expenses, was sponsored by the Tanzania Tourist Board, Africa Adventure Company, Singita Grumeti Group, Coastal Aviation, Qatar Airways, Tanzania National Parks, Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority and Wildlife Division.

Beho Beho has its own airstrip, just a five-minute drive from camp.

I could tell from the moment I arrived that the place had a sense of humor.

Until about 14 years ago, the camp was used as a vacation home by its owners. After a major overhaul, it's a high-end resort in the middle of nowhere.

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In America, hot dogs and ketchup go hand in hand. Not so in the Philippines.

In this Southeast Asian country of 7,000-plus islands, the ballpark staple is commonly found cut up and mixed in with spaghetti, then tossed with something they call banana sauce.

It’s sweet, it’s tangy — and it tastes nothing like bananas.

Check out the bizarre condiments >

Banana sauce is just one of many condiments from around the world that is used in ways that may strike us as, well, strange. For others, like fermented bean curd from China, the way it’s used isn’t as surprising as, say, the way it tastes or smells.

These small, slippery cubes of fermented tofu are so pungent that half of one can be enough to flavor a heaping bowl of rice or breakfast porridge. (It can also be described as umami, a Japanese word that refers to a fifth taste — outside of sweet, salty, sour, and bitter — and is often used to describe fermented or aged foods.)

China’s condiment of choice isn’t the only one with a strong flavor profile. There’s a spicy kick to many of the world’s most popular condiments, from India’s mango pickles to a habanero sauce made in Belize and available in “No Wimps Allowed” and “Beware” versions.

Of course, food has always been a direct way to gain insight into another culture. And tasting a destination’s quintessential condiment—whether its tkemali in the Eastern Europe country of Georgia or harissa in Tunisia—can only make that dining experience more flavorful.

But that doesn’t mean you need to book a flight. It’s increasingly easy to try out new sauces and spreads in your own neighborhood. If some of these condiments don’t sound so bizarre to you, it may be thanks to your grocery store; many across the U.S. are dedicating more aisle space to jars, cans, tubes, and bottles from overseas.

Read on for a taste of these exotic condiments and, more important, explanations for how they’re used—so next time you’re abroad (or in a local ethnic restaurant), you won’t be caught putting banana sauce on roast pork.

And if you’ve sampled an unusual condiment, share your experience by posting a comment below.

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Fermented bean curd, China

These silky, pungent cubes of fermented tofu are mixed very sparingly with rice or breakfast porridge.

You can season an entire stir-fry dish with one or two of these soft cheese-like cubes.

Tkemali, Georgia

Everything from fried chicken and grilled meat to potato dishes will taste tart, sweet, and spicy thanks to this thick sour plum sauce.

Recipes vary, but it usually gets its array of flavors from a blend of garlic, coriander, dill, chili pepper, and salt.

Harissa, Tunisia

This super-spicy paste of chiles, coriander, caraway, and garlic is now made in France, due to the large population of Tunisian immigrants.

There are countless ways to incorporate it into a meal; a few favorites are to rub it on steak before grilling or mix it with lemon juice and olive oil (or even plain yogurt) and serve with pita.

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Buy this home in Chicago for $799,000.

The house, on W. 109th Street in Mt. Greenwood, spans 5,000 square feet, and has five bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms. It's great for a big family.

Welcome to the Mount Greenwood neighborhood of Chicago.

The home is 5,000 square feet.

We love the color of the granite counter tops.

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Black Friday — well, Thursday — has kicked off.

Shoppers are scrambling to get their hands on the best doorbuster deals as various big retailers open up for the most frenzied shopping weekend of the year.

Have photos or horror stories to share? Send them in to kbhasin@businessinsider.com or tweet it at @KimBhasin and tell us the store and location.

We'll be updating this post as the craziness ramps up.

Walmart's sales started earlier than ever this year — 8 P.M. on Thanksgiving Day.

Walmart stayed open, and is offering deals in waves, notes Reuters' Dhanya Skariachan.

"While Supplies Last," warn the signs at Walmart.

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"If money doesn't make you happy, then you probably aren't spending it right."

That's the excellent and descriptive title of a paper published last year in the Journal of Consumer Psychology by the University of British Columbia's Elizabeth W. Dunn, Harvard's Daniel T. Gilbert, and UVA's  Timothy D. Wilson.

The paper, which summarizes decades of study on the subject, notes that "money allows people to do what they please, to live longer and healthier lives, to buffer themselves against worry and harm, to have leisure time to spend with friends and family, and to control the nature of their daily activities—all of which are sources of happiness."

Unfortunately money is "an opportunity that people routinely squander because the things they think will make them happy often don't."

So how do you make sure to spend your money in order to to maximize your happiness? Follow these eight steps:

Buy experiences instead of things

Experiential purchases — those which are “made with the primary intention of acquiring a life experience: an event or series of events that one lives through" — are proven to make the purchaser more happy than purchases on material goods.

Unlike material goods, which grow less exciting over time and then obsolete, experiences continue to provide happiness through memory.

Help others instead of yourself

Spending money in order to achieve pro-social goals leads to greater levels of happiness than spending money on oneself. The report posits that pro-social spending has a "surprisingly powerful impact on social relationships," because "strong social relationships are universally critical for happiness."

Buy many small pleasures instead of few big ones

The paper note:

"Adaptation is a little bit like death: We fear it, fight it, and sometimes forestall it, but in the end, we always lose. And like death, there may be benefits to accepting its inevitability. If we inevitably adapt to the greatest delights that money can buy, then it may be better to indulge in a variety of frequent, small pleasures—double lattes, uptown pedicures, and high thread- count socks— rather than pouring money into large purchases, such as sports cars, dream vacations, and front-row concert tickets. This is not to say that there's anything wrong with large purchases. But as long as money is limited by its failure to grow on trees, we may be better off devoting our finite financial resources to purchasing frequent doses of lovely things rather than infrequent doses of lovelier things."

Buy less insurance

The initial gains in happiness when one purchases a good typically outweigh the sadness that follows its loss, according to recent research. In fact, people are much better at dealing with loss than they realize.

This doesn't mean, however, you should just drop your life, car, and homeowner's insurance — the report mostly refers to extended warranties and insurance for cheaper, physical goods.

Pay now and consume later

Paying now and consuming later is not only good for your finances, but also for your happiness.

What most do not realize is that lay-away and similar payment plans eliminate anticipation, "and anticipation is a source of 'free' happiness." The report and supporting studies claim that thinking about future events "triggers stronger emotions than thinking about the same event in the past."

Furthermore, delayed consumption forces consumers to think about what they choose, thereby helping them to avoid vices that supply immediate benefits but do not help to derive pleasure in the long term. Also, a delay in purchase tends to create uncertainty, which "may help to counteract the process of adaptation by keeping attention focused on the product."

Think about what you're not thinking about

Avoid thinking about the future in overly simplistic terms.

For instance when contemplating purchase of a vacation home, don't think only of an idyllic fishing retreat, but think also of the maintenance costs, mosquitoes, commutes, and other uglier aspects of the scenario.

 The report adds: "Consumers who expect a single purchase to have a lasting impact on their happiness might make more realistic predictions if they simply thought about a typical day in their life."

Beware of comparison shopping

Next time you go to scour eBay or Craigslist to get the best deal on your next purchase, you might want to keep the following in mind:

"By altering the psychological context in which decisions are made, comparison shopping may distract consumers from attributes of a product that will be important for their happiness, focusing their attention instead on attributes that distinguish the available options."

Follow the herd instead of your head

Heeding the advice of experts, or those who have been through a particular experience or purchased a particular good before, can be beneficial in deriving happiness through one's expenditures. Research cited in the study suggests that "the best way to predict how much we will enjoy an experience is to see how much someone else enjoyed it." Odds are if a movie broke a box office record, you'd probably enjoy it too.

Don't Miss: How to spend your time in ways that make you happy >

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Black Friday tends to bring out the wild side in a lot of people.

Here's some insane footage of what transpired after a Walmart worker in Moultrie, Ga. rolled out a dolly packed with Black Friday doorbusters.

As a BI reader and Moultrie resident has pointed out, it appears they're going nuts over a bunch of Android smartphones on sale.

If you really want to lose faith in humanity, skip to the 40 second mark when one woman gets face-palmed and yanked by her pony tail to make room for others.

Disclaimer: A lot of Youtube users have been re-posting mob scenes from past Black Fridays, and we can not officially verifiy whether this is from Black Friday 2012.

SEE ALSO: Photos from Black Friday madness around the country >

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