Turns out women spend an average of $779 on reinventing themselves after a relationship ends.  Here’s how that breaks down . . .

$144 on a new hairdo.

$62 on tanning.

$192 on new clothes.

$96 on new shoes.

$76 on new make-up.

$81 on manicures and pedicures.

$128 on a gym membership, boot camp, and other attempts to get into shape.

On top of that, the average woman also spends $109 a week going out once they’re single.   And 11% immediately buy an online dating membership.

Finally, the study also found that 6% of women say they’ve spent around $829 on plastic surgery and botox after they’ve being dumped.

Chocolate makes up about three-quarters of a trick-or-treater’s loot, according to the National Confectioners Association.

According to Real Simple,  candy corn has been made with the same recipe by the Jelly Belly Candy Company since around 1900. The recipe includes sugar, corn syrup, and marshmallows.

Samhainophobia is the fear of Halloween.

The National Retail Federation estimated consumers in 2010 spent $66.28 per person on Halloween costumes, cards, and candy.

The Washington Post reports 90 percent of parents admit to sneaking goodies from their kids’ trick-or-treat bags.  Oh, parents! 

Illinois is the leading pumpkin-producing state with an estimated 427 million pounds of the vined orange gourd stated the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service.

KITCHEN: The kitchen is still considered the heart of the home. Potential home buyers make a beeline for this room when they first view a home for sale, so make sure your kitchen looks clean and reasonably updated.

For a few hundred dollars, you can replace the kitchen faucet set, add new cabinet door handles and update old lighting fixtures with brighter, more energy-efficient ones.

If you’ve got a slightly larger budget, you can give the cabinets themselves a makeover. “Rather than spring for a whole new cabinet system, which can be expensive, look into hiring a refacing company,” says serial remodeler Gwen Moran, co-author of “Build Your Own Home on a Shoestring.”

“Many companies can remove cabinet doors and drawers, refinish the cabinet boxes, then add brand-new doors and drawers. With a fresh coat of paint over the whole set, your cabinets will look like new.”

If you’re handy, you can order your own replacement cabinet doors and door fronts from retailers like Lowe’s Home Improvement or The Home Depot and install them yourself.

BATHROOM: Next to the kitchen, bathrooms are often the most important rooms to update. They, too, can be improved without a lot of cash. “Even simple things like a new toilet seat and a pedestal sink are pretty easy for homeowners to install, and they make a big difference in the look of the bath,” says Moran.

Replacing an old, discolored bathroom floor with easy-to-apply vinyl tiles or a small piece of sheet vinyl. “You may not even need to take up the old floor. You can install the new floor right over the old one,” she says.

If your tub and shower are looking dingy, consider re-grouting the tile and replacing any chipped tiles. A more complete cover-up is a prefabricated tub and shower surround. These one-piece units may require professional installation but can still be cheaper than paying to re-tile walls and refinish a worn tub.

STORAGE: Old houses, particularly, are notorious for their lack of closet space. If you have cramped storage areas, Realtor Moe Viessi of Miami suggests adding do-it-yourself wire and laminate closet systems to bedrooms, pantries and entry closets.

Firms like ClosetMaid allow you to measure and redesign your closets online. You can also get design details and parts for these systems at many large home-improvement stores. Most closets can be updated in a weekend or less.

In the end, your closets will be more functional while you’re living in the house and will make your home look more customized to potential buyers when you’re ready to sell.

CURB APPEAL: Although it sounds obvious, a nicely mowed lawn, a few well-placed shrubs and a swept walkway makes a great first impression. “What buyers see when they first drive by your home is tremendously important,” says Viessi.

If you don’t have a green thumb, consider hiring a landscaper to install some new sod, plant a few evergreen shrubs and give your front yard a good cleanup. “These kinds of changes can instantly change people’s perception of your home and, therefore, increase its value,” says Viessi. And hey, your neighbors will love you for it, too.

Nicolle Knows Portland Cocktail Week

to buy tickets and get more information visit www.PortlandCocktailWeek.com

–And remember, the recommended daily limit for processed sugar in a 2,000 calorie diet is about 40 grams, or between 100 and 150 calories.  That’s about eight teaspoons.

#1.) Twizzlers. They don’t have much fat, but they’re basically just sugar . . . which turns to fat in your body if you don’t burn it off.  And one Twizzler has about 35 calories and five grams of sugar.

#2.) Fun-Sized Butterfingers. Each one has 45 calories, and two grams of fat.  So if you have four of them and weigh 150 pounds, you’d have to walk about 30 minutes to burn it off.

#3.) Fun-Sized Baby Ruth. Just one has upwards of 80 calories, four grams of fat, and 10 grams of sugar.  It’s mostly because of the chocolate-and-peanuts combo.

#4.) Fun-Sized Mounds. They’re dark chocolate and have coconut filling, which might SOUND healthier.  But one bar has 4.5 grams of fat, 7 grams of sugar, and 80 calories.

#5.) Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkins. They’re the Halloween version of Peanut Butter Cups, and they’re probably the worst.

–Instead of two small pieces, you get one big one that has 180 calories, 16 grams of sugar, and 11 grams of fat.

–The peanut butter is the main reason it’s so bad.  And just to put it in perspective, if you eat two of them, that’s 60 more calories than a McDonald’s cheeseburger!

http://www.robinsfyi.com/holidays/halloween/costumes.htm

For inspiration decorating you should see what Martha Stewart is up to here…

http://www.marthastewart.com/holidays

Use your imagination and your resources for a fun and frightful Halloween!  Booooooo!