Attention streaming movie marathoners: There are major changes coming your way. This month Netflix announced they'll be increasing their plan pricing. The trend of rising prices for streaming content is a growing one. Cell phone providers like Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile are all planning to eliminate unlimited data plans in favor of tiered pricing. With experts predicting most cell phone users won't be hit by the changes for a few years, Netflix is taking most of the heat.

Here are the basics of the Netflix changes. Instead of having DVD rentals and streaming movies priced together, each portion will be priced as a separate plan. For most users, this will increase the monthly bill by $6-10. Price changes will take effect September 1.

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While it may be summer now, school will begin soon enough. For students who said goodbye to elementary school earlier this year, this fall represents the start of a critical transition to middle school.  Middle school means new beginnings, experiences and challenges. And while these changes —new friends, new teachers and new school environment — can be exciting, they also can be a bit unnerving for new middle-schoolers.

“These transition years can be exhilarating and full of promise, but they also can cause some measure of anxiety,” says Richard E. Bavaria, Ph.D., senior vice president of education outreach for Sylvan Learning.

“Research and common sense tell us that the first year in middle school is critical,” Bavaria says. “During this single year, a new middle-schooler must assimilate, make new friends, set goals, establish new habits and attitudes, take tougher courses, discover talents and interests, learn new skills, and begin to build confidence in this new environment. Making sure a child handles this transition year well should be an important goal for parents. In fact, a primary indicator of a successful middle school experience is a positive transition from elementary school. And the key to that positive transition is good preparation.”

Here are some of the most daunting changes students will encounter during this year of transition — and some tips from Sylvan Learning on how to work through them successfully.

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We all love our pets, but caring for an animal is a pricey commitment. Thankfully, there are ways to offset the cost of nutritious food, treats and supplements, not the least of which are free samples! Check out this list of nine freebies for your furry friend brought to you by MrFreeStuff.com, and be sure to check out the pets and animals category for more freebies for Fido.

1. Pink Dog Bakery
Get two free gourmet cupcake samples for your pooch while supplies last.

2. Purina
Get a free 6 oz. sample of New Purina Cat Chow Healthy Weight along with a $1 coupon when you "like" Purina Cat Chow on Facebook.

3. Halo
Enter your email address for the Halo Pets Newsletter and receive a free can of Halo cat food, while supplies last.

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Decorating a nursery is a special and exciting time. But when you've never had a baby before, it can also be overwhelming. Little babies need a surprising amount of stuff, including things you may have never heard of before! The good news is the desire to create a safe, warm, beautiful place for our babies is instinctual - it's called nesting. The “Peaceful Nursery: Green, Healthy Tips For Your Baby’s Room” app gives you all the information and guidance you need to ensure you enjoy the process.

The “Peaceful Nursery: Green, Healthy Tips For Your Baby’s Room” features a quick and easy shopping checklist of all the right items to buy for the nursery, along with tips that include: How to make healthy choices when shopping for your baby; Why going green is so important for infants; Choosing paint color; and arranging your nursery to help your baby sleep better. The app also includes video insights from the app’s co-authors, Healthy Home and Lifestyle experts Laura Forbes Carlin and Alison Forbes.

Carlin and Forbes want to help you with the overwhelming process of designing the perfect nursery for your new bundle of joy and offer these tips to guide you along:

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A lot has changed for 21st-century women, but one thing hasn’t: Moms still juggle insanely busy lives and their needs usually fall last on the list, says Columbia University-certified health coach Beth Aldrich.  That includes eating – as in, really loving what you eat. Because you didn’t really love that bag of chips you downed while watching “An Affair to Remember” for the 200th time, did you?

“How could you?” asks Aldrich, author of the award-winning new book, Real Moms Love to Eat (www.RealMomsLoveToEat.com). “Who could possibly be aware of chips with Cary Grant on the screen?”  It’s wonderful to take pleasure in food, she says. It’s even OK to eat the things we shouldn’t every once in awhile – just be sure to savor every bite. “Eating in front of the TV is not savoring,” Aldrich says.

“There are also plenty of great healthy ingredients that you can turn into new foods to love, even healthier versions of those favorite comfort foods from childhood. You’ll finish meals feeling energized, emotionally satisfied and best of all, not guilty. And, oh yeah! You’ll look great in your skinny jeans!”  Aldrich offers ways to kick off the romance:

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Studies show that 4 out of every 5 students participate in some extracurricular activity outside of their required class load.  As fall approaches, family schedules inevitably fill up with these after-school practices, work obligations, parent teacher conferences and more.  Before heading out, take a step back to discuss your family's security routines and the measures everyone should take to keep their homes and each other safe throughout the year.

"Fall brings an abundance of schedule changes and families working to adapt to new routines," said Rebecca Smith, vice president, marketing for Master Lock.  "As calendars become full of different activities, Master Lock can help families with a variety of security measures to ensure they can safely maintain a busy lifestyle."

Master Lock offers these five key guidelines to help balance family safety with a busy schedule:

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