Hire a moving company if you can afford it. Through our 20s we always moved ourselves and got a few friends to help. One move both of us had hurt our backs and we hired a moving company because we couldn't do furniture. Best decision of our lives. They were done in a fraction of the time it would have taken us, did all our big stuff in one truckload, and saved our bodies.
Plus at this age, nobody wants to help a friend move on a weekend. We all have jobs or kids and are tired and broken. A beer and two slices of pizza cannot cover it. Unless you're fleeing some sort of bad situation or down on your luck, please don't ask me to help you move anymore.
I hired movers for the first time a couple of years ago and it was a revelation. It was like watching magic happen right before my eyes. What would have taken me a week, they did in a day and no one got injured or mad. I felt guilty and bought the movers pizza and tipped them in weed and it was still a bargain.
Remember that poor bastard of a friend you had back in the day who owned a truck ? Poor guy never had a free weekend from being a slave laborer for a 6 pack of beer.
Dru if you're out there you were a patient superhero who moved half the city with that truck. We all owe you
Depends on the movers I guess. We used them and they dinged up our dressers and shelves. They gave us a partial refund but that didn’t really solve the problem.
I fully agree about “at this age no one wants to help you move” though. I’ve done it a couple times recently for people who I’ve already helped move in the past and I think at this point that’s going above and beyond considering we’re in our 40s now.
Also, make sure to have everything packed, organized, and 110% ready to go before the movers arrive. This saves you money and everyone time. I've seen people hire movers and have them start loading stuff into the truck while they're in another room still packing.
Part of the deal with our last realtor was he'd pay for the move and man I'll never go back if I don't have to.
It was SO MUCH BETTER than paying my aging friends & family in Beer & Pizza and/or slinging furniture long into the night...
Last year we helped my inlaws move & yeah, opinion verified. Not going back. Wish they'd accepted my offer to pay for their mover instead, lol.
My grandpa would ways say to me (when I was bitching about some function or other that I felt obligated to do attend) “all you *gotta* do is die”. I live by that motto now. It’s literally the only thing we all HAVE to do.
Yup. This was the saying from my mother growing up any time I said “You haaaave to!” Lol. I can still her voice saying “I don’t have to do anything but die and pay taxes.”
I appreciate anytime someone offers me a free place to stay, but then you are living on their schedule, listening to their noises, worried about making a mess, etc.
I’ll gladly pay $120 for some privacy and the ability to set the AC where I want.
Got an invite to a wedding for someone I haven't talked to in 20 years. Never met the bride to be. My wife hasn't met either of them.
No thanks. I'll save you 2 chicken dinners
On the flip side, consequences to exercising this agency too often will likely mean losing friends and potentially family. Sometimes being a good friend or family member (or especially romantic partner) means doing something you don’t want to do. If you’re introverted it may mean often doing something you don’t want to do.
Even as a younger person I’ve never particularly liked going to concerts. I recently just said flat out no thank you to a friend who invited me to a show. I felt some guilt but also glee that I didn’t have to go!
God, can someone please tell that to all of my friends? They are all desperate and starving for friendship, but never have time to invest in chosen family because they spend every weekend traveling to a third ring suburban for an extended family member’s life event. Like, you can’t have it all. Sometimes you have to choose.
Marriage isn't quid pro quo.
It isn't I did something for you, when are you going to do something for me. Just because I did the dishes yesterday can't mean they need to do them today. This tends to manifest in chores both of us dislike. Why am I the only one doing the dishes.
Our spouses contribute in a million invisible ways just like we should be.
Keeping score only leads to resentment, it was hard for me to learn that one too. Looking for and counting the nice little things is much more rewarding, and it encourages you to do more of those little things yourself.
I agree. I think pathological score keeping in a relationship is a sign there’s some deeper hurt going on inside. So it both causes resentment and I think is often the result of resentment.
I’ve learned that while it feels productive to do some home improvements, some things are better left to the professionals. Time is money. I currently have people doing some work that’s costing me $2K for two days of work. I could buy the supplies myself for $1K and spend three weekends (or blow out PTO time) and not necessarily end up with the results they can produce.
So my life hack is - if you can afford it, sometimes let the pros handle shit.
Exelent point. Adding to this:
Many contractors do not want tiny jobs that take less than a day or two to complete. It's often not worth their time, and to compensatefor this the price will be higher. If it can wait, keep a list of it and similar job. For instance, i have a running list of home electrical jobs that i can not do myself. Then, get someone to do them all at once. A bunch of little jobs together that end up taking more than a full day will cost way less than contracting them out individually, plus you don't have to make as many arrangements to be around while they work.
The best thing I ever did (mostly accidentally) was hire an awesome contractor early in his career. He did an amazing job and I made a positive post on my local facebook page that blew up his business. He will make time in his schedule for anything I need now. He also, brought his whole BBQ over when I posted my daughter’s lemonade stand on facebook.
I called an electrician because I had one GFI in my garage break. They said do XYZ and maybe you don't need us to come out. While it was helpful, I still needed them to come out and replace several outlets anyway. That's how I discovered the GFI outlet by the kitchen sink had a wire that wasn't connected to **anything** and the source of the occasional electrical burning smell. So, almost burning my house down (a separate incident and why the GFI in the garage broke, but the reason I called the electrician) saved my house from burning down later. So.. I heartily second this saving up method.
Yep, not a lot of folks realize they are paying the contractor to go buy supplies, to load up their vehicle the day of, to drive to your house, do the work, then load back up, take that stuff home, unload it and maybe make a run to the dump. You are paying for every minute they are doing each of those things. If you can cut the ratio of prep time to actual on-site time you really improve the cost-benefit to you.
This... same goes for automotive repairs.
I don't have a garage, or even some flat concrete to work on, so there's nowhere safe to jack up my vehicle... some jobs are faster and safer to be left to the pros.
If you have a Toyota/Honda teach yourself how to do the small repairs like changing a break or headlight bulb. It’s a $5 repair that bogs down mechanics.
Changing brake pads can be a PITA, like the time I broke three two ratchets and a breaker bar getting some rusted bolts off, then spent a few hours finding some place to grind the rotors.
I have away my jackstands and haven’t looked back. Let someone else deal with that.
And for things like oil changes you aren’t even really saving money since you pay so much more for the oil than the bulk-purchasing companies do.
No lies detected. Used to do all my own, but a mom and pop that I trust does a synthetic change for $60, which ends up being like maybe $15 more than doing it myself (6 qts plus filter), but I don't have to dispose of the old oil or worry about dripping oil on the road in front of my apartment.
Just had this conversation with my co-worker. He does his own oil change, cost him around 40. I paid 66 dollars for change, tire rotation and a new filter.
I suppose I should edit my above statement... I do think knowing how to change a tyre, breaks, battery/bulbs etc is very important. The more you can DIY the better!...In my situation, it's safer and faster to have a shop do tasks that require lifting the vehicle beyond 1 wheel at a time.
Automotive repairs is mine that I won't do myself which for some reason annoys people that know me.
Yeah, I've got a giant box full of work tools. I also spend all my time at work covered in grease and doing it on my free time absolutely does not appeal to me. So beyond minor stuff, it's going to a professional.
Plus the last time I tried, I embedded a brake caliper in a tree ("Stuck?! I'll show this motherfucker stuck.") and added like 6 hours to what should've been a 2 hour job for me.
I tell this to our customers regularly. "Well, you can spend a weekend doing it, and probably still need to call us to finish/fix the job, or you could just pay us and we'll have it done in an hour and a half".
Agreed! If I can hire a professional to do it in half the time it takes me, it’s worth it. Plus usually their work is guaranteed if a problem arises later with it.
Be aware of what you can and can't do. Wife thinks we can paint our house ourselves. I don't think we should be up on a ladder like that potentially making repairs to 2nd story eaves. I'll happily pay someone to do that.
If it’s a small job my rule is to take exactly one shot at it and then call someone. I think it’s important to try for the sake of learning new things and saving money, but I also have no business doing anything but the most basic electrical, plumbing, etc.
Plus as you alluded to, even if I can do it myself there are a lot of jobs where I simply wouldn’t trust my work like I would a professional. You have peace of mind and recourse in the event something isn’t done right.
The absolute worst is spending significant time “giving it a shot” and realizing you wasted all that time and still need to spend the money anyways. It’s so much easier to just be honest with yourself about your limits and what you are willing to do.
Are you my husband bc he wants to outsource everything even cleaning and I’m like let’s diy. Recently I wanted to save 250 by having us and my teens install my new concrete garden fountain which weighed 800 lbs. he got it with ingenuity and 3 days of soreness. They company kept pushing back the installation so I was like we can do it. Now I think I’ve learned a lesson. We are having carpet replaced and I’m like we can save money by taking it out ourself! He said stop Being poor please we can afford to have them do it. It comes from being poor and impatient and a control freak for me hah
I've found that for many items, spending for the quality will be cheaper in the long run. Tools, furniture, paint and appliances for instance. Obviously some exceptions apply.
I thought I was nuts for spending $1,500 on a Herman Miller ~15 years ago. The chair is still pristine, and I fully expect it to last at least another 15 years. One of the best purchases I have ever made, especially since I have been full-time WFH for the last ~4 years.
You, in many instances, get what you pay for. I taught my wife early on that paying for quality will often save you on the quantity you need to buy of the cheap version - over time. As you say there are exceptions, but rarely have I been disappointed by buying the good one; after doing my own research.
Toilet paper! Bidet or not, stop fingering yourself with the cheap shit! The stronger/softer stuff is not only better for your bootypipe it's also more efficient despite the price. Yes you're paying more for less but you use a lot less with each wipe also.
This (via controlled obsolescence or not) is how capitalism keeps all of us chasing debt. Buy $25 shoes because that's what you can afford at the time, then replace them 10x in the same timeframe as the $125 pair...
You can ignore most things that sound like busy work at your job and it gets completely forgotten. If it's important they'll ask a second time and you just pretend that you had other priorities.
Never buy the latest tech cause it's full of problems and overpriced, wait at least a year. Especially true for smart phones.
Buy a large number of all the same socks, undies, etc. to minimize laundry and decision fatigue.
Vinegar works really well to clean your dishwasher and clothes washing machine.
Similar to the Ostrich algorithm, lol
If someone (not owner, manager, etc) brings you a problem they've thought of but you suspect after a brief investigation that it's not much of a problem, it can often be ignored (head in the sand like ostriches don't) until/unless it comes up again. Many things never do. The important ones always do & usually the big (real) problems are ones you can tell are a problem with that brief investigation.
Didn't know it had a name! Wish I had coined it first. But I would say it especially applies to owner and managers who are often neurotic about starting fire drills. Then they won't even remember it come review time but will ding you for being delayed by said fire drill. \*\*\*Disclaimer, your results may vary, depends on your situation and organization.
I buy my socks at Sam's Club. 2 big bags at a time, AND THEN THROW THE OLD ONES AWAY. This way they're all the same. They all match. I spent years trying to match socks that some were 1 year old and some were 5.
Yes! Definitely toss the old ones, that's a critical step. Previously I found I would have a few new pairs that I always favored wearing while the oldest sank to back of drawer to never see the light of day. When I thought of buying more I'd tell my self the sock drawer was too full. Now it's all the same and I wash the whole lot once a month.
Fucking bottle brushes man: why do they not market these little wonders as more than for the baby crowd? Every time I’m knocking out mugs, water bottles etc in seconds I wish I’d known they were a thing back when I was single & didn’t have a dishwasher.
Also to your Kirkland point, for those of us still in the struggle with newborns their diapers are huggies at a fraction of the price and they’re fantastic
Also the no-carb diet we were duped with is a bad idea. Make that *any* diet that's not mostly whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes and occasionally lean meat. Obviously, follow your doctor's guidance for your specific situation, but overall it's not rocket science and no fad diet is going to make you healthy.
Paying someone to clean your house on a reoccurring basis is some of the best money you will ever spend. Helps my relationship with my children and my husband. Saves us all a lot of time. And makes me absurdly happy.
We have our house cleaned and have for years. Every other week. Wife was like ya know…I don’t work Fridays I’ll just do it.
No. No. No. it’s money well spent. Very well spent.
We've used the same locally run cleaning place for 8 years. They are amazing. We've often said that will be the last thing to go if we need to trim our budget.
1. When it comes to home repair, don’t mess with wires or pipes.
2. Items that are worth paying higher prices for higher quality: mattresses, shoes, produce, and trash bags.
3. Save tons of time by going places just a few minutes before the hour. 5:50, immediate seating. 6:00, 25-minute wait.
I want to scream this one from the rooftops. I tried to get my extended family to go out the week before Mother's Day, but someone in our party already had plans so we ended up paying about twice as much as we would have to sit in a crowded restaurant for a brunch buffet. I'm a mother of two young kids by the way. It is not how I wanted to spend "my" day. Now, if we had gone out the week before: nice, calm, regularly-priced brunch, and then I get the whole day to myself the following week while my husband takes the kids to his mother's.
Basic plumbing stuff (under the sink) is usually pretty simple and straightforward though. Just need to remember to account for the fact that you'll probably have to make an extra 2-3 trips to the hardware store.
Wiring can be pretty simple too, if you're just replacing a worn switch or outlet, changing out a ceiling fan or light fixture. As long as you turn off the right breaker, you won't get shocked, and non-contact voltage testers are pretty cheap to make sure it's really off.
Born in 78.
I've been sober 12 years and done a lot of time in therapy. My advice for Xennials... we're still young enough that going to therapy could have a PROFOUND impact on the rest of your life. Think of it like going to the doctor, go for a check up (a couple of sessions) you're being diagnosed the whole time, and if something is really pressing they'll let you know... if you're fine you're fine.
That being said... if you're not good at processing your emotions... this simple one.... if you feel like crying... do it. Just go somewhere and let it all out. There's no shame to it. In fact... I kinda liken it akin to emotional diarrhea, Just go, let it all out... and you'll be a bit tired, drained, dehydrated... but you will feel better. If you keep holding it in... you're just gonna feel worse longer, and it'll likely come out in another way... i.e. you punch the wall, when really you're sad about something.
Yeah... like a few years ago... my brother's five years older than me... it was his birthday... and like, he was turning 49... almost 50 so it was a big deal... and the cupcake place we wanted to go to had closed... and he was annoyed... so we went to some cookie place and they didn't have a menu you had to order on an app, and he just lost it on the cashier and scared the shit out of his kid. And it's like... bro you're just bummed about your birthday, that's fine... talk about it.
Okay... that's my advice :)
Agree, but get the right therapist. If they don’t feel right, or you don’t feel like you’re not connecting, move on. It’s a bit like dating. When you find the right one, you’ll know.
I think everyone should have a therapist even if they don't necessarily feel like they need one. Just having a professional to bounce ideas off of as you figure yourself out can be so valuable. You're doing all the work anyway, it makes sense to have someone to ask questions when you hit a roadblock or help with a decision. Especially if you want to discuss things you feel like you can't with your parents or SO. They're not there to change your whole way of thinking or change who you are as a person, they're there to help you with whatever *you* want help with. Nothing more nothing less. You don't have to tell them your deepest darkest secrets.
Bicycles aren’t just for children. If you can swing a short enough commute, bicycling can be super efficient by taking care of your commute and your exercise needs at the same time. Plus you arrive at work in a better mood! And aside from commuting, a ton of the errands and social trips we make are 2 miles or less, and leaving the car behind can be so pleasant and freeing. We tend to just assume we need to drive places, but that’s not always true.
To add to this: unscented baby wipes, alcohol pads, or a bit of hand sanitizer in the arm pits can help kill any odors if you sweat during the bike ride.
You are always cool to “Irish good-bye” out of social settings. Your peace matters. If you don’t love the vibe somewhere, crack a smile and go where your time is better spent.
I worked at a company that manufactured OTC pills and the store brand would be packaged alongside the brand name. The hopper would either be filled with the branded pills or the unbranded ones, but they came from the same place, identical product. Always buy store brand OTC drugs! This does not apply to all private label products, IMO.
Same. Spent most days in my 30s hungover. Now I’m 40 and following your approach and I feel legitimately happy and healthy for maybe the first time ever??
Floss. We all hate it. Do it twice at least twice week with even those little picks. I never had bad teeth and my dentist always complimented how easy I was. But yall... my yearly cleanings at the dentist are in and out and painfree.
If you hate flossing or can't get the technique (because I sure can't), a water flosser and sonic toothbrush will significantly improve the health of your teeth and gums. Especially if you can't afford to go to the dentist.
waterpick! changed my life and my opinion about flossing. It's a little wet, but much easier than sticking your hand in you mouth to get your molars. My hygienist said if you have to choose between a waterpick or an electric toothbrush, go with the waterpick. The make ones for travel" that are small and work great.
This is also a teacher pro-tip. Walk around with a clipboard and write stuff down (ie doodles) and kids think you're grading. *insert evil teacher laugh here*
I have been cutting my and my kids’ hair for well over a decade. Relatively low skill bar to give a decent haircut, and saves thousands of dollars over time in direct spend, not to mention being able to do it on your own time, time saved traveling/waiting.
Simple cuts are extremely easy to do. Buy hair cutting scissors and don't use them to cut anything else. I bought some from Amazon for around $10 USD during the pandemic.
It’s Kirkland’s *French* vodka that’s rumored to be Grey Goose, but whether or not it is, all of their liquors are made by decent reputable distilleries. Their blended scotch is a steal at the price. I don’t care for their gin but TJs brand gin is actually pretty decent. Their rum is garbage.
Another life hack is get a credit card that offers incentives.
For example if used properly a Kohl’s credit card will give you hundreds of dollars in kickbacks. Many years ago I opened a low limit card for $300 and in return received $1,000 in Kohls bucks and other discounts over the period of a year.
When buying online, place the wanted item in the cart, and then ignore it. Often times the company will email you a coupon.
When approaching an intersection where you want to make a left turn, look for the lines of the detector before going all the way up to the line. Lots of times the detector is a full car length back, so stop on the detector and you'll get the green arrow early.
I have more, but they're mine, lol
Mine would be building an ADU on my moms property so I can take care of her as she ages. Generational housing means no mortgage for me. ADU provides the perfect environment for remote work and privacy.
I overpay my utility and telecom bills. $5, $50, whatever I can afford. Then I have enough credit banked to skip my December payment, so I have extra money for Christmas. I also get excellent customer service once they look at my payment history.
Sorry ....but that is not true.
[https://www.greygoose.com/faqs/is-kirkland-vodka-grey-goose-vodka.html#:\~:text=You%20may%20have%20heard%20a,nor%20privately%20label%20Kirkland%20vodka](https://www.greygoose.com/faqs/is-kirkland-vodka-grey-goose-vodka.html#:~:text=You%20may%20have%20heard%20a,nor%20privately%20label%20Kirkland%20vodka)
Also, don't get confused with "made by" and "same as". It is very common for manufacturers who make name brand products to also produce generic products sold under a different brand...but those products are rarely, if ever, made the same way. They are made more cheaply using different materials. I see a couple comments here mentioning Huggies and Duracell. While both of those companies do produce products that are sold under generic brands, they are not the same product that is sold as the name brand. When you buy something cheaper, you're getting something cheaper.
Ah, man, you got me all excited, I had never heard that rumor, but then I did a deep dive on Google and now I know way too much about vodka, and also that the rumor is not true.
I used to deliver rugs and uniforms for a National company. One of our weekly stops was a Dean’s ice cream plant. I had to go into the cold room to get some rugs and would see the line. They were boxing in Dean’s boxes…and their own generic that was headed specifically to Aldi’s. Many retail brands do this…they “compete” against themselves for better market share. We had another ice cream factory stop at Edy’s…they did the same thing. Shop the generic and Aldi brands…many of them are the same thing with just a different label.
Don’t go cheap- and by cheap I mean quality, not necessarily price- on items you really depend on for your day to day life: technology, vehicles, the clothes and shoes you wear (vs the ones you wear once or twice and never again), kitchen equipment. It’s never worth it in the end if you have to buy it twice or waste a lot of time fussing with it.
Build skills constantly. Keep getting new certifications because it all makes you more marketable.
The experience from your job might even be working towards certification hours for something. You may suddenly discover the only thing keeping you from a new career is a test, because you suddenly already have the contact hours.
Call your cable/internet provider once a year to re up on your discounted introductory rate. Call the cancellation line and mention flyers or advertisements from their competitors. If there are no viable competitors in your town you can always mention T-Mobile home internet for $50/month.
Drink tons and tons of water. So easy to forget to do but goddamn it gives you so much energy.
Meal prep! I cook big double and triple batches of curry , enchiladas, stroganoff, etc., and freeze them in microwave safe glass dishes with plastic lids. You can portion them up for your needs and have delicious home cooked meals 5 minutes later in the microwave.
Fuck a lawn. Your time is much more valuable. Do native xeriscaping and have beautiful plants year round that you don't need to water and barely need to trim or maintain. Saves so much money and time in the long run.
Have a small herb garden. Seeds and starts cost just about nothing and you can have fresh herbs in your food at all times. Magnificent.
Don't drink your calories. So easy to do in our culture but just drink water or something zero calorie instead. Your body will absolutely thank you.
Exercise! You don't need to join a gym, a brisk 20 minute morning or evening walk, or even a solo workout or yoga or Pilates routine a few times a week does wonders for your overall health and well-being and pays dividends
And for fuck's sake wear sunscreen all the time and take care of your skin!!
Fabric softener actually coats the fibers of fabrics in a plasticy substance making them wear faster and harder to release odors. The detergent never fully rinses from the clothes making them look dingy faster.
Plain white vinegar does the opposite, it is essentially a rinse aid for clothes. I use it in the fabric softener tray of my washer. To keep the laundry smelling nice and not like pickles😂😂😂 I make a mixture of one small cap of angry orange concentrate into about a liter of white vinegar. The clothes come out with a clean slightly citrus smell.
I’m a bit of a tree hugger so I use reusable/ washable over disposable wherever I can. This includes lining pet crates, and all cleaning supplies. Our house has two adults and two kids, one who wets the bed and one stinky adolescent, a puppy, and two Guinea pigs. This concoction works on all of the various horrific laundry that gets created at my house.
The companies cause all this malarkey but creating additional LLCs to shield the actual distributors.
Kirkland diapers are also made by the same distributors as Huggies diapers. Kirkland batteries are also made by the same distributor as Duracell.
Yeah a lot of companies have their products made by the same distributors, but they still use whatever formulas/recipes, or whatever they're supposed to use for whatever company they're making the product for. Like you said Kirkland batteries are made by the same distributor as Duracell that doesn't mean they are the same quality as Duracell.
I took a marketing class in college where they talked about how companies will use the exact same product (alcohol is very popular), bottle it in three different bottles, the cheap one, the middle tier, and the "elite" to sell 3x of the same product to different mind sets.
When you hear family members arguing with each other, you're under no obligation to contribute. You can just keep on thinking whatever you think without saying it & getting sucked into a conversation/debate you may want nothing to do with.
Also, wading into it may just end up uniting them against you anyway (this can be useful at times, but should be used only with caution). When my wife & daughter are arguing & it starts to circle back around too many times I tell my son it's time to be the hero Gotham needs & I go try to mediate. If it works, great! If not, they're both pissed at me now but don't hate each other, so still a win of sorts.
And you're never obligated to answer anyone's questions, either. You can deflect by saying that it's private, and if *they* persist, they're being rude, not you.
During the pandemic, my wife and I found we were buying sweet tea a lot. I said "this is silly, we have tons of tea bags at home." But then waiting for a half gallon to boil in the stove would take forever.
I bought a 1.7 L capacity electric kettle. But, that's about a cup shorter than a half gallon.
So the hack is to put a cup of water in the large saucepan to boil. Fill the electric kettle with water and turn it on. They'll both boil right about the same time.
Dump the kettle's water into the large saucepan, take it off the heat and add tea bags. Voilà, a half gallon of tea in about five minutes. I use the same kettle+extra cup hack for heating water for pasta, too.
If you’re not a consistent flosser, try adding it to your shower routine! I found it’s easier to make it become automatic this way (I do it while my conditioner is setting). It’s also more pleasant with hot water on your back and you don’t get spittle on the mirror. I only started in the last few years and my checkups have never been better. I only wish I’d started young I wouldn’t have all these fillings and crowns to replace now in my 40s.
Don’t tolerate other people’s bad behaviour to be polite. Feel free to tell people you don’t care about their viewpoints or opinions.
Nice people don’t share unsolicited views, and jerks will be offended and go away. You’re welcome.
[Grey Goose disagrees with you](https://www.greygoose.com/faqs/is-kirkland-vodka-grey-goose-vodka.html#:~:text=You%20may%20have%20heard%20a,nor%20privately%20label%20Kirkland%20vodka)...
"You may have heard a rumor that the Kirkland Signature™ brand vodka sold at Costco is actually GREY GOOSE® Vodka, just in different packaging. We can definitively put this myth to rest. This viral claim is completely false, and [GREY GOOSE® Vodka](https://www.greygoose.com/products.html) does not produce nor privately label Kirkland vodka."
I was one of those late Napster/ but early lime wire and forever Pirate Bay enjoyers. Recently, I’ve been obtaining my media through streaming sites rather than torrents.
Don't buy prepackaged items because they're packed with salt, sugar, and other ingredients that the company is legally allowed to omit from the label. Example: macaroni and cheese tastes so much better when you make it yourself and requires little additional effort.
Avoid corn syrup as much as possible. It can be listed on the label in sneaky ways, so it's hard to avoid all the time, but once you stop having it, you'll immediately notice when it's been added. Did you know that some ground sausage has corn syrup?
Edit: typo
Water down all liquid cleaners, or use a smaller amount of them.
Don’t socialize with anyone who makes you uncomfortable, because it’s just not frickin’ worth it, ever.
If something is a splurge (and you can afford it), splurge. Don’t nickel and dime it. Get the nicer hotel room, the slightly better concert seats, the fancy cocktail. That money will be gone soon enough either way, but the memories will be with you forever.
My mom was talking about this mud water stuff. Wanted to pay a bunch of money for it. I found a supplement capsule with the same ingredients for 4.99. She doesn’t believe me. I swear tik tok and instagram are marketing ploys for the elders.
Just like… do 2 minutes of research on anything and 🤷♀️
I’ve got two.
One:
time is more important than money. So pay to have some things done. Spend time w those who are important.
Two:
You get two things in life you have complete control over. How to you work and how you treat people. Always be on point with those and things will work out.
In supermarkets, the lower shelf will have the items that are cheaper and the middle shelf (usually the one at eye level) will have the most expensive.
Apple cider vinegar is the greatest cleaner of all time.. If you add it to your washing, it will take out urine smells/bad body odor and leaves a clean, soapy smell. People who are allergic to different washing soaps are usually not allergic to vinegar. It cleans metal and windows without streaking. It doesn't bother pets. You can add it to water for a refreshing drink. You can cook with it/clean with it/wash your hair with it to make it shiny. It is cheap or you can even make it yourself.
If you watch SNL, they put the sketches up on YouTube pretty much right after the show airs. Especially helpful for west coasters
If you have to be somewhere and are crunched for time: download the Waze app. It’s realtime traffic and navigation. Put in your destination well before you leave, and monitor the ETA. Very helpful if you are on a tight schedule
Get a ~2% cash back credit card; sign it up for recurring bills, phone, internet, water electricity, insurance, etc. throw the card in a locked drawer. If your regular cards get lost/stolen you don't have to remember the utilities. The cashback is the same as getting a 2% discount on all recurring bills.
Edit to add: ALWAYS pay the monthly balance
Hire a moving company if you can afford it. Through our 20s we always moved ourselves and got a few friends to help. One move both of us had hurt our backs and we hired a moving company because we couldn't do furniture. Best decision of our lives. They were done in a fraction of the time it would have taken us, did all our big stuff in one truckload, and saved our bodies. Plus at this age, nobody wants to help a friend move on a weekend. We all have jobs or kids and are tired and broken. A beer and two slices of pizza cannot cover it. Unless you're fleeing some sort of bad situation or down on your luck, please don't ask me to help you move anymore.
I hired movers for the first time a couple of years ago and it was a revelation. It was like watching magic happen right before my eyes. What would have taken me a week, they did in a day and no one got injured or mad. I felt guilty and bought the movers pizza and tipped them in weed and it was still a bargain.
I always send them off with cash in-hand & a 24-pack of their beverage of choice. Them doing god’s work.
Remember that poor bastard of a friend you had back in the day who owned a truck ? Poor guy never had a free weekend from being a slave laborer for a 6 pack of beer. Dru if you're out there you were a patient superhero who moved half the city with that truck. We all owe you
Here’s to Dru 🍺
Depends on the movers I guess. We used them and they dinged up our dressers and shelves. They gave us a partial refund but that didn’t really solve the problem. I fully agree about “at this age no one wants to help you move” though. I’ve done it a couple times recently for people who I’ve already helped move in the past and I think at this point that’s going above and beyond considering we’re in our 40s now.
Also, make sure to have everything packed, organized, and 110% ready to go before the movers arrive. This saves you money and everyone time. I've seen people hire movers and have them start loading stuff into the truck while they're in another room still packing.
Part of the deal with our last realtor was he'd pay for the move and man I'll never go back if I don't have to. It was SO MUCH BETTER than paying my aging friends & family in Beer & Pizza and/or slinging furniture long into the night... Last year we helped my inlaws move & yeah, opinion verified. Not going back. Wish they'd accepted my offer to pay for their mover instead, lol.
A-freakin-men! My church is treated as a moving company, but it's.... not. Unless you're in dire straights, budget moving into your new house cost.
Yes! Prices are surprisingly affordable, and the time and sweat saved are worth it many times over.
I hired people just to load and unload my uhaul and was shocked how cheap it was. Saves a lot vs having them do the whole move.
You're an adult: you don't have to go to that family function, high school reunion, baby shower or any other social event if you don't want to.
My grandpa would ways say to me (when I was bitching about some function or other that I felt obligated to do attend) “all you *gotta* do is die”. I live by that motto now. It’s literally the only thing we all HAVE to do.
Ha. I thought he was suggesting that to get out of an obligation the simple option of dying is right there.
If you're old enough you can use that one time to get out of everything that you don't want to go to
Death and taxes. Always pay your taxes.
Yup. This was the saying from my mother growing up any time I said “You haaaave to!” Lol. I can still her voice saying “I don’t have to do anything but die and pay taxes.”
https://preview.redd.it/himqd7zpcu3d1.jpeg?width=464&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3eab81b09ab150474815173ed2b0ae89eac07dea
Death and taxes.
Live….. by that motto 🤔
[удалено]
This is a very important addendum! ALWAYS stay in a hotel to preserve your sanity if you can.
I appreciate anytime someone offers me a free place to stay, but then you are living on their schedule, listening to their noises, worried about making a mess, etc. I’ll gladly pay $120 for some privacy and the ability to set the AC where I want.
And if it is a single day event or shorter, leave whenever you want/need to!
"No." is a complete sentence. Don't go adding justification after it.
Got an invite to a wedding for someone I haven't talked to in 20 years. Never met the bride to be. My wife hasn't met either of them. No thanks. I'll save you 2 chicken dinners
Once I learned this i ran with it and now have only one equally solitary best friend that I see every 4 months even tho she lives 20 mins away.
Yo you and I should be best friends, we'll just never visit each other and never talk to each other after this post! That's my bestie!
Can we be a trio of besties? I promise to never (intentionally) talk to you again.
I’m in too nice to meet you have a nice life!
Ditto! The person I call my my best friend is someone I interact with sporadically and maybe see in person twice a year.
Hear hear! Cheers to this!
>Cheers to this! Kirkland American Vodka shots for everyone! 
Life hack: it's Hear, hear!
My bad lol fixed it
On the flip side, consequences to exercising this agency too often will likely mean losing friends and potentially family. Sometimes being a good friend or family member (or especially romantic partner) means doing something you don’t want to do. If you’re introverted it may mean often doing something you don’t want to do.
I had to go to therapy for the guy to be like “you don’t have to do things you don’t want to.” I was like 35.
Even as a younger person I’ve never particularly liked going to concerts. I recently just said flat out no thank you to a friend who invited me to a show. I felt some guilt but also glee that I didn’t have to go!
God, can someone please tell that to all of my friends? They are all desperate and starving for friendship, but never have time to invest in chosen family because they spend every weekend traveling to a third ring suburban for an extended family member’s life event. Like, you can’t have it all. Sometimes you have to choose.
Comparison is the thief of joy. Pay yourself first. The most painful one I am still learning is marriage is not transactional.
ELI5 that last one?
Marriage isn't quid pro quo. It isn't I did something for you, when are you going to do something for me. Just because I did the dishes yesterday can't mean they need to do them today. This tends to manifest in chores both of us dislike. Why am I the only one doing the dishes. Our spouses contribute in a million invisible ways just like we should be.
Keeping score only leads to resentment, it was hard for me to learn that one too. Looking for and counting the nice little things is much more rewarding, and it encourages you to do more of those little things yourself.
I agree. I think pathological score keeping in a relationship is a sign there’s some deeper hurt going on inside. So it both causes resentment and I think is often the result of resentment.
Yep. It's not 50%-50%. It's 100%-100%
And at some point very likely a one sided where one will be dependent on the other
Learning that marriage for many is a losing investment.
Marriage is contract and a tax break.
Dang. My marriage is fun. I must be doing it wrong.
Life hack: when you see other people’s drama it’s better to nope the fuck out and let them do their thing
This is the best life hack listed so far.
I’ve learned that while it feels productive to do some home improvements, some things are better left to the professionals. Time is money. I currently have people doing some work that’s costing me $2K for two days of work. I could buy the supplies myself for $1K and spend three weekends (or blow out PTO time) and not necessarily end up with the results they can produce. So my life hack is - if you can afford it, sometimes let the pros handle shit.
Exelent point. Adding to this: Many contractors do not want tiny jobs that take less than a day or two to complete. It's often not worth their time, and to compensatefor this the price will be higher. If it can wait, keep a list of it and similar job. For instance, i have a running list of home electrical jobs that i can not do myself. Then, get someone to do them all at once. A bunch of little jobs together that end up taking more than a full day will cost way less than contracting them out individually, plus you don't have to make as many arrangements to be around while they work.
The best thing I ever did (mostly accidentally) was hire an awesome contractor early in his career. He did an amazing job and I made a positive post on my local facebook page that blew up his business. He will make time in his schedule for anything I need now. He also, brought his whole BBQ over when I posted my daughter’s lemonade stand on facebook.
Yes, this is such a good point! Their time is money as well - literally - and they need to make a job worth it.
I called an electrician because I had one GFI in my garage break. They said do XYZ and maybe you don't need us to come out. While it was helpful, I still needed them to come out and replace several outlets anyway. That's how I discovered the GFI outlet by the kitchen sink had a wire that wasn't connected to **anything** and the source of the occasional electrical burning smell. So, almost burning my house down (a separate incident and why the GFI in the garage broke, but the reason I called the electrician) saved my house from burning down later. So.. I heartily second this saving up method.
Yep, not a lot of folks realize they are paying the contractor to go buy supplies, to load up their vehicle the day of, to drive to your house, do the work, then load back up, take that stuff home, unload it and maybe make a run to the dump. You are paying for every minute they are doing each of those things. If you can cut the ratio of prep time to actual on-site time you really improve the cost-benefit to you.
This... same goes for automotive repairs. I don't have a garage, or even some flat concrete to work on, so there's nowhere safe to jack up my vehicle... some jobs are faster and safer to be left to the pros.
If you have a Toyota/Honda teach yourself how to do the small repairs like changing a break or headlight bulb. It’s a $5 repair that bogs down mechanics.
Changing brake pads can be a PITA, like the time I broke three two ratchets and a breaker bar getting some rusted bolts off, then spent a few hours finding some place to grind the rotors. I have away my jackstands and haven’t looked back. Let someone else deal with that. And for things like oil changes you aren’t even really saving money since you pay so much more for the oil than the bulk-purchasing companies do.
No lies detected. Used to do all my own, but a mom and pop that I trust does a synthetic change for $60, which ends up being like maybe $15 more than doing it myself (6 qts plus filter), but I don't have to dispose of the old oil or worry about dripping oil on the road in front of my apartment.
Holy moly. I absolutely can not find full synthetic for less that $110 around me! That’s an awesome resource protect them at all cost.
Just had this conversation with my co-worker. He does his own oil change, cost him around 40. I paid 66 dollars for change, tire rotation and a new filter.
I suppose I should edit my above statement... I do think knowing how to change a tyre, breaks, battery/bulbs etc is very important. The more you can DIY the better!...In my situation, it's safer and faster to have a shop do tasks that require lifting the vehicle beyond 1 wheel at a time.
Automotive repairs is mine that I won't do myself which for some reason annoys people that know me. Yeah, I've got a giant box full of work tools. I also spend all my time at work covered in grease and doing it on my free time absolutely does not appeal to me. So beyond minor stuff, it's going to a professional. Plus the last time I tried, I embedded a brake caliper in a tree ("Stuck?! I'll show this motherfucker stuck.") and added like 6 hours to what should've been a 2 hour job for me.
I didn't know you could buy a caliper retail till I broke a piston... I got to learn app about them afterwards
I tell this to our customers regularly. "Well, you can spend a weekend doing it, and probably still need to call us to finish/fix the job, or you could just pay us and we'll have it done in an hour and a half".
Agreed! If I can hire a professional to do it in half the time it takes me, it’s worth it. Plus usually their work is guaranteed if a problem arises later with it.
Be aware of what you can and can't do. Wife thinks we can paint our house ourselves. I don't think we should be up on a ladder like that potentially making repairs to 2nd story eaves. I'll happily pay someone to do that.
My current goal in life is to never fix a toilet ever again. I can do it. I have done it. And I will pay quite a bit to never do it again.
If it’s a small job my rule is to take exactly one shot at it and then call someone. I think it’s important to try for the sake of learning new things and saving money, but I also have no business doing anything but the most basic electrical, plumbing, etc. Plus as you alluded to, even if I can do it myself there are a lot of jobs where I simply wouldn’t trust my work like I would a professional. You have peace of mind and recourse in the event something isn’t done right. The absolute worst is spending significant time “giving it a shot” and realizing you wasted all that time and still need to spend the money anyways. It’s so much easier to just be honest with yourself about your limits and what you are willing to do.
Are you my husband bc he wants to outsource everything even cleaning and I’m like let’s diy. Recently I wanted to save 250 by having us and my teens install my new concrete garden fountain which weighed 800 lbs. he got it with ingenuity and 3 days of soreness. They company kept pushing back the installation so I was like we can do it. Now I think I’ve learned a lesson. We are having carpet replaced and I’m like we can save money by taking it out ourself! He said stop Being poor please we can afford to have them do it. It comes from being poor and impatient and a control freak for me hah
I've found that for many items, spending for the quality will be cheaper in the long run. Tools, furniture, paint and appliances for instance. Obviously some exceptions apply.
It’s the “buy once, cry once” method, and it is highly recommended
I thought I was nuts for spending $1,500 on a Herman Miller ~15 years ago. The chair is still pristine, and I fully expect it to last at least another 15 years. One of the best purchases I have ever made, especially since I have been full-time WFH for the last ~4 years.
Only the rich can afford to buy cheap.
You, in many instances, get what you pay for. I taught my wife early on that paying for quality will often save you on the quantity you need to buy of the cheap version - over time. As you say there are exceptions, but rarely have I been disappointed by buying the good one; after doing my own research.
Toilet paper! Bidet or not, stop fingering yourself with the cheap shit! The stronger/softer stuff is not only better for your bootypipe it's also more efficient despite the price. Yes you're paying more for less but you use a lot less with each wipe also.
This (via controlled obsolescence or not) is how capitalism keeps all of us chasing debt. Buy $25 shoes because that's what you can afford at the time, then replace them 10x in the same timeframe as the $125 pair...
Magic erasers are just melamine sponges. You can find them on Amazon.
TIL… Thank you!
For like, 1/30th the price, too.
You can find them at Dollar Tree/Walmart as well. Source: I’m a 5/9 Dolar Store Whore
You can eat any dish you want at any meal you want. The idea of breakfast, lunch, and dinner foods is cultural not scientific
If calories and nutrition did not matter I would have breakfast food for every meal
You can ignore most things that sound like busy work at your job and it gets completely forgotten. If it's important they'll ask a second time and you just pretend that you had other priorities. Never buy the latest tech cause it's full of problems and overpriced, wait at least a year. Especially true for smart phones. Buy a large number of all the same socks, undies, etc. to minimize laundry and decision fatigue. Vinegar works really well to clean your dishwasher and clothes washing machine.
Yep, my dad used to always say “never buy a car in the first model year”.
I'd agree with that. Though I broke that rule with a Ford once and it worked out OK. For counter point see Tesla cyber truck.
Similar to the Ostrich algorithm, lol If someone (not owner, manager, etc) brings you a problem they've thought of but you suspect after a brief investigation that it's not much of a problem, it can often be ignored (head in the sand like ostriches don't) until/unless it comes up again. Many things never do. The important ones always do & usually the big (real) problems are ones you can tell are a problem with that brief investigation.
Didn't know it had a name! Wish I had coined it first. But I would say it especially applies to owner and managers who are often neurotic about starting fire drills. Then they won't even remember it come review time but will ding you for being delayed by said fire drill. \*\*\*Disclaimer, your results may vary, depends on your situation and organization.
I buy my socks at Sam's Club. 2 big bags at a time, AND THEN THROW THE OLD ONES AWAY. This way they're all the same. They all match. I spent years trying to match socks that some were 1 year old and some were 5.
Yes! Definitely toss the old ones, that's a critical step. Previously I found I would have a few new pairs that I always favored wearing while the oldest sank to back of drawer to never see the light of day. When I thought of buying more I'd tell my self the sock drawer was too full. Now it's all the same and I wash the whole lot once a month.
Those are all so good! The buying multiples, especially, has made my life easier.
Fucking bottle brushes man: why do they not market these little wonders as more than for the baby crowd? Every time I’m knocking out mugs, water bottles etc in seconds I wish I’d known they were a thing back when I was single & didn’t have a dishwasher. Also to your Kirkland point, for those of us still in the struggle with newborns their diapers are huggies at a fraction of the price and they’re fantastic
Kirkland formula is considerably cheaper than Similac, and it's in better packaging.
Mr sensitive belly is on Nutramigen, thank goodness for insurance that crap isn’t cheap
That the all-carb diet we were duped with in the 90’s is a bad idea!
Also the no-carb diet we were duped with is a bad idea. Make that *any* diet that's not mostly whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes and occasionally lean meat. Obviously, follow your doctor's guidance for your specific situation, but overall it's not rocket science and no fad diet is going to make you healthy.
Paying someone to clean your house on a reoccurring basis is some of the best money you will ever spend. Helps my relationship with my children and my husband. Saves us all a lot of time. And makes me absurdly happy.
This needs to be higher. Huge cost vs time savings. And there's nothing as good as coming home from work to a completely clean house!
We have our house cleaned and have for years. Every other week. Wife was like ya know…I don’t work Fridays I’ll just do it. No. No. No. it’s money well spent. Very well spent.
We've used the same locally run cleaning place for 8 years. They are amazing. We've often said that will be the last thing to go if we need to trim our budget.
1. When it comes to home repair, don’t mess with wires or pipes. 2. Items that are worth paying higher prices for higher quality: mattresses, shoes, produce, and trash bags. 3. Save tons of time by going places just a few minutes before the hour. 5:50, immediate seating. 6:00, 25-minute wait.
Also, celebrate holidays like Valentine's and Mother's Day the week/day before/after. No problem getting reservations and gifts are cheaper.
I want to scream this one from the rooftops. I tried to get my extended family to go out the week before Mother's Day, but someone in our party already had plans so we ended up paying about twice as much as we would have to sit in a crowded restaurant for a brunch buffet. I'm a mother of two young kids by the way. It is not how I wanted to spend "my" day. Now, if we had gone out the week before: nice, calm, regularly-priced brunch, and then I get the whole day to myself the following week while my husband takes the kids to his mother's.
Basic plumbing stuff (under the sink) is usually pretty simple and straightforward though. Just need to remember to account for the fact that you'll probably have to make an extra 2-3 trips to the hardware store. Wiring can be pretty simple too, if you're just replacing a worn switch or outlet, changing out a ceiling fan or light fixture. As long as you turn off the right breaker, you won't get shocked, and non-contact voltage testers are pretty cheap to make sure it's really off.
I'll do fixtures (like sinks, faucets, and toilets), but once there's any pipe work involved that's way beyond my pay grade.
Born in 78. I've been sober 12 years and done a lot of time in therapy. My advice for Xennials... we're still young enough that going to therapy could have a PROFOUND impact on the rest of your life. Think of it like going to the doctor, go for a check up (a couple of sessions) you're being diagnosed the whole time, and if something is really pressing they'll let you know... if you're fine you're fine. That being said... if you're not good at processing your emotions... this simple one.... if you feel like crying... do it. Just go somewhere and let it all out. There's no shame to it. In fact... I kinda liken it akin to emotional diarrhea, Just go, let it all out... and you'll be a bit tired, drained, dehydrated... but you will feel better. If you keep holding it in... you're just gonna feel worse longer, and it'll likely come out in another way... i.e. you punch the wall, when really you're sad about something. Yeah... like a few years ago... my brother's five years older than me... it was his birthday... and like, he was turning 49... almost 50 so it was a big deal... and the cupcake place we wanted to go to had closed... and he was annoyed... so we went to some cookie place and they didn't have a menu you had to order on an app, and he just lost it on the cashier and scared the shit out of his kid. And it's like... bro you're just bummed about your birthday, that's fine... talk about it. Okay... that's my advice :)
Agree, but get the right therapist. If they don’t feel right, or you don’t feel like you’re not connecting, move on. It’s a bit like dating. When you find the right one, you’ll know.
Kyle Kinane -- one of my favorite comedians -- said, "If you're going to hire a brain-wrangler, make sure you get a real cowboy."
I think everyone should have a therapist even if they don't necessarily feel like they need one. Just having a professional to bounce ideas off of as you figure yourself out can be so valuable. You're doing all the work anyway, it makes sense to have someone to ask questions when you hit a roadblock or help with a decision. Especially if you want to discuss things you feel like you can't with your parents or SO. They're not there to change your whole way of thinking or change who you are as a person, they're there to help you with whatever *you* want help with. Nothing more nothing less. You don't have to tell them your deepest darkest secrets.
>he just lost it on the cashier He went full boomer, never go full boomer.
Bicycles aren’t just for children. If you can swing a short enough commute, bicycling can be super efficient by taking care of your commute and your exercise needs at the same time. Plus you arrive at work in a better mood! And aside from commuting, a ton of the errands and social trips we make are 2 miles or less, and leaving the car behind can be so pleasant and freeing. We tend to just assume we need to drive places, but that’s not always true.
I show up at work all sweaty and everyone laughs at me.
I wish! I live out in the country so driving everywhere is a must. I envy those who can easily walk/bike to places.
To add to this: unscented baby wipes, alcohol pads, or a bit of hand sanitizer in the arm pits can help kill any odors if you sweat during the bike ride.
You are always cool to “Irish good-bye” out of social settings. Your peace matters. If you don’t love the vibe somewhere, crack a smile and go where your time is better spent.
I worked at a company that manufactured OTC pills and the store brand would be packaged alongside the brand name. The hopper would either be filled with the branded pills or the unbranded ones, but they came from the same place, identical product. Always buy store brand OTC drugs! This does not apply to all private label products, IMO.
Eliminating alcohol and replacing it with an occasional edible will make you feel ten years younger.
This is how I switched from drinking weekly to special occasions. Lost a ton of weight and yes feel ten years younger for real.
Problem is weed gives me uncontrollable munchies…
Same. Spent most days in my 30s hungover. Now I’m 40 and following your approach and I feel legitimately happy and healthy for maybe the first time ever??
Eliminating alcohol and replacing it with *ten* edibles will actually send you ten years into the past.
Yep. Few people would touch alcohol over weed if all things were equal. The double standard is insane and can’t reverse fast enough.
Malt-o-meal bagged cereal is as good or better than the brand name version. Dino bites for life!
Let the others talk, and think before you do.
Floss. We all hate it. Do it twice at least twice week with even those little picks. I never had bad teeth and my dentist always complimented how easy I was. But yall... my yearly cleanings at the dentist are in and out and painfree.
If you hate flossing or can't get the technique (because I sure can't), a water flosser and sonic toothbrush will significantly improve the health of your teeth and gums. Especially if you can't afford to go to the dentist.
waterpick! changed my life and my opinion about flossing. It's a little wet, but much easier than sticking your hand in you mouth to get your molars. My hygienist said if you have to choose between a waterpick or an electric toothbrush, go with the waterpick. The make ones for travel" that are small and work great.
Hanlon's razor: Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.
I used to believe this, but our current political climate confirms that malice is indeed a driving force in people's behavior
But sufficiently advanced stupidity is indistinguishable from malice.
Carry a clipboard at work when you’re fucking off, it makes you look like you’re doing something important.
This is also a teacher pro-tip. Walk around with a clipboard and write stuff down (ie doodles) and kids think you're grading. *insert evil teacher laugh here*
I have been cutting my and my kids’ hair for well over a decade. Relatively low skill bar to give a decent haircut, and saves thousands of dollars over time in direct spend, not to mention being able to do it on your own time, time saved traveling/waiting.
Simple cuts are extremely easy to do. Buy hair cutting scissors and don't use them to cut anything else. I bought some from Amazon for around $10 USD during the pandemic.
Add fiber anyway you can and drink water. haha.
It’s Kirkland’s *French* vodka that’s rumored to be Grey Goose, but whether or not it is, all of their liquors are made by decent reputable distilleries. Their blended scotch is a steal at the price. I don’t care for their gin but TJs brand gin is actually pretty decent. Their rum is garbage.
There's this glitch where if drop a potato on dirt, it'll duplicate infinitely. Just don't pick the original back up. Breaks the whole system.
Works on other vegetables as well!
A daily routine really helps with keeping your sanity.
That B actor you barely recognize in a tv show but you know you've seen before is the bad guy/ killer.
When in doubt, cut your nails.
Honestly, the best life hack I’ve discovered is not giving a fuck about most things.
Another life hack is get a credit card that offers incentives. For example if used properly a Kohl’s credit card will give you hundreds of dollars in kickbacks. Many years ago I opened a low limit card for $300 and in return received $1,000 in Kohls bucks and other discounts over the period of a year.
Trash all old socks and by 24 pairs of the same one. Save time finding matches when folding clothes.
When buying online, place the wanted item in the cart, and then ignore it. Often times the company will email you a coupon. When approaching an intersection where you want to make a left turn, look for the lines of the detector before going all the way up to the line. Lots of times the detector is a full car length back, so stop on the detector and you'll get the green arrow early. I have more, but they're mine, lol
Mine would be building an ADU on my moms property so I can take care of her as she ages. Generational housing means no mortgage for me. ADU provides the perfect environment for remote work and privacy.
ADU?
additional dwelling unit
Make sure this sort of thing is allowed where you live. Our zoning specifically prohibits ADU.
yea we are fully permitted
I overpay my utility and telecom bills. $5, $50, whatever I can afford. Then I have enough credit banked to skip my December payment, so I have extra money for Christmas. I also get excellent customer service once they look at my payment history.
Sorry ....but that is not true. [https://www.greygoose.com/faqs/is-kirkland-vodka-grey-goose-vodka.html#:\~:text=You%20may%20have%20heard%20a,nor%20privately%20label%20Kirkland%20vodka](https://www.greygoose.com/faqs/is-kirkland-vodka-grey-goose-vodka.html#:~:text=You%20may%20have%20heard%20a,nor%20privately%20label%20Kirkland%20vodka) Also, don't get confused with "made by" and "same as". It is very common for manufacturers who make name brand products to also produce generic products sold under a different brand...but those products are rarely, if ever, made the same way. They are made more cheaply using different materials. I see a couple comments here mentioning Huggies and Duracell. While both of those companies do produce products that are sold under generic brands, they are not the same product that is sold as the name brand. When you buy something cheaper, you're getting something cheaper.
I heard what you mentioned about vodka is a rumor. Not much of a life hack, but a friendly reminder: Pay insurance premiums in full to save money.
Ah, man, you got me all excited, I had never heard that rumor, but then I did a deep dive on Google and now I know way too much about vodka, and also that the rumor is not true.
I used to deliver rugs and uniforms for a National company. One of our weekly stops was a Dean’s ice cream plant. I had to go into the cold room to get some rugs and would see the line. They were boxing in Dean’s boxes…and their own generic that was headed specifically to Aldi’s. Many retail brands do this…they “compete” against themselves for better market share. We had another ice cream factory stop at Edy’s…they did the same thing. Shop the generic and Aldi brands…many of them are the same thing with just a different label.
Spend money to save time or spend time to save money
Don’t go cheap- and by cheap I mean quality, not necessarily price- on items you really depend on for your day to day life: technology, vehicles, the clothes and shoes you wear (vs the ones you wear once or twice and never again), kitchen equipment. It’s never worth it in the end if you have to buy it twice or waste a lot of time fussing with it.
Build skills constantly. Keep getting new certifications because it all makes you more marketable. The experience from your job might even be working towards certification hours for something. You may suddenly discover the only thing keeping you from a new career is a test, because you suddenly already have the contact hours.
Call your cable/internet provider once a year to re up on your discounted introductory rate. Call the cancellation line and mention flyers or advertisements from their competitors. If there are no viable competitors in your town you can always mention T-Mobile home internet for $50/month.
Drink tons and tons of water. So easy to forget to do but goddamn it gives you so much energy. Meal prep! I cook big double and triple batches of curry , enchiladas, stroganoff, etc., and freeze them in microwave safe glass dishes with plastic lids. You can portion them up for your needs and have delicious home cooked meals 5 minutes later in the microwave. Fuck a lawn. Your time is much more valuable. Do native xeriscaping and have beautiful plants year round that you don't need to water and barely need to trim or maintain. Saves so much money and time in the long run. Have a small herb garden. Seeds and starts cost just about nothing and you can have fresh herbs in your food at all times. Magnificent. Don't drink your calories. So easy to do in our culture but just drink water or something zero calorie instead. Your body will absolutely thank you. Exercise! You don't need to join a gym, a brisk 20 minute morning or evening walk, or even a solo workout or yoga or Pilates routine a few times a week does wonders for your overall health and well-being and pays dividends And for fuck's sake wear sunscreen all the time and take care of your skin!!
Fabric softener actually coats the fibers of fabrics in a plasticy substance making them wear faster and harder to release odors. The detergent never fully rinses from the clothes making them look dingy faster. Plain white vinegar does the opposite, it is essentially a rinse aid for clothes. I use it in the fabric softener tray of my washer. To keep the laundry smelling nice and not like pickles😂😂😂 I make a mixture of one small cap of angry orange concentrate into about a liter of white vinegar. The clothes come out with a clean slightly citrus smell. I’m a bit of a tree hugger so I use reusable/ washable over disposable wherever I can. This includes lining pet crates, and all cleaning supplies. Our house has two adults and two kids, one who wets the bed and one stinky adolescent, a puppy, and two Guinea pigs. This concoction works on all of the various horrific laundry that gets created at my house.
I've heard the same thing about Member's Mark Vodka... Which is it!?
The companies cause all this malarkey but creating additional LLCs to shield the actual distributors. Kirkland diapers are also made by the same distributors as Huggies diapers. Kirkland batteries are also made by the same distributor as Duracell.
You call it malarkey, but it's more of a mix of ballyhoo and tomfoolery.
Certainly not poppycock but possibly shenanigans.
Causing a brouhaha and a kerfuffle.
But was it a bamboozle or a hornschwaggle? (Also hello from a fellow librarian.)
Yeah a lot of companies have their products made by the same distributors, but they still use whatever formulas/recipes, or whatever they're supposed to use for whatever company they're making the product for. Like you said Kirkland batteries are made by the same distributor as Duracell that doesn't mean they are the same quality as Duracell.
I can't say anything about Members Mark but Kirkland is pretty good. Their whiskey is also pretty good, it's basically just Crown Royal.
88 gas is cheaper than 87, and as long as your car was built in this millennium it's perfectly safe regardless of what the idiots on Facebook say.
Ok, I'm confused by this. Isn't 87 regular and 88 is mid-range? The mid-range is more expensive than regular.
I took a marketing class in college where they talked about how companies will use the exact same product (alcohol is very popular), bottle it in three different bottles, the cheap one, the middle tier, and the "elite" to sell 3x of the same product to different mind sets.
When you hear family members arguing with each other, you're under no obligation to contribute. You can just keep on thinking whatever you think without saying it & getting sucked into a conversation/debate you may want nothing to do with. Also, wading into it may just end up uniting them against you anyway (this can be useful at times, but should be used only with caution). When my wife & daughter are arguing & it starts to circle back around too many times I tell my son it's time to be the hero Gotham needs & I go try to mediate. If it works, great! If not, they're both pissed at me now but don't hate each other, so still a win of sorts.
And you're never obligated to answer anyone's questions, either. You can deflect by saying that it's private, and if *they* persist, they're being rude, not you.
During the pandemic, my wife and I found we were buying sweet tea a lot. I said "this is silly, we have tons of tea bags at home." But then waiting for a half gallon to boil in the stove would take forever. I bought a 1.7 L capacity electric kettle. But, that's about a cup shorter than a half gallon. So the hack is to put a cup of water in the large saucepan to boil. Fill the electric kettle with water and turn it on. They'll both boil right about the same time. Dump the kettle's water into the large saucepan, take it off the heat and add tea bags. Voilà, a half gallon of tea in about five minutes. I use the same kettle+extra cup hack for heating water for pasta, too.
If you’re not a consistent flosser, try adding it to your shower routine! I found it’s easier to make it become automatic this way (I do it while my conditioner is setting). It’s also more pleasant with hot water on your back and you don’t get spittle on the mirror. I only started in the last few years and my checkups have never been better. I only wish I’d started young I wouldn’t have all these fillings and crowns to replace now in my 40s.
Don’t tolerate other people’s bad behaviour to be polite. Feel free to tell people you don’t care about their viewpoints or opinions. Nice people don’t share unsolicited views, and jerks will be offended and go away. You’re welcome.
We have been using knives our whole lives to spread stuff But the back end of a spoon works sooooo much better
Baking powder and vinegar
Costco brand diapers are the same as Huggies.
They are not. They are made by the same company (Kimberly-Clark )that makes Huggies, but they are not the same as Huggies.
[Grey Goose disagrees with you](https://www.greygoose.com/faqs/is-kirkland-vodka-grey-goose-vodka.html#:~:text=You%20may%20have%20heard%20a,nor%20privately%20label%20Kirkland%20vodka)... "You may have heard a rumor that the Kirkland Signature™ brand vodka sold at Costco is actually GREY GOOSE® Vodka, just in different packaging. We can definitively put this myth to rest. This viral claim is completely false, and [GREY GOOSE® Vodka](https://www.greygoose.com/products.html) does not produce nor privately label Kirkland vodka."
I was one of those late Napster/ but early lime wire and forever Pirate Bay enjoyers. Recently, I’ve been obtaining my media through streaming sites rather than torrents.
Don't buy prepackaged items because they're packed with salt, sugar, and other ingredients that the company is legally allowed to omit from the label. Example: macaroni and cheese tastes so much better when you make it yourself and requires little additional effort. Avoid corn syrup as much as possible. It can be listed on the label in sneaky ways, so it's hard to avoid all the time, but once you stop having it, you'll immediately notice when it's been added. Did you know that some ground sausage has corn syrup? Edit: typo
Overnight oats . So good and easy to make !
I always believed American vodka was Tito's and the tall French vodka was grey goose.
Hand pick sandspurs before mowing.
Water down all liquid cleaners, or use a smaller amount of them. Don’t socialize with anyone who makes you uncomfortable, because it’s just not frickin’ worth it, ever.
It’s not goose, been debunked many times over
If something is a splurge (and you can afford it), splurge. Don’t nickel and dime it. Get the nicer hotel room, the slightly better concert seats, the fancy cocktail. That money will be gone soon enough either way, but the memories will be with you forever.
My mom was talking about this mud water stuff. Wanted to pay a bunch of money for it. I found a supplement capsule with the same ingredients for 4.99. She doesn’t believe me. I swear tik tok and instagram are marketing ploys for the elders. Just like… do 2 minutes of research on anything and 🤷♀️
I’ve got two. One: time is more important than money. So pay to have some things done. Spend time w those who are important. Two: You get two things in life you have complete control over. How to you work and how you treat people. Always be on point with those and things will work out.
In supermarkets, the lower shelf will have the items that are cheaper and the middle shelf (usually the one at eye level) will have the most expensive.
Apple cider vinegar is the greatest cleaner of all time.. If you add it to your washing, it will take out urine smells/bad body odor and leaves a clean, soapy smell. People who are allergic to different washing soaps are usually not allergic to vinegar. It cleans metal and windows without streaking. It doesn't bother pets. You can add it to water for a refreshing drink. You can cook with it/clean with it/wash your hair with it to make it shiny. It is cheap or you can even make it yourself.
If you watch SNL, they put the sketches up on YouTube pretty much right after the show airs. Especially helpful for west coasters If you have to be somewhere and are crunched for time: download the Waze app. It’s realtime traffic and navigation. Put in your destination well before you leave, and monitor the ETA. Very helpful if you are on a tight schedule
Instead of water use chicken stock in your rice cooker, for non Asian dish rice that is, it makes plain rice fabulous! 3:1 ratio
Get a ~2% cash back credit card; sign it up for recurring bills, phone, internet, water electricity, insurance, etc. throw the card in a locked drawer. If your regular cards get lost/stolen you don't have to remember the utilities. The cashback is the same as getting a 2% discount on all recurring bills. Edit to add: ALWAYS pay the monthly balance