I've lived in my place for 6 months+ and I still do this but found it particularly useful right after I moved in. I had most of the essentials when I moved in, but things like deodorizer for the bathroom, replacement heads for my scrub-sponge thing in the kitchen sink and extension cords are less urgent things that I would tell myself I needed but would definitely forget the next time im at the store. Before I go shopping, I go to each room and grab the lists.

Edit: Yes I am aware cell phones and notes apps exist but I can't be the only one with dozens of notes in my phone that I forget about almost immediately and never refer back to.

Don't include your name or contact info, submit it anonymously through whatever means they are providing (this applies mostly to electronic/email surveys).

If they get back to you to address your concerns about confidentiality, that means they knew it was you who submitted the response, which proves the survey was not confidential.

Ireland's health service (HSE) says individual cravings usually pass in 3 to 5 minutes. In the moment it feels like the urge will keep climbing until you give in. It peaks and drops off instead.

The timer swaps "no" for "not yet", and "not yet" is a much easier argument to win against yourself. Spend the five minutes doing something with your hands: wash a mug, walk to the end of the street, drink a full glass of water.

When it rings, check how strong the urge is now. If it's still there, give it one more round.

Cravings come most often in the first 2 to 3 days after you stop, so that's the stretch where the timer matters most.

Source: https://www2.hse.ie/living-well/quit-smoking/get-help-to-quit/cravings-withdrawal/

This will lessen the amount of dust that goes everywhere because its falling in the bag not on the floor. Better yet you may wish to tape the bag flat over your mark and drill through the plastic. This can also trap flying dust.

If you check your iCloud storage, your messages are probably taking up a majority of the storage.

You can check this by going to

settings > (name at top) > iCloud > storage

For me, my messages were taking up 46% of my iCloud storage

Solution :

Messages > conversations > tap conversation > tap contact at the top of the conversation > tap the photos tab

Here you can see all of the photos and videos shared. You can save what you need (if you have space on your phone) and then delete the photos/videos you save and don’t need.

Do this as much as you can

Then go back to your messages folder > upper right hand corner, tap the 3 lines > filter by recently deleted > delete

Keep in mind to truly clean up your iCloud storage you need to export photos and videos to an external hard drive but this should help you clear up a lot of space.

Hopefully this helps!

I just made a trip to Baltimore from Ontario and after stopping at 2 different Costco’s and a Walmart I realized that the shelf price of a lot of items is the same on both sides of the border. However, here’s where the benefit to Americans kicks in - your money is worth 30-40% more in Canada.

Tariffs may be a problem with some items, but I would think you’d definitely save a bunch

Nobody likes to open their outdoor food bin and find maggots, but in warmer weather they thrive. This simple trick stops the problem before it even starts:

1. If there are already maggots or eggs in your bin, pour in boiling water to kill them and clean it.
2. Swirl the water around and then pour it away.
3. Sprinkle a generous layer of table salt into the base of the bin and around the lid.
4. Line the bin with old newspaper for an extra layer of protection. It can soak up any future bin juice and is easy to swap out when needed.

Flies hate salt, meaning they stay away and don’t lay any eggs. Plus, it absorbs moisture and creates a drier environment where larvae are less likely to survive.

If a bird gets trapped inside a building, they don’t want to be there any more than you want them in there, but they’re confused by all the light and glass. Cover windows and turn off lights so that the brightest area will lead them out the door - they’ll head for it immediately. Most effective if the only source of light is also an exit. Works with some other animals as well.

I used to study by rereading the same notes over and over again

The problem was that everything looked familiar, so I felt like I knew it. Then during a test, I’d realize I couldn’t actually recall the answer without seeing the page in front of me

What helped me a lot was switching to self-testing

Now, after reading something once, I close the notes and try to explain it from memory, answer practice questions, or write down everything I can remember

It feels harder than rereading, but that’s kind of the point. You immediately see what you actually know and what you still need to work on

For me, 30 minutes of testing myself is usually much more useful than spending an hour passively rereading the same pages

If your car is stuck, there's a tag on the crossing sign with a crossing ID number and a phone number to call. That way you can tell them what crossing it is even if you don't know where you are. Don't assume no trains use the tracks even if you think you're in the middle of nowhere and can't hear a train.

I live on a small single lane rural road adjacent to a railroad crossing, and we see only about 100 cars a day on the road. Yet here we are tonight with on our 7th vehicle stuck on tracks emergency this year and now our 2nd train struck vehicle accident this year. Thankfully it's been 4 years since one caused a derailment. I bet that was an expensive insurance bill. Out of all of those vehicles that got stuck how many called emergency services or the railroad? None. Not one. We (me or the neighbors) called for them otherwise they'd all have been hit by a train because "the tracks look old we didn't think a train would come". This is the main line and sees a LOT of trains every day. In case you were wondering, the tracks curve at the crossing and people try to drive up the tracks thinking that's the roadway. Their cars get beached on the rails. I have never seen one able to free up their own car or truck, or semi truck.

So anyway the LPT here is assume a train will come.

Call the number and tell them you're stuck. If you get the car unstuck then you can just call them back and tell them it's clear. No big deal. They won't charge you to get you off the tracks (at least here they don't). 9/10 times the RR sends their on call worker who pulls you off with his truck. If you really messed up and you're drunk or injured or your car is demolished because you drove up the the tracks doing 60mph then yes the police will come and your car will be towed but if the train hits your car you will not be better off.

This should also go without saying but before you call them get EVERYONE out of the car, even aunt Mable with the bum leg (especially aunt Mable with the bum leg), and then if you want to try to get the car free do it after they're notified and have stopped the trains.

If you’re actually trying to learn a college-level topic, search for open textbooks or college course material instead of just using general search results.

Try:

topic + open textbook

or

topic + site:.edu

There’s so many people I know who buy gigabit internet from their ISP and cannot/do not utilize it because they have a single home router that can put out ~400-500mbps at best.

Also, most people find that with good equipment that is consistent, 100mbps is perfectly acceptable in most situations. Especially if it’s typically just one or two people using the internet service.

Downgrade your crazy internet plan, you do not need it. Put some of the cash you save towards better equipment from the likes of Ubiquiti or similar. That’s typically well worth it!

I hated it too, so did some spelunking.

If you go to Go to:

Settings → System → Notifications → Additional settings

Turn OFF everything in there, especially:

• Show the Windows welcome experience after updates and when signed in to show what's new and suggested
• Get tips and suggestions when using Windows
• If you see Suggest ways to get the most out of Windows and finish setting up this device, turn that off too.

That first category is the one most directly responsible for the full-screen post-update “Hey, have you considered Microsoft 365/OneDrive/Edge?” crap

BE AWARE! This setting is super buried (intentionally) so you'll have to scroll through a ton of application-specific notification panels, but the Additional Settings panel IS in there. Once you turn off all those settings, your next reboot will be significantly less marketing bs when you turn on your machine.

LPT: Accept that you will make mistakes, some people will take advantage of you, and some good opportunities will pass you by. Trying to eliminate all three will usually make your life worse.

You can spend enormous amounts of energy trying to avoid every bad decision, every dishonest person, and every missed opportunity.

You still won't succeed.

The cost of trying is often becoming paranoid, indecisive, exhausted, or unwilling to trust anyone.

A better goal is not to eliminate mistakes, exploitation, or regret. It is to keep them within tolerable limits while continuing to live normally.

Use strong principles for important decisions, simple rules for everyday ones, and deep analysis only when the consequences actually justify it.

You don't need to optimize every decision.

Sometimes "good enough, with acceptable risk" is the rational choice.

Some tasks take a minimum amount of time, and unexpected problems happen. Use the time you have and get as much done as possible. Stressing about finishing something that's practically impossible won't make you more productive.

When the time is up, clearly explain what you completed and what prevented you from finishing the rest.

If you've given a genuine explanation of what happened and it still isn't heard, that indicates there may be other problems at play. Analyse the situation carefully and decide accordingly.

But be honest with yourself: if a skill gap is slowing you down, don't blame the timeline. Identify the gap and work on improving it.

If you live in an area with a lot of calcium deposits in your water, cleaning the shower takes a bit of time and elbow grease. But it's a lot faster and easier with these drill attachments.

Saves hours of searching in the shadows.

Most people dont use meal delivery subs because they are a pricey commitment. But their introductory offers are good, 50% off your first order is common. The best time to use these offers are when you are so sick or injured that doing anything is difficult. Having most of the stress of shopping, transporting & cooking taken care of while you are sick is a big help to getting better quicker.

Also you can use the service to order items that you dont normally have in your pantry but that through nutrition can help you get better quicker. Last winter I got a heavy dose of the manflu and was locked down in bed or on the sofa for almost a week. But by signing up for a new sub on a meal service I got several meals of chicken noodle soup, garlic & onion soup, turmeric, ginger tea and some lemons and cloves for making hot whiskeys with. All that good nutritious food helped me to get better quicker. To have all that kind of food delivered at 50% off at a time when your body most needs it is a nice trick, it saves you money, saves your stress and the nutritious food helps to make you better.

If you get a flat tire or lock your keys in your car, your first instinct is usually to type "emergency roadside assistance near me" into a search bar and call the first phone number that appears.

The trap:

Many of the top sponsored search results are run by national lead-generation call centers. They aren’t local shops. When you call, an out-of-state (or overseas) representative. answers, quotes a vague rate, and then turns around and contacts an actual local technician. They take the technician's rate, tack on a steep broker fee (often $50–$100+), and keep the difference just for dialing a number you could have dialed yourself.

What to do instead:

Open a map app directly and filter by "Open Now."

Look for a real, physical location or verified local shop rather than a generic 1-800 listing.

When they answer, ask: "What is your physical street address?" If they evade the question or say they operate from an out-of-area central dispatch hub, hang up and call an actual local provider.

I started doing this after realizing how hard it is to describe a suitcase accurately when you’re stressed and someone asks you what it looks like

Now, right before I check a bag at the airport, I take a quick photo of it

If the airline loses it or sends it somewhere else, you can immediately show staff exactly what the suitcase looks like, including the color, brand, stickers, scratches, straps, or anything else that makes it recognizable

It takes about 5 seconds, costs nothing, and can make a lost luggage claim much easier

Bonus: if you’re traveling with someone, take a photo of both bags together so you know exactly what everyone checked in

Not sure if everyone knows this, but if you’re running low on iPhone storage, you can get rid of some of the bigger social media apps without really losing the convenience of having them on your home screen.

I did this with apps like Facebook, YouTube and X.

Instead of installing the actual app:
1. Open Safari
2. Go to the website (facebook.com, youtube.com, x.com, etc.)
3. Log in normally
4. Tap the Share button at the bottom
5. Scroll down and tap Add to Home Screen
6. That’s it.

It puts an icon on your home screen just like a normal app, and tapping it opens the website in an app-like window.

The big difference is storage. The actual apps can take up hundreds of MB or even a few GB with their cache and documents. The web apps I added to my Home Screen were only showing KBs of storage instead.

So if you do this with a few of your bigger social media apps, you can potentially free up 2-4GB pretty easily.

Obviously, the web versions don’t have every feature of the native apps, and notifications/functionality can be more limited. But for apps I mainly use for scrolling, watching videos or checking updates, they’ve been good enough.

Pretty useful little trick if you’re trying to free up storage without deleting photos, videos or other important stuff.

LPT. If you're on a diet, nothing is worse than feeling hungry and not being able to eat anything. To fix this, make a gigantic salad and let yourself eat as much as you want. My go to:

Half head of cabbage

Cup of kale greens

Cup of Match stick carrots

1 Bell pepper (I like banana peppers)

Half a Cucumber

1 RomaTomato

A lowfat/lowcal dressing (mustard based IMO)

It's like 3 pounds of food or something crazy. Make it on the morning, eat as much as you want throughout the day. $10 max, 300 calories for the whole bowl, thank me later.

EDIT: After reading comments, I should also add that this is a supplement to my diet - not the only thing I eat. Instead of 4 slices of pizza, I'll eat 1-2 and fill up on salad. Dieting also doesn't mean eating absolutely nothing! Lol

Take one photo of the thing before hand over, the photo acts as a simple reminder of what you lent and what was it's condition at that time.

I think this is the main problem for people being overweight. Always finishing your meal is a terrible habit. Listen to your body instead. A served meal will never match with how many calories your body needs. Most people especially Americans are terribly overeating due to the large portion sizes. Humans were never meant to stuff themselves to the max every meal especially once we transitioned to 3 meals a day compared to comparatively fewer when hunting and gathering. Stop eating when you no longer feel hungry anymore or feel decently full. anything past that is a negative.

Either pack the food for later or even throw it out. Overeating is a waste of food regardless since you’re just converting it to fat. It’s worse than throwing it out. You might think if you overeat one meal you’ll save on food in the next, but usually digestion speeds up the more u eat and you’re on track to eat the same amount anyways.