It's too easy to misconstrue someone.

Seriously, stop it.

Disclaimer because this is the internet: no, this isn't fool proof. Yes, there are times you want a conversation documented. Yes, I understand it's easier for many people and that's kinda the issue. Text makes it easier to say all kinds of shit we would never say to someone face to face or even over the phone.

Assuming you are from the US it is beneficial to check the status of travel to countries you’ve never been to. They are rated from 1-4 by the US government.

1: Exercise Normal Precautions 2: Exercise increased Caution 3: Reconsider Travel 4: Do Not Travel

There are some unexpected things in every category. Some are obvious but some are not. Please be safe when you travel especially with current events!

Better safe than sorry, I’ve heard too many horror stories, personally I would never travel anywhere past a level 2, but I also have low risk tolerance.

Just a good resource to have!

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html

That way you don't have to deal with the hassle of returning it

Won't give the whole story but had to help a neighbour today and it was a nightmare trying to get hold of anyone like their children or carers etc. I'm not saying it needs to be a flashing neon sign, just a note on the fridge door or something would be enough.

My fiance saw an idea about contacting companies to let them know of our upcoming celebration of getting married. She would email a couple dozen companies that we had interest in, telling a little about ourselves, that we were getting married, and how much we liked X, and...

Lo and behold, they're emailing us back, asking us for an address to send goodie bags, gift bags, cookware sets (400 dollars!!!) etc!

I posted this after Hurricane Ian, remains true now. After massive hurricanes like Milton and Helene, thousands of cars will have flood damage and be totaled. A lot of those cars will be transported far away and auctioned off to dealers and not have their titles transferred to a “salvage” title. If you’re in the market, make sure to inspect the car you’re looking at very closely for water damage, or hire a professional to do a “pre-purchase inspection”

Over the last few months, I’ve seen a lot of discussion online in regards to The Work Number. If you haven’t heard - this is sold by Equifax, to recruiters and verification services, to provide them with your past salary information, employment history, business income, etc.

While doing research on this, I created a Compendium of everything TWN related, including:

• Where does the data come from?
• Step by step instructions on how to freeze your TWN
• Reasons to give when a recruiter asks about your frozen TWN

Please, if you don't know what the TWN is, please learn about it and freeze it! Even if you aren't lying or doing overemployment. For example, they've even convinced QuickBooks to sell them data on how much money your small business makes.

Instead of trying to build a new habit from scratch, attach it to something you already do without thinking.

For example, if you want to start reading more, make it a habit to read for 10 minutes right after brushing your teeth at night.

By linking new habits to established routines, it becomes easier for your brain to accept the change.

This concept is used by high-performers to compound small actions into long-lasting behaviors.

Just went to McDonalds and took a moment to price compare because their prices are ridiculous.

Double Cheese burger meal with Medium fries and coke - $5.00

Big Mac meal with Medium fries and coke - $9.50

Got the Double cheeseburger meal with Big Mac sauce (yes you can add that) and saved a 52% markup on essentially one extra piece of bun.

(Yes I know, I can’t wait for the comments of “Real LPT, don’t go to McDonalds.” You’re hilarious.)

My parents are traveling to Japan from Canada and were able to save a lot of money by booking their flight on Dec 31 and spending the countdown on the plane. From $1400 to almost $900 per person.

With climate and extreme weather events increasing and also changing geographic locations, you don't know where is next or how bad. We know that many places are most prone to issues like hurricanes or tornadoes but we're seeing flooding, wildfires, earthquakes in places we did not expect. Wherever you live in the world, whether it's coastal or interior within a country/continent, make a list of all the essential things that you can fit into a single suitcase that you would take with you in case you need to evacuate. If you are in a region that is likely or has been hit by emergencies, physically pack that bag and keep it ready in a closet or some storage space in your home that can allow a leave at any moments notice. We are lucky to live in a region that may be peripherally impacted by wildfires but nothing else has happened - however, I still have a list of items that I've prioritized and that I can put into a bag whenever I need to. Things are getting worse out there and we should all be ready for whatever mother nature will throw at us.

This post also comes along with prayers for those in Florida who are going to be heavily impacted by Hurricane Milton soon and for all other parts of the world who are affected by any emergencies.

If you are on well water then you lose water when you lose power. Not being able to flush toilets is an awful thing to add to no AC when the power goes out. While the power is still on, go fill those tubs now. Good luck everyone!

It’s a simple way to make others feel valued and improve your relationships, take it from a 23F who is always surrounded by other girls

As long as whoever made the cable left enough copper sticking out!

Tried this out for margaritas using orange gatorade powder, and it was great. Guests thought it was some fancy orange sugar/salt thing.

Creating an account at SSA.gov (Social Security Administration) can offer a lot of benefits. Here are a few key reasons why it’s a smart move:

1. Track Your Earnings: The account allows you to check your lifetime earnings to ensure they’re accurate. Mistakes in your record could lower your future benefits, so it’s worth reviewing.

2. Estimate Future Benefits: The account provides personalized estimates for retirement, disability, and survivor benefits. This is useful for planning your financial future and understanding your options.

3. Access Your Social Security Statement: Your statement includes important information about your work history and contributions to Social Security. It’s a good tool for financial planning.

4. Apply for Benefits: When you’re ready to claim benefits (retirement, disability, etc.), you can do so directly through the website. The process is streamlined, reducing the need for paperwork and phone calls.

5. Get Replacement Cards: You can order a replacement Social Security card if you lose it, in certain states, without needing to visit an office.

6. Manage Your Benefits: If you’re already receiving benefits, the site allows you to manage payments, update your address or banking information, and more.

7. Check Application Status: If you’ve applied for benefits, you can track the status of your application online, saving you time and stress.

8. Security: With fraud on the rise, having an account can help you monitor for any suspicious activity tied to your Social Security number. Most importantly you don't want someone else creating this account in your name.

An SSA.gov account gives you convenient, secure access to your important Social Security information whenever you need it. Whether you’re years away from retirement or already receiving benefits, it’s a helpful tool for managing your financial future.

Do you have family photos which exist only in hard copy? Floodwaters will ruin those. Even if the pictures don't get soaked, the humidity and mold in your flooded house might destroy them before you can get them relocated. There are services which do photo restorations after water damage, but if your whole city is about to get flattened by a Cat 5 hurricane, then guess what, those companies won't be working for a while either. Those of you who aren't staring down that disaster should still take backups before a disaster comes for you, at which point you are going to have bigger concerns.

The best thing to do is take a high resolution scan, if you have a scanner and if the photo is small enough to fit on it. If nothing else, get the pictures in the best light possible and take multiple pictures of the highest quality you camera allows, at multiple angles. Save those to the cloud (you can email them to yourself if nothing else). It's better than nothing.

Sincerely, someone whose family lost 100 plus years of family photos in Hurricane Harvey 2017.

I put Samsung because that's the phone I have, but I'm guessing this is probably a feature on other Android phones. I didn't know this for a while but now I use it all the time.

Dispelling misinformation: If you're worried about floods, don't store valuables in your dishwasher. A dishwasher has a seal to keep regular loads from leaking. It doesn't stop leaks if you accidentally run it with liquid dish detergent. (Don't try this at home.) It also won't stop water coming in from your drain pipe. Better to put everything in plastic tubs, taped shut, with an inner label facing the outside, and stored at the highest point in your home. Better still: Put documents zippered plastic bags, then put those in the plastic tubs.

Even better still: Bring your truly important papers with you.

If your social media friends spread this one weird dishwasher trick, gently correct them. That's what I've had to do.

Make sure to open a brand new gmail account such as newproperty2024@gmail and a youtube account.

Take condition images everywhere in the property and email them the email address such as "bedroom 1", "kitchen" etc. Take photos of the meter readings. Take photographs of any physical signed contracts and email them, in case of loss. Take an inventory list of items that may come with the property and again, email that list (as well as perhaps images). ie: kitchen equipment list plus images.

Take extensive videos of each and every room and upload them to youtube and set videos to private.

CC the email address in to any correspondence between yourself and landlord, letting agents, local authorities etc, in case you ever get locked out of your own email account.

That's all.

I normally have trouble throwing stuff out. If it's good I have to give it away or donate it.

This time though the object is just broken. In this case it's a butterfly knife I have had for 20 years. The handle broke, and I got a new one. I still can't bring myself to just throw the old one into the trash. They are just now both lying next to each other on my shelf.

Any advice for how to get rid of a thing like that without feeling bad would be helpful.

I rarely see this mentioned on those disaster/hurricane prep lists. If you're like me, your dog probably has your contact information on a dog tag attached to its collar, but I rarely have her collar on unless I'm taking her for a walk. Putting your pet's collar on before a potential disaster will make it much easier for its rescuer to reach you in the event that you become separated.

Good luck and stay safe!

I have a place on a shelf in the kitchen where I put empty batteries before I take them to the cellar at some point, where there is an extra bucket for them. I put two dead batteries from a thermostat there that were still completely intact. After two days, I wanted to put them in the bucket and realized how greasy my fingers were - one battery had leaked while lying around.

The paint from the cabinet is now missing in the exact shape of the battery - the battery has eaten through the material.

Never pack empty batteries directly on surfaces, but put them in a plastic box or bag.

Many elevators have a function where if you double or triple press the floor button that you previously pressed, it can cancel the selection.

Handy if you accidentally pressed on a button and want to save a few seconds.

It shows genuine interest and makes the conversation more engaging for them, which naturally makes you more likable. As a 23f , I use this on dates and men always love me after I've given them 10+ mins to talk about themselves :)

When pouring stuff out of squeeze bottles, when turning the bottle over the contents tend to splash out unless you turn it over very fast, and then it'll be hard to judge how fast it will come out. Especially for thinner liquids, it'll rush out at first then slow down

The trick is to squeeze bottle BEFORE turning it over, then slowly releasing some pressure as you do. That creates some negative pressure in the bottle that sucks air in so it won't splash, and gives you more control once you want to start the flow.

Many junk mail senders go out of their way to make junk mail look like it's something that might be important so you open it.

A way to defeat that effort is to look at the postage, if it says Presorted Standard usually abbreviated PRSRT STD it is definitely junk mail. If it has First Class written anywhere, it's probably something you should open.

Don't know who else needs to hear this but I finally learned far too late in life how not to half-ass the Italian dressing pour from the bottles with the little circle hole cap. I'd always try to swirl it up and somehow carefully squeeze out a little at a time to get some of the good chunks into the pour without having to pour too much. Finally found the better way - here it is.

Just flip it straight up and hold there for a few seconds - if you don't squeeze right away, just a few drips of oil come out while the chunks make the flip and settle down to the nozzle area. Then when you give it a squeeze you get a good mix of the chunks in with the oil. Win.