#AND THEY'RE ALL LESS THAN $20. SOMETIMES CHEAPER.

[fox-guardian]

life pro tip: buy miniature cookware. it saves space and a lot of mini appliances come with little recipe books as well. if it's too small to cook a filling meal in one go, simply prep your ingredients so you can make more servings more quickly. i.e. mini waffle maker makes too-tiny waffles?? you will have excess batter just make more. tiny skillet makes too-small portions?? set your chicken and spices or whatever you have aside and make more servings. plus your next serving is freshly cooked oooo. mini baking stuff?? make another batch babyyyy that's half of baking anyway

*DISCLAIMER: this user keeps buying mini cookware because its cute and is also currently fantasizing about living independently and is Coping. life pro tip may not be effective for all readers.

[roboticchibitan]

I used to work at JoAnn's and let me give you a tip. Don't buy fabric there if you can help it. It's overpriced low quality crap. You can absolutely find fabric for just as cheap online and if you're a "have to touch it before I know if I'll hate it or not" person lots of online places sell samples.

Case in point: Robert Kaufman Kona solids. I've seen claims online that the Kona solid quilting cotton, which is the highest quality quilting cotton solids JoAnn's sells, is different and lower quality than the Kona cotton you can get at a quilt shop. I can't speak to the validity of those claims but I 100% would not be surprised if it were true. But let's set that aside and just see how JoAnn's prices measure up.

As you can see, the regular price at JoAnn's is $9.99. The regular price at this random quilting online store I spent 20 seconds on duckduckgo to find is $7.95. Sure, the sale price is 15¢ cheaper at JoAnn's. But JoAnn's is constantly playing this "our fabrics are cheap because they're on sale! Don't look at how much they regularly cost anywhere else" psychological warfare game which I do NOT appreciate.

I'm sure if you looked harder than the 20 seconds I spent on duckduckgo you could find Kona cotton for cheaper than JoAnn's has it and you wouldn't have to wonder about the quality claims. And all their fabric is like this. Maybe a decade ago it was a good deal but now? There's a reason they've gone bankrupt.

Just because I could, I compared fabric wholesale direct's price for solid color polyester Jersey knit fabric, which is regularly priced at $5.99 and is currently on sale for $5.09. JoAnn's comparable fabric starts again at $9.99/yard and that fabric is currently on sale for $6.99. There are 10 colors of the JoAnn's $6.99 fabric and 45 colors of the FWD $5.09 fabric FWD does free shipping over $99 and flat rate shipping at $7.95 for anything below that. Depending on how much you buy, you'll potentially be paying the same or less for the FWD fabric and 1. It's probably higher quality and 2. There's 4 times as many color options.

JoAnn's is good for if you need less than a yard and have the time and ability to go to the store in person. And yeah, if you're shopping in person, you don't have to pay shipping. But the quality of all their fabric is low and the "sale" prices are around the same as a place with higher quality fabric.

I buy embroidery floss and thread at JoAnn's cuz embroidery floss is cheaper in person than on DMC's website and you can't trust product photos of thread to be color accurate. And I buy sewing notions there sometimes cuz it's convenient. But even the scissors I spent $30 on there a decade ago (who knows how much they are now) were $17 at Walmart when I lost the first pair and had to replace them 4 years later.

Also they treat their employees like shit and currently no one besides store managers gets health insurance through them because the only full time position in their stores is the store manager. And even before the bankruptcy they shortstaffed and did everything in their power to avoid paying for benefits and overtime. It was the worst job I ever had and that's saying something because I worked at Walmart and had a "this creepy guy went to JAIL over what he did to me" experience there.

[haridraws]

sorry to bother you, i saw your 2022 hourly comic post today and i first want to say thank you because it’s really my exact situation in so many ways, right down to being apart from my partner (haven’t gotten to see her since the start of the pandemic since we’re both disabled and public transport is a covid nightmare but we’re on the council housing waitlist so hopefully eventually!) and it means a lot to not feel alone in that. i wanted to ask about the mobility chair that helps you sit up if that’s okay? i have a simple bed setup but being able to sit in the living room with the sun and a view is nice, but i can’t sit up unsupported for long and i can’t really like Do Anything and also sit upright bc the sitting up is all my energy, so a chair like that might be something to save for if you could maybe tell me about it! also does it have support for the neck/head? i think my spine is getting compressed from not being able to sit up for so long lol but i might be able to find cushions for that so that’s less essential!

anyway, sorry to ramble on! no pressure if you can’t manage a reply, the fact that i know about such chairs now is helpful so thank you either way!! and probably very belated but i was scrolling your blog and happy to see you have a place with your partner, so congrats! take care and all the best to you both!

thank you for this message, v sorry you're in the same boat as I was. Answering properly and publicly in case this is useful for anyone else:

Stuff I personally use to make being bedbound more comfortable

obligatory disclaimer I am not a doctor, stretching or moving your body a little (see 18) if or when you can is probably good, etc.

1. SPECIAL FURNITURE The chair I have NOW is a "riser recliner" and I usually add a small pillow for lower back (and sometimes head) support. Like adjustable beds, they're whole furniture with powerful (HEAVY) motors built in, so they're expensive. They're usually cheaper:

if you don't need to be tipped out (just power recliners, though they might recline less or provide less support)

from regular shops, not mobility ones.

If you're able, you can go into a store and try one out first (personally being taken in a wheelchair was worth the strain, because it was weirdly hard to predict what back shape would be comfy).

if you're in the UK and you're 'chronically sick or disabled' you can get them VAT-free to make them 20% cheaper - mobility stores will have a form, others you might have to ask / check the shop does it

(I got one I could lie flat in, that came with a free setup service in the 'room of my choice'.)

It still took me 8 years of illness mostly stuck in bed to get both chair and bed because of (a) the price (b) not being sure I was sick enough to "deserve" it, same with my wheelchair. THIS WAS A FOOLISH WAY OF THINKING. There's no threshold required to get devices that will make your life easier / less agonising. Mobility aids are for anyone who'll be helped by them.

2. ADJUST EXISTING FURNITURE WITH WEIRD PILLOWS Special furniture will obviously not be possible for everyone, and before I got the chair, I just used a combo of regular pillows and a triangle wedge pillow in bed (though it took trying 2 different wedges to find one that was a good shape for me.)

Last year someone ( @dont-break-hearts I think? THANK YOU) recommended me this shape cushion - some start at £15 on that site. That's now what I use to sit on a regular sofa, though I also always need my legs up at the same height (tall footstool now, but a sideways dining chair works ok) so it's closer to lying down.

These aren't 100% ideal - ymmv, I still need extra cushions and any position gets stiff after a while - but for me are WAY BETTER than just layering pillows or forcing myself to sit up.

[britneyshakespeare]

barnes and noble has been raising the prices of everything and further pushing for their premium membership option (which they raised the price of by 60 percent this year!) and then when they have big sales events, they're less than what they used to be.

last year at this time you could get one of their leather-bound book annex tomes for $12.50 (without a member discount) because of the 50 percent off all hardcover sales. but they raised the price of those tomes from 25 bucks to 30, and they decreased the sale from 50 percent off all hardcovers to 1/3rd off. so that same book that was $12.50 at last year's end-of-year sale is now 20 bucks. and that's supposed to be savings enough to induce me to walk into one of their stores this week?

i'm sorry but b&n has just gotten so greedy, even though their business has only been doing better and better in previous years. they do not have to be raising prices like they have been, and they can damn well afford to have the same savings events they used to. if you went to one of those hardcover sales a year or two ago, even if you lived in a less populated area like i do, you had never seen a b&n so busy in your life. things were flying off the shelves. they WERE making bank.

and as a company they've only been growing and growing (as much as the publishing industry has been, in recent years). but there are so many other ways to buy books. CHEAPER ways to buy books. MORE SUSTAINABLE ways to buy books. and since books and booksellers are doing really well right now, i don't see why barnes and noble is getting so greedy when they don't have to be. i dont like new shiny books that much. people buy books for the content, ultimately. sometimes we as consumers might make the choice that a new shiny book is worth paying a bit more for, but not that much. barnes and noble has just been demanding more and more of their customers' money for less and less benefit.

[ereardon]

Happy 30th birthday babe 😚

As someone who is entering their 20s got any advice? If you want to give some lmao

Aww thank you!!

Oh my GOSH yes I have so much! Literally never ask advice from me unless you want it lol because that's my personality I love to be the person who gives advice to friends.

Don't let fear make you miss out on things — solo traveling, taking that new job and leaving something comfortable, going on that date, etc

Prioritize friends who prioritize you. This one was hard for me but in my 20s I learned that people who make time for you are the ones worth your time and energy. All of my friends live in different cities and states and I make an effort with every single one of them and they do the same. People who you have to chase aren't worth your time.

Tell your family you love them! I lost my cousin when we were both 22. She was the closest thing I had to a sister, and I miss her all the time. I wish I could tell her I loved her one more time.

Invest in yourself. If you like workout classes over the gym, build that time into your schedule and budget for it if it's a priority. Buy the nicer sweater because it'll last 5x as long as the cheaper one. Dress up for work or a date or just to go run errands. If you feel better you'll be more successful!

Don't wait to do things. Drink the good wine on a Tuesday because why the hell not? Burn that special candle someone gifted you for no reason. Wear the pretty party dress you bought for a wedding out to dinner. Be your own main character!

Don't try to do too much. Feel free to narrow it down to what truly interests you. I spent way too much of my 20s trying to get into things I didn't really care about (critically acclaimed movies, workout classes that weren't a fit).

Don't be afraid to ask for help. Also, don't be afraid to voice your opinion or concern. I'm 30 and I still feel like a little kid sometimes when I share an opinion to someone older than me or maybe they're more advanced in their career or they hold a higher position than me. It's easy to feel intimidated by others and to think less of yourself. Guess what? They're just as scared and naive as you are! But maybe they hide it better. Don't be afraid to ask questions because you'll never know the answer if you don't.

You come first! Other people — romantic partners, even family — come second. Mental health is key. You can't care about people if you're not caring for yourself.

20s are great! You got this boo!

[paperanddice]

Carrion constructs are quite similar to flesh golems, except with even less quality control. They tend to be made with actively rotting parts, poorly preserved, and their creators are less picky over what goes into it. They'll often be humanoid in base, but with bits and pieces taken from barnyard animals or other animal parts, and occasionally monster parts if the creator is very lucky. Overall, they tend to be weaker than flesh golems and don't last as long before their parts fully deteriorate, but they're far cheaper and sometimes that's the deciding factor.

Carrion Construct 4th level spoiler [construct] Initiative: +5 Vulnerability: Cold and fire Rotting Claws +8 vs. AC – 12 damage. Natural Even Hit: The target is also affected by the carrion construct’s foul stench even if it’s hp is above 18 (save ends). Foul Stench: While nearby the carrion construct, enemies with 18 hp or fewer are weakened. Lightning Charged: Whenever the carrion construct would take lightning damage, it instead takes no damage and gains a +2 bonus to attacks and damage during its next turn. AC 19 PD 18 MD 14 HP 64

Forged from thousands of precise gears, the clockwork barricade is incredibly expensive and time consuming to craft, but is nearly incomparable as a defensive wall. Literally, in that it can unfold into a full wall to both cut off and shred those who try to attack its ward, its many razor sharp gears forming a most imposing barrier. Whether unfolded into a wall or in its mobile form, it catches enemies in masses of gears and grinds them into a paste, leaving a horrifically gory mess behind.

Clockwork Barricade Large 7th level blocker [construct] Initiative: +9 Gear Fist +12 vs. AC – 35 damage. Natural Even Hit: The clockwork barricade can grab the target. Grind +16 vs. PD (one grabbed enemy; includes +4 grab bonus) – 10 damage. Quick Use: 1/turn, as a quick action. Inorganic Immunity: The clockwork barricade is immune to conditions. It can’t be dazed, weakened confused, made vulnerable, touched by ongoing damage, etc. Wall of Gears: As a standard action, the clockwork barricade can unfold into a wall of whirling gears. It can use a quick action to return to its normal form. While in wall form, it is stuck, but any enemy that moves nearby it must make a disengage check. On a failure, the enemy takes 15 damage and is engaged with the barricade. Any engaged enemy that attacks the barricade also takes 10 damage. AC 23 PD 20 MD 17 HP 218

Inspired by the Pathfinder 1e Bestiary 2. This post came out a week ago on my Patreon. If you want to get access to all my monster conversions early, as well as access to my premade adventures and other material I’m working on, consider backing me there!

[n7punk]

i did my post about merch and this is a general price guide to go along with that, but because it's so subject to change, i have reblogs turned off and will probably delete this after a bit when it's no longer relevant/correct. these prices are not based on original price but rather what you can expect to pay for it now if you actually want to get your hands on it.

this is a lot more informal and just based off what I've seen over the last 2-3 months of digging. lower-end average (not the best, but generally good enough) prices are listed in USD (since all of this was originally sold in the US, its pretty hard to get a hold of elsewhere).

note: the biggest tip i can give you is to look on Mercari. there's a lot fewer professional collectors/speculators ("investors" 🙄) over there, but also fewer listings in general. that said, definitely check other places before buying something, and Mercari doesn't have search alert emails like eBay. also, take a peek at Facebook Marketplace! I have seen one or two things there if you look "outside your area" with shipping.

original posters: (in mint condition) close to 10$ but sometimes pushing 20$. reproductions fall in this range too tbh.

pins vary based on what the pin is and if it still has its backing. most pins are still available direct too so i haven't paid much attention to their prices. I think like 10$ (give or take a few dollars) for the buttons (4-pack) is around what I've found. side note: double check any pins being sold against han cholo's catalogue and my con promos post, because if it's not in there it's a fan's design, which 1) you really should buy direct from them, 2) might be CHEAPER from them. i saw someone selling pins for 30$ when brand new from the fan artist they're 24$. same thing for the jewelry. there's a reseller who is my nemesis for marking up items and trying to make them seem rarer by calling them con exclusive when theyre for sale online right now. i cannot stress enough how much you should cross-check this stuff.

her universe clothes: this varies based on what it is, but in general you should be looking to get it for less than original list price. even if it's barely used, it is still used, and you will find it lower than original eventually, so use that as your general guide. for the jackets, you can get as good as 40$ off sometimes (I’ve seen the adora bomber that retailed at 70$ listed between 25-75$). the bomber is definitely the most common item i've seen, usually around 25$, but i haven't checked the situation over on poshmark/thredup so there might be more variety there. (also, i have the links to all the original clothing listings in my merch post, which includes the original sizing chart!)

action figures: they list for 800+, but listed doesn't equal sold at all. i havent seen any movement on the listings i've found (which span up into four figures, btw). i think i saw them sold for 450$ once. sometimes people list just the BOX for 150$ so good fucking luck if you want this one and make sure to read the listing carefully. also, if you want to look around for these, add "-keshi" (on sites that support it) to remove the super7 keshis from the search, which are these weird 7$ rubber things for the OG show that remind me of the straw buddies.

can you tell the difference between the items that collectors have targeted and the regular merch? lmao. speaking of collecting: NIB = new in box. basically, it's in the same condition as if you bought it directly from the store. sometimes you might see NIP for "new in package" (think the buttons, which obviously don't have a box).

dolls: okay, listen. i've seen adora sell for 90$ and i've also seen her sit around and wait to be sold for 40$. every single one of these can go for three figures at times, but i would say an average list price (they're super over-priced, so you can make lower offers after a while of no movement, i've seen 100$ come off listings as time went on) is around 70-100$ (NIB) and a good one is closer to 40-50$. she-ra (regular) tends to be cheapest and easiest to get below this price point. the lowest ive seen NIB for them individually is 30$ each for glimbow, 39$ for adora, 25$ for she-ra, 45$ for she-ra+swift wind, and 57$ for catra (note: catra is the most expensive and rare to find below three figures. she sometimes goes for over 200$). i've also seen the entire BFS go as a 50$ lot NIB and the BFS + catra go as a lot for 30$ out of box so factor that how you will. these prices range a Lot. if you wait and are patient, you can get a more reasonable price eventually. (there's currently a lot of she-ra/glimmer/bow listed as 300$ despite she-ra being way more common and regularly going for $50. people are stupid) OH RIGHT i forgot the sdcc exclusive. yeah 100$ list is average on that. best price ive seen (initially listed) recently is 80$ NIB. that said, i've seen them sell as low as 31$ when the packaging was damaged. because prices are so variable, i've seen damaged out-of-boxes go for more than NIBs (see: 115$ damaged catra vs 57$ NIB) because the seller/buyer were pricing based off of a higher listing. if someone is trying to sell something damaged or with a slightly off screening (imperfect paint/print job), you can lean on that to get the price lower (there's a glimmer with a Hilariously skewed screening - and missing accessories + messy hair - listed for 1$ on ebay right now).

the Lootcrate and Sonic stuff varies based on what it is (and if it's in a lot) but they tend to span 5-20$. usually they aren't sold individually so it's hard to price.

the stickers/tattoo/coloring sheets usually go in lots but range 2-15$

the target toy sword/shield and target costume should be something like 30-45$ for a good NIB price (i've seen them go up to 75$ as a list price tho). i've seen the costume go for as low as 10$ if it's used.

i havent seen enough listings (or any in some cases) to get a vibe on the prices for anything else.

these prices are just based on what's going down right now. they'll go up around the holidays and then lower again, and it's possible in a year they're all way higher or way lower than currently. collectors have targeted some of these things and its so obvious when the con exclusive pin sets can sell for 12$ and the (originally 15$!) dolls from target can go for 160$. it's super annoying and i hope all of them choke <3 but maybe their stupid speculating will taper off and it will get easier to get stuff reasonably. we can only hope

this has been sitting in my drafts for ages but im posting it now, not even in the hopes it will help someone, but so i can infodump about this extremely specific knowledge i've developed over the summer lmao

[spiremire]

its that time of year again

To all the new undergrads out there, here are the best ways I found to save money without completely sucking all the joy out of life, from a current grad student :) (a lot of this advice is usamerican-centric for students that live on/very close to campus because that was my undergrad experience)

Advice under the cut because I wrote too much:

School stuff:

Don't buy the textbooks from the bookstore. Especially don't buy them new. Rent them from Chegg or Amazon, or straight up pirate them from the internet. (I am a huge advocate for textbook piracy)

You can also see if your school has a textbook swap. You can try to start a textbook swap, or coordinate with friends about swapping books if you take the same classes at different times. Maybe talk to your RA about organizing one for your dorm floor/building.

Apple, HP, and Dell all have educational discount programs, if you need a computer with a little more oomph than a Chromebook or a ThinkPad. (I also highly recommend getting anything BUT a chromebook, but I know that's not always in the cards). DON'T get an Apple computer if you are a STEM major. It will cause more headaches than it's worth.

Take advantage of the bus pass your college tuition comes with. Go places. It's not as fast as an uber but it's a hell of a lot cheaper and you've already paid for it. Consider using this service instead of keeping a car on campus, too! Parking passes are also usually pricey.

Some regions have services like ZipCar where you can rent a car by the hour. Universities where this is available often have a deal to make it more accessible to students. (Use this when the bus isn't an option! It's usually also way cheaper than an Uber, and you can get different sized cars for different needs!)

If you get sick/hurt (of the non-emergent variety) badly enough to warrant a doctor visit: try visiting your campus health center first! Students usually get a free visit or two per semester/quarter.

Your student health center will often have free safe sex supplies. Sometimes they have the good stuff. They really don't care how often you come in and dig through the condom bowl. My campus had a monthly delivery service you could sign up for (for free). I've managed to get free condoms, lube, dental dams, and gloves this way. (This is a very cheap way to figure out what lube and condoms you like and hate, btw)

Don't say no to ANY of the free stuff. Take all the t-shirts, stickers, pens, mugs, markers, discount codes, reusable shopping bags, temporary tattoos, snacks, and cheap sunglasses they're willing to give you. Even if you won't use it yourself, it all makes excellent branded merchandise for the people in your life supporting you. You can even save on gifts during holidays by passing some of this stuff off to people who will use it. (I was given a free pair of sunglasses in my freshman year that I still use—7 years later—in situations where I don't want to lose/damage my better ones).

Smaller businesses close to campus will probably have a student discount. Ask. It'll probably be less than 20% but take what you can get, because it adds up.

Often your college will have some amount of free software for you to use while you're a student. Typically Microsoft Office, but sometimes others. I've gotten access to Photoshop, ArcGIS, MATLAB, JMP Pro, and a few others this way. (Piracy is an option here, but it's more challenging because these things are more closely guarded.)

Sometimes at the end of the year, people moving out will just leave the furniture they don't want anymore outside. I don't recommend doing this, because someone has to clean it up but take advantage of it when it happens if you see something you want.

Steal food from the dining hall (if it's the buffet kind). Some places you have to be more sneaky about it, but some places you don't. My bestie used to straight up bring in two half-gallon jugs and fill one from the dining hall milk dispenser and the other with lemonade once a week or so and nobody ever stopped her or said anything. Generally dining halls are staffed by students that don't get paid enough to care that it's your fourth stop by the pizza station and you can't possibly have eaten that much pizza in the last thirty minutes. (Bring tupperware in your backpack. If they don't allow backpacks, napkins in a sweatshirt front pocket also work (transfer to tupperware once you get your bag back)

IF YOU QUALIFY FOR WORK STUDY: do it! The WS jobs generally pay better because half the wage comes from the government and half comes from the person who hired you (makes it easier to pay you more because they don't even have to budget for a minimum wage employee).

Activities:

Go to the activities put on by the dorms and various student groups. I promise you'll have more fun than you think, and they're usually free to very inexpensive. Get a free succulent. Make friendship bracelets and cute soap. Watch a free movie. Go on that kayak tour. See a sports game for a team you don't care about. This is an excellent way to supplement your work-life balance and you might make a friend.

Share streaming service passwords/costs with friends or roommates. If everyone in the friend group comes in with one, you can have the whole shebang for a fraction of the cost. Alternatively, split the cost of one or two that you rotate between every few months (in my experience, this works best seasonally: Autumn is Netflix and Hulu, Winter is HBO and Disney+ etc) Piracy is also an option here as well.

Try to make most of your fun beverages on your own at home. Limit the starbucks coffee or boba to once or twice a week. Take the $15-30/week you saved by not buying starbucks everyday and go to the movies or something. Save up for a camping trip with friends. Idk. I spend $12/every six weeks-ish on the costco-sized container of the coffee I like and that's roughly the same price as two medium lattes. I like having that money for other stuff.

If you have metered internet: do all your big downloads on the free campus network.

Support your on campus artists by going to shows, showings, exhibits, and galleries. They're often a very inexpensive way to see art.

Like reading for fun? Check out your local library. They have the books, but also movies and games. Some libraries have a Library of Things where you can borrow like. Baking pans or a lawn mower. The city library is guaranteed to be quieter than the university libraries, if that's your thing. You also probably won't have to trip a basketball player to beat them to the last available table during finals week.

If you're going on hikes that are less than 10 miles round trip, I'd argue that you really don't need much in the way of specialized equipment* (especially if you have cell service the whole time (for maps/GPS)), which makes it very inexpensive if you already have a couple water bottles, snacks, comfortable shoes, and a backpack. *See the great outdoors section for more recommendations

Live somewhere like Alaska? Like outside? Find someone who knows what they're doing and go foraging. It's very important you bring an expert the first few times ESPECIALLY if you live in an area where you could be ingesting poisonous mushrooms or berries. My roommate and I love going on berry picking hikes.

Like hiking but don't like hiking alone? Join an on-campus club OR a meet-up group. This is an excellent way to make friends (and find a few hiking buddies)

Regal movie theatre is the most expensive. If you have a different one in your area your tickets will likely be a few bucks cheaper. (we only have regal where I am and I am angry)

General shopping:

My personal philosophy is if I don't need it immediately, I don't buy it unless it's on sale.

Get a credit card or two with decent cashback rewards. DO NOT SPEND ANY MONEY YOU CANNOT IMMEDIATELY PAY OFF (this will avoid interest charges AND build your credit score, which will be important later on for things like renting an apartment, buying a car from a dealership, or buying a house). Use the card(s) for all your expenses. Cashback will add up pretty slowly, but it will add up. Discover It is pretty good for students and comes with a quarterly rotation of different things that get higher cash back. Apple Card has good cashback ONLY if you're using actual Apple Pay instead of the physical card (which is harder in less urban areas where cardreaders haven't been recently updated).

Make a throwaway email and sign up for stamp cards, loyalty programs, and rewards programs everywhere you shop (new email is so you don't have to be spammed with all the junk they send you but you can still access the coupons when you want them). Don't sign up for the ones with the credit cards unless they have good cashback (> 1-2%) for places that aren't their store. The Fred Meyer program slaps because it gives you gas discounts. I am currently paying less than $3.00/gallon (current cost in my area is ~$4.30/gallon). Fred Meyer is a Kroger brand, so if you don't have Freds but do have a different Kroger thing, see what they've got.

Check thrift/consignment stores and yard/garage/estate sales for things that you don't necessarily need to be in the nicest condition. Suitcases, dishes for that camping trip, a mat for outside your front door. Be really careful with soft furniture (it could be hosting bugs; if it's from a yard sale, ask the owner where it was stored before the sale. Items in the garage or a storage unit or outside should be extra scrutinized) and give everything you can a good wash/scrub down before letting it live in your house.

Estate sales are fantastic for furnishing an apartment. Usually an estate sale is done when (old) people die and the family wants help getting rid of the stuff they don't want for themselves. Currently, old people generally have very well made, solid wood furniture. It will go for much cheaper than it's actually worth if you buy it at an estate sale (rather than at an antique store). A lot of the time the furniture even matches. They'll also have things like vacuums, kitchen stuff, and maybe garage stuff.

TJ Maxx, Ross, and Homegoods (et cetra) are good for finding inexpensive clothes or home items.

Back to school sales are great for just about everything. Lots of big stuff like good furniture and electronics go on sale for things like labor/memorial day.

Don't buy a mattress just because it's the cheapest one. Buy one you actually like. Buy sheets and pillows you actually like. Having a good night's rest in a bed you are comfortable in is invaluable. It will make the rest of college way less bad I promise.

See if you can repair something before buying a new one. At best, you fix it. At worst, it continues to not work. I was gifted a pair of bose noise cancelling headphones that I use often enough that I've had to replace the foam over-ear pads 3 times and the aux cable once. This has cost me about $40 over 7 years instead of the ~$300 getting a new pair would cost. Replacement parts and patch kits are where it's at.

Some insurance companies give discounts for good grades. Take advantage of that.

Check Buy Nothing groups. I've never done this but I've heard good things.

Some car companies give a small discount to recent graduates who are buying a new car. (I did this, it was only $500.)

IF YOU HAVE THE MONEY TO DO SO!!!! Buy something that is going to last over something that is cheap. You will save money in the long run if you can pay the upfront cost.

IF YOU HAVE THE MONEY TO DO SO!!!! (and the space for storage of the larger package) Buy in bulk. Unit price is always cheaper and one large package is generally wrapped in less packaging than the same amount in many smaller packages (save the earth!)

Keep track of warranties and register products for them if necessary. If something breaks and it's still covered under the warranty, the company may be obligated to replace it (depends on how it broke). Shoot your shot! If you're really lucky, the warranty period will start over with the arrival of the replacement, and if the replacement breaks within the warranty period, it will also be eligible for replacement. (I've managed to take advantage of this on multiple occasions and have saved probably $600 this way.)

The Great Outdoors:

Need to buy seasonal equipment (like snow gear or swimsuits)? Wait until the end of the current season. Prices will drop as stores attempt to clear inventory for the upcoming season's stuff. Buy your kayak and bikini in October or November and your heavy winter jacket and ski goggles in March. Keep an eye out for the sales beginning in the weeks prior if you are a common size, as those will sell out first).

I really recommend getting an REI membership. It's a one-time cost ($30??) that opens up the used website, the garage sale, and extra bonuses like random coupons, member only sale prices, discounts on gear rental and classes, a wider window for returns/exchanges, and free US shipping (I live in Alaska and the free shipping makes this one of the best deals I can get). It will pay for itself probably within your first purchase.

Consider buying open box, but make sure all the parts are there.

Keep an eye on warranties and register products for them when necessary. Trust me, given how expensive outdoor stuff is, it's entirely worth it. Keep receipts, packing slips, and tags if you can as proof of purchase.

On campus clubs for your activity of choice. Make friends, get to go cool(er) places possibly for free/cheap.

Trying a new activity? Rent/borrow some gear to do it a few times before committing to purchasing your own. This will ensure you don't spend hundreds of dollars just to find you hate backpacking. REI has a good gear rental program and a plethora of classes, and your campus may have an outdoor equipment rental option. They may also have lessons or classes you can take about your new activity so you can learn to do it safely. I learned how to ice climb this way in March, and am going to take advantage of my current university's free gear rental and free ice climbing tower until I feel comfortable enough to go out into the wild and do it on my own.

Decided you like your new activity? Check these places (none of this is sponsored lmao I just like outside and have personal experience with all these sites):

Geartrade: Discounted new* and used gear in a variety of conditions. Definitely read all the fine print here. *Geartrade sells things sometimes that are brand new but had some packaging defect; these things are usually half off.

REI ReSupply: Used gear in a variety of conditions. Defects are detailed in product descriptions. Even things in excellent condition are usually at least half off the original price.

Sierra(dot)com: brand new stuff from well-known brands at a fraction of the price. It's usually past-season overstock, but it's all perfectly serviceable and the differences between this season and last season's gear is usually negligible. They have sales and clearance as well. Get what you want/need even cheaper if you have time to wait for it to be further discounted.

Costco sometimes has pretty good outdoor gear. I personally know that the bear spray here is NOT a good deal (it's a two-pack, but the can volume/spray-time is smaller than the two-pack at REI and they go for the same price) but their trekking poles are good and I really like their men's merino wool socks. I've heard from reputable sources that the costco snow-shoes suck. Definitely read reviews before committing here.

Facebook marketplace/craigslist: Both can be hit or miss. You'll usually have better luck for equipment that is used for activities that can be done locally (ie. you will probably not find an abundance of skis in desert Arizona) but that's not a hard rule. DEFINITELY read the fine print here, and ask to inspect the item before you hand over any money (people usually aren't weird about this and if they are you might be being scammed). I got a new dog last year and got everything for him for under $100 (two beds, two crates, bowls, harnesses, dog sized sleeping bag for camping, lick mats, the whole shebang)

I'm sure that other people have better advice regarding things like electronics, traveling, and activities that don't fall into the category of Wandering Into The Woods, but this is what I know!

[wavetapper]

Hi reyn, one quastion! If you don't mind sharing, what's your VSRG recommendation? I've mainly played osu!mania and while I love its accessibility and its community-created charts, I want to try something more curated. I don't mind either way if there are leaderboards/internet connectivity (it might be nice to not have to connect actually), and key count doesn't really matter to me—I've played 4k and 7k in osu. Are there any games on PC you think I should try? Thanks!

HI SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG TO ANSWR i lost the original essaypost so here is a slightly quicker and less thought out one

tl;dr djmax respect v and ez2on reboot r are good paid options, though they're sadly both always-online for some reason. musynx is a decent third, which iirc doesn't require an internet connection and is a fair bit cheaper even with the full dlc pack, but the timing window situation is ridiculous (normal greats being way too loose, and pgreats being genuinely inhumanly tight) so i hesitate to give it a full recommendation. more people should get into bms so check out bemuse.ninja for an in-browser bms player (free), or get beatoraja for an objectively better experience (also free)

more ramblings under the cut if you want to know my thots on each game individually (FLASHING LIGHT WARNING FOR ALL VIDEOS. They're youtube so they shouldnt autoplay but still)

DJMAX RESPECT V is probably the easiest rhythm game to recommend to anyone. it's got a good balance of difficulty (timing window is fairly wide, but not overly generous) and the soundtrack is really good. there are 4k, 5k, 6k, and an "8k" mode which is still 6 lanes but with two extra buttons (kinda like the fx notes in sdvx if you have any experience with that game), which all also involve this side-track mechanic (two extra buttons only used for holds at certain points in the song)

it also has a ladder match and competitive seasons, if youre into that sort of thing. ladder matches make me grind my teeth to dust they get so close sometimes but thats a skill issue on my part, they are fun. plus you can do open matches with your friends for something more casual and party game :) yay

downsides are it has to be online for it to run, theres a lot of songs locked behind paid dlc (although the dlc does go on sale fairly often, as does the base game), and there's a weird difficulty spike between regular charts (normal, hard, maximum) and sc charts (sc)- sc charts use a different scale nowadays but i guess just keep in mind that an sc1 is equivalent to like.... mx11ish, nothing lower. also theres NO EARLY/LATE DISPLAY!!!! i have no idea why they didnt include one!!!!

moderate/hard difficulty for reference

and a high-level sc chart if you wanna see how this game charts something difficult

EZ2ON REBOOT : R broke into my house and put my wrists in a saw trap and they never fully recovered from them. i will admit the main thing i have to say about this one is its like djmax but harder in just about every way. It also has 4k, 5k, and 6k modes, but their 8k mode actually has 8 lanes which makes it a lot more challenging. The timing window is also much tighter (a KOOL is about twice as tight as a MAX100%) and i might be making this up but i feel like the health drain is also a bit tougher. theres also a basic mode which widens the timing window if you want, but scores are saved separately.

there is no scaling difference between hard and super hard, which is a point in its favour, and the scale goes from 1-20 rather than 1-15 which means it can get a lot more granular. the charts can also get stupid hard, with a lot of stuff even in the 18~19 range making the highest-tier djmax sc charts look tame. its also charted in a different way which you can only really tell if youve played both games but like idk it feels a lot more arcadey.

theres online multiplayer in this one, but afaik they don't have the same competitive season thing as djmax does. you can do open lobbies though.

downsides are always online (again), song list is a bit more hit or miss imo but thats a personal taste thing, and its a lot harder to get into than something like djmax because the difficulty can get a bit silly sometimes

hard/moderate 8k chart

upper level 4k chart. one of very few 4k charts to be rated 20

MUSYNX can be a little bonus interlude here. The charting is mid and the timing window is stupid, but it's priced fairly and the soundtrack is fucking insane if you like bms. So many good licenses in there.

(spongebob pointing .png) look they have upshift i love upshift

as for BMS, i answered an ask about it here and I would HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU CHECK IT OUT...

tl;dr on bms, it's a community-led rhythm game with entirely original music created by and for the players. a lot of bms songs get licensed for other games (conflict is probably the most famous example), and they have yearly music contest events where a bunch of cool new music and videos and charts get released- its worth keeping up with those, even if you dont click with the game itself

you can try out some bms songs IN YOUR BROWSER RIGHT NOW on bemuse.ninja (although the player is a little janky imo), or check out the beatoraja english guide and set up beatoraja to play charts that way. beatoraja is what i use, and the player is super customisable with custom skins and stuff. i edited a little tbh creature as my lane cover :)

heres someone playing new york back raise which is a banger song with a banger music video and a banger lv11 chart which i cant clear yet

[anonymusbosch]

Toys for the rich that can cost less than a new Toyota Camry - before tax credits? You can get a brand new Chevy Bolt for $19k, cheaper than most sedans.

Even the cheapest Tesla, with federal tax credit, is $33k - that's $4k cheaper than a new Honda Odyssey (the classic mom van).

Electric cars give you range estimation. They also lie to you and save an extra 10-20 miles after their range estimates hit zero- after this you can't drive at highway speed and the car will drive slower and slower until you stop. You don't just run out. It depends on the manufacturer how exactly this is handled, but the car should be giving you tons of warnings well before you're in trouble. (And in OP's hypothetical, if you're on a mountain, driving downhill will recharge the battery.)

Yes, PV panels are not practical. This is largely because, as OP acknowledges, the area available vs the power density of sunlight is not great. Realistically, you can get about 200 W/m2 in strong sun and warm temps at solar noon with the panel facing the sun directly (which the panel on a roof of a car can't do unless many other things have gone wrong already). That's enough for - depending on the car - up to about one mile per hour per meter of panel in the best possible conditions. Which is something! Sometimes!

BUT it also costs money, adds reliability issues, introduces another potential expensive repair, only can help in some circumstances, and addresses an issue that (1) few drivers should be encountering and (2) the car tries quite hard to prevent you from reaching, which is why it's mainly super-luxury EVs that do it. It's flashy, expensive, and mostly useless.

1) Money. Normal solar panels that go on houses or in solar farms are mass-produced in standard shapes and sizes with standard frames and connections. They have standard quality and testing benchmarks that they've passed and they can more or less be made by the multimillions per year for barely more than the cost of raw materials. It's possible to shape thin solar cells to the roof of a car, which is, y'know, how some EVs do it, but it's far more expensive. The tools are bespoke and low-volume, you can't use the same cheap flat glass and standard aluminum framing, you have to re-test that it can stand up to rain and small hail and heat and high wind and all the other onslaughts that come with being on the roof of a car. The (optional) solar roof on a Hyundai Ioniq 5 adds >$1,000 to the purchase price while returning to you - at best - a whopping 3 miles per day if parked in full sun. Hyundai also offers solar cells on the most expensive Sonata hybrid - which will get you less than half a mile ler hour in full sun, but will set you back an extra $5,000. Cars that offer more than a few miles' worth per day are generally concept cars that'll set you back $100k or more, total, for up to ~40 miles. Cells are expensive and they don't gain you much.

2) Reliability and repair. On top of the purchase price, it's way more expensive to replace a panel with busted cells than to swap out a plastic body panel. There's more that can go wrong in assembly, it's harder to get replacement parts if you're in a crash, etc.

3) Solar panels are less effective when hot. When they're in the desert with free air circulation, that's one thing - if they're on top of the heat box that's a parked car? That's another. Much of the heating of a parked car happens through the windshields/windows (that's why putting a reflector up can drop the interior temps by 20 deg F or more). A parked car has the virtues of making the panels less efficient by tilting them away from the sun and heating them up. Batteries also cannot (safely) charge when over or under a limit temperature which varies with their chemistry. If you've heard a parked EV gently humming in the cold or heat, it's running its heat or AC to keep the battery at a safe temperature. This uses energy. So no, you may not even have more range at the end of a day of sitting in the sun - because energy is being used to keep the battery in its safe temperature range.

4) Many current consumer-affordable EVs can regain >100 miles of charge in less than 20 min on a fast charger and even >50 in 5 minutes.

5) If you're regularly cutting it that close on charging, you're really hurting your battery. You should not be doing that. Batteries degrade much faster when discharged to 0% than they do when discharged down to 20%. This has to do with the chemistry of the batteries and I can't go into huge detail here, but it's a similar phenomenon as why draining your regular car battery beyond its min state can destroy it permanently. Your battery will last far longer if you charge and discharge it small amounts more frequently than if you take it down to 0 and back to 100%. This is also true for e.g. laptop and phone batteries.

6) you CAN get electricity and bring it back. it's called a portable battery. some roadside service providers carry them. you can buy one. if your roadside service provider doesn't offer this, they can tow you home, which is far less expensive than a whole solar roof and far faster than waiting for two days for your car to charge.

even though people regularly have to get gas cars jumpstarted because they left the headlights on and the starting battery died - or because it got cold - and even though gas cars get hot in the sun, we do not cover gas cars in solar panels. because it's far more expensive and technically troublesome than it's worth.

Okay also I’ve been driving electric cars long enough now to be really emphatic that the fact that they’re not all automatically built with solar panels in the roofs is a scandal.

And somehow almost every time I tell anyone this they roll their eyes and attempt to explain to me that this would not create a perpetual motion machine because of the limitations of the area relative to the power draw of the motor, which is incredibly annoying because that’s not the point.

Yes it’s possible that driving in the sunshine with a solar collector dripping into the battery would net you a little more mileage on that trip before needing recharge, but the usefulness of a solar-topped electric car is that if you drive it someplace–say, to work–and leave it outside in the sun all day, you’ll definitely have more range available by the time you’re ready to head home.

Also if you fuck up your calculations because of the inefficiency induced by cold weather or something and get yourself stranded without anywhere to charge, like halfway up a mountain or, more likely, six miles from home, you can call for rescue or walk away, come back later, and it’ll be able to move again.

This is important because unlike running out of gas you can’t really go get some electricity.

[sunblindsyvr]

Blinds Or Shades: How To Choose Between The Two For Home?

If this is your first time purchasing window coverings, you may not know where to begin. A good place to start is choosing between blinds or shades when picking out the right style for your window.

No matter what types of window treatment options you choose, it may sometimes be challenging to choose the perfect choice for you. If you need to make a decision between blinds and shutters, this article can help. Here the major differences between both window treatment modalities are elaborated upon, so you can grasp how or through which to create the ideal decision.

Below is a quick comparison between blinds and shades :

How are Blinds different from Shades?

Regardless of variations in shape, style, or cost, you may see the word blinds used to describe window shades or window coverings. However, the two terms each refer to a quite different form of window covering.

Blinds are window coverings which have been made with various slats and shades are window coverings which may be made of various pieces of fabric. These two window therapies cover the window but they vary greatly in function, cost, style, and other features.

Shutters offer a somewhat more flexible choice compared to blinds since they enable homeowners to tilt them and close and open each slat through a number of motions. If you have recently finished constructing or renovating a home, have you considered installing a new window or protected window? Perhaps you have recently focused on enhancing the beauty of your house's interiors and going above and beyond all the basic amenities.

How to Decide between Shades vs. Blinds?

 There are many factors to consider when deciding between shades vs. blinds, including appearance, privacy, and cost:

1. Privacy with light control:

Shutters or blinds satisfy these purposes in different ways. Shutters do not have slats that can be electronically tilted for adjusting light. Shades are created with a piece of fabric, so they have either an open or closed state. However, if you choose a darkening fabric, you can let natural light in privately while maintaining your window closed.

2. Frequency of cleaning

If you know how to remove marks from fabric with a soft cloth and upholstery cleaner, you shall be able to easily clean Blinds. Nevertheless, in the event blots or rust appear making progress cleaning, then you ought to hire an expert.

If the windows of your home are located in an area of high traffic or you have small children or pets who can make a mess, blinds are a better choice.

3. How durable is it?

Blinds are tougher and harder to wear than shades because of the fact that they are made from materials such as vinyl, wood, and aluminium. Refrain from using coloured light bulbs in heavy traffic areas where they're likely to get caught up in passing by individuals.

4. Style of blinds

Most new homes have the option of adding basic white blinds. It's no secret that this neutral option is a classic, but many that consider their home decor sophisticated also find it boring.

5. Pricing

There can be no established difference between the categories of Blinds & Shades, as there is not any certain price tag that's considered more expensive. However, as we look at the more specific kinds of styles, the costs can vary.

Shades may be less expensive than blinds and much more expensive depending on their design. A basic roller shade may be as little as $20 per window, while a high-end roman shade fitted with a proprietary motor and top-of-the-line fabric could be far more expensive. Shades can be outfitted with many more options, making them costlier than blinds.

Blinds provide fewer options to customize your vision, so you can be sure to have a high-end appearance for a lot less money. Equipped to the gills with all the available extras, even a high-end blind will be cheaper than its counterpart shade.

6. Costs

Premium blind models are often considered cheaper than basic rollers, but high-end custom models may cost more than simple aluminium blinds. Regardless of the kind of blind, whether simple, Roller, or sophisticated, you will certainly find something that may work for you.

For a basic idea, installation fees and product costs for 8 window blinds may range from $350 to $750 for aluminium blinds or $675 to $1300 for roman shades.

Conclusion

It's best to permit the benefit of both curtains and blinds, as you consider their possible uses. For instance, think about curtains in low-moisture areas that aren't susceptible to mould and mildew, like living rooms and bedrooms that are best to choose your windows' design, insulation, and soundproofing preferences.

For environments at high risk of mould growth, consider installing blinds to prevent you from scrubbing a hard, easy-to-clean window treatment with special emphasis on controlling the level of lighting. You can combine the treatments in one room to create a sense of cosy intimacy, opting to install blinds first, then hang curtains on a rod for additional privacy.

For More Information, Visit Sun Blinds YVR

This article was originally posted on: Blinds Or Shades: How To Choose Between The Two For Home?

[roboticchibitan]

So I was talking to a fellow broke person about knitting needles for lace and I feel bad saying this because I know some things just don't work for some people and sometimes even small reliefs cost too much money, but I really do think nice needles are one of those things you SHOULD wait and save up for.

Putting this under a readmore cuz it's long

The difference between cheaper needles and nicer needles is like the difference between riding the bus and riding in a car. Both get you there! But the bus and cheaper needles take a lot longer to get to the end point. And sometimes the bus IS the better option for some people. But riding the bus has, for me and a lot of people, more stress attached. It's the less pleasant option. But if you only have money for bus fare, hell yeah ride the bus!

I recommend chiaogoo twist interchangeable needles. They start at $11.50. They come in sizes 000-15. I have used size 0 needles and they bend a little bit in your hands but it's actually really nice to me. Kinda stimmy. You have to buy the cables separately. They are $9. The cables come in mini (fits size 000-1.5), small (fits size 2-8), and large (fits size 9-15). The cables come in several lengths, from 8 inches to 50 inches.

I like these needles for several reasons.

First, they are made for making lace. It's in the description. This means the tips are sharper. Which is important when doing nupps or things like 7 stitch increase into a 3 stitch decrease. You run unto a lot of stuff in lace that is MISERABLE with blunter needles. I literally couldn't do the 7/3 increase/decrease with my knitpicks metal needles. I was getting pissed. I bought 3 needles over the course of making that thing. The last ones were these needles.

Secondly, also because that are made for making lace, they have lifeline holes. A lifeline is when you thread waste yarn through all your stitches in a given row to "catch" them so that if you make a major mistake, you only have to rip back to that row. In something as home consuming as lace, this is really important. If you don't have a lifeline hole, you have to manually thread the waste yarn through the hole. It's a HUGE pain in the ass.

I did it this way on the evenstar shawl and MISSED A STITCH and ended up with a HOLE in my finished shawl that I had to fix before blocking. But! If you thread the waste yarn through a lifeline hole, it behaves in the same way as the cable, being threaded through the stitches as they pass from tip to cable. After that nightmare, I am no longer buying fixed needles because they do not have lifelines.

The lifeline hole also serves as a way to tighten the screw of the needles. The cables come with a T-pin and you insert the T-pin into the lifeline hole and use it to give yourself leverage when tightening the needle. A lot of people I've seen complain about interchangeable needles unscrewing didn't know that's what they're for, so I'm mentioning it. But also that does occasionally just happen and yeah it's annoying but the other use of the lifeline hole far outweighs the annoyance.

Thirdly, and this is less important I admit but going back to clover needles after being spoiled by chiaogoos it is making me So Mad... chiaogoo cables don't have memory. You unwrap them and hold one end and it unwinds into a straight line (more or less). With clover or hiyahiya (better than clover or the other brand at JoAnn's and sharper then knitpicks but not as good as chiaogoo/Addi) your cable between needles is permanently wound to want to be in a circle. I've tried some of the fixes for this but they didn't really work for me. But constantly fighting my needles for new stitches was extremely annoying and looking back I enjoyed knitting less back then.

I had a fourth thing but I forget what it was. Will update if I remember it.

It's hard to make the switch, especially because the first time you have to spend $20.50 on one set of functioning needles. But! You don't spend $20 every time. The cable is an investment. Once you have a cable, you can buy 6 tips and have 6 sets of nice needles for only $9 more than buying a bunch of crappy needles. I just checked, clover needles which I absolutely hate start at $10.99. So for the price of a seven crappy needles, you can have 6 nice sets of needles. They take up less space (sooooo much less space omg my entire mini interchangeable set came in a package the same size as ONE of my fixed size 0 needles RIP fixed needles I am Pathetic Victorian Dandy who is Wasting Away and can therefore not tolerate minor to moderate inconveniences in my hobbies anymore). And you can have a ton of needle combinations with less cables taking up space in your tools storage.

I'm loosing steam so I'll just say these couple last things. My dad was a bastard but he taught me two useful things in life: don't half ass stuff cuz you'll pay for it later, and you need good tools. And it's true. A lot of things can be done cheaply, including yarn and needles (not hating on cheap yarn), but there are places where that is less important (for me yarn is in this category) and places where it is more important. For me, not being frustrated all the time so I can peacefully enjoy my hobbies is worth it.

You deserve nice needles. You deserve to have that burden of frustration at blunt needles and curly cables lifted. I know it's hard to save $20 sometimes, so if that's not an option, know that I've been there and I see you. Thrift stores often have all kinds of knitting stuff. And you can sometimes find people getting rid of their needles (like I'm in the process of doing) when they find ones they like better, so make friends and maybe you'll get lucky.

OK just remembered something urgent and it's 12:30 am thats it thats the post thanks for reading

[goodgrammaritan]

Gratitude Journal

Yesterday while just chilling and listens to TMA, I got an email. Since I am chronically unable to ignore any phone notifications no matter what I'm doing, I checked it and it was an automated email about my upcoming car insurance payment.

Which was $50 more expensive than the previous month.

I'm used to increases within $5 or so, but this was so sizable and shocking that I had to turn off the podcast mid-episode and call my insurance company right away. I got on with a real person (Rebecca) within a minute because of my long-time membership status (thanks Mom and Dad for putting me on your insurance 20+ years ago) which was nice, and she told me that the increase was basically due to inflation.

She could tell I was displeased (because really, fuck that, individuals are suffering from inflation WAY MORE than any insurance company), so she suggested we review my policy and make sure I was getting all the discounts I was entitled to. We updated the mileage on the vehicles, my marital status, and my husband's driving record, and I ended up with a rate almost $100 cheaper than my previous month's payment. (The married discount makes a huge difference. Apparently because married people drive less due to carpooling at times, and because "married people are more motivated not to get into accidents.")

Anyway. I'm glad my rate increased, because it inspired me to call them, and by calling I got a much better rate. So an initial terrible shock turned into a really good thing.

The lesson, I guess, is don't update your car insurance via the app or website, and definitely let them know you're married if that's the case. I missed out on 9.5 years of that discount because I never spoke on the phone. Phone calls can be hard, but sometimes they're very worth it.

08/14/22

[dungeonqueering]

Let's talk about knives!

I have a fairly standard Knife Block, which contains every kind of knife I will reasonably need. I can and do use each one regularly. Later in this post I'll go over what you need as an absolute minimum (You can get by with 2: Big And Small)

I recommend getting a knife block like this. It has almost everything you could possibly need. This one normally retails for $24, but I picked it because it was half off at the time.

I found this one for $20 which is very similar.

Are they going to be nice knives? No. Will they be good enough for everyone except a professional? Yeah, for the most part. I use them for nearly everything.

You can get ceramic knives which are INCREDIBLY sharp. However, you can't sharpen them at home, so they aren't worth it. I was gifted a set, and now that they've started to chip, they're darn near worthless, which is a shame.

I do also have two VERY nice knives, I received as gifts.

This Chef's Knife:

And this Santoku:

Are the nicer ones worth it? Personally, no. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE having them. I'm thinking about getting a whetstone for when it's time to sharpen them (they are used less and hold an edge longer) rather than taking them in to have them sharpened. They are amazing, well balanced, incredibly sharp, and also $30 each. Idk about you, but I am not in the "I spent $30 on a single knife" income bracket.

So! What are your knives used for?

The Chef's Knife is an all-purpose knife. There is a reason it is the go-to knife seen a chef wielding in media. You can use it to cut, chop, or dice nearly ingredient. This is your most important knife. Rapid chopping uses kind of a rocking motion, but if you are reading this post you probably don't need to worry about that. I sure don't. We aren't on Chopped, we can take our time.

Use the very tip of your knives for small and precise work, and the middle all the way down to the grip end for cutting, slicing, chopping, etc.

How do you grip a Chef's Knife? For maximum control, it is recommended you pinch the blade right about here

Such that most of your hand is on the handle proper, but you are in fact pinching down on the blade. If that makes you uncomfortable, I used to do this grip:

Which still gives you a fair degree of control and strength, but not quite as much control. It feels less scary, though.

The Santoku is another general purpose knife. Instead of a rocking motion, it uses more of a chopping motion. I use it mostly when I only need to cut vegetables. Less pointy.

The Bread Knife has it in the name. The reason you want one of these is for bread is because the gentle serration allows you to cut through tougher crust without mushing the soft bread. I use it for Ciabatta pretty often, but unless you cut a lot of bread, you really honestly don't need one of these. Least used knife in my block.

The Utility Knife used to be my most used knife when I was intimidated by the Chef's knife and it felt like a waste to use such a big knife for small things. It is another all-purpose knife, and is my second most used knife. It's excellent for anything fiat-sized and smaller. Because you can't grip the blade, you have less control than a Chef's knife, so I don't recommend it for precision cuts on tough materials, I.e. if you are trying to cut a carrot in half lengthwise.

The Paring Knife seems like a smaller utility knife, and it more or less is. Best used for small delicate cuts on things like garlic cloves, fresh herbs, shallots, etc.

Kitchen shears are mostly used to open packages, let's be real. They can be used to cut through tough bits, like if you have to separate bones from each other. I only use it for packaging though. And tape sometimes. I am not nice to my shears. The opposite of Fabric Scissors.

But what about that weird metal rod, Liz? We'll get to that when we cover--

Maintenance

How do you take care of these things, you may ask. The answer is a little bit variable, but I'll assume you have the cheaper knives.

First things first, if you DO have the nicer knives, do not sharpen them with anything but a whetstone, please I beg you.

You should sharpen your knives whenever you think they are getting dull. Have you ever seen that thing people do where they try to cut a piece of paper with a knife while the paper is not laying on a surface, or just by pulling the paper into the knife? Give her a go. You can learn to tell be looking at the blade up close or by feel, but I have absolutely no idea how to explain that. Consider doing it once a month or once every two weeks or something.

You should Hone the knife every 1-3 times you use it.

So, for sharpening, first thing you're going to want to do is get one of these bad bois:

Hold it like this on the corner of your countertop or a table (I am using the stove because my counters have rounded edges). Place the back/bottom of the blade in the section that reads coarse, and pull it towards you. This is not cutting towards you, but please be careful. Do this 5 times, then do it 5 more times on the side that says Fine. The knife should be parallel to the flat surface, and please please please do not cut yourself.

When you are done, clean the blade because there will be some metal filings on it and you don't want that in your Tikka Masala. You should instantly notice it cuts smoother. Sharper knives are actually safer, because you are less likely to cut yourself. Oh, also, consider reading on what to do if you cut yourself now instead of googling it when it happens like I did. (Tw: blood, cuts, etc)

On to Honing!

You see a lot of flashy honing methods on cooking shows, but here is how you should actually do it at home.

Press the tip of your honing rod (no jokes allowed) against a flat surface. I use my cutting board so that if I fuck it up, I only cut the cutting board. Place the rear of the knife towards the top of the honing rod, and bring it downwards while also pulling back. It was a weird motion to get used to, but there are tons of videos on it if my .gif isn't sufficient.

The angle here is very important. My cheaper knives need a 30° angle, but my nicer ones need a 15°. You will get a sense for it. What this is basically doing is straightening out the tiny warps and abrasions a knife gets from use. (You can double the life of a razor by running it backwards across a towel or jeans, which does the same thing to your 5 razor blades as this honing rod does to the knife).

Washing

Ideally, hand wash your knives the same day you use them. I use a sponge, hot water, and Dawn. Do not put it in the dishwasher. Yes, the serrated ones will fuck up your sponge. It's OK. The dishwasher can ruin your knives.

When you wash them, make sure to keep the sharp edge facing away from your body. I place the spine of the knife on the sponge, and fold the sponge over, so that the actual cutting edge isn't slicing the sponge.

Final Note: Cutting Boards. Don't get glass, that messes up your knives. You want plastic or wood. Plastic has to be replaced more often, but cheaper and can be machine washed. Wood looks nicer, but is more expensive and you can't cut meat on it (Bacteria can get all up in it more so than with plastic. Plus, wood can't be machine washed.

Ideally, you want to get the biggest cutting board your counter tops will fit. I promise that a bigger board is better.

I hope this helps. Go forth and cut well. Be safe, have fun, eat good food, impress your friends and loved ones.

[sanchoyo]

ok, disclaimers:

1. I am Poor and have always thrifted even before it was 'cool' (used to get made fun of for wearing secondhand in middle school, in fact!)

2. I am plus sized.

3. the only time I sell things I am selling things I've worn and owned for years, I'm not someone who goes into stores with the intention of finding things to resell (which I think is way way less common than people think…a lot of people who do that are doing it as a full time job, which is hard to make a living at.)

so most of the arguments I see are like, 'ppl hang out at thrift stores JUST to grab cool and or plus sized clothes to resell for outrageous prices to make a quick buck!!' let me explain why I Just Simply Disagree. to me it feels like most ppl saying that or being mad about it have never sold things online and don't understand how it works. theyre just ppl who are going on depop and seeing 20$ shirts and being Mad About It. So.

Heres the Thing about selling things online: every online store, or at least the Big Ones (depop, ebay, poshmark, mercari, etc) charge seller fees and take taxes (sometimes, not always depending on a few factors) these fees range from 10-20% of the sell price usually.

and you have to consider the person selling usually covers shipping (there is /always/ a shipping cost. consider they ALSO have buy whatever they're shipping in, usually a mailing bag or box!)

shipping for me is usually $6-$12 at the post office, and thats using the lightest possible weight small mailing bags. and I WANT to support the USPS, its one of the Good Cherished services! fedex and other shipping companies would probably cost MORE than this!

Plus whatever the person is paying in gas presumably if they don't live in walking distance or have public transport to the post office..it starts to add up, right?

I just sold a skirt. I charged $5 for the skirt, and $10 for the shipping. (if it goes over, which it does sometimes, I'll cover the extra) thats $15! But I paid 10.92 for shipping, and depop took a fee of about $3…I made a $2 profit. Which is about what the gas there and back probably cost. people who print their own shipping labels might have it a slight bit cheaper, maybe, but they also have to pay for printer ink every now and then if they do this a lot.

…Do you understand what I mean? that person is charging $25 for a shirt because they're paying a chunk of that to ship AND for the fee depop takes. (and, if you're using paypal instead of direct depositing into your bank account, guess what? PAYPAL TAKES A FEE TOO!)

Having a purely 'depop business' isn't going to give you THAT much spending money unless you're doing it on a very large scale. taking pictures (several pictures, front, back, close ups of patterns, tags, etc) EDITING pictures if that's something they do (I do, and it takes a minute, but makes the listings look Nicer) tagging everything, taking and listing measurements, sorting into correct categories…all of that takes time and energy! If people are working on top of that a lot of the time its just a Lot of Hassle! (which, again, doing this for a living would NOT be sustainable unless you're doing it on a massive, massive scale. you can do the math for how many things you'd have to sell to make a livable profit and its So Much. a lot of depop stores with a lot of listings are people who own thrift stores irl and the depop page is their online store so they don't have to buy a domain! I see that SO often!)

And you know what? I think that in some cases selling clothes directly is BETTER than sending them to thrift stores. Hear me out. I know they tend to be cheaper in person, but not everyone can go in person. (people who have no stores around them, ppl who are disabled and might not be able to make the trip, immunocompromised ppl who are still reasonably, understandably worried about covid! etc!) and some sellers offer hand picked surprise packages and will go shop FOR you and find stuff in your size which is just! very cool!

depop has size filters and using a lot of ~aesthetic buzzwords~ I, as a plus sized person, can be GUARANTEED to find a lot more than I could in person that suits my very specific, eccentric tastes!

Local thrift stores near me are NO LONGER ACCEPTING DONATIONS FOR A WHILE BECAUSE THEIR STORAGE IS SO, SO FULL because a lot more people are tuning into the fact that donating is Good and wanna be more environmentally conscious (which, is good!) but the lady at a local thrift store told me they end up throwing OUT a LOT of clothes because No One Will Buy them and they just dont have room with the sheer volume of donations. They have a $5 fill a bag day every week because of the ungodly amount of shit they have.

Did yall know textiles make up a HUGE percentage of landfills? Yeah. the thing about selling them online is, if youre willing to pay for them and find a statement piece you really Love on there, I feel like…idk, putting it directly in the hands of someone via selling it online feels better than sending it to a thrift store and Hoping it Doesnt End Up In A Landfill. Like, at least I KNOW where it's going? to someone who really wanted it!

Also it just kind of gets on my nerves when ppl call it price gouging. that's not what price gouging is!!! price gouging is: "Price gouging is a term that refers to the practice of charging a price that is higher than normal or fair, often during a state of emergency or crisis, for goods, services, or commodities that are in high demand and short supply" PPL RESELLING CLOTHES FOR PRICES YOU DONT LIKE IS NOT PRICE GOUGING. ITS JUST PRICES YOU DON'T LIKE!!!

+++saying these ppl are taking all the good pieces? no. theyre not. thrift stores get new shipments/stock p regularly of weird things. you just need to learn to dig/thrift better ngl. hit several stores in one go. ask the ppl working there what day they get restock. make a list of the specific type of stuff/vibes youre after and go in with an open mind. U Can Find Things. thrifting/shopping well IS a skill and you too can learn it I Promise. thrifting has good and bad days, sometimes you'll find very cool things and some days you'll strike out. it Happens. It's Fine!

depop is not evil, it's just an app. ppl selling on there are likely only making fucking pocket change, and for ppl like me who aren't able to have full time jobs, its just enough to maybe get my dogs food covered instead of putting it on my credit card and further push me into debt! it's not an outrageous profit! it's! pocket change in most ppls cases they just wanna get rid of clothes they don't wear! I'm not saying it has NO problems, but christ the way some ppl talk abt it on here you'd think depop killed their mother and kicked their dog, lmfao

I think. Most ppl on here and Wrong abt depop ‘price gougers’ but I feel like my full opinion on that subject would get me crucified on here 😶

[novoplata]

Thirty-eight.

I turn 39 in about a month's time, and as tradition would have it, I would come up with a list of 'reflections' or things I learned throughout this year that I would like my younger self to know. Here goes: 1. Relax, you're gonna be fine As an INTJ, my general modus operandi in life is overthinking and overplanning for something in the far future -- this includes buying an extra bottle of my favourite detergent even though I do my laundry weekly and one bottle of detergent would probably last me a whole year. However, looking at how some twentysomethings think that it's the end of the world when they haven't got things figured out or teenagers think it's all over for them when they fail an exam, I can't help but want to reach out and say, "hey, relax. It's gonna be fine!" Contrary to popular Hollywood fiction, your teenage years and your 20s aren't gonna be the pinnacle of your life. For me, my 30s have been way sweller than my teens or my 20s could ever be. It's like my 20s but with money, wisdom and more muscle! Considering that I entered my 30s with zero savings and questionable decision-making skills, I think I've cleaned up alright after all these years. 2. Hustle hard while you have time Now, this second point may come as a bit jarring compared to the first one, but hear me out. In hindsight, I have found my early to mid-30s to be the best time for hustling. At least for me as a freelance writer. In my 20s, people often didn't take me seriously. It was easier to find gigs but they also paid a lot cheaper as I still had a lot of proving myself to do. By the time I'm in my 30s, I've already built up a healthy portfolio for myself and clients question me a lot less when it comes to the work I deliver. However, as I approach my late 30s, I wouldn't find it as easy to get gigs anymore. Potential clients would naturally assume that older, more experienced professionals charge more -- and they're not entirely wrong. And in the local job market, unfortunately, people would rather have a mediocre job done rather than pay more. The same goes when you're looking for a full-time job.

Unless you're getting hired to be the Director or CEO, most companies would rather just hire that bright-eyed and bushy-tailed fresh graduate whose asking price is half your last drawn salary. That being said, don't take your opportunities for granted while you still have them. Coz one day, they'll start petering out. 3. Whoever you are is good enough In my 20s, I used to think that happiness and true validation will only happen when I have it all -- a family with three kids, a company of my own, and a bunch of experiences that others don't have. I was also notorious for doing things I didn't really want to do just to check them off my anti-FOMO boxes. I'm thankful for all those adventures I got to partake in: jungle trekking, camping, scuba diving, etc. but the real me is actually nothing more than a simple homebody who would love nothing more than just to stay home with a good book, a cup of instant coffee (coz I'm too cheap) and my cat. I realised that in one's youth, you would sometimes try to prove some hyperbolical fact about yourself to be true, just to convince yourself (and others) that you're that much more interesting a person. But really, it's okay to be basic, and not be interested in poetry or foreign films.