Lifehacker

Is it worth paying to get a discount? In 2023, it seems just about every retail or grocery store chain has some sort of a rewards-slash-loyalty program that offers you perks in exchange for regularly shopping there. Some of these programs are “free” in the sense that you don’t pay for them (though you might be…Read more...

As a teen and young adult, I drank a lot of full-sugar sodas—Mountain Dew, mostly. One day I decided that I would swap them all out for their diet equivalents, and the resulting loss of calories would mean I’d drop an easy five, maybe ten pounds by the end of the year. I stuck to my promise, and you know how many…Read more...

“Plan ahead” is typically your best piece of advice for ensuring a successful trip to Walt Disney World, but sometimes waiting until the last minute pays off. To the tune of $150 per person, to be exact. If you’re dreaming of a Disney World trip this summer but can’t make the budget work, maybe this will help (a…Read more...

We used to say the internet was written in ink: Anything you did online would stay online forever. These days, however, it’s obvious how wrong that is. Links all over the web no longer go anywhere, YouTube videos disappear for good, and now, Google is ready to keep killing the past, as it plans to delete any Google…Read more...

Pickle fans love taking what is supposed to be an accent—a sour and pungent adornment—and forcing it into a main role. We’ll try any pickled-flavored snack that comes to market, be it a simple potato chip or something more elaborate like these pickle pups (which, full disclosure, weren’t very good). So when I pitched…Read more...

This weekend is Festival Weekend at Live Nation: Tickets to 13 music festivals happening this spring and summer around the U.S. will cost a flat fee of $99 for a one-day pass (not including tax or shipping, but including all fees). The promotion will go from May 19-22, but you should expect some tickets to sell out…Read more...

Even given the ubiquity of legacy sequels in recent years, I didn’t see this one coming: FX on Hulu will soon debut The Full Monty, a series-length revival of the 1997 British comedy about a group of grizzled unemployed steelworkers who turn to stripping to make some extra cash. The film was an unexpected…Read more...

Apple is likely to announce iOS 17 next month, including previously-announced accessibility upgrades like the ability to add your own voice to your iPhone. It’s only May though, so we need to wait a bit longer for Apple’s next big update. Until then, we can dive into the smaller iOS 16.5, which Apple just released to…Read more...

When she decided to show her students Disney’s 2022 movie Strange World, Florida teacher Jenna Barbee says she was unaware the “Parental Rights in Education” bill (derisively dubbed “Don’t Say Gay”), which bars all references to “sexual orientation or gender identity” in classrooms, had been expanded from elementary…Read more...

You know a theory is janky when even its Wikipedia page has “(pseudoscience)” behind its name in the title. That’s the case with so-called “biorhythms,” or periods of 23, 28, and 33 days that supposedly predict how mentally, physically, and actively on-point you’ll be on any given day. It’s all nonsense, but there are …Read more...

While you might have done everything right when you put your grill away for winter, there still might be some maintenance to take care of when you pull it back out to cook this summer—much of which you can do yourself. Here are some simple troubleshooting tips to address an igniter that’s not working, work out blower…Read more...

If your co-parenting partner is rigid, can’t stick to an agreement, is manipulative or, worse, puts your child in the middle of a disagreement between the two of you, these are signs they could be a narcissist. Their lack of empathy, constant patronizing, and rigid thoughts and conduct can be nearly impossible to deal…Read more...

Nintendo might have the gaming world’s attention at the moment with Tears of the Kingdom, but there are plenty of other games to be played, guys—and there’s soon to be a whole lot more of them from Sony. We’ll learn about them during next week’s big PlayStation Showcase, and you can watch it too.Read more...

Hype is one thing; bad buzz is another. The word on HBO’s new series The Idol, premiering on HBO and the streaming service formerly known as HBO Max on June 4, has definitely been trending toward the latter. Co-created by Euphoria’s Sam Levinson, the fictional music industry exposé stars Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye and…Read more...

We all know that food and drinks can go bad. Your refrigerator likely has items right now that were once wholesome food and is now...not wholesome, and no longer food. But one basic component of our lives that might seem immune to that spoilage is water. It’s a pretty fundamental compound, after all, and doesn’t…Read more...

Upgrading your windows for privacy or to reflect light to keep your home cool can get expensive. Changing the shape of windows or the glass type can run into the hundreds per window and window treatments can cost almost as much. In addition to tinting your windows yourself, which you can do to improve energy…Read more...

The sun is out in full force, which means we’re about to see an uptick in spritzes—mostly of the Aperol variety. And while I don’t mind an Aperol spritz, I’ve reached something of a saturation point. Luckily, it’s easy to make a spritz with different a wide variety of alcoholic beverages. I’m not talking about…Read more...

Fns of down-home cooking can relax: Celebrity chef and television personality Ree Drummond is not leaving The Food Network to endorse a brand of keto gummies, despite a convincing looking facsimile of a People Magazine article making the rounds on Facebook and Instagram this week.

The United States can be a cruel place for people with bad or no health insurance: One medical crisis could result in thousands of dollars of debt. But the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the federal government want to help some people avoid having their credit destroyed by medical debt by making sure…Read more...

It’s been a rough 2023 for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania disappointing financially, critically, and in pretty much every other way, and even the long-delayed Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 opening to lower box office than its predecessor. But the franchise machine can hardly…Read more...

When you look up how to clean them something, you inevitably find that you’re instructed to use cold or hot water. But really, what’s the difference?

If you cook with charcoal, you need a charcoal chimney. It’s not that you can’t get your coals hot without one, but using one really speeds up the process, and ensures your coals are consistently scorching every time. Even with a chimney, it takes about half an hour to get them white hot and ready to grill. Instead of…Read more...

Google Bard might not have the catchiest name, but it is powered by one of the biggest names in tech. That makes Bard a major player in the AI space, alongside other giants like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Bing Chat. Now, Google is rolling out new features to Bard, including updates it announced last week at its…Read more...

As a mom, I will always, always appreciate the thoughtfulness of a gift of flowers from my children. Unfortunately, I have no idea what to do with a flower that is smaller than a blade of grass and that I have been instructed to treasure forever. Until now.Read more...

You too, can be one of those people who confidently springs into action when there is a person in need: Save a Life and the National Health Care Provider Solutions (NHCPS) created a non-profit organization to certify people around the world with five different life-saving certifications and re-certifications, which,…Read more...

When it comes to deciding how much cash you should keep in your checking account, the right amount depends on your financial situation. That being said, there’s a good chance that one you hit $5,000 in checking (that is, $5,000 in liquid assets), your money could be put to better use elsewhere.Read more...

Marinated artichoke hearts aren’t quite a pickle, but they feel spiritually aligned with them. They’re a great accent to add to sandwiches, pizza, salads, or antipasti platters, and they come packed in a flavorful liquid that’s part brine and part oil, and is flavored with various seasonings. That liquid isn’t a…Read more...

OpenAI’s ChatGPT kicked off what feels like an AI revolution that isn’t slowing down anytime soon. While other big tech companies, like Google and Microsoft, have entered the AI arena, the conversation is still all about ChatGPT. And that probably won’t change after this week, since OpenAI just rolled out two huge…Read more...

I have a friend who insists on paying for group dinners with his credit card, and the rest of us paying him back. His goal, of course, is to be “the one to get all the points.” When I pressed him on how he maximizes all those hundreds of thousands of points (we eat out a lot), he revealed his grand plan to save up his…Read more...

For as much as they try to enhance it, emails also hamper our productivity a lot. Not only do endless emails bog you down and keep you stuck in a loop of endless replies, but the stress of even having to wade through both the important messages and the junk is enough to make you avoid your inbox altogether. To stay on…Read more...

Whenever you buy something, you’ve already been on the receiving end of somebody trying to sell it to you. They put in effort to make it look really amazing, and you start thinking about all the ways your life will be better if you have it. You’ll look stylish in that coat. You’ll run all your errands on that bicycle.…Read more...

Upgrading your home’s windows is one of the best ways to make your heating and cooling system more efficient and save on utility bills. In the short-term, though, new windows can come with some sticker-shock. Even on the low-end of the average, windows can cost upwards of $300 each, and upgrades necessary to…Read more...

There is so much to do in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, but you don’t have to do any of it if you’d rather just fuck around and make weird shit. And certainly many players are coming up with amazing contraptions using the game’s in-depth crafting and physics systems.

The zoo or aquarium is supposed to be a place for children to learn more about the natural world. But over the last few years, the creatures that reside in these sanctuaries have inspired the names of several parenting styles, with tigers, jellyfish, and dolphins dominating the kingdom.Read more...

This Friday, May 19, a rare “black moon” will rise in the nighttime sky, signaling the start of a new age when bloodshed and chaos will reign upon the Earth. OK, the part about “bloodshed and chaos” probably isn’t true, but the black moon is still a neat astronomical rarity, and its presence makes this Friday a…Read more...

Fixer-uppers may typically be considered the domain of house flippers, but prospective homeowners are also getting into the game of buying and restoring properties in need of TLC.

Earlier this year, we told you about a tax credit loophole for the Chevy Bolt that allowed you to buy the vehicle a net price of $19,995 after a tax credit, thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA). While you can still get that deal today (keep in mind the Bolt line has been discontinued), many electric…Read more...

If you’ve been one of the many Nintendo fans playing through The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom this week, you no doubt have had a blast returning to Hyrule, exploring Sky Islands, and building crazy shit. You might notice, however, that the game takes some more frequent frame rate dips than its predecessor.…Read more...

We’ve told you before about a few ways you can take a video even while playing music from your phone. The app Mideo is a mainstay on my home screen for this reason. If I’m recording a lifting workout in my garage, I’ll use the app so that I can still listen to Hit it Hard by Peaches during my heavy squats. (It helps,…Read more...

From the life-threatening irony department: General Motors is recalling almost a million SUVs due to a defect in their airbag inflators that could cause them to explode during airbag deployment after a crash, shooting metal fragments into the car’s interior and potentially causing injury or death to its occupants.

It is common knowledge that I, Claire Lower, enjoy McDonald’s and their many fine products. The fries, when hot and fresh, are perfect, the Diet Coke is the coldest and fizziest in the game, and their double cheeseburgers are a cheesy, savory, known and predictable commodity. And, when their ice cream machine isn’t…Read more...

Every college scholarship application seems to ask the same questions, or at least variations on the same themes. Why do you deserve this honor? What obstacles have you overcome? What’s your birthdate?Read more...

The headline may sound familiar—that’s because the same potentially contaminated baby formula product recalled back in March “out of abundance of caution” somehow still made it out to a Nashville, Tenn. retailer, which further distributed it to eight states.Read more...

Some folks leave the nest with a solid education in cooking for themselves. Some folks move away from home and can barely microwave a frozen burrito without the risk of burning the house down. Luckily for those of us in the latter camp, meal kits exist.

I love eggplant, but I don’t like futzing with eggplant. I’m not big on soaking, and only salt it half of the time, not because I think I’m too good for all that, but because I’m lazy. Historically, my favorite eggplant cooking method is frying it hot and fast on a of scattering of salt, but my waffle maker has its…Read more...

With all the apps and digital tools available to enhance your studying, plus how fast and easy it is to type notes, it seems like a no-brainer to bring your laptop with you to class. But it actually might be a no-brainer in the literal sense: There’s good reason to believe taking notes by hand and leaving your…Read more...

Neighbors complimenting my garden is 97% of why I grow things to begin with. And when I found Cynthia Stringham and her flower walls on Instagram, I thought, “If you want to get neighbors to comment on your yard, this is how you do it.”

Drip irrigation systems make sense on a number of levels. Because you’re watering exactly where you need to, you’re watering as much as 70% less. That’s because, as you hand water, a lot of what you’re watering is the tops of plants, which generally don’t need or benefit from it. Plants need water at the roots, which…Read more...

Tech startup Telly is making a a huge bet: The company’s business model involves giving away a dual-screen, 55”, 4K TV, plus a sound-bar and a teleconferencing camera, music software, games, and more, to the first half a million people who ask for one. Free tech? Score!

A fine dessert doesn’t always have to be elaborate, or even pretend to be. There’s something a bit fancy about a sweet that owns its simplicity, and parades around in its thrown-togetherness. This four-ingredient crisp is proud, confident, and simultaneously nothing special (in a girl-next-door, no-makeup sort of…Read more...