Lifehacker

This week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced they are yet again pushing the deadline for travelers to obtain U.S. state driver’s licenses or identification cards that comply with the REAL ID Act security standards. The DHS explains this extension is “due to the lingering impacts of the COVID-19…Read more...

Gardeners might seem like they have every implement ever created for gardening, but there are some stand-by favorites as well as unique finds that can please even the most prolific plant addict. From back-saving tools to houseplant care, take a look at this list for some ideas to inspire the plant enthusiast on your…Read more...

Rent prices are crazy high, and they don’t seem to be decreasing any time soon. According to Vox, the typical U.S. monthly rent in August went up 12.3 percent over last year. Renters feeling the pinch have often resorted to temporarily renting out extra rooms on services like Airbnb, but that’s usually a violation of…Read more...

Pirate ships were the start-ups of their day. During the “golden age of piracy” (approximately 1650-1720), countless thousands of sailors and underground entrepreneurs tried their luck at high-seas robbery, launching criminal operations with very little capital and a massive potential for profit, just like that app…Read more...

Sony and Microsoft recently unveiled the first batch of new games joining their respective subscription services, and December is shaping up to be an excellent month of gaming for PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass members alike. It also looks like both companies are getting ready to cycle several beloved titles out…Read more...

An obvious gift choice for the book enthusiast in your life is, well, a book. But unless they’ve sent you a list, selecting something they’ll like and haven’t read may seem like a monumental task. Instead, consider this list of book-themed gifts for bibliophiles.

The martini knows no season, but your brain is very aware of them, and right now your brain is probably craving festive, holiday-themed treats and libations. Cocktail-wise, this usually means hot toddies, dark spirits lots of spice, egg nog, or the inclusion of candy canes.Read more...

If you live in an area that regularly gets snowfall, you know the love-hate relationship with the white stuff. A snowy evening can be a peaceful, beautiful thing—everything gets quiet, and that untouched blanket of snow creates a gorgeous blank slate of a world. There’s sledding, and snow angels, and kids having…Read more...

Garbage disposals can be very convenient, plus help keep food waste out of landfills. But garbage disposals are often a mystery to homeowners. But while it might seem daunting, garbage disposal maintenance can actually be pretty simple.

Many of us have been using iPhones since the beginning, and its “hidden” or “secret” features are things we’ve know about for ages. But every once in a while, I learn something new about iOS. This time, it’s a feature that lets you instantly measure someone with just your iPhone’s camera.

There are so many smart ways to use a vacuum besides just running it over your carpet, but there are also some things you really shouldn’t be sucking up. You can avoid damaging your expensive machine by learning what can’t be vacuumed. Here are the things to always avoid vacuuming up:

Some households use Christmas tree ornaments as markers of major events—mementos of marriages, births, new homes, and vacations dangle from every branch. They’re nostalgic, eclectic, and rarely match—and that’s their charm. Others, though, see Christmas trees as an opportunity to flex their interior design skills—and…Read more...

Breaking wind. Cutting the cheese. Thunder from down under. I could go on, but whatever you call it, farting is a part of life. Farting is usually caused either by swallowing air, which has to get come out somehow, or by bacteria in your guts releasing gas during the digestive process. Everything animal (human or…Read more...

How can one cashmere sweater cost $50 and another $5,000 when both the tags claim the product is “100% cashmere”? There’s a reason for it, and it goes beyond a designer label or even the quality of the fit—there are actually differences in the quality of the wool itself, even though technically both sweaters are made…Read more...

It’s unfortunate how often we hear about apps containing malware on Google’s platform (not that they’re alone with a malware problem). Each time we learn about new trojans, it’s a reminder to stay diligent when downloading new apps. This time, the newly-discovered apps have over two million downloads combined, meaning…Read more...

You never can quite trust that a fresh raspberry isn’t hiding an essence of mold before you bite into it, but a recent recall should give you pause about the frozen variety as well. Exportadora Copramar Ltda., a processing and shipping company from Chile, is voluntarily recalling more than a thousand cases of James Farm frozen…Read more...

PS Plus subscribers: Today is your last chance to claim PS Plus Essential’s free games for November 2022. Tomorrow, Dec. 6, Sony will swap these titles for its December 2022 lineup, making the free November 2022 games unavailable for good. That is, unless you make sure you can continue to play them far into the future.

If you’ve ever made the mistake of searching “crypto” on YouTube, you’re probably still being bombarded with ads about how to make money via the digital currency. You will be shocked to learn that not all of these offers are on the level. One new trend, called “front running”, has been gaining traction of late,…Read more...

Hive Social recently shut down its servers after security researchers discovered severe security vulnerabilities that put users’ private data at risk. According to German cybersecurity firm Zerforschung, the flaw was serious enough that hackers could access all personal data for all 2 million-plus users, including…Read more...

Home repair projects can be intimidating to tackle yourself—but when you need to hire someone to do it for you, finding the right contractor for the job can be equally as challenging. Comparing prices, experience, and timelines is much more stressful when you have an active plumbing leak or a problem with your furnace…Read more...

It should be no surprise that “gaslighting” was Merriam-Webster’s word of the year for 2022. In everything from politics to toxic celebrity news to our own relationships, the act of gaslighting abounds. And sometimes—often without meaning to—even parents can be known to gaslight their kids. If you have ever told your…Read more...

If someone on your holiday shopping list has an interest in astronomy, but you don’t know the Pleiades from pilates, read on. Herre is a ground-zero, get-started guide with 11 gifts that are perfect for budding star-gazers and planet peepers containing everything from gear and books to chemical helpers for the…Read more...

Like humans, plants need certain nutrients in order to survive. So if you have a plant, and it doesn’t exactly look like it’s thriving, you may decide to give it a little nutritional boost. But does it need plant food, or fertilizer? And what’s the difference between the two? Here’s what to know.Read more...

Anyone who lives with allergies knows how deeply unpleasant they can be, knocking you out with a range of symptoms affecting you from head-to-toe. Dogs feel our pain, too, and can be allergic to a number of the same things we are.Read more...

What artificial Christmas trees lack in fresh evergreen scent, they make up for with ease of maintenance. Unlike the live versions, faux firs don’t shed, or need to be watered, then disposed of at the end of the holiday season. But that doesn’t mean that they’re completely maintenance-free.Read more...

‘Tis the season for holiday houseguests and air mattresses. And chances are, you’ve either heard or said, “Don’t worry—we have an air mattress!” only to find out that it leaks. This discovery usually takes place late into the first night of the visit when everyone is exhausted, and just wants to go to bed.Read more...

If you’re hoping to find something for your little kid’s recreational kick about, you’re probably not going to find that gift idea on this list. These ideas are for the more serious soccer player who wants to improve performance, take advantage of the best gear, and, of course, have some fun. I can vouch for each of…Read more...

It’s the beginning of December, and if you’re a thoughtful, prepared, caring person, congratulations: It’s your time to shine, buddy. But if you’re more like me—a selfish, very-last-minute, “gotta get moms something” type—gift-giving season can be trying, stressful and cause extreme agita. But this year, let’s you and…Read more...

Gamers have expensive taste. It might not be in your holiday budget to gift your gamer a $400 PS5, or a $1,600 GPU, but you still want to get them something they’re interested in. Luckily, there are plenty of great gaming gifts out there under $50, ranging from products they can use while gaming, to fun gaming-related…Read more...

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If you’re buying gifts for somebody who’s into working out, they’d probably love a big-ticket item like a Peloton or squat rack. But what if your budget is smaller, and you just want to help them stock their gym bag with helpful, smaller items? Here are the best fitness accessories that they’ll actually use.

I’ve been working from home for something like eight years and I’m somehow still awful at making myself lunch. I sucked at it before COVID and I’m even worse at it now; if I don’t have leftovers in the fridge, my chances of eating a complete, nutritious midday meal decrease to approximately zero.

The main challenge of White Elephant is to gift something with universal appeal, considering the nature of the game is that you don’t know who the gift recipient will be. And personally, when it comes to these kinds of organized gift exchanges, the spirit of giving rarely compels me to go beyond 20 or 30…Read more...

Tiny houses—typically defined as any primary dwelling under 500 square feet in size (the average tiny house is about 225 square feet)—have been a thing for a while now. There are even entire TV reality shows dedicated to folks searching for, building, and buying tiny houses. The concept is often sold on two basic…Read more...

If you’ve ever watched videos on social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook Reels, or Twitch (so, basically, everyone), you may have noticed a slew of coded words and emojis that weren’t immediately decipherable—but whose meaning you could infer alongside the right context clues.

For those of us with iPhones, sharing our location with friends and family is simple. The Find My app (formally Find My Friends) is your one-stop shop for tracking the contacts, devices, and items in your life. But on Android, there’s not an obvious equivalent. You won’t find a “Share Location” option when texting…Read more...

There are plenty of podcasts out there that will set your brain on fire, catch you up on news, draw you into a mystery, or teach you to manage your money. But sometimes you need the opposite: something to help you tune in, zone out, and escape the stress of your day.Read more...

It’s no secret scammers get more skilled and ingenious with time. Part of their strategy is knowing when is the best time to target certain people. As the holidays approach and people are expecting packages from Black Friday shopping or early Christmas gifts to arrive, scammers are taking advantage of the time to…Read more...

Audi drivers can worry about a simple spill causing their car to lose power, according to the latest National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) report. Audi has issued a recall that affects over 50,000 vehicles, and there have been 46 reports in the US of sedans and wagons losing power. No official…Read more...

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Buying holiday gifts for gamers can be difficult if you’re not into video games yourself. But consider the fact that gaming can be an expensive hobby: Chances are good there are new hardware and accessories the average PC and console gamer can’t normally afford. So if cost isn’t a concern for you, those high-priced…Read more...

Whether you love the single life or can’t wait to be coupled up, one thing is sure: It’s expensive to be single. We’ve previously covered personal finance tips to take advantage of while you’re single, but the costs of being alone are rarely a result of personal failure. Instead, our economy privileges…Read more...

For the average cookie-eating month, it’s perfectly sensible to keep a few pre-scooped cookies in the freezer for when you want a quick, freshly baked chocolate chipper. But December is no average cookie month. With a lot of cookies on the list and a short window for shipping, you’ll need a strategy. To give yourself…Read more...

Rejoice, my fellow Grinches: This curated list of December streaming options is (nearly) Santa-free. Although it’s a rather lean month as far as each streaming service’s releases go, there are still plenty of new movies and shows sure to appeal to a broad swatch of your extended family members this holiday season.

Early in my career I had an interaction with a boss I now regret. She began by saying, “I want to give you some feedback on your work.” With a list in front of her, she began to describe all the things she felt I had been doing poorly. She made little eye contact and had a deadpan tone. As she spoke, my heart pounded,…Read more...

Your iPhone and Apple Watch want to keep you safe, but sometimes, they’re a bit overzealous about it. In an effort to save your life in the event of a car crash, they’ll reach out to emergency services on your behalf and let them know what’s going on. Only occasionally, they’ll mistake innocuous activities for…Read more...

Swiffers are kind of weird. They are pretty expensive to begin with, not to mention that you have to keep buying pads and refill liquid for them—and a good old-fashioned mop is cheaper and accomplishes the same goal. There are some unusual uses for Swiffers that a mop can’t replicate, though; so if you’ve already got…Read more...

The subreddit r/GiftIdeas is a gold mine not just for gift ideas, but also for drama. There’s the mother-in-law who rejects every gift, but also rejects the idea of not giving gifts. The “somewhat unpleasant” brother-in-law. The posts that start with “unfortunately, I must still get this asshole a gift.” If you, too,…Read more...

We can thank Sesame Street. In 1976, they came up with “Free Cookie Day,” which would later be picked up on by the Blue Chip Cookie Company and gain some traction. This Sunday, Dec 4, is National Cookie Day. But you can get free cookies even sooner at some places. Here’s where you can get free or discounted cookies…Read more...

Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas tried to warn us. Home Alone did too. Although winter isn’t peak season for burglaries, it offers would-be breakers and enterers some unique opportunities to scheme. After all, there’s no better time than the frigid months for people to leave their homes for a vacation…Read more...