Lifehacker

A BLT is a pretty perfect sandwich. I don’t thing I need to explain why the combination of crispy, salty bacon, crunchy lettuce, creamy mayo, and juicy tomatoes taste good together. Each component has a part to play, and they play it oh-so-well, but I think there’s a reason the “B” comes first. People love their…Read more...

The parenting journey is the most humbling of journeys. There’s nothing quite like trying to raise a child into a competent, compassionate, independent adult to make you confront all of your own many shortcomings. It’s not long before we’re doing all the things we said we would never do, even as the annoying phrases…Read more...

Who doesn’t want whiter teeth? On the other hand, who wants to volunteer for extra dentist visits, with all the time and expense they involve? Fortunately, Pinterest and TikTok are here to swoop in and provide alternatives—pretty much none of which are good ideas.Read more...

It’s best to wash your bedsheets every week or two—but what about the other stuff on your bed? Let’s talk about what I like to call “solid plushy” stuff: Pillows, cushions, stuffed animals, and even comforters rarely draw much attention when you’re cleaning—maybe because they’re annoying to wash. But how often should…Read more...

Reemerging into the spotlight after a buyout and a bankruptcy, movie subscription service MoviePass is coming back in a new form—but if you’re hoping for the return of all-you-can-watch movies for $10 a month, it’s not going to happen. The beta for the revamped service launches on Thursday morning, and will provide a…Read more...

Expiration dates are meaningless, but there is still a feeling of unease that can come with munching down on a snack whose packaging claims it expired weeks or months ago. That’s why it’s helpful to know which foods are especially fine to consume post-expiration date—and which ones you actually should not.

Paying attention to the news cycle has never been particularly good for your mental health, but there’s something particularly upsetting about stories of natural disasters. Hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires—these catastrophic events will make anyone feel powerless and vulnerable. You can take steps to prepare your…Read more...

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Do squats. That’s a standard piece of advice for getting strong, and if you’re interested in working with barbells, the story generally begins with “do barbell squats.” But how do you actually set up for squats? Today we’ll go through the steps in a way you’ll understand even if you’re a complete beginner, and cover…Read more...

A good pan sauce can be impressive—luxurious even—but it all hinges on the consistency. A too-thin sauce feels watery on the tongue and runs all over the plate, but it’s no reason to panic. You can fix yours with two cheap and ubiquitous kitchen staples.Read more...

Summer tomatoes are bountiful and at peak deliciousness right now. Maybe you’ve made about as many Caprese salads as you can take, and your neighbors don’t want anymore “gifts” (they’ve got their own surplus to devour). If you’re looking for a new way to chow down on these summer gems, use them as cups and stuff them.

It’s an emotional time of year. Many young adults are headed off to college for the first time, eliciting the mix of tremendous excitement and apprehension that comes with crossing any of life’s major thresholds. Some parents are despondent at the thought of seeing their kids off, while just as many can’t wait to…Read more...

All computers act up from time to time. When things go awry, my first recommendation is always to simply shut down and reboot: Often, this simple power cycle fixes the issue. However, you might run into the odd problem that doesn’t go away. Maybe your MacBook gets hot and stays hot, or the fans are spinning out of…Read more...

It’s hard to get a straight answer as to whether or not we’re currently in a recession. From crashing stock markets to spiking consumer prices, it’s safe to say the economy is struggling. At the very least, don’t look at your 401(k) right now.

The wifi password is a power both desired and feared: Everyone wants to know it, but forget it, and you’re toast. Why Microsoft and Apple make it difficult to find wifi passwords on Windows and Mac isn’t clear (this is valuable information, after all). But, rest assured, those passwords are available to you if you’re…Read more...

The streaming gods give, and the streaming god take away. This month, Hulu is adding a whole bunch of new content, including the latest seasons of The Handmaid’s Tale and Atlanta and acclaimed recent films like Petite Maman and The Eyes of Tammy Faye. It’s also losing a lot more, as an expiring agreement with NBC…Read more...

When it comes to hotel status, there are two types of travelers: those who have it, and those who don’t. And if you fall into the latter category, you might be wondering how you can get in on the benefits that come with being a loyalty member. You don’t necessarily need to stay loyal to just one hotel chain to reap…Read more...

I understand autumn anxiety and depression on a molecular level. I grew up in an East Coast tourist town, where the end of summer meant the boardwalk arcades closed and almost everyone drove away. We talked endless shit about the “shoobies”—our word for clueless summer visitors from Philly and North Jersey who could…Read more...

This summer did not go how I wanted it to go. A broken fridge (and oppressive summer heat) makes it hard to keep fresh produce in the house, and traveling (and even more oppressive summer heat) makes it hard to keep the garden in good shape. All of this resulted in me eating far less sweet corn than I usually do,…Read more...

There are some childhood dinners that stand out in your memory, permanently crystallized as “the tastiest food that can turn a hot-mess-day into an OK day.” I guess that’s what comfort food is, huh? For me, it’s Kai Yad Sai over jasmine rice. This Thai dish has all the features of an exceptionally satisfying meal, and…Read more...

In-app browsers are bunk compared to full-featured browsing apps, but they’re also a major privacy and security risk. Many apps sneak data trackers onto websites you visit through their in-app browser using a method called Javascript injection, which adds extra code to a page as it loads. These trackers can scoop up…Read more...

Earlier this month, Disney Chief Executive Officer Bob Chapek announced that come December, the Disney+ streaming service—launched with an aim to be the cheapest major streaming offering—will hike its monthly subscription price by $3, or more than 37%. Inflation strikes again—or is it a new corporate strategy…Read more...

Pizza is ubiquitous, especially in the U.S. where it might just be the unofficial official food of Americans everywhere. The magical phrase “let’s order a pizza” can change the vibe of any evening, and many of us have fond childhood memories of ordering a box of cheesy goodness or piling into the car to head for Pizza…Read more...

September’s full moon, called the “Harvest Moon,” will be at its fullest and brightest on the morning of Sept. 10, despite rising on the night of Sept. 9. The Harvest Moon reaches its peak illumination just before dawn, at 5:58 a.m. Eastern Time on the 10th, right before it sinks below the horizon.

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For some reason, every single microwave-cleaning how-to we’ve published includes the use of a lemon, or lemon juice. This isn’t all that shocking; the citric acid in lemons has anti-microbial properties, and lemons make things smell good. Somewhat paradoxically, they’re also loved by the “chemical-free” crowd (even…Read more...

No one likes mopping up the overflow caused by a clogged toilet, and the prospect of a big bill from a plumber is one of the least exciting things about being an adult. If you own a home, you’ll eventually suffer both of these cruel fates, but you can stave them off for a big longer by being more careful about what…Read more...

Snapchat, like most messaging apps, will instantly let you know when someone opens one of your snaps, and vice versa. This means the second you open a snap, you might feel the pressure to respond, even if you don’t know what to say. If you’re in a heated conversation or you’re sent a particularly spicy snap, it’d be…Read more...

Being at the top of your game as a party host means you know how to make the big picture come to life, and every fine detail is sorted out. Whether it’s the food, the coat room, or having back-up ice, your guests should be able to have fun and instinctively do everything exactly how you planned. Which is why you…Read more...

Physical activity is important for health, and you’re probably sick of hearing that we should all be doing at least 150 minutes per week of “moderate” exercise like walking, or 75 minutes of “vigorous” exercise like running. But there are more ways to stay active than just these, and you may be doing some of them…Read more...

Ads might be annoying, but they’re the reason Google doesn’t charge you every time you search for something. Occasionally, they’re even helpful: If you search for a particular product, and a Google ad serves you up its website as a first result, you’re quickly where you need to be. Lately, however, you might be better…Read more...

If exercise came in pill form, literally everyone would have it prescribed to them. The benefits of even a moderate amount of physical activity done routinely are too many to list—but it’s hard to get back into it, and even harder to make the habit stick longterm. If you, like many of us, have fallen into sedentary…Read more...

Like literally everything else right now, school supplies are expensive. The average family will spend $864 on back-to-school items this fall (compare that to just under $700 in 2019), an amount that’s unreasonable at best and out of reach for many.

Like all things with a fairly high fat content, nuts are prone to going rancid. Rancidity isn’t life threatening, and spoiled nuts won’t make you sick, but they do taste bad—and feel bad—in your mouth. (And I want nuts to taste and feel good in my mouth.)Read more...

When I was a kid, there were essentially two kinds of hot dogs in my life: The plastic-wrapped pack in the refrigerator that could be boiled, grilled, or pan-fried, then slapped in a bun, and served as a quick lunch, and the Sabrette hot dogs my father would buy me on the way home from Little League games, even if (as…Read more...

In addition to favoring mattress of a certain firmness, and sheets made from some materials but not others, most people also have a preference when it comes to how a bed is made. To put it in Seinfeldian terms: A “tuck” or a “no tuck.”

Air conditioners make life much easier when the weather is hot. But if your AC unit isn’t well-maintained or functioning properly, or hasn’t been used for an extended period of time, it can provide the ideal environment for mold to grow.Read more...

When it comes to your hard-earned vacation, a rental property can make or break the trip. For example, you might get lucky, and end up booking a place that is even nicer in real life than it is in the listing photos.Read more...

After a summer of scorching temperatures across the country, some cool, crisp fall weather sounds especially refreshing this year. And with the days getting shorter and the season inching closer, you may be wondering when, exactly, sweater weather (and stink bugs) will arrive.Read more...

Generally speaking, there are two types of vacuuming: A few quick sweeps to pick up crumbs, spilled snacks, and visible dirty; and a more thorough sweep of the entire room while cleaning. Of course, a lot depends on the kind of flooring in the space, and when it comes to carpet, slower is better. In fact, even when…Read more...

The official start of fall is only about a month away, which means cooler temperatures, changing leaves, and, for people in 47 states, the arrival of brown marmorated stink bugs.Read more...

Owning physical media has its perks, especially in this era of streaming and digital distribution, but it comes with risks as well, like getting lost, damaged, or stolen. That’s why it’s wise to keep a detailed record of your collection in case something bad happens. The easiest method is photographing an item’s…Read more...

Security deposits are one of the many annoying things about renting a home or apartment. You have to fork over a lot of extra money upfront before you can move in—on top of the initial month’s rent, plus the last month’s rent they may demand—with the idea it will be used for major repairs to fix any damage you may…Read more...

If you’re rocking an older MacBook, you probably don’t expect it to keep up with the latest and greatest—an Apple silicon machine is obviously going to outperform that 5-year-old Intel Mac any day. However, your aging laptop probably still has some life left in it. If yours gets too hot and the battery dies too fast,…Read more...

Seems we can’t go more than a few days without an alarming headline about the climate crisis—from an impending “megastorm” in California, to an “environmental nuclear bomb” brewing in Utah, to data suggesting that extreme temperatures (over 100 degrees Fahrenheit) are likely to occur more frequently, for longer…Read more...

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If a relative uses a wheelchair and wants to come for a visit or someone in your family finds themselves suddenly needing to use one, even temporarily, you may begin looking around your home with a fresh set of eyes. Is the place accessible? Is everything the person will need within reach? While you may not have time…Read more...

Need some advice? Sure, we all do. And where we could once turn to the newspaper columnists of yore (from Abby, to Ann, to Amy) to tell us how to live better, these days, advice-givers are all about podcasts.

Anne Heche, the film, television, and Broadway actor, died last week at the age of 53. The media made a great deal of the tragic circumstances surrounding her death, and many were quick to point out her own culpability for the circumstances. Which is true, but hardly kind, and Anne Heche’s health struggles have been…Read more...

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (and similar recommendations from other countries) call for healthy adults to get 150 minutes of moderate exercise, like walking, per week. Vigorous exercise counts double, so if you’re a runner, you can meet the minimum guidelines with 75 minutes. But what if you have…Read more...