Lifehacker

Even when you think you’re doing everything right financially, things can still go wrong. Job loss, divorce, and illness can all wreak havoc on your finances, as can car accidents, natural disasters, and—well, you get the idea.

A tuna salad sandwich is a simple pleasure. Canned fish, mayo, and maybe a little relish are all you really need, but some brands of canned fish can be bland and, once you add mayo, any flavor the tuna was bringing becomes super muted.Read more...

Last week, we discussed why it’s probably a bad idea to throw something in your recycling bin when you’re not sure if it’s recyclable. (When in doubt, throw it out!)

When my son was a toddler, he had a train toy that used to chug at all hours of the day and night. There was no off switch and the damn thing was possessed, so we had to bury it in the basement in order to sleep at night. When it woke me up in the middle of the night (in my bed on the second floor), I’d had enough. I…Read more...

There’s a thing kids do when they write letters or essays. They write “Oh, and...” as if the reader were receiving their words in real time. They don’t know how to hide their stream of consciousness from their writing. If you’re writing in a burst of inspiration, you might do it too. Writing your thoughts out is fine.…Read more...

If you know only one thing about certificates of deposit, you probably know that this type of investment has a fixed period. You might put your money into a CD for nine months, a year, two years or more, but no matter which you choose, you won’t be able to access that money until that period ends—that’s the CD’s…Read more...

When a military service member is deployed, that often means finding a long-term boarding situation for their pet—or face the possibility of surrendering their animal. If you want to help these service members and provide them some comfort while away from home, you can use Dog on Deployment to volunteer as a temporary…Read more...

“I serve banquets. I’ve had many middle-aged men say the same exact joke to me when serving their Cream of Chicken with Wild Rice: ‘How do you tame wild rice?’” So says Reddit user Krisperrr, answering the question: “What’s the ‘It didn’t scan, so it must be free hur hur hur’ of your profession?”

Twelve South PowerPic Picture Frame Phone Charger | $50 | Amazon | Available in black or whiteRead more...

Adapted from the comic book of the same name by Dennis Liu and Jason Piperburg, Raising Dion (Friday) is a child-with-superpowers series that stars both Michael B. Jordan and a ton of fun CGI. MBJ also executive produced, so you’re probably going to want to check this one out, especially if you’re still a little weepy…Read more...

If you’re planning a cross-country trip early next year, Southwest is running a sale you might want to check out.

I’m currently in the middle of a 10-day road trip with two friends of mine. We started off in Vegas, and are making a slow trek to Denver, Colorado, stopping at National Parks along the way.

Public speaking is something lots of people struggle with. Being on a stage, especially in front of a large crowd, can be stressful for even the most seasoned and confident of speakers. A recent article in the Harvard Business Review made an interesting suggestion on how to combat that anxiety: Speak from the…Read more...

At 8pm ET/5pm PT tonight Elon Musk is expected to give an update on Space X’s new Starship and Super Heavy rocket, the company’s venture into commercial space travel.

When it comes to flying, nothing beats a direct flight. Flying direct means you’re less likely to have your bags lost and less likely to get stuck in that random airport where your connection is. While I’ve certainly intentionally picked a more expensive or less convenient flight because it was non-stop I’ve never…Read more...

Whenever you go to a conference or networking event there’s always a point where you’re trying to figure out how to stay connected to the people you’ve met, at least some of them, after it all ends.

A Philips OneBlade Face+Body deal, a discounted GPS running watch from Garmin, and an Eddie Bauer Gold Box lead off Saturday’s best deals from around the web.

Welcome back to another installment of Lifehacker’s tech-advice series, Tech 911. You write in with your tough questions, and we provide the hard answers, a little humor, and a bit of head-scratching if you have a particularly perplexing question.Read more...

When you’re troubleshooting your computer or installing a new operating system, you may need to “boot from a disc” or USB device (like an external hard drive or flash drive). Here’s what that means—and how to do it.

Siri can be used to control a whole lot more than just Apple’s devices, apps, and services. One such third-party service is the Spotify iOS app, which just recently began testing Siri support for some users.Read more...

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What’s the point of all these digital assistants, anyway? To make life simpler, of course. The Google Assistant, in particular, can not only help answer life’s burning questions and control smart devices, but it can also act as your very own personal reminder bot.Read more...

What a week it has been. A lot going on. I don’t know how you like to relax, but if your weekend plans involve catching up on the news and political discourse, might I suggest you make yourself this delicious peach-mint cocktail before logging on.Read more...

You’ve been approached about a new gig—but it’s complicated. You’d be happy to stick with your longtime employer, but you’re not sure if that’s realistic, and your spouse doesn’t want you to relocate. Here’s how to think of this decision as an opportunity, not a chore.

So much of self care is self-focused, whether it’s an indulgence like a nice bath or work like making yourself a doctor’s appointment. But what happens when you take the focus off yourself for a minute, and learn how to do something that exists for its own reason? Drive stick, learn to knit, bake some bread.Read more...

Every week, we share the shortcuts, workspaces, and productivity tips of our favorite experts. This week, we’re going behind the scenes at Lifehacker. I’m Meghan Walbert, and this is how I work.

If you are among the nearly half of Americans who leave the water running while you brush your teeth, here are two good arguments for changing your habit.Read more...

Doordash is the latest of the “services you probably use, or at least have an account with” companies to suffer a large data breach. And while your passwords likely haven’t been compromised, it’s possible that your physical address is floating around in the Internet somewhere, among other identifying information.Read more...

I have long been a fan of Taco Bell’s Crunchwrap Supreme. It’s cheesy. It has sour cream. It’s in an interesting, supposedly portable shape. It has a lot going for it, but Taco Bell’s meat doesn’t have a ton of flavor, and the cheese sauce could use a little pizzazz. To make a Crunchwrap that’s practically gourmet, we…Read more...

Every week, we share the shortcuts, workspaces, and productivity tips of our favorite experts. This week, we’re going behind the scenes at Lifehacker. I’m Heather Hass, and this is how I work.Read more...

Merriam-Webster is at it again, adding hundreds of new words to its English dictionary, a process it refers to as “a happy fact of life for a living language.” We happen to share in their excitement over new words. It is a happy fact, after all, that they’ve finally expanded the definition of they to include being…Read more...

I hate to break through your pumpkin spice daydreams, but surprise! The holidays are right around the corner. If you plan to participate in any level of holiday cheer in the next couple of months, your money is going to need to be ready. So put down that latte and take three steps to strengthen your finances right…Read more...

Spend an hour at the gym and you’ll likely come across at least one type of gym jerk during your workout. Some jerks don’t re-rack their weights, others don’t wipe down equipment, and the worst kind of jerk takes up the only squat rack in your gym to curl for an hour.Read more...

I hope you enjoyed our month of cycling this September, where we hopped on our bikes, ventured outdoors (perhaps), and took a look at some training plans to build fitness specifically for longer and faster rides. To close out the month, I’d like to highlight some tips from readers about how to transition from casual…Read more...

Umbra UDRY Drying Rack and Microfiber Dish Mat | $10 | AmazonRead more...

When you’re on a flight, you lose all sense of physical boundaries. You split armrests with the passengers next to you and what little legroom you have with the passenger reclined in your lap. Naturally, you’ll look for comfort in the little things—like the ability to see out your aisle’s window.

International Coffee Day is Sunday, September 29. Some coffee brands will observe the day by donating portions of sales to charities; others will “raise awareness” about how the coffee industry enriches sellers at the expense of underpaid farmers. Some will give out free coffee. Here’s where to get yours.

Echo Speakers have excellent features that make them great for Alexa-powered smart home setups, but they’re not necessarily known for stellar audio quality, especially Amazon’s more affordable options.Read more...

One of the best parts of macOS, introduced in Mojave, is the operating system’s Dark Mode. It’s a system-wide trigger that gives you a gloomier color theme across your core Mac apps and any third-party apps that support the feature—and I think it’s a lot easier on the eyes, but maybe that’s just me.Read more...

Duck fat and butter are my two favorite fats, so it’s mighty perplexing to me that—until today—I had never combined them into one magnificent spread. You may think I’m being hyperbolic when I call it “magnificent,” but I assure you, all other praise falls short. When you combine duck fat with butter and whip the heck…Read more...

Dealing with automotive fluids might be one of the more miserable the unsung inconveniences of being your own mechanic. And even if you pay somebody to maintain your car, it’s important to know the age and condition of your car’s various bloods.

Every week, we share the shortcuts, workspaces, and productivity tips of our favorite experts. This week, we’re going behind the scenes at Lifehacker. I’m Nick Douglas, and this is how I work.Read more...

We know that kids are over-scheduled and over-worked. We know they have less down time, less time to be bored and less time to play than we did as kids. But what we may not have realized is that all the pressure on students—particularly those in “high-achieving” schools—is causing higher rates of anxiety, depression,…Read more...

Bluetooth technology is a ubiquitous part of our lives, and a crucial tool in the fight against cord clutter. It’s also notoriously finicky. And when your laptop, phone, or other device is hooked up via Bluetooth to a wireless speaker or pair of headphones and the audio playback starts to stutter, it can be nothing…Read more...

There are now even more ways for you to navigate your Xbox One without using a controller. Microsoft announced that it’s launched a skill on Google Assistant that allows you to control basic navigation and system-level commands on the console using the Google Assistant apps on iOS and Android. It sounds like something…Read more...

I’ve always wanted to learn how to code. I’d like to at least learn enough of a programming language to create some basic automations—or figure out some neat ways to control the various LED lighting kits I own.Read more...

If you are signed up with a credit monitoring app, you’re probably familiar with its most common alert: “no major changes to your credit.”Read more...

Slice Mini Box Cutter | $8 | AmazonRead more...

Liquid smoke can be used to impart woodsy, charred flavors to cocktails, but it’s a little one-note. Smoky wood is an excellent flavor, but why stop there when you could flavor your cocktail with smoky tea, smoky cinnamon, or smoky star anise?

Routines can be stable and comforting, but they can also turn stale and confining over time. All those inspirational messages telling you to break out of your comfort zone aren’t just trying to sell you bungee cords. Doing something new and potentially frightening helps stave off burnout and is good for your brain.…Read more...