Set up automatic bank transfers to chop your income into % parts: 5% play money, 20% savings, bills etc. do what works for you. Get rid of unnecessary subscriptions.
Drink water instead of soda, alcohol, other sugary drinks. Eventually you’ll find yourself to be an expert water connoisseur and prefer water over pretty much all beverages.
Start reading the nutritional facts on food packages. In the beginning it will make little sense. But as time goes by, you start understanding it a bit more and to notice patterns.
Eventually you start doing wiser choices. I’ve learned pretty quickly that the “healthy options” (e.g. low sugar cookies) are as bad for you than the regular ones.
If you can’t find something and you’ve looked everywhere, get a flashlight and look again while pointing the flashlight. It has worked for me every time.
I heard that, at least in countries where we read left to right, we also look for things left to right. And if you reverse this and look from right to left that you’re more likely to notice something you otherwise missed. So I do that. But I have no data to confirm if it works…
I’ve heard from someone in the military that they teach you to scan from right to left and bottom to top if you have to stand watch/guard.
It probably stops your brain from going on autopilot.
Further, if you drop something small, like a screw, set the flashlight on the floor. This will make all the small things cast long shadows and stand out way more.
A magnet also works for some items.
I use my hands to kind of do the same thing. It’s probably the behaviour they modeled Monk’s “hand thing” after. It still helps even if I’m searching using my memory and spatial awareness to recall and search through something I am not currently looking at. Somehow, narrowing the scope physically with my hands helps. It’s probably a muscle memory or proprioception thing.
For example, if I want to find something to eat in the fridge. I generally won’t be able to think of anything by just opening the fridge and looking through it. Unless there is something super obvious like a leftover pizza box or something else impossible to miss like that. Just trying to search by looking at each shelf only increases the odds of finding something by like 5%. But when I use my hand and slowly move it down the shelves, I can somehow think more clearly about what is on each shelf than I could without using my hand. And, as I mentioned, it also works even if I am no longer looking in the fridge. I can do it with the door closed and still more clearly recall what was on each shelf.
It also helps when scanning through my whole house looking for something, with and without currently having eyes on it. Like scanning through the whole house room by room while still sitting at my computer, I do a much better job if I am pointing my hand at the place I am thinking about as I scan.
I should probably mention I am Autistic, my spatial awareness and proprioception are two areas I have seemed to benefit. But it’s very easy to get confused or distracted if I have too much information at once. So that is mostly what is going on. I can’t just imagine that I am pointing at something in my imagination to gain the benefit, I have to be literally, physically pointing. Although I can translocate, like not be at my house or fridge and still scan my house or fridge by pointing relatively where each thing would be if they were there.
It’s not limited in scope as far as I can tell. Though it is kind of limited in resolution. The bigger the area I am scanning, the less detail I can recall about it when I am not there, or “looking through walls”. But when I am there, I can go as fine grained as the search demands, just takes longer.
Same, I found my flashlight that way
I laughed at this because I have around ten flashlights and have absolutely used a smaller flashlight to find my Emisar D4V2 or my beloved DT8
why 10 though? Why not just, say, your smartphone?
I dunno, I just got some and just… got more hahaha. Even my shittiest flashlights are way brighter than any smartphone’s LEDs.
I mainly keep them everywhere so I can quickly take important cat pictures. Shining the brighter ones at the ceiling makes for perfect lighting for indoor cat pics. I don’t like using flash on animals, and my I keep my room pretty dim. But gosh dangit cats are so cute.
haha I guess their fur requires a special kind of lighting that I never thought about. I assumed funny internet cat pics were more moments of spontaneity than diligently prepared shooting sets hehe
I have about 6k photos on my phone and 80% of them are my cats being silly or adorable.
you have a serious problem and I love it
Turn those aux lights on, fam. They hardly use much more power than natural battery internal resistance, and you can’t lose it lol
Aux lights? I’m unaware of those!
But my D8 can burn things!
Wait, really‽
The D4V2 you were looking for in the above post has RGB AUX LEDs and I think a button light iirc. You can set them to a bunch of colors on high or low brightness, or even have them show the battery level. On low-brightness, depending on color, they can stay on 24-7 for 2-6 YEARS before running the battery down (hell, on high, they can stay on for 1-3 months before needing a recharge). They are wonderful for finding it in the dark.
AUX lights make it one of the best nightstand lights. Anduril 2 makes it have some cool tricks too. I have mine have high red aux when unlocked so it can be used as a darklight just by unlocking it, then it auto locks after a minute of non-use and the aux goes to low and uses colors to display battery level.
Ohhhhh the fancy RGB lights! I have them on high brightness/cycle RGB because I use the hard lock when they’re not in use. I do have like 20 18650s from when I was vaping a mech mod so I change them out frequently! It’s insane that they can last that long in low brightness! I should totally change my mode to show battery level using the colors—I just have to read the maps of how to use one button to do that for both (my D4V2 is on the old version of the firmware and my D8 is on the new!)
I also am struggling to find out how to change my D8 to only light up one side or the other—I got warm lights on one side and cool/insanely bright on them other. I’d love to switch between them but I don’t wanna bother people and even with tutorials it’s tough for me to find exactly how to do that. Also The Map… my goodness.
The DT8? The flat one? I didn’t know that came in dual-channel. If it is ANDURIL2 then when it is on (single click from off) it is 3H (click-click-clickHOLD) to get into the tint ramp, which on a dual channel should slide between channel 1 and channel 2 (granular and smooth is selected in the deeper settings).
You know the pop culture reference we use for someone who has misplaced their cellphone, “have you tried calling it?”
This will sound absolutely silly, but one day a friend was looking for some trinket which wasn’t a phone, and playfully I asked, “Have you tried calling it?”
They doubled down and started actually calling it, “Trinket… trinket, where are you?”
And wouldn’t you know it, within minutes they found it, and so far this has worked about 99.9% of the time.
So like using a flashlight focuses your eyes, having someone call it out loud kind of quiets the mind, too. It’s wild.
I never tried calling it like a pet, but I normally say “where is this damn thing?” And then find it shortly afterwards. I’m guessing speaking the object out loud let’s the object know you are looking for it. That way the object can show up and act like it was there the whole time.
My mom prays to St. Anthony. #justcatholicthings
It works, if only because it calms the mind and helps to regain perspective. #justanxiouscatholic
Tony Tony look around. Help me find what can’t be found. Something like that?
Tony Tony look around, something’s lost and can’t be found. Please help me find [item].
That’s what we used to say. I don’t think Tony liked me very much tho.
Close! Don’t forget to thank the saint when you find the item. ;)
A Coast G20 flashlight is about $10 on Amazon, and has a very tight spotlight circle “inspection” beam. It’s my go-to for searching because it makes you focus on a small area.
You can often get a Pre Purchase Inspection (PPI) for about $200 from a mechanic that will tell you everything in depth about the health of a car before you actually buy it.
Way too many people out here purchasing cars and then bringing it to a mechanic only to realize they’ve been ripped off or bought an expensive repair bill.
You should do it with any used car you have a strong intention to buy whether it is a private sale or from a lot.
Usually lots will want to negotiate the price first because any used car will have some wear and tear.
But the point is that you’ll know for sure it there’s any critical issues with the vehicle. If it’s a lemon, you can say no and walk away. Don’t think of it as losing $200, think of it as saving several thousand on a broken car.
To stop infinite scroll on social media, quickly scroll 2-3 screen lengths down without looking at the posts. Now read the posts scrolling up. Eventually you’ll reach where you started and most probably the laziness to go all the way back will prompt you to exit the app.
Spit in your toilet paper
Improve the cold tolerance and immunity by going to sauna during cold days.
Embrace the cold and don’t overheat yourself by wearing too many layers.
When go cycling or running don’t wear to many clothes, so you won’t overheat yourself. You should feel slight cold and the exercise will heat you.
People usually catch flu due to low immunity or overheating and switching between environments of high temperature difference.
People wonder why I’m an optimist. I’m not really. What I do is expect people to disappoint me. After all, none of us are perfect. When they don’t I’m surprised. When they do, I’m not mad, as just met my expectations.
I find people who don’t like other people expect them to not disappoint them and when they do they get angry and upset. It’s really just a mindset change.
One time I was in Mexico with my wife while our daughter was still a baby and the lady at the front desk of the hotel where we were staying offered us a crib we could borrow. It was a kind gesture, but I was a little concerned because the crib seemed wobbly. I realized there were some screws loose but though I had a multitool on me, the holes were stripped.
So later, I was talking with a local and he’s like “I can fix that.” He comes over and pulls a pack of toothpicks out of his pocket. He sticks one into each hole and breaks it off so that it’s not sticking out anymore. Then he drives the screw back in. I shook the crib after that and it was rock solid!
Now I always keep some toothpicks handy. Fast-forward to just this year. My daughter is now an adult living in a condo, and was complaining the screw popped out of a kitchen cabinet door when her roommate yanked on it too hard. “I can fix that.”
I just discovered the best hack, I changed the app layout on my home screen (android) to 5x5 what a game changer.
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A pressure cooker
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A ghetto bidet:
Take a small softdrink bottle, make a hole in it’s neck using a hot needle or corkscrew. Fill it with water, hold it upside down and squirt your butthole clean with it. Use a little toiletpaper or cloth to dab it dry. Can’t live without it anymore.
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Keep a set of swimwear in your car. If you go to a place and forgot your swimsuit? Got the backup. Go to a hotel and find out they had a pool you didn’t know about? Backup in the car. Accidentally shit yourself? Got at least something on you. Do I shit myself enough to worry about it? Not since I was a baby but now I know I got swim trunks in my car just in case.
This works for so many occasions too. At a watermelon eating contest? Backup in the car. Going to a funeral? Backup in the car. Need to bury a body? Backup clothing, right there.
Does this work for horse funerals as well?
Carry two swimsuits: one for me and one for the recently departed.
“it’s… it’s what he would have wanted.”
Oh right. Also bring your scriptures or a turntable with the two swimsuits so you can experiment with new material during the sendoff.
Not recommended for lycra or spandex suits, or any suit that has elastic closures, particularly during the summer months. They will rapidly degrade in the heat of the car. My wife left hers in the car after a vacation (never used it). It was tucked in the trunk. Found it a month later and it disintegrated in the wash.
Given the opportunity move somewhere where your rent to pay ratio is better.
I’d make more living in a big city. I have much more leftover every month by living in a small town far away from everything.
There’s a HUD study that basically says the same thing. That people who receive housing vouchers and live in HCOL areas have better outcomes than people who live in LCOL areas. Not just because income to housing ratio is better, but also because of better education and job opportunities in high density areas.
You also have the advantage of percentage based employer retirement contributions and health insurance costs being relatively similar, so you’re getting more benefit from higher pay.
Even better, move countries while keeping your job if possible. Rent is now 3% of my salary after tax.
Noice!
I’m sorry but what in the shit.
Boss is in Palo Alto and you’re in the no-data-found part of Greenland??
“Digital nomad, go home” is literally spray painted outside your window, right?
This guy Barcelonas
I’m not a digital nomad. I’m employed and pay my taxes.
It’s more about you going to a poor country, and raising the cost of living of the communities there by telegraphing to landlords and retailers that you will happily pay X% markup for goods and services.
Employed by the country you live in…? Doesn’t sound like it. How are you not a digital nomad?
I am employed in the country where I live, correct. Hence, not a digital nomad, as stated.
Instead I’m using an EOR (employer of records). My company pays them, they run the payroll and taxes, and pay me domestically. Win-win.
Work-pay-lifestyle, I’d offer.
Our rent is high. Our pay is high. But almost everything I need is within a 10-minute walk. I haven’t driven in months but I need new shoes and I’m 100% okay with that.
If I could move to a place with the same or better climate, keep my jobs and still have the daily living improvements of this area for a little cheaper, I would.
