I Installed a Peel-and-Stick Backsplash With Zero Experience. It Is Still Up.
My kitchen had a four-inch strip of laminate backsplash. Builder-grade. Beige. It was the most boring four inches of my […]
Which Generic Brands Are Actually the Same as Name Brands? I Compared Them.
I used to be a brand snob. Tylenol, not acetaminophen. Ziploc, not store-brand bags. I assumed the name brand was […]
How I Keep Mosquitoes Away From My Patio—No Chemicals, No Citronella Candles
I live near a small creek. The mosquitoes are relentless. For two summers I drenched myself in DEET, lit citronella […]
I Hosted a Dinner Party for Six People for Under $20. Everyone Asked for Seconds.
The first dinner party I ever hosted cost over $80. I bought fancy cheese, three types of appetizers, two bottles […]
I Added Two Monitors to a Laptop With One HDMI Port. It Is Ridiculously Easy.
My laptop has exactly one HDMI port. For years I assumed that meant one external monitor, end of story. I […]
How I Make My Patio Furniture Last Years Longer—What I Do Before Storing It
I bought a set of patio chairs three years ago. My neighbor bought the same set. Mine still look almost […]
I Finally Stopped Pasta Water Boiling Over—And It Took a Wooden Spoon
I cannot tell you how many times I have scrubbed burnt starch off my stovetop. Too many. The foam would […]
I Ripened a Rock-Hard Avocado in 10 Minutes. Here Is How
There is a special kind of disappointment when you planned guacamole for taco night and every avocado in the store […]
I Finally Learned to Read Food Labels. The Marketing Tricks Are Embarrassing.
I bought “whole grain” crackers for two years before I read the ingredients. Whole wheat flour was the third ingredient, […]
This $45 USB Microphone Made My Zoom Calls Stop Sounding Like a Bathroom
For the first year of remote work, I used my laptop’s built-in microphone. Nobody told me I sounded like I […]