Life Hacks
- Thread starter Ellie
- Start date
Yep, those were indeed funny... but now, more driving stuff! Going a bit about fuel consumption, as prices go crazy again... especially in Europe.
Pump your tires!
If you go just a little over the suggested value (about 0,2 to 0,5 bar over), you'll reduce the rolling distance, and therefore fuel consumption. Be aware that in a very low (however existant!) number of cases, your insurance company can decline paying because of that.
The real reason why people like me do it is because you get a slight acceleration improvement... however, that is VERY slight, so don't expect your grandma's Fiat to be able to drag race because of this.
Don't fill up your car completely at the gas station.
The more fuel you have in your tank, the more you need to transport, creating a larger consumption in the end. A liter of fuel is about 0.75kg (it's lighter as water), or 0.85 if you got Diesel. That sums up big time if you got a 60+ liter tank, so by only fuelling up halfway, you can save the one or another dollar here and there.
Tune performance before visuals
If you got the visuals, but no performance, people will laugh about you. Rightfully. Noone needs visual upgrades on a shitty car, and neither do you need visual upgrades on an awesome car. You also don't need sound systems or impressive footroom lighting. Don't let your 15yo friends fool you - It's the performance that makes your car cool.
And it's actual skill that makes you as the driver cool - performance alone won't get you that.
Pump your tires!
If you go just a little over the suggested value (about 0,2 to 0,5 bar over), you'll reduce the rolling distance, and therefore fuel consumption. Be aware that in a very low (however existant!) number of cases, your insurance company can decline paying because of that.
The real reason why people like me do it is because you get a slight acceleration improvement... however, that is VERY slight, so don't expect your grandma's Fiat to be able to drag race because of this.
Don't fill up your car completely at the gas station.
The more fuel you have in your tank, the more you need to transport, creating a larger consumption in the end. A liter of fuel is about 0.75kg (it's lighter as water), or 0.85 if you got Diesel. That sums up big time if you got a 60+ liter tank, so by only fuelling up halfway, you can save the one or another dollar here and there.
Tune performance before visuals
If you got the visuals, but no performance, people will laugh about you. Rightfully. Noone needs visual upgrades on a shitty car, and neither do you need visual upgrades on an awesome car. You also don't need sound systems or impressive footroom lighting. Don't let your 15yo friends fool you - It's the performance that makes your car cool.
And it's actual skill that makes you as the driver cool - performance alone won't get you that.
Ingest carbs while doing any sort of endurance sport
I'm not too familiar with the specifics in general, and I suspect it varies from person to person, but when on a bicycle ride for further than 30 or 40 km (for me, anyway), you will inevitably "hit the wall" as your body consumes its limited supply of glycogen. The way to avoid this is by eating foods or drinking drinks containing a lot of easy to digest carbohydrates during the activity to keep your blood sugar up and your muscles fueled. I was able to ride ~100 km a day during my bicycle tour just by drinking lots of gatorade and stopping for sandwiches occasionally.
I'm not too familiar with the specifics in general, and I suspect it varies from person to person, but when on a bicycle ride for further than 30 or 40 km (for me, anyway), you will inevitably "hit the wall" as your body consumes its limited supply of glycogen. The way to avoid this is by eating foods or drinking drinks containing a lot of easy to digest carbohydrates during the activity to keep your blood sugar up and your muscles fueled. I was able to ride ~100 km a day during my bicycle tour just by drinking lots of gatorade and stopping for sandwiches occasionally.
Don't just buy the cheapest drink
With the above, Lucozade/Gatorade/Whateverade is great for carbs... but don't buy it just because it's half price in Wilkos that week and sprite isn't. Every drink is designed for a specific purpose.
Pepsi max may well have more in it than pepsi, but it is definately a different drink.
That said, if you are buying water always buy the cheapest. At best, take a bottle with you and fill it up at the taps in the bog (assuming you're in a properly filtered water area). But there's no reason to buy SUPER GLACIER SPECIAL water over a 25p bottle, other than the useful sports cap some have which admittedly makes it worth buying ONE of.
But buying lucozade instead of fanta because lucozade's on offer is silly. Just like buying coke over fanta is silly if that's on offer; coke has caffeine.
With the above, Lucozade/Gatorade/Whateverade is great for carbs... but don't buy it just because it's half price in Wilkos that week and sprite isn't. Every drink is designed for a specific purpose.
Pepsi max may well have more in it than pepsi, but it is definately a different drink.
That said, if you are buying water always buy the cheapest. At best, take a bottle with you and fill it up at the taps in the bog (assuming you're in a properly filtered water area). But there's no reason to buy SUPER GLACIER SPECIAL water over a 25p bottle, other than the useful sports cap some have which admittedly makes it worth buying ONE of.
But buying lucozade instead of fanta because lucozade's on offer is silly. Just like buying coke over fanta is silly if that's on offer; coke has caffeine.
Sgt. Cookie
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This is something that Glitch should have mentioned and is sort of along the same lines as of one of Wyatt's.
Cheaper does not mean worse.
There are a lot of "own brand" items, such as washing powder or chocolate, and those are always alot cheaper than the branded ones. Sainsburys own brand cookies taste really good and they are only 40p for 250g. Like wise Euroshopper chocolate is only 50p but is tasty and you get 100g.
Cheaper does not mean worse.
There are a lot of "own brand" items, such as washing powder or chocolate, and those are always alot cheaper than the branded ones. Sainsburys own brand cookies taste really good and they are only 40p for 250g. Like wise Euroshopper chocolate is only 50p but is tasty and you get 100g.
even if you're under 18, check your credit! check it a lot
it's pretty common for identity thieves to get away with stealing even a kid's identity. a friend of mine had her identity stolen when she was 16. when she was an adult and tried to buy a car, she learned (at the dealership!) that her credit score was worse than terrible and that someone had charged thousands fraudulently, to accounts opened with her social security number. it took her years to get it wiped off. just saying "um I was 16? how does that work?" doesn't matter. you have to go through police, and the courts. and it sucks.
(if you're under 18, you'll need your parents/guardian to do it for you).
keep 2 credit card accounts open for as long as possible, with 1-49% balance.
having 0-1 credit card accounts makes you look like you're not suitable for lending, and does little for increasing your history.
having 3+ credit card accounts makes you look frivolous, and detracts from your score.
having an overall balance of over 50% lowers your score.
having an open credit account with no balance does nothing for your credit history (as there are no reported payments made).
NEVER open retail credit accounts.
retail credit accounts (i.e. "credit" cards through Best Buy/Wal-Mart/Sach's/etc. that ONLY work at those stores) reflect negatively on your report. they are listed separately from Visa/Mastercard/Discover/etc.
having 1 won't hurt you, but don't do any more than that, and try to pay them off ASAP. they do very little good for your credit history.
when a cashier asks you to open one--don't do it.
aside from your credit rating, opening a retail card puts you on umpteen million mailing & advertisement lists. opening ANY credit account does this, but the retail ones are the worst.
and most have ridiculous APRs and yearly maintenance fees.
credit checks hurt your credit.
when you open a new utility, rent a company-owned apartment, buy a new phone plan, get a medical loan, get ANY type of loan or credit account, buy a car/property, or set yourself up with any sort of recurring payment, the company will run a credit check on you. this shows up on your report and stays there for about 2-5 years. if you have a few checks, it doesn't hurt you. but having a lot of them may indicate to lenders that you're frivolous with your money.
student & medical loans, for the most part, only hurt you
these may be necessary evils for most people at some point in their lives.
most medical, student, and/or government-backed loans do not affect your credit rating until you miss a payment. they do not provide positives, and they do not detract from your score (until you get them put into collections).
it's pretty common for identity thieves to get away with stealing even a kid's identity. a friend of mine had her identity stolen when she was 16. when she was an adult and tried to buy a car, she learned (at the dealership!) that her credit score was worse than terrible and that someone had charged thousands fraudulently, to accounts opened with her social security number. it took her years to get it wiped off. just saying "um I was 16? how does that work?" doesn't matter. you have to go through police, and the courts. and it sucks.
(if you're under 18, you'll need your parents/guardian to do it for you).
keep 2 credit card accounts open for as long as possible, with 1-49% balance.
having 0-1 credit card accounts makes you look like you're not suitable for lending, and does little for increasing your history.
having 3+ credit card accounts makes you look frivolous, and detracts from your score.
having an overall balance of over 50% lowers your score.
having an open credit account with no balance does nothing for your credit history (as there are no reported payments made).
NEVER open retail credit accounts.
retail credit accounts (i.e. "credit" cards through Best Buy/Wal-Mart/Sach's/etc. that ONLY work at those stores) reflect negatively on your report. they are listed separately from Visa/Mastercard/Discover/etc.
having 1 won't hurt you, but don't do any more than that, and try to pay them off ASAP. they do very little good for your credit history.
when a cashier asks you to open one--don't do it.
aside from your credit rating, opening a retail card puts you on umpteen million mailing & advertisement lists. opening ANY credit account does this, but the retail ones are the worst.
and most have ridiculous APRs and yearly maintenance fees.
credit checks hurt your credit.
when you open a new utility, rent a company-owned apartment, buy a new phone plan, get a medical loan, get ANY type of loan or credit account, buy a car/property, or set yourself up with any sort of recurring payment, the company will run a credit check on you. this shows up on your report and stays there for about 2-5 years. if you have a few checks, it doesn't hurt you. but having a lot of them may indicate to lenders that you're frivolous with your money.
student & medical loans, for the most part, only hurt you
these may be necessary evils for most people at some point in their lives.
most medical, student, and/or government-backed loans do not affect your credit rating until you miss a payment. they do not provide positives, and they do not detract from your score (until you get them put into collections).
oil all iron & non-stainless steel you use
pans, saws, wrenches, hammers ... tons of shit is made of iron or steel. which rusts--even when you think it's totally clean & dry. remember: there's ambient water that floats around in the air, and all sorts of salts and things present on anything you come into contact with, which speed up the oxidation process (causing rust).
do yourself a favor and buy a cheap spray can of vegetable or olive oil. after using anything made of exposed (non-wrought, non-stainless) iron or steel, clean it, and then give it a light spray of oil. wipe it with a dry cloth or paper towel. it will make the iron/steel a little slick, but it will not rust, and will last decades+ longer.
--speaking of oil...
pans, saws, wrenches, hammers ... tons of shit is made of iron or steel. which rusts--even when you think it's totally clean & dry. remember: there's ambient water that floats around in the air, and all sorts of salts and things present on anything you come into contact with, which speed up the oxidation process (causing rust).
do yourself a favor and buy a cheap spray can of vegetable or olive oil. after using anything made of exposed (non-wrought, non-stainless) iron or steel, clean it, and then give it a light spray of oil. wipe it with a dry cloth or paper towel. it will make the iron/steel a little slick, but it will not rust, and will last decades+ longer.
--speaking of oil...
don't buy lube!
lube you buy from porn shops & drug stores are expensive. they usually smell nice, but are often messy, sticky, and not worth the trip.
the best lubes you'll find for doing the do are probably just lying around the house!
- olive oil or grape seed oil is warming & smells savory. you only need like half a teaspoon of it. cleanup can be messy though--and, yes, you will absorb some of the calories from it as you would from eating it. Not as much though, unless you do not clean it out after (ew).
- aloe vera gel is soothing, smells clean, and evaporates. you need about a teaspoon or so. it will not last as long as an oil, but there's no cleanup: it dries over time. it goes on cold, but warms up fine.
- your own saliva (obviously!)
- lotion works ... so long as it doesn't have lactic acid, methylparaben, or lauryl sulfates/acetates in it. these 3 things dry out your skin and can cause rashes & burns
but don't use!:
- shampoo or soap. 99% of these are heavy on surfactants, which burn & dry out skin when left on too long. and you can absorb some of the ingredients (like selenium) into your bloodstream when ingested (doesn't matter what hole is ingesting it!)--bad stuff.
- petrolatum/petroleum jelly. it is very difficult to clean out of "tight spaces", as it is entirely water-resistant and is not in a liquid form. it can also cause chafing.
- anything that has a warning on it that tells you to call a poison control center if ingested. (duh)
lube you buy from porn shops & drug stores are expensive. they usually smell nice, but are often messy, sticky, and not worth the trip.
the best lubes you'll find for doing the do are probably just lying around the house!
- olive oil or grape seed oil is warming & smells savory. you only need like half a teaspoon of it. cleanup can be messy though--and, yes, you will absorb some of the calories from it as you would from eating it. Not as much though, unless you do not clean it out after (ew).
- aloe vera gel is soothing, smells clean, and evaporates. you need about a teaspoon or so. it will not last as long as an oil, but there's no cleanup: it dries over time. it goes on cold, but warms up fine.
- your own saliva (obviously!)
- lotion works ... so long as it doesn't have lactic acid, methylparaben, or lauryl sulfates/acetates in it. these 3 things dry out your skin and can cause rashes & burns
but don't use!:
- shampoo or soap. 99% of these are heavy on surfactants, which burn & dry out skin when left on too long. and you can absorb some of the ingredients (like selenium) into your bloodstream when ingested (doesn't matter what hole is ingesting it!)--bad stuff.
- petrolatum/petroleum jelly. it is very difficult to clean out of "tight spaces", as it is entirely water-resistant and is not in a liquid form. it can also cause chafing.
- anything that has a warning on it that tells you to call a poison control center if ingested. (duh)
Pump your tires!
If you go just a little over the suggested value (about 0,2 to 0,5 bar over), you'll reduce the rolling distance, and therefore fuel consumption. Be aware that in a very low (however existant!) number of cases, your insurance company can decline paying because of that.
The real reason why people like me do it is because you get a slight acceleration improvement... however, that is VERY slight, so don't expect your grandma's Fiat to be able to drag race because of this.
Going over the suggested PSI can cause your tires to explode, and is the leading cause of tire blow-outs, short of sidewall damage.
Also, under filling (not over filling) your tires increases traction and helps with quicker acceleration. Amateur drag racers do this (professional drag racers have wider tires designed specifically for drag racing so the suggested PSI for those is already likely less than the 'max PSI'.)
Waking Up
Caffeine and a cold shower aside, one of the best ways to wake up in the morning is Stretching. Most people don't have the time to exercise in the morning, so Stretching is a great substitute. It releases endorphines which brighten your day and help you to wake up. Also, eating an apple or pear can really help to wake you up as well. I am not sure what the science (if any) is behind it, but it seems to work.
Caffeine and a cold shower aside, one of the best ways to wake up in the morning is Stretching. Most people don't have the time to exercise in the morning, so Stretching is a great substitute. It releases endorphines which brighten your day and help you to wake up. Also, eating an apple or pear can really help to wake you up as well. I am not sure what the science (if any) is behind it, but it seems to work.
Tires will explode if you either overdo it by a lot, or don't put the cap back on the valve, in which case the tire will pump itself up while driving (more than it should, though, so it's not "leave the cap off and you never have to repump them"Prexus":7tz8hb37 said:Pump your tires!
If you go just a little over the suggested value (about 0,2 to 0,5 bar over), you'll reduce the rolling distance, and therefore fuel consumption. Be aware that in a very low (however existant!) number of cases, your insurance company can decline paying because of that.
The real reason why people like me do it is because you get a slight acceleration improvement... however, that is VERY slight, so don't expect your grandma's Fiat to be able to drag race because of this.
Going over the suggested PSI can cause your tires to explode, and is the leading cause of tire blow-outs, short of sidewall damage.
Also, under filling (not over filling) your tires increases traction and helps with quicker acceleration. Amateur drag racers do this (professional drag racers have wider tires designed specifically for drag racing so the suggested PSI for those is already likely less than the 'max PSI'.)
). Just boosting them by 0.5 bar is nowhere close to dangerous.And yes, it helps acceleration for drag racing if you under-fill the tires. The reason is that those cars have a lot of torque, almost exclusively on the rear axle, so the increased resistance when starting caused by non-stiff rubber is actually turned in grip, as otherwise the tires would downright spin endlessly. That applies to high-torque, high-horsepower cars only - on cars up until ~200hp (and even less if you don't feel like racing, but want to drive normally), the increased resistance will slow down your acceleration, and compromise driving and braking stability in the process.
It would work for high-horsepower cars on everyday driving really - problem is that it stresses your tires more than it should, causing cracks and rips in the structure and thereby destroying them. If you're on a race track, that's not a problem, as the tires usually won't survive the day anyway, but if you plan to drive on the road with a pair of tires that you could theoretically use for eight years, on different road and weather conditions, this is far from a good idea.
Brewmeister
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Before you eviscerate an animal*, tie a twist-tie around it's anus to prevent poo from popping out & contaminating the meat.
*that you have recently killed for food...
*that you have recently killed for food...
Record britain's got talent and fastforward to the one good act
Like, yeah. Who watches this shit, seriously.
There are some legit good acts, but there's typically like one per episode. Save a LOT of time and just sky+ it. I don't get why my friends watch the whole show, it's mostly filler. :?
Like, yeah. Who watches this shit, seriously.
There are some legit good acts, but there's typically like one per episode. Save a LOT of time and just sky+ it. I don't get why my friends watch the whole show, it's mostly filler. :?