LPT: People-pleasing is bad not just because it isn't good for you, but people-pleasers really aren't appealing to emotionally healthy people, whether they are potential friends, co-workers, or others. People-pleasers attract narcissists and other people who don't mind taking advantage of people.
Having good boundaries makes for good, functional relationships.
People-pleasers think having limits and setting boundaries can be seen as "mean," or being difficult. But you are really doing everyone a favor, letting them know how to have a healthy, functional, and equitable relationship with you.
Emotionally healthy people don't enjoy relating to people who are always walking on eggshells or only want to do good things for others. They want reciprocal, equitable relationships.
I know quitting people-pleasing is easier said than done, but I found that figuring out how distasteful it really is to the kinds of people I really wanted to have relationships with did a lot to help me get rid of it. because I realized I wasn't pleasing anyone, I was being annoying, or cloying, or both.
https://redd.it/1b1w8ec
@r_lifeprotips
LPT: If you have problems with people stealing your food at work, double bag your lunch box, and double knot each of the bags
People used to steal my milk regularly and it got the point that some idiot finished my whole supply before I even had a chance to use it myself. So I started wrapping my milk in two plastic bags, and double knotted each of the plastic bags. The theft stopped immediately thereafter.
https://redd.it/1b1tzkt
@r_lifeprotips
LPT: There may be a reason that item you are buying at the outlet is cheaper.
A large number of manufacturers sell items specifically made for outlets.
The term outlet here is a catch-all encompassing outlet mall stores, some big box stores, and online stores. The point being, you can't just necessarily compare a picture of two items.
This system is specifically set up to make you feel like you are the one who outsmarted the manufacturer and found a cheaper way to get their product. From their perspective, they made a sale to someone who otherwise was price sensitive and would never buy the premium version anyway.
Items for outlets may be of slightly lower quality compared to what you'd find in regular stores. This can involve:
* Lower-cost materials: For example, a jacket might use synthetic materials instead of natural fibers, or a shirt might have a thinner fabric.
* Simpler construction: The item might have fewer seams, less tailoring, or simpler details.
* Older styles: You might find last season's designs or variations of current styles.
Outlets also sometimes sell:
* Overstock items: These are genuine products from the main stores that didn't sell well at full price. They'll be the same quality as their full-price counterparts.
* Discontinued items: These are products that the manufacturer is no longer making, and they could be of the same or slightly lower quality compared to current offerings.
So, inspect the item carefully. Look for any signs of lower quality, such as poor stitching, uneven seams, or flimsy materials. Buying online? Read the descriptions carefully. Compare prices. Sometimes, the "discount" at an outlet store might not be as significant as it seems, especially if the item is of lower quality.
Consider your priorities. If the brand name or style is most important to you, an outlet store might be a good option. However, if you prioritize top quality, you might be better off shopping elsewhere. Remember, not all outlet stores are the same, and practices can vary by brand and even by individual store location. It's always best to be an informed shopper and do your research before making a purchase.
edit: formatting
https://redd.it/1b1hybz
@r_lifeprotips
LPT: When booking a place on VRBO/Air BnB, taking the time to find if the place is listed through a private agency can save money
My family likes to rent a beach house every summer. This year we're traveling to the outer banks with a group of 12, and my sister found a couple great places on VRBO. Once we found what we liked, I looked to see if the homes were listed through a local NC agency and both of them were. We booked through their website and saved about $1500 vs booking through VRBO
https://redd.it/1b1gbii
@r_lifeprotips
LPT: If you’re using a search engine, set the date range to 2022 or earlier to avoid AI-written articles.
I’m sure it’s been mentioned before but I recently heard this advice and it’s been very helpful.
ChatGPT launched late 2022, so most articles from 2022 or earlier are pretty much guaranteed to have been written by a human.
https://redd.it/1b1ahh6
@r_lifeprotips
LPT: When getting a water heater tank replacement, ask your plumber where the tank is from. Lowes and Home Depot have different water heater and are often the worst.
Water heater tank manufacturers (theres only three of them fyi), provide different product to Home Depot and Lowes compared to Plumber supply stores. The price does reflect that with big box having significantly cheaper prices. The catch is those product's warranty is more troublesome and are built in the lowest quality possible. Most bad stories you hear come from products sourced from the Big Box store. Tanks in plumber stores are built significantly better but often 1.5-2x the cost. For example, a Home Depot tank has plastic parts while the supply tore tanks are all metal parts.
Bradford White are only sold through supply stores , so if your plumber says they're using that then no follow up questions is needed.
https://redd.it/1b180d0
@r_lifeprotips
LPT: Cutting board moving around? Putting a damp towel underweath will keep it in place.
Candidly not sure how widely this is known BUT with how ridiculously annoying and dangerous a moving cutting board is I thought it'd be worth tossing out there.
Good quality paper towels should do the trick as well?
https://redd.it/1b16vte
@r_lifeprotips
LPT: If you remember someone's birthday a few days before the actual date and you're worried you may forget to text them on their Birthday or you have to text someone about something on a specific date/time, just use the schedule sending feature in your Messages app. Works for Android. Steps below.
After you type the message, long press on the send button (looks like an arrow) and a menu pops up with options to select the date/time.
Also, make sure to schedule at a time when you are available to respond if they reply, as basic etiquette. If you text Happy Birthday to someone at 12 AM and when they respond to you thanking you and asking how you are but you just vanish without a response, it will not be good. Instead schedule the message to go out at a time you will be available to respond, just in case.
I have used this to text my friends or family whom I don't text frequently, and especially to those who wish me for my Birthday every time. Android allows scheduling even months ahead and hence if I remember someone's birthday is in the near future I'd schedule it rather than hoping I eill remember on that day.
I don't know the iMessage equivalent feature. Anyone who knows - please mention that in the comments.
https://redd.it/1b0qfbl
@r_lifeprotips
LPT: Many countries will not let you enter if your passport expires in six months or less
LPT: Many countries have a "Six-Month Rule" where if your passport expires in less than six months from your anticipated departure date, they will deny your entry.
Double check the specific rules for any country you plan on visiting. Some have "3-Month Rules" and some exempt certain countries from the rule entirely.
A good rule of thumb is to renew your passport 9-months before it's expiration date to avoid any of these potential problems.
https://redd.it/1b0jcee
@r_lifeprotips
LPT:If you want to learn a new language,read a Wikipedia article in target language about something you know very well.
It is important that you have very good knowledge and possess very good vocabulary of the topic you will read about.
This is especially useful if you are learning a lesser known language.
https://redd.it/1b0eflo
@r_lifeprotips
LPT: When creating your resume, look at the company you would liked to be hired from and copy their color scheme.
Additionally. You could also do some extra research and put their competitors logo colors into your resume. It might be a stretch, however, it could create a sense of urgency.
https://redd.it/1b05uui
@r_lifeprotips
LPT: Floss, then mouthwash, then brush your teeth
A lot of people apply their dental hygiene routine in the wrong order.
Ideally, you would floss, then use mouthwash, then brush your teeth. Usually people wash their mouth at the end but it washes away the fluoride from your toothpaste. Dentists recommend brushing your teeth last, without rinsing your mouth with water.
Bonus tip: Hydrofloss is a great way to floss gently. I use one from Panasonic that also has a tongue scrapper. Not cheap but great.
https://redd.it/1azykz0
@r_lifeprotips
LPT: If your shower doesn’t get hot enough, adjust the max temperature on the shower valve cartridge.
For single handled shower valves, take the handle off with a allen key and you should be able to reach the adjustment knob (I’d post a picture of mine, but this sub doesn’t allow it)
This only works if your hot water heater is set higher than your shower will get (i.e., other faucets in your dwelling produce a higher temperature.) This could also save you money on your method of water heating if the water heater is set too high to compensate.
https://redd.it/1azutev
@r_lifeprotips
LPT: Spend a day disabling every pointless notification you receive on your phone
This seems entirely obvious, but how many times do we look at our phones because it vibrates and it's just the current weather or some step counter or whatever.
A few months ago, I spent a day disabling every one of these types of things. Now my phone only vibrates for something important and I don't get distracted constantly looking at it and then jumping onto various apps.
Or just go into into you app notifications list (on Android anyway), and deselect everything you don't want to see.
https://redd.it/1azkbzs
@r_lifeprotips
LPT - Make a habit of reducing the phone audio volume to zero before browsing any app/website that has audio.
Might just save you from potentially embarrassing situations.
https://redd.it/1azj2xy
@r_lifeprotips
LPT: Great way to calm a crying baby
After you've already changed their diaper and fed them, some babies continue to cry for seemingly no reason. There are various other hidden things that could also be going on, such as teething, gas, or illness. If nothing else seems to work, try buzzing or humming an even tone in their ear. This is a great way to distract them from whatever else was making them cry.
Don't do it so loud it hurts their eardrum. But be loud enough that they can hear it. Hold them close so they can feel the vibration as well. It confuses them and they might look at you like you're crazy. It at least gets them to stop crying for a bit. This won't work all the time as they may have a legitimate need that you need to address. When nothing else works, this works with my 7 week old daughter about 80% of the time.
https://redd.it/1b1vyvx
@r_lifeprotips
LPT: Before traveling on a planned trip, create a Whatsapp (or any messaging app) group, with all the members of the travel party in the group, and send all the reservations, confirmations, tickets etc chronologically in the order they will be needed as PDFs or images. More in description.
As and when you are done using up a ticket or reservation, mark it with some emoji to indicate that it is no longer needed. Sometimes Car reservation could have been done by someone , whereas the hotel reservation could have been done by someone else. Having all these in one place, accessible by everyone will be a huge convenience and peace of mind.
This will be very helpful, if you are traveling international as you may face network issues after landing or while transiting, and having these documents in one Group chat will avoid the necessity to search across emails or even have a network. Apps like Whatsapp will create offline copies once you open any attached file.
If the Messaging app supports pinning option, then PIN this group chat to the Top for easy access. I personally inform all the group members to NOT message anything else in this chat, other than the documents/files needed for the travel. Boarding passes too, as and when they are ready to use, you can add to this group.
I'm sure there must be some app which can right now do most or all of this or even better, but using an existing messaging app will be easier, and I have personally felt this easier than exploring a new app and teaching parents to use a new app.
P.S - Many years back, Google had this beautiful app called "Trips" which did the exact same set of actions, and it would auto accumulate reservations in the right order from the emails in our Gmail inbox. It even had options to create offline copies and above all would even suggest itineraries, must visit places, scenic drives etc at our destination. Google being Google, discontinued this useful app. Since then, I moved to Whatsapp groups.
https://redd.it/1b1i3af
@r_lifeprotips
LPT: if you are bilingual, don't tell the company you work for about it
My company has a recent batch of new hires I've helped train and one of them can speak Spanish. We just lost our Latin America rep (I work for a global SaaS company as a software tech) and so many of the Spanish cases have been triaged to her once they found out she speaks Spanish. She has complained this resulted in an increased case load and no additional pay.
Being bilingual is a huge asset here in the US since most of us only speak English. Don't tell your employer you know another language unless you are incentivised to do so (i.e. more money) otherwise you'll just get more work dumped on you.
https://redd.it/1b1jb6r
@r_lifeprotips
LPT: The best way to get a teenager/preteen to tell you about their day is to ask if anyone got in trouble.
As a lifelong reader of advice columns, former teacher of adolescents, and parent of a 12yo, this is the most failproof conversation starter I know. Parents get so frustrated because they want to know what the lives of their children are like, but “How was school/your day?” gets you nowhere.
This question gets you some tea and also you’ll know what’s going on in their school.
https://redd.it/1b1dqbu
@r_lifeprotips
LPT: Soak your water bottle overnight in a denture cleaning tablet if you're too busy/lazy to scrub it
Doesn't matter if it's a flavoured one, once you rinse it out it won't leave a taste.
https://redd.it/1b18in6
@r_lifeprotips
LPT: Use a nail clipper instead of scissors to cut a thread
If you're trying to cut a thread on a piece of clothing you're wearing or a similar situation where it's hard to put tension on the thread, use a nail clipper instead of scissors. Scissors require you to tightly pull the thread on both ends, but a nail clipper will cut straight down even if the thread isn't pulled tightly.
https://redd.it/1b17isv
@r_lifeprotips
LPT: If you ask for what you want, the worst thing they can say is "no." You'll be okay.
We take dismissal or refusal as a personal slight against our characters. As if by being refused a request means that that person is refusing us of respect. As if being denied something you want means you never deserve to have it. As if by us requesting a desire, we are disrupting the very universe of the recipient.
Put aside your ego, realize that a rejection of a request is not a rejection of you as a human being, and ask for it.
The universe isn't going to read your mind and line every single possibility for you to attain what you want.
Ask for the promotion.
Ask for opportunities.
Ask for a discount.
Ask for accompaniment.
Ask that person out.
If you get rejected with a "No," it's going to suck. But it's not going to end you. If you want something, ask for it, the worst they can say is no.
https://redd.it/1b0xuta
@r_lifeprotips
LPT: move in with your partner before marriage
When going on dates people tend to show their best selves but when living together theyll show their whole selves. My brother had a girlfriend who he thought was perfect they move in shes a slob and refuses to clean and starts acting crazy. There we’re probably signs before hand but it definitely became clear afterwards.
https://redd.it/1b0powa
@r_lifeprotips
LPT: When you're drafting an email, mention the recipients only after you have finalized your draft and it's ready to send.
I accidentally sent an unfinished email to someone just now because I was pressing the tab key but it ended up moving the active box thingy to the send button instead of putting tabs in the editor. This could've been easily avoided if I hadn't mentioned the recipient while I was still composing the mail.
https://redd.it/1b0ezoi
@r_lifeprotips
LPT: Adults makes friends the same way kids do. Instead of being forced into a class of your peers for hours a day you have to voluntarily seek out a hobby/club that meets regularly. This is because all relationships are a function of proximity, time, and shared experiences.
I see tons of posts on my local sub from young adults who are stressed about finding friends and creating a real support network post-college. While that's likely a symptom of greater societal issues like mental health, car-dependence, the pandemic, changing cultural norms etc. It's important to remember that all human relationships need a few crucial elements to form and it won't just happen naturally as an adult without consistent and planned effort.
https://redd.it/1b06i0u
@r_lifeprotips
LPT: As you're winding up an online chat with a customer service rep, turn on screen record and scroll through the whole conv.
I don't think I need to explain why you want a record.
Usually they offer no way for you to download the chat (even when they offer a way for you to upload to the chat 🙄 ), and print to pdf won't work, and some of the real winners will actually remove your access to the chat immediately upon ending the conversation. I once even asked for my chat transcript directly in a second chat, told them they were required to under CA law as it was my personal data, and they straight up refused. Skip all that and record it. If you wanna reread a particular part, just pause.
I bet y'all came up with other solutions, and maybe some are better than mine. If so please share! Couldn't find one when I searched the sub.
https://redd.it/1b02tx9
@r_lifeprotips
LPT: if you have underarm sweat no matter what you do, you may have hyperhydrosis
No matter what deodorant I tried, I'd have sweat stains under my arms and if it was actually hot the sides of my shirt would be soaked. It was socially crippling and impacted all of my social decisions and behaviors. I was prescribed something called drysol and it changed my life. It was really itchy and burning the first couple of uses but after that it was no big deal and now I use it maybe every 6 months. I never have sweat problems under my arms now. If you have this problem, try it out.
https://redd.it/1azx3wd
@r_lifeprotips
LPT: opening the blinds in your bedroom window to let sunlight in helps with your mood and is helpful in waking up earlier in the day
Where i live and the due to the winter season id keep the blinds always closed because it was always fog/ overcast. i didnt see the point in keeping the blinds open. The overcast sunlight felt like it was negatively affecting my mental health and id literally rather be in a dark room. But now that the sun is showing more, its nicer.
https://redd.it/1azsp03
@r_lifeprotips
LPT: If you find an old savings jar, don't cash the coins in immediately - check for rareities first
Coins that haven't been in circulation for many years may be legal tender - but it's also entirely possible there are some which either are rare - or which have become rare and have remained undiscovered. Always check before you cash them in.
https://redd.it/1azjh7n
@r_lifeprotips
LPT: when ordering nachos, get sour cream, guacamole, etc. on the SIDE: this means more nachos!
Cause the they’ll put more cheese and chips, etc. on the dish. And nachos will stay crispy longer, cause the wet add-ons aren’t sogging chips up :D 🧀
https://redd.it/1azhrvk
@r_lifeprotips
