That week I tried to live on $20 for groceries and my stomach still hasn't forgiven me.

I bought a giant bag of rice, a bag of onions, and a single can of beans, and ate plain rice with fried onions for dinner three nights in a row before I caved and bought eggs.

Tried the 'free coffee grounds for garden fertilizer' tip from a budget blog. My entire backyard now smells like a Starbucks dumpster.

I finally listened to a homeowner who called my wire runs 'spaghetti art'

They pointed at a panel I did in their garage and said, 'It works, but my cat could do a better job organizing that mess.' I started using numbered zip ties and a label maker for every bundle, and now my panels look like a wiring diagram. Anyone have a better system for keeping things neat when you're in a hurry?

My book club used to pick books by voting, now we just read what the host wants

For two years, we voted on three choices each month, and it felt fair. Last fall, our host in Denver just started announcing her pick a week before the meeting. She said it was 'to save time,' but it means we're stuck with her favorite dense historical fiction every other month. I miss finding new authors together. Has your group ever had one person take over the picks?

Tried the 'freeze your jeans to clean them' hack for a year and the before-and-after difference is just a pair of stiff, weird-smelling pants.

After 12 months of avoiding the wash, my favorite denim went from slightly worn to a frozen, crunchy science project that my roommate said 'smells like a damp basement' and now I need actual cleaning advice.

A quick trick for verifying D-sub pinouts that saved me a headache

I keep seeing guys skip the pinout verification step on 37-pin connectors before they mate them, assuming the shell keying is enough. I caught a swapped power and ground pair on a G1000 LRU install last Tuesday because I always buzz out pins 1 and 20 first with a multimeter. Anyone have a faster method they like for this?

Changed my mind about starting with Python

I was sure you had to begin with something like C to really get how computers work. Then I watched a free course on YouTube that built a simple game in a day, and it just clicked. What's a good second language after you get the basics down?

I was at a truck pull in Knoxville and saw a guy run his 6.7 Powerstroke with a cracked intercooler pipe for three passes. The way it sputtered made me rethink every 'it'll be fine' I've ever said.

Update: Sending out my messy draft felt like dropping a brick

Honestly, I kept that horror short story hidden on my computer for weeks. Tbh, the characters were flat and the ending made no sense. Ngl, I hit send on the email to my critique partner with my eyes closed. Her reply pointed out the good parts too, not just the bad. Now I get why people say to just share the thing.

Tbh, the local flea market's prices have doubled since last year.

Is it still worth it or are garage sales the new budget spot? Weigh in.