Had to choose between a 401k loan and a personal loan to fix my roof last spring. Went with the 401k option.

My grocery bill was a mystery for way too long

I used to just grab stuff and hope for the best at checkout. Then last month, my partner asked me how much we actually spent on food, and I had no clue. I started writing down every single thing I bought for two weeks. Seeing it all on paper was a shock, especially the $75 just on snacks and drinks. Now I use a basic app to track it, and we're saving about $60 a week. Anyone else get a wake-up call from just writing things down?

Remember when we had to choose between a razor cut or shears for a shag?

Back in the late 90s, my mentor gave me a choice on my first big shag cut: learn with a straight razor or stick with my shears. I picked the razor, and it was a mess for the first six months. I nicked a few ears and had some very unhappy clients with uneven layers. But I stuck with it, and now that textured, lived-in look is back in style. Anyone else have a tool they struggled to learn that's now a go-to?

I saw a huge pile of food waste at a festival in Austin and it made me start composting at home.

Now I keep a small bin under my sink and it's cut our regular trash by like a third, anyone else find a simple switch that actually worked?

On icy dives, green lubes can jam, but regular ones might harm the sea. Debate: which way should we go?

Vent: Our book club debate got way too personal last week

We were discussing a character's motives in the latest pick. In my experience, one member took criticism of the character as a personal attack. It led to some harsh words and an early end to the meeting. Your mileage may vary, but how do you keep debates about books from getting personal? I'd appreciate any tips.

Shoutout to the time I threw out my back hoisting a motor

Man, I was replacing an old motor last Tuesday and my back just gave out. It's been days and I'm still walking like I'm eighty. I mean, you think about all the weird positions we get into, right? But seriously, how do you guys deal with this without popping pills all day? Maybe I need to start doing more stretches or something.