How to save lots of money on big purchases?

How to save lots of money on big purchases?

TL;DR: So, if you plan to buy something of high value: Have patience. Do price comparisons. Do research. Visit at least two places. Consider being aggressive in negotiations. Through surveying more than 1,400 car buyers, Silva-Risso and his co-authors, Fiona Scott Morton, of Yale University, and Florian Zettelmeyer, of Northwestern University, found buyers could save about $800 if they find out what a dealer pays for a car, visit two dealerships, like to bargain and like to do research and price comparisons before making a purchase. The research also found that a consumer who doesn’t like to bargain or do a lot of research can save $230 by doing just two things: finding out what the dealer pays for the car and visiting two dealerships. “This really shows that even the consumer who doesn’t like to bargain can get the price reduced if they are informed,” Silva-Risso said. “And, if they are aggressive, and like bargaining, they can save even more. Source & More details: How to save $800 on a new car | EurekAlert! Science News »

Despre blender – ar trebui să folosești așa ceva (pentru suc de fructe, sau mix de legume tocate mărunt)?

Despre blender - ar trebui să folosești așa ceva (pentru suc de fructe, sau mix de legume tocate mărunt)?

“Blending, however, does chop fiber into smaller pieces.  How this affects its activity in the body depends on what kind of fiber we’re talking about. An article Lee dug up for me in The Journal of Food Science  notes that grinding up wheat bran reduces its ability to hold water, which presumably decreases its effectiveness in promoting regularity. In fact, one study found that supplementing the diet with very finely ground wheat bran actually caused constipation!

Oat bran on the other hand soaks up more water when you reduce the particle size. There’s also some research suggesting that grinding up vegetable fiber into smaller pieces makes it more effective in reducing cholesterol.

So, I don’t know that we can say that blending “destroys” fiber. But we can certainly conclude that blending “changes” fiber in foods and how they affect the body. Based on my brief tour through the literature, I think I would avoid putting wheat bran in my smoothie.  Flax seed, on the other hand, is really only useful as a source of fiber if you grind it (or chew it up really well). Coarsely ground flax appears to be slightly more effective than finely ground flax…so don’t overdo it.

[…]

I’m afraid there’s no simple answer. Blending or juicing foods can make certain nutrients more absorbable.  It may decrease the effectiveness of some fibers but increase the effectiveness of others. Honestly, I think this falls into the (rather large) category of things that probably aren’t worth worrying about.”  (sursa afirmațiilor e discutabilă, dar aproape fiecare afirmație din articol e pe bază de studii; ai în articol multe surse »)

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Weighty Matters: Use the 95:5 Rule To Forever Ignore All Further Healthy Living Advice

Focus 95% of your healthy living energies on: Cooking your meals from fresh whole ingredients while minimizing restaurant meals and ultra-processed foods (and remember too “minimize” is a relative term and one that you can continually improve upon but need not start at awesome), and then eating those meals free from distractions and ideally with friends or family. Exercising as often and as much as you can enjoy, and ideally more days of the week than not, while still remembering if all you can find are short bursts, they’re good too. Not smoking Cultivating good night sleeps (dark, cool and quiet rooms, no screens right before bed, set sleep times, no caffeine past noon, rare alcohol within 3 hours of bed time would be a good start) When indulging, asking first if it’s worth it, and second what’s the smallest amount you need to be happy? Drinking alcohol only in moderation (1 daily for women, 2 for men) Nurturing your friendships and relationships (source & more: Weighty Matters: Use the 95:5 Rule To Forever Ignore All Further Healthy Living Advice)

How to start your mornings? Take cold shower!

How to start your mornings? Take cold shower!

Take A Cold Shower Tony Robbins starts every morning by jumping into a 57-degree Fahrenheit swimming pool. Why would he do such a thing? Cold water immersion radically facilitates physical and mental wellness. When practiced regularly, it provides long-lasting changes to your body’s immune, lymphatic, circulatory and digestive systems that improve the quality of your life. It can also increase weight-loss because it boosts your metabolism. A 2007 research study found that taking cold showers routinely can help treat depression symptoms often more effectively than prescription medications. That’s because cold water triggers a wave of mood-boosting neurochemicals which make you feel happy. 8 Things Every Person Should Do Before 8 A.M. — Medium

Ce device să îți cumperi pentru a naviga pe Internet 10 ore pe săptămână?

Ce device să îți cumperi pentru a naviga pe Internet 10 ore pe săptămână?

Am un amic care vrea să cumpere un device pentru a naviga pe Internet aproximativ 5-20 de ore pe săptămână, undeva în marja asta.

Aparent, toate drumurile duc fie la . Dacă mai cauți un pic, găsești netbook-uri » (un exponent al cărora sunt Chromebook-urile »).

Vă provoc un pic în articolul ăsta, și vă zic că, deși niciuna din lucrurile de mai sus nu e o alegere neapărat greșită, ai opțiuni mai bune (OK, și răspund și amicului meu, fie!, m-ați prins).

Eris Stassi - Internet, 5 minutes, $1.00, https://flic.kr/p/4L9d99
Eris Stassi – Internet, 5 minutes, $1.00, https://flic.kr/p/4L9d99

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Ce faci cu telefonul vechi? Îl transformi într-o cameră de supraveghere video!

Ce faci cu telefonul vechi? Îl transformi într-o cameră de supraveghere video!

Tehnologia ne uimeste de la o zi la alta, oferind dispozitive din ce in ce mai complexe si mai interesante, care ne atrag ca un magnet. Este normal, asadar, ca odata la cateva luni sa renuntam la vechile dispozitive mobile pentru a achizitiona unele noi si performante. De cele mai multe ori, telefoanele, tabletele si laptopurile care sunt inlocuite ajung sa ocupe loc intr-un sertar, fara a se face cu nimic utile. De vandut, sunt greu de vandut iar o alta utilitate este destul de greu de gasit.

Din fericire, exista oameni cu imaginatie bogata, care le-au gasit o utilitate: aceea de camera de supraveghere video.

Wrote - Orange Surveillence, https://flic.kr/p/ahiaRi
Wrote – Orange Surveillence, https://flic.kr/p/ahiaRi

 

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How to search for exact Skype ID, not Skype name?

How to search for exact Skype ID, not Skype name?

Let’s say you want to search for someone on Skype, and that person gives you his/her Skype ID. You search for it. The trouble is, if that person has a name which is common, you will get lots of results. How do you know, when having the exact ID of a person, which of the names in the list are the ones you are looking for?

I found the solution online.

Malthe Sigurdsson - What is Skype?, https://flic.kr/p/c4XjB
Malthe Sigurdsson – What is Skype?, https://flic.kr/p/c4XjB

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Lifehacker: “Make Any Cocktail Taste Better by Adding a Pinch of Salt”

In his new book, Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail, author and mixologist Dave Arnold reveals the secret ingredient for any perfect cocktail: salt. Just stirring in a pinch will cause the other flavors to pop. Because of the way salt interacts with your taste buds, the sweet ingredients will taste a little sweeter, the sour ingredients will be a little more sour, and your tongue won’t register the saltiness at all. It’s the same reason you put a very small amount of salt in pastries or ice cream. Just make sure it’s only a pinch and whatever cocktail you’re making will taste better than ever. Make Any Cocktail Taste Better by Adding a Pinch of Salt