Setting Up Your Home Office

Home ownership is a key goal for many Americans despite the financial and environmental challenges posed in today's real estate market—and the transition from renting an apartment to owning a house is, in itself, a challenge in many ways. One of those challenges is adjusting your approach to furnishing and decorating your living spaces, especially if you’re going from a small rental to a large house. Decking out a house you own can be a different experience from making a rental into a comfortable space because the scale is different: Budgets have to be bigger because you’re usually filling more space, purchases tend to be more long-term because you’re not sweating the en…

Whether it's because of dietary restrictions, because you accidentally left them off the grocery list, or—I don't know—the price tag got too high, eggless desserts are a great thing to have in your baking arsenal. While you can try and replicate puddings, cakes, custards, and meringues with vegan ingredients, they can sometimes come up short when compared to the original. Luckily, there are many desserts that don’t call for any eggs to begin with. Never did. Here are my favorite egg-free desserts that are sure to satisfy every sweet tooth at your table. Strawberry shortcake …

When I think of Nothing (the phone company), I think of value. The Nothing Phone 3a, for example, is $379, but it doesn't feel like it: It looks cool, it performs well, and checks many of the boxes you'd expect from a phone that costs twice as much, if not more. These phones aren't perfect, of course, and are missing some features that the best iPhones, Pixels, and Galaxies might have. But that's kind of the point: The company cuts features that most users don't want or need at this price point, while offering features that many "budget" phones often omit. In a world of expensive flagships, it's cool to see a company continue to prioritize a premium smartphone experience…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. In the same way that cranking up blues music can serve as a balm to a troubled soul, sinking into a deeply sad movie can be just the thing to give you a sense of catharsis. After all, everyone loves a good wallow once in a while—and in an era of highly calculated blockbusters designed not to offend anyone, it’s oddly refreshing to watch a movie that’s unafraid to make you feel bad. It takes more than a mere unhappy ending to join the ranks of the all-time most depressing movies, however. These flicks favor a pervasive sense of existential gloom, whether they are drawing attention to the plight of people facing unimaginable…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. The final months of 2024 saw the release of two major cinematic works, each laser focused on design and architecture. While very different films (that is, one Oscar-nominated, one Razzie-nominated), each is monumental in its own right. First came Francis Ford Coppola's decades-in-the-making sci-fi drama Megalopolis, following a visionary architect, played by Adam Driver, who dreams of transforming the future city of New Rome into a utopian paradise with the help of a magical metal. Critics were not kind to Coppola's film, but a much warmer reception greeted Brady Corbet's The Brutalist, a more down-to-earth but no less ep…

Rice noodle dishes are some of the most popular at Asian restaurants—pad see ew, pad Thai, pho, and mei fun—but cooking them at home can be tricky if you’re not familiar with their quirks. Don’t worry, though: None of the steps involved are that complex, and once you know how to handle rice noodles, you'll likely be able to use them in any dish without running into problems with them ever again. Here are three of my favorite tips for cooking rice noodles and avoiding a mushy mess. What are rice noodles?Rice noodles can be dry or fresh. They’re made by grinding fermented rice and water down into a paste, from which noodles are shaped and then dried. Once dry, they have a …

There are benefits to training in heart rate zone 2, and you’ve probably heard all about them. But what happens when your heart rate spikes into zone 3, whether when you're on a run or doing cardio at the gym? Surprise: You don’t lose the benefits of zone 2 training. Zone 3 is arguably just as good for you, or maybe even better. Remember, the reason people are excited about zone 2 training is that it helps you build your aerobic base and burn calories without incurring much fatigue. Guess what zone 3 training also does? Yep, it helps you build your aerobic base, burn even more calories, and usually only incur a tiny bit more fatigue than zone 2. So why aren’t we all doing…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. In this age of digital distraction, streaming services have given us easy access to thousands of films from across the last century. I never need to rewatch a movie again! And yet here I am, queuing up Back to the Future for the nth time. Because sometimes, you just want a known quantity, and some movies seem designed to be watched again and again. Others simply go down so agreeably that you can't help but find them comforting. The pop culture critic Sarah D. Bunting has a name for these endlessly rewatchable flicks: "poppy-fields movies." Like the enchanted flowers outside the palace in The Wizard of Oz (see below), you c…

It's officially tax season. After filing your 2024 federal tax return—ideally for free—you're probably eager to get some money back. The IRS expects more than 140 million individual tax returns for tax year 2024 to be filed ahead of the Tuesday, April 15 federal deadline. Luckily, the IRS makes it easy to check the status of your refund online. Here's everything you need to know to track your 2024 federal tax refund. Wait at least 24 hours after filing The IRS needs time to process your tax return, so you'll have to be patient before checking your refund status. If you e-filed, you can check as soon as 24 hours after the IRS received your tax return. For paper returns, yo…

It's officially tax season. While you're probably eligible to file your taxes for free, with so many options available, it can be overwhelming to choose the right service. Here are some of the most popular tax filing services, their pros and cons, and who they might be best suited for. Intuit TurboTax TurboTax is one of the most well-known and widely used tax filing services. It offers a range of options, from free filing for simple returns to more comprehensive packages for those with more complex tax situations. Pros: User-friendly interface and step-by-step guidance Extensive help resources, including live support Ability to import data from previous years or employers…

Thanks to a tight market, sky-high prices, and elevated interest rates, the path to home ownership is more littered with obstacles than ever, but buying property remains a key goal for most Americans—nearly 70% of us still consider it part of the American Dream. But as much as you might think you want it, it's important to weigh all the financial and emotional factors that go into buying a huge. While it sounds impossible, considering the size of the commitment, it's surprisingly easy to get so focused on the anxiety of never being able to find the right house that you buy the wrong house for the wrong reasons. If you don’t want to wind up with a money pit or a house tha…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Heading out to a dazzling restaurant for a lovely meal is certainly the traditional option for a memorable Valentine’s Day, but I've heard more complaints of plans gone awry rather than romantic stories. There are many stress points: reserving a table weeks in advance, unpredictable restaurant atmosphere, holiday price gouging, not to mention that you might get rushed out the door because the place is trying to turn over tables on a tight schedule. Luckily, eating out is hardly the only option for treating yourself (or your valentine) on February 14. Here are nine of my favorite alternatives to dining out at a restaurant …

Moving is famously one of the most stressful things you can do. Not only is it a ton of work and a major financial expense, but you're dealing with the weight of leaving behind one home and starting fresh in another. It's a burden on your calendar, your wallet, and your emotions. Whether you are relocating for a new job, moving in with a partner (or moving away from one after a breakup), or just need a change of scenery, you should take the opportunity to appreciate (if not relish) the momentous event—and not be filled with dread, stress, and regret throughout the process. If you're looking to pull off the smoothest, least painful move ever, follow these five essential s…

If you’ve noticed water dripping from or pooling under your fridge, there's no need to panic (right away). There are some basic troubleshooting steps you can take to diagnose the problem, and you might even be able to fix it yourself. If your fridge is leaking, here are five problems to check for before calling a professional–and how to fix them before your trickle becomes a flood. Damaged door sealYour refrigerators has a big, rubberized gasket that seals the outer edges of the door and maintains the proper moisture inside the fridge. If it's dirty, cracked, or damaged, it can allow air to flow between the interior and exterior of the fridge, causing water to condense in…

Push-ups are a classic exercise to build strength even when you don't have gym equipment available, but not everybody can bang out rep after rep—sometimes you have to work on other exercises to build the strength to start doing push-ups. This is what I'll guide you through today. And if you remember those knee pushups from gym class—well, those are okay, but they aren't your best option. To do knee push-ups, you place your knees on the ground (or on a cushion, if that's more comfortable) and otherwise do the standard push-up motion. Knee push-ups are better than nothing, but they have a few downsides compared to other types of push-ups. The main one is that they are a lo…

Getting out of bed—switching from the coziness of sleep to the jarring reality of the day—can be a challenge for anyone. But, as the saying goes, there's an app for that. Or, in this case, several apps—ones that go above and beyond the default options in Android and iOS to make sure you wake up when you need to. From alarms that get you to complete a challenge—and fully regain consciousness—before they'll turn off, to alarms that are timed to fit in with your natural circadian rhythm, there's plenty of choice when it comes to getting some assistance in starting the day. Alarmy Alarmy gives yo…

It’s been years since Apple launched their “there’s an app for that” campaign, but in that time, it's only become more accurate. Apps truly have become ubiquitous: You have apps to help you work out efficiently and apps to save money at your favorite coffee shop, and with spring cleaning around the corner, you might as well have one (or several) to help you tidy your home. No app can do the work for you, but a good one can motivate or guide you. The one that will best serve your needs will depend on how you prefer to tackle unpleasant or tedious tasks. If you like to-do lists: SpotlessSpotless helps you break down cleaning tasks by room. You can make a separate to-do l…

If you own a car, you own a long list of necessary maintenance and potentially expensive repairs, especially if your goal is to keep an old car going for as long as possible. The average car maintenance and repair costs run around 10 cents a mile—or close to $1,500 a year if you drive an average of 15,000 miles. And surprise repairs can be a lot worse than that—like a new transmission (typically more than $5,000) or a new head gasket (around $2,000). If you know your way around a vehicle, you can save some money by doing your own repairs. But if you’re not the DIY type, there's still some hope: You might be able to get free (or very low-cost) maintenance and repair work d…

My Spotify liked-songs playlist is not exactly listenable on shuffle; there are simply too many genres and moods in there. Luckily, there's now Liked Songs Manager—an online service that automatically sorts your liked songs into playlists based on whatever criteria you like: genre, decade, or even mood. To get started, head to Liked Songs Manager and sign in using your Spotify account. You'll then see a list of criteria you can use to create playlists. I recommend first clicking the Analyze songs per playlists at the top of the screen—this will show you how many songs in your liked list are available in each category. You can then browse the categories and check any that …

Fans of Apple TV+'s Severance, your day is about to be improved: Apple has released eight chapters of The You You Are, the fictional self-help book by Dr. Ricken Lazlo Hale that is central to the plot of the show. If you want to read it, you can even download it for free, or listen to the audiobook version, narrated by Ricken himself (actor Michael Chernus). The brief excerpts from The You You Are that have appeared in Severance are among the funniest bits in the show, but the book as released isn't just for laughs: It's also a great representation of how propaganda works, both in the Severance universe and in real life. In the "outie" world of the show, The You You Are…

The cold weather has had me putting my Dutch oven through its paces the past couple weeks with a succession of stews, breads, and soups. Everything I make just seems to come out better during the winter, maybe because the thick cast iron emanates warmth long after I turn off the flame, or because removing the lid of the heavy pot always feels like opening a treasure chest. Whatever the reason, every meal has more than satisfied. This week, I tried out my crispy chicken and rice recipe, and I’d like to encourage you to do the same. Chicken and rice is one of those rare dishes with countless iterations from across the world. It’s an undeniably comforting combination, and i…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. The LG C3 65-inch Evo OLED TV, featured in Lifehacker's Best Budget OLED TVs to Buy in 2025, is now available for $1,196.99, down from $1,499.99—its lowest price ever on Amazon, according to price trackers. LG C3 Series 65-Inch Class OLED TV $1,196.99 at Walmart $2,499.99 …

It's Android security patch time again, and in the Android Security Bulletin for February 2025, Google has addressed 47 different bugs affecting its mobile operating system—one of which "may be under limited, targeted exploitation." In other words, hackers may already be taking advantage of it in the wild. As usual, the patches here cover all kinds of different issues, from attacks that could take advantage of the AutoFill function on Android, to exploits in Qualcomm chips that could create corruptions in the memory on a device. Each bug is ranked in terms of its severity, and linked to a particular part of the system. Google doesn't offer too much detail about potential …

We may earn a commission from links on this page. I've looked into everything coming to Max this month, and the below TV shows and movies are the best of the bunch, or at least the most interesting. The premiere of the third season of HBO's beloved dark comedy series The White Lotus tops the list—everyone will be watching this one. There's also a new season of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and the premiere of Common Side Effects, an animated drama series that looks fascinating. The White Lotus, Season 3 Mike White's Emmy-winning series The White Lotus is the best. Its mix of biting commentary on wealth and privilege, well-drawn (but nearly always reprehens…

We may earn a commission from links on this page. When you're packing to move, you have a lot to keep in mind. You may want to think of how to minimize costs and how to get rid of all your extra junk, but what about packing in a way that makes unpacking easier? Few things are more annoying than getting to your new home and needing a specific object—where the heck is that screwdriver?—only to find that your past self's haphazard packing job made things difficult on your current self. You want your transition into your new space to be smooth and even enjoyable, to the extent it can be. Here are some tips to make sure not just that the packing process is easy—but the unpack…