I bought one of those tiny folding bag hooks for about $8 because I was tired of putting my purse on gross bathroom floors or balancing it on my lap at cafes. I honestly expected it to become another little object that lived at the bottom of my bag forever, but I use the stupid thing constantly. It hooks over the edge of a table or counter and my bag just hangs there instead of taking up a chair, falling over, or sitting in whatever mysterious substance is on the floor. Extremely unglamorous purchase, weirdly satisfying improvement.
It made me think about how some of my favorite purchases aren't the expensive "life changing" things people recommend online, they're cheap objects that remove one tiny annoyance I used to experience every single day. A decent lint roller that actually lives by the front door. A second phone charger permanently next to the couch. A little container in my bag for earrings when I get sick of wearing them halfway through the day. None of these things are exciting, but every time I use one I'm like... oh right, Past Me actually did something useful for once.
So I'm curious about the boring cheap purchases that genuinely earned their place in your life. Ideally under $20-ish and something you still use regularly, not a gadget that felt brilliant for three days and then disappeared into a drawer. What's yours?

I gained some weight (currently losing it hopefully it lasts) so my arms press up against my body trapping sweat and everything. I’m tired of having to wear a shirt only once and toss it in the wash or stink it up after like 1 hour of wear. Jackets and cardigans also smell. I’m so tired of it, I’ve tried anti perspirants but I’m guessing I’m not using it right. I shower daily and often wash up when I realize I’ve sweated a lot. Is there anything that can easily remove sweat smell from clothes. I’m scared too much washing will ruin them

Hey guys!

I genuinely need some advice because I'm not sure what to do anymore.
I work in customer service, and I've had multiple issues with my salary. We don't receive payslips, and the amount I get paid varies. I understand that we have different bonuses, but my position has a specific bonus as I mainly handle difficult cases and other unpleasant situations.

I constantly have to contact HR because I believe my salary is wrong. For example, I received 3,000 (I don’t have dollars) payment units in August and 2,983 in September, despite getting a promotion that should increase my salary by another 100 units. Whenever I ask HR about it, they give me vague explanations about bonuses from previous months without properly explaining how the amounts are calculated.(Today including the new promotion bonus I got 2943 and I can’t wrap my head around it )

I'm planning to contact them again to request a proper salary breakdown, but I also want to negotiate a raise. My supervisor recently quit, and the colleague who did essentially the same job as me also left, so I'm now handling a lot of the workload alone. I accepted my latest promotion partly because I expected my supervisor to stay, as she was amazing at her job and made things manageable. Now I'm feeling increasingly burned out.

My idea was to explain the situation, ask for a raise, and give them until the 25th to respond because I need to decide what to do next. The problem is that I was considering telling them I have another job offer and need to decide whether to accept it, even though I don't actually have an offer.

I've been considering leaving anyway, and I have enough savings to support myself for around six months, so quitting is a realistic option. Still, I feel guilty about lying to HR to put pressure on them, but I'm also exhausted from constantly questioning my salary and taking on more responsibilities without feeling properly compensated.

What would you do in my situation? Would you use the supposed job offer as leverage, or be honest about considering leaving and risk them not taking the request seriously? I'd really appreciate any advice!

I need a podcast that sounds like I’m listening to a FaceTime call from one of the girls!!

I drive most of the day so I’m tired of listening to the radio in my car 😭

Any recommendations?

I'm 29 and I've been single for eight and a half years. I never thought I'd be waiting this long. It's hard watching everyone around me seem to find love so fast, like it's easy for them and I'm just stuck here.I'm a college student with no job right now, I live with my family, and I don't really have friends to hang out with. So waiting is basically most of what I do. I like to read, but even that's been getting to me lately because every book has someone. Everyone has someone.I hate complaining about being single to my family because I feel like other people don't have this problem. I know I'm not entitled to a relationship and I worry I'm being bratty about it. I wish I was one of those people who just didn't care and lived their life.How do you deal with this? How do you stop making it the whole thing?

I’m 22 and I have struggled with my mental health for some years now so I’ve not had any success with building any skincare or hair care routines. I feel like I see so many videos online of all these women with very well put together routines that have aided in their perfect hair and skin. I also see women with these picture perfect plates of food and incredible regimens for exercise and eating. They seem to be so well put together and have things figured out.

I’m better about not comparing myself these days, but sometimes I still get really down on myself because I don’t feel like I’m as much of a woman as them. I feel happy with myself if I can muster up the energy to cook one decent meal a day or do my one step skin care routine. I want to build better habits and better routines, but I do feel very overwhelmed by all of the different routines and tips. Does anyone else struggle with these things and do you have any tips? I want to feel more feminine and put together I’m just not sure where to start.

Hi everyone!

I'm really excited about an upcoming trip with my friend I haven't seen in a long time. I'm 20 and she's 18 and I want to have lots of fun girls' nights! We're going to spend 2 weeks together in Korea right after she finishes writing her college entrance examination (Korean CSAT). I've been to a few girls' nights that my friends have planned but it will be my first time planning and I would love to know if anyone has any ideas as to what we should do!

I've already been to all of the main sightseeing attractions in Korea because my parents are Korean (although I live in America). So I'm not interested in sight seeing per say.

I'd love to exchange ideas with other girls who enjoy giving ideas for these kinds of things! What are some girls nights that you've done that have gone well? What suggestions would you give? 💗

I 19F have a friend 19F who is getting married next month.

I have never been in a relationship. I closed myself off to the thought of being in a relationship for so long that i don't know what it is like to find love. I've told myself that I don't have to worry about this for the mean time and it will just play its course. But it has really come to a head when I got found out that my good friend was engaged. I would joke that I knew that this existential crisis was going to hit but i didn't think it would be so soon. How do I mentally prepare for this?

More practical questions

What is a normal amount to gift, I don't have much

What colors should I avoid.

What should I expect

Any other tips would be appreciated :)

Long post, sorry in advance. This is a very specific and bizarre issue and I honestly have no idea what the best sub to post something like this would be, and it got removed from some of the therapy/psychology subreddits, so I apologize in advance if this doesn't fit here and would appreciate recommendations for a better sub to post this in. Long story short, I grew up socially awkward, excluded, and bullied, with parents who taught me weird social rules. I felt like I lacked the innate skills other kids had. In high school, I made friends who gave me a massive confidence boost, and my social skills completely transformed. Now at 22, I am normally confident, make friends easily, feel like I'm overall well-liked, and am completely comfortable with natural silences.

The problem is that ever since, I keep having recurring "flare-ups" lasting a few weeks to months. Out of nowhere, triggered by a minor awkward interaction or literally NO reason at all, my brain will randomly start doubting my social skills, which causes me to lose confidence, get anxious, become hyper-aware of silences, and act stiff and awkward. I lose my ability to joke around, relax, and make friends like I normally do. It's infuriating because logically, I know 100% that it's all in my head and this fear has zero rhyme or reason whatsoever. It literally makes no sense: I can literally just continue being who I am and it would be fine, but instead it's like a double-whammy where I not only become anxious and unconfident in my social skills (again, for absolutely no good reason), but also become this super awkward and inauthentic version of myself and end up just having awkward hangouts. It's so frustrating trying to make friends during these flare-ups because I know I could easily talk to them otherwise, but I keep shooting myself in the foot against my will.

Eventually, these resolve on their own and I’m fine for a while, but no matter how well I'm doing, another flare-up can strike out of nowhere and completely crumble my foundation. I’m sure this stems from childhood scars, bullying, and a fragile sense of self-worth, but regardless it's an ongoing issue. What is going on, how can I stop letting it impact me, is this constant cycling something I'll have to live with forever, and can therapy or anything else significantly help? If I'm not in a position to be able to easily afford therapy right now, does anyone have advice on what I can do?

The title already sums it all up…

What do you do with your vision board? Do you simply look at it? I’ve also seen people say you shouldn’t look at it… Do you look at it, close your eyes and visualize…. What do you do with it? How do you actually manifest it?

So, I swiped right on this guy on Tinder, and we hit it off. We got along, and we’re both freshmen at different colleges, which was cool. We started talking, and then he asked me on a date. The date went well: he paid, we walked around the city, and we talked. Afterward, I went home, and everything seemed fine.

Fast forward to our second date… He planned it, and we grabbed fast food before heading back to his dorm. We put on a movie and started cuddling. One thing led to another, and we had sex because I felt safe with him and trusted him.

It was a little awkward because I asked if he cared about the hair down there. He didn’t, but I felt like I made things awkward by asking. I also kept my shirt on during sex, and he seemed really shocked and confused about that. But overall, it was good, and afterward, I went home.

About three days later, he sent me a breakup text out of nowhere, saying we should see other people, that he didn’t want a relationship anymore, and that some differences between us made us incompatible.
It hurt because we’d both said we wanted a serious relationship, and I really liked him. I’m also a fashion model, and HE HAD SHOWN ME TO HIS FAMILY, AND THEY LITERALLY LIKED ME, which made this even more confusing.

Anyway, I’d appreciate any tips for moving on. I’m getting over it, but damn, that was hard for me…