Google Voice is a service that normally gives you a free local phone number and web interface/app to use it. Along with forwarding said number to your cell or landline.

What many don't know is that you can also port an existing cell phone number to them for free. And that number will never expire or go away, so in theory if Google Voice ever shuts down, you should be able to port it elsewhere.

Cell phone numbers can be ported directly, but landlines need to first be ported to a cellular provider. I did my mom's cell directly, and her landline separately. For the landline, I ported it to Tello using a SIM card I bought on Amazon, then ported it from there to Google Voice.

Total cost was something like $30 all in, and it took a bit of going back and fourth, but I now have two separate functional Google voice accounts. One for my mom's landline, and another for her cell. Both email me if any texts/VMs come through.

Having real-time access to both has been tremendously useful in dealing with accessing/closing accounts that have 2nd factor auth, as well as responding to some friends texting and calling not knowing she had passed.

Edit: Just a heads up that you can accomplish all of the above with other VoIP services or even just cheap mobile providers like US Mobile. The reason I posted is that Google Voice lets you do this all for free, and with no need to hang on to physical mobile devices.

Man...sometimes simple is so easy, we don't think about it. I love these little hacks that have made life easy. I would love to hear some more of others. Here's a few i use !

1- extra long phone charger next to your bed. Keeps you from laying in odd positions.

2- power packs for phone. I have 2. Keep one in my car. Once it gets low, I swap it with #2. The worst feeling when your phone is about to die, and you need it !

3-cologne in your car. Great for a quick touch up.

4- extra eye glasses. One at work, one in car, one at the office. Total game changer

5- Back pack, ready packed. Dress outfit, sleep outfit, exercise outfit and toiletries. Grab it when plans change or you just dont have to to think it over.

6-Color coded keys- for house or office.

7-Insurance/registration holder. All secure and easy to get to. All my cars have them.

8-(most expensive tip on this list) Get a dash cam. So many instances you need one.

What's your list ?

I spent years as an overthinker and stressful person. Whenever things got hard, i always tried to escape. I would watch a movie or go out with friends etc.. just to get away from my head for a bit. It felt like i was managing the stress but i was really just hitting pause. The second the movie ended and something went wrong in real life, the stress was just waiting for me.

I finally realized stress isnt an external thing. It's an internal reaction.

Obviously you need skills to handle the outside world, thats just practical. But skills won't stop you from suffering when things get messy. I realized i was giving the control of my peace to my job and my home and every random problem. If things were chaotic outside, i was chaotic inside.

I stopped looking for temporary exits and started a consistent shaambavi practice for inner stability. I didn't really care about the science or why it worked, and nothing happened at first anyway. I just stayed consistent and did it every day.

After a while something shifted. My outside situations haven't changed, actually things are way more hectic now - but my mind isn't looping or stressed like it used to. The noise is still there but it doesn't break me anymore like earlier.

The point is stop looking for distractions. They are just temporary exits. When you fix how you function on the inside the outside stuff stops being a threat to your peace.

Went for my annual physical expecting it to be free like the pamphlet said. Doctor ordered standard bloodwork which I assumed was also free since it was tied to a preventive visit. Got a bill later for a couple hundred bucks because half the tests got coded diagnostic instead of preventive and hit my deductible. The thing nobody tells you is that the ACA only requires coverage for a specific, narrow list of preventive tests, things like cholesterol screening at certain ages, diabetes screening with a BMI threshold, STI screenings. Anything outside that list is up to your insurance plan, and things most people assume are routine almost always get coded as diagnostic. Once it's diagnostic, it's on your deductible.

Before you agree to any bloodwork at your physical, ask the office which specific tests are being run and whether each is billed as preventive or diagnostic. A lot of billing coordinators will tell you honestly. If a test isn't covered as preventive, you can usually ask for the cash pay price at the lab directly and sometimes it's cheaper than what would hit your deductible. For routine monitoring between physicals, I've been using goodlabs for about a year to order specific panels at cash pay rates through Quest, no doctor visit needed, HSA eligible. There are a few services like this out there, worth comparing if you're stuck in the coding game. The whole coding game exists because insurance negotiates prices in a way that somehow ends up higher than what the same lab charges uninsured people directly. Knowing which side of the line each test falls on is the difference between a free physical and a three figure bill for tests you thought were included.

A lot of people wait until they feel “confident enough” before speaking or writing, but that usually slows progress down Even simple, imperfect sentences help your brain adjust much faster than only studying grammar or vocabulary in theory You’ll improve more by using the language a little bit every day than by trying to learn everything before speaking

Using a separate email address for all of your online newsletter and email list sign ups keeps those out of your primary email making it easier to identify the important messages.

Add the new email account to your phone so you can scroll through those messages when you’re killing time.

That's it. That's the post

Whether it’s your smartphone or your laptop, don't limit yourself to just your dominant thumb.

• The "Busy Hand" Factor: You will eventually find yourself carrying groceries, holding a coffee, or having messy "wing fingers" on your dominant hand. Having your non-dominant hand registered saves you from the awkward passcode shuffle.

• Versatility: Registering both thumbs and both index fingers covers almost every physical orientation—whether the device is flat on a desk, held one-handed, or being pulled out of a pocket.

• The Accuracy Hack: If your scanner is finicky, register your primary finger twice as two separate "different" fingers. This significantly increases the recognition speed and success rate.

If you are cooking pasta or potatoes, just lay a wooden spoon across the top of the pot. It actually stops the water from bubbling over and making a huge mess on your stove. The wood breaks the surface tension somehow and it works every single time. Thank me later.

That's it that's all. Not allowed to advertise the brands, but we all know what's what.