[chronicallydisabled]

Plastic straws were originally invented as a medical device to improve accessibility. This is a great example of the social model of disability. Because plastic straws were made widely available, something that was considered an "assistive" device was then considered a normal, every-day use device. With the plastic straw debate, we risk medicalizing plastic straws once more. This means that people will have to prove their need for plastic straws (which they shouldn't have to). Not only that, but it will be an extra step for disabled people to obtain a product that they need. When these "medical devices" are normalized and integrated into society, they cease to become assistive devices. Instead, we reach an accessible world where everybody is able to participate freely. I am going to be doing some essays on the history of plastic straws and its relation to disabled people. I plan on going quite in depth to the straw debate and the social model of disability. I will be posting these writings to my Patreon as I work on them. For as little as $3/month you can get anywhere from 2-4 pieces of writing from me on this topic (and other topics) on my patreon: www.patreon.com/kaylejh

[beeth0ven]

illiterate dairy maid in 1750, hundreds of years before germ theory was even thought of: because of my exposure to cowpox, im immune to smallpox. if we expose people to cowpox, they won’t die of smallpox

upper middle class college educated mother with internet living in the year of our lord 2018: vaccines are the devils handiwork and a conspiracy i’d rather my child die of polio than be the autism

[chronicallydisabled]

CHEAP TRANSCRIBING SERVICES

Hey everyone!

I wanted to share a new service that I am offering: transcribing services. My suggested rate is $1/audio minute (so a 5 minute clip would be $5). However, it’s on a sliding scale. If you cannot afford to pay this price, then we can discuss options! Also, you pay me AFTER I do the service. This way, if you’re not happy with it, you don’t have to pay!

I am doing this to raise money for medical bills, but also to promote accessibility.

Please contact me at [email protected] to inquire!

[spoonieofmayo]

List of things I have to think about that able people don’t:

When they can eat in the morning (I have to wait for a specific time after taking my meds)

Can I manage a shower!? 

Walking up stairs, oh god the stairs 

Leaving the house to go to the shop around the corner

“If I meet a friend today, will I be okay for the thing I have to do in two days time”

Simply being able to roll over in bed

Being able to put together a basic meal (including “easy” things like sandwiches)

Having to have emergency food for when you cannot make it to the kitchen

Hope can I escape this mind-numbing boredom without moving?

I have 4 days to finish this essay, if I have a crash or a flare what can I do?

How can I relieve the neck and back ache I have from always lying down while continuing to lie down

Here’s just a short list of things, add your own! 

[thedisabledhippie]

Make sure to include EVERYONE in your pride. Disabled individuals matter. WE ARE HERE AND WE ARE QUEER 🏳️‍🌈💖💙

[chronicallydisabled]

😍

[chronicallydisabled]

VISUALLY IMPAIRED PERSON DENIED ENTRY TO THE STONEWALL INN

Some time last week (the video was published on Wednesday, June 4), a visually impaired person, now identified as Lynn Zelvin, and their friends went out to The Stonewall Inn to celebrate Pride month. The video that was posted to Youtube shows Lynn with her service dog, and the security guard at the main entrance demanding to see “the card” – presumably their idea of some sort of service animal identification. The issue is, this identification does not exist. And even if it did, it is illegal to ask for any documentation.

There are two questions that a public place is allowed to ask you in regards to your service animal. These questions are:

1. Is this animal a service animal?

2. What service is this animal trained to do?

Nobody is allowed to ask you what your disability is. Nobody is allowed to ask you for proof of your disability. It is illegal to do so. It is also illegal to deny somebody entrance.

Continue reading to see The Stonewall Inn’s response to this incident.

Many people have attempted to reach The Stonewall Inn for comment, including myself. Originally, The Stonewall released a statement stating that they are taking steps to ensure that “our security company is made aware that this particular employee must be educated on our policies.” They continue saying that “we will insist that everyone affiliated with Stonewall understands the laws regarding service dogs.”

Here’s the problem with this apology: after Lynn’s friends went inside to find a manager to discuss the situation, the manager responded that he just “[doesn’t] want dogs in here.” The statement that Stonewall released, however, heavily implied that all problematic interactions happened between the patron and the third-party security team.

The manager was and is just as culpable. 

I sent an email to The Stonewall demanding that management takes more responsibility for the incident. This is the response that I got back:

Image Description: screenshot of an email sent from the co-owner of The Stonewall Inn to myself. The text reads:

“I wanted to reach out regarding the email you sent as I am one of the co-owners of the Stonewall Inn and handle our media and marketing. We are aware of the ADA laws and have trained our staff and management regarding this issue. We have not been made aware of other incidences where service dogs were turned away and have them often in the bar. We do take this matter very seriously and are not trying to deny responsibility but just stated that we would work harder to make sure that all involved and especially the security company we use was made aware of the incident and would ensure us their staff was trained properly. The manager did not or would not say we don’t care about the law we just don’t want dogs in the building so I think that their [sic] are few facts being exaggerated in the twitter universe and some miscommunication about what the manager said that evening. We will continue to educate our staff and management on ADA laws and have reached out to the person involved and issued a personal apology. Thank you.

Sent from my iPhone”

Essentially, there is blatant denial that the management at The Stonewall Inn had anything to do with the incident despite there being video evidence of a manager explicitly being made aware that his actions were illegal, and him saying he didn’t care. I promptly emailed them back reminding them that there was a video recording of the entire incident.

I have not received any response.

I have also messaged them on Facebook a few times. All messages have been read, but I have received no response.

DISABLED LGBTQ+ PEOPLE DESERVE BETTER. 

Please try and continue to hold The Stonewall Inn responsible for their illegal actions and discriminatory practices against disabled patrons.

UPDATE

The Stonewall Inn has sent me this response through Facebook. Seems like it is coming from a different person, so I am not quite sure how to feel about it. Here is the text:

“Dear Kayle,

Thank you for your message. We appreciate your concern in this matter. We, the owners of the Stonewall, take full responsibility for this incident. What happened was wrong- it never should have happened, and for that, we take full responsibility.

While this incident involved our staff and our contracted security, the ultimate responsibility lies with us, the owners. As such, we will continue to provide ongoing training in ADA to our staff and all contractors that we utilize. We intend to ensure that all staff are well-trained enough that this will not happen again.

We have also reached out to the individual who was impacted by this event to offer our heartfelt apologies. We know that this person has been to Stonewall before with their service dog, so we were deeply troubled by the events that unfolded that evening. We conveyed our apologies and have also worked with this individual and others to offer an upcoming event that will be open not just to our staff, but also to the staff of other LGBTQ establishments in the area to offer education on ADA and sensitivity to and support for those with disabilities.

Thank you for your concern.

The Stonewall Inn”

[chronicallydisabled]

VISUALLY IMPAIRED PERSON DENIED ENTRY TO THE STONEWALL INN

Some time last week (the video was published on Wednesday, June 4), a visually impaired person, now identified as Lynn Zelvin, and their friends went out to The Stonewall Inn to celebrate Pride month. The video that was posted to Youtube shows Lynn with her service dog, and the security guard at the main entrance demanding to see “the card” -- presumably their idea of some sort of service animal identification. The issue is, this identification does not exist. And even if it did, it is illegal to ask for any documentation.

There are two questions that a public place is allowed to ask you in regards to your service animal. These questions are:

1. Is this animal a service animal?

2. What service is this animal trained to do?

Nobody is allowed to ask you what your disability is. Nobody is allowed to ask you for proof of your disability. It is illegal to do so. It is also illegal to deny somebody entrance.

Continue reading to see The Stonewall Inn’s response to this incident.

Many people have attempted to reach The Stonewall Inn for comment, including myself. Originally, The Stonewall released a statement stating that they are taking steps to ensure that “our security company is made aware that this particular employee must be educated on our policies.” They continue saying that “we will insist that everyone affiliated with Stonewall understands the laws regarding service dogs.”

Here’s the problem with this apology: after Lynn’s friends went inside to find a manager to discuss the situation, the manager responded that he just “[doesn’t] want dogs in here.” The statement that Stonewall released, however, heavily implied that all problematic interactions happened between the patron and the third-party security team.

The manager was and is just as culpable. 

I sent an email to The Stonewall demanding that management takes more responsibility for the incident. This is the response that I got back:

Image Description: screenshot of an email sent from the co-owner of The Stonewall Inn to myself. The text reads:

“I wanted to reach out regarding the email you sent as I am one of the co-owners of the Stonewall Inn and handle our media and marketing. We are aware of the ADA laws and have trained our staff and management regarding this issue. We have not been made aware of other incidences where service dogs were turned away and have them often in the bar. We do take this matter very seriously and are not trying to deny responsibility but just stated that we would work harder to make sure that all involved and especially the security company we use was made aware of the incident and would ensure us their staff was trained properly. The manager did not or would not say we don’t care about the law we just don’t want dogs in the building so I think that their [sic] are few facts being exaggerated in the twitter universe and some miscommunication about what the manager said that evening. We will continue to educate our staff and management on ADA laws and have reached out to the person involved and issued a personal apology. Thank you.

Sent from my iPhone”

Essentially, there is blatant denial that the management at The Stonewall Inn had anything to do with the incident despite there being video evidence of a manager explicitly being made aware that his actions were illegal, and him saying he didn’t care. I promptly emailed them back reminding them that there was a video recording of the entire incident.

I have not received any response.

I have also messaged them on Facebook a few times. All messages have been read, but I have received no response.

DISABLED LGBTQ+ PEOPLE DESERVE BETTER. 

Please try and continue to hold The Stonewall Inn responsible for their illegal actions and discriminatory practices against disabled patrons.

UPDATE

The Stonewall Inn has sent me this response through Facebook. Seems like it is coming from a different person, so I am not quite sure how to feel about it. Here is the text:

“Dear Kayle,

Thank you for your message. We appreciate your concern in this matter. We, the owners of the Stonewall, take full responsibility for this incident. What happened was wrong- it never should have happened, and for that, we take full responsibility.

While this incident involved our staff and our contracted security, the ultimate responsibility lies with us, the owners. As such, we will continue to provide ongoing training in ADA to our staff and all contractors that we utilize. We intend to ensure that all staff are well-trained enough that this will not happen again.

We have also reached out to the individual who was impacted by this event to offer our heartfelt apologies. We know that this person has been to Stonewall before with their service dog, so we were deeply troubled by the events that unfolded that evening. We conveyed our apologies and have also worked with this individual and others to offer an upcoming event that will be open not just to our staff, but also to the staff of other LGBTQ establishments in the area to offer education on ADA and sensitivity to and support for those with disabilities.

Thank you for your concern.

The Stonewall Inn”

[disabilityuserboxes]

this user has scoliosis

[sunflower-cane]

No. It might not get better

But it will become manageable

It will become easier

There will be good days

There will be okay days

There will be days where youre happy you didnt give up

There will be people who help you

There will be people who understand you

It is worth it.

You have so much to live for. Please dont give up

[sunflower-cane]

push me down and whisper naughty things in my ear like “i wont ever make your illness about me” or “i know youre sick, i know youre not faking”

[disabilityhealth]

Me: pushes self just a little bit too hard

My body: that’s it bitch, this means war

[mychronicthoughts]

I’m astounded by the privilege of people who disdainfully look at me at say, “I don’t like relying on pills.”

Yeah, well, me either but I don’t have the luxury of being able to survive without them.

[dwnsy]

Frida Kahlo (1907.07.06-1954.07.13)

[chronicallydisabled]

If y’all wanna follow me on Twitter....

I participate in a lot of disability activism there

@kaylejh.

[disasterlarper]

as ur friendly Neighborhood Nursing Student™ i feel somewhat compelled to remind everyone with the hot weather:

every liquid except sea water and alcohol hydrates you. It’s not CHUG WATER OR DIE. in fact, gatorade and the like are designed to hydrate you efficiently.

yeah, this includes coffee and tea and soda. the diuretic is not enough to cancel out the liquid. juices and milk have solids in them, sure, but they’re also mostly liquid! it counts. 

your body can only absorb so much water at a time, so chugging 64 oz of water at noon and calling it good will do a wonderful job of flushing your kidneys, but not so much of hydrating your tissues. it’s more important that you’re getting consistent fluid throughout the day. 

there’s a lot of fancy ways to determine How Much Water (Liquid) I Should Drink but honestly? 8 oz (1 cup) every other hour on cool days and 8 oz every hour on hot days should be fine (assuming you sleep for a normal amount of time per day…. i’m assuming ur awake 16 hours a day.)

figure out how many oz each of ur favorite cups is. it’ll help your guesstimation. 

if ur urine is darker than light yellow, you’re dehydrated. 

if u pinch the skin on the back of ur hand for a couple seconds and it takes more than a second or two go to back to normal then ur dehydrated. 

[equalityformost-deactivated2017]

In regards to #1, don’t take this as an excuse to drink the sugar water that they call sports drinks. They aren’t bad for you per se, but please choose water.

[disasterlarper]

actually this entire post was written in the spirit of ppl using it as an excuse to drink sports drinks and soda etc

ppl have been commenting abt sodium levels in soda and sugar levels in sports drinks and thats all well and good but what i’ve noticed is that people who internalize “well, ONLY WATER hydrates me” but who HATE WATER remain horrifically dehydrated cause they dont drink anything. 

so like. if ur a person who haaaaates tap water, this is absolutely me giving you permission to drink whatever fluid you can stomach. please take this as a direct excuse to drink nothing but gatorade if that’s what it takes to get enough fluid into ur body.

it’s not the healthiest for you, sure, but you’re a smart enough person to know that. please drink fluids anyways. 

if u like water thats gr8. if you can stomach water that’s gr8. if you can’t, that’s okay too, and you need to stay hydrated just as much as anyone else, so please drink. 

[the-rain-monster]

I used to hate tap water, and in some places (looking at you, Iowa) it is legit disgusting, but one thing I do which helped a ton and was long term cheaper than buying soda or juice was to get a bottle of Angostura bitters. It’s a cocktail additive with a strong distinctive flavor, so although a tiny bottle is like $6 it will last you for ages. Put a small drop or dash in your glass then fill with water. It has a pleasant sort of herbal metal taste (I understand that those words don’t seem like they should go together but it’s hard to describe) which masks tap water. It also helps me smooth an upset tummy but your mileage may vary. It’s not something that will get you drunk, just a flavoring like vanilla extract.

If that all sounds like too much bother, dropping a lemon wedge into water also helps.

[adigitalmagician]

I am learning that lemon wedges are magical in almost everything I like to drink.

[jumpingjacktrash]

here is the magic that made me stop being chronically dehydrated:

because yeah, i can’t STAND plain water – it tastes like the inside of my mouth. it tastes like spit. imagine drinking a glass of ice cold spit. ugh. but add a squirt of this stuff to your glass of tapwater, and now it tastes like apple, cherry, lemonade, whatever.

i also got a bunch of these

and pre-prep them with flavored water, iced tea, iced coffee, whatever (or ask my helper to do it), and then when i’m thirsty but distracted and want to just grab some kind of liquid without thinking about finding a clean glass etc., i can just grab one of these.

because yeah, hating water is a thing, and dehydration SUCKS. so drink SOMETHING, don’t be a water purist. better to chug iced coffee than go without.

[magnolia-lascivious-deactivated]

mio was a damn genius for comin out with that shit

[iopele]

can I just speak up here as someone who has been a nurse for 17 years? I heartily endorse this post and also give you permission to DRINK WHATEVER THE HELL IT TAKES TO KEEP YOU FROM BEING DEHYDRATED

especially in the summer, you can’t play around with that. drink something. seriously. for the love of kittens. DRINK SOMETHING. 

[chronicallydisabled]

If ur worried about sugar levels, they make sugar free sports drinks. I have POTS which, basically, makes me chronically dehydrated and there is never enough salt in my body. Sports drinks have saved me. However, they started to ruin my teeth. So I switched to sugar free drinks! Same effect, but my teeth are much happier.

Getting fluids is so, so important. Please drink whatever you can, but also if you have nutritional concerns in regards to soda/sugar/whatever, please realize that there is almost always a sugar free option for these drinks.

[chronicallydisabled]

i saw a thing saying u had scoliosis i'm getting a spine op for my scoliosis in the summer titanium rods in my spine do u have any advice or tips for dealing with my scoliosis now and/or my new iron girl spine thing afterwards

Ah, I just noticed this! Hope you haven’t been waiting for a response for too long. So sorry. It’s just important to realize that the timelines for recovery is different for everyone. It’s important that you do physical therapy and stuff so you don’t decondition, but DON’T BERATE YOURSELF if you feel like your recovery is happening too slowly. Take time. Be patient with yourself. Love yourself. And if you’re in a lot of pain, DEMAND PAIN MEDICINE.

[lumpbiscuit-deactivated20130327]

my parents aren’t teaching me life lessons.

#i need some adults to TEACH ME SHIT ABOUT LIFE

[flutterjedi-deactivated20140413]

I’m an adult.

[thatsnicebutimmarried]

Some shit about life, from a bonafide adult:

even if you get along great with your family you will get along even better with them after moving out 

generic is almost always just as good as name brand. But there are some things you never buy generic, including: peanut butter, ketchup, liquid NyQuil, Chips-Ahoy chewy chocolate chip cookies

just imagine the person on the other end of the phone hates talking on the phone as much as you do. Even a receptionist. I worked as one and I hate talking on the phone

at least once in your life you will go to Wal-mart to buy something under $20 like an ironing board or something and your debit card will get rejected. No one will judge. Everyone at some point in their lives has had $2.98 in their bank account. 

thrift stores

everyone else is too busy panicking about everyone else noticing every tiny thing that could possibly be wrong about them to notice any tiny thing that could possibly be wrong about you

you will screw up. a lot. you live and you learn. and when you start to think too hard about that embarrassing thing that happened and how you wish you could change it, just tell yourself that what’s done is done. There’s no changing it, so just forget it and move on. It’s the only way to stay sane.

do the dishes before the sink grows its own ecosystem

you can’t put Dawn dishsoap in the dishwasher. 

if you are the only one in the aisle at the grocery store, and you need to get from one end to the other without even looking at anything in that aisle, then you should totally cart-surf down the aisle. Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional. Hold on to the little things. They make all the difference.

never try to make cake from scratch at 3am. You end up with a topographical map of Middle Earth.

15% tip. 

the best way to get money for food is to tell your grandparents about how you basically live on microwaved mac and cheese. Their horror may result in twenty bucks and orders to go out and get yourself “a real dinner”.

sometimes life sucks, and knowing that it might get better doesn’t always make it suck any less, but you’ll never get to the non-sucky days without enduring the suckiness. 

no seriously, NEVER put Dawn in your dishwasher

[250darkstars]

Do not buy generic brand spaghetti sauce either.

Always check the type of light bulb that goes in lamps. A 60w is not interchangeable with a 40w.

Dollar store batteries work just as well as store brand.

[shrineart]

Reward yourself from time to time when you do things that you needed to get done. It’s a good way to remind yourself to do them. Going out to pay a bill? Get Starbucks or something you don’t get often. Rewards don’t have to be huge, they can be small things like that.

Rice, pasta, flour, sugar, cheese, eggs, milk, a pack of chicken, a pack of frozen veggies and a well stocked spice cabinet go a long way food-wise. Splurge and get the biggest container of rice you can. You don’t have to go back and buy it again anytime soon and it makes a TON of meals in the meantime.

Rice can be cooked on the stove. You don’t need a fancy rice cooker. Two parts water to every one part rice (two cups water for one cup of rice for example). Get your water boiling, add rice, put a plate or lid on it, put it on low for 20 minutes. It should be done.

Keep a calendar on your pc of bill due dates. If your bills are set up at inconvenient times, like all of the services started on the first or something, then call up the company and find out if you can get your billing date switched to something more manageable. A lot of places do try to work with you.

There is no shame in calling a company and asking for an extension on a bill. Let them know what you can pay, pay that amount, and they arrange when the rest of the payment is required. This can stop you from having services shut off man. It shows responsibility on your part.

Take time to eat, even when you don’t feel like eating. Your body needs energy to live.

Wash or rinse your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. It prevents gross caked on junk.

“The Works” is an excellent cheap toilet cleaner.

MAGIC. FUCKING. ERASERS. THEY WORK ON EVERYTHING JUST DON’T SCRUB HARD. I took the ring out of our bathtub with one. Also generic ones work just as well.

Keep some bleach around but if you use it for cleaning? Dillute it. There’s rarely ever a case where you need to pout straight bleach on anything. A cap full or two in a bucket of water works just fine.

DO NOT MIX CLEANERS. Chemical reactions are can be very dangerous. Here’s a good list. (Note that vinegar and baking soda can actually be a good combo for removing smells from things but it’s not very good at actually -cleaning-.)

If you drink? Don’t take meds at the same time it’s just not good.

Make sure you check the dosages on your pill bottles. No one wants to accidentally overdose on cough syrup or ibuprofen.

If you have a uterus make sure you have a heating pad and ibuprofen on hand for the pain. Hot baths also generally help and Ginger Tea is excellent for any nausea.

Buy a first aid kit. It’s worth it in the long run.

You can often do your taxes online at places like TurboTax.

Here’s some good sex ed resources because I had to explain what a yeast infection was recently. 

Petroleum jelly (aka Vaseline) is good for chapped lips and you can get a decent sized tube or tub of it (generic brand version) for cheaper/same price as Chapstick.

KEEP TRIPLE ANTIBIOTIC OINTMENT IN YOUR HOUSE FOR CUTS AND SCRAPES AND SORES. 

~~Medications~~

Over the counter medications (stuff you can buy right off the shelf no prescription needed) have a name brand and a generic name. ALWAYS buy generic if it’s available it is literally the same thing and way cheaper usually.

Some names to remember when you’re looking for meds!

Acetaminophen = Tylenol

Used to treat pain and reduce fever. Do not take with Ibuprofen.

Ibuprofen = Advil, Midol, Motrin

Used for pain and fever, is an anti-inflammtory. Is good for period cramps because it is an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug).

Naproxen = Aleve, Naprosyn

Treats fever, pain, arthritis pain, gout, period cramps, tendinitis, headache, backache, and toothache. Is also an NSAID.

Acetaminophen + Asprin + Caffeine = Excedrin

Usually marketed as “Migraine Relief” as a generic.

Asprin = Bayer

Use for pain, fever, arthritis, and inflammation. Makes you bleed easily so should not be used for periods. Might reduce risk of heart attacks.\

Triple Antibiotic Ointment = Neosporin

Used on cuts, sores, and scrapes to reduce risk of infection and promote healing.

Also a general mutli-vitamin isn’t a bad idea and if you don’t get a lot of fruits or milk/sunshine in your diet you might want to get vitamins C and D specifically for daily use.

[kiokushitakaa]

if you do accidentally lapse and put dawn in your dishwasher, run it empty and put hair conditioner where the detergent goes. that’ll clean it out (tip given to me by dorm custodian when roommate did the thing).

if you live off ramen, add stuff to it! add veggies you like, don’t use the whole flavor packet to cut down on sodium and msg or don’t use it at all and add your own spices.

if you’re making something with potatoes in it (beans, stew) potatoes are done when you can easily stab a fork through them.

you can microwave a hotdog as long as you put it in a microwave safe container of water. microwaves work by making water molecules vibrate. also, when reheating rice leftovers, add a small amount of water, like maybe a spoonfull, so it doesn’t get hard and crunchy.

the rice cooking advice above is for long grain rice. if you’re making short or medium grain rice, a 1:1 ratio (one cup water for one cup rice) is better, so the rice doesn’t come out too mushy.

buy a few cans of chicken. wholesale club stores like sam’s, costco, or bj’s tend to carry multipacks for a good price. they’re incredibly useful for when you forget to defrost meat.

buy meat on sale and put it in the freezer. buy vegetables on sale, and put them in the freezer. frozen veggies are often as flavorful and good as fresh ones, keep longer, and often come in microwaveable bags or with microwave directions.

soak ink stains in milk to help get them out or at least lighten them.

soak blood stains in water as soon as possible, with a bit of detergent or stain remover. scrub at them. use cold water, heat binds proteins to fabric. tbh, there’s no real need to change the washer from cold-cold setting unless the thing you’re washing says to wash in warm water.

acetone, found in most nail polish removers, dissolves super glue.

[cloningmycat]

YOU’RE ALL DOING GOD’S WORK BLESS YOU

[lifelovebooksnshit]

Takes pictures, have prints made and put them in photo albums. Be IN the pictures, have someone take pictures of you and your friends. Get over not looking perfect in thw picture. Someday that friend might be gone and those pictures might be all you’ll have, you will want to be in them. I made that mistake with my best friend, i always felt weird asking for a picture together… he died of cancer January of 2014 and now i have no pictures of us together. Its my only regret in life.

[boasamishipper]

This is really helpful, thank you all!

[batsandhatsinunderland-deactiva]

I’m the newest of new adults but I’m gonna throw these little tips in there. IF YOU HAVE AN OLD CAR: 

-coolant or water if your car overheats (coolant is preferable cause it won’t hurt the engine in the long run but hey i know money is tight) 

-flashlight in case you break down at night and need to check under the hood and your phone is dead

-SPARE TIRE. 

-jumper cables.you will at some point leave your lights on. you just will. 

AAA or any other road side service is never a bad investment i swear. (try to mooch it off your parents as long as you can though) 

[shipperqueen93]

Know how to change a tire. You’re going to need to do it at some point in time and you can’t always rely on someone else to do it for you.

Don’t be afraid to go to your local food bank. They are there for a reason.

Don’t be ashamed to ask for help period. Life is hard, everyone needs help occasionally.

[woodelf68]

You can put a LOWER wattage bulb in a lamp that says it’s for a higher one, but don’t put a HIGHER wattage bulb in. Also, watts refer to the amount of electricity used. LUMENS refers to the amount of light put out, and can vary quite a bit between brands, even though the wattage is the same. Look for the one with the highest lumens unless you actually want a slightly dimmer bulb in a certain location. Those dollar store batteries? Fine if they’re alkaline. “Heavy-duty” batteries, however, won’t last nearly as long. You can microwave a hot dog and bun simply by wrapping them in a toweling for a minute, less if you don’t want them scalding hot.

[blue-pixiedust]

Reblogging to save lives.

[faranae-moved]

Two adulting (kitchen-related) tips from me!

1. Buy a roll of parchment paper from the cooking shit aisle. A big roll will last you for-fucking-ever. Pretty much any time you’re using a baking pan you can line it with that stuff and save yourself A: food sticking to the pan and B: it’s a quick rinse and it’s clean.

2. Bread can get fucking expensive, so make your own. A bigass bag of flour and a bag of active dry yeast (store it in the friiiiidge!!!) works out a FUCK of a lot cheaper than buying bread at the store, and you can do so much more with it. Bread, pizza, rolls, cinnibuns, homemade pizza pockets. It seems intimidating but it’s stupid easy.

Seriously. It’s stupid simple to make, and most of the “3 hours” to make it is sitting around surfing the internet or doing whatever the fuck you want while the dough rises. If you have an afternoon free once a week to sit and play video games or surf the net, you have the time to make your own bread on the cheap. Here’s my simple-as-fuck recipe:

2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (You can buy a bag of this stuff CHEAP in bulk stores, the little packets are hella stupid priced) 1 cup warm water (think a hot bath) 1 ½ teaspoons sugar 2 tablespoons oil (any kind works for the most part) 2 ¼ cups flour 1 teaspoon salt

1. Stir the yeast, water, sugar, and oil up in a bowl. Let it sit for about 10 minutes. It will foam up VERY high, this is the yeast getting happy! If it doesn’t get all foamy, the water may have been too hot or not hot enough. Remember, Yeast is alive! Treat it like a nice girlfriend!

2. Mix your flour, salt, and the yeast concoction up in a bowl.

3. Knead that shit for about 5 minutes. It will start sticky as heck, but will come together into a nice dough. If it’s still super sticky, toss in a bit more flour. Here’s how to knead it: 

4. Put your dough in a covered, lightly oiled bowl and leave it someplace warmish for an hour. At that point it will have roughly doubled in size, give it a gentle punch to release the gasses that have built up inside. Cover it again and let it sit for a bit longer.

Boom. You have bread dough. Here are some baking times and uses for ya:

Optional egg-wash: Just crack an egg into a bowl, add a pinch of salt, and mix the bejeebus out of it with a fork. Brush (or if you’re like me, goop it on with said fork) that shit thinly on bread before baking for a nice crust.

Pizza: Stretch it on a pan, stab the fucker all over with a fork, add toppings, bake 425*F 15-20 minutes. 

Bread Sticks: Make snake-shapes, let rest on pan 10-ish minutes, bake 400*F 10-20 minutes.

Dinner rolls: Make ball-sized (yes those balls) balls. Place on greased pan, let rest 10-20 minutes to rise. Egg-wash and bake 375*F 25 minutes.

Bread: Lightly score (cut) the top, let sit for 20-ish minutes on/in whatever you’re using to bake it, egg-wash, bake at 375*F for 20-ish minutes. It’s done when it sounds hollow if you knock on the bottom.

You bet your ass you can deep-fry this shit for cheapie yeast doughnuts. Roll that shit in sugar or dip it in whatever, it’s fucking tasty.

Bagels: YES. YOU. CAN. Form bagel-shapes out of the dough and boil them in salty water for about 2 minutes. Egg-wash them and bake them at 400*F for 10 minutes.

Cinnamon Rolls: Roll that shit out into a rectangle. Brush it with a mix of butter, cinnamon, sugar, and a pinch of salt (no exact amounts here, do it to your taste). Roll it up into a log, and cut it into discs. Let them sit 20 minutes in a pan and then bake at 375*F 15-17 minutes.

You can add whatever you want to the dough for some variety, just if it’s dried spices remember you really only need 1-ish tablespoons. I personally like making bread with about 1 tablespoon of dill in the dough. Roll it out flat, sprinkle it with cheddar, roll it into a log, squeeze the ends shut, and bake it like a regular loaf of bread. Cheesy dill bread OMNOMNOM.

*ahem* That got a bit long. But yeah. Bread’s expensive, yo. Save your wallet.

(Also it’s ridiculous amounts of therapeutic to bake, for me anyway)

[tempestcaliban]

Being able to bake your own bread is pretty awesome, if you got the time for it. 

[sherlocks-study]

Reblogging in case of independence

[yaosaysobjection]

Use hydrogen peroxide for bloodstains! Rub it in a little and wait for it to dissolve the enzymes in the blood.

Avoid nsaids (ibuprofen, aspirin) if you have a family history of stroke or blood pressure issues. They’re blood thinners. Tylenol is usually okay but check with your doctor!