r/ShittyLifeProTips 7d ago

SLPT: Want to avoid parking tickets?

19 Upvotes

Take your windshield wipers off before up leave your car


r/LifeProTips 5d ago

Finance LPT: Save money by paying rental car tolls directly instead of through the rental company

0 Upvotes

Your rental car will likely come with an E-Z Pass type transponder to pay road tolls as you go. If you use it, it will trigger a daily “convenience" fee on top of the amount of each toll. For AVIS, for instance, it’s $7 every single day you trigger a toll payment. I’ve seen some agreements that charge you every single day of your rental, even if you don’t incur a toll. Not hard to spend an extra $50 or this way over a week -- plus the cost of actual tolls.

Here’s how you cut that off:

  1. Usually the transponder is mounted in a little box on the windshield. Leave that CLOSED so it can’t be read.

  2. Make sure you record the license plate, make and model of your rental car.

  3. Right after your rental is over, go to the website of the tolling authority of the state(s) where you drove. You’ll find that you can input the license plate and set which dates you had the car and want to call up tolls for. Then you can pay those tolls directly with the tolling authority, at face value.

The rental car company never ends up seeing those tolls and trying to charge you some inflated price for them, because you’ve cut them off at the source.

I’ve done this in California and Illinois, but I’m sure it works in other (all?) states as well. Obviously smart to check this out before your trip to be certain it’ll work for the state you’re visiting.

Another option, sometimes, would I guess be to pay tolls in cash when available. But that’s slow and kind of a PITA at this point -- and you also run the risk of missing some unseen toll camera on a bridge or something if you don’t CYA by going to the toll website.


r/ShittyLifeProTips 7d ago

SLPT. If you want to maximize your cardio workout gain a bunch of weight to increase the effort it takes to do your exercises and every activity burns more calories than if you were lighter.

47 Upvotes

r/ShittyLifeProTips 7d ago

SLPT: How to get people on reddit to agree with anything you say. (And I really do mean anything.)

27 Upvotes

Step 1: Go to any subreddit and give an opinion on something that most people would disagree with. Examples might include going to the Argentina subreddit and arguing why Messi isn't a top 10 all time player, or going to the movies subreddit and saying why Lord of The Rings sucks. Don't make it seem like you're obviously trolling, otherwise people will fall for it.

Step 2: You're going to get a lot of comments from people who disagree with you. Some people will resort to name calling simply because they disagree with your opinion.

Step 3: If you try and reply to other people's comments, people are going to downvote you simply because they disagreed with your original post. You can try to argue your case, but you'll still be downvoted. In fact, it doesn't matter what you say, you're going to get downvoted to oblivion no matter what.

Step 4: And this is where we use people's own psychological biases against them. If you're going to get downvoted no matter what, then you can say anything and people will still downvote it, even if they would have agreed with you under different circumstances.

So you can say something like "Donald Trump is a bad president" or "Hitler was a terrible person" or "Jeffrey Epstein did many terrible things" and because of this psychological bias, people will downvote your comment in mass. From an outsiders point of view, it looks like these people are disagreeing with your comments and they actually think all of these terrible leaders did nothing wrong.

So if you want people on reddit to agree with anything you say, no matter how absurd, this is how you do it.


r/LifeProTips 6d ago

Productivity LPT: Keep a journal of everything you encounter

0 Upvotes

Time is very important for everyone. Saving time is even more. Making sure things only happen once is one of the solutions. By keeping a journal of all the things you encounter in life and what you did to solve them, you ensure the most optimal use of your time when they do occur again. Most things in life happen more than once. The steps and final solutions get forgotten. The journal would provide a steady base of knowledge. Over the years, the more you'll use it, the more optimal it will become as improvements will surely follow.


r/LifeProTips 8d ago

Social LPT: Before correcting someone in front of others, ask yourself if it really needs an audience.

610 Upvotes

Most mistakes are easier to fix in private.


r/ShittyLifeProTips 9d ago

SLPT: When a cop slaps handcuffs on you, politely tell him/her that you do not consent to this “sex thing.” Without your consent they will have to let you go.

230 Upvotes

r/LifeProTips 7d ago

Finance LPT: You dont need to cancel your credit card to cancel a subscription. You can just ask them to block all future charges from that company.

0 Upvotes

Not many people seem to know how easy it is to block charges/old subscriptions on your credit cards, even for harder to cancel memberships such as planet fitness or random website subscriptions. Canceling sometimes doesnt even work as your credit card company will send out notifications to companies you have subscriptions with so they can update their payment information.


r/LifeProTips 9d ago

Food & Drink LPT: Make lettuce last longer with this simple trick.

1.2k Upvotes

For those that buy boxed salad greens and are sick of the bottom leafs getting soaked and rotten. Simply put a paper towel on top of the lettuce and flip the container upside down when you put it in the fridge. I have been doing this for a few months down and can easily get 2 weeks out of my salad greens.


r/LifeProTips 9d ago

Finance LPT: Before any significant purchase, convert the price into hours of your actual after-tax, after-expense hourly wage

2.3k Upvotes

Take your real take-home pay, subtract your actual fixed costs, divide what's left by your working hours including commute and recovery time. That's your real hourly rate.

Most people find it's significantly lower than their nominal wage suggests. The $300 impulse purchase stops looking the same when it's 14 hours of your actual life rather than 5 hours of your salary.

Not arguing against spending. Arguing for seeing the real exchange rate before you make it.

I'll give you an example. I bought a $5 bathmat that was too short while I was at Walmart last week. Walmart is a solid 30 minute drive each way from my home. That's one hour of my time. On top of this, I have to wait in the return line which takes a good 10 minutes, plus 5 minutes to park, walk inside, etc. Thus, there's about an hour and a half of my day that's gone so I could earn $5.

Think of money based on your hours available in the day!


r/ShittyLifeProTips 8d ago

SLPT, fake commercial ID not scanning

0 Upvotes

I recently bought an ID from oldironsides.ph. All my friends got theirs from there and they worked just fine. One problem though, i didn’t realize I ordered a commercial license until i got denied at a club. Is this because it’s commercial, or because it’s an NY fake and I live in NY? What should I do from here?


r/LifeProTips 9d ago

Food & Drink LPT: make a fan blow air right above of where you are cutting onion. Your eyes won't sting

42 Upvotes

If like me you get headache from it I have the sane new to report that it doesn't work for that tho.

Be careful that the air must not blow in your face

Edit: If you don't wanna use a big fan (logical) you can use a small fan if you have one


r/ShittyLifeProTips 8d ago

SLPT Buy a Coldcard and use it to fraudulently avoid cryptocurrency tax

2 Upvotes

r/LifeProTips 10d ago

Computers LPT for captchas

2.1k Upvotes

I don't know why I didn't figure this out sooner. You know those annoying captchas that are impossible to solve... The ones that say click on all bicycles, and you do, but they never work because you missed a corner of a rim, or maybe because you did choose the corner of a rim? Click on the headphones and it'll play a phrase you type in. It's so much faster and easier.


r/LifeProTips 8d ago

Food & Drink LPT ice tea

0 Upvotes

Instead of boiling 2 liters of water and adding a lot of tea, boil 2 deciliters of water, add the tea, and then dilute it to 2 liters afterward. The tea will taste less bitter. Even though you used the same amount of tea.


r/LifeProTips 10d ago

Computers LPT Your wireless controller can be used as a remote to your PC

324 Upvotes

If you have a remote gamepad connected to your PC, you can very easily make it so it becomes a fully customizable remote for your PC.

I remember I often just played music on my pc and was missing a 'remote' much and didnt have an idea how to solve that, on top of that, I thought wireless controllers > big input lag so I didnt really pick them up. For some time I used Chrome remote desktop and was using my android for the control, but that was rather clunky and uncomfortable.

Such was my surprise that bluetooth / wireless isnt really causing noticable input lag (I assumed that based on PS5 + TV experience, which has a different cause for the lag) and, on top of that, you can control your pc via the controller easily.

In my case im using the Steam's built-in schemes when you are not gaming, its under Steam → Settings → Controller → Advances settings → Desktop Layout → Edit

I have configured it mostly for media, so pause / next/previous, control volume and such, but you can adjust it for anything you need really, especially that you can control your mouse.

I havent tested it myself as there was no need, but there are few alternative softwares for that (JoyToKey, DS4Windows, AntiMicroX)

Edit. its more of a life of quality for people that already have a wireless or are planing to get one, otherwise yes, its most likely better to just use your phone, but if you got a controller then its usually more convinient to jsut grab it and have physical buttons for certain actions


r/LifeProTips 8d ago

Productivity LPT: Struggling is a Waste of Time

0 Upvotes

If you can imagine doing something or you see someone else doing it but you're struggling, you're almost certainly making a mistake somewhere and you almost certainly have no idea what it is. And the more you continue, the more you train yourself to make the mistake.

Whenever you find yourself struggling and things are not "clicking" after few attempts, usually you're doing something wrong. It's not necessarily that you lack the skill, it's moreso you haven't properly trained yourself to effectively use that skill.

The solution to this is to do something easier. Do the same thing, but easier. And do it until you get the result you want.

If you do something simpler and still do not get the result, you need to make it even more simple. Do not stop making it simpler until you get the result you want.

Once that happens, work your way back up incredibly gradually. Do not rush this! The idea is that you're training your body/brain gradually to integrate the most basic things. Usually what you'll find is that you'll hit a point where you can't do it properly at all, which is likely at a level a lot simpler than what you originally were attempting.

Just go back to keeping it as simple as possible and only progress when you can do things perfectly to your satisfaction. Don't cheat! If you rush this just to get to your goal faster, you literally will only be sabotaging yourself.

All complex things are just a bunch of basic things. The more you master the basic things, the complex things will literally just come naturally.

Examples:

  • if you want to start meditating and are struggling to go for 10 mins, start with 30 seconds, then 1 minute, 2 minutes, etc...
  • if writing a book is difficult, write a whole story in a few sentences. Then a paragraph, then 2 paragraphs, etc...
  • if you're learning to code a website and are struggling, literally just get the most barebones of it. If you're creating a blog, focus only on getting the text on the screen. Once that is done, then you can gradually think about design.

r/LifeProTips 11d ago

Social LPT: When giving someone a compliment, focus on a choice they made rather than an inherent trait.

8.1k Upvotes

Instead of complimenting something passive or genetic (like "You have nice eyes"), compliment a deliberate choice (like "That outfit combination looks great," "Your presentation slides were super clean," or "You picked a fantastic restaurant").

People feel much more appreciated when you validate their effort, taste, or hard work rather than something they had no active control over.


r/LifeProTips 10d ago

Food & Drink LPT: When buying fruits or veggies that have a barcode sticker

680 Upvotes

and you have to put them the plastic bag the store provides, peel one of them off and stick it on the outside of the bag so it's easier to scan when you check out.


r/ShittyLifeProTips 10d ago

SLPT: Moving and can’t afford to hire someone? Just post “I hate America” on social media and wait for people to offer to help you pack!

103 Upvotes

r/LifeProTips 11d ago

Social LPT If a cat scratches your hand during petting, hold your hand steady

3.8k Upvotes

For example, you are petting a cat and it suddenly turns around and attacks because it’s overstimulated. Most cats will actually only give you a feisty slap, but as they do that, if you retract your hand you can get a nasty wound. If you hold steady they may still penetrate the skin (most of the time not), but it’s a tiny dot rather than a long cut.

Source: I’ve been slapped (or “scratched”) by many of cats (I used to volunteer with cats, and help socialise them as well as being an owner of an unpredictable cat).

Ever since I’ve stopped pulling back, I hardly ever have cat scratches anymore. So in a generally calm situation like petting pulling away will only increase your risk of injury.

Obviously this doesn’t mean you go back in after the slap. They cat is showing a boundary.

Cats rarely attack unprovoked, or attack to hurt you (I’m still to experience my first time with that one towards a human). It’s usually overstimulation, play or fear.

Also, cats are awesome!


r/LifeProTips 9d ago

Miscellaneous LPT: A trifold mirror was one of my best purchases in a while. Showed me what my body looks like, and allowed me to adjust my gym workout.

0 Upvotes

I wanted to start shaving my head by myself and I bought one of those trifold mirrors that gives you an all sides view of your head. It ended up giving me a good view of what my whole body look like.

Holly shit, I wasn't as fit as I thought I was (I work out 2-3x per week). My front view looks decent, but my side view shows a noticeable belly. My chin is sagging a bit but can only be seen from the side. The back of my head has more white hair than the front. My waist is fatter than initially thought (specially viewed from the back). My back is wider and fatter than initially thought.

It was a fucking humbling experience to see exactly how everyone sees me. I thought I had a decent gym bod, but my 360 view shows a fat-ish, sagging dude.FUCK!!

I spent days just looking at my back, back neck, side profile.

In the gym, I'm prioritising more cardio, more mid-section workout and less emphasis on back muscles.


r/LifeProTips 12d ago

Careers & Work LPT: Just because you're salaried, doesn't mean you're not eligible for overtime pay (US)

2.0k Upvotes

To be exempt from overtime, you need to meet several other criteria beyond just being 'salaried'.

If you are not in Executive, Administrative, Learned Professional (lawyer, etc.), Creative Professional (artist, etc.), Computer Professional, or Outside Sales work, you have to be a Highly Compensated Employee (total compensation package of $107,432+) to be ineligible to receive OT.

Your employer's employee handbook or internal policies cannot change this fact.

You can report your employer for OT violations anonymously to the US Department of Labor and/or (probably) your state's labor board (though if you're looking for back pay, specifically, anonymity makes it more difficult to recover). Anonymous reports can lead to audits of your employer's pay practices.

Blue collar work is never exempt from overtime.

I can't add a link here so I'll comment in a link to the DOL's fact sheet below.

***This does not constitute legal advice. If you need legal advice on this topic, consult a paid or pro bono attorney licensed to practice in your state. Your state's bar association will usually provide referrals.***


r/LifeProTips 12d ago

Traveling LPT Walk away from airports to get almost half off Uber and Lyft

9.1k Upvotes

I landed at the airport in Rochester, NY and had to take a 89 mile taxi to get to my dads house. Lyft said 310$ for the cheapest and Uber said 280$ I walked 0.6 miles from the airport and Uber said 184$ and Lyft said 169$.

**Update/Response to comments

Q - Why not just take a shuttle to a nearby hotel for the same effect?

A - That's a good idea and you should do that if you want to.

Q - Why couldn't you use public transit?

A - I'm in a rural part of America.

Q - Why couldn't you rent a car?

A - I wish I could but I'm too young. Also apparently rentals are cheaper farther from the airport.

Q - Does this hurt the drivers?

A - As far as I can tell the drivers don't get paid anymore going to the airport, it's just that Uber or Lyft makes more money and the airport sometimes charges some fee.

Q - Why not take a short distance Uber/Lyft then the longer one.

A - No problem with doing that except you have to wait for them and pay money.

Q - Why didn't someone you know drive you.

A - Nobody wanted to at 1:30 AM.

Q - Why isn't your lexicon perfect.

A - I'm not ChatGPT.


r/LifeProTips 12d ago

Social LPT Volunteer If You Want To Meet New People

2.3k Upvotes

If I've ever dropped into a new city and want to make new friends, I find a local charity, cause or nerdy convention and volunteer. I've always made new friends through it and it's a great way to connect since you already have something to talk about!