Living on a budget often means compromising what you want for what you need—or at least, for what's affordable. But that doesn't necessarily mean you have to compromise on flavor, especially if you know the right tips and tricks to make something spectacular out of the ordinary.
Boxed brownie mixes advertise their convenience compared to homemade brownies—with only a few ingredients, they promise a moist, chocolatey crumb. However, these "instant" mixes still require fresh ingredients and a baking time that matches that of homemade brownies. When you're craving a chocolate fix but you're coming up short on eggs, oil, and time, don't despair: you can still make brownies using a can of soda. Two Different Methods, One Soda Required
T-Mobile's credit-checking system was recently hacked, and this one is about as bad as it gets. The names of 15 million customers, their date of birth and social security number, as well as driver's license numbers and additional information was illegally accessed, meaning the potential for identity theft here is huge.
Avocado is great in guacamole or as slices on a sandwich, but there's so much more you can do with this wonderful fruit (call it a vegetable, that's fine—but it's technically a fruit). While I could eat guac every single day, these are some of my favorite recipes to spice up avocados a bit, from making a guilty snack to a condiment and even dessert!
Being born with a sweet tooth and Japanese blood, my desire for dessert-style sushi is practically written into my DNA. At once delicious and adorable, these one-bite delights are the perfect way to conclude a meal. They're also a killer snack. Featured below are: 1) the Banana Nutella Nut Roll; 2) the Strawberry Kiwi Roll; 3) Mango and Sweet Rice Nigiri.
There are few kitchen tools as elusive as the oyster knife. Many people—even seafood lovers—don't own one. If you do own one, it probably gets used so infrequently that it gets sent to the very back of the shelf where it proceeds to get lost. Then you accidentally find the knife once a month when you don't need it, but can't for the life of you find the sneaky little thing when you do need it.
Saying that I was obsessed with Pokémon as a child would be a serious understatement, and even though I'm not the Pokémon fanatic I once was doesn't mean I don't love playing still. However, I do often find myself dumbfounded by all of the new features and characters in each generation.
We've all been there: we're enjoying a nice cob of corn, happily covering our face in butter and salt, when suddenly we realize that there's a thread of corn silk stuck in our teeth. We try to dislodge it with our tongue; no luck. We pick around with our fingers; still no luck. That silk is staying there until you return home to your toothbrush and dental floss. And if you think that corn silk is bad for most people, try having braces!
I have a thing for citrus in any form. If I can't get a hold of oranges or clementines, I've been known to slice up lemons and limes and eat them straight with a little bit of salt—terrible for the tooth enamel, but amazing for the tongue.
Once your furniture is finally moved in, settled upon a spot, and used for comfort or leisure, chances are it won't move very often. We tend to leave—and use—our furniture in the same spot for years, which can leave signs of great wear beneath, deeply indenting our carpeted floors and fancy rugs.
Vacuuming is an easy, almost effortless task. With a few pushes of the vacuum, we can pick up pet hair, loose fluff, and other dirt and debris tracked across our floors. Yet there's one culprit that's harder to beat than all others—long strands of human hair.
When you have a parent who cooks—and has you act as sous chef—the kitchen automatically becomes a less intimidating place. In other words, kids who know their way around the kitchen will most likely become adults who cook for themselves, which also means that they'll eat more unprocessed whole foods, save money, and maintain a healthy weight.
Getting a good night's sleep is critical to maintain good health, a better mood, and clear your mind for whatever the day has planned for you. But in practice, whether you're tired or not, the world has a way of preventing it, either through your partner's snoring, your neighbor's music, or the road construction going on right by your bedroom window. It can get rough.
Connoisseurs of hard liquor always face a dilemma: how do they chill their spirits without diluting the flavors? After all, if you've shelled out big bucks for a bottle of single malt, you really don't want to mess it up with an ice cube that has freezer burn. (As for refrigerating whisky, most people recommend against doing that: it can cause the whisky to "haze," or look clouded.)
There are few sounds that actually make me cringe whenever I hear them: silverware scraping on a plate, nails scratching on a chalkboard, and piercing high-frequency tones. While the former two terrors require some physical hardware, sending out high-frequency sounds is as easy as downloading an app.
How many times do you think you press the Home button on your iPhone? You probably can't place a number on it, but you know it's a lot.
Every time my Galaxy Note 3 boots up, I'm greeted by the monotonous and slightly annoying AT&T sound. If you're as tired of the stock boot up sound as I am, then follow along with me below to see how to change it to whatever sound you want, no matter what carrier version you have.
A great Halloween party depends on the right spooky ambience. Having some shrunken heads in strategic locations is an easy, fun way to get your guests in the right (frightened) frame of mind, and they require items you can easily find in your kitchen or at the local grocery store.
It's becoming more and more apparent that Siri continually drops the ball when it comes to lock screen security. In the past, Siri was exploited in iOS 7.0.2 to send messages without needing a passcode. Then in iOS 7.1.1, Siri was use to bypass the lock screen again to access contacts, make calls, and send emails and texts.
There are so many mods we can apply using a custom recovery. From themes to bug fixes and feature ports, a typical rooted user spends a decent chunk of time in TWRP Recovery.
You're in your car. You've got a bag of piping-hot French fries with you. You want those fries in your mouth ASAP, but you also want to dip them in ketchup. So what do you do?
One of the coolest features of the Galaxy S5 is its IP67 certification. This means that the S5 is internally impenetrable to dust and can be submerged in water for thirty minutes at a depth of one meter. It's definitely a handy feature for folks who've lost a phone to a toilet in the past.
Here is a tutorial to show you how you can easily make this much loved Frozen character with Play-Doh. Using some simple techniques and clever tricks, you can make your very own Olaf.
When it comes to pizza, everyone has strong opinions about how they like their pie, whether they prefer deep dish, thin crust, Chicago-style, or gluten-free. However, most people agree that a pizza is composed of some basic parts: a single layer of crust (usually wheat-based), sauce (usually tomato-based, cheese, and toppings. Yet enterprising cooks out there are putting a spin on the classic by turning pizza on its head. Sink your teeth into these pizza hacks before it's too late!
Apple has acknowledged a problem with the sleep/wake key, better known as the power button, on a certain number of iPhone 5's manufactured through March 2013. As a result, the company has announced the iPhone 5 Sleep/Wake Button Replacement Program, which will replace the power button mechanism, free of charge, for certain iPhone 5 models.
Unless you've been living under a rock with no internet connection, it's safe to say that you've heard of the Heartbleed flaw that allows practically anyone with the right knowledge to steal your personal information, such as passwords, credit card numbers, and e-mail addresses using OpenSSL.
Have you ever been called a "noob" or "eZ" after some person kills you? have you ever said "you hack" or "you suck" after getting your butt kicked by another player? this wont ever have to happen again. It is actually possible to be very good at PvP in Minecraft, and you can also be good at it. Now, it is your turn to win in every battle you fight in Minecraft PvP.
Today I'm going to show you 7 easy ways to organize your room. They are really simple and cheap so I hope you find them useful!
In the wake of the NSA controversy and its subsequent fallout, many dashed towards finding means of secure communication—using private internet browsing and encrypted text messaging applications—out of fear of being spied on.
When you upgrade to a new Android smartphone like the HTC One, you can have browser bookmarks, Wi-Fi passwords, and other settings quickly transferred over from your old device using your Google Account backup. However, you'll still have to download apps individually from your Google Play list, and not all of your saved progress will be transferred over. Fortunately, there is a third-party app that will allow you to backup and restore your apps—with all their data.
Last month, Alexander Heit drifted into oncoming traffic after being distracted from the road. His sudden correction forced his vehicle to roll and flip over. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital shortly thereafter. All because of a freaking text message. He was only 22 years old.
The worst thing about running shoes is that they're expensive, but you're supposed to abuse them. Even if you're not a runner, everyday wear and tear takes its toll. No matter how well you take care of them, if you use them enough, they're eventually going to wind up looking like this: And it's not just running shoes. I have a pair of Vans that I've worn for almost four years, and the heels are just about ripped all the way through.
Cars are quite different than they used to be. Sure, modern cars have some cool things, but repairing them are becoming difficult. Even simple things like changing a headlight bulb.
Cats. Whether you love 'em or hate 'em, you've got to admit—they've got minds of their own. While this makes them incredibly entertaining at times, it can also cause tons of issues for their owners. Trying to "train" a cat is usually an exercise in futility.
Got a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 phablet? Sure, it has its problems like any other mobile device, but it's still one of the hottest phablets on the market right now, because, well... it's awesome, right?
While one second may not seem like much, it's the perfect amount of time to encapsulate your day. Photographs are just that, instant snapshots of your day that can send you flying back to that exact moment of time. A couple of months back I visited New York, but I don't recall what I ate, what I wore, or even what I felt. Whenever I look at this picture though, it all comes flooding back to me. I remember that it was a Friday. I remember I ate a brownie, because after I got off the bus I was ...
The new 007 film, Skyfall, comes out this Friday, and dreams of becoming a super-spy have taken over my mind. Only I can't afford any of James Bond's awesome gadgetry or amazing cars—and you probably can't either.
There is no better example of a risk-versus-reward scenario than jailbreaking your iPhone or rooting your Android phone. While both jailbreaking and rooting undoubtedly has its advantages, this possibility of something going wrong and you ending up with a 500-dollar doorstop is never too far out of mind.
There was a dynamic mic in my junk box, but without any stand or connection cable. I needed a high-quality microphone to narrate my project videos, so I had to think of a way to build a stand for the mic. This is what I came up with.
If you have a smartphone with a good camera, chances are you don't think it's good enough. There's always something that can better with your mobile pics, and for me, that something is closeup shots.
