My slow cooker lid shattered while I was making lentil soup last Tuesday

I had to fish glass shards out of a pot of $3 worth of lentils and carrots for 45 minutes, has anyone else had a lid just explode for no reason?

Spent $120 on that fancy LED light therapy mask and it gave me a rash after 2 uses.

Now I'm stuck with a red, blotchy face and a mask that cost more than my monthly rent on my treatment room, so has anyone else had this reaction or did I just get a dud batch?

Appreciation post: that week in '22 when I only had to take down one pine in Asheville

Had a week back in June where every call was just a simple prune or a dead limb removal, no storms, no drama, and I actually finished early on a Friday for the first time in months, anyone else have a run of jobs that felt way too easy?

Switched from hourly to flat-rate billing 6 months ago and my income jumped 40% but I'm working less hours

I used to track every minute and send invoices for 25-30 hours a week, but now I quote a flat price per project and finish in 15-20 hours for the same pay. The catch is sometimes a project drags way past what I quoted and eats into the profit. Has anyone else tried this trade-off and see a similar split?

Two ways to price logo gigs - hourly vs flat rate. Which one works better?

I landed my first logo job 3 weeks ago for a local bakery in Denver. Charged $50 flat because that felt safe - took me 12 hours. Then a buddy said he always does $30 an hour for first timers. He would've made $360 on my job. I see the argument for hourly protecting your time, but flat rate feels easier for the client to say yes. Has anyone else debated this one and found a clear winner?

Showerthought on billing: hourly vs flat rate for routine maintenance work

Last month I had a client in Denver who insisted I switch from my usual flat rate for monthly server updates to an hourly billing model. After three weeks they complained the invoices were too unpredictable and asked to go back to flat rate. Has anyone else dealt with clients who think they want one billing method but end up hating it after trying it out?

Pro tip: I saved way more than I thought by checking my credit score early.

I finally looked at my score six months before starting to look at houses. It was a 680. I worked on paying down one card and got it to 720. My lender in Charlotte said that jump saved me about $80 a month on my mortgage payment. Has anyone else seen a big change from a small score bump?

My buddy in Tucson swore I needed a $400 filter for the Orion Nebula. He was totally wrong.

I was burning my hoof knives for a decade before a guy at the Oregon show pointed it out

I was sharpening my hoof knives on my grinder like always, and this older farrier from Idaho just walked up and said, 'Kid, you're holding the color too long.' He showed me how to dip the steel in water the second it hit a light straw color, not the blue I was waiting for. I'd been overheating the edge and making it soft without knowing. Anyone else have a sharpening trick they learned way too late?

A simple tip from a cook in New Orleans changed my gumbo

I was working a pop-up there last fall and saw the head cook toast his flour for the roux in a dry cast iron pan before adding any oil. He said, 'It gives you a head start on the color without the risk of burning.' I tried it back home and my roux went from dark brown to a perfect brick red in 15 minutes flat, not the usual 45. Has anyone else picked up a small trick like that from watching another cook?