Space is a big motivator when it comes to buying a house; sometimes it seems as if people start planning to buy a bigger house the moment they move into their current one. And yet, after years of growth, new houses have actually been getting smaller over the last few years, dropping from a median of 2,519 square feet in 2015 to just 2,191 last year.
The rule of thumb on square footage is that you need about 600 to 700 square feet per person living in a house, so if you’re a family of four you ideally want about 2,400-2,800 square feet. And adding square footage can pay off—every 1,000 square feet of additional space in your home can potentially boost your home’s value by 30%. There are several options for adding square footage to your home, but most depend on having space to expand into. If you lack outdoor space, can’t build up due to zoning laws or other barriers, and you have a shallow crawl space that’s not usable for any activity except crawling, you might ask yourself if you can solve your square footage problem by going down.
Can you? Possibly. Should you? That’s a more complicated question.
Digging out
Digging out a crawl space or shallow basement is just what it sounds like: You dig, removing the dirt and other debris currently forming the floor, lowering the floor until you have usable clearance above your head. It’s more complicated than that, of course: You also have to extend and reinforce the foundation and footings via underpinning or buttressing, and you have to figure out how to remove all that dirt.
There are many considerations involved when deciding whether it’s possible to dig out your crawl space:
Soil. The type and condition of the soil your house is built on is a big factor. Loose, sandy soil is more likely to collapse during the process.
Foundation. The type of foundation matters, too; older foundations made from bricks are less stable, especially if the mortar is sandy. Monolithic concrete foundations are better for dig outs.
If you consult with a structural engineer and decide it’s possible to dig out your crawl space and get that valuable square footage added to your house, you still have to decide if it’s worth it. And it very well may not be.
Considerations
There are a lot of potentially disastrous downsides to digging out your crawl space to create a basement you can then finish:
Cost: The total cost to dig out a crawl space and create a finished basement can be as much as $200,000. Even if you get that 30% bump in your home’s sale price, it’s going to be tough to get a solid ROI on that.
Risk: Homes can—and do—collapse when crawl spaces are dug out. Even when proceeding with extreme caution, digging out can weaken the foundation and cause it to shift, which can set off a chain reaction of failure that leaves you not only with no new basement, but also no house.
Cost, again: Because of that extra risk, you’d be well advised to buy extra insurance if you undertake the project—especially because catastrophic failure of your home’s stability can impact your neighbors on every side. You’d better be prepared for that kind of liability.
Time: This isn’t a quick job. It can take weeks to dig out a crawl space, and you may not be able to stay in the home during the process.
Bottom line
You’ve got a crawl space you try your best to never enter. You’re dreaming of a finished basement or accessory dwelling unit. Should you dig out your crawl space? Only if you answer "yes" to the following questions:
Do you have no other option to add square footage to your home?
Was your home built after 1950 or so?
Has a licensed structural engineer signed off?
Are you prepared for the cost and potential liability?
If your answer is "no" to any of these questions, put down that shovel and back away from your crawlspace.
You’re not wrong to worry about getting scammed; fraud in general is on the rise (and anyone can be a victim), with losses attributed to various kinds of fraud topping $10 billion in 2023 alone. And good old-fashioned bank fraud is on the rise, too—including check fraud, which might seem surprising since paper check use has been declining since forever. Although we write fewer checks, the value of those checks has risen from an average of $673 in 1990 to $2,562 today, making them an attractive target.
But avoiding paper checks doesn’t insulate you from fraud. Paying for things online using credit cards or similar tools includes some built-in fraud protections, but there are times when using an e-check and having funds pulled directly from your bank account is preferable (when there’s a “convenience fee” for using a credit card, for example), or you might have money coming in via wire transfer. In either case, you’re suddenly faced with giving away your bank details—the routing number, account number, and wire transfer or SWIFT codes—in order to complete the transaction. And you might reasonably wonder if it’s safe to just give this information away.
The answer is: Yes, generally speaking. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be careful.
Banking information to keep an eye on
A quick rundown of the relevant details we’re talking about here; when I say “bank details,” I mean:
Routing number: A nine-digit code that identifies your specific bank.
Account number: The number of digits in your account number varies. It’s a unique identifier for a specific account at the bank or financial institution.
ABA number: Also called a “wire routing number,” this nine-digit code is an alternative way to transfer funds internationally.
Most of these numbers are pretty easy to find. If you have paper checks issued by your bank, the routing number is printed on the bottom left, and your account number is printed to the right of that. And you can usually find your bank’s routing number and SWIFT and ABA codes by logging on to their website, calling and asking, or justlooking them uponline.
As I said earlier, your routing and account numbers are literally printed on your checks. These numbers are used in what are known as Automated Clearing House (ACH) transactions to move money between different banks and accounts. This means anyone who sees your check also sees your ACH info—and with that info they can commit some pretty easy fraud against your accounts. So when should you worry?
When it's OK to share your banking details
First, take note of the fact that you share your routing number and account numbers all the time. Every time you send a check, sign up for direct deposit, or enter your banking info to pay taxes or a utility bill (or sell tickets on StubHub) you’re sharing those numbers. They’re out there. A few things to keep in mind:
Just having your account number is meaningless. No one can do anything with just your account number. They also need your bank’s routing number.
As noted, your bank’s routing number and ABA and SWIFT codes are public info and can be looked up online, so there’s no reason to guard those with your life.
So, when should you feel safe sharing your bank routing and account numbers? A few guidelines:
If you would be comfortable writing a check, it’s generally OK to share your bank details.
If you know why you’re being asked for this information—you’re setting up an account, or direct deposit, or paying a bill using ACH to avoid a fee, for example—it’s generally OK.
If there’s a legitimate, compelling reason the organization needs this info (e.g., direct deposit) or you have a compelling reason to offer it up (e.g., avoiding a fee if you pay via credit card or PayPal).
Keep in mind that when you give someone authorization to use ACH to access your bank accounts, you can always revoke that authorization, and you generally have 60 days to report fraud involving your bank account as an individual.
When you should worry
Of course, scammers can wreak serious havoc on your financial life if they get both your routing and account numbers, so you definitely do need to think twice before supplying them. Here’s when to worry:
Insecure communications. Never give your bank details to anyone who requests them via email or text.
Supplied links. If you’re sent a link to enter your bank details, be suspicious. Always go directly to the website of any business or organization to enter routing and account info.
Pressure. If you prefer to use another form of payment—a credit card, for example—but you’re pressured to give out your bank details, be suspicious.
Bottom line: the key is your account number. Scammers can’t do anything without that, and they can find out everything else on their own, so if you don’t give out your account number there isn’t much they can do to you. On the other hand, if you need to get paid via wire transfer or need to pay a bill using your bank account, it’s generally safe to provide your bank details as long as you expected the request. Just be wary if it’s unexpected, or if you don’t understand why it’s necessary to provide that information.
The average price for a new car is close to $50,000 these days, which is a lot of money, and not always a good financial decision (not to mention the fact that the purchase price is only part of the cost). Even worse than the price, in many ways, is the process—anyone who has ever purchased a new car knows how long and excruciating it can be, involving several hours (or days) of your life as you engage in Jedi Mind Trick battles with a salesperson and then sign dozens of documents when you’re mentally and emotionally exhausted.
One reason the process sucks so much: Car dealerships are notorious for using tricky, sneaky tactics to get you to pay more than you need to. But you can turn the tables on them a little, because once you’ve struck a deal, in principle you have more leverage—the salesperson can smell that sale, and if you walk away, their time is as wasted as yours. This is the moment to ask for all the little things that won’t cost the dealer much, but can add up to a nice package of savings and perks for you, making this purchase a little less painful.
A full tank of gas
You might assume that the least you can expect from a car dealership is that your new car will arrive with a full tank of gas. And that is usually the case, but sometimes things go wrong—a salesperson forgets to gas up after a few test drives, or it’s simply overlooked. Considering that a full tank of gas can run as much as $100 depending on the vehicle you’re purchasing, it’s worth insisting that the contract stipulate the car will be delivered with a full tank, or that you’ll get a fuel voucher to fill it up. And while you’re at it, specify premium fuel, too.
Warranties and service plans
Dealers often toss extended warranties (that cover some repairs after the manufacturer’s warranty expires) and regular maintenance like tune-ups and oil changes into your contract and assume you’ll pay for them even though it increases your costs. But they’re not always worth it; an extended warranty only makes sense if you intend to own that car for well past the included warranty’s expiration, and even then you need to look closely at what’s covered. And most dealers will offer some kind of service and maintenance plan included with the purchase.
If you’re going to skip the extended warranty, you should ask to have it added to the contract as a freebie—all they can do is say no. Similarly, if there’s a charge for a service plan, try to have that added as well—even limited service options can save you some money down the road.
Coatings
When buying a new car, salespeople will often push various coatings—paint protection, anti-rust, anti-stain fabric applications—that they insist are necessary to keep your car from literally dissolving under the elements within days, if not hours. For the most part these coatings aren’t worth the money—cars are pretty durable right out of the factory, and while these coatings do offer some protection from normal wear and tear, the markups on them are usually breathtaking.
So, don’t buy these add-ons—but do ask that they be included in the contract as an included part of the purchase. Dealerships don’t pay much for these services (which is why they love selling them to you—that profit margin is sweet), so they can be persuaded to just throw them in if you ask nicely—and firmly—enough.
Extra keys or fobs
While most new cars these days use keyless (or even fully digital) entry and ignition, some basic models still come with mechanical keys—and if you need a fob to access the car it’s really just a key with extra steps. In either case, having a spare you can keep someplace safe is a great idea. Yet many dealers act like giving you a second key or fob requires immense effort and expense on their part. Before you sign that contract, ask them to write in a second key or fob so you don’t have to worry about losing yours.
VIN etching
VIN etching is a chemical process that burns your car’s vehicle identification number (VIN) onto the glass. It’s useful because it makes it much more difficult to sell a stolen car, which is why some insurers offer discounts on policies if your car has it. You can do VIN etching yourself cheaply, so it might not be worth the several hundred bucks your dealer will charge for the service—unless you convince them to write it into your contract for free.
Floor mats
If your new car doesn’t come with floor mats as a standard feature—and some don’t—you should definitely not buy them from the dealer. You can get them for a lot less money just about anywhere else, or spring for some laser-measured custom mats that will fit like gloves. But your dealer has floor mats they could give you—so write it into the contract and see if they’ll go for it, because free floor mats are always going to be better than floor mats you have to pay for.
Buying a house right now is a nightmare. Just a few years ago, lenders were giving out 3% mortgages left and right, but today, interest rates are hovering at around 7%. Meanwhile, home prices are soaring, with the median price nationwide currently a bit over $430,000—which means you need a six-figure income to comfortably afford a house in nearly half the country.
If you want to buy a house but the prices in your area are turning your hair white, it might be worth looking into post-foreclosure properties, otherwise known as real estate owned (REO) properties.
Why buying a real estate owned (REO) property can save you money
A real estate-owned (REO) property is one that a bank or other lender has foreclosed on, and that failed to sell at auction or as a short sale. As a result, the bank now owns the property and most probably fervently wishes it didn’t. Banks aren’t in the real estate or property maintenance business, and keeping properties on their books increases their financial risk.
That often makes the bank into a particularly motivated seller, which is good news for you: REO homes are often listed at very competitive prices—what’s known as the REO discount, which can be as much as 41% off the market value. You’re not guaranteed to save that much, and it's not like you’re going to buy a turnkey million-dollar house for a bargain, but you can definitely save some money by going this route.
One major caveat of considering REO properties is that they are typically sold as-is, so if the defaulting owner let the maintenance and repairs slide towards the end of their ownership, you might have a lot of expensive repairs to deal with. On the other hand, the bank will usually have cleared away any liens or debts (like unpaid property taxes) because they want to avoid obstacles that will prevent a quick sale. All this means that if you’re not afraid of buying an as-is house that might need significant repairs, buying an REO property from a bank can save you bank.
How to find REO listings
Finding REO properties takes a little bit of research, because there’s no centralized listing service you can refer to. But there are some common ways to discover them:
Bank websites. Banks often have entire REO departments, and maintain websites listing the REO properties they’re trying to sell. Bank of America, for example, lists their properties here.
The Multiple Listing Service (MLS). The MLS is used by real estate professionals, and offers listings of REO and foreclosed properties as well. Some banks list their REO properties directly on the MLS.
Foreclosure databases. Every REO home starts off as a foreclosure, so tracking foreclosures that fail to sell can let you be first in line for a plum REO listing. You can track foreclosures using a foreclosure database like RealtyTrac, Auction.com, or Foreclosures.com. Since real estate databases like Zillow or Trulia also list foreclosed properties you can do the same thing—track a property to see if it fails to sell.
Federal databases. The Federal government writes a lot of home loans, and gets stuck with REO properties like any other lender. When they do, they list them at HomePath (Fannie Mae properties) or HomeSteps (Freddie Mac), or HUD Homestore (Federal Housing Administration-owned homes).
An experienced realtor. If you decide to target REO homes, it’s a good idea to identify a real estate professional in your area who has REO experience and has been granted a short sales and foreclosure (SFR) certification by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The NAR maintains a searchable database of these agents, which can help you find someone in your area. You should also get pre-approved for financing. Banks are eager to get REO houses off their books, so they like to know you’re ready to pull the trigger.
Buying a house—any house—increasingly requires a small fortune and a tolerance for high interest rates, and renting isn’t any less bleak, with prices through the roof all over the country. So if you’ve currently got a roof over your head, congratulations! It’s something of an achievement, even if it isn’t fancy.
But what if you want fancy? Maybe you’re tired of builder-grade everything (though not all “builder-grade” stuff is worth changing). Maybe you just want to feel that rush of pride when people come over to your place. If you want a house that looks fancy without having to get a second job to pay for luxe materials, you have a lot of options. Here are 11 ways to make your house look expensive without spending a lot of money.
But first, clean and declutter
The first step toward a house that seems more expensive and luxurious is to declutter and organize everything in it. A tidy house has been proven to be a more valuable property overall (homes that are kept neat are worth about $3,700 more on average), and rooms with clean lines and no mess can give even the most modest space a more minimalist, purposeful look that feels fancier.
Add garage hinge magnets
Do you have some pretty standard, low-rent garage doors? You can make them look a lot more expensive and luxe for about $20-30 with some simple handle and hinge magnets. These just slap into place to instantly make your cheap garage door look like a much more expensive Carriage House look. You can see the effect in this video, and it’s pretty dramatic.
Install deck tiles
Outdoor spaces increase our enjoyment of a property—and the property’s value. But if your outdoor space is a broken concrete patio, a weather wooden deck, or a bare patch of dirt it’s not exactly inspiring (or comfortable) to use. The good news is that it’s easy to quickly and cheaply upgrade that area as long as it’s structurally sound (if your deck is threatening to collapse in the next stiff wind, no amount of cheap solutions will save you).
Luckily, all you need are some outdoor interlocking wood tiles to instantly turn that patio, deck, or patch of dirt into a luxurious outdoor space that looks a lot more expensive than it is. If you have an IKEA nearby, you can get enough tiles to cover a 9x9 space for less than $200, and it’s a job that can usually be accomplished in just an hour or two.
Cover your appliances in stainless steel contact paper
One dead giveaway that your house isn’t exactly a luxury model is the busted old appliances in your kitchen. Buying all new stainless steel appliances might be outside your budget, but you can get the same look for just a little money using stainless steel peel-and-stick contact paper. This stuff is waterproof, and if applied with some care it will fool just about anyone, instantly transforming your old appliances into shiny new (looking) ones. You can see the process of applying it here (using these kits, which are designed for specific appliances).
Use peel and stick tiles everywhere
Peel-and-stick technology is the cheapskate’s secret friend. They make a surprisingly large range of peel-and-stick items, from “tile” backsplashes to faux wood planks that can be used for accent walls or to even make a faux shiplap ceiling, or contact paper that can be applied to your kitchen counters to transform cheap counters into expensive-looking stone.
Install new flooring over your gross carpet
If you’re stuck with a ratty old carpet in your house that you can’t remove or replace, whether because you’re renting or because you can’t afford a full-on renovation, a relatively inexpensive solution is to install laminate flooring over your carpet. Yes, this is possible—you shouldn't consider it a permanent solution, but it provides an instant upgrade from the pink shag your landlord insists is “fine.”
If your carpet is pretty low-pile, you might be able to put the new floor directly on top of it; if your carpet’s a bit heftier you’ll probably need to put down a thin plywood underlayment. Either way, this is an affordable project that can have a dramatic effect on any room.
Install molding
One reason your house looks kind of basic? Your bare walls. Sure, you can solve that with some well-chosen art, but you can also do amazing things using wood picture frame molding. With the right tools and some time, you can create striking patterns on your walls that combine subtlety with elegance, giving it a bespoke look for not much money. (For less than not much money, you can even use pell-and-stick molding, like this stuff. You can get about 10 feet for less than $20.)
Upgrade your knobs and pulls
Whether your kitchen cabinetry (or any cabinetry in the house, actually) uses knobs or pulls (and yes, there is a difference), you can transform their look for less a few hundred bucks, depending on what you choose. Combined with a fresh paint job on your cabinets (or even a vinyl wrap), fancy new pulls or knobs will make it look like you renovated when all you did was work a few screws.
Add floor to ceiling window treatments
Hanging your curtains as close to the ceiling as possible and running those curtains to the floor will make your rooms look bigger and draw the eye up, making the space seem larger, brighter, and more expensive. People like higher ceilings and associate them with a sense of freedom, and are often willing to pay more for homes they perceive to have higher ceilings. And all you need to accomplish this is some curtain rods and some fabric.
Get new lampshades
If your home utilizes a lot of lamps that you bought in bulk at a big-box store because you needed to light up your rooms without hiring an electrician or spending too much, they might be contributing to the sense that your house isn’t very luxe. The lampshades provided with your typical mass-produced lamp aren’t exactly stylish—or durable.
Luckily, the solution isn’t expensive: You just need some cooler lampshades. This could involve a few art projects to spruce up the ones you already have, or a few new lampshades (like this, or this) to give your sad lamps a nice sense of luxury.
Install DIY built-ins
Built-in storage units like bookshelves add to a sense that the home is expensive, and are generally thought to add value to a house. But adding actual built-ins to your house can be pricey, since it might require a carpenter to custom design and install shelving or cabinetry. Or you can get a similar effect for much less money by buying Ikea storage, combining units, and painting.
Everyone who has ever looked for a new job knows that job-hunting can feel a full-time job in itself. The hiring process takes a long time, you have to be organized and vigilant, and you have to go through several rounds of interviews, test projects, cover letters, and thank you notes. That’s why the idea of having someone do all the drudge work on your behalf is so appealing, giving rise to what’s known as “reverse recruiting.”
If you’re exhausted by the process of finding a new job or don’t have any spare mental capacity, the idea of outsourcing your next job hunt might seem tempting. But there are some serious downsides to the approach that you should consider before taking the plunge.
What is reverse recruiting?
The basic concept of reverse recruiting is sensible enough: You’re essentially paying someone to find a job for you. Unlike traditional head hunters or recruitment agencies, which are paid by the hiring company to find the right people for open roles, reverse recruiters find open roles for people and are paid by the job-seeker—that is, you. Companies like Find My Profession, Ladders, and My Personal Recruiter offer reverse recruiting services.
A reverse recruiter will typically do the following on your behalf:
Search for appropriate jobs based on your skills, experience, and career goals
Customize your resume for each role
Fill out applications and submit your resume
Respond to correspondence about the role on your behalf
Schedule interviews
In other words, once you get set up with a reverse recruiter, you can sit back and relax while they search for jobs, fill out applications, and eventually bring interviews to you. Some charge up-front flat fees for the service, others take a one-time percentage of your salary if you land a new job—which could be totally worth it if they find the perfect role for you.
Why reverse recruiting probably isn't worth it
Reverse recruiting might sound pretty enticing—you get on with your life, skip the stress, and continue to focus on the job that’s actually paying your bills while someone else sets up job interviews. What’s not to like? But there are some strong reasons why reverse recruiting might not be a great idea for you.
Money. First of all, there’s the cost, which can range between $2,500 and $5,000. This can be a flat fee, a percentage of your new salary, or a retainer system where you pay a monthly fee.
Something to consider here is motivation: If you pay your reverse recruiter a flat, up-front fee, they don’t have much motivation to worry about results—they’ve already made their money. On the other hand, if the recruiter is working for a percentage of your new salary, that’s a lot of motivation to find you a position, but also motivation to chase after the highest-paying jobs regardless of how appropriate they are for you. Of course, if salary is your number one goal in your job search, that might work just fine for you.
No special sauce. Reverse recruiters often work with the same job listings you can find for yourself with a little Googling and time spent on job boards. While it can save you some time and effort in terms of sifting through all those job listings, you won’t necessarily identify unique opportunities this way.
Reputational damage. Some reverse recruiters essentially spam your resume to every open job out there, casting a wide net to increase the chances of bringing you interviews or offers. This kind of indiscriminate strategy can lead to some sticky situations, such as applying for a job at your current company, an old employer you left under poor terms, or applying for roles that you’re not particularly suited for.
That last point brings up some questions about results and metrics you should ask any reverse recruiter you’re thinking of working with:
Is there any sort of money-back guarantee? How long will they seek jobs for you, and if they don’t land you any interviews or offers within a certain period (say, six months), do you get your money back?
What happens if they land you an interview with a job you don’t want? Or if you get an offer and decide to turn it down (especially if their fee is tied to a new salary)?
What happens if you accept an offer but know immediately it’s a mistake and leave your new role within a month or two? Or if you get fired, or don’t make it through a probationary period? Do you still owe them that percentage of your salary? Do they keep looking for you, or will you have to pay them a second time?
It’s certainly possible for a reverse recruiting situation to work in your favor. If you simply have zero time to look for jobs, it can automate the most tedious aspects of the job search. But by and large, reverse recruiters are scraping the same job listings you can access, blasting your resume and data out there (often pretty indiscriminately), and offering few (if any) guarantees of success. You’re almost always better off just finding the time to look for jobs yourself.
Apparently, more than a third of us use credit cards to buy things just to get the rewards. It’s easy to see why—rewards, miles, and points are basically free stuff and money that can us cash on shopping, travel, and many other things. And there are various strategies to maximize your rewards and get even more out of those programs. Money, free flights, and discounted hotel rooms are great, of course—but there are also some pretty unique rewards programs out there if you’d like to switch it up.
Socks
Yes, you read that right. If regularly purchasing new socks and undergarments is a stressful burden for you, start flying Swiss Air and you can use 3,000 miles to sign up for a BLACKSOCKS subscription and get your socks and underwear delivered to you without thought or effort. While the effort involved in buying (checks notes) socks may not seem so terrible, it does remove one small item from your to-do list, and all you have to do is fly places, which you were probably going to anyway. So if socks are your thing, you do you.
Video games
If you’re a gamer, you know that video games are becoming incredibly expensive. With $70 games on the market and developers soaking you for every bit of downloadable content, weapons upgrade, and unlockable feature, it’s no surprise that we spend an average of $431 per household every year on gaming.
If that’s you, consider the PlayStation Plus Premium card, which comes with a year of Playstation Plus Premium. That lets you access hundreds of game titles, gives you special discounts, and access to the online multiplayer so you can battle it out with your friends. Or young children in foreign countries who have learned to say “git gud” phonetically.
Rents keep going up, and people are looking for creative ways to pay it. Even if your landlord or property management company will accept credit card payments, there’s usually a service fee, which is just salt in the wounds. That’s where the Bilt Rewards card comes in. When you open an account on this card, you can set up a routing and account number just like a checking account, allowing you to pay your rent with a credit card even if your landlord won’t accept a card. And you earn points on your rent payments, to boot.
Wine-tasting perks
Are you a wine enthusiast? Do you spend the GDP of a small nation in Sonoma every year to restock your cellar? Then the Visa Signature or Visa Infinite card is for you. You’ll get free tastings, discounted prices on bottles, and other perks that will make your next trip to Wine Country a little cheaper and a little more exclusive.
Super Bowl tickets
The Super Bowl is always one of the hottest tickets around, and getting tickets is difficult—and expensive. The cheapest tickets sold by the NFL to Super Bowl LVIII went for $2,000, but most tickets were priced much higher. And that’s if you can find a ticket at all.
Now, imagine you could buy Super Bowl tickets with points—which is something you can actually do if you have an NFL Extra Points Credit Card and use it a lot. A few years ago it took 175,000 points for two upper-level tickets (225,000 got you better seats), so you’re going to have to give that card a workout if you’re planning to be on the gridiron for Super Bowl LIX.
Secret codes are all around us, making it easier to communicate information quickly to the people who are looking for it. CB Radio codes, for example, aren’t exactly mysterious—if you’re old enough, you might even remember when they were quite a fad—and you probably know that hospitals have several color codes for specific emergency situations. And a lot of people use secret codes in their everyday lives, whether to keep their kids safe or to find movies on Netflix.
But there are some secret codes that aren’t so well known. They fly under the radar, and unless you know what you’re looking for, you’ve probably encountered them and never even noticed. Secret codes aren’t the sole province of spies and criminal gangs, after all—they’re used in all walks of life any time someone needs to communicate without attracting attention or raising an alarm. Here are some of the secret codes you might not be aware of.
Dating app disclosure
On a dating profile, it's expected that people will share information about themselves, like their interests, hobbies, and dating goals. Some people also use coded language to subtly communicate various things about themselves—in this case, details about their sexual health. According to the Washington Post, people who have herpes will sometimes use a simple, discrete secret code in their dating profiles to give a heads up to their potential partners: The number 437737, which spells out HERPES on a phone’s keypad.
Disney snark
Anywhere large groups of people gather to compete over limited resources, bad behavior will follow—and Disney’s theme parks are no exception. Disney has an image to protect, however, and has strict rules concerning how staff can speak to and interact with guests. As you might imagine, calling someone an “entitled dick” would violate those rules, so Disney has a secret code for referring to assholes in their park: Treasured Guest. This code has terrific “bless your heart” energy.
Disney also has codes for other mishaps—a kid peeing in a water ride is a “Code Winnie,” someone vomiting is called a “protein spill,” and when folks scatter a loved one’s ashes—a frequent and forbidden practice—it’s referred to with the ominous-sounding phrase, “white powder alert.”
Pirate scientists
You might not think that scientists would be particularly rebellious folks, but they can be when they perceive anything as being detrimental to the spread of knowledge—like when corporate-owned scientific journals lock papers behind paywalls. This has not only sparked the Open Access movement that seeks to make it easier to swap papers and articles, it’s also driven many scientists to become low-key pirates, and they use a secret code to do their dirty work.
Well, it’s a “secret” code in that you might not know what it means when you see it: When a researcher or scientist needs access to a paper, they’ll post a link to social media or a forum and add the phrase “I Can Haz PDF,” a reference to the old cheeseburger-cat meme. When a colleague who has access to that paper sees it, they’ll email a PDF over pronto.
Bar assistance
It is a sad fact of modern life that the very places you’re supposed to be able to unwind, relax, and have a good time—bars and taverns—are often the exact places women don’t feel safe. When an aggressive or creepy dude latches on to you in a bar, the result runs the gamut from a ruined evening to a dangerous situation.
Depending on where your local bar is, though, there might be a secret code you can use in those situations: The Angel Shot or Ask for Angela. They’re both secret codes that alert the bar staff that you need assistance without forcing you to point out the person bothering you (thus alerting them that you’ve accused them of something) or having to explain a sticky situation. Some bars post signs in the women’s bathroom promoting the code, and some places add extra phrases, like asking for an "Angel Shot on the rocks" when you need someone to call you an Uber.
Swinger rings
Wedding bands are like anything else: While most people choose traditional looks, some folks want to stand out and be more unique. If you see someone wearing a black wedding ring, it might simply be a stylistic choice. But it might also be a secret code that tells people in the know that they’re swingers—you know, people who like to swap sexual partners and engage in group sexual encounters.
Black rings aren’t just for married folks—unmarried swingers can wear black rings to signal their openness to a liaison, too.
Bread code
A very wholesome—and useful!—secret code is right in front of you every time you buy a bag of bread at the grocery store. The twist tie or plastic clip that holds the plastic closed is probably one of five colors, and that color is a code telling you the day of the week that loaf of bread was baked:
Blue: Monday
Green: Tuesday
Red: Thursday
White: Friday
Yellow: Saturday
Bakers typically don’t work Sundays and Wednesdays, so apparently there’s no color code for those days. So if you go into the store on Friday and see loaves with yellow tags or ties, you know they’re a few days old, so you might want to look for something fresher.
IT snark
If computers and gadgets are a mystery to you, you’ve no doubt experienced the withering disdain of an IT professional—or a geeky friend or relative—when they have to do something extremely simple to resolve your computer difficulty. You simply haven’t lived until you demand IT assistance only to have a grumbling nerd power-cycle your laptop and walk away.
Well, you should know that IT pros have a whole set of secret codes to refer to you without triggering you:
ID 10-T Error. This sounds technical, but they’re actually calling you an “ID10T.”
PEBKAC/PICNIC. If your friendly IT pro is chatting about your trouble ticket and refers to PICNIC or PEBKAC, they’re letting their colleagues know the problem is you. PEBKAC = Problem Exists Between Keyboard and Chair, and PICNIC = Problem In Chair Not In Computer.
CODE 18. Another technical-sounding phrase that is instead suggesting that the problem is sitting about 18 inches from the computer monitor (pssst, they’re talking about you).
EEOC. This stands for Equipment Exceeds Operator Capabilities. It’s another way of calling you a big ole’ dummy.
IBM Error. You might think this is a reference to some portion of your setup made by IBM. Nope, it stands for “idiot behind machine.”
Central Park navigation
If you’ve ever been to Central Park in New York City, you know that it’s huge and sprawling and doesn’t follow the same grid-like layout that Midtown does. It’s not unusual for native New Yorkers to get turned around and disoriented in there once they lose sight of the streets.
But there’s a secret code in plain sight that makes getting lost almost impossible. On every lamppost throughout the park is a simple, four- or five-digit numerical code. The first two or three digits tell you which cross street you’re closest to, and the last two numbers stand for West Side (odd) or East Side (even). A lamppost with 6104 on it means you’re closest to 61st Street on the East Side.
Hazmat codes
You’ve probably seen tanker trucks with hazmat signs on them, and you probably know that those signs mean something dangerous is in the tank. But there are all sorts of codes on those placards that tell you exactly what’s in that tanker. These codes are called UN Numbers, and they can be found either directly on the hazmat symbol or next to them.
There are even more codes that tell you whether you’re dealing with explosives, flammable gases, combustible liquids, radioactive materials, poisons, corrosives (like acids), oxidizers, flammable solids, or something else. And the colors used on the hazmat placard also tell you something about what’s in there—for example, a blue placard indicates that the substance is flammable when exposed to water.
Retail SOS
You might know that hospitals, airports, and other public places will often use codes in the public address system to alert police or employees to a situation without alarming the public. But retail stores and malls do this, too—and one of the most universal is to use the name Nora, which is actually the acronym NORA, which stands for “Need Officer Right Away.” If an employee is having trouble with a violent or disruptive person—or if they want to spread the word that someone is shoplifting without tipping their hand—they can discretely request that someone call the cops without escalating the situation.
Escort codes
It shouldn’t be surprising that escorts and sex workers can be found on various dating apps—a lot of these apps are pretty much marketed as hookup apps, after all. But of course no sex worker is going to simply say so in their profile and list a price sheet. Instead, some apparently use the code “roses” or “bring roses.” Roses are dollars (it’s a 1:1 exchange rate), so when someone instructs you to bring roses, they’re saying you should be prepared to pay them for the date. And if they list specific numbers of roses, they’re essentially giving you their rate card.
Windows are among the most expensive things you’ll ever have to buy for your house—costing approximately anywhere from $450 to $1,400 per window, which can obviously add up fast. You also have to choose the right kind of windows for your house—and there’s a dizzying number of choices. In order to make the best decision, you need to know the differences between the various types of windows, and their pros and cons.
Single-hung windows
Single-hung windows are rectangular and have two “sashes,” one on top and one on the bottom. Only one of these—typically the bottom one—can be moved up and down, while the other is fixed in place.
When to choose: When money is a concern. Single-hung windows tend to be the cheapest options, with an average cost of $560 per window.
Double-hung windows
Double-hung windows look just like single-hung, but both sashes can be moved up and down. These are pretty standard in most homes.
When to choose: When you need to stick to a budget, but want more flexibility. Double-hung windows aren’t much pricier than single-hung, but offer the option of which sash to open up, which may be useful in your space.
Awning/Hopper windows
An awning window has hinges at the top and can be pushed outward, resembling an awning with the outside of the window facing up. Conversely, a hopper-style window has hinges at the bottom so it resembles a chute or hopper when opened. Typically these use a crank mechanism to open and close. They offer a tight seal against the weather, too.
When to choose: When security and privacy are paramount. Awning and hopper windows are difficult to open from the outside, and can be mounted high on the wall to provide light and ventilation without letting folks peek in at you. Awning windows provide better protection from rain, however, as hopper windows can guide rainwater into your home.
Casement windows
Casement windows have a similar mechanism to awning or hopper windows, using a crank or lever to open up. They open to the left or right, however, instead of being hinged at the top or bottom.
When to choose: When energy efficiency is top priority. Because casement windows close tightly on all sides, they have minimal air leakage. The crank or lever mechanism can also make them a good choice for difficult-to-reach areas, such as behind a kitchen sink.
Pivot windows
Pivot windows are square or rectangular windows that pivot on a central hinge, either swinging horizontally or vertically. The result is that half the window is outside the house and half inside when opened. They’re easy to operate, but always partly obscure the view.
When to choose: When security plus ease-of-operation are priorities. Pivoting windows don’t offer much space for someone to squeeze through.
Transom windows
Transom windows are small windows that sit above other windows or doorways. They can be hinged and openable, but most commonly they’re fixed. They can add a touch of elegance to your home’s design, but their main purpose is to increase the natural light getting into your home, especially at a front door that blocks the light.
When to choose: When you need more light in an entryway, or when you want to add some sophistication to your home.
Bay and bow windows
Bay windows are three rectangular windows that are arranged at an angle, forming a “bump out” from your house. They’re usually single- or double-hung, but can also be “fixed,” meaning they don’t open at all. Bow windows are very similar to bay windows, but have a more rounded arrangement.
When to choose: When you want more living space. Bay and bow windows let you add some square footage to your living space while maximizing the amount of light you get. They can be pricey, however, and often require custom window treatments.
Jalousie windows
Jalousie windows are made up of glass blinds. Using a crank, the blinds swing up or down to open and close. They’re typically used in warm, rainy areas because they can be left open when it rains, maximizing airflow.
When to choose: When you live in a tropical area with lots of rain, and you’re not concerned about energy efficiency.
Garden windows
Typically found in kitchens behind the sink, these are box-like windows that protrude out from the wall, creating a greenhouse-like environment for a small indoor garden.
When to choose: When you lack outdoor space and want to add a touch of green to your home.
A garden window looking out on a backyard.Credit: Jeff Somers
Glass block windows
Glass block windows are just what they sound like: Glass blocks stacked and joined with mortar, typically utilizing glazed or frosted glass. They’re fixed, meaning there’s no way to open them, so they let in light while protecting your privacy.
When to choose: When privacy is more important than ventilation.
Storm windows
Storm windows can be permanent windows made using shatter-resistant and storm-rated glass, or inserts that are installed outside the actual window that offer protection from winds and debris impact.
When to choose: When you live in an area prone to high-intensity storms. They can also provide better soundproofing due to their thickness and durability.
Egress windows
Usually found in basements (though they can be located anywhere in the house), egress windows are often legally required to provide an escape route in an emergency. As a result, they’re large enough for a typical adult to fit through. They’re also often below ground level and surrounded by a window well dug next to the home’s foundation. Most egress windows are casement-style windows, and they’re typically added more for function than style.
When to choose: When you must legally include an exit from an interior room in your home.
Skylight windows
Set into the roof of your home, skylight windows resemble awning windows that tilt upward. When closed, they allow in light, but when extra ventilation is needed, they can be opened to allow hot air to rise up and escape the house.
When to choose: When your home has a hot, stuffy attic or top-floor rooms and could benefit from more passive climate control.
Round windows
Sometimes called a rose window, these are fixed, circular windows, usually with metal grids dividing them into sections. They’re purely ornamental and usually have to be custom-made for your space.
When to choose: When your home design calls for it.
Radius windows
Sometimes called “arched” windows, these windows have a rectangular bottom and a rounded top section so that the whole window resembles an archway. They’re typically fixed, but can be made to open as well. They’re typically custom windows, so they can be very expensive, but they add a touch of sophistication to any home.
When to choose: When you feel like you need some extra pop in your window design.
Oriel windows
An oriel window is similar to bow and bay windows in that they encase an outcropping from the main structure, creating additional interior space. Unlike bay or bow windows, oriels are squared-off and can provide maximum light penetration, offering panoramic views of the outside.
When to choose: When you want as much sunlight as you can handle.
Cottage windows
Cottage-style windows are rectangular windows with two sashes—a larger bottom sash that is typically openable and a smaller top sash that is typically fixed. They bring powerful charm to any home.
When to choose: When you want a touch of old-school charm, or when you need smaller windows due to space limitations.
Slider windows
Sliding windows are like pocket doors: The sashes slide to the left or right. You can find them in double- or triple-sash configurations, and they’re great for rooms where you don’t have much vertical space to work with.
When to choose: When you can’t fit a traditional vertical window in the space you have.
Picture windows
Picture windows are large fixed windows—they don’t open—that frame a view so that it almost looks like a picture hanging on your wall. They provide lots of light and give you a view of something—your garden, for example.
When to choose: When seeing the view is more important than ventilation.
Tilt-and-turn windows
Found primarily in Europe, tilt-and-turn windows can be opened from side hinges, like a door or casement window but also from the bottom, like a hopper window. This makes them incredibly flexible, as you can open them in different ways depending on the weather.
When to choose: When you have variable climate conditions and feel like you need a different window depending on the weather.
Moving into a new house is stressful, no matter how you approach it. There’s the expense, the chaos of physically moving all of your stuff, not to mention finding your new home in the first place. We all do a lot of research and due diligence when looking for a new home for our family, but that research tends to be focused exclusively on the house itself. When it comes to the location of that house, the research can get a little muddy.
You probably have a good idea of the general area you want to live in, but what about the specific block you’ll be moving into? A few years ago, Trulia coined the term “neighborhood regret” when a survey they conducted revealed that 36% of homebuyers wished they’d bought into a different neighborhood. Are your neighbors going to steal every package you have delivered, or will you be embroiled in endless drama with them? How can you tell if you’re about to join a thriving, friendly community or step into a hell composed of other people?
It’s impossible to know for sure until you live there, but there are some signs you can look for during your house hunt.
Home maintenance
Ask any real estate professional: The level of upkeep and maintenance by a homeowner is very telling. Not only does a poorly maintained home probably have hidden damage and defects that will need to be repaired, but a poorly maintained house will negatively impact all the houses around it.
A single ramshackle house with a sagging roof and an ancient, rusting washing machine on the front lawn is one thing—multiple homes in disrepair are a big red flag that the whole neighborhood has gone to seed. If you see several houses featuring any of these signs of neglect, it’s time to reconsider your neighborhood choice:
Lack of landscaping (overgrown grass, uncontrolled weeds)
Sagging or missing fence
Peeling exterior paint or damaged siding
Garbage and junk piled up in the yard
Damaged roof
Crumbling concrete steps or walkways
Noise
An obvious red flag for a neighborhood is the noise level—but it’s easy to assume that high noise levels are temporary. After all, that guy across the street can’t be revving his motorbike or his chainsaw every day, can he?
It’s essential to visit your prospective new neighborhood on different days and at night. You’ll learn a lot about what life is really like there. A few signs that this neighborhood is not your new home include:
Noise. It’s an obvious red flag, but if you only see the neighborhood during the day when adults are at work and kids are at school you don’t know the true volume levels you’ll be dealing with. You also need to ascertain if some of your neighbors just have extremely loud hobbies, or like to blast music from their car stereo for hours every day while they work out in their garage.
No noise. On the other end of the scale is a lack of people and noise. If the neighborhood is terrifyingly dark and empty at night, ask yourself if you’ll be comfortable walking around or letting your kids play when the sun goes down. If it’s also a ghost town during the daylight hours, that can indicate an unfriendly atmosphere and a lack of neighborly camaraderie.
For sale signs
You feel lucky to have found a house in your price range in the area you want to be in. That’s great. Unless there’s a very good reason for the low price.
If you notice that the neighborhood has a lot of homes for sale, this could be a red flag that something is driving people away. It could be anything—a rise in crime, quality-of-life issues, or simple coincidence—but a large number of “for sale” signs should prompt you to hit pause and do some more digging before you make any final decisions.
Speed bumps
You probably don’t think twice when you drive over a speed bump—they’re a common way to force people to slow down. But if the quiet residential street you’re considering moving into has speed bumps every few feet, it might be a sign that your cute spot is a cut-through for impatient drivers trying to avoid nearby traffic. Unless you enjoy the sound of cars bottoming out when they hit a speed bump way too fast and briefly attain flight, or like the sense of danger involved in a dark quiet street being invaded by tired, speeding drivers, this is a sign that you should at least ask around a bit to find out how big of a problem it is.
Crime rates
This one might seem obvious, but most homebuyers rely more on their impression of a neighborhood than actual stats. It’s important to remember that not all crime is violent crime—a neighborhood might be plagued by petty thieves, vandals, traffic scofflaws, or residents who disturb the peace.
One simple red flag to look for? Fortifications. If all the houses on the block have bars on the windows and gated porch areas, if everyone has security cameras and big signs announcing alarm systems, it often means the neighborhood was not particularly safe at some point.
You can get a quick glimpse of the crime in your area with a site like Niche, which uses local and federal databases to calculate crime rates, and sites like SpotCrime will show you a map or list of recent police activity in that particular neighborhood. This won’t be comprehensive, but if you see a long list of arrests and other crime-related problems it’s a sign that your cute, quiet prospective neighborhood isn’t that cute or quiet. And while you’re doing your research, why not check to see if there are any registered sex offenders living there, too? The Department of Justice maintains a searchable database you can use, and the site Family Watchdog offers a similar database.
Animals
Most people love dogs, and having dogs in your new neighborhood is probably not a bad thing. But there’s a difference between neighbors who take their leashed pets for a walk and neighbors who let their dogs run wild. Aggressive dogs can be dangerous, and dogs left outdoors at all times can be a loud annoyance.
You can also often judge the character of potential neighbors by the way they treat animals. Pets who are left outside in the heat or cold, who are chained up and given little space to move around in, or who are generally mistreated are not only heartbreaking, but they indicate that the human being in charge of them isn’t going to value your health and safety very much, either.
The average person spends about 10 hours a day sitting. Yes, all that sitting is very, very bad for you in terms of your health—but it can also be bad for the floor in your home office if you’re rolling around in a standard desk chair. Anyone who has spent any time in a rolling chair knows that they can slowly do real damage to your floors, either by scratching up hardwoods or denting carpet and pulling up fibers, which then get jammed into the chair wheel, reducing its mobility.
You can throw down a plastic mat to protect your floors and make your chair move more easily, but then you have the fun of rolling off the mat and becoming marooned until you stand up to adjust your position. Instead of living with this kind of irritation, there’s a low-cost, low-effort solution: Buy better office chair wheels. They don’t cost much and they’re relatively easy to swap out.
Hard vs. soft
Your first consideration is the type of flooring your chair will be rolling over:
For soft surfaces, like carpeting or rugs, go for wheels that are made from hard materials like plastic. These basic chair wheels from Shepherd, for example, will cut through carpet effectively.
For harder surfaces (hardwood or tiled floors, for example), you want a softer wheel made from something like rubber, polyurethane, or neoprene. Softer wheels won’t mark or scratch your floors and will move much more smoothly on hard surfaces than plastic wheels. These are also a good choice if you’re going to use a chair mat.
Next, you have a choice between a single- or double-wheel style for your office chair:
Single-wheel casters won’t collect dirt, hair, and fibers the way double-wheel casters can. Single-wheel or rollerblade-style casters like these from Slipstick are a lot easier to keep clean in general, and offer smooth movement. However, single-wheel casters can be more difficult to turn and maneuver, so if you are constantly rolling around your workspace they may prove frustrating.
Dual-wheel casters may collect a lot of dirt, but they offer better weight capacity and stability, as well as improved turning for both hardwood floors and carpet.
Another option is a globe-style caster. These can work well on hard surfaces and low-pile carpet, and offer a high-level of mobility and smooth movement while protecting surfaces from marks or scuffs. If you want to glide around your office like a ballerina, globe-style casters are your best choice.
Larger diameter wheels (3-inch diameter or larger) are ideal for thicker carpet. The larger wheels, whether in double-wheel or rollerblade-style models, offer better clearance over carpet pile, reducing friction and improving movement.
Smaller diameter wheels (less than 3 inches) are better-suited for hard, smooth surfaces like hardwood and tile.
Marriage is usually talked about in terms of love and relationships—the intensity of emotion you feel toward one another, and the safety and security of finding your Person and knowing you’ll spend the rest of your life with them.
Except, of course, that the time spent married is typically less than a decade—most marriages in the U.S. end after about seven years. Most marriages end in divorce—about half of all first marriages wind up in divorce court, and that rate skyrockets with second (67%) and third (73%) marriages.
That’s why it's important to remember that marriage is a legally binding contract as much as it is a symbolic joining of two souls. Viewed like that, stuff like pre-nuptial agreements don’t seem so cold and brutal; they can be a godsend if your marriage is one of those that don’t make it. If you’ve already gotten married, it’s not too late to get rational about your partnership and enshrine your mutual understanding in writing, though. You can always draw up a post-nuptial agreement.
Post-nuptial agreements
A post-nuptial agreement is exactly what it sounds like: a legal agreement between spouses that you create and sign after you’re already married. You might enter into one because you didn’t create a pre-nuptial agreement and want to clarify things, or your financial situation has changed and now you feel the need to formalize some understandings. The crucial difference is the focus of the document: A pre-nup is mostly focused on you as an individual, with no implied obligation to your spouse—it protects the assets you already had before the marriage. A post-nup explicitly deals with your obligation to your spouse.
Post-nuptial agreements typically outline a few common aspects of your legal and financial responsibilities to each other:
Inventory and division of assets. A post-nup will typically clearly state who owns what, and how the assets will be divided in the case of divorce. This can range from property like a home to investments to a family-owned business. For example, if the couple has a shared investment portfolio but one spouse contributes 75% of the money invested in it, the post-nup could specify that the funds will be split 75-25 in case of divorce, which can spare you a lot of squabbling.
Allocation of debts and other obligations. A post-nup can also clearly define who will be responsible for debts that are currently shared within the marriage. If you took out a large loan, for example, or have a car payment or mortgage, the post-nup defines who carries that debt if the marriage is dissolved.
Alimony and support. A post-nup can also define future financial arrangements, like spousal support. For example, if one spouse stops working in order to care for children and take care of the home, the post-nup could define the earnings they sacrificed and require the other spouse to pay support. This can make a partner feel more secure in their choice to give up a career.
A post-nuptial agreement can also contain provisions for future property and financial windfalls. For example, it can specify that any property acquired by either partner after signing the post-nup will be considered their individual asset and not a shared one. You can also define how inheritances will be handled, or how large gifts will be handled. For example, if one spouse’s parents gave the couple a large monetary gift in order to purchase a house, the post-nup can define whether the other spouse should repay their share of that gift or if it should be forgiven and considered moot.
One thing you can’t put in a post-nuptial agreement is custody arrangements. Even if both partners agree on plans for children in the case of divorce, the actual decisions surrounding custody and support are almost always reserved for the court to decide based on the best interests of the child. Even if you try to codify custody and support in your post-nup, it won’t be enforceable unless a court agrees with you on every point.
How to create a post-nuptial agreement
Post-nuptial agreements can be a murky area of the law, depending on where you live. Some states have clear legal guidelines for them; other states have very little precedent. Your best bet is always to engage the services of an experienced family lawyer when crafting one to ensure it will be enforceable in your state.
Generally speaking, however, as long as the agreement satisfies some basic principles you’ll be fine. The agreemnet should be:
In writing. The agreement has to be in writing—an “understanding” or oral contract, even if affirmed by both parties, is usually not going to cut it. And both parties must sign the agreement in a legally acceptable way.
Voluntary and just. Neither partner can be pressured or compelled into signing the post-nuptial agreement. For example, if one partner threatens to leave the other penniless unless they sign an agreement that strongly favors them, that agreement is most likely unenforceable.
Similarly, the terms of the agreement must usually also be reasonable and fair. Even if both sides agree, if the courts find any provisions to be unconscionable or unjust the agreement may be rejected.
Comprehensive. Post-nuptial agreements have to fully disclose all relevant information. Hiding assets or other information can render the whole agreement unenforceable.
Like pre-nuptial agreements, post-nups don’t only apply to troubled marriages. These agreements can create a sense of security for both partners by providing clear guidelines, an inventory of assets, and other ground rules for the marriage. Plus, since these agreements remove much of the financial uncertainty surrounding divorce, they can also help couples focus more on the emotional bonds between them and the relationship, because they don’t have to worry about maneuvering financially to protect themselves.
Cars are expensive—even used cars are no longer a cheap option. So it’s not too surprising that folks who live in areas where a car isn’t a total necessity might choose not to own one. Aside from the cost of buying, maintaining, and fueling a car, there’s also the car insurance, which costs anywhere from $53 to $192 per month on average, depending on the coverage you select.
But we live in a car-centric society, and not owning a car doesn’t mean you’ll never need a car. Luckily there are a lot of options when it comes to getting access to a vehicle for a short period of time, ranging from traditional car rentals to car-sharing apps to borrowing your friend’s car in a pinch. And you might assume that when you’re just using a car temporarily you don’t need your own liability insurance—but that’s not always true. Sometimes it’s a very good idea to buy something called Non-Owner Car Insurance.
Non-owner car insurance
Non-owner car insurance is secondary insurance—additional coverage that kicks in after primary insurance hits its limit. When you borrow or rent a car owned by someone else, their insurance covers the car even if you’re not officially listed on the policy. So why would you need your own policy? Because of liability: If you’re in an accident while driving someone else’s car and the damages exceed the base policy’s limits—or if the base policy denies the claim altogether—you’ll be on the hook for the extra costs.
Let’s say you borrow your friend’s car and their liability insurance has a $20,000 cap on bodily injury. You get into an accident and the other driver suffers $30,000 in medical bills as a result. If you don’t have any extra insurance, your friend’s insurance will pay out the $20,000—and you will have to come up with the rest. Considering the average cost of “evident” injury in a motor vehicle accident is $42,000 and “disabling” injuries can run to $162,000, it’s easy to see how getting into an accident without your own insurance can be problematic.
Like regular car insurance, non-owner car insurance starts off with basic liability and often includes the option to add on coverage for personal injury, medical payments, or uninsured motorist coverage. You’ll want to check with your insurer to make sure you know exactly what your policy covers.
Aside from the financial risk of driving any vehicle, there’s one other big reason you might consider non-owner car insurance if you borrow or rent cars regularly: your rates. If you’re temporarily without your own vehicle, buying non-owner car insurance can help keep your rates steady. If you go without car insurance for more than 31 days, your rates can jump up to 35%. Non-owner car insurance keeps your coverage current, which can pay off if you plan to own your own vehicle again soon.
Who needs it?
Just because you don’t currently own a car and occasionally have to borrow or rent one doesn’t mean you need non-owner car insurance. Here’s a guide to who needs it and who doesn’t:
Frequent rent or share. If you’re renting cars or using a car-sharing platform several times a month, you should probably carry non-owner insurance. If you rent a car once or twice a year when traveling or for a special need, it’s probably not necessary.
Occasional borrowing. If you borrow your friend’s car constantly, they should probably list you on their insurance as a driver, which means you don’t need non-owner insurance. If you borrow different cars from different people on a regular basis, however, you should probably get your own coverage as your use probably doesn’t qualify you as a listed driver.
Company car. If you drive a company car, check the terms of its insurance. Not all company cars are covered for personal use. If you’re driving the company-owned car on the weekends or when doing your weekly errands, you might need non-owner insurance to protect yourself in case of an accident.
It’s easy to love your roof when it’s relatively new and doing its job. How long that honeymoon period of roofing affection lasts depends a lot on the type of roof you have over your head—while some roofing systems, like metal roofs or slate tile roofs, can last for more than 50 years with proper maintenance, those of us who have flat or low-slope roofs on our homes aren’t so lucky. While flat-roof systems have an official lifespan of about 25 years, anyone who actually has a flat roof knows you’re lucky if you get a decade out of them before they start to leak and otherwise show their age. There’s a reason roofing companies always offer a 10-year warranty on these roofs, after all.
Even on a flat roof, the most common sources of leaks are the seams—spots where there are changes in plane, flashing, skylights, or vent pipes. If your roof starts leaking those are the places where you begin your inspection, so it makes sense that if you eliminate the seams, you eliminate the problem. If you have a flat roof on your house that needs to be repaired or replaced, it’s worth it to consider what’s known as a seamless roof system or a monolithic roof.
What is a seamless roof systems?
A seamless roof system (sometimes called a “monolithic” roof) is just what it sounds like: A roofing membrane that is one continuous layer without any seams. These systems are self-flashing, meaning they don’t require any additional seals around vents or chimneys. It’s typically applied in one of two ways:
Liquid. Many seamless roofing systems are applied as a liquid (silicone, acrylic, or urethane), often using reinforcing materials made from fiberglass to increase strength. The liquid is rolled or sprayed onto the roof surface and worked into all seams and gaps, then dries to a seamless and waterproof finish.
Spray foam. Another approach is sprayed-on polyurethane foam, which expands into all voids and seams, sealing them off, then dries to form a sturdy, waterproof layer.
It’s important to note that these aren’t just the roof coatings you can buy at a hardware store that can help extend the life of your flat roof, which are applied like paint. While the application process can be superficially similar, they’re complex systems that need to be installed precisely in order to get a truly seamless and waterproof result.
When installed as new, many seamless roofing systems involve layers of reinforcing membrane that are sandwiched between liquid applications. But these roof systems can also be applied over an existing flat roof, if the roof is still in decent shape, including shingled roofs, metal roofs, or rubber roofs—as long as they’re low-slope or flat. Roofs with a lot of pitch can still have a seamless system applied, but the results are usually less than ideal, as these systems are designed for flat areas. Companies like Kemper System and Everseal have roofing systems that involve repairing and reinforcing an existing flat roof and then applying a monolithic coating that seals everything into a seamless installation, typically with a warranty between 20 and 50 years.
Benefits
Seamless roofing systems offer a lot of advantages over traditional roofs:
Durability. As noted, warranties for seamless roof systems can be as long as 50 years, and typically last at least 20 years without the need for notable maintenance or repair. Seamless roofing systems are flexible—they expand and contract in the heat and cold along with your roof, which reduces the chances of cracking or other leaky damage.
Energy efficiency. These roofing systems act as reflective barriers that keep your roof cool and protect the roofing deck from damaging solar radiation. This extends the life of the roof and also helps keep the house cooler, reducing energy costs.
Costs. The low maintenance and long life of a seamless roofing system usually translates to a lower cost over time, since you won’t need to have roofers come by every few years to fix up leaks, or replace the roof every decade or so.
When you buy something, you can do what you like with it—within reason. When it comes to our property, we might assume that “within reason” generally covers anything that doesn’t impact someone else’s property or safety, so when you get the urge to go digging around in the dirt, it’s no one’s business but ours. But whether you’re establishing a garden, trying to remember where you buried the ransom money, or launching a spectacular landscaping project, you shouldn’t just run out there and start digging. And, legally, you can’t. The reasons you should think twice about digging on your own property go beyond your local laws and involve your health, your safety, and your insurance premiums.
It’s harder than you think
First of all, digging is very hard physical labor. Sure, TV shows make it seem like digging a 6x6 hole in the ground to hide bodies is something one person can accomplish in a few sweaty hours, but the truth is very different. Just like shoveling snow, digging is a workout; in fact, digging a hole in your yard can be even harder than shoveling snow because your yard is not just a big cube of uniform dirt. It’s laced with roots, rocks, and man-made infrastructure (more on that below), which means you’re likely to hit something more challenging than mere dirt. You should learn about proper digging technique while also making sure you hydrate, wear protective gear (e.g., gloves and a breathing mask), and protect yourself from direct sunlight while you work.
You probably need a permit
Laws vary from area to area, but chances are really high that you’ll need to get a permit before you dig—even if you’re digging on your own property. Most local governments require digging permits for the same reasons they require permits for a lot of other projects. The permitting process not only alerts the local authorities that you’re doing work with the potential to impact the rest of the community, it also triggers the inspection process that ensures you’ve done the work to the correct standard.
Utility lines
One of the main reasons you shouldn’t just go digging on your property, though, is because of buried utilities. Gas lines, water lines, and even electrical lines may crisscross under your property, and if you hit one with your spade, auger, or other tool, you could cause a lot of damage, disruption, and even injury.
Just about every area of the country legally requires you to “call before you dig,” usually by calling 811 (or using an online equivalent). The utility companies will send out an inspector who will mark the location of utility lines with different paint colors so you can avoid them when you actually commence your digging project.
Even if you think you can get away without checking on this, you shouldn’t. Many utility lines are just a few feet underground, which makes them very easy to hit accidentally. If you flood your neighborhood or cause a gas leak, you might be held liable for damages, and if you failed to call 811 before digging, your own insurance probably won’t cover the claim.
Other buried stuff
It’s not just utility lines you have to worry about, either. At least when you call 811 those lines get marked for you—there can be a lot of stuff under the ground on your property that you may or may not be aware of, like:
Storage tanks
Septic systems
Irrigation or sprinkler systems
Swimming pool pipes or wiring
Old oil tanks
If you aren’t the original owner of the property, you may not be aware of old stuff like this, especially if the home was switched to community sewer or went from oil to gas heat at some point. You can try to do some research to find out what might be out there, but regardless, you should proceed with caution and never assume you’re just digging into dirt.
Another potential danger you might encounter when digging on your property is pet graves. Laws vary, but people often bury beloved pets on their property, but over time, grave markers can get washed away, leaving you to stumble on a gruesome surprise. Few people will disclose a pet cemetery on their property, so if you’re not the original owner, you should take the possibility into account before you break ground.
Shifting and subsidence
Finally, digging always carries a risk of ground shifting or subsidence. If you’re digging a hole that’s deep enough to stand in, you’re digging a hole that might collapse and entomb you. Again, the movies make digging deep holes look stable and straightforward, but the fact is you have no idea how the ground on your property will react to having a large portion of it removed.
Brick is some seriously durable stuff—clay bricks commonly endure for a century or longer, and there are plenty of examples of brick structures that are much older than that. If you have a brick home or a brick facade, you can expect decades of service without much worry.
But nothing lasts forever, and everything has a weakness. In the case of your brick walls, that weakness is the mortar—the cement-like “glue,” visible in the joints between the bricks, that keeps your bricks together. Mortar has a much shorter lifespan—20-30 years, on average—because it’s much more susceptible to weather, especially moisture. Over time, water seeps into the mortar and freezes, cracking the mortar with its expansion. Eventually, the mortar starts to fail, and allows moisture to penetrate behind the brick, leading to eventual failure of the entire system.
If you have a brick wall that is starting to look pretty janky, the good news is that the fix is probably pretty easy and inexpensive: You just need to repoint.
Repointing
When masons refer to “pointing,” they’re talking about the mortar laid between the bricks. “Repointing” is just what it sounds like: removing damaged mortar and putting in fresh mortar to replace it. The process is pretty straightforward, and can be a pretty easy DIY project if you’ve ever worked with masonry tools before.
Determine the type of mortar you need. Modern mortars use portland cement, resulting in an extremely hard cure. That’s fine for modern bricks, which are similarly hard. But older bricks are softer and require a softer mortar that “gives” a little. You can make a good guess using the age of your home—if it’s 50 years old or less, you can go with a standard modern mortar for your repointing project. If it’s older than that you might need to do some research or consult a real mason.
Scrape out the old mortar. Using a cold chisel, a grout saw, or a joint raker, remove a layer of the old mortar. You should remove about twice the width of the vertical brick joint, typically about half an inch. You don’t want to remove too much or you can undermine the structural integrity of the brick.
Push in fresh mortar. Now you refill the joints with fresh mortar and tool it until it’s tamped in well and fills all the voids. Finish the exposed face of the fresh mortar so it looks good.
That’s it—while it takes some patience and a little skill, it’s not a difficult job. Note that you might also hear the term “tuckpointing,” which is a similar process—in fact, the term is often used interchangeably with “repointing,” although they are slightly different. Tuckpointing involves using two mortars of different colors to achieve an aesthetic effect. If all you’re worried about is maintaining your brick, you probably don’t need to worry about tuckpointing.
When to repoint
Even though repointing is relatively easy and inexpensive, you still don’t want to go through the trouble unless you have to. Here are some basic ways to tell if your brick needs to be repointed:
Age. If your brick is a few decades old, it very likely needs repointing—or an inspection, at the very least.
Crumbling mortar. Look at the mortar joints. Have they eroded noticeably (more than a quarter inch)? Are they crumbling into a dry, sandy mess? They need to be scraped out and repointed.
Cracks. If you can see noticeable cracking in the mortar and the brick, it indicates moisture penetration, so repairing the mortar is likely necessary.
Gaps. Can you see spots where the mortar has totally separated from the brick? If so, it needs repairing.
If you’re uncertain, you can perform a quick test: Take a knife or similar tool and scrape the mortar joints. If you can easily remove some of the mortar, it needs repointing, even if it looks superficially okay.
Houseplants spark joy. They add a splash of life and color to any indoor space, and if properly chosen and cared for, they can thrive just about anywhere. Anyone who’s ever started an indoor garden knows that tending to houseplants can quickly become a way of life, if not an addiction. Caring for living things is meditative and therapeutic, and the design aspect they bring to your living space drives you to keep growing your plant collection.
There are a lot of apps and gadgets that can help you care for your plants, but eventually, you’ll probably want to go full mad scientist and make your own plant babies. Propagating plants is not only cost-effective, it’s also a lot of fun—and will help you steps up your indoor gardening game significantly. While it might seem intimidating at first, growing new plants from cuttings, buds, or roots is a lot easier than you think, especially if you choose the right plants to work with. Here are 15 of the easiest houseplants to propagate.
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