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a-dinosaurs-left-kneecap:

wintermoth:

aquadraco20:

pyroteknich:

mycatisabunny:

I feel like I should make a post about this because it’s not something that’s very well-known, and that Americans in particular may need to know about given the uncertain state of our healthcare system at the moment. I’ve wanted to write this out for a while, It’s kind of a long post, so sorry about that!

If you have an emergency and have to go to the hospital, you’ll owe the hospital a lot of money.
(I got into a car wreck and broke my ankle and my arm. My hospital bill was around $20,000)

You’ll also owe the ambulance provider, if you need one.
(My ambulance bill was about $800)

You may get separate bills from the anesthesiologist or surgeon.
(My anesthesiologist bill was $1,700)

You may need follow-up appointments.
(My orthopedic surgeon billed me for the appointments and his surgery together and it was about $1,000)

You’ve also got to pay for medical equipment you need afterward, like crutches or a walking boot.
(Mine cost about $75)

Altogether, I ended up with almost $24,000 in medical debt from one car accident. That’s a really scary number for someone like me who makes $10/hr at a 12 hour a week job.

I got my debt down to $1075 by making some phone calls and submitting some paperwork.

The first thing I did was contact the hospital. They don’t make it easy to find, but many hospitals (perhaps most hospitals?) have financial assistance programs for people who can’t afford medical bills. I don’t make a lot of money, and I have bills to pay, so they were able to help me.
I called the billing department and asked if they had any assistance programs for low income people who can’t pay their bills. I had to call multiple times, and I got transferred in circles by people who didn’t know what I was talking about. Finally, I got an appointment with someone in “Eligibility Services” (I don’t know what other hospitals call it, if it’s something different). I had to bring my pay stubs and copies of all of my bills. When I got to the hospital for the appointment, nobody knew what I was talking about so I had to wander a little to find where I needed to go. I spoke with the guy in Eligibility Services, and I waited for a decision on how much of the bill they would forgive. A month later, I got a call telling me it was totally forgiven.

I did the same thing for my ambulance bill and my anesthesiologist, but the process was a LOT easier. I just had to mail some paperwork and it was totally forgiven.

I didn’t bother with the medical equipment suppliers, since the bills came from separate companies and I didn’t feel like going through the process twice for $75. I was assured at the hospital that they had similar programs for debt forgiveness, so I could have probably avoided paying that too.

The only thing I couldn’t get taken care of was the surgeon/follow-up appointment cost, but they were able to put me on a no-interest payment plan.

Medical debt is scary because it’s something that can come from stuff that’s already really scary. I didn’t need the burden of $24,000 in debt on top of trying to get around on a crutch with a broken arm (it’s not easy, believe me!).. but I can’t imagine what it would be like with a bigger debt or a more severe medical emergency.
I see lots of people in even worse trouble than I was in, both financially and medically. Please know that there are options for you when that GoFundMe doesn’t do enough. Even if your income is higher than mine, it’s worth a shot even for partial debt forgiveness.

I am about 900% sure there are people who don`the know this. 

PLEASE READ THIS IF YOU LIVE IN AMERICA AND HAVE MEDICAL BILLS

I had to do this once as well and I can ABSOLUTELY confirm that this is true.

Get in contact with the hospital. Don’t just…sit there and let the anxiety grow and panic and then ignore it in an effort to find peace.

Hey psst @allfrogsarefriends i found it.
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missmentelle:

This is a big, giant list of Youtube tutorials that will teach you all the basic life skills you need to know in order to be a functional adult. There are a lot of important skills that aren’t included in this list, but this should be enough of a basic guide to get you started and prevent you from making a total mess of yourself. Happy adulting!

Household Skills:

How to unclog a toilet without a plunger

How to fix a blown fuse

How to fix a leaky faucet 

How to clean soap scum from your tub and shower

How to escape from a house fire

How to make a budget and stick to it

How to sharpen a knife

How to clean a self-cleaning oven

How to clean red wine stains from carpet

How to clean blood stains from fabric

How to clean grease stains from fabric

How to do a load of laundry

How to iron your clothes

How to test your smoke detectors

Cooking Skills:

How to tell if produce is ripe

How to know if food is expired 

How to properly sanitize a kitchen

How to cook an egg

How to make rice

How to make pasta

How to put out a kitchen grease fire safely

How to use a gas stove

How to use a convection oven

How to cook meat safely

How to use a stand mixer

How to use kitchen knives properly

How to make mashed potatoes

How to make grilled cheese sandwiches 

Health Skills:

How to stop bleeding

How to treat a burn 

How to do CPR (on an adult)

How to do CPR (on a child)

How to do CPR (on a baby)

How to help someone who is choking

How to save yourself if you are choking alone

How to read a nutrition label

How to treat frostbite

How to recognize when someone is having a stroke

How to maintain a healthy sleep schedule

Mental Health Skills:

How to calm down during a panic attack

How to help someone who is suicidal 

How to meditate 

How to stop self-harming

How to recognize problem drinking

How to choose a therapist

How to deal with disappointment

How to cope with grief

How to raise your self-esteem

Relationship and Social Skills:

How to apologize

How to cope with a breakup 

How to accept criticism 

How to deal with bullying 

How to argue in a healthy way

How to ask someone out

How to break up with someone

How to recognize an abusive relationship

How to rekindle a damaged friendship

How to speak in public

Job Hunting Skills:

How to tie a tie

How to write a resume

How to write a cover letter

How to dress for a job interview (for women/femmes)

How to dress for a job interview (for men/masculines)

How to properly shake hands

How to nail a job interview

Other Skills:

How to sew on a button 

How to hammer a nail

How to change your oil

How to put gas in your car

How to jump-start a car

How to pick a good password

How to back up your files

How to write a cheque
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toursuits:

here is every playlist i’ve ever made about being gay

ten hours of songs by women who love women for women who love women

the manic pixie dream girl trope but i’ve subverted it and it’s for lesbians now sorry straight boys

harold, they’re lesbians (swing for gay ladies) 

the soundtrack to the lesbian romcom we haven’t got but should keep rallying for 

the twentygayteen masterlist (every gay song released this year) 

indie pop but it’s like…vaguely gay and makes me think about cute girls 

very gay music from the 70s and 80s 

modern pop songs every self respecting gay should know 

the soundtrack to that lesbian indie movie we haven’t got but should keep rallying for (r u noticing a trend) 

this is all music by women it’s not especially gay but i am so like every playlist i make is gay if i decide i want it to be 
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iwilleatyourenglish:

millettown:

not that my input really matters, but i don’t know much of lgbt history other than bits and pieces of stonewall, a little bit of the aids crisis, and the legalization of gay marriage; i’m an actual child and nobody here (kentucky) educates anyone/gets educated on it

how about instead of shaming people—especially young people—for not knowing our history, we provide them with credible resources?

here’s a long list of LGBT+ historical events worth googling and learning about. i’m not sure if all the dates and details are spot on, but, again, this is really just a guide for what to research on your own. to warn you, a lot of this history is ugly, including things like the conflation of pedophilia and LGBT+ people, genital mutilation, homophobia, transphobia, nazis, and wide scale persecution.

Free Resources:

an interactive timeline of LGBT+ world history

The 1950s and the Roots of LGBT Politics (American-centric)

Before Stonewall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community (warning: this documentary was made in the 80s and is dated in a lot of respects as a result; it also features quotes from Allen Ginsberg, who we now know was a pedophile, but it’s still very informative in terms of history)

a brief history of the bisexual movement from the 1960s-early 2000s (American-centric)

Bisexual.org has a TON of resources on bi (and often pan) history, historical figures, research, and media

“Here’s A History Of Bisexuality, From Ancient Egypt To Stonewall”

a brief timeline of trans history, beginning in the 1890s (European and American-centric)

“Gender Variance Around the World Over Time”

Some Purchasable Resources:

(most of these can be bought used online for pretty cheap and some can be found in libraries)

Before Stonewall: Activists for Gay and Lesbian Rights in Historical Context by Vern L Bullough (it’s a bit dated, but still informative)

A Little Gay History: Desire and Diversity Across the World by R. Parkinson

Sapphistries: A Global History of Love between Women (Intersections) by Leila J. Rupp

Gay Voices of the Harlem Renaissance (Blacks in the Diaspora) by A.B. Christa Schwarz

The Lavender Scare: The Cold War Persecution of Gays and Lesbians in the Federal Government by David K. Johnson

Queer Brown Voices: Personal Narratives of Latina/o LGBT Activism edited by Uriel Quesada, Letitia Gomez, and Salvador Vidal Ortiz

Transgender History: The Roots of Today’s Revolution by Susan Stryker

Asegi Stories: Cherokee Queer and Two-Spirit Memory by Qwo-Li Driskill
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outofthewhore-dinary:

alexoliversmith:

chaoticallyprecise:

OK ARE YOU EVER IN NEED OF BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS BUT DON’T KNOW WHAT TO READ NEXT?

I present to you, straight from the internet, whichbook:

Here’s how it works: You click the link, and choose four categories and the extent to which these categories matter:

Then click “go” and it’ll come up with a number of books you might like.

DON’T LIKE THE CATEGORIES? NO PROBLEM - see this little thing:

THIS LITTLE THING WILL TAKE YOU TO THIS SLIGHTLY LARGER THING WHERE YOU CAN CHOOSE A BOOK BASED ON THE FOLLOWING:

YOU NOW HAVE NO EXCUSE TO NOT BE READING SOMETHING BECAUSE WHATEVER YOU WANT THIS SITE WILL COME UP WITH IT.

… Apart from bisexual retired alien dudes. No books on that. Yet.

You are beautiful person for sharing this with the world and I thank you.

Reblog to save a life
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tiavonnada:

sarcoptid:

regalium:

IDK IF YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS WEBSITE YET, BUT I DON’T EVEN CARE IF YOU DO.

CHARAHUB BASICALLY ALLOWS YOU TO MAKE A DIRECTORY OF ALL YOUR OCS.

LIKE SO

AND SO (they let you get super detailed)

It lets you store 100 characters (you gain 2 extra slots whenever someone uses your referral code) and 10 images per character. You can even make GROUPS to organize them a little more— per RP or something. Image files can’t be too big either.

BUT if you want more file size, more character slots, and more other stuff, you can get a subscription! Don’t worry, subscriptions are super cheap (take notes, deviantART)!

Ok you can go make one now.

pssst dudes charahub is really cool for character reference stuff. i have one, i should really make more use of it.

@metazensae @monsterinthebattletram @khadrimxart yall, I haven’t checked it out yet but it seems cool
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mysharona1987:

Writing agent Jonny Geller gives advice to young writers. 
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Cookbooks

May. 31st, 2017 08:14 am
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filisaceaf:

adramofpoison:

vrabia:

fleetfootfox:

fuckingrecipes:

ransomdracalis:

isozyme:

roachpatrol:

vastderp:

the-rain-monster:

A NYC grad student working on food stamps for her thesis has released a free cookbook for those living on $4/day.

SIG NAL BOO OO OO OOOST

hello

oooooh this is so nice!

I believe it’s important to eat well, even when you’re strapped for cash. It’s good for your health and energy! This cookbook is full of delicious and healthy recipes, the ingredients of which are fairly inexpensive.

I ACKNOWLEDGE THIS WOMAN AS A FELLOW WARRIOR AND A FANTASTIC HUMAN BEING. 

Boost so hard. Feeding yourself well is a challenge when you”ve got little income

I HAVE BEEN USING THIS COOKBOOK FOR MONTHS AND IT’S AMAZING 100/10 RECOMMENDING EVERYWHERE

(just to give you an idea, my food budget is 30 euro/week at most [about $38] and I have to maintain a healthy diet due to weird medication side-effects and yeah, basically this book is a lifesaver if you’re broke but need to watch what you’re eating)

Reblog to save a life. Because it’s easy to find food for $4/day, but most of it tends to be garden variety junkfood

@thesehappyhalls
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ironbubble:

aysahrhia:

derpygrooves:

W-

WHAT

Yup, super handy trick to know!

tagging as reference for future me u3u
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linddzz:

mydrunkkitchen:

wilwheaton:

colormerad5k:

pomegranateandivy:

I am going to print this out, laminate it, and keep it with my gloves and spade.

Dreaming of a springtime garden.

OHHHHH I can totally use this!

ALL I WANT AND
ALL I NEED IS
TO PLANT A GARDEN
TO PLAN A GARDENhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqJoVlnmdFQ

@dearglobmylifeisananime Some day….
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popgoesthewiener:

sarahculture:

Tips on Drawing Hands Tutorial

Hope this is helpful!

Twitter

DeviantArt

@toddnjordbremer
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containslanguage:

containslanguage:

The secret is that there is no secret. Just putting in the time, and getting lots of exposure to your target language. That said, getting exposure might seem intimidating if you don’t know how. But don’t worry, it’s actually super easy! Here we go…

How to Learn a Language, from someone who has been submerged in language-learning theory for years, has heard straight from the mouths of the world’s most accomplished polyglots how they did it, and has absolutely zilch interest in any personal financial gain from sharing this knowledge:

1. DO NOT USE ROSETTA STONE.

2. Use Assimil, if you really want to spend some money. Bonus: it costs about a quarter as much as Rosetta Stone. But you don’t actually need to spend any money to successfully learn a language! Just keep reading…

3. Find musicians who sing in your target language. Download their songs and put them on your mp3 player of choice. Get obsessed with them. Sing along even (especially!) when you don’t know the words and are just making sounds that vaguely resemble what the singer is saying. This part is not a joke: I am 100% serious about this.

4. If you like TV, watch a show in your target language with no subtitles. No cheating allowed. Turn off those subtitles. Make it a game: watch an episode and then summarize what you think the story line was. Then go look up an episode recap online and see how much you got right.

5. Think of it as learning what a speaker of your target language would say in a certain situation, instead of learning how to translate what YOU would say in that situation. For instance, to ask how things are, an English-speaking person sometimes says “How are you?” whereas a French-speaking person says “How is it going?” or even “How are YOU going?” Don’t try to ignore this weirdness – embrace it! Laugh at it, savor it. Get used to saying new and different things in the same old situations, and memorization will suddenly become a LOT easier.

6. When you talk, imagine that you’re mocking somebody – not necessarily in a mean way, but just doing an impression of them, poking gentle fun at the way they talk. If the person you’re imitating is a native speaker of your target language, your accent will instantly become miles better.

7. Read texts from day one. Don’t worry about “difficulty levels”. Pick up the hardest novel ever written in your target language! Open it right up with no fear and play a game called “How many words on each page do I already understand, or can I guess the meaning of?” Give yourself a reward (chocolate, a drink, a mini dance party in your room) for every full page you can get through in this way, regardless of whether any of your guesses were actually right!

8. I was gonna try to make this a ten-item list, but honestly there’s not much else you need to know. It doesn’t really matter what core resource you use (Assimil, FSI, Teach Yourself, Colloquial, Living Language, Linguaphone…) as long as it’s not Rosetta Stone. What matters, much more than the core resource you use, is the amount of exposure you can get to your target language – the padding to fill in all the cracks in your day when you’re not doing worksheets or translation exercises or whatever. That’s what this post is sneakily all about.

The secret-that’s-not-a-secret is regularity: do a couple of the items on this list every day without fail, even if it’s only for ten minutes, and after six months you will be kicking butt. I promise you that.

Reblogging this to point out that I have now made item 1 into a link. If you were wondering about that particular piece of advice, check it out!

And remember: any method that works for YOU can be worth doing. We all learn in different ways. However, don’t fall into the trap of thinking that more money = more quality. That may be true for many things in life, but not for language-learning!
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rahaflearns:

Hebrew Grammar and Pronunciation:

TeachMeHebrew.com 

Hebrew-language.com

Ktzat-ivrit.ulpan.com

Hebrew.ch

Hebrew-verbs.co.il

Foundationstone.com.au

ILoveLanguages

Hebrew.ecott.ch

Hebrewpodcasts.com

Gloss.dliflc.edu

ILanguages

Hello World

Verbix 

Digitized Grammar Books

Google Books The renaissance of modern Hebrew and modern standard Arabic, parallels and differences in the revival of two Semitic languages, by Joshua Blau (1981). 

Google Books The Grammar of Modern Hebrew by Lewis Glinert (2004).

Google Books Morphophonemics of Modern Hebrew (Routledge Revivals) by Naom Chomsky (2011).

Google Books A Reference Grammar of Modern Hebrew by Edna Amir Coffin,Shmuel Bolozky.

Google Books Modern Hebrew: An Essential Grammar by Lewis Glinert (2005). 

Google Books Ewald’s introductory Hebrew grammar by Heinrich Ewald,John Frederick Smith.

Google Books Hebrew Made Easy by Robert Hernandez (2000).

Hebrew Vocabulary

Ehebrew.org Thematic Vocabulary Lists. 

TeachMeHebrew.com The 10 000 most common words, frequency list.

Learn-Hebrew-Phrases Thematic Vocabulary With Audio.

In-hebrew.co.il Learn Hebrew Phrases with Audio. A Lot Of Various Subjects. 

Internet Polyglot English-Hebrew Vocabulary Lessons and Games.

Lang.hebraic.free.fr Thematic Vocabulary (on the left).

UniLang Just Read Phrases! This is a phrasebook that consists out of nearly 200 phrases.

TravLang Vocabulary for Travelers.

My Jewish Games A collection of five online games for learning Hebrew vocabulary and Jewish culture.

Uebersetzung.at Tongue Twisters

Cram.com Thousands of Hebrew Flashcards.

Quizlet.com Thousands of Hebrew Flashcards (also from various University Courses). 

Hebrew Reading Materials

Foreigncy.org Articles With Video (and vocab lists and flashcards). 

ThePaperBoy A List Of Hebrew Newspapers

LonWeb.com Learn Hebrew With Parallel Texts.

Odaha.com The Little Prince in Hebrew.

Gutenberg Over 10 Books in Hebrew.

ChildrensLibrary 19 Books For Children

Digital.cjh.org Hebrew Children’s Books

Google Books Modern Hebrew Poetry: A Bilingual Anthology by Ruth Finer Mintz (1966)

Hebrew Dictionaries

http://ift.tt/2fjz797

morfix.co.il/en/

dictionary.babylon.com

dictionary.co.il/

milog.co.il/

hebrewatmilah.org

reverso.net

archive.org (Dictinary of Semitic Roots)

TV / VIDEO / MOVIES

MyEasyTV A List of TV Stations

Imdb Language Browser Related Pages Your IMDb guide to Hebrew language movies. Over 700 Movies. 

YouTube A List of YT Video Lessons. 

Reddit A List of Hebrew Movies. 
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carsoutsidemyhouse:

notyourexrotic:

birdhead:

peridexis:

floralmorpheme:

feminae-feminas-amant:

alltheladiesyouhate:

i don’t want to read lgbtq fiction i want to read genre fiction with lgbtq protags

alright friends i was thinking about this earlier and so i put together a list of some good genre fiction with lgbt main characters:

LESBIAN

the abyss surrounds us by emily skrutskie (sci fi/dystopian, woc protag)

ascension by jacqueline koyanagi (sci fi/space opera, disabled woc protag)

serenity rose by aaron alexovich (paranormal graphic novel)

everything leads to you by nina lacour (contemporary, but not “about” lgbt issues/coming out/anything like that)

afterworlds by scott westerfeld (contemporary/paranormal, woc protag)

beauty queens by libba bray (not sure on the genre; not sure how good this is, haven’t read it myself)

sword of the guardian by merry shannon (fantasy; warning for attempted rape scene)

huntress by malinda lo (fantasy, woc protag)

the dark wife by sarah diemer (fantasy)

seven by jennifer diemer (fantasy/fairy tale retelling)

bleeding earth by kaitlin ward (horror/fantasy; haven’t read this either, not sure how it is)

GAY

proxy by alex london (dystopian, moc protag)

more than this by patrick ness (dystopian i guess? not sure how to describe the genre tbh)

the star host by ft lukens (sci fi, haven’t read)

hero by perry moore (superhero)

BISEXUAL

god’s war by kameron hurley (post-apocalyptic/sci fi, bi woc protag)

coda by emma trevayne (dystopian, bi guy protag)

adaptation by malinda lo (sci fi, bi girl protag)

beauty queens by libba bray (see above, major bi characters)

ash by malinda lo (fantasy/fairy tale retelling, bi girl protag)

the young elites by marie lu (fantasy, lots of bi characters all around)

the scorpion rules by erin bow (dystopian, bi girl protag, haven’t read but i hear it’s awesome)

TRANS

beauty queens by libba bray (see above, major trans woman characters (i think))

the left hand of darkness by ursula k le guin (fantasy; haven’t read this either, not sure how it is)

love in the time of global warming by libba bray (dystopian; haven’t read this one either yikes)

that’s all i’ve got right now! i’m a lesbian so the lesbian section has the most books in it lol, but if anyone else wants to add some more books for gbt people (especially trans because Yikes that section is small), that would be awesome!

hello i volunteer as tribute

GAY

swordspoint by ellen kushner (fantasy; assassins! mostly just one assassin)

one for sorrow by christopher barzak (haven’t read; paranormal; bad ending)

i haven’t read these and i refuse to take responsibility for their quality, but they’re all fantasy: dragon slayer, fire dragon, luck in the shadows, kastor chronicles

TRANS

the errant prince by sasha l. miller (haven’t read; also gay; fantasy, with knights and everything)

to summon nightmares by j.k. pendragon (haven’t read; also gay; modern fantasy)

nevada by imogen binnie (haven’t read; also lesbian; road trip is a genre, right?)

bc it’s hard to find trans books at all: here is a goodreads list of trans ya fic & non-fic, one of trans books by trans authors, and one of books about gay trans men. these are just lists i came across while looking around. 

that is all i have off the top of my goodreads list that u haven’t already listed

i only have one rec but it’s fucking massive and super worth it: the god eaters (read for free here, you can also buy it in paperback form in various spots online if you’re committed) is possibly the best standalone fantasy book i’ve read in ages and it’s super super gay (also super super triggery so hmu if you need warnings).

oh and as someone who has read the kastor chronicles i can definitely vouch for quality. that shit is choice. (both of these are by the same author btw lol)

ETA: NO. 6. NO. FUCKING 6. also fucking massive, also super triggery, also feel free to hit me up for details, but you can read the english translation FOR FREE here.

Some o'my all-time faves that are missing here:

- Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey (SF near-future dystopia with mutants, female protagonists)

- the Middle Kingdoms books by Diane Duane (epic fantasy but the books aren’t epic length, everyone is poly-ish [that’s not the queer bit that’s just a content note], starts off with two guys who are like totes in love & adds a few more until it culminates in a giant poly wedding, just roll with it, roll with it) (STILL NOT FINISHED but the lack of a fourth book isn’t too dire) (there is a genderqueer character in these but they are an alien, basically; I am not genderqueer so I don’t know if genderqueer people would enjoy this portrayal or not)

- the Elemental Logic books by Laurie Marks (fantasy, lesbians!!!)

- Ethan of Athos by Lois McMaster Bujold (SF, a little dated now probably but I still find it charming, dude protagonists)

Heroine Addiction by Jennifer Matarese (superhero novel) has a bi femme protag!

Stay away from The Left Hand of Darkness and I can personally recommend Ascension. And I can’t really recommend bujold, especially to trans folx. Santa Olivia was good. Don’t know about any of the rest, but my reading list is full right now anyway, will research and read some of these at a later date. 
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the-more-u-know:

Here’s an easy resolution: This stuff is all free as long as you have access to a computer, and the skills you learn will be invaluable in your career, and/or life in general. 

1. Become awesome at Excel.

Chandoo is one of many gracious Excel experts who wants to share their knowledge with the world. Excel excellence is one of those skills that will improve your chances of getting a good job instantly, and it will continue to prove invaluable over the course of your career. What are you waiting for?

2. Learn how to code.

littleanimalgifs.tumblr.com

Perhaps no other skill you can learn for free online has as much potential to lead to a lucrative career. Want to build a site for your startup? Want to build the next big app? Want to get hired at a place like BuzzFeed? You should learn to code. There are a lot of places that offer free or cheap online coding tutorials, but I recommend Code Academy for their breadth and innovative program. If you want to try a more traditional route, Harvard offers its excellent Introduction to Computer Science course online for free.

3. Make a dynamic website.

You could use a pre-existing template or blogging service, or you could learn Ruby on Rails and probably change your life forever. Here’s an extremely helpful long list of free Ruby learning tools that includes everything from Rails for Zombies to Learn Ruby The Hard Way. Go! Ruby! Some basic programming experience, like one of the courses above, might be helpful (but not necessarily required if you’re patient with yourself).

4. Learn to make a mobile game.

If you’re not interested in coding anything other than fun game apps, you could trythis course from the University of Reading. It promises to teach you how to build a game in Java, even if you don’t have programming experience! If you want to make a truly great game, you might want to read/listen up on Game Theory first.

5. Start reading faster.

Spreeder is a free online program that will improve your reading skill and comprehension no matter how old you are. With enough practice, you could learn to double, triple, or even quadruple the speed at which you read passages currently, which is basically like adding years to your life.

6. Learn a language!

With Duolingo, you can learn Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, or English (from any of the above or more). There’s a mobile app and a website, and the extensive courses are completely free.

Full disclosure: BuzzFeed and other websites are in a partnership with DuoLingo, but they did not pay or ask for this placement.

7. Pickle your own vegetables.

Tired of your farmer’s market haul going bad before you use it all? Or do you just love tangy pickled veggies? You too can pickle like a pro thanks to SkillShare and Travis Grillo.

8. Improve your public speaking skills.

You can take the University of Washington’s Intro to Public Speaking for free online. Once you learn a few tricks of the trade, you’ll be able to go into situations like being asked to present at a company meeting or giving a presentation in class without nearly as much fear and loathing.

9. Get a basic handle of statistics.

UC Berkeley put a stats intro class on iTunes. Once you know how to understand the numbers yourself, you’ll never read a biased “news” article the same way again — 100% of authors of this post agree!

10. Understand basic psychology.

Knowing the basics of psych will bring context to your understanding of yourself, the dynamics of your family and friendships, what’s really going on with your coworkers, and the woes and wonders of society in general. Yale University has its Intro to Psychology lectures online for free.

11. Make your own music.

Step one: Learn how to play guitar: Justin Guitar is a fine and free place to start learning chords and the basic skills you’ll need to be able to play guitar — from there, it’s up to you, but once you know the basics, just looking up tabs for your favorite songs and learning them on your own is how many young guitar players get their start (plus it’s an excellent party trick).

Step two: A delightful free voice lesson from Berklee College Of Music.

Step three: Have you always thought you had an inner TSwift? Berklee College of Music offers an Introduction to Songwriting course completely for free online. The course is six weeks long, and by the end of the lesson you’ll have at least one completed song.

Step four: Lifehacker’s basics of music production will help you put it all together once you have the skills down! You’ll be recording your own music, ready to share with your valentine or the entire world, in no time!

12. Learn to negotiate.

Let Stanford’s Stan Christensen explain how to negotiate in business and your personal life, managing relationships for your personal gain and not letting yourself be steamrolled. There are a lot of football metaphors and it’s great.

13. Stop hating math.

If you struggled with math throughout school and now have trouble applying it in real-world situations when it crops up, try Saylor.org’s Real World Math course. It will reteach you basic math skills as they apply IRL. Very helpful!

14. Start drawing!

All kids draw — so why do we become so afraid of it as adults? Everyone should feel comfortable with a sketchbook and pencil, and sketching is a wonderful way to express your creativity. DrawSpace is a great place to start. (I also highly recommend the book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain if you can drop a few dollars for a used copy.)

15. Make your own animated GIF.

BuzzFeed’s own Katie Notopoulos has a great, simple guide to making an animated GIF without Photoshop. This is all you need to be the king or queen of Tumblr or your favorite email chains.

16. Appreciate jazz.

reddit.com

Have you never really “gotten” jazz? If you want to be able to participate in conversations at fancy parties and/or just add some context to your appreciation of all music, try this free online course from UT Austin.

17. Write well.

Macalester College’s lecture series is excellent. If you’re more interested in journalism, try Wikiversity’s course selection.

18. Get better at using Photoshop.

Another invaluable skill that will get you places in your career, learning Photoshop can be as fun as watching the hilarious videos on You Suck At Photoshop or as serious as this extensive Udemy training course (focused on photo retouching).

19. Take decent pictures.

Lifehacker’s basics of photography might be a good place to start. Learn how your camera works, the basic of composition, and editing images in post-production. If you finish that and you’re not sure what to do next, here’s a short course on displaying and sharing your digital photographs.

20. Learn to knit.

Instructables has a great course by a woman who is herself an online-taught knitter. You’ll be making baby hats and cute scarves before this winter’s over!

21. Get started with investing in stocks.

If you are lucky enough to have a regular income, you should start learning about savings and investment now. Investopedia has a ton of online resources, including this free stocks basics course. Invest away!

22. Clean your house in a short amount of time.

Unf$#k Your Habitat has a great emergency cleaning guide for when your mother-in-law springs a surprise visit on you. While you’re over there, the entire blog is good for getting organized and clean in the long term, not just in “emergencies.” You’ll be happier for it.

23. Start practicing yoga.

Most cities have free community classes (try just searching Google or inquiring at your local yoga studio), or if you’re more comfortable trying yoga at home, YogaGlohas a great 15-day trial and Yome is a compendium of 100% free yoga videos. If you’re already familiar with basic yoga positions but you need an easy way to practice at home, I recommend YogaTailor’s free trial as well.

24. Tie your shoelaces more efficiently.

It’s simple and just imagine the minutes of your life you’ll save!

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Rachel

April 2019

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