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Life Kit

Tools To Help You Get It Together
Composting can help fight climate change. Get started in 5 easy steps
Photo Illustration by Becky Harlan/NPR

Composting can help fight climate change. Get started in 5 easy steps

Whether you've got a small apartment or a big backyard, there are ways to compost your kitchen scraps in any space. This episode is your starter for how to compost your organic waste into rich soil.

Composting can help fight climate change. Get started in 5 easy steps

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How to eat more like a vegetarian — even if you're not one
Photo Illustration by Becky Harlan/NPR

How to eat more like a vegetarian — even if you're not one

Meat production takes a heavy toll on the environment. Here's how to dial back your meat intake and make a big impact.

How to eat more like a vegetarian — even if you're not one

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Photo collage of one hand coming into the frame from the bottom right corner holding a credit card. A hand holding a credit card reader reaches down from the top left-hand corner. The backdrop shows green clouds on solid blue.

Even if you use a credit card all the time, it can be difficult to understand the ins and outs of how they work. We Are/Getty Images hide caption

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We Are/Getty Images

5 smart habits to keep you out of credit card debt

Stay on top of your monthly payments and avoid costly fees and interest charges with these smart credit card strategies.

Smart credit card habits to keep you out of debt

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How to cut down food waste (and fight climate change)
Lindsey Balbierz for NPR

How to cut down food waste (and fight climate change)

Tossing out overripe avocados, wilted greens and sour milk isn't just costing you money — it's also contributing to climate change. Reduce your food waste with composting strategies and creative recipes.

How to cut down food waste (and fight climate change)

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Do you love seafood? Here's how to eat it responsibly

Mussels from the U.S., Arctic char from Canada and anchovies from the U.S. are often good options if you're trying to eat seafood that's sustainable. HUIZENG HU/Getty; Cbording/Getty; Israel Sebastian/Getty hide caption

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HUIZENG HU/Getty; Cbording/Getty; Israel Sebastian/Getty

Life Kit

Do you love seafood? Here's how to eat it responsibly

Fish populations are dwindling around the world due to overfishing. Here's how to make the right choices when dining out or buying fish at the market.

Do you love seafood? Here's how to eat it responsibly

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What to say to kids when the news is scary
LA Johnson/NPR

What to say to kids when the news is scary

Whether a school shooting or a deadly tornado, scary events in the news can leave parents struggling to know when — and how — they should talk with their kids about it. Rosemarie Truglio of Sesame Workshop and Tara Conley, a media studies professor at Montclair State University, give us tips.

What to say to kids when the news is scary

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LISTEN: Math tricks for everyday life
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Life Kit

LISTEN: Math tricks for everyday life

If math never quite stuck for you, Ben Orlin is here to change that. He says think of math as a language. Numbers are the nouns and the arithmetic operations are verbs. This episode, learning the language of math to help you in your day-to-day life.

LISTEN: Math tricks for everyday life

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A high-angle, close-up photograph shows a person holding and reviewing a grocery store receipt in the parking lot, and their grocery cart full of purchased food sits in the background.

A practical tip from NPR reader Lisa Gluskin: check your receipt before you leave the parking lot of the grocery store. If you spot an error at home, you will be less likely to go back to the store to right the wrong. urbazon/Getty Images hide caption

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10 more clever and commonsense ways to save money on groceries

Check your receipt. Grow your own veggies. Ask about senior discounts. NPR readers share their top tips on cutting costs at the grocery store.

Photo illustration of a stop sign that reads
Oliver Munday for NPR

Could you live without shopping for a year? Try the 'no-buy challenge'

The goal is to save money, cut back on overconsumption and be more mindful of wasteful and unsustainable shopping habits. This guide can help you start a challenge of your own.

How to buy less stuff

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A meal prep influencer shares 6 of his favorite cooking hacks
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Life Kit

A meal prep influencer shares 6 of his favorite cooking hacks

What's for dinner? It's a question that can lead to overspending on delivery, unhealthy meals and dread. FitMenCook founder Kevin Curry shares meal prep techniques that can alleviate stress and save money.

A meal prep influencer shares 6 of his favorite cooking hacks

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Networking can be awkward. Here's how to make it work for you
Photo Illustration by Becky Harlan/NPR

Perspective

Networking can be awkward. Here's how to make it work for you

Networking expert Robbie Samuels explains why adapting the attitude of a croissant is more likely to create meaningful job connections — and shares ways to make networking feel more natural.

Networking can be awkward. Here's how to make it work for you

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This illustration shows a scaled-up person taking up most of the frame, draped over in a hug-like posture and crowding another. smaller-scale person into the bottom right corner of the frame. The second, smaller figure is pushing up on the person crowding them trying to create more distance and show a codependent relationship.
Jasjyot Singh Hans for NPR

Perspective

How I broke free from codependency — and learned the meaning of loving relationships

"I thought: if I just helped my friends, colleagues and neighbors, maybe I’d get the connection I craved in love, work and life," writes journalist Gina Ryder.

How to know if you're in a codependent relationship

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A young student struggles to carry a large heavy backpack, symbolizing the worries that can accompany the transition back-to-school.

Today’s teens struggle with big feelings — and their parents struggle to have hard conversations with them, according to a recent Gallup poll. Teen psychologist Lisa Damour explains how parents can better support their kids as a new school year begins. Annika McFarlane/Getty Images hide caption

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Annika McFarlane/Getty Images

Want to help support your Gen Z kids? Talking really helps

A recent Gallup poll offers parents fresh insights into the emotional landscape of Gen Z youth, just in time for the new school year and all the changes it may bring.

How to help your Gen Z kid cope with their back-to-school emotions

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LISTEN: Dealing with neighbor drama
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Life Kit

LISTEN: Dealing with neighbor drama

Conflicts with neighbors are common. Trash, noise, parking, weeds — there are seemingly endless ways neighbors can get on each other's nerves. But it doesn't have to be that way. A mediator and a dispute resolution expert say that taking calm, measured steps to resolve conflict can lead to greater understanding and even harmony between you and the folks on your block.

LISTEN: Dealing with neighbor drama

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Collage: citrus slices, a banana, and pennies burst out from a bag full of groceries and dollar bills.
Photographs Unsplash; Collage by Kaz Fantone/NPR

How to cut your grocery bill: Tweak your recipes and freeze leftovers

Food prices are still high, but your grocery bill doesn't have to be. Beth Moncel, founder of Budget Bytes, shares smart tips how to save money at the supermarket.

To save money on groceries, try these tips before going to the store

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LISTEN: Fruit flies don't appear out of nowhere. Here's how to get rid of them
Becky Harlan/NPR

Life Kit

LISTEN: Fruit flies don't appear out of nowhere. Here's how to get rid of them

Seeing a swarm of pesky fruit flies in the kitchen is frustrating. We talk with a fruit fly researcher about how fruit flies make their way into your home, how to ripen fruit without attracting them and how to trap them.

LISTEN: Fruit flies don't appear out of nowhere. Here's how to get rid of them

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Getting hitched? Protect your finances with a prenup
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Life Kit

Getting hitched? Protect your finances with a prenup

Everyone should consider a prenuptial agreement before getting married, says family law attorney Theresa Viera. Here's how to talk about it with your partner and decide if it's right for you.

Getting hitched? Protect your finances with a prenup

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Illustration that shows two gold wedding bands intertwined. On the left two people embrace and kiss as they're encircled in one of the wedding bands, on the right a person looks on, seemingly in emotional agony as their partner engages in an affiar, breaking the circle of trust that they had established and the relationship contract they had agreed upon.

Can a relationship recover after a romantic affair? Psychologist and affair recovery specialist Talal Alsaleem weighs in on the topic. Adrián Astorgano for NPR hide caption

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Adrián Astorgano for NPR

Perspective

Once a cheater, always a cheater? Busting 3 common myths about infidelity

Clinical psychologist Talal Alsaleem has helped hundreds of couples work through romantic affairs. He shares common misconceptions about cheating -- and how to cope.

What happens after someone cheats

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Feeling grumpy and stressed? Try taking a 'forest bath'
Adam Hester/Getty Images

Feeling grumpy and stressed? Try taking a 'forest bath'

Studies have shown that spending time in the forest, what the Japanese call shinrin-yoku, can significantly improve mood and reduce stress. Here's how to reap these benefits on your next hike.

Feeling grumpy and stressed? Try taking a 'forest bath'

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This illustration shows a man standing on a teal floor and surrounded by fragments of U.S. dollar bills scattered all around him on the ground.

Financial educator Yanely Espinal shares some of the most common mistakes people make when it comes to borrowing, investing and budgeting their money. rob dobi/Getty Images hide caption

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To save more money, avoid these 5 common financial mistakes

Financial missteps can cost you money. Make better-informed decisions about budgeting, investing and borrowing money.

Common financial mistakes to avoid

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