This week we looked at the expenses that actually cost more when you’re poor, got our hands dirty learning how to change a car’s brake pads, tried out a handheld Linux computer, and more. Here’s a look back at this week’s most popular posts.



Spend less than you earn, save your money, and—poof!—your financial problems are solved. If only it were this easy. Being broke sucks enough on its own, and then there are obstacles that make it extra hard for poor people to fight their way to financial security. For example, here are a few expenses that actually cost more for low-income individuals.

I grew up with a standard, cheap rice cooker my mom bought at a grocery store. Shopping for my own cooker as an adult, I was surprised at how many options there are to choose from and how expensive those options can be. Cooking rice is a pretty straightforward task, so what’s with the super expensive cookers? Here’s what I found.



Your car is a big expensive machine that, over its life, will cost you a ton in maintenance. If you learn to do some of those jobs yourself, you can save a ton of cash. Replacing your brake pads, for example, is one of those jobs that sounds much harder than it is, and we’re going to walk you through it from start to finish.





The variety of ways people have found to cram the palm-sized Raspberry Picomputer inside a handheld device are some of my favorite Pi projects. But those projects are usually expensive, and some even require a 3D printer. The PocketC.H.I.P. isn’t nearly as powerful as a Pi, but it’s still the handheld machine I’ve wanted for a long time. Plus, it’s just $50.




It’s easy to find movies to download or stream, but if you’re flying straight and narrow or want to support and watch films that are free, public domain, or whose creators want them free and openly shared, here are some great sites to bookmark—and visit when you want something new to watch.


Ambient noise apps drown out distractions so you can focus on your work, or generate serene, peaceful environments that encourage you to fall asleep. But with dozens you can download, it’s hard to know which is the best. Noisli, White Noise, and Rain Rain are all at the top of this game, so it’s time to crank them up to 11 and see which one creates so much atmosphere you could practically breathe in it.




Alcoholic popsicles are a great concept but, thanks to ethanol’s low freezing point, it’s not as simple as throwing some booze into an ice pop mold and tossing it in the freezer. But don’t let that deter you from making fabulous frozen, boozy pops. All you need to do is pay attention to the ABV.


Things get harder as you get older, and that includes recovering from a night of drinking. If it feels like you don’t handle hangovers as well as you used to, here’s why.


Few things can ruin a good run like turning a corner and facing a towering hill. You were making good time! You were flying along and everything felt great and the robot lady on your running app was whispering excellent numbers into your ear. Now that all comes to an end. You must trudge.



When you first get a new graphics card, your games run buttery smooth. Over time, you might start to notice that it doesn’t run as well, even on the same games. What gives? This video explains what causes performance degradation over time.


Having a partner makes those regular workouts more fun and challenging, and can make them a great bonding experience as well. But that can all backfire if you only rely on the other person to step up. If you’re buddying up, you need to pull your own weight too, and here’s how.


Hopefully you never have to worry about a grenade going off near you, but it’s good to know what to do just in case. This video explains how a grenade works, and how you can lower your chances of being injured if one explodes nearby.


If you don’t grill very often that probably means you don’t clean your grill regularly either. If your grill grates are covered in burnt food and rust, you can get it ready for a cookout with a few household staples.