9 October 2026

9 October 202629 pieces

• GadgetsSkip the smart home gadgets that rent you your own houseA camera that goes blind when you stop paying isn't a purchase. It's a lease on your own front porch. Here's what to skip, and what to buy.
• StyleSeven kinds of clothes that quit before the season doesThin tees, bagging stretch denim, collars that bubble. How to spot a garment built to die young, and what to buy in its place.
• Can You Fix ItMiracle sprays and magic tapes fix the demo, not your houseThe as-seen-on-TV repair aisle sells speed. Six gimmicks to leave on the shelf, what to do instead, and the one case where each earns its keep.
• GearYou work in an office. Nothing you own needs to be tactical.Combat pens and MOLLE backpacks do nothing for a man with a cubicle. Plain gear does more, and some of it is worth real money.
• Tools & OrganizingThe 200-piece tool set is a number, not a toolboxMost of that count is bits and keys you'll never touch. Skip the big box and build a kit around the tools that actually do the work.
• HomeThe kitchen drawer you can't close is full of theseSeven single-job gadgets that take up space and do worse work than a knife, a pan, or a fork you already own.
• GadgetsGold-plated cables and the other things you can leave on the shelfThe pitch comes right after you've spent real money, when a small add-on feels like nothing. Six to pass on, what to do instead, and the one case where each is fair.
• CarsSeven car upsells to turn down before you signThe finance office and the service lane run on extras you didn't ask for. Here's what each one promises, what to do instead, and the rare case it pays.
• GadgetsThe warranty offer at the register is a bet you'll probably loseThe cashier asks every time for a reason. Seven protection plans to turn down, what to do instead, and the one case where yes makes sense.
• Maturing BrosOne bag in the trunk handles most of what goes wrongA dead battery, a soft tire and a dark road are the usual first-car problems. Here's the small kit that covers them, and what to leave on the shelf.
• BRO for HerBuy the tote for Tuesday, not for the vacationOne everyday bag, the spec profile that matters, and the features that are just there to make the price tag look reasonable.
• StyleBuy one pair of black cap-toe oxfords and stop shoppingOne pair of dress shoes has to handle a wedding, a funeral and a job interview. Here's the spec to buy and the upsells to ignore.
• GadgetsHome wifi that reaches the back bedroom and the garageYour router isn't too slow. It's in the wrong place, and one box can't cover a family. Buy a mesh system, wire what you can, skip the rest.
• Can You Fix ItThe multimeter worth owning is rated CAT III 600VOne handheld meter, a few safety markings, and the checks it lets you make before you call an electrician or touch a wire.
• GearThe kitchen drawer flashlight should be boring and readyThe light that works at 2 a.m. isn't the brightest one. It's the one with fresh batteries and a switch you can find in the dark.
• WoodworkingYour first saw should be a Japanese pull sawIt cuts on the pull, it's forgiving to learn on, and it fits in a drawer. Skip the power saw until you know what you need.
• CarsA trunk kit is four jobs, not a hundred piecesSkip the giant boxed kit with the flimsy cables. Build around a jump starter, an inflator, a light and a way to be seen.
• HomeOne good kitchen knife beats the block of twelveYou reach for the same blade every night. Spend your money on that one and let the other eleven go.
• Tools & OrganizingSkip the 200-piece kit and build this one insteadA new homeowner needs about fifteen tools in one case, not two hundred in a plastic tray. What goes in, what stays out, and where the money belongs.
• BRO for HerThe handbag, coat and boots worth buying onceThree things you use every day, and the parts that decide whether they last ten winters or two. What to inspect, what to read, what to ask.
• Can You Fix ItThe mower you can fix yourself outlasts the one you can'tMost mowers die of a ten-dollar problem nobody could get a part for. Buy the one with a parts diagram and a socket set's worth of screws.
• HomeBuy the appliance somebody will still be able to fixA stand mixer is the best test of a kitchen appliance's staying power. Here's how to judge the gearbox, the warranty and the parts catalog before you pay.
• StyleA belt and a wallet you'll still be carrying in ten yearsTwo small pieces of leather, two different ways to fail. Here's what to inspect, what to read in the warranty, and what a cobbler can fix.
• WoodworkingA bench vise should outlive you, so buy it like oneWeight, a good screw, and parts you can still get in 2060: how to pick the one shop tool your kids will fight over.
• CarsSpend your money on the stands, not the jackA floor jack lifts the car. The stands keep it off you. Here's how to buy both once and never think about them again.
• HomeThe washer people fix is the one built to be openedEvery washing machine wears out something. The ones that last ten-plus years are the ones where that something is cheap, reachable and for sale.
• HomeThe vacuum that lasts is the one you can openThe motor gets the credit and the blame. The belt, the brush roll, the filter and the battery are what actually decide how long a vacuum stays in your house.
• Tools & OrganizingA drill outlives its battery. Buy the battery first.The motor will run for years. The pack that feeds it won't. Here's how to buy a cordless drill that's still useful in 2035.
• Old SchoolOver or under, and the real crime on the rollMy wife and I have fought about the toilet paper for six years. Grandma heard both sides over pie and ruled in about forty seconds.