Gear

What to buy, what to skip, and what the cheaper one actually costs you.

The BRO Gear GuideBuy once, fix it, pass it down: a cost-per-use calculator, a warranty decoder and a repairability checklist.Judge it before you buy

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How the car goes, where wind comes from, and other bluffs

Eight questions from the back seat I couldn't answer, plus the real answers you can give your kids tonight.

GuideFamilyRay Okonkwo7 Oct 20265 min

The lake cabin beat the theme park, and I kept the receipts

Two vacations, one spreadsheet and the only unit that counts: the stories your kids still tell a year later.

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Give me something to do with my kids this weekend

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GuideHomeRay Okonkwo7 Oct 20266 min

Why the 45-minute faucet job takes an afternoon

The plumber's quote looks like robbery until you add up the three hardware store trips, the seized valve and the wrench you'll use twice in a decade.

Coconut.com — Tell us when. We find where the sun is.

PartnerCoconut.com

Dogs & Pets5 min read

The free puppy costs more than the one with a price tag

The cardboard box said FREE. The vet, the pet store and a chewed TV remote had other ideas. Run the real year-one numbers before you say yes.

Poll

When did you last ask for a raise?

GuideMoneyRay Okonkwo7 Oct 20265 min

The ten-cent gas station that costs you eight dollars

Crossing town for cheaper gas feels like beating the system. Run the real numbers once and you'll never pass three stations again.

StoryCan You Fix ItNina Castellan7 Oct 20265 min

Every Wrong Gray Starts at the Paint Counter

Twelve lines heard over the shaker machine, and the paint lessons that'll save your walls, your weekend and your trim.

GermProof.com — An invisible germ barrier on your skin for hours

PartnerGermProof.com

StoryHomeWes Dunbar7 Oct 20265 min

Nobody walks into the plumbing aisle on purpose

Ten lines from the busiest aisle on a Saturday morning, and the fix behind each one, so you're not the next guy holding a wet sandwich bag.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

GuideGarden & YardWes Dunbar6 Oct 20265 min

Your Mower Sat All Winter and Now It Has Opinions

The box says pull the cord. The box hasn't met your shed. How to wake a hibernating mower without wrecking your Saturday or your shoulder.

GuideCan You Fix ItWes Dunbar6 Oct 20266 min

The Doorknob Hole in the Hallway, Fixed the Way It Really Goes

A patch nobody can find later takes three coats, two days and one door stop you should've installed in April. Every step, honestly.

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Pressure-test my business idea

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GuideHomeWes Dunbar6 Oct 20266 min

Getting the lights on the roof and yourself back off it

Every step is correct. The asides are what really happens. Holiday lights on the roofline, done safely, with only one trip back to the store.

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ReviewBRO SeniorsCal Brennan6 Oct 20266 min

I told a frozen grandson the whole carburetor story

Video calling the grandkids is free, wonderful and mildly ridiculous. Grandpa sorts out what's worth it and how to stop the freezing.

Poll

How many days a week are you actually training?

GuideCan You Fix ItWes Dunbar6 Oct 20265 min

Replacing a Toilet Flapper Takes Ten Minutes and Two Trips

The cheapest plumbing fix in the house, written the way it really goes, including the second trip to the store nobody plans for.

GuideHomeWes Dunbar6 Oct 20266 min

Hanging a heavy picture straight on the first try

One frame, two hooks, zero extra holes. The way it really goes, plus the bathroom scale trick nobody mentions.

Names.com — The name is the first thing you sell

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GuideCommunityCal Brennan6 Oct 20266 min

Be the Other Grown-Up a Kid Can Count On

Coaches, uncles and the guy next door shape kids in ways parents can't. It takes less than you'd think, plus a few rules you never bend.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next fortnight.

GuideCan You Fix ItWes Dunbar6 Oct 20266 min

The Bathroom Sink Clog Is Always Hair, and It's Always Gross

Skip the bottle of drain cleaner. A plastic strip, a bucket and twenty patient minutes clear almost every slow bathroom sink in the house.

GuideFamilyCal Brennan6 Oct 20266 min

The twenty-minute Sunday meeting that runs the whole week

Five items, a kitchen timer and a spiral notebook. Hold it when nothing's wrong, and it'll still work when something is.

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Rehearse the raise conversation with me

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GuideDadsSam Ortiz6 Oct 20266 min

Say it in one sentence and your teenager will hear it

The forty-minute talk makes you feel like a good dad. The one sentence, said once and backed up, is the one that actually lands.

CancerDefying.com — The research, protocols and reading in one place

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Moms6 min read

Stop Asking Your Kid Why They Did It

"Why" gets you a shrug or a lie. Four better questions turn a broken window into a kid who knows how to make things right.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

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