Home & Garage

Fix it, build it, maintain it. The house is the biggest thing you own — act like it.

The BRO Code. What to do, what not to do, and a few laughs on the way.

Don't make the big decision in the first year

Order fifteen death certificates, put the ambush days on the calendar, and keep three things fixed. What the first year after a loss actually asks of you.

GuideTravelDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

Two nights, ninety minutes away, and one page of instructions

The anniversary weekend works when you plan the handoff harder than the hotel. Do the boring part Thursday, and Saturday takes care of itself.

Ask BRO

Rewrite my CV so it actually gets read

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GuideFoodWes DunbarSep 23, 20265 min

A pot of bones on Sunday is worth five dinners

Stock is the cheapest thing in your kitchen and the easiest to ruin. Keep it under a boil, chill it fast, and five soups get better.

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

PartnerGermProof.com

Life5 min read

The letter you keep meaning to write takes eleven minutes

A stamp costs under a dollar and a half-page note outlives every text you'll ever send. Here's the shape, and the seven people who've earned one.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

GuideTravelDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

Go to the Holy Land with fifteen people, not fifty

Group size decides your pilgrimage more than the itinerary does. What to ask before you wire the deposit, and what the brochure price leaves out.

GuideFoodWes DunbarSep 23, 20265 min

Your grilled chicken burns because the whole grill is hot

Build the fire on half the grate, salt it the day before, and stop guessing at the joint with a knife.

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GuideLifeCal BrennanSep 23, 20265 min

Three lines a night is all the journal you need

Skip the feelings, the leather cover and the morning routine. A composition notebook and ninety seconds will do more for you than any of it.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

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

GuideTravelDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

Request the airport wheelchair even if Dad walks fine

The trip with your parents works or fails on about eight small logistics calls, and most people make none of them.

GuideFoodWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

The pork butt is done when the probe slides, not at 203

Eight pounds, a bone that pulls clean, and the three hours of rest almost nobody builds into the plan.

Ask BRO

Give me something to do with my kids this weekend

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GuideLifeCal BrennanSep 23, 20266 min

Twenty pages a day is the whole reading plan

A busy year will eat your ambitious list by March. It won't touch twenty pages a night, and twenty pages a night is two dozen books.

Shirts.com — Design it with AI. Wear it this week.

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GuideCivicsMarcus ValeSep 23, 20266 min

How to Actually Win a School Board or City Council Race

Find your win number, build a voter universe, knock the doors. Local races are decided by a few hundred people, and most of them can be found.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

GuideFoodWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Start the fire an hour before you want to eat

Flames blacken food and coals cook it, and most people light the wood about forty minutes too late to get any.

GuideLifeCal BrennanSep 23, 20266 min

Start with the guy who's already in your phone

Most men aren't short of people. They're short of contact. The way out starts with one text, a real date, and no explanation for the gap.

Dude.com — 16 AI advisers who listen, talk and are here with you

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GuidePreparednessDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

Size Your Battery Bank to the Fridge, Not the Box Art

Solar generators are great at some household loads and useless at others. Learn which is which before the lights go out, not during.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

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

Food5 min

Take the meal in a pan you never want back

Life6 min

Moving day is won three weeks before the truck shows up

Ask BRO

Plan a cook for eight people

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GuidePreparednessWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Nothing That Burns Fuel Comes Inside the House

How to cook hot meals on day three of an outage without ever letting carbon monoxide through the door.

Delicious.com — Nine thousand recipes and a plan for tonight

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Food6 min read

Keep the fat at 34 degrees or your sausage will smear

Homemade sausage fails at the grinder, not the skillet. Cold meat, a sharp plate and one salt number fix almost all of it.

Poll

When did you last ask for a raise?

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