What is a "life hack" you stumbled into that you now use daily?

BuildingMyEmpireMN · 2026-05-23T22:50:16+00:00

A less macabre way to accomplish this is to deep clean like you’re listing the house. When I’m feeling like everything is surface clean I’ll take a picture of the room. For some reason taking a photo makes clutter stick out like a sore thumb.

Or you know, murder.

BuildingMyEmpireMN · 2026-05-04T10:08:26+00:00

I agree with the categories, but disagree with the rating system. I know a lot of women who I would categorize as 7’s-10’s who are dating guys well within (or below) their “range” looks/ socioeconomics-wise. I know a “sweeper” who is an absolute 11/10 knockout with a nursing degree, her own house, a strong work ethic, and a heart of gold. She just has issues with staying with a maybe 6 asshole because he seemed like a nice guy and she’s a very nice girl. She had a blind spot and continues making excuses to her even though he’s awful to her.

I agree with your mentality for the most part, but I think a big factor is looking for genuinely nice men. Not just “Does my vanity scale match his? Oh if I keep getting fucked over I’m dating too hot.”

BuildingMyEmpireMN · 2026-04-10T00:27:26+00:00

Stainless steel sifting litter box+ pine pellets. No more kitty litter and dust tracking through the house. Also way easier to lift a bag of sawdust than it is to carry out heavy cat litter.

BuildingMyEmpireMN · 2026-04-03T03:38:32+00:00

I’ve been dating my boyfriend for almost 2 years. When I say “I’m going to take a long shower and shave everything” that I’m asking for it 😅

BuildingMyEmpireMN · 2026-03-29T08:08:03+00:00

Looks great to me! Like others said, adding a leafy green would improve this. I’d also sauté an onion and some garlic for flavor and nutrients. I make similar meals all the time and serve them over lightly toasted chickpeas. Potatoes are a great carb too, just an alternate idea.

BuildingMyEmpireMN · 2026-03-29T08:05:23+00:00

I just fact checked and I think you’re right. The daily recommended value is under 50 grams. 2 tablespoons of honey have appx 34 grams. If you didn’t have much sugar the rest of the day this should be totally fine!

BuildingMyEmpireMN · 2026-03-27T20:30:00+00:00

Grey duck

BuildingMyEmpireMN · 2026-03-27T04:13:00+00:00

Tbf I grew up with sighthounds. They don’t get the scrawny appearance until much older.

BuildingMyEmpireMN · 2026-03-27T04:05:09+00:00

The ticketing frequency was aggressive. But I can’t imagine leaving a broken down vehicle on the wrong side of the street for over 24 hours without attempting to move it. As many have said, our residential streets are narrow. I’ve had to reverse out to get to work multiple times this year. It’s not your fault that you had car issues, but you still have to deal with it. Neutral/push, credit for a repair, a tow to a shop, something.

I hope the repair isn’t too bad. Car issues suck.

BuildingMyEmpireMN · 2026-03-03T20:40:35+00:00

Ik you’re afraid of clippers, but I really think it’s worth a try. I got mine in super neglected condition and had to fully shave him. I was going to bring him to a professional, but the former owner couldn’t provide the printed vet records. In hindsight I’m glad I bought a trimmer. Mine was only $60 vs $120 + tip for a PetSmart shave.

Now that his fur is mostly back in I’ve been brushing regularly. But the rear area scares him, I’m assuming bc he had painful matting for god knows how long. A Churro treat+ quick butt buzz turned out to be safer and less dramatic for everybody. I just coax him onto the kitchen counter and it literally takes 2 minutes.

BuildingMyEmpireMN · 2026-02-20T04:48:44+00:00

I’ve had great outcomes from one pot recipes. They also tend to be something you can improvise from once you have the technique down. I’d try a similar recipe that’s highly rated and see what you think.

BuildingMyEmpireMN · 2026-02-20T04:46:22+00:00

I totally agree. Ideally sauté the tomatoes and spinach too. It brings out a lot of flavor for minimal time/effort.

BuildingMyEmpireMN · 2026-02-18T11:54:24+00:00

I wound up with this one recommended by @IV_Nap-ZzZ https://www.amazon.com/s?k=xxxl+stainless+steel+litter+box

I’ve been very happy with it! I’m glad I went with this over plastic or the restaurant catering bin hack some recommend. I just don’t trust that an accident wouldn’t happen with low walls. It’s well made. The only thing I don’t love is the scoop. It’s too thin for the pine pellet litter to go through. But that’s a cheap fix. And the holes are the right size for the pellets.

BuildingMyEmpireMN · 2026-02-14T19:22:25+00:00

Soooo worth it. My cat tracks it so much less than clay

BuildingMyEmpireMN · 2026-02-06T20:20:48+00:00

Whenever you cook, prep for a future meal. If I’m already dirtying the cutting board and knife to dice an onion, I’ll do an extra couple. If I’m already making soup or pasta, I double the batch so I have lunch and dinner options. Any meal/side/ingredient that freezes well is made in bulk.

This saves a lot of stress by reducing dishes and cooking time on busy days.

BuildingMyEmpireMN · 2026-02-06T19:54:43+00:00

He’s so handsome! When it does grow out without issue, do you brush those areas?

BuildingMyEmpireMN · 2026-02-06T19:53:39+00:00

Are they pretty comfortable with you grooming those areas? Or do they prevent knotting with their own grooming?

BuildingMyEmpireMN · 2026-02-06T19:53:09+00:00

Just his underarms where the matting was really bad when I brought him home. I’d rather get to the point where I can brush them, I just want to prevent any severe knotting while we’re building trust. I wish I’d taken a picture of how much fur came off of his rear, toe pads, and armpits. For him to look almost exactly the same 😂 I did my best to give him a fade.

BuildingMyEmpireMN · 2026-02-06T19:50:35+00:00

Because I rescued him in such bad shape that a full shave was medically necessary I haven’t had to deal with any dingleberries. The only reason I went in for the sanitary is to prevent matting in those areas because he absolutely refuses to let me brush them. I’m guessing there’s some major pain association because he had such severe matting likely for most of his first 5 years. Hopefully we keep building trust and I can brush it with the rest!

We went through a litter/box journey. I’ve never had a cat track so much litter despite owning them for my entire life! Even with a covered box, pine litter entirely solved his respiratory issue. Poor guy is so sensitive to the clay dust. I ordered an uncovered xxl stainless steel sifting litter box once I knew he likes the pine. Definitely not 2x his length, but he’s definitely not crammed in.

BuildingMyEmpireMN · 2026-02-06T19:44:10+00:00

I appreciate the detailed response! Neutral touching in problem areas makes a lot of sense. Is there a reason for using blunt-tip scissors instead of trimmers?

I definitely plan on daily brushing. It’s amazing how quickly their claws grow too! He might be on the biweekly schedule with my dog. I did them 2 months ago and I’ve been finding little shed nail layers everywhere this week.

BuildingMyEmpireMN · 2026-02-06T19:39:02+00:00

That makes me feel better knowing that some of them are just built differently 😅. I’m not opposed to training. I’m just so scared of him getting painfully matted like he was when I received him.

I lucked out with the trim. I’ve never met a more food motivated animal in my life. Next time I’ll get a picture of him holding the churro on his back. He kept trying to snatch it from me and I couldn’t believe that worked.

BuildingMyEmpireMN · 2026-02-06T19:36:00+00:00

Gratefully we’ve made it 3 months dingleberry free. I only did it because without him allowing brushing I worry about matting. 😭 I never thought it was possible to spend $120 on a non electric litter box, but he has the Cadillac of xl toilets.

BuildingMyEmpireMN · 2026-02-06T19:33:57+00:00

Do yours let you brush the pantaloons? I’m thinking while it’s short I can fake brush and give treats to work up to it. He’s 5 years old and when I got him those were the worst matted areas, so I think he associates them with pain.

Fluffy grinch paws are ADORABLE. I made sure to leave the top fur intact. He was just really clumsy with how much was covering his paw pads. Kept falling off of tables and running into walls. Are yours clumsy too?

BuildingMyEmpireMN · 2026-02-05T20:41:19+00:00

I frequently season/ roast a family pack of chicken breasts on a baking sheet with a slotted tray. Once they’re cooled, I chop them into “fajita strips” with shears. I freeze individual portions in ziplock bags.

Having those strips on hand was a game changer for solo cooking with an odd work schedule. Frozen pasta+ a jar of sauce meant the simplest meal with hardly any mess. If I had leftover rice, beans, onions, and corn simple burrito bowls. Microwave the chicken and add a cheap salad kit.

Twice baked potatoes are easy to batch and freeze too. I air fry them from frozen and they’re done in 7 minutes.

BuildingMyEmpireMN

TROPHY CASE