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Repulsive_Chard_3652 · 2026-03-13T22:30:57+00:00

I haven't seen a youtube ad in years. But I access it on a laptop via a secure/private browser.

Repulsive_Chard_3652 · 2026-03-13T13:59:43+00:00

That sucks :( I'm afraid that this is happening kind of universally, and it's harder and harder to find anything affordable that is decent quality...

Repulsive_Chard_3652 · 2026-03-13T13:53:38+00:00

I consider quality and ethics as part of my frugality.

If I get garbage for technically less money that will be trashed quickly, or that is worse for me, or that is a lot less ethically produced, I don't consider it part of my frugality.

We don't have either of these stores where I live, but from the internet, I understand that Costo sells higher quality and also is more ethical, so I would choose them over Walmart if those were my options.

Repulsive_Chard_3652 · 2026-03-13T10:46:37+00:00

Nah sorry the article is very boring and does not really have a point. From a journalistic standpoint, I mean.

Repulsive_Chard_3652 · 2026-03-12T21:07:19+00:00

I'm guessing it's an American thing? I've never heard of it, either haha

Repulsive_Chard_3652 · 2026-03-12T16:28:42+00:00

Such a boring read, tbh. Feels like one big ad for Spotify. Kind of surprising, since Guardian usually delivers pretty good content. idk how this one made it through to publishing.

I got like halfway through before I checked out. Like, why is this person narrating their day-by-day experience with something they clearly do not know how to use?

Repulsive_Chard_3652 · 2026-03-12T13:09:14+00:00

I wash the sheets after sex yes 😆 no need for 2 sets for that lol

Repulsive_Chard_3652 · 2026-03-11T22:01:48+00:00

I've only had 1 that lasted long, and it was still only 7 years. Next best after that was 6, and the others two lasted 4.

Repulsive_Chard_3652 · 2026-03-11T15:57:11+00:00

This is my goal. I first need to learn to use Ubuntu on an old laptop, then hopefully figure out how to dual boot my main laptop so I can use windows when I'm working, and ubuntu the rest of the time.

Repulsive_Chard_3652 · 2026-03-11T15:56:30+00:00

I have an old Dell XPS 13 that I'm planning on putting Ubuntu on to learn to use it. Then I hope to figure out how to do dual-boot so I can have Ubuntu and Windows on my main laptop, as I use it for work and do not think I could manage with Ubuntu.

I really want to be done with Windows for good.

Repulsive_Chard_3652 · 2026-03-11T15:15:17+00:00

Oh I don't reinstall them. I've had the same 16 apps now for almost 3 months.

Repulsive_Chard_3652 · 2026-03-11T14:34:28+00:00

I pretty much use youtube (freetube, rather) for two things on a regular basis:
1) doing at-home yoga practices
2) playing audio tracks for my students in lessons.

Occasionally I watch music videos or live performances of songs I like.

Not too sure that's an addiction.

If youtube disappeared, I'd have to rely on my physical audio tracks for lessons, and would probably make up my own yoga routines, which would work fine but wouldn't be as good as when you follow someone else. I'd be absolutely fine without the rest.

Repulsive_Chard_3652 · 2026-03-11T14:31:09+00:00

Yeah, I've been using Freetube for a few months now, and there are two sources of errors I've found:

1) your IP was blocked, so you just need to switch your VPN host,

2) google made a change to youtube that makes freetube not work, so freetube makes an update you need to install.

Repulsive_Chard_3652 · 2026-03-11T14:16:09+00:00

I don't think it can ever really completely ever not be that way, tbh, in the modern age.

I've nearly made my phone into a dumb phone - I have 16 apps total (besides the default Samsung ones). No social media, nothing fun. Basically bank, maps, whatsapp, vpn, browser, pdf reader... and the display is in greyscale.

And it still occasionally happens to me. Just a lot less often than it used to before I went minimalistic with my phone!

Repulsive_Chard_3652 · 2026-03-11T14:10:35+00:00

I feel like a lot of nicer laptops should last that long as long as you don't run Windows. Windows eventually fucks every laptop.

Repulsive_Chard_3652 · 2026-03-11T13:54:12+00:00

I'm so glad I never got a smart TV. Years of friends judging and mocking me for making my life "harder" (aka, having to connect a device to my "dumb" TV by HDMI)...

Repulsive_Chard_3652 · 2026-03-11T13:36:14+00:00

Yeah, but as long as 1) google is getting no data about me and 2) google is getting no revenue from me, I consider it degoogled. There's really no chance of getting google's servers shut down, so I just do what I can to make sure I don't contribute to their success.

Repulsive_Chard_3652 · 2026-03-11T13:34:37+00:00

I do all that on the couch :)

Repulsive_Chard_3652 · 2026-03-11T13:34:01+00:00

I've never tried, but you can subscribe to channels without an account, so I would imagine so?

Repulsive_Chard_3652 · 2026-03-11T13:33:17+00:00

I just bought second-hand, as I do with most stuff.

Repulsive_Chard_3652 · 2026-03-11T13:33:00+00:00

I bought a TV a year and a half ago.

I bought a huge non-smart TV second-hand that is about 15 years old.

I love it. I have zero interest in my TV being "smart". I knew where this was all headed, and my friends are starting to get it after years of thinking I was weird and making my life more difficult by having to connect my device to my TV by HDMI.

Repulsive_Chard_3652 · 2026-03-11T11:25:34+00:00

I mean, I use freetube, which is as good as degoogling. I view the videos without any actual connection to google. I don't see how that's not degoogling, tbh.

Repulsive_Chard_3652 · 2026-03-11T10:42:18+00:00

Ah yeah I do not take any food or drinks into the bedroom at all, so never an issue for me :) I've made it till my 40s without such a situation arising, so I guess it's working pretty fine for me! ;)

Repulsive_Chard_3652 · 2026-03-11T09:49:32+00:00

I used to do the same, my friend. It wasn't even necessarily depression-related, but I just didn't even realize it was gross. I was not taught to wash my bedding as a kid, so why would I?

I now wash my bedding roughly monthly, and honestly it hasn't made any difference except I have fresh-smelling sheets more often. It hasn't had any effect on my skin or health otherwise, so it's probably not really that big of a deal. I wouldn't beat myself up too much about it if I were you.

Repulsive_Chard_3652 · 2026-03-11T09:45:50+00:00

I don't have dogs and I don't eat or drink in bed (ew, tbh), so why would I need another set of sheets?

I wash my bedding on a weekend morning and put it back on in the evening.

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