Years ago I was purchasing a new PC every two to three years. Issues such as hard drive wear and tear as well as speed were never an issue. Today though, I rarely use my desktop for high-end 3D games since Lenovo sent a great laptop that takes care of that for me. However, my now 8 year old desktop (designed for Windows 7 but running Windows 10) is slow booting, slow a memory caching, and generally I'm concerned about the hard drives ultimately failing. Both of my laptops use SSDs for the primary system drive and so I thought... maybe that's a way to extend the life of my desktop too. The folks at Kingston were interested in the results too and so they sent me their UV 500 SSD to try out.

One of my goals for 2019 is to avoid unnecessary stress and focus on working smarter not harder when it comes to things that impact my health and happiness. One of the big challenges with that is frequent heartburn since my life involves often unavoidable stress and frankly, I don’t want to give up some of my favorite foods. Luckily, this year I’m working with Prilosec OTC and together we’re ready to tackle anything that might be coming our way.

Sometimes I like to be a little weird and explore strange aspects of modern life... just because. Who knows what might come of this knowledge but things like the history of the modern trash can fascinate me. So, let's take a look at the long and dirty history of trash cans.

Years ago I had a startup idea that others told me was golden... I had clients pre-booked and I even had an industry association willing to help promote the new company. All I needed to do was present our concept publicly at an upcoming trade show, meet with people in person and start signing contracts. The only hitch is I was short on cash. Since this was a "sure thing" I looked at my credit card as a way to float the $5-10,000 startup costs. It would only be a month or two till I could pay it off I thought. Unfortunately, due to issues with my partner the company disintegrated at the show and I was left holding the bag for all those costs. Poor business planning, poor financial management, and bad luck for sure. More than a decade later I still have the scars from that decision. While I couldn't have prevented what happened, I could have improved the recovery process by consulting a company such as Lexington Law to help repair and restore my good credit faster.

Traffic tickets are facts of life for most North Americans, whether you hail from the United States or Canada. No matter how careful you think you are, at some point, you'll likely stumble and exceed the speed limit, park in a spot for too long, or make a mistake while driving. When that happens, it can hurt, but here are some traffic ticket trivia and other facts to help lighten the mood.

I love cooking, eating, taking photos of food, and sharing meals with interesting people. Food is something that I'm pretty passionate about and so I was excited to dig into the survey results that Knorr sent me from their survey of more than 2,000 Americans. The survey included questions about food preferences, cooking styles, spending habits and more. As someone who loves food I was a bit surprised by some of the findings but maybe I shouldn't be. Here's what they found...

There is a sense of freedom that comes with being behind the wheel and thankfully a lot of well paying jobs involve driving. I started thinking about this while on a press trip to Flint Michigan earlier this week. While walking around the historic GM Assembly plant where the original Corvette was built and now Sierra and Silverado HD trucks are born it struck me that these guys on the line really love building trucks. There's a sense of pride that comes across while talking with most auto workers that doesn't happen at other businesses. I know a lot of you guys are also passionate about cars. So, it got me thinking... What are some of the best jobs for car lovers? Keep reading to find out!

Almost everyone has at least some mold in their home. Even though not all types of it are dangerous or toxic, they still present a health risk. The people that are affected the most typically suffer from allergies or asthma. Most of the time, distinguishing between their types is impossible without the help of a lab. But, of all of them, black mold is the most toxic and dangerous, and it should be removed as fast as possible.

More often than not, people bring up time as an issue that prevents proper grooming habits, particularly for working persons. It is very common to hear people on different grooming forums inquire about how they can make their grooming sessions quicker.

For some jobs it is worth paying a premium for new, genuine OEM parts for your car... and other times you can do with second hand options. I know a lot of you guys have "project cars" or off-road trucks that are cobbled together piece by piece and spend as much time in the shop as they do on the road. Most of us that have learned how to hunt through a salvage yard were lucky to find a friend to show them. Here's how you can get started picking through the junkyard for the right piece... or one that is close enough.

The United States is a fabulous place to visit and while we tend to be portrayed recently as a dangerous and inhospitable place for foreign guests, the reality can't be farther from the truth. While there is a lot of discussion and promotion of the bad aspects of the United States the reality is that this is an AMAZING country with lots of fabulous people, food, drinks, and landscapes to explore. However, depending on where you are visiting from there are some things you need to be aware of when visiting. This includes behaviors and customs you might find odd as well as practical tips for entering the United States legally.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Navy Federal Credit Union. All opinions are 100% mine.

Navy Federal Credit Union has reintroduced their Flagship Rewards card and I wanted to share with you some of the benefits. There are a lot of credit cards out there but certain offers like this are reserved for service members and men, women, family members, and others supporting our armed services. That includes DoD employees and veterans too. Let's take a look at what benefits this one offers!

For many of us, 2018 was a mess and most of feel like it's the morning after a hard night partying ... except there was never a party to reminisce about. Even though we survived it, many of us lost friends or at had to hide posts on Facebook that we no longer wanted to see because things became too uncomfortable. Let's all agree to make 2019 an even better year! Luckily, it's not that difficult to do... we just need to set goals and follow them. I know that's easier said than done but if we can, this could be the best year yet! 

Secret Santa gift exchanges are an almost ubiquitous tradition these days. You'll find them at work, in clubs, sports teams, even online societies. As an adult, I love this idea since it brings back some of the social nature of exchanging gifts with people that aren't just family. Here's some tips to help make sure it's a success.

Is crunch time and your budget is running low. What can you do to raise money fast and pay off those shopping debts or raise funds to get that awesome necklace your wife just told you she HAS TO HAVE? Asking your boss for a raise or an advance is out of the question because you never want to show weakness and borrowing from friends just sucks. So, we've taken a look at five different ways that you can - LEGALLY - raise money fast.

The holidays are here again and for some of us guys it can give us a little anxiety on what to get the ladies in our lives. My wife is writing the rest of this article with ideas on how to find the perfect gift for all the women in your life. Good luck men!

We’re often told that to achieve our dreams we need to eat, sleep, and breathe according to them. We need to make major sacrifices and commit time, money, and energy in pursuing our goals. However, with responsibilities, like bills and a family, it isn’t always possible to do that. You can’t just quit your job to persue another career, because you need money and stability. With that in mind, here are six things you should do follow your dream career while still working full-time.

Most parents will agree that it can be a worry trying to ensure that their children’s education is as well looked after as possible. If you find that this is something which preys on your mind, you are not alone - and the good news is that there is always something that can be done about it, at least to help you feel a little better about their education. As it happens, there are many things you might want to consider to ensure that you can contribute to improving your children’s education, and those are what we are going to take a look at in this article. Here are just a few of the best options you can consider taking on board if you want to try and improve your children’s education in no time. Any of these are likely to have a significant, profound effect.

Planning a bachelor party is an honor, but it’d be wrong to say that there isn’t some pressure attached to it. If you’re going to give your friend a send-off as they walk into married life, then you need to make sure that it’s a party to remember! So the first thing you need to do is to aim big and sometimes that means you gotta look at ideas that are out of this world. Here's some of our top luxury bachelor party ideas that are perfect for the groom that has everything.