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Health insurance hell: Why do I need a prior authorization? – Life Kit – NPR

Life Kit

Health insurance hell: Why do I need a prior authorization?

February 10, 2026, 3:00 AM ET, 12-Minute Listen. Transcript

Some medical procedures and treatments require prior authorization from your health insurance company, meaning you’ll need pre-approval before you can receive care. This episode, health care reporter Sarah Boden shares tips on making the prior authorization process as smooth as possible — so you can save yourself frustration and get medical support sooner.

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More Stories From NPR

Life Kit – Why “we should hang out” won’t make you real friends

Life Kit – Dear Life Kit: My boyfriend’s female friendships stress me out

Editor’s Note: Read the rest of the story, at the below link.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: Health insurance hell: Why do I need a prior authorization? : Life Kit : NPR

Health insurance hell: Why do I need a prior authorization? – Life Kit – NPR

Life Kit

Health insurance hell: Why do I need a prior authorization?

February 10, 2026, 3:00 AM ET, 12-Minute Listen. Transcript

Some medical procedures and treatments require prior authorization from your health insurance company, meaning you’ll need pre-approval before you can receive care. This episode, health care reporter Sarah Boden shares tips on making the prior authorization process as smooth as possible — so you can save yourself frustration and get medical support sooner.

Follow us on Instagram: @nprlifekit
Sign up for our newsletter here.
Have an episode idea or feedback you want to share? Email us at [email protected]
Support the show and listen to it sponsor-free by signing up for Life Kit+ at plus.npr.org/lifekit

More Stories From NPR

Life Kit – Why “we should hang out” won’t make you real friends

Life Kit – Dear Life Kit: My boyfriend’s female friendships stress me out

Editor’s Note: Read the rest of the story, at the below link.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: Health insurance hell: Why do I need a prior authorization? : Life Kit : NPR

Health insurance hell: Why do I need a prior authorization? – Life Kit – NPR

Life Kit

Health insurance hell: Why do I need a prior authorization?

February 10, 2026, 3:00 AM ET, 12-Minute Listen. Transcript

Some medical procedures and treatments require prior authorization from your health insurance company, meaning you’ll need pre-approval before you can receive care. This episode, health care reporter Sarah Boden shares tips on making the prior authorization process as smooth as possible — so you can save yourself frustration and get medical support sooner.

Follow us on Instagram: @nprlifekit
Sign up for our newsletter here.
Have an episode idea or feedback you want to share? Email us at [email protected]
Support the show and listen to it sponsor-free by signing up for Life Kit+ at plus.npr.org/lifekit

More Stories From NPR

Life Kit – Why “we should hang out” won’t make you real friends

Life Kit – Dear Life Kit: My boyfriend’s female friendships stress me out

Editor’s Note: Read the rest of the story, at the below link.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: Health insurance hell: Why do I need a prior authorization? : Life Kit : NPR

Money tips no one taught you – Life Kit – NPR

Life Kit

Money tips no one taught you

February 3, 20263:00 AM ET, 21-Minute Listen

Transcript

Deagreez/Getty Images

You have a budget and an emergency fund (or at least know you need both) – but you want to go deeper. What else do you need to know about managing your money? Ever heard of capturing the carry on your debt, for example? Finance experts share their top tips on handling debt, investing, taxes and more.

Follow us on Instagram: @nprlifekit
Sign up for our newsletter here.
Have an episode idea or feedback you want to share? Email us at [email protected]
Support the show and listen to it sponsor-free by signing up for Life Kit+ at plus.npr.org/lifekit

Continue/Read Original Article Here: Money tips no one taught you : Life Kit : NPR

Money tips no one taught you – Life Kit – NPR

Life Kit

Money tips no one taught you

February 3, 20263:00 AM ET, 21-Minute Listen

Transcript

Deagreez/Getty Images

You have a budget and an emergency fund (or at least know you need both) – but you want to go deeper. What else do you need to know about managing your money? Ever heard of capturing the carry on your debt, for example? Finance experts share their top tips on handling debt, investing, taxes and more.

Follow us on Instagram: @nprlifekit
Sign up for our newsletter here.
Have an episode idea or feedback you want to share? Email us at [email protected]
Support the show and listen to it sponsor-free by signing up for Life Kit+ at plus.npr.org/lifekit

Continue/Read Original Article Here: Money tips no one taught you : Life Kit : NPR

Money tips no one taught you – Life Kit – NPR

Life Kit

Money tips no one taught you

February 3, 20263:00 AM ET, 21-Minute Listen

Transcript

Deagreez/Getty Images

You have a budget and an emergency fund (or at least know you need both) – but you want to go deeper. What else do you need to know about managing your money? Ever heard of capturing the carry on your debt, for example? Finance experts share their top tips on handling debt, investing, taxes and more.

Follow us on Instagram: @nprlifekit
Sign up for our newsletter here.
Have an episode idea or feedback you want to share? Email us at [email protected]
Support the show and listen to it sponsor-free by signing up for Life Kit+ at plus.npr.org/lifekit

Continue/Read Original Article Here: Money tips no one taught you : Life Kit : NPR

How to optimize your circadian rhythm – Life Kit – NPR

Life Kit

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How to optimize your circadian rhythm

December 4, 20253:05 AM ET, 15-Minute Listen

Tips to tune up your body’s internal clock.

There’s research showing that too much light at night and not enough daylight is taking years off our lives. NPR health correspondent Will Stone has tips to tune up your body’s internal clock. This episode originally published December 17, 2024.

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Sign up for our newsletter here.
Have an episode idea or feedback you want to share? Email us at [email protected]
Support the show and listen to it sponsor-free by signing up for Life Kit+ at plus.npr.org/lifekit

Continue/Read Original Article Here: How to optimize your circadian rhythm : Life Kit : NPR

#CircadianRhythm #December172024 #Health #HumanBody #InternalClock #LifeKit #LightAtNight #NationalPublicRadio #NPR #Optimize

How to optimize your circadian rhythm – Life Kit – NPR

Life Kit

• NPR App
• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• Amazon Music
• iHeart Radio
• YouTube Music
• RSS link

How to optimize your circadian rhythm

December 4, 20253:05 AM ET, 15-Minute Listen

Tips to tune up your body’s internal clock.

There’s research showing that too much light at night and not enough daylight is taking years off our lives. NPR health correspondent Will Stone has tips to tune up your body’s internal clock. This episode originally published December 17, 2024.

Follow us on Instagram: @nprlifekit
Sign up for our newsletter here.
Have an episode idea or feedback you want to share? Email us at [email protected]
Support the show and listen to it sponsor-free by signing up for Life Kit+ at plus.npr.org/lifekit

Continue/Read Original Article Here: How to optimize your circadian rhythm : Life Kit : NPR

#CircadianRhythm #December172024 #Health #HumanBody #InternalClock #LifeKit #LightAtNight #NationalPublicRadio #NPR #Optimize

How to work with your social anxiety – Life Kit – NPR

Life Kit

How to work with your social anxiety

November 18, 2025, 3:00 AM ET, 23-Minute Listen

It’s easy to spiral and feel anxious when you’re on a first date, at your office holiday party or heading to your high school reunion. The stakes feel high and you want to make a good impression. But social anxiety can get in the way of connection, fun and feeling good. In this episode, we give you tools to survive small talk, practice social courage and embrace the awkward.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: How to work with your social anxiety : Life Kit : NPR

#anxiety #connecting #embraceTheAwkward #lifeKit #nationalPublicRadio #npr #others #socialAnxiety #socialCourage

How to work with your social anxiety – Life Kit – NPR

Life Kit

How to work with your social anxiety

November 18, 2025, 3:00 AM ET, 23-Minute Listen

It’s easy to spiral and feel anxious when you’re on a first date, at your office holiday party or heading to your high school reunion. The stakes feel high and you want to make a good impression. But social anxiety can get in the way of connection, fun and feeling good. In this episode, we give you tools to survive small talk, practice social courage and embrace the awkward.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: How to work with your social anxiety : Life Kit : NPR

#anxiety #connecting #embraceTheAwkward #lifeKit #nationalPublicRadio #npr #others #socialAnxiety #socialCourage

When to step back from a difficult relationship – National Public Radio (NPR)

Life Kit, Tools To Help You Get It Together

How to decide whether to step back from a difficult relationship — or stick it out

October 28, 20254:01 PM ET, By Marielle Segarra, Clare Marie Schneider, and Malaka Gharib

You have a strained relationship with your father, but he recently developed health issues and needs someone to care for him. You don’t feel emotionally fulfilled in your marriage, but you’ve been with your partner for 10 years. You’ve made a new friend who’s nice most of the time, but is mean when she’s angry.

Life Kit, Frustrated by a relationship? Questions to ask yourself to move forward

Should you step back from these relationships or stick them out?

These are the kinds of dilemmas that therapist KC Davis tackles in her book published earlier this year, Who Deserves Your Love: How to Create Boundaries to Start, Strengthen or End Any Relationship. It offers practical advice on how to move forward when relationships with family members, romantic partners or friends become difficult.

The book features a flowchart that Davis calls “The Relationship Decision Tree.” It consists of questions that Davis asks clients when their loved ones are behaving in a way that bothers them. It helps them “make decisions about whether to lean into this relationship or disengage,” she says.

Davis, author of the best-selling book How to Keep House While Drowning, talks through a few questions adapted from her framework.

Why is this behavior objectionable to you? 

This question can help you pinpoint exactly what’s “bothering you about a person you love,” Davis says, because often there are many reasons. Parsing through the “why” can help you decide how to proceed.

Let’s say your roommate isn’t doing their chores. Ask yourself what annoys you specifically about that behavior, Davis says. Is it just something you don’t like, or is it actually hurtful or harmful?

Are they willing to change? 

Once you start digging deeper, you might find that those dirty dishes in the sink “actually directly impacts me negatively,” Davis says. Maybe they’re starting to attract bugs.

Your next move is to have a conversation with your roommate. Are they willing to change their behavior? They may not do things exactly your way, so work on a solution together. Maybe you strike a deal where they cook and you clean, or they commit to doing the dishes before the end of the night.

Life Kit, This 5-step method can quickly get a messy house back in order

Does staying in this relationship violate my values?

Your most important values are your physical safety, your psychological safety and the physical and psychological safety of minor children, Davis says. “If I cannot meet those responsibilities, then it’s against my values to continue in this relationship.”

You may have other core values as well, like the safety of a dependent parent or sibling, or the keeping of your sobriety.

Would leaving this relationship violate my values? 

What happens if staying in the relationship doesn’t violate your values, but you still don’t want to maintain the relationship?

Editor’s Note: Read the rest of the story, at the below link.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: When to step back from a difficult relationship : NPR

#2025 #Behavior #Change #Education #Health #KCDavis #Libraries #Library #LifeKit #NationalPublicRadio #NPR #Relationships #Science #StepBack #StrainedRelationship #UnitedStates #values #WhoDeservesYourLove

When to step back from a difficult relationship – National Public Radio (NPR)

Life Kit, Tools To Help You Get It Together

How to decide whether to step back from a difficult relationship — or stick it out

October 28, 20254:01 PM ET, By Marielle Segarra, Clare Marie Schneider, and Malaka Gharib

You have a strained relationship with your father, but he recently developed health issues and needs someone to care for him. You don’t feel emotionally fulfilled in your marriage, but you’ve been with your partner for 10 years. You’ve made a new friend who’s nice most of the time, but is mean when she’s angry.

Life Kit, Frustrated by a relationship? Questions to ask yourself to move forward

Should you step back from these relationships or stick them out?

These are the kinds of dilemmas that therapist KC Davis tackles in her book published earlier this year, Who Deserves Your Love: How to Create Boundaries to Start, Strengthen or End Any Relationship. It offers practical advice on how to move forward when relationships with family members, romantic partners or friends become difficult.

The book features a flowchart that Davis calls “The Relationship Decision Tree.” It consists of questions that Davis asks clients when their loved ones are behaving in a way that bothers them. It helps them “make decisions about whether to lean into this relationship or disengage,” she says.

Davis, author of the best-selling book How to Keep House While Drowning, talks through a few questions adapted from her framework.

Why is this behavior objectionable to you? 

This question can help you pinpoint exactly what’s “bothering you about a person you love,” Davis says, because often there are many reasons. Parsing through the “why” can help you decide how to proceed.

Let’s say your roommate isn’t doing their chores. Ask yourself what annoys you specifically about that behavior, Davis says. Is it just something you don’t like, or is it actually hurtful or harmful?

Are they willing to change? 

Once you start digging deeper, you might find that those dirty dishes in the sink “actually directly impacts me negatively,” Davis says. Maybe they’re starting to attract bugs.

Your next move is to have a conversation with your roommate. Are they willing to change their behavior? They may not do things exactly your way, so work on a solution together. Maybe you strike a deal where they cook and you clean, or they commit to doing the dishes before the end of the night.

Life Kit, This 5-step method can quickly get a messy house back in order

Does staying in this relationship violate my values?

Your most important values are your physical safety, your psychological safety and the physical and psychological safety of minor children, Davis says. “If I cannot meet those responsibilities, then it’s against my values to continue in this relationship.”

You may have other core values as well, like the safety of a dependent parent or sibling, or the keeping of your sobriety.

Would leaving this relationship violate my values? 

What happens if staying in the relationship doesn’t violate your values, but you still don’t want to maintain the relationship?

Editor’s Note: Read the rest of the story, at the below link.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: When to step back from a difficult relationship : NPR

#2025 #Behavior #Change #Education #Health #KCDavis #Libraries #Library #LifeKit #NationalPublicRadio #NPR #Relationships #Science #StepBack #StrainedRelationship #UnitedStates #values #WhoDeservesYourLove

When to step back from a difficult relationship – National Public Radio (NPR)

Life Kit, Tools To Help You Get It Together

How to decide whether to step back from a difficult relationship — or stick it out

October 28, 20254:01 PM ET, By Marielle Segarra, Clare Marie Schneider, and Malaka Gharib

You have a strained relationship with your father, but he recently developed health issues and needs someone to care for him. You don’t feel emotionally fulfilled in your marriage, but you’ve been with your partner for 10 years. You’ve made a new friend who’s nice most of the time, but is mean when she’s angry.

Life Kit, Frustrated by a relationship? Questions to ask yourself to move forward

Should you step back from these relationships or stick them out?

These are the kinds of dilemmas that therapist KC Davis tackles in her book published earlier this year, Who Deserves Your Love: How to Create Boundaries to Start, Strengthen or End Any Relationship. It offers practical advice on how to move forward when relationships with family members, romantic partners or friends become difficult.

The book features a flowchart that Davis calls “The Relationship Decision Tree.” It consists of questions that Davis asks clients when their loved ones are behaving in a way that bothers them. It helps them “make decisions about whether to lean into this relationship or disengage,” she says.

Davis, author of the best-selling book How to Keep House While Drowning, talks through a few questions adapted from her framework.

Why is this behavior objectionable to you? 

This question can help you pinpoint exactly what’s “bothering you about a person you love,” Davis says, because often there are many reasons. Parsing through the “why” can help you decide how to proceed.

Let’s say your roommate isn’t doing their chores. Ask yourself what annoys you specifically about that behavior, Davis says. Is it just something you don’t like, or is it actually hurtful or harmful?

Are they willing to change? 

Once you start digging deeper, you might find that those dirty dishes in the sink “actually directly impacts me negatively,” Davis says. Maybe they’re starting to attract bugs.

Your next move is to have a conversation with your roommate. Are they willing to change their behavior? They may not do things exactly your way, so work on a solution together. Maybe you strike a deal where they cook and you clean, or they commit to doing the dishes before the end of the night.

Life Kit, This 5-step method can quickly get a messy house back in order

Does staying in this relationship violate my values?

Your most important values are your physical safety, your psychological safety and the physical and psychological safety of minor children, Davis says. “If I cannot meet those responsibilities, then it’s against my values to continue in this relationship.”

You may have other core values as well, like the safety of a dependent parent or sibling, or the keeping of your sobriety.

Would leaving this relationship violate my values? 

What happens if staying in the relationship doesn’t violate your values, but you still don’t want to maintain the relationship?

Editor’s Note: Read the rest of the story, at the below link.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: When to step back from a difficult relationship : NPR

#2025 #Behavior #Change #Education #Health #KCDavis #Libraries #Library #LifeKit #NationalPublicRadio #NPR #Relationships #Science #StepBack #StrainedRelationship #UnitedStates #values #WhoDeservesYourLove

When to step back from a difficult relationship – National Public Radio (NPR)

Life Kit, Tools To Help You Get It Together

How to decide whether to step back from a difficult relationship — or stick it out

October 28, 20254:01 PM ET, By Marielle Segarra, Clare Marie Schneider, and Malaka Gharib

You have a strained relationship with your father, but he recently developed health issues and needs someone to care for him. You don’t feel emotionally fulfilled in your marriage, but you’ve been with your partner for 10 years. You’ve made a new friend who’s nice most of the time, but is mean when she’s angry.

Life Kit, Frustrated by a relationship? Questions to ask yourself to move forward

Should you step back from these relationships or stick them out?

These are the kinds of dilemmas that therapist KC Davis tackles in her book published earlier this year, Who Deserves Your Love: How to Create Boundaries to Start, Strengthen or End Any Relationship. It offers practical advice on how to move forward when relationships with family members, romantic partners or friends become difficult.

The book features a flowchart that Davis calls “The Relationship Decision Tree.” It consists of questions that Davis asks clients when their loved ones are behaving in a way that bothers them. It helps them “make decisions about whether to lean into this relationship or disengage,” she says.

Davis, author of the best-selling book How to Keep House While Drowning, talks through a few questions adapted from her framework.

Why is this behavior objectionable to you? 

This question can help you pinpoint exactly what’s “bothering you about a person you love,” Davis says, because often there are many reasons. Parsing through the “why” can help you decide how to proceed.

Let’s say your roommate isn’t doing their chores. Ask yourself what annoys you specifically about that behavior, Davis says. Is it just something you don’t like, or is it actually hurtful or harmful?

Are they willing to change? 

Once you start digging deeper, you might find that those dirty dishes in the sink “actually directly impacts me negatively,” Davis says. Maybe they’re starting to attract bugs.

Your next move is to have a conversation with your roommate. Are they willing to change their behavior? They may not do things exactly your way, so work on a solution together. Maybe you strike a deal where they cook and you clean, or they commit to doing the dishes before the end of the night.

Life Kit, This 5-step method can quickly get a messy house back in order

Does staying in this relationship violate my values?

Your most important values are your physical safety, your psychological safety and the physical and psychological safety of minor children, Davis says. “If I cannot meet those responsibilities, then it’s against my values to continue in this relationship.”

You may have other core values as well, like the safety of a dependent parent or sibling, or the keeping of your sobriety.

Would leaving this relationship violate my values? 

What happens if staying in the relationship doesn’t violate your values, but you still don’t want to maintain the relationship?

Editor’s Note: Read the rest of the story, at the below link.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: When to step back from a difficult relationship : NPR

#2025 #Behavior #Change #Education #Health #KCDavis #Libraries #Library #LifeKit #NationalPublicRadio #NPR #Relationships #Science #StepBack #StrainedRelationship #UnitedStates #values #WhoDeservesYourLove

When to step back from a difficult relationship – National Public Radio (NPR)

Life Kit, Tools To Help You Get It Together

How to decide whether to step back from a difficult relationship — or stick it out

October 28, 20254:01 PM ET, By Marielle Segarra, Clare Marie Schneider, and Malaka Gharib

You have a strained relationship with your father, but he recently developed health issues and needs someone to care for him. You don’t feel emotionally fulfilled in your marriage, but you’ve been with your partner for 10 years. You’ve made a new friend who’s nice most of the time, but is mean when she’s angry.

Life Kit, Frustrated by a relationship? Questions to ask yourself to move forward

Should you step back from these relationships or stick them out?

These are the kinds of dilemmas that therapist KC Davis tackles in her book published earlier this year, Who Deserves Your Love: How to Create Boundaries to Start, Strengthen or End Any Relationship. It offers practical advice on how to move forward when relationships with family members, romantic partners or friends become difficult.

The book features a flowchart that Davis calls “The Relationship Decision Tree.” It consists of questions that Davis asks clients when their loved ones are behaving in a way that bothers them. It helps them “make decisions about whether to lean into this relationship or disengage,” she says.

Davis, author of the best-selling book How to Keep House While Drowning, talks through a few questions adapted from her framework.

Why is this behavior objectionable to you? 

This question can help you pinpoint exactly what’s “bothering you about a person you love,” Davis says, because often there are many reasons. Parsing through the “why” can help you decide how to proceed.

Let’s say your roommate isn’t doing their chores. Ask yourself what annoys you specifically about that behavior, Davis says. Is it just something you don’t like, or is it actually hurtful or harmful?

Are they willing to change? 

Once you start digging deeper, you might find that those dirty dishes in the sink “actually directly impacts me negatively,” Davis says. Maybe they’re starting to attract bugs.

Your next move is to have a conversation with your roommate. Are they willing to change their behavior? They may not do things exactly your way, so work on a solution together. Maybe you strike a deal where they cook and you clean, or they commit to doing the dishes before the end of the night.

Life Kit, This 5-step method can quickly get a messy house back in order

Does staying in this relationship violate my values?

Your most important values are your physical safety, your psychological safety and the physical and psychological safety of minor children, Davis says. “If I cannot meet those responsibilities, then it’s against my values to continue in this relationship.”

You may have other core values as well, like the safety of a dependent parent or sibling, or the keeping of your sobriety.

Would leaving this relationship violate my values? 

What happens if staying in the relationship doesn’t violate your values, but you still don’t want to maintain the relationship?

Editor’s Note: Read the rest of the story, at the below link.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: When to step back from a difficult relationship : NPR

#2025 #Behavior #Change #Education #Health #KCDavis #Libraries #Library #LifeKit #NationalPublicRadio #NPR #Relationships #Science #StepBack #StrainedRelationship #UnitedStates #values #WhoDeservesYourLove

7 surprising ways the library can help you save money – Life Kit – NPR

Life Kit Tools To Help You Get It Together

7 surprising ways the public library can save you money

Updated October 14, 202510:56 AM ET

By Marielle Segarra, Audrey Nguyen

This story was originally published on Oct. 16, 2023, and has been updated.

Everyone knows you can save money on books by checking them out at the library instead of buying them. But did you know that libraries can help you save on other things too?

Life Kit

How the local library can save you money

In some locations, you can borrow tools (saving a purchase at the hardware store), take free language classes and even get free tickets to local museums and attractions.

The resources that your library has to offer will depend on its size and funding, which comes in part from taxpayer dollars and donor funds. These perks are part of the public library’s mission to serve the needs of the local community, says Joan Johnson, library director at Milwaukee Public Library. “Libraries are one of the most important parts of the social infrastructure. The possibilities for how you explore are endless.”

To take advantage of these money-saving benefits, sign up for a library card, says Mychal Threets, a librarian, literacy advocate and the new host of PBS’ Reading Rainbow. Then check out the library website or simply walk into your local library and talk to a librarian.

Here are 7 surprising ways the library can help you save money.

1. Before you buy something, see if you can borrow it from the library

Libraries offer all kinds of items on loan. “Video games, musical instruments, board games. Some libraries have bakeware collections where you can get baking pans,” says Threets.

Akhila Bhat, branch manager at Harris County Public Library in Katy, Texas, says her library system has a seed library. “Patrons can pick up seeds to start a garden and drop off seeds for others to take home and plant.”

Meanwhile, libraries like the Providence Public Library in Rhode Island have tools you can check out. That includes a cordless drill, safety goggles and a laser level.

2. Reserve free tickets to local museums and attractions

In some places, you can get free or discounted tickets to local attractions in your city or town. The Nashville Public Library, for example, offers free tickets to the Country Music Hall of Fame (saving patrons $31.95 in admission fees). And library card holders in California can gain free entry to over 200 state parks, saving patrons $20 in entry fees.

3. Print out your documents at a discount

You can use the computers to print out documents like plane tickets, concert tickets or shipping labels. There’s usually a small fee, but it’s often cheaper than printing at an office supply store or a shipping center, says Threets. For example, it costs 10 cents to print a page in black and white at the Brooklyn Public Library in New York, and 26 cents at Fedex.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: 7 surprising ways the library can help you save money : Life Kit : NPR

#2025 #America #Borrow #DonTBuyFirst #Education #FreeTickets #Libraries #Library #LifeKit #MoneyMatters #NationalPublicRadio #NPR #Printing #PublicLibraries #SavingMoney #UnitedStates

7 surprising ways the library can help you save money – Life Kit – NPR

Life Kit Tools To Help You Get It Together

7 surprising ways the public library can save you money

Updated October 14, 202510:56 AM ET

By Marielle Segarra, Audrey Nguyen

This story was originally published on Oct. 16, 2023, and has been updated.

Everyone knows you can save money on books by checking them out at the library instead of buying them. But did you know that libraries can help you save on other things too?

Life Kit

How the local library can save you money

In some locations, you can borrow tools (saving a purchase at the hardware store), take free language classes and even get free tickets to local museums and attractions.

The resources that your library has to offer will depend on its size and funding, which comes in part from taxpayer dollars and donor funds. These perks are part of the public library’s mission to serve the needs of the local community, says Joan Johnson, library director at Milwaukee Public Library. “Libraries are one of the most important parts of the social infrastructure. The possibilities for how you explore are endless.”

To take advantage of these money-saving benefits, sign up for a library card, says Mychal Threets, a librarian, literacy advocate and the new host of PBS’ Reading Rainbow. Then check out the library website or simply walk into your local library and talk to a librarian.

Here are 7 surprising ways the library can help you save money.

1. Before you buy something, see if you can borrow it from the library

Libraries offer all kinds of items on loan. “Video games, musical instruments, board games. Some libraries have bakeware collections where you can get baking pans,” says Threets.

Akhila Bhat, branch manager at Harris County Public Library in Katy, Texas, says her library system has a seed library. “Patrons can pick up seeds to start a garden and drop off seeds for others to take home and plant.”

Meanwhile, libraries like the Providence Public Library in Rhode Island have tools you can check out. That includes a cordless drill, safety goggles and a laser level.

2. Reserve free tickets to local museums and attractions

In some places, you can get free or discounted tickets to local attractions in your city or town. The Nashville Public Library, for example, offers free tickets to the Country Music Hall of Fame (saving patrons $31.95 in admission fees). And library card holders in California can gain free entry to over 200 state parks, saving patrons $20 in entry fees.

3. Print out your documents at a discount

You can use the computers to print out documents like plane tickets, concert tickets or shipping labels. There’s usually a small fee, but it’s often cheaper than printing at an office supply store or a shipping center, says Threets. For example, it costs 10 cents to print a page in black and white at the Brooklyn Public Library in New York, and 26 cents at Fedex.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: 7 surprising ways the library can help you save money : Life Kit : NPR

#2025 #America #Borrow #DonTBuyFirst #Education #FreeTickets #Libraries #Library #LifeKit #MoneyMatters #NationalPublicRadio #NPR #Printing #PublicLibraries #SavingMoney #UnitedStates

Keeping a journal can change your life. How to start a daily practice : NPR

The transformative power of keeping a daily journal

July 31, 20255:00 AM ET, By Marielle Segarra

Malaka Gharib 19-Minute Listen

Writer Suleika Jaouad has been keeping a journal for as long as she could hold a pen. It got her through her battle with leukemia at age 22, life after treatment and then the pandemic.

But at a certain point, “I was starting to get bored of the sound of my own voice and grievances,” she says.

So she began reading the diaries and journals of her favorite writers for inspiration: Isabelle Eberhardt, Audre Lorde, Sylvia Plath and Susan Sontag.

Jaouad would pick a passage at random to read before journaling and found it had a “kaleidoscopic effect” on her writing, she says. It allowed the “light to fall differently,” changing her perspective and creating new ways of thinking.

She expands on this approach to journaling in her latest book, The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life, published this spring. It’s a collection of essays and writing prompts from 100 writers and artists, including poet and essayist Hanif Abdurraqib, writer and director Lena Dunham and illustrator Oliver Jeffers.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: Keeping a journal can change your life. How to start a daily practice : NPR

#2025 #America #Books #DailyJournal #Health #Journals #Libraries #LifeKit #NationalPublicRadio #NPR #Reading #Science #Writing

Some solid and gentle dating advice here on how to flirt: https://www.npr.org/2025/07/18/nx-s1-5420731/flirting-in-real-life

#flirting #dating #npr #lifekit #mariellesegarra #margaretcirino #malakagharib #advice

Some solid and gentle dating advice here on how to flirt: https://www.npr.org/2025/07/18/nx-s1-5420731/flirting-in-real-life

#flirting #dating #npr #lifekit #mariellesegarra #margaretcirino #malakagharib #advice

Some solid and gentle dating advice here on how to flirt: https://www.npr.org/2025/07/18/nx-s1-5420731/flirting-in-real-life

#flirting #dating #npr #lifekit #mariellesegarra #margaretcirino #malakagharib #advice

Some solid and gentle dating advice here on how to flirt: https://www.npr.org/2025/07/18/nx-s1-5420731/flirting-in-real-life

#flirting #dating #npr #lifekit #mariellesegarra #margaretcirino #malakagharib #advice

Today I went riding to look for the Trolley Trail, without consulting a map beforehand -- just generally exploring that part of town to identify an alternative path to the Beltline (normally I would use the Stone Mountain trail). I crossed over the Trolley Trail without realizing it, but I still learned a new way to the Beltline.
Oddly, later in the day, I heard people on NPR talking about the importance of intentionally 'getting lost' to help hone your navigation skills.

https://www.pathfoundation.org/trolley-trail/
https://www.npr.org/2024/05/10/1249905954/terrible-at-directions-tricks-to-improve-your-navigation-skills

#biking #city #navigation #lifekit #NPR

Hello. You don't have to set resolutions on January 1. **You don't have to do anything you don't want to.** But if you haven't set goals and still want to, maybe trial some this month and "commit" to them later. How about Feb 1?

NPR has a great tool to help find some ideas.

#NPR #Goals #Resolutions #47Resolutions #LifeKit

https://www.npr.org/2023/12/26/1211240854/new-years-resolution-planner-50-fresh-ideas-to-help-you-make-bold-moves-in-2024

"Doctors and nurses, I always feel, are much more like gardeners than they are like mechanics. We don't really replace parts - broken parts."

this, but for software architecture.

from: "How to actively heal from an injury or illness" : #LifeKit https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1196977965

#api360 #theBody

@RickiTarr Rather than trying to share personal beliefs (cognitive issues make it hard for me to summarize) I'll share a recent NPR podcast:

"When is it OK to lie?"
(transcript included)

https://www.npr.org/2023/08/21/1195046939/when-is-it-ok-to-lie

One interesting point -- brain-imaging technology showed that people get desensitized to dishonesty when they lie more often.

#NPR #LifeKit #Podcast #Lying

‘Don't “Get” #Art? You Might Be Looking At It Wrong’
#NPR #MalakaGharib

“Many of us would love to have [a] deep connection when we look at a #painting or #sculpture, but it can be challenging. … And #museums can be overwhelming. [H]ow do you know [what] to focus on?

“#LifeKit talks to three art professionals about how to look at art and have a #museum experience that leaves you feeling revitalized and #inspired.”

https://www.npr.org/2023/01/05/1147239071/dont-get-art-you-might-be-looking-at-it-wrong

#NPR nerd, evidently. #lifeKit count seems inflated, though — there are frequent episodes! #podcast

Getting ready for travel with this #Podcast: Make holiday travel less stressful

"There will probably be long lines, delays and overbooked flights, says aviation journalist Benét Wilson. So take steps to prepare for these situations and make the journey a little more pleasant."

https://player.fm/1BTaPuj

#npr #lifekit