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"You live and you learn" — can't really argue with that one. And while the older we get, the more knowledge we acquire, some lessons just manage to get past us for way too long. But there's no shame in learning anything at any age! (Well, maybe a little).

One Reddit user wanted to know what people learned just recently that they should've already known years ago. The answers varied from silly to serious, with some people dipping deep into self-discovery, which could've saved them a lot of tears and confusion in the past. From Froot Loops all being the same flavor to mourning relationships with your friends, folks were eager to share their newfound knowledge with others.

Bored Panda selected the most interesting answers for this list, so scroll down, and maybe you'll also learn something new today. After all, we're not aware that we don't know something, until we learn of its existence. Don't forget to upvote your favorites, and if there's anything you learned 'too late' in life that you think others might not know about yet, be sure to share it in the comments!

#1

People Share What Things They Learned Embarrassingly Late In Life (30 Posts) « Everything worth doing is worth doing half-a*s ». You can do a part of something it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. You can clean a room and not the whole house. You can eat a salad with your burger. We have a tendency to be « everything has to be done 110% » or it’s not worth it. I think about people who laugh at people taking a diet soda with a burger: well why the hell not? You don’t have to be all in 100% and that makes the pressure more bearable sometimes!

579red , Karolina Grabowska Report

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Na Schi
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This! Especially when you are mentally not in the best place cleaning for example the whole house/flat can be an overwhelming task. It's better to start little and set (much) smaller goals and get the rewarding feeling that you have done something nonetheless.

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#2

People Share What Things They Learned Embarrassingly Late In Life (30 Posts) Friend breakups can hurt just as much, if not more, than romantic ones.

anon , SHVETS production Report

#3

People Share What Things They Learned Embarrassingly Late In Life (30 Posts) Quality matters more than quantity when it comes to friends.

I started to notice that most of my friends weren’t really my friends, only drinking buddies, and it hindered my process of getting sober for awhile. i didn’t want to lose them. but then i realized that if they couldn’t be with me in my sobriety journey, they couldn’t be in my life at all.

I’m 67 days into cutting back, and twelve days into not touching alcohol at all. my life is better without those people. i only have three friends now but it’s worth it. the support and encouragement i get from them outweighs the sadness of losing everyone else.

anon , Phil Nguyen Report

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Minnie Not Mouse
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I send hugs! I have alot of friends, but few very close ones. I am glad you cut the negative people out of your life!

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#4

People Share What Things They Learned Embarrassingly Late In Life (30 Posts) It's better to be alone than in an unfulfilling/abusive relationship.

Don't continue dating someone if you constantly think "give it time, things might get better". That puts you in a never ending loop that becomes more difficult to get out of as time goes on.

No_Arm604 , Odonata Wellnesscenter Report

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General Anaesthesia
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Contrary to what you may hope, generally people don't change. So get out before the going gets really bad.

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#5

People Share What Things They Learned Embarrassingly Late In Life (30 Posts) I didn’t learn it recently but I learned it earlier in life, don’t share stuff with your coworkers. Just mind your own business.

St_Virgo , fauxels Report

#7

People Share What Things They Learned Embarrassingly Late In Life (30 Posts) Other women know how to clasp their bra behind their back. As a teen I learned to clasp it in front of me then twist it around awkwardly... and then never stopped doing that

AlluvialPlain , Karolina Grabowska Report

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Minnie Not Mouse
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I can somewhat do it from the back, but I put it on front, then shift it around and put on the straps! Easy-Peasy!

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#8

People Share What Things They Learned Embarrassingly Late In Life (30 Posts) Doves are literally just white pigeons.

Not similar, or related to, the exact same bird.

Pigeons with white privilege

VivaLaVict0ria , Pixabay Report

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C. Wade
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is a language thing. Nobody would make the mistake to think they're different animals in Romanian, for example, because we just call them "white pigeons".

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#9

People Share What Things They Learned Embarrassingly Late In Life (30 Posts) It's "piqued my interest," not "peaked."

OpinionatedNonsense , Andrea Piacquadio Report

#10

People Share What Things They Learned Embarrassingly Late In Life (30 Posts) Don't compare yourself with someone else. You are not them and you do not have their abilities or weaknesses. Use your yardstick on you. Compare yourself in terms of how you have done in the past. It is more accurate. And be kind to yourself if you are making strides and mistakes.

fuzzybunnyslippers08 , Elina Fairytale Report

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Max M
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes i still fight a little with comparing myself to others, but it is alot less than it have been.

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#11

Not recently, but I learned that being your own friend is one of the best things you can do for yourself. The only time in my life I started making friends was when I started being my own friend first, taking care of my health, going to the gym, taking myself out, exploring on my own, and learning on my own. Not only did it help me make friends, but it also helped me feel less lonely, as I really started enjoying my own company! I became an interesting person to be

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#13

That the morning after pill has weight restrictions and if you are over a certain weight they will probably not work on you.
Also, more women and children get killed in car accidents because the airbag is not meant for women, it is made for a man.
Products made by men does not always work on women. Just saying.

Responsible_Pipe_180 Report

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Minnie Not Mouse
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I read somewhere, I think on bored-panda, that they finally used a female crash test dummy, and got highly different results.

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#14

People Share What Things They Learned Embarrassingly Late In Life (30 Posts) That if I am unfulfilled as an individual my partner will never be able to fulfill me either. Similar to if you don’t love yourself you can’t unconditionally love others.

pnw-milf , Dương Nhân Report

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Anon Ymous
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I never really vibed with the idea that you have to love yourself first to love others. To me it plants the idea that we are unworthy of love because of our own struggle. Allow yourself to love others and to receive their love in return while you are still working on loving yourself ❤️

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#15

People Share What Things They Learned Embarrassingly Late In Life (30 Posts) A consistent sleep schedule and plenty of sleep every night actually works. It won’t cure your depression/chronic illness/various maladies, but it makes it much easier to face them in the morning. And when I say morning, I mean it: even if you’re semi-nocturnal like me, it is so much easier to get important stuff done during the day.

This is the most annoying realisation I’ve had all year, but brains simply work better when they are rested and refreshed.

Catulllus Report

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#16

People Share What Things They Learned Embarrassingly Late In Life (30 Posts) Exercising does actually feel good and it’s not just pretentious claims made by fit af influencers!

bethebumblebee , Leandro Boogalu Report

#17

People Share What Things They Learned Embarrassingly Late In Life (30 Posts) Tall, white, loud men get more respect than anyone, no matter how stupid they are.

seehowshegoes , cottonbro studio Report

#18

People Share What Things They Learned Embarrassingly Late In Life (30 Posts) Replace your pillows every 1–2 years. Lots of mold and allergens get stuck in there. I finally stopped feeling sick when I changed them out.

happyhippo237 , Jens Mahnke Report

#19

People Share What Things They Learned Embarrassingly Late In Life (30 Posts) That cows only produce milk after they've had a baby. Farmers forcibly impregnate them and take their calves away so they can sell the milk to humans. I always thought they just made milk all the time, which seems stupid in retrospect.

nat_lite , cottonbro studio Report

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Snorky The Pig
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My grandparents run a small dairy farm, and they do not forcibly impregnate their cows or take the calves away. Unfortunately, the reason many other farms don't follow their method is capitalism and the fervent obsession with making money. There are humane ways to get milk, and it is very unfortunate that it is not the mainstream. We need to remember that cows (and all other animals) are also sentient beings who deserve as much love, respect and gentleness as we do.

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Dan Bexell
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We had a neighbor who used to forcibly impregnate his cows, but eventually he was caught.

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Nitka Tsar
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I thought one pregnancy is enough? The cow just needs to be pregnant once to start producing milk. If she is milked regularly after that, the milk should not dry up. It‘s the same with humans. A mother is physically able to breastfeed her child for 7 years and longer without the need to get pregnant again.

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Alex Bailey
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes, you are right. However, farming being about making money most farmers will let the cow 'dry up' and then let them have another calf (which can be achieved via a plain old simple bull in the field rather than artificial insemination) so then THAT calf can enter the market - meat or dairy - and make money. I grew up on a dairy farm that operated that way.

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Detective Miller's Hat
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is why you should be mindful of where you get your dairy and meats, etc. I live in a very rural area and the dairy farms near my home, where I get my milk, treat their cows very well.

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Ovata Acronicta
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yup. Majority of farms around where I grew up did phenomenally by their animals. Most still do. Central WI tends to put out some amazing dairy as a result.

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Miss Frankfurter
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I just switched to getting my milk from a farm that does it all the old fashioned way. The cream floats to the top, so you have to mix it before you use it. Tastes different from what comes from the grocery store. It’s only a little more expensive than from the grocery stores where I live. Where I live milk is close to $6 for 2 litres. 1/2 and 1/2 for coffee is about $4.50 per litre. I go through 6 litres of milk in a week all by myself. And then there’s the other for my coffee. The whole dairy thing from the grocery store costs $27. The farm milk is better quality and I can use it in my coffee just fine. I don’t need 1/2 and 1/2. $33. And worth every penny.

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Daniel Atkins
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Milk cows give way more milk than the calves need so if you left the calf on the cow they get Scours basically calf diarrhea. Which is harmful if not treated. They are removed from their mothers and fed the right amount of milk needed. Also where do you thin the next generation of Dairy cows come from. They are artificially impregnated because they are selectively breading for milk out put and animal condition. Seems like this poster got all their info from a source Like PETA who over-dramatizes what is done for shock value. This is more of an over simplification instead of information.

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Megan O'Neill
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Similar situation with chicken eggs. Wild chickens (jungle fowl) only lay about 15 eggs a year, turkeys lay about 14 compared to egg industry chickens 200-300 per year. Jungle fowl, turkeys, pheasants (about 12 a year) are all members of the same bird family, Phasianidae.

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Sandy Kavanaugh
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Most of the male calves are just killed, or left in the "dead pile" for the renderer to get. They turn them into pet food. And you do have to get a cow pregnant after a certain time, or she will go dry. Even with the addition of recombinant bovine hormones.

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Sue Bradley
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

One of the main reasons I went Vegan - also the realisation that as an adult I don't need a cows breast milk, it's meant for their calf not me!!

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StrangeOne
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So many adults are lactose intolerant. By that, I'm not referring to dairy allergies, but just having an upset gut shortly after ingesting milk products. I don't believe it's some abnormality that needs to be fixed. It has got to be because we're just not supposed to drink milk past infancy, and infants can't even ingest cow's milk. Human milk only. Doesn't make sense to use cows that way. There's many types of dairy substitutes to try.

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Connie Hirsch
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Forcibly" impregnate means that a man comes around and uses a syringe in a gentle manner so as not to upset the cow (who is in heat and would be even more happy if a nice bull happened to be there).

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LinaLovesBooks
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That is absolutely horrifying and disgusting ( what some farmers do to them)

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Dog Mom
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We live "in the country " where this should be common knowledge, but it isn't. A lot of people think milk cows just magically produce milk. Nope. Not the case.

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Lynne Bear Hugs
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hopefully adult human mammals will stop drinking cows milk, you don't need it. It's meant for babies and growing children.

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Heather Talma
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Forcibly" as if they don't stand to be mounted and scream for the bulls to come f*ck them and potentially ignore food in favor of sex when they're in heat anyway.

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naylene hess
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No they don't otherwise they would stop producing the milk 🙃

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Phan
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I learned this one a year or two ago from a story Trey Anastasio told during one of his solo shows. It's on YouTube if anyone is interested.

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Kevin Felton
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They need to calve in order to begin producing milk but once they start they can continue to produce milk long after the calf is weaned (some breeds can go two years) if they're milked regularly. No farmer is gonna remove the calf before it's weaned because he wants it to grow big so he can sell it and bottle raising a calf is hard work. This c**p is PETA nonsense spread by people who have never even seen a cow up close.

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Marie Dahme
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And they keep the girl cows for more milkers and use the boy cow babies for veal. Sigh. But I love milk too much to give it up.

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David
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So basically you just hate the idea of farm animals in general as it pertains to food production. Being milked way better than being bacon.

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minnybri
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is TECHNICALLY true, but completely misleading. I'm sorry that this is how you've seen it explained. Yes, cows only produce milk after they've given birth. Most dairy cows are artificially inseminated, because it allows the best possible bull genetics to be used and it's physically easier on the cow. It's pretty unobtrusive and the cow is not at all bothered by the process. A cow in heat gets all hot and bothered wanting to be bred, she'll even mount other cows to try to scratch the itch--she's not being forcibly impregnated, she WANTS to get pregnant. Commercial dairies do take the calves away at birth, but done properly it's not particularly traumatic to cow or calf--partly because they haven't had a chance to bond yet, and partly because the breeds of dairy cattle used in commercial dairy--mostly Holsteins--are not good mothers. They may have been at one point, but since they've been selected for dairy for so long they no longer have good maternal instincts.

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minnybri
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Second, I've seen comments here talking about calves being killed at birth. I'm sure someone somewhere at some point in time has done that, but it is NOT normal accepted practice and is a falsehood that has been spread widely by some organizations. Even from the coldest point of view it's a bizarre myth. Calves are worth far more alive than dead--males included. Dairy cows produce far more milk than a calf needs to grow, and the cost of the milk it takes to raise the calf is far less than the value of the calf itself. Female calves largely go on to become dairy cows themselves, male calves will be raised up and processed for beef once older. They don't have the same muscle mass as beef cattle, but the meat is fine quality.

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Stephanie Case
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Premarin, a Hormone Replacement Treatment (HRT) for menopausal women, is made from pregnant horse pee. That is literally where they got the name- pregnant mare urine. So these female horses are also forcibly kept pregnant all the time, just to make a product for female humans to feel comfortable.

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Jackie Lulu
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Don't downvote that, it's true! And the mares are kept dehydrated. So the urine is concentrated. It's disgusting. And, illegal in this country.

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miss miss
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I would think that the oxytocin would continue when milked?

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#20

People Share What Things They Learned Embarrassingly Late In Life (30 Posts) Jogging slowly is still running.

marylikestodraw , Daniel Reche Report

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scag$y
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Did You Know? Jogging was invented in 1867 by Thomas Jog, when he tried to walk twice at the same time.

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#21

People Share What Things They Learned Embarrassingly Late In Life (30 Posts) If you're going to take inappropriate selfies, disable the photo sync to your mom's icloud first.

anon , Polina Tankilevitch Report

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#22

I recently started dating someone about a week and a half ago and he seems so healthy. Everything he says is with intention and it seems so out of this world to me. I've had so many bad relationships and friendships and people just mistreating me that I almost don't know what to do with myself.
I learned that it's okay to trust what someone is saying and forgiving people that hurt you in the past (WITHOUT giving them too much energy, aka. Having to look past them, etc.) Is so healing. I hope this relationship really is healthy and I'm hoping for a better future with him by my side. Yes I know this is super early but I finally understand the phrase. "When you know, you know" I'm 30 btw.

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#23

People Share What Things They Learned Embarrassingly Late In Life (30 Posts) What getting tires rotated actually means.

Also that the line in Billy Joel's "We didn't start the fire" is "trouble in the Suez" not "trouble in the sewers."

BrittLee8 , Andrea Piacquadio Report

#24

People Share What Things They Learned Embarrassingly Late In Life (30 Posts) TV screens are measured diagonally

HRPunsNStuff , Max Vakhtbovych Report

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ckcl
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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And for some reason still in inches, not metres/ cm (in Ireland at least).

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#25

People Share What Things They Learned Embarrassingly Late In Life (30 Posts) How to budget my money.... I've cycled in and out of debt for years, could have been really ahead, never knew. Someone taught me and I'm blown away at how remarkably "easy" it is now that I know.

anon , Karolina Grabowska Report

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Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa)
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have a checking account and a savings account. I put $200 into my checking with every paycheck and the rest into savings. That $200 is all the money I allow myself to spend for two weeks apart from basic necessities like rent and bills. It's a very austere existence, but I need to make sure I have enough in savings for a rainy day.

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#26

People Share What Things They Learned Embarrassingly Late In Life (30 Posts) I didn’t know how much of an impact making my bed in the morning had on me.

brittanydude , Ron Lach Report

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Becky Samuel
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No, no, no. Airing the bed by pulling the covers down gives all that night-time sweat a chance to evaporate and keeps your whole bed and mattress fresher for longer.

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#27

People Share What Things They Learned Embarrassingly Late In Life (30 Posts) Not to mess with my birth control, the hormone unbalance was a unpleasant experience.

pettybettyluv , JESHOOTS.com Report

#28

People Share What Things They Learned Embarrassingly Late In Life (30 Posts) my blood type

Linorelai , Karolina Grabowska Report

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Lynne Bear Hugs
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm AB+, so in 3% of the population. It's so nice to be 'rare' and special in one way. Lol!

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#29

I thought you could only put one thing in the oven at a time.

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Snorky The Pig
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That depends. You may not want to put a chocolate cake together with a dish that has garlic or something in it. (experience lol)

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#30

Babies can’t drink water before 6months old

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Adam Vonder Ahe-Cossey
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Since they are on an all liquid diet, they won't dehydrate, and since their stomachs only hold anywhere from 2.7 to 5 ounces at 1 month old, they need every ounce of fluid to contain nutrients for growing, which they get from breast milk or formula. Giving babies only water also can cause hyponatremia - the body has too much water in it, which dilutes electrolyte concentrations in the blood and can cause a whole host of issues. It's the same thing that happens when athletes sweat and chug water instead of electrolyte formulas...

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