u/Easy-Damage-2863

This surprised me and a lot of people use travel cards and they think they are covered up in all situations, so I think it's worth sharing here.

Approximately one month before my trip, my flight was changed by 12 hours. The airline sent a very official looking e-mail that had a big button to click to accept a travel credit as a courtesy. It was actually a legit and simple offer, and I almost clicked on it without thinking.
Fortunately I didn't.

That much of a change typically means you have a legal right to be paid the money you spent, not just a yearlong credit that you have to renew with them the next year. My Chase Sapphire is used for travel (and the insurance that comes with it) and it is terrific for booking a hotel or paying extra rebooking charges, but it is not a solution for cash refunds if the airline owes you money. This is a whole other ball game that most people aren't aware of, that they need to pursue themselves.

Reaching the airline is a nightmare, I was considering a 3 hour wait only to talk someone out of the refund. Went to a third party flight claim service to do all the back and forth for me that saved me the headache all together.

The point is, don't click on anything the airline sends you without finding out what you are entitled to. The shiny "Accept" button is almost always not the right choice.

When airlines make any changes to your travel itinerary, they'll email you a super official looking email with a big shiny button to "accept your travel credit. It seems like the obvious thing to do, it appears easy and for good reason it is.

But, this is the thing, they're more likely to give you your actual money back if they change your flight by a few hours. The credit they're offering is only valid for a year and you have to use the credit again in a year. It's not courtesy, it's a trap.

Avoid pressing OK immediately. Go through the emails and check for a refund option, which is usually the case. If you need to pay for an out-of-pocket expense, such as having to rebook your hotel, you can use your Chase Sapphire travel insurance to cover you while you wait for your airline to return your money, but not until you've reimbursed them.

If you do contact them, be very specific; include the word refund. Their customer service is trained to get you to buy credits and will continue until you have a firm set in your mind. If you just don't want to have to spend your weekend on a 3-hour conversation with someone who knows how to say no, there are third-party flight claim services that can do the work for you.

Don't be fooled by a pretty button into spending money that you already have!

All right, I decided to not buy lip balms until I used the ones that I have. Six months later, I have fourteen. I am not okay.

But, to tell the truth, the rabbit hole began when I got weary of the usual drugstore brands that are simply petrolatum, making your lips feel hydrated, but really, they are not doing anything long-term to your lips.

so i began to search out beeswax based ones in particular and that totally changed things for me, as beeswax actually forms a breathable layer that works with your skin rather than just covering it. My lips no longer peel, corners no longer crack, and I no longer have the feeling that I need to reapply every hour.

Now I am literally obsessed with finding good ones and comparing them. Some are too waxy, others too glossy, others smell wonderful but do nothing. It is his little hobby now and my wallet is not pleased about it all lollies.
Have any others fallen down this rabbit hole? What are your favorites now and what are your ingredients you are addicted to? always trying to add number fifteen to the list

Basically, my coworker Karen went on maternity leave eight months ago and asked if anyone would water her desk plant. And I said sure.Mostly because she sits next to the printer I use all the time, anyway.

It was a pothos, so literally unkillable. I watered it once a week, it was fine, I felt really good about myself. Super simple.

But then I started noticing that it was looking pale near the window and I Googled it and it said the plant preferred indirect sunlight. So I moved it. And then I googled it again and saw that the plant actually prefers to have its soil completely dry between waterings. And so I adjusted my schedule accordingly. Next thing I know, I am going to this plant every single morning before I even sit at my own desk.

Karen comes back from her maternity leave after four months, and I SWEAR her plant had never looked better. She's so impressed that she literally told me, and I quote, " you have a gift." And it was kind of moving coming from someone whose gift was the ability to keep a houseplant alive.

Turns out, word spreads quickly in small offices. Two weeks later, three other people had asked me to "take" their struggling plants. I had a succulent that had somehow died of root rot which I didn't even think was possible, and I had a peace lily that hadn't bloomed in two years. I took them all.

Now I have eleven plants on my desk. ELEVEN. It kind of looks like I work in a mini-jungle. Last week my boss walked past and stared at it for about ten seconds before saying that she actually kind of loved it. HR has yet to comment, so I'm taking that as official approval.

The weirdest thing is that now I actually enjoy going to work because I get to take care of my plants. Last month my peace lily actually bloomed and I experienced a kind of pride I never knew existed within a situation involving an office plant.

Has anything ever accidentally become your entire personality without you even trying? Because I feel like everyone has one of these stories.