Politely decline any counter-offers, give them your phone number, and leave. Know what a car is worth. If you’re buying a new car,Edmunds.comandTrueCar.comprovide “true market” estimates that are reasonably accurate. Rinse, wash and repeat. Do the same process concurrently with a couple of other dealers in your area. confirm they have the car you want, and then give them their mission. If you make this kind of aggressive offer, you might get it every now and again....

Flickr userImminient Fatesubmitted this good-looking desktop a while back, but it still caught our eye. Here’s how you’ve got the option to set it up too. Do you have a good-looking, functional desktop of your own to show off? Share it with us! If your awesome desktop catches our eye, you might get featured! Minimal Foggy Lake Desktop| Flickr

The video, fromBuzzFeedBlue’s YouTube channel, is a little on the cheesy side, but eye-opening. We don’t often think of how something can be bad for you in multiple ways. What Are Your Addictions Costing You?| YouTube

Tired of the same old, boring salads? The result: A salad-making cheatsheet. A Scientifically Proven Guide to Ordering a Delicious Chopped Salad Every Time| The Huffington Post

When we think of our savings, we tend to think in linear terms. Mathematically, This is partially due to thingslike compound interest. But, as finance blog The Currency of Time explains, it’s not just a math problem. It’s a habit. This leads you to save even more: The important part is the linear bit just getting started. The exponential component tends to come along as the process evolves… In everything you do or hope to do, remember: “linear is exponential....

It’s trickier when your income fluctuates. Get one month ahead on your bills and you’ll have more control. Save enough money to go an entire month without touching your regular income. Then the next month, spend last month’s income while earning this month’s income. You’ll spend this month’s income next month." So, for example, let’s say you’ve already saved enough for one month’s expenses. In December, base your budget on November’s income....

The vulnerability affects all supported releases of Microsoft Windows, excluding Windows Server 2003. To learn more about the vulnerability, check out the link below. Microsoft Security Advisory 3010060| Microsoft Security TechCenter

Check out her full post onHackerspace, our reader-run blog, below.

All you need is 30 minutes a day. You will need to practice “compassion meditation”, a daily 30-minute exercise. To get started,download the audio fileused by the researchers and pop in your headphones. Tests also showed increased compassion, including alterations in brain function observed with an fMRI scan. Center for Investigating Healthy Minds| viaUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison News Photo byHartwig HKD.

You don’t have to excel at Excel to make the most of the spreadsheet app. Download free templates to use Microsoft’s program to manage your schedules, budget your money and much more. Vertex42’s list of free templates ranges from weekly planners and wedding checklists to monthly budgets and chore charts. All the templates work for Excel, and several are also available for OpenOffice Calc and Google Sheets. It’s just what you need tobe a spreadsheet ninja....

Check out our evil week tag page. Then again, who hasn’t told the wait staff it’s their buddy’s birthday to embarrass them? How to Eat and Drink All Day for Free (Hacky Birthday)| YouTube

Chances are, you’ll say something stupid here. Instead, The Wall Street Journal suggests giving yourself some cool off time. That’s really not good for your relationship. Decide how much time you will wait before responding10 minutes? It depends on how long it takes you to cool down. Suggest, “Can we talk? Before crafting your response, picture the other person. Maybe even look at a photo. Remember the last time you laughed together....

Google has already been pretty great about supporting two-factor authentication. Now, the company is adding another option: authentication with a secure USB key. The new method will work based on the U2F (or Universal 2nd Factor) protocol. Supported sites and keys can be used in place of the codes you typically receive sent to your phone. Instead, you’ll use a secure USB key (like theYubikey NEO) to provide the second factor....