Here are this week’s 5 things you got to know.
01. To set the parking brake first, then shift into ‘Park.’
Not the other way around (automatic transmissions). If you park on even a slight incline and shift into ‘Park’, the whole weight of the vehicle is resting against the transmission, which in turn is attached to the engine, and the only thing keeping the whole drive train from spinning around are your rubber motor mounts. Do this enough, and you will have a very expensive repair to replace your motor mounts!
Save yourself the expense! When you come to a stop, set your parking brake first, then slowly/deliberately shift into park (then shut off the engine). As you shift past neutral, you will feel the vehicle settle against the brakes, thereby saving your motor mounts!
02. What to do if someone has a serious blood injury on a limb and you don’t have a tourniquet to hand
Use your full body weight by resting on your knee under the armpit/groin of the arm/leg which is cut. This will close up the axillary/femoral and buy you much needed time.
03. How to properly use sanitizing agents
There is a lot of debate on whether household cleaners and soaps need to be anti-bacterial or not. I am not advocating that we need to become germphobic, but if you are buying sanitizing products, you need to use them properly for them to be effective.
There is a difference between sanitizing and sterilizing. Sanitizing reduces the amount of microorganisms to a generally safe level. Sterilizing eliminates all of them and is more important for situations where any germs could be an issue such as home canning.
First, you cannot sanitize a dirty surface. Dishes, utensils, countertops, sinks, toilets, tubs, etc need to be clean before being sanitized. Clean & Sanitize are two separate steps. Or three steps for Wash, Rinse and Sanitize.
If you are using a sanitizing spray or other liquid, read the instructions. Despite commercials, spraying them on and wiping them off immediately is generally ineffective. The sanitizer usually needs to remain on the surface 30 seconds up to 15 minutes, depending on the chemical. Read the label.
Similarly, if you use mouthwash, you need to keep swishing for at least 30 seconds to kill germs in your mouth.
In most cases, a thorough cleaning/washing with a mild soap or detergent is adequate for household surfaces for healthy people. But if you are buying the products that promise to kill 99.9% of germs on contact, make sure you are using them correctly if you need things to be sanitized.
04. You can tell Google how to handle your account if you stop logging in.
You can go to Google’s Inactive Account Manager and tell Google who to allow access to your account if you don’t log in for at least 3 months. (You can adjust the waiting period up to 18 months).
While it is not a “fun” feature, it is a good way to make sure your spouse or significant other can access your account if something ever happens to you. (Assuming you want them wandering through your emails).
While there is likely some stuff in you main email account that you would prefer people not to see, there are likely many online accounts, purchase history information, and other assorted accounts that are important to just let the account be locked out forever.
05. If you have student loans…
There are quite a few different options out there for every single person to make paying them back easier and cheaper. Don’t throw your money away.
First, everyone should apply for direct loan consolidation.
Direct Loan Consolidation:
Most of us have loans from many different servicers. Even though I went to one school for my Master’s Degree, my loans came from Sallie Mae, Nelnet, UASecho, and Chase. Direct Loan Consolidation takes all of your loans and consolidates them into one lender. This makes it easier to keep track of your payments, and your interest rate is just for that one, large loan.
Different Payment Plans:
The federal government also offers many different payment options once your loans are consolidated. These include Income-Based Repayment(IBR), Pay As You Earn, among many others. I applied for the Income-Based Repayment Plan (IBR).
Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program:
In 2007, Obama started the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program to those who work in a public service field. What this does is forgive all of the loans you have after 120 full time, on time payments (or 10 years). As long as you make 120 full, on time payments, they forgive any outstanding loans you have after 10 years. This means, even if you had $200,000 in loans after that time, they would still be forgiven.
Student loans are horrible. You hear horror stories of people doing drastic, dangerous things (including taking their life) because the payments are so crushing to them. Please know there ARE options out there that the government provides.
Links and Applications:
To Consolidate your loans or to find out more about it
To Find out more or apply for the Income Based Repayment Plan
To Find out more about the other options, besides the IBR plan that you may qualify for
