Modern life provides many great amenities. However, we sometimes get so spoiled that we forget the numerous resources available to make our lives safer, easier, cheaper, and better overall.
While scrolling through the R/askreddit community, I came across a thread asking users to describe ordinary things far too many people refuse to use. The user specifically asked, “What are people stupid not to use?” The answers range from time-saving technology to common sense safety resources.
Here are some of the things we should all use more often.
Car Safety
Far too many people forget they’re behind the wheel of dangerous machinery every time they drive. It’s become so second nature and commonplace that we forget to use all the safety features designed to make driving better for everyone.
One user said car turn singles, a safety feature helping other drives know where you’re trying to go. Others chimed in to say that people don’t use numerous features designed for safety on the road, including seat belts, ice scrapers, and low beams.
Driving is dangerous. It’s dumb to forget that and neglect all the features that make it safer.
Library Card
Libraries are wonderful public resources with free books you can take home and read. Why don’t we use them more often?
“Having fun isn’t hard, when you’ve got a library card,” sang one user, highlighting how dumb it is to ignore this valuable resource.
Many would rather pay to own a book we read once than get a library card to rent it for free.
Libby/Hoopla
Libby and Hoopla are online versions of library cards that few people use.
“Why buy an ebook on Kindle when you can get the same book from a digital library that only requires you to have a library card?” asked one user.
We can understand wanting to own a physical copy of a book for your bookshelf. But there’s no reason to waste money on e-books when you can rent them.
Sunscreen
Skin cancer is dangerous and mostly preventable. Wearing sunscreen whenever you’re out in the sun can lower your chances of developing the deadly skin disease. It also protects your skin from signs of aging.
“It’s the #1 way to combat aging if you start daily wear early enough in life. No amount of injectables or plastic surgery can fix sun damage better than sunscreen can prevent it on the front end,” shared one user, explaining the benefits of sunscreen use.
Saying, “I Don’t Know”
Society has a weird obsession with knowing everything and being right. Our egos prevent us from admitting we don’t know something, so we dig our heels in and pretend rather than accept the truth that we don’t know.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen things go horribly wrong because one person had a question, and the other person felt compelled to give an answer on the spot,” shared one user, explaining why people should be more open to saying they don’t know.
“Yes! I have so much more respect for people that admit that than try to cover for it,” exclaimed another.
We must let go of the notion that saying we don’t know is wrong. In fact, as Redditors pointed out, we should flip the script and say it’s stupid to pretend to know something just to save face.
Vacation Days
Americans get far too few vacation days as it is, and too many people leave them on the table.
“I get a lot more paid time off than most Americans and still work with a lot of people who won’t take more than a week at a time. I don’t get it,” said one user.
One person took this advice to heart. “Thanks, man,” they said. “This is probably the best answer that really applies to my stressed-out life right now in this thread.” The user also mentioned they’re going to schedule some time off.
Contraceptives
One user said people are stupid not to use condoms.
“If I had a dollar for every childhood friend that had a kid when they weren’t prepared simply because they didn’t feel like buying or using condoms, I would be financially stable enough to feel comfortable having kids of my own,” said one user.
Condoms are incredibly effective at preventing unwanted pregnancies and protecting against disease. Use them.
Dashcams
Accidents often turn into a he said/she said affair. However, if you have a dashcam, you can show undeniable proof of what happened in an accident, protecting yourself against frivolous lawsuits and unjust claims.
“Get proof. Whether it’s to clear your name or report a menace to society,” stated one user, explaining why more people should use dashcams.
“I’ve lost literally everything I owned and become incredibly bitter towards society and police for an event that a dash cam would have saved me in,” shared another.
Free Tax Services
Everyone pays boatloads of money to file taxes with TaxACT or Turbo Tax when free options are available.
“Freetaxusa is what I use. Fed is free. I paid like $15 for them to file my state, but I could have printed it out and sent it in myself,” said one user.
“First-year using FreeTaxUSA, and it was great, I used to use CreditKarma Tax, then TurboTax bought them and want to charge $169 now,” shared another.
Reusable Water Bottles
Why constantly buy bottled water when you can refill your own? Refillable bottles save you money in the long term and are much better for the environment.
They have other benefits as well, as one user described. “Especially the kind with a thermos to keep the water cold,” added one user. “Never going back to regular bottles again.”
Source: Reddit