Kristin Wong
Lifehacker
Pasadena, CA, United States
Contact Kristin
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
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Past articles by Kristin:
This Tool Tells You What You Owe the IRS Before They Come Looking for It
Pay your taxes, track late penalties, and request tax transcripts all in one place. → Read More
These Common Foods Are Toxic to Dogs
Our pets are at our mercy, so it’s up to us to make sure they’re safe. This can be tough sometimes, because a lot of seemingly harmless everyday foods can be toxic to our animals—especially dogs, who can’t tell the difference between a tasty snack and a one-way ticket to the emergency vet. → Read More
How the Pandemic Paved the Way for Millennial Mysticism
We're all more obsessed with crystals and clearing our chakras than ever before. → Read More
How to Secure Your Home When You’re a Renter
Renting a home definitely has its advantages, but security isn’t usually one of them. When you own a home, you can install any security system you want, from alarms to cameras—but when you rent, you’re limited to what your landlord will allow. → Read More
Six Apartment Upgrades to Make Your Rental Feel More Like Home
You might not own your place, but you still want it to feel like home. Problem is, a lot of apartments are bland and cookie-cutter. As a renter, you can’t exactly take down a wall or upgrade the appliances in your kitchen, but there are, however, a few easy, landlord-friendly upgrades to make your rental feel more like home. → Read More
How to Pick the Best Light Bulb for Every Room
The lighting in a room isn’t just part of the decor; it can affect everything from your sleep schedule to your brain power. So it’s understandable that you want your home, the place you presumably spend a big chunk of your life, to be lit nicely. But there are so many different options to choose from! → Read More
What to Do When Meal Planning Never Seems to Work for You
It’s easy enough to set up a meal plan, but maintaining it is a different story. Maybe you don’t have the patience to dig up recipes every week, or maybe you just get too busy. Whatever the scenario, if meal planning hasn’t clicked with you, here are five alternatives that don’t involve eating out. → Read More
The Power of Kawaii: How Cute, Squishy Things Influence Us
Adorable puppies and baby cheeks don't just make us feel good—they change our behavior in surprising ways. → Read More
How to Handle Being Homesick as an Adult
When I left Houston and moved to Los Angeles, the newness was awesome. There was the dry, cool breeze, fun comedy shows, and the food was stellar. After a while though, the novelty wore off. I started to feel resentful, cynical, and mostly, homesick. → Read More
How to Get Your Relationship Back on Track After a Terrible Fight
It’s not easy to bring your relationship back to equilibrium after a major fight. Even if you and your partner have come to an agreement, the arguing can really put a damper on things. It might take some time to restore the romance and affection. → Read More
How to Pick the Best Light Bulb for Every Room
The lighting in a room isn’t just part of the decor; it can affect everything from your sleep schedule to your brain power. So it’s understandable that you want your home, the place you presumably spend a big chunk of your life, to be lit nicely. But there are so many different options to choose from! → Read More
Why the Rent vs. Buy Debate Is Completely Pointless
After saving up for a long time, I recently bought a home, which caught some of my friends off guard. “I thought you were anti-homeownership,” they said, because I think renting is underrated. Even as a homeowner, I still think renting is underrated. But that doesn’t mean buying is a bad decision. The rent vs. buy debate is just silly overall, and ignores the enormous grey area that exists… → Read More
How Your Credit Score Is Determined
When most people talk credit scores, they’re talking about your General FICO score—the one lenders are most likely to use. FICO is tight-lipped about the formulas they use to calculate our scores, but we know the general categories they track and how important they are to that calculation. Here are those categories, and what you need to know about them. → Read More
The Basics of FIRE: Financial Independence and Early Retirement
Financial independence? Sounds great! Retiring early? Sign me up. The FIRE movement (financial independence, retire early) embraces the concept of saving most of your income in your 20s or 30s so you can retire in your 30s or 40s, but this elusive goal requires a good, stable income and an extreme dedication to saving. → Read More
Get Your Annual Credit Card Fee Waived Simply by Asking
Some credit cards come with fees, especially if they offer a sweet rewards program. If your card has an annual fee, it’s worth calling the carrier to see if they’ll waive it. → Read More
Good Money Habits That Can Hurt Your Credit
Credit works in mysterious, sometimes contradictory ways. If you have good financial habits and do the right thing with your money, you’d think your credit score would be in good shape. It doesn’t always work out that way, though—and sometimes smart financial moves aren’t the best credit moves. → Read More
How to Keep Your Pets from Ruining Your Stuff
Our pets may be domesticated, but sometimes we’re reminded that they’re descended from wild animals. Like when their instinctive habits cause them to wreck our couch or pee on that new rug. It’s maddening, sure—but with some effort and understanding, we can accommodate their natural needs and still maintain a comfortable and clean home. → Read More
Why You Keep Killing Your Plants and What to Do About It
Did you know a cactus could droop? I didn’t until I killed one. Some plants are hardier than others, but if you’re anything like me, the only plant that survives under your thumb is an artificial one. It doesn’t have to be this way. You, too, can keep a plant alive indoors. All you have to do is not kill it. Habitual plant abusers, here’s where we go wrong. → Read More
The Car Brands With the Highest Maintenance Costs Over Time
The true cost of owning a car goes well beyond the sticker price, beyond fixed costs like annual registration fees and monthly car insurance, even beyond the exquisite pain of the occasional parking ticket. Though you might think of it as little more than regular oil changes and a set of new tires ever few years, maintenance is an expense that can add up quite a bit over time. However, your… → Read More
The Best Time to Get Married, Depending On Your Taxes
You’d have to be a very practical person to schedule your wedding around taxes, but most people do think about the financial benefits of marriage before they tie the knot. Your timing can affect how much you pay the IRS—and it’s helpful to understand the impact marriage has on your taxes so you’re not surprised by a huge bill (or refund) come tax season. → Read More