Accessibility links
Life Kit Tools to help you get it together.
Life Kit

Life Kit

Tools To Help You Get It Together
Gen Z, here's the secret to retiring with $800,000
Cha Pornea for NPR

Gen Z, here's the secret to retiring with $800,000

If you're just starting out in your career, it's not too early to start saving funds in a retirement account. But you might have questions: How much should you stash away? How often?

Gen Z, here's the secret to retiring with $800,000

Listen · 14:43
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/919494281/1259311223" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Are you ready to vote? See how many boxes you can tick with our checklist
Vidhya Nagarajan for NPR

Life Kit

Are you ready to vote? See how many boxes you can tick with our checklist

It's time to make a plan to vote. NPR's Miles Parks joins Life Kit to guide us through all the ways you can vote this year and how to do each, from registration to Election Day.

Are you ready to vote? See how many boxes you can tick with our checklist

Listen · 18:15
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/771360559/1259240169" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
A bar of soap is working very hard to wash someone's arm.
Malaka Gharib/NPR

COMIC: Can I just wash the stinky bits? And other honest questions about bathing

Washing your body seems like a no-brainer. But once you get into the details, things get complicated. Dermatologists offer surprising advice on how often to shower, when to toss your loofah and more.

The dirt on bathing

Listen · 26:03
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/g-s1-23610/g-s1-23643" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
This illustration shows a series of stacked 3-D emojis. The emoji on top is a yellow happy face, and going down, it gets progressively sadder until it becomes a red, sad, angry face.
Yossakorn Kaewwannarat/Getty Images; NPR

Perspective

Dear Life Kit: I resent that my WFH partner has more free time than I do

A listener says she has trouble respecting her husband because of his work-from-home habits. While she works long hours, he gets to sign off early. Therapist Moraya Seeger DeGeare weighs in.

Dear Life Kit: I'm at my breaking point

Listen · 18:04
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/g-s1-22808/g-s1-23245" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
How to show your friends you care about them
Malaka Gharib/NPR

How to show your friends you care about them

Psychologist Marisa Franco, author of a new book on the science of making and keeping friends, shares how to deepen the bonds in our platonic relationships.

How to show your friends you care about them

Listen · 20:25
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1120550646/1197916809" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Composting can help fight climate change. Get started in 5 easy steps
Photo Illustration by Becky Harlan/NPR

Composting can help fight climate change. Get started in 5 easy steps

Whether you've got a small apartment or a big backyard, there are ways to compost your kitchen scraps in any space. This episode is your starter for how to compost your organic waste into rich soil.

Composting can help fight climate change. Get started in 5 easy steps

Listen · 17:58
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/828918397/1197920040" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
How to eat more like a vegetarian — even if you're not one
Photo Illustration by Becky Harlan/NPR

How to eat more like a vegetarian — even if you're not one

Meat production takes a heavy toll on the environment. Here's how to dial back your meat intake and make a big impact.

How to eat more like a vegetarian — even if you're not one

Listen · 17:08
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/985307478/1197918592" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Photo collage of one hand coming into the frame from the bottom right corner holding a credit card. A hand holding a credit card reader reaches down from the top left-hand corner. The backdrop shows green clouds on solid blue.

Even if you use a credit card all the time, it can be difficult to understand the ins and outs of how they work. We Are/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
We Are/Getty Images

5 smart habits to keep you out of credit card debt

Stay on top of your monthly payments and avoid costly fees and interest charges with these smart credit card strategies.

Smart credit card habits to keep you out of debt

Listen · 18:45
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/g-s1-21879/g-s1-21880" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
How to cut down food waste (and fight climate change)
Lindsey Balbierz for NPR

How to cut down food waste (and fight climate change)

Tossing out overripe avocados, wilted greens and sour milk isn't just costing you money — it's also contributing to climate change. Reduce your food waste with composting strategies and creative recipes.

How to cut down food waste (and fight climate change)

Listen · 17:30
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/786867315/1258545208" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Do you love seafood? Here's how to eat it responsibly

Mussels from the U.S., Arctic char from Canada and anchovies from the U.S. are often good options if you're trying to eat seafood that's sustainable. HUIZENG HU/Getty; Cbording/Getty; Israel Sebastian/Getty hide caption

toggle caption
HUIZENG HU/Getty; Cbording/Getty; Israel Sebastian/Getty

Life Kit

Do you love seafood? Here's how to eat it responsibly

Fish populations are dwindling around the world due to overfishing. Here's how to make the right choices when dining out or buying fish at the market.

Do you love seafood? Here's how to eat it responsibly

Listen · 17:53
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1196978795/1236356135" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
What to say to kids when the news is scary
LA Johnson/NPR

What to say to kids when the news is scary

Whether a school shooting or a deadly tornado, scary events in the news can leave parents struggling to know when — and how — they should talk with their kids about it. Rosemarie Truglio of Sesame Workshop and Tara Conley, a media studies professor at Montclair State University, give us tips.

What to say to kids when the news is scary

Listen · 26:31
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/716704917/716705460" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
LISTEN: Math tricks for everyday life
Maryna Terletska/Getty Images

Life Kit

LISTEN: Math tricks for everyday life

If math never quite stuck for you, Ben Orlin is here to change that. He says think of math as a language. Numbers are the nouns and the arithmetic operations are verbs. This episode, learning the language of math to help you in your day-to-day life.

LISTEN: Math tricks for everyday life

Listen · 16:12
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197614336/1258267703" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
A high-angle, close-up photograph shows a person holding and reviewing a grocery store receipt in the parking lot, and their grocery cart full of purchased food sits in the background.

A practical tip from NPR reader Lisa Gluskin: check your receipt before you leave the parking lot of the grocery store. If you spot an error at home, you will be less likely to go back to the store to right the wrong. urbazon/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
urbazon/Getty Images

10 more clever and commonsense ways to save money on groceries

Check your receipt. Grow your own veggies. Ask about senior discounts. NPR readers share their top tips on cutting costs at the grocery store.

Photo illustration of a stop sign that reads
Oliver Munday for NPR

Could you live without shopping for a year? Try the 'no-buy challenge'

The goal is to save money, cut back on overconsumption and be more mindful of wasteful and unsustainable shopping habits. This guide can help you start a challenge of your own.

How to buy less stuff

Listen · 21:07
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/g-s1-20325/g-s1-20965" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
A meal prep influencer shares 6 of his favorite cooking hacks
Compassionate Eye Foundation/Ste/Getty Images

Life Kit

A meal prep influencer shares 6 of his favorite cooking hacks

What's for dinner? It's a question that can lead to overspending on delivery, unhealthy meals and dread. FitMenCook founder Kevin Curry shares meal prep techniques that can alleviate stress and save money.

A meal prep influencer shares 6 of his favorite cooking hacks

Listen · 15:09
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1152155481/1197916334" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Networking can be awkward. Here's how to make it work for you
Photo Illustration by Becky Harlan/NPR

Perspective

Networking can be awkward. Here's how to make it work for you

Networking expert Robbie Samuels explains why adapting the attitude of a croissant is more likely to create meaningful job connections — and shares ways to make networking feel more natural.

Networking can be awkward. Here's how to make it work for you

Listen · 18:14
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1125931749/1258180600" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
This illustration shows a scaled-up person taking up most of the frame, draped over in a hug-like posture and crowding another. smaller-scale person into the bottom right corner of the frame. The second, smaller figure is pushing up on the person crowding them trying to create more distance and show a codependent relationship.
Jasjyot Singh Hans for NPR

Perspective

How I broke free from codependency — and learned the meaning of loving relationships

"I thought: if I just helped my friends, colleagues and neighbors, maybe I’d get the connection I craved in love, work and life," writes journalist Gina Ryder.

How to know if you're in a codependent relationship

Listen · 25:58
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/g-s1-20058/g-s1-20097" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
A young student struggles to carry a large heavy backpack, symbolizing the worries that can accompany the transition back-to-school.

Today’s teens struggle with big feelings — and their parents struggle to have hard conversations with them, according to a recent Gallup poll. Teen psychologist Lisa Damour explains how parents can better support their kids as a new school year begins. Annika McFarlane/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Annika McFarlane/Getty Images

Want to help support your Gen Z kids? Talking really helps

A recent Gallup poll offers parents fresh insights into the emotional landscape of Gen Z youth, just in time for the new school year and all the changes it may bring.

How to help your Gen Z kid cope with their back-to-school emotions

Listen · 22:36
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/g-s1-19635/g-s1-19738" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Collage: citrus slices, a banana, and pennies burst out from a bag full of groceries and dollar bills.
Photographs Unsplash; Collage by Kaz Fantone/NPR

How to cut your grocery bill: Tweak your recipes and freeze leftovers

Food prices are still high, but your grocery bill doesn't have to be. Beth Moncel, founder of Budget Bytes, shares smart tips how to save money at the supermarket.

To save money on groceries, try these tips before going to the store

Listen · 17:26
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/g-s1-18860/g-s1-18864" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Browse archive or search npr.org