【推荐1】Recently, I read about a promotion from a home builder in San Diego where consumers (消费者) could buy a 4,000 square foot house for $1.6 million and get a smaller home by the developer valued at $400 thousand for free. This sounds like a fantastic deal, but I am always wary of any promotion labeled (给……加标签) with“buy one get one free”, and here is why.

Oftentimes, “buy one get one free” ends up being “buy two at the regular price”. For example, I often see “buy one get one free” ads for orange juice at the supermarket, but the first box always costs over $5.00. At the same time, the juices not in the promotion are selling for $2.50 to $2.99 a box.

Another problem with “buy one get one free” is that oftentimes you do not need the second item. I only consume one gallon of milk every two weeks. If I were talked into buying a second gallon in a “buy one get one free” promotion, then the second gallon would go bad before I have time to consume it. That creates waste instead of savings.

In the case of the San Diego developer, so far they have received one offer on their expensive houses, but the buyer does not want the cheaper house for free. Instead, he wants the value of the smaller home taken away from his purchase price. I think this guy is quite wise because he saw right through the marketing of “buy one get one free”.

Finally, it is up to you to see how much you need and how much you are willing to spend. Knowing the regular price of things also helps you in deciding whether a “buy one get one free” promotion is truly a great deal.

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【推荐3】When it comes to choosing the best travel gifts, there are many options. No matter the occasion, or the traveler, we’ve rounded up some travel gifts from brands we love, so you can find something for you or your friends.

Ralph Lauren travel set

This Ralph Lauren travel set is a travel accessory (配件) you’ll use again and again. It comes with a small pillow, a soft eye mask and a large shawl that can be used as a blanket-all made from cashmere(羊绒).

$471 At Farfetch

$395 At Ralph Lauren

Canada Goose Trillium Parka

For winter travel, a thick, packable coat is a necessity. The Canada Goose Trillium parka is built for extreme cold but is by no means baggy, and actually has a slimming effect. It has a chin guard to protect the neck from cold air, inside pockets, and a removable jacket, giving your friends some style options.

$1, 650 At Canada Goose

Bellroy Tech Kit

Every organized traveler needs a good tech kit. We like Bellroy’s because it has many pockets that will fit any size wire and offer a safe place to store AirPods, portable chargers, and work-from-anywhere accessories like a mouse or Wi-Fi extender.

$59 At Amazon

$69 At Bellroy

Té Company Tea set

The Té Company Tea set is a perfect starter packet for those looking to expand their tea taste. It has seven different flavours and includes detailed instructions on the tea-making process to guide your friends toward the perfect cup.

$55 At Food52

$65 At eBay

【推荐2】Is your teen time really that different from that of your parents or grandparents?

Weak. Easy to be angry. Addicted to their phones. Are these what come to mind when we think of the teens of this generation (一代人)? While there may be a little of truth to this thought, there might be more to the teens of this generation than what is generally seen.

Never before have the lives of any generation been as connected with mobile technology and social media as the teens of this generation. It follows then that there will be some problems resulting from this new age of technology. The popular use of social media has led to a world in which teens are responsible to join. Compared to the parents or grandparents who were likely less connected, these teens are “busy” in their social circles. It is no wonder then that the health of this generation’s teens has been damaged.

Moreover, the teens today are more independent. This is quite different from the more village spirit or community thought of the parents’ and grandparents’ times. Gone is the relationship among neighbours who are friendly with one another and quick to offer a helping hand when they see another in need. In its place, we have teens who may not even know who lives in the unit next to theirs, much less offer a friendly nod or wave when they happen to cross streets with a neighbour.

Yet, the influences of technology on the teens of this generation are not all bad. The very connectedness that social media brings about has led to an opening of minds and a development of dialogue among people of various cultures and backgrounds. Using social media means that one can know those people and their different ways of life. The parents or grandparents of this generation probably did not have the same chance to get to know people outside of their social circles at their age, so they may have fixed ideas of people different from them. The teens of this generation, on the other hand, has the chance to use this technology to learn more about and try to understand the various things out there. As a result, this might be why the teens of this generation are generally more open-minded than their parents and grandparents.

All in all, the teens of this generation are different in many ways from their elders. Every generation is a product of the events of their time and this generation therefore is different from past generations, with the changes around them at the same time.

【推荐1】For those of us who attempt to keep up with the fashion world to ensure our cupboards stay fresh, the real skeletons(骷髅) in our cupboards are those pieces we bought and only wore once or twice --- mostly from following each season’s new trends.

With fast fashion brands like Forever 21, H&M and Zara’s constant output of new trendy clothing at low prices, it’s easy to fall into the trap of buying clothes regardless of whether you really need them. But unnecessary purchasing, and the mass production of clothing, aren’t just hard on our wallets --- they are hard on the environment.

One of the first steps in getting unwanted clothes out of your cupboard is to sell or consign（寄送）them. But because popular resale shops like Buffalo Exchange and Crossroads don’t accept fast fashion brands because they don’t profit enough from them, people often turn to throwing their old clothing in the dustbins.

Many consumers don’t realize that clothing and textiles（纺织品）are recyclable or how to recycle them. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the United States generated 16.22 million tons of waste textiles in 2017 and recycled only 2.62 million tons. Ten and a half million tons of textiles were finally buried under the ground that year.

Vetements, a Parisian fashion brand worn by celebrities like Kanye West and Rihanna, aimed to bring awareness to the problem of fast fashion brands and clothing waste with a recent window display at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York. The window contained a giant pile of clothes. The pile, which grew daily, was made up of old clothes donated by Saks employees and out-of-season items from the store.

On Aug.10, the clothing from the display was donated to RewearAble, a Long Island recycling program that collects old clothes and textiles, and prepares them for resale or repurposes the textiles.

【推荐2】A growing number of under-35s in England are discovering the joys of going to or selling at craft (手艺) fairs and makers’ markets. A 2019 report found that 34% of those who buy hand-made items prefer markets and festival s to galleries or online purchases. The current craft revival (复苏) started through TV and the internet, but now it’s also about face-to-face sales and experiences. When product designer Ben Watson went to his first-ever craft fair in October, he didn’t have great expectations. “I thought there would be retirement-age couples hanging around but found the huge variety of attendees, most of whom engaged with makers throughout the day,” he says.

Nicky Dewar, director at the Crafts Council, says that what we consider as craft has widened, which has brought in an increase in shoppers under 35 buying craft. They also prefer to buy in markets rather than online. There’s something lovely about seeing markets pop up in so many different spaces. They’re important for emerging businesses and a big step for traders.

Sinead Koehler, founder of Crafty Fox Market, says there’s been an explosion of specialist markets all over the country. The festive market provides a platform to showcase unique handcrafted gifts and decorations. The common spread of markets doesn’t find universal approval, though. Koehler says that many craftspeople are aware of markets: “There can be a wide range of possibilities at these events. Quality can vary.”

Involved in selling and running markets since 2015, Sinead O’Connor confirms there has been an increased interest in craft, but she warns traders against selling items that are sourced rather than made by the seller at markets. “I find it encouraging that a lot of customers mentioned they liked my crafts. The feeling I get is that people really like something that can’t be bought from Amazon,” she says.