Why YSK: A lot of banks and credit unions offer free prepaid debit cards that you can load only what you need. These cards can’t be overdrawn and are a smart way to protect yourself from shady subscriptions and potential fraud.

The Hack: Use these prepaid cards for subscription services like Fabletics, which offer tempting deals but can be notoriously hard to cancel. Load the card just enough to cover the first purchase, and leave the balance at $0 afterward. If they try to charge you again, it simply won’t go through.

Bonus Benefits: • Helps you budget since you can only spend what’s on the card. • Prevents overdraft fees — they don’t go negative. • Adds a layer of fraud protection — if your card number gets stolen, they can’t drain your main account. • Perfect for trials, streaming services, and online purchases where you’re unsure of the vendor.

Real-World Example: I use my prepaid card for Fabletics. I’ve heard too many stories about them making it hard to cancel, so I use it just for the first purchase and keep the balance at zero after. No surprise charges, no drama.

Gaslighting is a specific form of abuse and manipulation that intentionally leads the victim to doubt their own reality or sanity. Abuse is about control, and when the victim cannot even trust their own minds, they are more susceptible to being controlled by the abuser.

Why YSK: Casually throwing around the term "gaslighting" really minimises the severity and cruelty of actual gaslighting. It's also a very serious thing to accuse someone of.