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28-year-old buys cruise ship apartment because it's less than renting and he can see the world

An all-expenses-paid life for about $50,000 a year? Sounds like a deal.

cruise ship, austin wells, cruise for life

A cruise ship floating on azure waters.

Living the rest of your life on a cruise ship seems like the dream of the ultra-rich. You wake up every morning and have an all-you-can-eat breakfast. Spend the afternoon hanging out by the pool or touring a fantastic city such as Rome or Dubrovnik.

At night, have a drink in the lounge watching a comedian or a jazz band, then hit the sack and do it all over again the next day. Seems too good to be true for the average person, right? Think again.

Twenty-eight-year-old Austin Wells of San Diego told CNBC that he can make it happen because it’s cheaper than living onshore in Southern California and he gets to see the world. “The thing that most excites me is I don’t have to upend my daily routine, in order to go see the world,” Wells told CNBC.



“I’m going from this model where you want to go somewhere, you pack a bag, you get on a flight, you rent a room, to now my condo, my gym, my doctors and dentists, all of my grocery stores travel the world with me,” he added.

Wells purchased an apartment on the MV Narrative, which is currently being built in Croatia and sets sail in 2025.

The rough math for Wells' dream makes perfect sense. He purchased a 12-year lease on the ship for $300,000. That comes to about $2,100 a month if he didn’t have to take out a loan. By comparison, most apartments in San Diego cost more than $2,100 per month in rent.

The ship charges an additional $2,100 a month for all-inclusive services, which include food, drinks, alcohol, gym membership, routine healthcare check-ups, onboard entertainment and laundry.

So, it could cost Wells as little as $4,200 a month to live an all-expenses-paid life. Plus, there’s no need to pay for a car or waste time shopping for groceries or traveling anywhere. It’s all on the ship.

Wells can work from the ship because his job with Meta is fully remote.

"What I'm probably most excited about is going to places that ships can only uniquely go,” he told CNBC, adding that cruise ships can travel to “unique ecological parts of the world or beautiful dive spots that are a few miles off land or caves to dive through and the ship will do a number of overnight stays in those areas."

Wells isn’t the only person who’s decided to live on a permanent vacation. Upworthy spoke with a couple in their 50s earlier this year who live on cruise ships because it’s cheaper than their mortgage.

Richard Burk and his wife, Angelyn, are living their best life hopping from ship to ship for around $100 a night, depending on the cruise. "Cruise costs vary quite a bit, our goal is to average about $100 per night, for the couple, or less across an entire calendar year," Richard told Upworthy.

The Burks keep the costs of cruising down through loyalty memberships. “We love to travel and we were searching for a way to continuously travel in our retirement that made financial sense,” Angelyn told 7 News.

People like Wells and the Burks may be outliers in society. They’ve chosen to give up the comforts of home for the comfort of living a life being catered to 24/7. While most of us probably won’t opt to make the big leap and live life out at the sea, their stories are a wonderful reminder that with a little creative thinking, we can create the perfect lives for ourselves whether on land or at sea.


This article originally appeared on 12.19.22

Yes, school lunches CAN be easy, healthy and inexpensive.

Parents, let’s face it: prepping school lunches can feel like trying to solve a complex math equation. It's got to be nutritious, appealing, fast, and let's not forget…within budget. But what if we told you there’s a secret weapon that can make this whole ordeal a breeze? Enter: O Organics from Albertsons.

O Organics offers a wide range of affordable, USDA organic goodies that are perfect for school lunches. From crunchy apple slices to delicious, creamy greek yogurt, they've got you covered. Plus, their prices won’t break the bank, proving that healthy eating doesn’t have to be a luxury.

Now, let’s get down to the good stuff: the food! Here are some simple, kid (and wallet) friendly lunch ideas—made entirely with O Organics ingredients—to help you ditch the processed junk and give your kids the fuel they need to conquer the classroom:

1. Pasta Salad

  • Main: A cold pasta salad made with O Organics whole-grain rotini pasta, O Organics chopped vegetables (like cucumbers, bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes), and Italian dressing. Add protein with chickpeas or a three bean blend.
  • Side: O Organics apple slices.
  • Snack: A serving of O Organics Greek yogurt, with some granola for a fun topping.

2. Egg Salad Sandwich

  • Main: A sandwich using whole wheat bread filled with a mixture of O Organics hard boiled eggs, mayo (or Greek yogurt for extra protein), mustard, dill, onion powder, salt and pepper.
  • Side:O Organics tortilla chips and salsa.
  • Snack: A pack of O Organics fruit strips.

3. Peanut Butter Apple Wrap (great for toddlers)

  • Main:O Organics peanut butter spread on a couple of flour soft taco tortillas, topped with thinly sliced apples. Drizzle some O Organics honey, roll it up and voila!
  • Side:O Organics baby-cut carrots with a side of hummus.
  • Snack:O Organics cottage cheese.

4. Quickie Quesadilla

  • Main: A tortilla filled with O Organics Mexican Style Shredded Cheese, black beans, and a sprinkle of chili powder.
  • Side: A couple of hard boiled O Organics eggs.
  • Snack: Ants on a log.

5. A Hot Dog…that stays hot

  • Main: You know the drill. Hot dog (we recommended the O Organics Beef Franks). Mustard. Cheese. Bun.
  • Side: A colorful side salad with spring mix, cherry tomatoes, and vinaigrette dressing.
  • Snack:O Organics banana chips.

But how the heck do you keep the hot dog hot? We’ve got just the tip, courtesy of Allrecipes.com:

Step 1

  • Preheat an insulated beverage container by filling it with boiling water. Let stand for 15 to 20 minutes. Right before leaving, dump out water and replace with more boiling water. The preheating keeps it hot for a longer time. Place the hot dog into the water and close the lid.

Step 2

  • When your child is ready for lunch, they can take the hot dog out of the container and place it on the bun.

Remember: This list is just a starting point. You can totally customize it to your kid’s needs and preferences. You can even involve your kiddos in the lunch-packing process to make it more fun for everyone. Let them help choose the menu, make a shopping list, pack their lunches…even grow their own veggies! If you’re feeling ambitious, that is.

No matter how you choose to give your kids the best possible start to their day, making small changes and taking advantage of resources like O Organics can help make it happen in a sustainable and enjoyable way.

So, what are you waiting for? Shop O Organics now exclusively at Albertsons, Safeway or any sister store. Your kids' bodies (and taste buds) will thank you.

Sustainability

Researchers dumped tons of coffee waste into a forest. This is what it looks like now.

30 dump truck loads and two years later, the forest looks totally different.

One of the biggest problems with coffee production is that it generates an incredible amount of waste. Once coffee beans are separated from cherries, about 45% of the entire biomass is discarded.

So for every pound of roasted coffee we enjoy, an equivalent amount of coffee pulp is discarded into massive landfills across the globe. That means that approximately 10 million tons of coffee pulp is discarded into the environment every year.



When disposed of improperly, the waste can cause serious damage soil and water sources.

However, a new study published in the British Ecological Society journal Ecological Solutions and Evidence has found that coffee pulp isn't just a nuisance to be discarded. It can have an incredibly positive impact on regrowing deforested areas of the planet.

via British Ecological Society

In 2018, researchers from ETH-Zurich and the University of Hawaii spread 30 dump trucks worth of coffee pulp over a roughly 100' x 130' area of degraded land in Costa Rica. The experiment took place on a former coffee farm that underwent rapid deforestation in the 1950s.

The coffee pulp was spread three-feet thick over the entire area.

Another plot of land near the coffee pulp dump was left alone to act as a control for the experiment.

"The results were dramatic." Dr. Rebecca Cole, lead author of the study, said. "The area treated with a thick layer of coffee pulp turned into a small forest in only two years while the control plot remained dominated by non-native pasture grasses."

In just two years, the area treated with coffee pulp had an 80% canopy cover, compared to just 20% of the control area. So, the coffee-pulp-treated area grew four times more rapidly. Like a jolt of caffeine, it reinvigorated biological activity in the area.

The canopy was also four times taller than that of the control.

Before and after images of the forest

The forest experienced a radical, positive change

via British Ecological Society

The coffee-treated area also eliminated an invasive species of grass that took over the land and prevented forest succession. Its elimination allowed for other native species to take over and recolonize the area.

"This case study suggests that agricultural by-products can be used to speed up forest recovery on degraded tropical lands. In situations where processing these by-products incurs a cost to agricultural industries, using them for restoration to meet global reforestation objectives can represent a 'win-win' scenario," Dr. Cole said.

If the results are repeatable it's a win-win for coffee drinkers and the environment.

Researchers believe that coffee treatments can be a cost-effective way to reforest degraded land. They may also work to reverse the effects of climate change by supporting the growth of forests across the globe.

The 2016 Paris Agreement made reforestation an important part of the fight against climate change. The agreement incentivizes developing countries to reduce deforestation and forest degradation, promote forest conservation and sustainable management, and enhance forest carbon stocks in developing countries.

"We hope our study is a jumping off point for other researchers and industries to take a look at how they might make their production more efficient by creating links to the global restoration movement," Dr. Cole said.


This article originally appeared on 03.29.21

@officialnutterbutter/TikTok

What did we just watch??

Nutter Butter, as any cookie aficionado knows, is sweet, salty and a little bit nuts. Apparently, it’s TikTok account is much the same.

While brands adopting an edgier persona on social media to attract a younger, hipper audience isn’t unheard of—just take it from Wendy’s or Duolingo— Nutter Butter’s marketing tactics are so unhinged that it has folks wondering “is Nutter Butter okay?”

This was the question posed by Cassie Fitzwater, who posted a now-viral video talking about how the page was freaking her out.


“If you guys have not seen Nutter Butter’s official account on here, I need you to stop what you’re doing and go look at it, because I had to, and I think you should, too,” she said in the clip. “I’m concerned. Nutter Butter, are you guys okay? Are you doing alright?”

The content is…surreal, to say the least. Every video feels like something out of a bad fever dream. Distorted voices, creepy retro commercial footage, dystopian imagery, jumps scares, unsettling cries for help…

Here’s a small sampling. Watch at your own peril.



@officialnutterbutter tales of nutter butter in suits of new. sumwher in the distance, a laugh. the sky!
♬ original sound - nutter butter

Yup. Straight up nightmare fuel. Sort of makes that one Quiznos commercial (you know the one) seem tame by comparison.

Understandably, people and companies alike who have bravely wandered onto the Nutter Butter accounts have some pretty strong feelings.

“This crosses a boundary I didn’t know I had,” commented one viewer.

“I heard there was ✨unhinged chaos✨ from my favorite snack’s TikTok. I was not disappointed 🤣🤣,” wrote another.

“I love nutter butter! (please release my family),”someone quipped.

Meanwhile 5 Hour Energy’s page wrote, “Even I don;t know what to do with this energy.”

“im logging off,” Wheat Thins commented.

What’s more, the page also appears to be some kind of recurring narrative taking palace, centered perhaps around a mysterious Nutter Butter-headed doll named Aidan, along with a black cloud named Nadia, and a masked clown with a top hat known simply as the Nutter Butter Man, who (much like his Skibidi Toilet predecessor) does not seem to be a benevolent character, by any means.

In a lengthy post shared to the r/GameTheorists subreddit, one person theorized that "Aidan’s tragic past involves his son being murdered by an intruder in their home," adding that "Nadia [is] likely Aidan’s wife. Hints of a wedding and the similarity of her name to 'Aidan' suggest she plays a significant role in the story."

The Nutter Butter Clown, who originates from old commercials where he gave sweets to children, promoting the idea of accepting candy from strangers” the added. “Now, he symbolizes chaos and menace in the TikTok content.” Wow. Meta.

To that, at least, there are some answers. According to AdWeek, digital advertising student and Nutter Butter "superfan" Aidan Moloney left comments containing only his name on Nutter Butter's TikTok posts for a year straight, which eventually became so popular they were incorporated into the brand’s market strategy. Who knows–maybe he’s even the mastermind behind all of this.

Whoever that mastermind was, it seems like they did it with Gen Alpha's signature band of perplexing, complex and mildly disturbing meme culture in mind. And to great success, given that many haven’t even thought about these cookies in decades.

“Last time I had a Nutter Butter was after standardized testing in middle school. I’m in my 30s, I bought one today at a gas station because I remember their TikTok. So it's working.”

And that, ladies and gentleman, is what good marketing is all about.

Marc Martel sings with the audience in Santiago, Chile, in May of 2022.

Freddie Mercury was known for many things—his dramatic showmanship, his larger-than-life personality, and his untimely death during the peak of the AIDS epidemic—but he is most remembered for his clear, powerful voice, ranging from rich bass notes to impressive soprano coloratura.

It's hard to do Freddie's voice justice, but Marc Martel has managed to wow millions with his impersonations of the Queen lead singer. If you close your eyes and listen, there are seconds when you might swear you were hearing Freddie himself singing again.

Martel's cover of "Bohemian Rhapsody" has been viewed 56 million times on YouTube. And another of his videos showcases Martel's ability to captivate an audience with his—or Freddie's—voice.


At a concert in Santiago, Chile, in 2022, Martel began playing the piano intro to "Love of My Life," one of Queen's simplest and most sentimental ballads. As soon as he opened his mouth to sing, the audience did the same—10,000 people all singing along in unison—and it's just beautiful.

Watch:

Love Of My Life - Live from Santiago, Chile (Marc Martel)

Queen fans not only loved the sing-a-long but they were also blown away by how close Martel came to channeling Freddie Mercury with his vocals:

"I'm 63. Heard Queen from the start. This man is unbelievable. Why Queen didn't grab him is unbelievable, beyond belief."

"For those of us who love the Mercury timbre, Martel is a blessing."

"The part "you've hurt me" sounds exactly like Freddie. I also love the fact that people are singing too, it gives me Queen concerts vibes :)"

"When the crowd started singing, it genuinely gave me goosebumps. It was like he was singing with a choir. Some great voices in the audience! Well mixed too. Incredible as always!"

"Never mind the vocal inflections, he plays piano outstandingly. Freddie’s voice was so unique and original, it’s unbelievable how close Marc is."

And if you want to see Martel's "Bohemian Rhapsody" video with 56 million views, here it is. Enjoy:

Find more of Marc Martel's Freddie Mercury magic on YouTube.


This article originally appeared on 10.4.23

via Canva

A woman writing her to-don't list.

There are never enough hours in the day to get everything done. Even if there were, who’d have enough energy to do it? Most people spend their days caring for their family and trying to earn a living and by the end of the day, there isn’t enough time to spend on themselves.

On top of that, if you’re living in most of the developed world, hustle culture also suggests you have a hobby that you’re trying to turn into a career. There’s also the pressure to spend a few hours a week volunteering at your kid's school while having a regular workout routine and ensuring you drink 64 ounces of water before lunchtime.

It can all be ridiculous. That’s why therapists suggest that in addition to writing to-do lists every morning, we should write “to don’t” lists to ensure that we aren’t wasting our time and energy on things that don’t matter.


Dr. Amantha Imber, an organizational psychologist, recently told ABC News that the cult of hyper-productivity can be “flawed.”

"It leads to feelings of guilt, exhaustion and burnout, because, essentially, time is finite. Yet, we're always adding more things to our to-do list in the hope that it will get us ahead," Dr. Imber says. "The purpose of a to-don't list is to reflect on habits you want to break or things you want to do differently.”

to-do list, to-don't list, productivityA man writing a list.via Ivan Samkov/Pexels

How to write a to-don't list

Dr. Imber suggests that we examine the tasks we can stop doing and put them on our to-don’t list. Examples include overcommitting to social engagements, needing to do chores while working from home, or packing your kid an elaborate lunch in the morning when what they’re serving in the school cafeteria is fine.

The key is to be realistic about the amount of time and energy that you have.

It’s also essential to think about the daily habits that prevent you from getting everything done, such as scrolling through TikTok, going to a coffee shop instead of brewing it at home, taking unnecessary meetings and responding to emails that aren’t a top priority. "It's hip to focus on getting things done, but it's only possible once we remove the constant static and distraction. If you have trouble deciding what to do, just focus on not doing," Tim Ferriss, author of “The 4-Hour Work Week,” said, according to Mindjournals.

If the average person removed one social media app from their phone, they could probably develop a life-changing meditation habit.

to-do list, to don't-list, productivityA woman writing a list.via Thirdman/Pexels

How to write a successful list

The key to success with your to-don’t list is to write it down. A study by Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at Dominican University in California, found that you are 42% more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down. That works even if your goal is not to do something.

Here’s an example of a to-don’t list:

1. No social media until lunchtime

2. Get my kid velcro shoes (no tying, no knots)

3. Don’t respond to memes sent by friends until after work

4. Worry about the news when you are done with work

5. No playing games on the phone

6. Say no to meetings that could be emails

7. Make coffee at home instead of going to the drive-thru

8. Go out to lunch with the co-worker who is an energy vampire

9. Don't worry about the kid being late to soccer practice

10. Don't to everything

11. Plan a dinner that needs to be marinated during the day

The cool thing is that once you commit to a to-don’t list, you will quickly begin to notice all the things you would love to eliminate from your day so you can make more room for the things that make you happy.





Grapepinky/Wikimedia Commons

Hanson playing at the Melbourne Zoo in 2019

In 1997, the catchy earworm "MMMbop" by the brother trio Hanson spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard charts. The band members were 16, 14 and 11 years old at the time, but even younger when they wrote it two years prior, and their hit song felt seemed to be a reflection of the optimism and innocence of their youth.

But the upbeat, do-woppy chorus—which is what most people remember about the song—belies how deep the rest of the song actually was. Many millennials are just now learning about the song's poignant-but-hard-to-make-out lyrics, and hoo boy do they hit hard during the full-on-adult years.


Millennial digital creator Erin Miller shared a video on Instagram that captures how it feels to find out that "MMMbop" is a song about the existential uncertainty of relationships and wondering who's still going to be there for us in our old age.

Yes, really. Watch:

Hanson's "MMMbop" is surprisingly deep.

If you go back and listen to the song, you'll forgive yourself for not recognizing any of these lyrics because it's genuinely hard to hear the words they're actually singing. But when you look up the lyrics, whoa.

People are shook and sharing their feelings in the comments.

"Holy shhhh... It's just Poetry Disguised as a throwaway pop song."

"You forgot my favorite part: 'Plant a seed, plant a flower, plant a rose. You can plant any one of those. Keep living to find out which one grows. It’s a secret, no one knows.' 🤯"

"Damn. Hanson coming in with the existential dread veiled under catchy major chords. It's giving the same vibes as Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind."

"*Runs to listen to the full original track and simultaneously read the lyrics*......... *Realizes this reel is accurate AF 😅🥲🥹🤣😂🤣😭* ...... Because 8 yr old me in 1997 thought this was the jolliest song EVER! 🤸🏽♀️😂"

"Remove the arrow from my heart immediately. I will not recover from this!"

"Yes! the words are shockingly deep for a song whose refrain is gibberish."

"I’ve been singing this song for 25+ years - and know zero of the words. 😮"

Zac, the band's drummer and youngest of the three Hansons, explained that "MMMbop" itself means a snippet of time and acknowledged that the song is actually really sad.

"The thing about 'MMMBop' is, obviously, it's a made up word," he told MTV. "It means a frame of time, but it also intentionally kind of is lighthearted, I think, in a way that disguises some of the meaning. It's kind of sad. It's kind of sad to hear a young person singing, like, most things in life are gonna pass. Most of the things you're going through won't matter. Most of your friends are gonna leave you or be gone 'cause in an mmmbop, it's all gonna be over."

Yeah…thanks, Zac.

The Hanson brothers were 14, 12 and 10 when they wrote "MMMbop."

The eldest Hanson, Isaac, shared with The Guardian in 2018 how the brothers came up with the song:

"I was 14, and my brothers Taylor and Zac were 12 and 10 respectively. We listened to a lot of doo-wop, which influenced the chorus of MMMBop. We were trying to write a part for another song and came up with this catchy hook, but it didn’t really fit. Much, much later, I said to the guys: “Remember that hook? It really sticks in your head. We need to find a way to use it.” Then, as we were getting ready for bed, we all sang it together in the bathroom.

A few days later, Taylor was sitting at the keyboard with an intense look on his face. 'I have an idea,' he said. 'We can make this song about life – and all the rejection we’re feeling.' And he played what became the first verse and a half of MMMBop: 'You have so many relationships in this life / Only one or two will last / You go through all the pain and strife / Then you turn your back and they’re gone so fast.'

The chorus might be effusive – 'Mmmbop, ba duba dop / Ba du bop, ba duba dop' – but the song is about how in an instant you will be old and grey, so you have to make decisions you feel good about before it is too late."

Pretty darn astute for kids who couldn't even drive yet. Sheesh.

The original tempo of "MMMbop" was more reflective of its meaning.

So why does the song have such an upbeat feel when it's about something so serious and profound? Isaac Hanson explained that the original version of the song was "slower and more brooding" but that version wasn't landing with record companies until one saw potential in it as a hit pop song and sped it up. Thus the version we all bop along to was born, and the rest is history.

Hanson is still making music and still performing their breakout hit more than 25 years later. If you're still processing the lyrics of "MMMbop" and need a little help, here's the trio sharing more about how they got their start and how the song became what it is:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com