Frozen butter in pie crust is one of those things that sounds like a Pinterest hack that would flop, like freezing grapes or putting mayo in cake batter. My grandma always used cold butter from the fridge and her crusts were fine, so I figured the frozen thing was just people trying too hard. So the crust held, but did it taste any different or was it just about looks? Because a pie that stands up pretty but tastes like cardboard is a loss in my book. Either way, guess I owe the frozen butter crowd an apology now.

Guess my $4 apples never came with a side of guilt, huh.

A 10 to 15 percent savings sounds nice until you have to cancel. I watched a guy in a Lagos hostel lose two nights of prepaid cash because his flight got moved and the front desk would not budge. Booking sites eat that risk for you, and that matters way more than saving eight bucks a night when you are on a short trip. Three weeks gives you room to roll with changes. A four day weekend does not. On top of that, the direct price is often only cheaper if you are locked in and paying upfront, which is exactly when you least want to be stuck. The aggregators also put every place in one spot so you can actually compare instead of emailing ten hostels and hoping someone answers. The flexibility is the product you are paying for, and it is usually worth it.