It’s a bright and shiny Saturday, friend! “Manifest” is the Cambridge Dictionary’s 2024 Word of the Year. I’m not talking about the kind you’d find on a ship; this is the new-age, social-media-fueled version. So, what does it mean? To manifest something is to visualize your goals in order to make them a reality. Manifest the end of this newsletter — it’s where I’ll give you the Word of the Year runners‑up.

🤑 Your Social Security number is for sale online. Between data brokers, advertisers, stalkers and scammers, there’s too much personal info of ours free for the taking. I used Incogni to remove it all for me. More below. — Kim

One of the best parts of getting a new phone is how fresh it feels inside and out. The screen is scratch-free, your storage is empty, and the phone is zippy, no matter what. And the battery life? Oh, buddy.

The clock starts ticking the moment you take your new phone out of its box. Let’s give yours that fresh-from-the-factory feel again.

🫧 Start with the outside

When it comes to cleaning off fingerprints and smudges, I’m a screen-wipe gal. I buy this box of 210 over and over. They don’t leave streaks, and they’re good for glasses, too. Now, the tricky bits:

Take off the case: So much grime. Use a toothbrush with soapy water for plastic, rubber or silicone. For leather, gently rub with a damp microfiber cloth and mild soap. Let your case dry fully before you put it back on.

Tackle the ports: Dust, lint and gunk cause issues with charging and sound. Toothpicks are too sharp and cotton swabs leave fuzz. Try the end of a plastic flosser — just be gentle. This $11 kit has brushes and antistatic tools that are safe for all your tech.

Go high-tech: Phone sanitizers use UV‑C light to kill 99.9% of bacteria. Bonus: They also charge your phone while sanitizing it.

🛠️ Now, let’s look inside

Clear your cached data: Too much data stored on your phone slows it wa‑a‑a‑y down.

• iPhone: Go to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data. For apps, use Settings > General > iPhone Storage to offload or reinstall space-hogging apps.
• Android: In Settings > Storage > Other Apps, tap an app and hit Clear Cache.

Delete apps you never use: They drain resources, even in the background. On Android, uninstall apps under Settings > Apps. On iPhone, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage, select an app, and tap Delete App.

Update your software: This one’s a performance and security upgrade that’s easy to skip, but don’t! Check for updates on Android under Settings > Software Update or on iPhone under Settings > General > Software Update. Restart your phone afterward for the best results.

🐌 Device still sluggish? See what’s eating up your storage space and clear what you don’t need.

Battery-saving trick

If your phone is old, you need all the help you can get. Bluetooth, GPS and Wi‑Fi all drain your battery by constantly searching for connections. Turn them off when not in use:

• On iPhone and Android, swipe down from the top of the home screen and hit the icons to toggle off Bluetooth, Wi‑Fi and GPS.

👏 It takes 10 minutes to do all that, and you won’t want to throw your phone out the window. Let’s call that a win!

⏳ Speaking of winning: You have only TWO days left to enter to win an iPhone 16 Pro with Apple Intelligence ($999 value), no purchase necessary.

As many as 7.5 million people are cyberstalked every year. Creeps can easily find your info online, then they use it to harass you however they want. I hear from stalking victims all the time, and the person responsible is often tech‑savvy.

If it’s a stranger harassing you online, that’s one thing. But it gets even worse if they find your address and get to you in person. That’s why I use and trust Incogni. They know where to find my information all across the web, then wipe it out for me.

They can do the same for you. It’s easy to set up and use Incogni. I love that all you have to do is create a profile, and then they get to work on your behalf.