So, what is the best toaster to buy? There are tons of toasters out there, so the right choice really depends on your needs and what you’re looking for. Here’s my take on how to find the perfect toaster for your kitchen.

If you want to bake things like bread or pastries, go with a traditional toaster oven. These are basically small convection ovens that can toast, bake, broil, and even air fry. Most have a warming drawer built in, but honestly, even if the model you’re eyeing doesn’t have one, I’d still recommend getting a separate warming drawer if you think you’ll use it.

There are tons of different models out there, so you need to figure out what you actually want from your toaster. Some pricier models are really specialized – they do one thing incredibly well. Take convection ovens, for instance. They’re fantastic for turning out perfect baked bread, but that might be about it.

But here’s the thing – convection ovens aren’t great if you want to cook multiple items at once. There are smaller toasters that can handle this, but they’re not all created equal. The toasters I’d recommend are the ones that can handle a whole pan of food in one go.

Some toasters are really good at that flip-and-toast action, which gives you way more flexibility in how you cook. You might actually find yourself preferring the toasting function over the heating function. Most people assume the heating element cooks more evenly, but I think the toasting side often does a better job.

Price matters, obviously. The toasters with the best bang for your buck usually come with solid warranties. If something breaks, you can get it fixed without shelling out for a replacement. If the warranty covers more than a year, you might even be able to get your money back.

Toasters come in every shape and size you can imagine, so pick one that actually fits your lifestyle. Compact toasters are perfect if you’re working with a tiny kitchen. They’ve got some real advantages too, especially if you’re on a tight budget.

If you only plan to use your toaster now and then, or just for quick morning toast, go with a metal one over plastic. They last way longer and they’re usually lighter, which makes them easier to move around if needed.

Another thing to consider when picking the best toaster oven is whether you want one that’s microwave safe. These let you bake multiple things at the same time without much hassle. The downside? Microwaves can heat up the metal parts too quickly, so you might end up constantly turning the thing on and off to get your food cooked properly.

Electric toasters are usually more user-friendly than other types, and the controls are pretty straightforward. Many electric models automatically turn on when you flip the power switch, which means you get evenly toasted bread every time without thinking about it.

If you’re someone who likes to tinker with settings, look for a toaster with a built-in thermostat. Most of these come pre-programmed to hit exactly the temperature you want. You can also set them to turn on or off automatically when you need them to.

Once you’ve decided what kind of toaster makes sense for you, it’s time to shop around. I always recommend checking out a few different stores to see what’s on sale and how different models actually work in person. Most of the time, though, you’ll find the best deals online.

With so many car insurance companies out there, finding the best car insurance can be overwhelming. Each company offers different coverage options, extras and discounts that can seriously impact your budget. Some insurers claim to offer the lowest rates in town, while others promise the best service. Insurance company ads always talk about great customer service and savings, but without evidence, you just want proof. To help you find the top car insurance providers nationwide, I’ve gathered data on customer satisfaction and average pricing from major companies.

Every car insurance company wants to claim they’re the best because they’re competing in one of the most competitive industries around. Some companies have higher claim approval rates and lower prices. Others have outstanding customer service with prices that might surprise you. Here’s what I found after digging into this for a week:

The biggest and most trusted providers – Most people know Allstate, Farmers, Nationwide, GMAC and other recognizable auto insurers. But here’s something interesting: your local hometown discount broker might actually be the best car insurance company in your area. Brokers work with many top auto insurance companies and often get better treatment from carriers. They don’t make much money, if any, from their services, but they know where customers are and how to get the best quotes and discounts.

Medical costs – Some car insurance plans make you pay 100% of medical costs from an accident, no matter who caused it. These policies cost way more than traditional ones because they completely ignore whether the other driver can pay. If you’re in an accident, regardless of fault, expect to get billed for medical costs and vehicle damage. If the accident wasn’t your fault, you shouldn’t have to pay these expenses yourself. Buy a policy that includes an accident benefits rider so you’re covered for all medical costs.

The right deductible – Every state sets limits on how much you pay out of pocket before your insurer covers the rest. Your deductible is what you pay first, before insurance kicks in for the remaining costs. Some states cap your deductible amount, while others let you raise it to keep premiums down. Learn your state’s laws and pick a policy with the smallest deductible you can afford.

The best car insurance company – After an accident, your insurance company should send you a check covering what they paid for medical bills and other damages. You need to know what those costs will be before signing anything. Ask each company how long you have to file an accident claim before they start making payments. Make sure your company gives you at least twelve months for accident benefits, since that’s typically how long you must wait before filing a car insurance claim.

The cheapest car insurance company – When comparing rates, don’t just look at the lowest price. Cheapest might not mean best, especially if your insurer doesn’t actually give you a good rate. The cheapest car insurance company might not offer you proper coverage at all. Focus on choosing a highly rated insurer with years of experience and a solid track record.

Another factor in car insurance rates is your deductible amount. When you consider the cost of replacing another car after an accident, you might save money overall. If you raise your deductible, though, you’ll pay more money long-term. Before making this decision, read your auto policy details carefully to make sure raising your deductible won’t actually increase your overall rate. If you can save money in the end, it might be worth considering.

One of my assignments for this week was to put together a blog post about all the things I’ve learned in the last year. It was surprisingly difficult to remember everything I did and learned over a full 12 months, which makes me think I should do this more often. I probably learn so many lessons every day, but I likely retain so little of it. It ended up being a fun project, though, and I wanted to share what I ended up putting together for my assignment with all of you. Maybe you will learn something from it too!

1. We make our own luck

There are some things where this isn’t true. For example, somebody randomly buying a lottery ticket and randomly hitting the jackpot. That was probably pure luck and that person didn’t really make their own luck.

Outside of that, however, almost everything comes down to playing the odds. The more auditions an actor goes to and the more he trains to improve and the more he tries to meet industry veterans, the more likely he is to get a “lucky” opportunity.

I have had friends who complain that their friend was so “lucky” because she was referred into a job by somebody she had met at a networking party. He had gone to the same networking party and is still jobless. What he failed to mention, however, is that she had gone to dozens of networking parties with no results, practicing how to meet people each time. Did she get “lucky” when she found the right person that gave her a big opportunity? Yes. But she also created that luck. My friend had gone to only 1 networking event. She had a 10x better chance of getting lucky than he did.

This happened to me earlier this year too. I recently got into writing poetry. I joined a club with a group of my friends and we all decided to share some poetry online and see if we could piggy back off of Rupi Kaur‘s success. I mean if she could do it with pretty simple phrases, how hard could it be? No disrespect to Rupi though. I loved Milk and Honey. We all decided to post Instagram poetry. Out of our 3 person group, however, I was the only one who decided to go a bit further. I looked into the poetry community and found other amazing places to post as well like Commaful, Tumblr, and Medium. Of our group, I was the only one who posted on all 4 sites, cross-promoting between them. My work caught the eye of one of the influencers on a different site. From a shoutout by that influencer, my following on every site skyrocketed. I sure got lucky, but that luck came from going the extra mile.

2. Read the fine print and pay close attention to your finances

Personal finance should be taught in schools. I was lucky to be pretty good at math, but if it weren’t for that, I’d be in a world of trouble. I have an Aspire Student Loan and was terrible at factoring it into my budgeting. When I was told my yearly salary, I just divided it by 12 and subtracted rent. That was my spending money for the month. It didn’t take long for me to realize how wrong I was.

There are taxes everywhere. And then after taxes, I have to pay off my student loans. And boy does it take a long time to pay those student loans back. And then after that, I’m supposed to save up for retirement? How the heck is that possible?

I decided to spend the weekend really digging into the terms of my loans and looking into the meaning of my credit scores and credit cards.

Turns out, I was losing out on a bunch of money long term by not paying out my student loans faster and not paying off my credit cards quickly.

My financial learnings could be this entire article, but to make a long story short, I have increased my loan payments and set aside some money for saving and investing, which I plan to do through Wealthfront or Robinhood.

3. Always have goals

For the last 3 years, I’ve just been getting through classes. Doing what showed up in front of me. If I got homework, I’d do the homework. I was reactive. This was the first year where I was proactive rather than reactive. I set goals for myself and created plans to reach them. I made a dream board and a Trello board with clear daily tasks to help me reach those goals.

The difference is huge. I am much happier and have made huge amounts of progress for my career and future. I have met incredible people and a lot of things I thought weren’t possible have become possible.