Life

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Apple Is Discontinuing Its ‘Apple Pay Later’ Less Than a Year After It Launched

Just a little over half a year since it was fully released to all U.S. customers, Apple is shutting down its installment loan Apple Pay Later service. In a statement to 9to5Mac, the company said customers will now instead see installment loans “offered through credit and debit cards, as well as lenders” when checking out.

Apple Pay Later first started making its way to “randomly selected” customers in the U.S in March 2023 after being announced at WWDC a year prior. The feature existed directly in Apple Wallet, and though Apple said it allowed users to apply for a loan “with no impact to their credit,” fine print said loan and payment history “may be reported to credit bureaus and impact their credit” upon purchase.

The service followed the Apple Card’s launch in 2019, which included an arrangement with Goldman Sachs that Apple is apparently eager to get out of. Apple Pay Later was the company’s first attempt at handling its financial services itself via the Apple Financing LLC subsidiary, and followed in the wake of similar services like Klarna.

Buy now, pay later services have been called out in the past for hidden costs that might trap needy users into even more debt, which might have influenced Apple, with its generally friendly face, in exiting the sector.

“Our focus continues to be on providing our users with access to easy, secure and private payment options with Apple Pay, and this solution will enable us to bring flexible payments to more users, in more places across the globe,” Apple’s statement reads.

In addition to accessing loans from credit and debit cards, Apple Pay will also now allow access to loans from Klarna competitor Affirm, a recent Apple blog reads. Like Klarna, Affirm has also faced criticism in the past, with critics pointing out how high interest rates can lay in wait behind the service’s hip branding.

The Right Way to Roll up and Store Your Belts

Slowly but surely, I’m going to revolutionize your closet. From shoes to bags, there are so many accessories to collect and flaunt, but they really do take up a ton of space, so finding solutions for storing every kind of adornment should be a priority for anyone living a fashion forward lifestyle.

But even if you’re not, and you don’t have a closet overflowing with purses and footwear, you almost certainly have a small (or not so small) collection of belts. Here’s a good way to organize it.

How to roll your belts for storage so they won’t come undone

Until I saw the following technique floating around TikTok, I was storing my belts by hanging them over the handle on my closet door. This is wrong. They were always falling off, dragged down by the weight of the buckle on one end—and the weight of said buckle can actually stretch and damage more delicate belts over time. You could get some hooks and hang all your belts up somewhere by the buckle, but that takes up wall space. Instead,you should be rolling your belts to help them maintain their shape.

But it’s hard to keep belts rolled up, right? They just keep coming undone, right? Not if you try this method that’s been trending on social media:

Using the buckle for stability, you thread the belt backward through it and pull it almost all the way through, creating a small hole. Then, start rolling up the belt from the other side, and stuff the resulting spiral into the hole you made. I tried this method out and found it to be easy to execute and effective at keeping my belts all wound up in an easy-to-stack shape. But why stop there?

Belts hanging and belts folded up
Before (bad) vs. after (good)
Credit: Lindsey Ellefson

How to store all your belts

You can tuck your newly-miniaturized belts in a stack on a shelf, in a drawer, or in a box—I recommend a small one that will help keep them organized and secure, like this one:

AARAINBOW 2 Packs Underwear Socks Ties Storage Organizer with Lids

AARAINBOW 2 Packs Underwear Socks Ties Storage Organizer with Lids


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But I prefer another method I recently encountered, because I think there’s value in making it easy to see all your options when you’re picking out what to wear. So instead, stack your belts on a paper towel holder, like this one:

Paper Towel Holder Black

Paper Towel Holder Black


$7.99
$14.95
Save $6.96

The little arm that’s supposed to secure the paper towels to the roll will hold the belts in place and keep them rolled up, and stacking them this way will give you a better sense of what you’ve got, and save you from digging through a box looking for that one specific belt.

USDA Recognizes National Pollinator Week

WASHINGTON, June 17, 2024 – During the week of June 17-23, 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is recognizing and celebrating National Pollinator Week. Pollinator species, such as bees, other insects, birds and bats play a critical role in producing more than 100 crops grown in the United States.

USDA Awards $50 Million to Support Farmworkers and Agricultural Employers

PALISADE, Colo., June 14, 2024 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is awarding $50 million to 141 awardees in 40 states and Puerto Rico, through the Farm Labor Stabilization and Protection Pilot Program (FLSP Program), reaching 177 unique agricultural operations and over 11,000 workers. The awards will help improve the resiliency of the U.S. food supply chain by addressing agriculture labor challenges and instability, strengthen protections for farmworkers, and expand legal pathways for labor migration.

Biden-Harris Administration Announces National Strategy to Reduce Food Loss and Waste and Recycle Organics

WASHINGTON, June 12, 2024 – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the White House announced the National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics as part of President Biden’s whole-of-government approach to tackle climate change, feed people, address environmental justice, and promote a circular economy.

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Nearly $66M for Conservation Work with States, Tribes, Private Landowners as Part of Investing in America Agenda

OLYMPIC VALLEY, Calif., June 11, 2024 – During a meeting of the Western Governors’ Association today, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Xochitl Torres Small announced that USDA is investing nearly $66 million for projects to reduce wildfire risk, protect water quality and improve forest health across the nation as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.

Secretary Vilsack Announces USDA and FFAR Innovation Challenge to Catalyze Agricultural Solutions

WASHINGTON, June 11, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) today launched a global challenge to advance scientific research that will produce major breakthroughs for nutrition security while mitigating climate change impacts and advancing equity for underserved communities. The “Nourishing Next Generation Agrifood Breakthroughs” (Innovation Challenge) funding opportunity will fund transdisciplinary teams led by early-career scientists (those who have received a Ph.D.