The default Photos app carries a Memories feature that combines your recent photos and creates a video out of it using animations and other cool tricks. In iOS 15, you can now set any music clip from the Apple Music app and make your memories even more beautiful. Memories will change the slideshow look and feel based on the song selection with custom filters and animations.
The 2021 M1 iPad Pro comes with a 20W USB-C charger out of the box. It will take you around three hours to charge the device. The iPad Pro can actually charge at speeds of up to 27W, faster than the 20W charger which Apple bundles with it. For convenience, we would advise you to buy a 30W Apple-certified charger to juice up the iPad from 0%-100% in around two hours. There are actually plenty of them available on Amazon for a relatively low price.
This was already possible in Safari on macOS Big Sur. iOS 15 carries the same wallpaper customization trick to the iPhone as well. Open Safari on the iPhone and scroll down to the bottom. Select Edit, and you can pick a relevant wallpaper from the Background Image menu. One can also go ahead and add wallpaper from the gallery on the iPhone.
It is well known that I sin when it comes to buying books. I love owning books. It is my one non-frugal habit. However, several local libraries still know me on a first name basis. Some books I borrow from the library. But the library is so much more than books, books on tape, music and so forth. I encourage you to read this post on all the surprising things you can get for free from the library. (Did you know your library might offer free college courses, tutoring and more? Some libraries have fishing equipment and one I interviewed even had a sewing machine they borrowed out.)
Similar to the macOS Safari browser, users can now use the same extensions for the Safari on iPhone as well. Previously, it was limited to ad-blockers only. iOS 15 open the doors for developers to create mobile-friendly extensions for the Safari browser. The collection is slim for now. But we can expect to see more developers creating Safari browser extensions in the future.
One of the most frugal things you can do is give yourself down time. Bill Gates has a “think week” several times per year. Albert Einstein and Steve Jobs both scheduled “no time” where they had no duties or interruptions so they could focus on just thinking creatively. While it might be hard to understand how down time is a frugal activity, it is time where you are not spending money and instead are focused on making good decisions in your life, finances and business. Creativity happens during down time. When I write I close the door. This is “me time”. I’m actually talking to myself and letting you listen in. Time spent with the door closed and the internet and email off is vital to mental wellbeing and financial wealth. Your best ideas will come from the quiet time where distractions are not demanding your attention.
One of the reasons to include the M1 chip inside the iPad Pro is to deliver class-leading performance without compromising on battery life. On the flip side, you will likely find yourself in a situation where your iPhone is low on charge. In such a scenario, you can use your iPad Pro to charge your iPhone. Simply connect your iPhone to your iPad Pro using a USB Type-C to Lightning cable, and you are good to go. In fact, it can charge your Nintendo Switch and other USB-C devices using the iPad Pro as well.
iPadOS 14 now allows support for external storage drives or SD cards to your iPad Pro. Connect it to the iPad using the Type-C port, and you can access media files using the Files app on the device. This is a dream-come-true scenario for all the content creators out there. The M1 iPad Pro actually supports Thunderbolt connectivity, so you can connect high-bandwidth storage devices to it without an issue.
Along the same line as down time, writing notes, a journal, a blog, a to-do list and any other things you want to think about later during down time is important to a frugal lifestyle. Frugality is not only about money. You can always make more money, but you can’t make up for lost time! Slowing down and writing notes is the best way to reduce expenses! You are not buying the best goods and services when you are fighting the clock. Notes allow you to slow down and make better decisions. I can give you a million ways to reduce costs, but only you know what things you can reasonably cuts costs on. The goal of this post is to provide ideas and spark ideas in your mind. Don’t just do it because some crazy accountant from the backwoods of NE Wisconsin told you to do so. Write it down. Record your thoughts in a journal and review those thoughts later. Use a grocery list. You will be amazed at how your thoughts change and the money you save. And always be willing to revise. Editing your notes and lists is required. The first draft is always junk. That is why you need to review and edit, preferably with the door closed.
Another useful add-on for those living in a complete Apple ecosystem. Users can now unlock home, hotel room, or even office using the stored key in the Apple Wallet app. Open the Apple Wallet app, use the stored digital key, tap the phone to the lock, and voila! The room is ready to serve you. It will be up to third-party devices and hotel chains to quickly implement the functionality.