Let's start a thread of just random advise / hacks

I love this! Definitely going to try it out.

Elbow Grease degreaser spray is excellent for removing any stains! Found out by accident when I got bolognese stains on my dishcloth and went to wipe the hob! I've tried it on clothes stains too and it works!

I had a Sharpie obsession, (so now I have a huge collection). I only buy brown paper for presents and I decorate it with the Sharpies, flowers, words, hearts, doodles... It gives a more personal touch too! Everyone I've presented with my wrapping paper loves it!

Don't over wet your mop when doing the laminate floors, the water seeps in and will distort the floor over time... Wring out the mop as dry as you can. Or, get a spray bottle that you can turn the end to a fine mist and use some laminate floor cleaner in that and use a dry mop.

I gave up fabric conditioner in favour of the washing beads. Fabulosa do some lovely scents! And they're cheaper than the major brands! Clothes/towels smell a lot nice for longer and don't have the build up. Especially good for towels, as fabric conditioner seems to stop absorbency.

That's my two pennorth for what it's worth!
Hope you're ok OP, please come back, ignore the idiots ❤

Same

Another one that agrees with no using fabric conditioner. I stopped with towels and then gave up completely.

Or don’t use any at all. I haven’t for about 20 years. Clothes feel a bit stiffer for about 10 seconds.

Cutting a pomegranate... cut one top of. Cut down the white pith lines. Then break apart in a bowl of water and take out all the seeds in the water. The pith will float to the top. Easy to take out and no red stains everywhere!

How big is your freezer? We have like 5-6 bags of food scraps by bin day.

I’m going to try that, mine is horrible!

Do the thing that makes you happy! I paid to get my nails done yesterday.. they will make me smile every time I look at them for the next four ish weeks. That might be someone else’s waste of money, but - if you can find it in the budget - doing the little thing that will make you smile is a good investment.

If you (like me) put your bra on by clipping the hooks in front of you and twisting around to normal, and if you find that after a shower/bath it is impossible to twist it around again because skin is a bit slippery - then put on your knickers, clasp bra over knickers at the front, twist bra around the knickers and voila, easy peasy and no struggle.

Sorry for the long sentence there.

If you need to add syrup, honey, treacle etc to dry ingredients and don't want to get your measuring spoon all sticky, use the measuring spoon to make the right size indent in the dry stuff (e.g. flour/sugar/oats), then pour the sticky stuff directly into the little hole you've made.

You bloody genius!

My ones:

Make a list on your phone notepad of all the things you packed for your holiday that remained unused. And another list of all the things you had to buy on holiday because you forgot to pack that same thing you have at home.
The following year, use these lists to help you pack better.

When struggling to get motivated cleaning, pretend you are a home organisation guru and that you're filming for your You Tube channel.

Have a recipe app on your phone with all your recipes so that the next time you are in Asda you can quickly look up quantities and only buy what you need.

Have a shopping app and add something to it as soon as it runs out. That way you know what you need and don't buy the wrong thing.

Here's my failsafe method of tidying a room when you just feel overwhelmed and don't know where to start. I taught my kids this when they had to tidy their bedrooms:

First place an old sheet/throw on the bed to protect it form dust.

Next, take everything off the shelves, floor, surfaces, windowsill and just put it on the bed - don't waste time assessing it at this stage.

The room will become clear pretty quickly, so the next stage is to dust and vacuum. This gives a really rapid return for your effort and is motivating.

Then (with duster/damp cloth in hand) evaluate all the stuff on the bed and categorise 3 ways: 1) replace correctly 2) charity shop bag 3) landfill bag.

You will get a result quickly and feel you've sorted your life out too!

More wrapping ones. If you're trying to be more ecological about your wrapping IKEA wrapping paper is all recyclable (I think). They also sell raffia/string which is also recyclable.

If you don't want to use IKEA wrapping paper it is worth it (unless wrapping HUGE presents or for children or adults who just rip the paper off) to buy good quality thicker paper and to measure and cut carefully to make the most of it. Our local garden centre sells some really beautiful designs in paper like this, some double-sided, and I have bought far less gift wrapping paper this year.

Wrapping something carefully in nice paper can make an inexpensive present look special. (And yes - I do realise that not all of us have the time and energy to do that).

As an alternative to wrapping paper, use scraps of material… to secure around gift, just put in a line of tacking stitches.

I just remember E is for envelope!

OOh - another spelling one:

Stationery - paper and pens etc (has a 'e' as in 'letter)

Stationary - as in still, immobile (has an 'a' as in 'car')

These have always helped me.

I've always remembered this helpful spelling tip:

Separate has A RAT in it

Saves you from the dreaded 'seperate'!

Hot weather hair style - wet hair in the shower and brush, then apply a bit of leave in conditioner/hair mask and twist up into a bun while still wet. Secure with a hair band and two clips. Your hair will stay nice all day and you will not get a sweaty head from wearing a hat.

Hard to do in a shop before you buy it though!

Brown paper and pretty ribbons is a great idea, thank you.

I'd have thought so.
Glenryck Pilchards in Tomato Sauce - ASDA Groceries

@OnAPostItNote I assume £130 for 400g is a typo then

weight.

It works out much cheaper than regular cat food. Even the most expensive pouches. Based on weigh.

Crack the egg into a large mug of boiling water and microwave for 1 min. Saves on dirtying pot.
and gives you a cracking excuse to give the microwave a spring clean.
The yolk will explode.

If it’s a bigger amount of blood put in cold water with masses of table salt and rub and soak.