Simple things that make your life so much edit?

[LeonoraFlorence]

Every night my phone battery would be low and without fail I’d be sitting awkwardly at a funny angle on the couch trying to look through Mumsnet whilst it charged plugged in. DH ordered me a charger for about £10 with a cable over 1m long and it has changed my life! What other small things have made your life much more pleasant?

Whisky bottle to fill with loose change.

We have a bottle too but I'm pretty much cashless these days so I never seem to have anything to put in it. I use save the change in my bank account (automatically gets deposited in a different savings account), it's fair mounting up. Also I use the Chip App for saving, absolutely love it, saving with no effort.

@MissLadyM I think they must have changed pressreader - have downloaded & joined but can't see any way of adding library details. Darn!

@WobblyLondoner they must have changed it in the last few days then because I downloaded and logged my library card since reading about it on this thread.

@WobblyLondoner I joined the other day and managed to add my library membership.

care.pressreader.com/hc/en-us/articles/211272703-Library-Card-Sign-In?mobile_site=true

My 'makes life easier tip' for loose change is to not let it build up into a storing counting bagging and banking job.

Each time I use a supermarket do it yourself till, I put whatever loose change I have in and pay the rest by card.

I do use card as much as I can but there's always a few things that require cash, and I feel a bit of a twat using a card for less than about a fiver, especially in small shops where the fees are likely to wipe out their profit on the sale.

@Daftapath @SomethingNastyInTheBallPool Thanks for the help. My library's not signed up :( But does look a great option for those who are.

@WobblyLondoner join a library that is in the system. You don't need to be resident in the area that the library is. I live in one county but work in another.... I have membership of both.

@Unescorted yes I guess I could .. but that stops it being a simple thing really - it's not possible to join a library where I work due to long commute, location of office & working hours.

I have a 7+ phone, ie large to hold. I have a stand which solves the holding problem.

Every time I see the duvet cover/pillowcase tip I am surprised how many people are surprised by it. Quite aside from thefact it's so flipping obvious, my mum was doing it 45 years ago, so I assume her mother was doing it before her, although that may have been just sheets and pillowcases to go with blankets.

Phone charges in main rooms, car and work bag
Pencil case in work bag containing scissors, sellotape, pens, paperclips etc as I work at home and in multiple offices
Contigo travel cup and a small locklock box in my workbag with teabags, uht milk nicked from hotels and those 2in1 coffee sachets and a breakfast biscuit.
A canvas shopping bag hung on a door near where I iron. Clothes too small or no longer loved go from the dry laundry pile into the bag. When the bag is full it goes to the charity shop
Pe kits repacked in pe bags as soon as they are washed. Drawer for club sports kit in ds’s room
Online shopping - ocado and prime and I’m just about covered
Alexa - most expensive but most useful hands free kitchen timer ever (I do use her for other stuff too)
All bills/letters to keep that arrive each month go in one envelope. Write month and year on envelope. File at start of new month
Laundry baskets separated by washing type/temp so one whites. One wool. One 40 standard wash.
Rotary washing line and a Lakeland heated airer
Shelf boxes with handles for spice jars
Old fridge drawers in the baking cupboard one with bread making stuff in. One for general baking. Put drawer on work surface. Bake. Put away.
Rewritable month planner thing on kitchen wall. All appointments written on with colours for each person and then for each person colours by activity so I have a colour for work and one for personal. Ds has one for personal, one for school and one for clubs. We also have colours for things like house appts so ocado delivery, gas man etc. The planner has a permanent list of what ds needs to check he has for school each day - if it’s on the list it isn’t my problem

Wellies and camping chair in the back of the car for sports fixtures

Internet banking, I'm aghast that we ever managed without it. DM still travels into town to "do her banking" once every couple of weeks

I have a very old savings account, it actually has a passbook and is from a local building society where I used to live so it is very difficult to take money out - which means I rarely do and smore amounts add up.

@Bunnylady53 I use 2 parking apps: Ringo & MiPermit

Re loose change - we just take the full whisky bottle to Sainsbo's and pour the coins it into the machine, which changes it into a voucher. It takes a cut, but is very low hassle and there's something quite satisfying about watching it all clunk through the machine!

@Bellasblankexpression

Oh and the readly app! A monthly
Fee and so many digital magazines to read. I’ve made loads of interesting recipes and read really interesting publications that I would never have normally come across, as well as all the usual favourites.

Thank you so much for this! I’d never heard of readly! Have just signed up for me & 4 adult kids - a brilliant idea

And thanks to @LeonoraFlorence as well, for starting the thread

So many!

Internet banking has been incredible for me. Paying people instantly. Moving money around accounts instantly. Seeing what's where.

Ocado. Incredible. Doing shop on phone abroad to arrive when we get back is amazing. Wish I'd cottoned into it sooner!

Google home, love it, spot fy etc.

Yy to change in car.

Dh has huge foot size 12,i am 4.5.

Guess what! Cheap plain black socks in his size fit me too, so we have one sock drawer for both full of asda £3 for 5 plain black socks. No more matching up ever.

Yy to over purchsing dc socks, tights and hair bands. Same with hair brushes... Have about 4 detanglers so can always find one.

Saving money into diff areas has been game changer. Having specific money to spend at weekends, so I don't feel guilty spending.

TV in bedroom.

Netflix.

Suitcase with 360 wheels!!

Actually I've given up on Readly - there was just too much choice! I found myself flicking between magazines and not actually reading anything. I have the same problem with tv.

Lots of great tips I'm taking away here but the biggest shocker for me is a monthly cleaner!

What a great idea!

Having a small basket in each bathroom with toilet duck, spare toilet roll, new soap, clean hand towel etc so that if it runs out there’s spares right there

1 set of bed linen. Wash, dry back on bed

If I'm in the office tomorrow (v early start), I lay out every item of clothing I'll need the night before. From bra and pants to shoes. Get dressed without a single bit of thinking needed.

Ditto everything that's leaving the house with me, all ready to go in one pile downstairs.

Six-plug charger with leads by front door. I now don't forget the phone, one flick turns the whole lot off at night.

ready chopped onions and garlic; cheaper, taste better.

mobile wifi - no rip-off landline fee and you never need a dodgy cafe connection ever again if you're working on the hoof.

YYY to robovac. So satisfying to watch telly while he sweats the hard stuff.

Readly is brilliant. They often have offers on - I've just got two months for 99p.

Last time I read one of these it cost me £450. Cordless vac, life changer.

Only thing is now I want a robo vac as well.

I have a quooker which has also proved life changing.