Life hacks, day to day time saving tips, common sense to you but not to others?

[Namechange8123]

I've had a search and can only find (years) old threads along these lines, so I've started a fresh one.

What are your day to day life hacks that make things easier? Could be common sense to you, but others could benefit?

My contributions are freezing lemons and limes to double up with your ice in your gin, layer the cot sheets in DC cot with another sheet and bed mat so if they have an accident, you whip the top layer off and don't have to remake the bed, tin foil behind the radiators...

What do you have?

Mine is maybe a bit morbid - sorry!

Have a 'funeral outfit' prepared. Not for ones own funeral, well only if you want, but for funeral of someone close. Where I live, funeral it typically within 2-3 days and I could not think of anything worse in those circumstances than having to go shopping to find a suitable outfit. And online ordering can also be a bit iffy...

Also have a 'hospital bag' made up for emergencies. Pj's, toothbrush, underwear, a towel, flip flops etc. Just a grab bag. God forbid if you take unwell and as the ambulance is carting you away they shout to your partner to pack a bag... Had that experience! Sexy pj's & a thong whilst dealing with ruptured ovarian cysts aren't the most suitable of hospital wear!

Have a torch exactly where you know where to find it in the dark, saves accidents looking for it when you have a power cut.

This is from pre-covid but... I’m working and alone with the children during the week so like to make mornings easy.
I like to put out breakfast the night before. I have a tray with cereal boxes, bread and jam which I put out as I clear up after supper and as I empty the dishwasher I just put out plates, bowls and spoons on the table. Lovely to come down to breakfast in the morning

Also have a 'hospital bag' made up for emergencies

This is not as far fetched as it sounds. I tend to sleep in short nightwear or t shirts - NOTHING I would ever want to be seen in.

A couple of years ago I went into hospital at very short notice via casualty. OH had to bring me something to wear the next day.

Omg he brought me up my 12 year old sons heavy winter pyjama bottoms ( it was the middle of a heatwave ) an old t-shirt and a pair of gritty flip flops. In the grand scheme not important but it did not help.
You never know when you might need to go to hospital ( particularly now unfortunately) at the very least I have vowed to always have something that is suitable to wear in a hospital, tucked away in my drawers. And I do.

• Put a couple of kitchen roll sheets at the bottom of the bin to catch bin juice
• photograph / screenshot tickets, school letters, important info in endless WhatsApp threads such as a postcode, place to meet, etc.
• fold washing into individual piles for each family member
• shake wet washing out before hanging it up to dry to reduce creases
• keep important (paper) documents in document sleeves inside a folder

Also:

• Use cleaned honey or jam jars to store leftovers and opened tin contents
• keep all library books and our library cards in a bag, so we can just grab the whole thing when the books are due for return

When you take your bedding off, do the poppers/ buttons back up so pillow cases and sheets don't get caught inside.

I got that from a random tinder account and wondered why I was never clever enough to figure it out myself

Buy one colour sock packs.
Clear up before you go to bed.

@ArtieFufkinPolymerRecords
Or you could just be pleased that someone had taken the time and effort and expense of sending you a card.

The talk of hospital bags and funeral outfits* (both great ideas BTW) has made me think of another quite 'dark' thing that would be worth preparing for (my job has an emergency planning aspect so I do spend a lot of time thinking 'what's the worse that could happen', sorry for the downer on an otherwise fun, lighthearted thread).

Think about what you would do if you woke up in the middle of the night and your house was on fire, because getting out quickly and not going back in to rescue family members, pets etc massively increases your chance of survival.

Perhaps talk about this with older DC so if the worst happens and you scream at them in the middle of the night to get out of the house, they do it, leaving you to help younger DC, try and get the dog out, if you can, or whatever.

Where are the keys?
Do you have more than one door if your first choice is blocked?
Does anyone have mobility issues that would delay their exit?

Lots of other considerations and I think local fire services provide advice, probably best to look on local fire service website.

• people might be interested to know that BBC news etc carry out regular rehearsals to deal with the death of a senior royal or similarly prominent public figure, including trying on of sombre clothing that they would wear to report the sad news.

@barbaraofseville ddad used to be a fire officer and when we were kids he had what he termed an “oh shit” backpack. In case something happened in the house.

I have one in our house too. It’s got changed of clothes for everyone, nappies for the dc, space blankets, torches, basic first aid kit (plasters paracetamol etc) Swiss Army knife, bottled water, cereal bars, some cash, wet wipes, and a phone charger.

Dsis has one too but hers has a fold up escape ladder (she lives in an apartment) ddad was very smug when he bought the ladder for her.

I’ve also got copies of passports etc on my phone and saved to my cloud drive. And on my pc at work. Just in case I ever need them.

Not hospital bags but DH has always had to travel at short notice as do I now. We both keep a small suitcase packed with: toiletry bag with contents up to date, charger, underwear, nightwear, etc., so all that has to go in are clothes. Oh, and we always have emergency Euros.

Brightly coloured ribbon tied in a bow on suitcases. So much easier to spot on the carousel.

Some brilliant tips here!

All of mine probably seem quite obvious, but i definitely find they save time -

Odd sock boxes, two mini drawer organiser boxes one for us one for DC. When sorting the washing any odd socks go into the box, when sorting the next load it's then easier to find their sock mate and pair up!

When washing is dried on the line I take out the hangers so clothes can be put straight onto a hanger and hung up straight away.

Cleaning products kept in a basket so you can take the basket to the room being cleaned instead of going back and forth for individual products. Remember to keep a dust cloth with the polish too, or a window cloth with window cleaner etc.

Using a nearly empty bottle of squash and adding water to make a bottle of pre-made squash to keep in the fridge. Means the DC can just help themselves to the pre-made and pour straight into a cup.

Not really a groundbreaking piece of advice but when I was pregnant with my DS, my mum always told me to have baby bag packed at all times (night before if going out the next morning etc) - soon realised why as we rushed out to a doctors appointment which ended up in hospital and the little shops in the hospital can be sooo expensive to get things like nappies or wipes (didn't have baby bag packed with these as didn't realise) so now I always ensure I have bag packed and all would need to put in would be his water cup..

Also I was shocked to find in the GHD straighteners they have a two point plug (unsure if this is the right word) that can fit in abroad sockets if you just screw the three point plug off

Whenever we get a new piece of furniture we sellotape the Allen key to the bottom in case it needs tightening.
And when moving and disassembling furniture, put it in a bag and tape it to one of the pieces. Along with instructions if necessary.

Brightly coloured ribbon tied in a bow on suitcases. So much easier to spot on the carousel.
I bought very bright, highly patterned luggage instead. Saves trying to identify the exact ribbon used, among the hundreds of other people using the same trick. And the pattern won't get torn off by accident either.

You can also buy personalised stretchy covers which have the added bonus of keeping things together if your case bursts/gets damaged.

At work I'm often sent out to the warehouse to get stock for the shelves. So I take a photo on my phone of the shelves before I go, so I can see what's missing when I'm out at the back and filling up a trolley. Quicker than writing it down or popping in and out.

Might be useful around the house too, take photos of cupboard contents, fridge contents before shopping so you don't buy a million tins of beans (!Yep, been there). Or of your wardrobe so you know how many of something you have in each colour when you need to buy something - and can match the colours while you're there (I know phone picture colours aren't always an exact match but it's often good enough).

I tried the dishwasher cutlery basket trick last night. Much more efficient!!

Grate ginger and freeze in ice cube trays. Store in box in freezer. Slice chillies and freeze. These were both ingredients that I was forever finding, languishing and furry, at the bottom of the salad drawer. Now I always have them when needed, and one piece of ginger of pack of chillies lasts for ages.

@TinklyLittleLaugh

How on earth can you cut a quiche before you cook it? It’s liquid!

I think they are talking about shop bought quiche

I think they are talking about shop bought quiche

SURELY NOT! This is Mumsnet, fgs!

YouLando Don't waste money on buying binoculars - simply stand closer to the object that you wish to view.

@Zaphodsotherhead

I think they are talking about shop bought quiche

SURELY NOT! This is Mumsnet, fgs!

Not shop bought quiche!!!!

#DemolitionBarbie - an old one from Viz Top Tips 😁

So sorry for dragging shop bought quiche on this thread. I'm hanging my head in shame whilst I spend the afternoon on the naughty step. Can I redeem myself by saying I only buy posh quiche or shall I just LTB right now??!!

When you're down tto your last five fags, buy another packet