What’s your skill/tip that you always feel smug about when it pays off?

[PepperPepperMan]

Reading the comments on a FB page, included things like, taking boiled eggs with you on days out, taking a wet flannel out with you instead of baby wipes and hot dogs in a tea flask with rolls and sachets of ketchup.

I was always really disorganised on days out with DC what did your mum/nanna do as a little survival tip that you carried forward?

This was my nans tip but it works

If you are really cold, like you get when you've got drenched in the rain. Washing up bowl with comfortably hot water in and mustard powder. Put your feet in it while drinking a hot drink
You go from freezing to flinging windows open, it's the best thing

@NotMyCat

This was my nans tip but it works

If you are really cold, like you get when you've got drenched in the rain. Washing up bowl with comfortably hot water in and mustard powder. Put your feet in it while drinking a hot drink
You go from freezing to flinging windows open, it's the best thing

Thread winner

@HalfShrunkMoreToGo

My parents had holiday travel down to an art, we had lots of U.K. caravan holidays which required a 3-4 hour drive to get to the destination.

We would be loaded into the car at 5am, in PJs and there was "no room in the boot for the duvet" so it would have to be draped over our knees as the only place for it. Us 3 kids would be asleep within 10 minutes.

Dad would drive for 3 hours and stop at the last Little Chef on the route. At that point we'd all be woken up, off to the toilets to get changed, brush teeth and freshen up then go into little chef for a full English breakfast. Final trip to the loos then we'd drive to the the caravan park and leave the car there till check in time and take a walk to the beach. Mum would have a cool box and a bag with beach stuff right on top of everything in the boot. The cool box had ice packs, boiled eggs still in shells, chicken legs, crisps, satsumas, kitkats or penguins, cheese sandwiches, cherry tomatoes and cucumber rounds. And a big bottle of squash which had been frozen the night before so it acted as an ice pack and melted in time for lunch.

This made me feel all warm and fuzzy.

In a similar vain to the hotdogs but icecream in a food flask stays frozen for hours. Pack it down as tight as you can, then leave the full flask open in the freezer overnight. Take out and screw on lid just before you leave, then put into a mini cool bag.

Always have part baked croissants, pain au chocolat/raisen in the freezer. We had friends stay recently who we thought were shooting off early, but their activity nwas cancelled so they stayed for breakfast and I was able to pull off an impressive feast with frozen croissants etc...very handy

@Chunkymenrock

Putting a layer of frozen peas over the cooked mince before you put the mash on, in a cottage pie, is my best tip!. Stops the mash sinking in! Also works in fish pie.

I love this! My mash always sinks, no matter how "dry" I make it!

Me too!

Do up zips before putting clothes in the wash.
I haven't had a broken zip for decades.

I have had friends moan to me about zips breaking and I'm amazed they haven't been doing this.

@SweatyBetty20

It’s not a hack or anything but I have a genius cure for hiccups that a stranger did to me on the top of a London night bus when I was hiccuping because I’d drunk too much Magners too quickly. It really freaks people out when I do it. Small children are always surprised and I tell them I’m a witch.

(Tip: squeeze either side of the hiccuper’s middle fingers!)
(Tip 2: don’t explain what you are doing beforehand!)

I read this as sneeze either side of their middle fingers and thought it was unconventional but was going to try it next time my husband had hiccups!

So trying the frozen peas under mash in a cottage pie, my mash ALWAYS sinks into the meat and gravy! Brilliant tip 🤩

Always having a tissue somewhere about my person or in my bag.

Ditto tweezers. You never know when they might come in handy.

I can fold the pop up tents you take to the beach back up and into their bags in less than 10 seconds.

Dad would drive for 3 hours and stop at the last Little Chef on the route. At that point we'd all be woken up, off to the toilets to get changed, brush teeth and freshen up then go into little chef for a full English breakfast

We gave up on Little Chef when the service became unbelievably slow. When you've left early it's seriously annoying to waste an hour or more waiting for food to arrive.

When you have small DC, keep an old towel to dry wet swings/slides in the car and also a bucket and spade for unexpected sandpits. I once dug my car out of a small snowdrift with a Peppa Pig spade

I do none of the about.
couldn't imagine eating cold boiled eggs and thermostat hot dogs on days out🤢🤮

I always take wet wipes for days out (we don't do flannels), I always have tissues, chewing gum, bottle of water, plasters, hand cream, lipsalve, hairbands, safety pins, ear plugs...
(some are mum tricks, some are my own).
I have a lot more stuff in both cars.

I also carry small packets of sugar in case I ever need to help someone with hypoglycaemia. my dad was diabetic so it's because of him. I can't remember when I started doing it. probably about 7 or 8 y ago.

*none of the above

also I have painkillers and tampons too

We keep a good picnic bag in the boot. So if we decide to go on a day out we call in at the supermarket and pick up a baguette, cheese, pate, etc and end up having a fancy picnic with no bother at all. We go on a lot more days out now.

DD is often travel sick. I keep a sturdy old ice cream tub in the car with a lid to use as a sick bowl, and no worries about spillage if I am unable to stop immediately.

@AnyFucker

To stop a sneeze press hard on the groove between your nose and mouth

My pelvic floor thanks you, @AnyFucker!

@NoProblem123

So just plain sausages in a flask ? Not the rubbery ones floating in hot water. ?

I don't think they mean sausages...but the canned hot dogs. So yes, the rubbery ones.

I can't believe how many people know the hotdog trick! And proper sausages too! I thought you all meant the ones in liquid

Not these?

@Susannahmoody

Not these?

Well OP said "Hot dog sausages" which are what you've posted....she never said "Sausages" which are different...

I don't understand - why is a wet flannel in a bag good? Surely once you've used it it's mucky then you are carrying round a wet sticky flannel and then your kids need wiping again and you've only got a sandy/yucky flannel covered in goo.

No one here eats hot dogs or hard boiled eggs or even drinks hot chocolate! We are the anti life hack house!

@HalfShrunkMoreToGo

My parents had holiday travel down to an art, we had lots of U.K. caravan holidays which required a 3-4 hour drive to get to the destination.

We would be loaded into the car at 5am, in PJs and there was "no room in the boot for the duvet" so it would have to be draped over our knees as the only place for it. Us 3 kids would be asleep within 10 minutes.

Dad would drive for 3 hours and stop at the last Little Chef on the route. At that point we'd all be woken up, off to the toilets to get changed, brush teeth and freshen up then go into little chef for a full English breakfast. Final trip to the loos then we'd drive to the the caravan park and leave the car there till check in time and take a walk to the beach. Mum would have a cool box and a bag with beach stuff right on top of everything in the boot. The cool box had ice packs, boiled eggs still in shells, chicken legs, crisps, satsumas, kitkats or penguins, cheese sandwiches, cherry tomatoes and cucumber rounds. And a big bottle of squash which had been frozen the night before so it acted as an ice pack and melted in time for lunch.

This sounds like a wonderful childhood!