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?

@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.

I think I love your mum and dad.

It’s lovely how many people have commented on the simple delights of Halfshrunkmoretogo’s post.

We should remember how nice it sounds when trying to organise more complex, expensive family holidays which end up in stress and food poisoning!

@HalfShrunkMoreToGo Proper nostaligic holidays, love it!

I always keep a couple plasters (elastoplasts) in my phone case. I have used them so many times, on sore feet where shoes have rubbed, grazed knees etc which would otherwise affect a day out. I also use surgical tape on ankles or toes where shoes are likely to rub before it even happens as a preventative measure.

About 25 years ago I bought a thermos cool bag designed for a 2l bottle which we have used ever since. Brilliant.

For days out we sometimes use those water containers that are like a bag with a sports top on. We fill with cold water and hang them on the outside of a backpack or a buggy with the attached caribiner and once empty they roll up small and can be popped in a pocket.

Freezing bottles of water for a picnic, they act as coolers in the bag and keep cold when drinking. I've also done this with. Squash for the kids. Frozen squeezy yogurts too. My mum used to make sandwiches in batches, wrap in clingfilm and freeze. So when we needed them for school or a picnic she'd just whip them out the freezer and they'd defrost in no time and keep everything else cool.

I never fancy a pre-frozen sandwich. But should try it before judging!

@AtlasPine I used to find that the cling film had an odd smell after freezing, but the sarnie was fine (the smell didn't transfer) as long as it was something simple like cheese or peanut butter.

Lots of great ones here. i'm about to go camping with a 13 month old for the first time and am feeling inspired (but still scared).

My hack is if you want to rapidly chill white wine, beer etc is to wrap it in kitchen towel or tea towel, wet it all and put in the freezer. The surrounding material freezes almost immediately and then super chills the bottle with 20 minutes. Has rescued many an event

I once went round to a friends house at New year and we did fake midnight at 10pm for their 4 year old. She felt she was staying up late but wasn't over tired as she would be by midnight. Amazing.

Having a lightweight packable raincoat in the car or handbag for sudden showers or to sit on rather than sitting on a possibly wet bench or grass- though love the plastic bag idea instead
Lunch in a thermos flask or cool bag with ice packs
Keeping tissues, pads, coins, hair bands in every bag I have so only need to switch purses between them
Wellies in the car just in case weather gets bad or decide on going for a spontaneous walk
Keeping some make up at work
Having wet wipes at work, in the car and at home
Keeping scissors tape blu tack calculator tweezers pen pencil ruler sewing kit etc in a pencil case in the car when going to events
Having a hand mirror in bag
Having a spare change of clothes in the car
Always bring suncream, sunglasses
Have a puzzle book and pen for journeys or when waiting around- may need multiple depending on your family
Long wear nail polish

I have a camping towel that folds up in its own little bag to almost nothing which is really useful for days out, wet feet, sitting on, drying hands etc

I've done the hotdog thing at the drive in cinema. Amazing! But with vegetarian hot dogs as I'm veggie.

Just a thought on people talking about how disgusting jar hot dogs are. I'm almost certain there are fresh ones in a sort of vacuum sealed bag. So alternatives to the jar or tin.

@Michellebops

Really simple but when attending an all day wedding I always make up some sandwiches. Especially if not part of the wedding party, and you're left for hours between the service and the meals that it's usually canapés or nibbles which let's be honest if it was an early afternoon wedding there's a chance you've missed lunch with hair/make up and getting everyone organised.

Came in handy so many times 🙌🏻

But where do you eat them?! Are you sneakily gobbling down a sandwich in the loo or just brazenly getting out your picnic in the middle of the reception?!

Forcing my 2 sons to learn my mobile phone number off by heart when they got to 4 years old. Has stood them in good stead many many times (before they had their own phones and got lost at butlins, lost their phone, battery died, no signal)

Loving these! For the hot dog skeptics, you want the Hertz hot dogs that are kept in the fridge. Unfortunately they are plastic wrapped they are much nicer than the tinned/jarred in brine ones. A different experience altogether. If in doubt we look for the highest meat content.

@MrsPerfect12

Microwave a turnip before trying to cut. I do mine in 2, 4 min blasts whilst I prep of the meal. It's so easy to cut and saves your wrist.

Are you from the north and mean a swede? (I had a northern mum and a southern dad!)

@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 can stop hiccups by concentrating. Hiccups are caused by a twitch in your diaphragm which is a flat muscle between your lungs and abdomen. I picture that muscle, concentrate on holding it still for about 45 seconds and voila! I told a friend about this and she didn't believe me until I proved it. Am I just weird?

They can be cured by promising yourself a huge bar of chocolate after the tenth hiccup. They always stop before ten then. 😦😄

Love this thread!
Using a dishmatic (washing up wand) to give the shower a scrub. I do this a couple of times a week, squeegee the screen and spray the daily shower spray after my shower and now don't have to do the dreaded deep clean once a week (more like forthnight, tbh!). Life changed!! 😂😂

A couple of times when we have had a long drive to get to a self catering holiday destination I have put a frozen chicken in the cool box, along with a frozen bottle of milk, some potatoes and vegetables (and of course a bottle of white wine). It saves us the stress of knowing we can have a cup of tea/coffee and a nice meal that night even if we can’t make it to the supermarket.

@AtlasPine

Always amazes me how many households have cupboards for putting away contents of dishwasher dotted randomly round the kitchen. If you assign the cupboards & drawers nearest the washer to keep plates, cups, glasses, cutlery and other dishwashable items, you can unload the whole lot in a few moments.

Also love the idea of having two dishwashers instead of cupboards and just use from one and load into other, then reverse. Not sure if it would work though! You’d run out of cups before using all the plates and end up rewashing clean things I think.

I used to clean for a couple who had two large built in fridges in their kitchen. I always envied them, especially at Christmas!

I have a 'parking purse' - small purse full of change because I found I never had coins to pay for parking/tips in restaurants etc. My colleagues laughed when I told them but now quite a few have done the same!

We once planned a holiday in the UK quite a drive away so decided to be early in the morning and just lift the DC in their PJs and give them a duvet for the car to hopefully allow them to sleep again.

The loved it. They still talk about it now many years later and want to do it again. Funny how some things become fond memories.

@SciFiScream

We once planned a holiday in the UK quite a drive away so decided to be early in the morning and just lift the DC in their PJs and give them a duvet for the car to hopefully allow them to sleep again.

The loved it. They still talk about it now many years later and want to do it again. Funny how some things become fond memories.

As a young mum (rather too many years ago) one of my fondest memories is driving to go on holiday with my children all tucked up in duvets and pjs on the back seat. It felt so cozy. I like caravans and canal boats for the same reason - all snuggled up together.

@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.

Wow! I'm so impressed with how well organised your parents were!

@SciFiScream

We once planned a holiday in the UK quite a drive away so decided to be early in the morning and just lift the DC in their PJs and give them a duvet for the car to hopefully allow them to sleep again.

The loved it. They still talk about it now many years later and want to do it again. Funny how some things become fond memories.

When DM lived 6 hours drive away, we often did this. We’d stop for breakfast and to get dressed on the way. My dc were often not the only children in pyjamas at Hopwood Park services!