Boring tips and tricks which have made your life easier.

[NoEffingWay]

Inspired by the purchase of a flat mop thing from wilkos with removable washable pads, and some method spray and mop bottle. No longer am I wrestling with a dirty looking mop, a kettle and a mop bucket. It took 5 minutes, the house smells like rhubarb (!) and the floor is shiny as.

Any more time-saving, life changing tips for me? I seriously hate mopping so this has made me a lot happier and life's most boring jobs!

About to be a FTM so this thread has been amazingly helpful! Definitely going to try the idea for soaking paper instead of shredding!

[quote Maireas]@TwoLeftSocksWithHoles - that sounds like a good idea. I keep one of those small plastic tubs (often come with takeaway sauces) and fill it with my own blood.
I get a pen and dip it in to write similar types of communication.
I may use your letters hack, though. Cheers [/quote]
Maireas I must warn you that using your own blood on threatening letters is risky. Your DNA would give you away to any smart police officer. Make sure you use someone else's blood or, failing that, green ink (old school). Btw you can use your own blood as a fertilizer for your tomatoes/roses, and save £££££.

At this rate, I might send the bloody meter reading off today. Madness!

@Jenbyfish

About to be a FTM so this thread has been amazingly helpful! Definitely going to try the idea for soaking paper instead of shredding!

Burning it is easier (if you have a fireplace).

@BoredZelda

I always carry £30 in cash with me. Always.

How does this work? You buy something worth 2.20, get home and put 2.20 in your purse to make it up to 30 quid?

Yes! I've got a box full of coins at home so if I spend some of the £30, I'll come home and make it up to £30 again! I have terrible short-term memory and frequently forget my purse at home. Having the £30 (in a separate zipped section of my bag) reassures me that I can still have a sandwich, pay for bus fare if needed and/or get little ones a snack or two if we're out (and if my planning has gone to pot for the day).

[quote BIWI]@sashh

Mailmerge - also you can print directly onto the envelopes rather than labels

Yes, it's mailmerge we use but it seems to be very complicated. However, despite DH being ex-IT, all things tech always seem to be complicated, so I'm going to have a look at doing it myself, given how long we have before Christmas![/quote]
@BIWI think it may be more of a husband issue than a Mail merge issue 😀

My general rule with computer stuff is that if I can do it then it's not that hard, and I can do a Mail merge. Sometimes have to review and correct a field I've incorrectly selected but there's wizard tools that take you through it step by step in Word.

Sharpie the top of jar lids with the date you opened them. Then you'll know if that jar of marmalade in the fridge has been open one year month or two.

You may are definitely be right there @HalfShrunkMoreToGo!

Drives me to distraction whenever a new piece of tech arrives in this house.

I use a dishmatic filled with flash bathroom to clean bath sink and shower😊

When I travelled a lot I had an expensive spray that you could use to make creases drop out of your clothes - just spray, smooth with your hands and hang. I now realise that very dilute fabric conditioner in a recycled spray bottle does exactly the same thing. Invaluable if you don't really need to get the iron out but there's just a little crease/fold that's spoiling the whole thing.

Take all clothes from the washing machine and hang on hangers to dry - bingo - no more ironing ever

My simple tip is this. Instead of just setting an alarm on your phone to remember something, I use descriptions or labels. That way you can use lots of alarms to remember different things without getting confused.

I do that! Thought it was just me!

I find the calendar reminder noises not loud/annoying/persistent enough to kick my arse!

I have 2 for the morning - one is a gentle sound one isn't for if I'm not stirring quickly enough!!

Also use it for when I need to phone someone (for some reason it OCCURS to me to make these calls when the places are shut so I set an alarm to remind me when they're open!)

Car parking is an excellent use (I don't have car at the moment)

I have one for my evening meds too in case I've dozed off without taking them

I also have one to remind me to review and update online Tesco order the day before by which point I know what I do and don't need

My washing machine has a time delay, I set it for the following day so it finishes as I get in from work.

Washers shouldn't be run while unattended they're still a fire hazard

Do it now and don't procrastinate.

Yes exactly ppe gloves. Work a treat @unsure33

Interesting contribution @TwoLeftSocksWithHoles you have now outed yourself as the author of the letter I received berating me for REDACTED FOR ANONYMITY

I haven't seen these mentioned but love threads like this.

When opening frozen veg etc in bags cut a 1cm strip right across the whole top of the bag and then use said strip of bag to tie around the neck of the bag as a fastener to stop the remaining contents spilling out in the freezer.
Also works for packets in cupboards too.

After washing up we pop our damp pots/ trays et. back in the oven to dry properly from the residual oven heat .

Milkman saves extra spending on us popping to the coop .

Grate leftover bits of cheese ( any sorts) into a tub and freeze for sauces etc

Whoever mentioned the microfibre cloths for wiping down after cleaning. Oh I love you. We rent and have shiny black tiles in the kitchen which have been streaky and annoying for months, but now they’re shiny again!

Yes! I have two singles on my double bed.

Tip to keep the wheelie bins clean. Either use soapy water that you have used for dishes or pots etc or use rainwater collected in barrels. Put about a gallon in the bottom of the bin and it keeps the bin clean and smell free. Have been doing this for 10 plus years and it works!

@TeaandStrumpets - excellent advice, thank you!
I'll use animal blood.

@wsbts

Tip to keep the wheelie bins clean. Either use soapy water that you have used for dishes or pots etc or use rainwater collected in barrels. Put about a gallon in the bottom of the bin and it keeps the bin clean and smell free. Have been doing this for 10 plus years and it works!

Do you permanently have soapy water in the bottom? I'm not sure how that works.

[quote Maireas]@TeaandStrumpets - excellent advice, thank you!
I'll use animal blood. [/quote]

@Maireas The soapy water is the waste water from the kitchen sink basin that can be used in the bin!

@Maireas When the wheelie bin is upside down and emptied the water is used clean the bin. It works.

[quote wsbts]@Maireas When the wheelie bin is upside down and emptied the water is used clean the bin. It works.[/quote]
Ah right thanks. I've been faffing around with buckets and mops