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!

If you have a draughty kitchen and like making yeast bread:

Warm up a crockpot.
Take out the crockpot bowl.
Wrap your bowl of doughl with a kitchen towel.
Put the wrapped bowl containing yeast dough in instead.
Cover with the lid.
Turn off the crockpot.

Still Team Freezer here, I thought of some more:

• Leftover mash potato freezes well and will reheat in the microwave so long as you freeze it flat in single portions, then move to a clingfilmed bowl.
• If there are mushrooms in the fridge on their last legs, I chop them, fry in veg oil and freeze in portions. Great for chucking, still frozen, in fried rice, bolognese etc.
• If there are a couple of slices of the old loaf left it gets turned into breadcrumbs and, yep, frozen.
• We never get through a whole tub of grated parmesan before it goes bad, so I keep it in airtight tupperware in the freezer, leaving just enough for one meal in the fridge, that then gets refilled from the freezer.
• Our local fish and chip shop has huge portions so any leftover fish gets de-battered and frozen to go in fishcakes or kedgeree at a later date. I freeze a few bits of batter too as it's lovely crisped up in a dry frying pan and crumbled on top of kedgeree.
• If you're labelling all this frozen stuff with a Sharpie, Sharpie ink comes off most (test first!) tupperware and ziplock bags with nail varnish remover, just wash well afterwards.

@BiscuitLover3678 - YYY to the cubes of frozen ginger and garlic from the ethnic section.

I want to recommend baby shampoo as a substitute for woolite for a woolen wash. Does the job in the washing machine on a gentle/delicates cycle for a fraction of the price.

We have 3 dc who take packed lunches to school but were finding mid week we were running out the extra bits, even when we buy plenty. Go to make packed lunches at 9pm...ah some bastards eaten all the babybels! Go to grab crisps and there's only 2 bags left etc. Grrr. All 3 dc are old enough to help themselves to snacks and bloody help themselves they do!

We now have a tub with lid in the fridge with a mix of baby bels/mini peperamis, individual yoghurts and fruit, counted out so there's enough to last a fortnight for 3 dc. With a big label on saying 'PACKED LUNCHES ONLY' lol.
We have the same in the cupboard with crisps, cereal bars, mini jelly pots, packets of raisins etc.

The dc know that you don't touch the fridge or cupboard packed lunch only tubs on threat of death It's made managing 15 packed lunches a week for the dc much more stress free.

Some great tips!

The other is a list of all my "live" matters with a note on the current state of play. I highlight in yellow, those that I need to keep an eye on, eg if I am waiting for someone to get back to me. The tasks that I need to do are highlighted in pink, and numbered each evening in order of priority. I also put my domestic " to dos" at the top of that one and highlight in the same way.
For some reason, I'm much more productive when my day involves changing the pink highlights to yellow!

I do similar...i can have up to 20 cases on the go at once, all at different stages, receiving regular emails for each, waiting on emails etc until you can finalise it.

I have a spreadsheet with all my cases on - just basic client name, reference, one liner description, deadline and latest date worked and update. I work the list top to bottom every day.

I highlight the ones that need action/updates in red, then change it to green when it's at a 'NFAR' point - awaiting client or internal response or someone to get back to me. When they're finished, I delete them completely. Then I spend 5 minutes at the end of every day reordering the priority so the next day I just start top to bottom again.

Takes so much of the juggling difficulties out of the equation!

The separate bags for each activity is a no brainer imo. Brownies and guides and trampolining gave the drawstring bag as part of the membership. I was delighted! Pre labelled bag!! Sometimes you get a free one as a promotional item I save those for kit bags. Exh had a habit of trying to decant into his rucksack I was 😡

@mathanxiety

If you have a draughty kitchen and like making yeast bread:

Warm up a crockpot.
Take out the crockpot bowl.
Wrap your bowl of doughl with a kitchen towel.
Put the wrapped bowl containing yeast dough in instead.
Cover with the lid.
Turn off the crockpot.

You can do the same in an Instant Pot, on the yogurt setting. Isn't the baby shampoo too "sudsy" for a washing machine?

Yes, I always thought you couldn't use any kind of shampoo in a washing machine? Maybe there are no suds in that brand.

I think you'd only use a tiny amount of shampoo for wool. I use a cashmere wash in the machine and it specifies a teaspoonful per 4 litres. When I have put in more it foams up dramatically! So just a tiny bit. Baby shampoo is often recommended for cashmere and silk fibres.

@NoEffingWay can you link to or send a pic of the mop you bought please? Been to shop and can only see a massive vileda one, or spray mops which I don't want.

Thank you

I once left a bit of washing up liquid on a dish that had been soaked and put it in the dishwasher. I came in to find suds all over the floor. It was like the story of the magic porridge pot!

I'm constantly half a day ahead of myself.

I prep lunches/uniforms/overnight instapot porridge the night before.

Before school I prep afternoon snacks/start dinner/etc.

1st day of every month I buy birthday/occasion presents/cards for that month.

This means when something unexpected happens there's reduced stress because all the chores are done for that period of time.

Also works when I'm having a lazy day or feeling under the weather.

My aim is to be my future self's best friend.

This is a good idea and something I aspire to.
I used to buy all birthday cards for the year from an outlet card place. I loved feeling organised.

I store drinks for packed lunches and some crisps etc in my car.

Thought of another one. Put small ‘bathroom’ pedal bins in your dcs room. The ones with a plastic inner bucket in and a lid. On the day before bin day get them to empty the inner bit in the main bin. Done. Don’t need bags as nothing has been in there too long.

@boardbored the problem with that it all has to be sorted into recycling bins and mine couldn’t be bothered so I don’t let them have bins now. We have a 3 compartment bin in the kitchen so they can recycle in one place, just the once.

@Benjispruce5

Good point - will have to look out for that. Tho the bins are small so mainly paper

My washing machine (it’s a Samsung if anyone cares) actually has a recommendation on the Wool cycle to use a grated bar of soap if there is no specific wool detergent available. Which makes sense I guess, my mum used to buy soap flakes for delicates.

Inspired by a PP, if we have chips from the chippy I freeze the leftover ones. Heat up from frozen on a crisper tray. They are lovely!

@Leftbutcameback

Inspired by a PP, if we have chips from the chippy I freeze the leftover ones. Heat up from frozen on a crisper tray. They are lovely!

To add to this - leftover chips are amazing in a Spanish tortilla the next day. Just heat them up in the oven then pour eggs over and bake.

@Snoopsnoggysnog great idea!

I don’t understand how you get leftover chips in the first place but they sound like good ideas 😂

@DifficultBloodyWoman I thought the same. Bit like the idea of freezing leftover wine into ice cube trays for cooking with.

My aim is to be my future self's best friend.

This is honestly the best advice I've read in a long time x