Tell me at one or two small thing you've done to make your life easier

[listsandbudgets]

I've done 2 this year

1. I've unsubscribed / marked as spam from nearly all my mailing lists. Now my inbox is an oasis of calm and I don't spend what feels like hours every week wading through emails I don't want My spam file is brimming over!
2. I found a sharpie and (once I was sure they were the right way round!) labelled my double fitted sheets with side and top - wish I'd done this years ago not having to shuffle them about trying to work out which way up they go

I got them from Amazon. I can't do a link but they are the BYKITCHEN Air Fryer Parchment Paper Liner. They come in different sizes.

We do a weekly meal plan and shopping list and then shop once a week from the list. Saves a fortune

@twopencepetula Both things. I used to be tortured with I should do this, ought to do that. Just stop! 😊You either do or you don't. So when u felt statement like I should or ought to do something, I'd solve it by doing it or commuting a time to it or removed the pressure from my life by saying "No, enough, no should or ought - it stops now." Pressure off. You either do or you edit out.
It's all about living purposefully and if we as women keep living under the yoke of I should this, ought to that, it robs you of peace and leaves you beating yourself up.
Game changer.

At the risk of sounding unkind (but with the intention of saying something you need to hear), watching back every single journey you make has NOT cured your driving anxiety, it's enabling it. It's a crazy thing to have to do every time you drive. It's a constant activity that effectively doubles every journey you make, as you have to relive it every single time. Please get some proper help for this, whether it's refresher lessons, or seeing a counsellor about the fear.

Having a dash cam is great, but you should only need to check it when you're in an actual accident.

Thanks @Barney16 I have just ordered the parchment liners.

FINALLY sorted my finances into 2 banking accounts - all bills in one account and every month enough money goes in there to cover all bill direct debits.

The 2nd account is for shits and giggles where I portion out savings for holidays etc and fun spends.

Works like clockwork now for the past 6 months - I no longer go overdrawn, now am building up a savings pot and just generally have a handle on my finances.

It's only taken me to the age of 60 to get my act and overdraft together and head out of the sand.

Actually my grown up daughters idea, I have very few flashes of brilliance myself!
When I had to empty my airing cupboard when the new boiler was fitted,my daughter sorted all the bedding ( matching duvet covers,pillow cases and sheets) and put it all folded inside one of the pillow cases. So you just reach for the complete kit!
I'm easily pleased!

If you have plugs that sometimes need to share a socket - write on the back of the plug what the appliance.
If the plug is black put a white label on it.

@Skyview7 thanks for this. I like this idea.

@twopencepetula Both things. I used to be tortured with I should do this, ought to do that. Just stop! 😊You either do or you don't. So when u felt statement like I should or ought to do something, I'd solve it by doing it or commuting a time to it or removed the pressure from my life by saying "No, enough, no should or ought - it stops now." Pressure off. You either do or you edit out.
It's all about living purposefully and if we as women keep living under the yoke of I should this, ought to that, it robs you of peace and leaves you beating yourself up.
Game changer.

Me too - I was feeling stressed with all the news, so I stopped watching tv news, and get my news fix from BBC news website - so I can choose the news items I see and avoid the ones that I can’t cope with.

Thank you for this thread, OP and posters... picked up some really useful stuff on here, three items out everyday is going to be a gamechanger.

I was ruthless with my wardrobe, it is now in sections, dresses, shirts, skirts etc, with each section in rainbow colour order, starting in white and ending in black (which takes away the winter navy or black quandary).

I knit and sew a lot, so I now store everything in picnic hampers, which look great and I have brown paper luggage labels with the contents, tied to the handles.

Finally, check you underwear, if your whites are grey, chuck them, you deserve to feel good and bright... do a gentle white wash in a pillow case separate from any other colours, although I will allow nude at a push!

Mine isn't a great tip but it keeps my sanity. I work long hours full time. I used to spend all weekend cooking, cleaning and washing/ironing. I had no life. Now I spend 1 hour each evening doing all that and have the entire weekend to pursue my interests.

I saw all these people saying they had written on their bedsheets - I was going to do it and found this on one of my sheets.

I have started getting up as soon as my alarm goes off, that means I have 30 mins extra a day. 😘

I wipe down bathroom sink and mirror every morning before I shower

Before bed I empty the dishwasher, ensure all benches are clean and tidy, and lay out clothes for the morning

I eat the same breakfast every day

I only wear black trousers to work and have five tops I mix on rotation

I have set days where I vacuum before bed

I put bin liners under the liner in use to minimise changes

I listen to podcasts on my commute instead of the news

The jars are also good for say, keeping fresh tinned items as apparently - and again, I learned that you shouldn't keep items in their cans once open, something about the metal oxidising and seeping into contents. Sure someone v v knowledgeable will come along and explain better

Old holey socks - put on your hand like a glove and run along Venetian blinds to dust them. I do a few lines then roll it over, do another few and roll again then keep going until the sock is done then turns it inside out and use it on another few lines this time folding it over. You'll probably do about 10 lines or sock then bung in the wash

I changed it to “need” and “want to”.

EG, it’s a nice sunny day and I think “I should go outside”. Then I reframe it and make myself think “do I want to go outside? Do I need to go outside?” Helps with the guilt!

@cardibach when you add birthdays (including several nieces and nephews on each side$ mother and father's days, anniversaries they add up believe me. Don't think I'm alone I'm getting through this many cards, surely?

I am old school though and love sending cards still!

just thought of another one!

Ive done the bedlinen sets in a pillowcase for years, and what I also do is rather than folding towels in the cupboard, I roll them up, it makes pulling out 1 or 2 much easier and doesn’t mess up the pile if they’re not the set on the top

Marking my place on here. I bought a box of mixed cards but will never use 50% of them so am off to whistlefish. Places for things is my biggest issue. There's loads that has no home and thus my house is a pig sty and I hate it

No revelations here, but this is what I do to make my life easy:

Don’t use the loft.
Chuck out excess clothes so the drawers are never full, and putting laundry away is easy.
Same applies to cups, cutlery etc.
Online food shop.
Find a job five mins away.
Hire a nanny instead of nursery, so no drop-offs.
Make lunch for work the night before.

Use Amazon Prime (we’re rural).
Turn off notifications for group chats. If someone wants me; they can message me directly.

Things that work for me:
Unfollowing anyone who posts off topic or too much.
Only buying what we need.
Keeping on top of larder contents and not wasting anything.
Every quarter have sell, donate or dump for household.
Keep on top of dishwasher
Planner on fridge for family
Keeping surfaces clear. Difficult sometimes but so worth it.
Dump zones on cupboard in hall way and basket in stairs. Nowhere else.
Really useful boxes for Christmas and birthday things, Lego sets, craft crap.
NOBODY is allowed to go to bed without tidying after themselves, having bag packed for following day, clothes out ready.
Given up on a throwing out empty packets rule. Ditto replacing loo paper.

Quit Facebook

Clean 1 room/area a day, for example:
Monday - bathroom(s)
Tuesday - main bedroom
Wednesday - second bedroom
Thursday - third bedroom/office
Friday - hallway, stairs, landing
Saturday - garden (pet hutches and dog turds)
Sunday - kitchen/utility room
Each room can take anywhere from 20 mins to an hour but even 5-10 mins a day reduces weekend cleaning!
Clean the fridge before main food shop.
Meal planning, batch cooking, shopping lists. Frozen veg and fruit have saved a small fortune and also less waste. (I put a handful of frozen blueberries/raspberries in the fridge before bed and they’re defrosted by breakfast).
Frozen soffrito mix for bolognese, lasagne etc. Saves so much time chopping and again waste! Same with jars of garlic and ginger.
Laundry - I don’t have set areas of my drawers/wardrobe aside from underwear drawer. If it’s clean it just gets hung or folded wherever I have space.