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

So, it was the Instant Pot that kick started the craze for electric pressure cookers.

I have always been a PC fan, as my Mum used one all the time and I grew up believing that soup and stew tasted better when pressure-cooked. I had stove top ones like my Mum’s.

For me, the joy of my Instant Pot is that you can put it on and leave it. I would never have walked out of the room with a stove top one, for safety reasons. You can also quick release the steam if you want to, which is not an option on a stove top. It feels safer, and I like that it leaves the hob free to do other things.

If you are not already used to PC cooking you might wonder what the benefit is. It basically cooks meats that would take hours in the oven in about 20 mins. Eg beef shin, packet says “slow cooks in 3 hours”- 20 mins in PC and it’s soft and delicious. I do chilli and bolognese in mine too and even though mince cooks quickly on hob, I feel I get a much more mature, intense flavour in the PC. It’s good for vegetables too (in a soup or stew, not as a side dish) but they can get mushy if you’re not careful. Beans (if you use dried) and dhals cook much faster too.

I don’t do gimmicky things like cheese cake, no idea how that works.

In short, it’s a fast substitute for a slow cooker.

I use the kitchen calendar to write down the main meal of the day so when you look back it gives you an idea of what meals you feeding the family and gives you inspo for future meals. It’s only month 2 of doing it but it is really helpful. It also makes you more mindful of what everyone is eating.

I am slowly decluttering my wardrobe on Vinted and loving it. It is the perfect platform for sales due to no postage costs, no printing shipping labels, easy drop off points and no real packaging costs due to using bin bags to wrap items.

I have organised my wardrobe in colour order and it makes outfit choosing so much easier.

Yes it took me a while to realise that the alexa shopping list didn't automatically order it from Amazon (I know don't judge) now I have figured out it just creates a list it's brilliant if ever I nip to a shop I can check ithe alexa app, the kids know if ever they open something new like ketchup or shampoo etc they tell alexa it's also really good for teen girls needing sanitary products (lady plasters!) they all have their own alexa so can discreetly add it on.
Loving this thread

For anyone who’s made themselves a stationary area - add in a sellotape holder and your life will be complete. Only problem is, the kids keep using it a bit too freely so I have to keep it up high.

There are also so many other options. I bought recycled/recyclable paper sandwich bags from Tescos, use clingfilm or foil and reuse it or use Bacofoil (?) brand which uses more recycled materials and also use cotton material elasticated covers for items like bowls in fridge etc. I don’t make these but could easily do it. And yesterday bought a 4 pack of compostable and reusable j cloths and use an E-cloth too. I don’t use Ecover much as gone off it but the place I bought the cloths from has a refill station for dry goods which I’m looking into trying and will try their eco friendly laundry/dishes liquid.

I do wish more big companies like supermarkets and shops (one supermarket does I think?) spearheaded a refill/reuse range. Sainsburys do sell reusable net bags for fruit and veg. Places like Savers I’d buy a lot more from if they were eco friendly. And same goes for products.

Back in the 80s we used to have pump action hair sprays (no cfcs you pressed them up and down) and Safeway where I bought this as a teenager had paper bags carrying type in arms for groceries at tills. Why don’t we do this now? They also sold an amazing mousse conditioner though too! And the original Vidal Sassoon hair products lovely almond scent.

Tell me more. What difference did it make to your life?

I’ve got a drawer in living room with wrapping paper, masking, brown tape, sellotape dispenser and marker pens along with loads of cards eg birthday and gift tags. Also bought crepe paper in different colours and patterns and will use for presents. Plus a large book of stamps lives there. And birthday book.

Thank you so much! That’s explained things to me. Sounds amazing. Your mum’s pressure cooker sounds very similar to my mum’s one!

I buy 500 thin, white freezer bags at a time from our farm shop and use them as little rubbish bags when I'm cooking. Onion peelings, stock cube wrappers, meat drip pads all go in there, then when I'm finished, tie it up and drop in the bin.
Why not just have a big bowl in the counter and dump from there into the bin, then bowl goes into the dishwasher?

A lot of this thread is “I buy things to do a specific job even though I already own something that can serve multiple purposes”.

One game-changer for me has been embracing Marie Kondo’s idea that the purpose of a gift has been served as soon as the gift is handed over: there’s no need to keep it for a bit or have it on show or use it for a set amount of time until you feel less guilty about ditching it, it can go straight out the door/into the charity box/be listed on eBay, do not pass Go. Stops the post-Christmas, post-birthday clutterguilt.

Last year in January I bought a cheap diary. Almost every day I scribbled down what we had for dinner. And a simple code as to where the recipe came from, so JO would be Jamie Oliver

Now I just flick back and there are all the meal ideas that I’d forgotten about. Really useful when you’ve had guests too as I can never remember what I cooked for them.

I also went through it at the beginning if this year and picked out the favourites.

There are also so many other options. I bought recycled/recyclable paper sandwich bags from Tescos, use clingfilm or foil and reuse it or use Bacofoil (?) brand which uses more recycled materials and also use cotton material elasticated covers for items like bowls in fridge etc.

Or just use a plate to cover, it doesn’t get much more reusable!

Another thing I do, god this sounds so anal. I buy eco friendly washable face pads and wash when needed. They then go into a jar/tin in bedroom. I also buy recycled q tips and they go into a jar in bedroom. One drawer in bathroom/bedroom is or was for sanitary towels/panty liners, plus spares of extra I buy. You do need to keep an eye on things though or you can forget what’s in there!

But no more face wipes or cotton wall balls.

I cut open conditioners in tubes to get the rest of it out (always some left) and decant into same jars I use hair masks in. Also got an old Sanctuary salt spa jar and make my own salt scrub with almond oil, pink Himalayan salt crystals and fragrance. I sometimes use avocados as hair mask. I’ve bought soaps or ask for posh ones as gifts - current faves are Upcycle ones and try to use these rather than shower gels. I’d love to use the chewy toothpaste you get. Use recycled tooth pick gloss harps. The toilet rim blocks I buy and use monthly, smells great and yes still need to use Toilet Duck toilet cleaner etc but these help keep toilet clean and fresh too.

I’ve lost too many plates that way! So will stick with my method thanks!

I'm military in my approach to buying cards so I know I'll use every one. So I go through my diary and pick a card according to person and occasion and put card in my basket.

When they arrive WF cards have a little adhesive (and importantly / easy to peel off) label around the card to keep it with its envelope as they don't always do a plastic sleeve. I then write the recipients name on this

Means I rarely overbuy. Occasionally I'll need to get a card from a supermarket but not often

Mine I learnt from McDonald's. Put several bags inside each other in your bathroom bins so when you empty it the next one is already in place.

I've had a milkman for the last 40 odd years. It is more expensive than the shop but I think it tastes nicer from a glass bottle & it's recyclable (I only have to pop the rinsed empty on the doorstep). If I realise we're low on bread for lunches then I can order on the app by 9pm & it's delivered with the milk at 3am. It stops me nipping into the shop & buying chocolate extra stuff.

Organisation and de-cluttering!

I make lists... for everything. I have different shopping lists, one for the food shop, another for presents (which I add to when I randomly think of things), one for household/diy needs, and then separate lists for each major store I may shop at occasionally (i.e. I may put lounge cushions on the Dunelm list, so that I know what I want next time I go there, which may be a few months away). It means that I don't end up wondering aimlessly around Wickes or Dunelm or M&S or Currys trying to remember what I wanted a few weeks/months ago!

Lots of organisation, such as small compartment units, small drawer units, pull out baskets, etc., for stationery, kitchen gadgets, etc. Not only does it make it easier to find stuff that isn't used often, it also highlights when things are running short, as a trigger to buy replacements (put them on the relevant shopping/store list). We've kept things like old cutlery drawers from previous kitchens and put them in the garage to organise small tools, screws/nails/nuts&bolts, etc so neither me nor hubby have to rummage through tool chests for the small stuff!

De-cluttering is a biggie. We are very strict on only keeping stuff that is either of high sentimental value or high useful value. With paperwork, we just scan and shred it, so we don't have a single paper invoice or document in the house - all backed up to dropbox. With incoming mail/post, we either deal with it straight away or if it's something that doesn't need attention, it goes straight into recycling bins. We're very harsh with things like old videos, DVDs, CDs, books, etc - we keep nothing - once read/watched, it either goes on ebay (usually as a bundle) or goes to the charity shop. All our old holiday photos have all be scanned and uploaded to dropbox and the actual photo albums ditched. We purposely don't buy cheap crap like a load of cheap naff christmas decorations, or lots of silly signs/mottos or naff ornaments, etc - not only does it save money, it also means less cleaning/dusting! It's so much easier to dust a shelf or window-sill that has a few specific keepsakes rather than full of cheap naff clutter! Same with photos on walls - we have just 1 or 2 per room - again easier to clean/dust if you've less clutter.

Yes to a previous poster for having all "long term storage" stuff organised in boxes, labelled and listed, before going up into the loft! Same with DH's "big" tools and power tools etc - not all just thrown into the shed or garage - he has it all organised in large plastic storage boxes, labelled and listed, and stacked neatly in the corner of the garage - replacement/off jigsaw blades attached in a bag to the jigsaw itself, drill bits in small storage boxes in the same large box as his power drills, etc.

The amount of time saved by just keeping and staying organised is immense and it also eases the stress of searching for things, the risk of spending money unnecessarily on replacements for things you already have, but can't find, saving the wasted time of wandering round shops trying to remember what you wanted or wasted journeys going to shops specially for something you'd forgotten etc. Life is so much calmer and stress free if you're organised!!

What a great idea! I tend to put the full roll at the bottom of the bin so when you pull out the full one, the next on the roll comes up ready to be opened and fixed around the bin, but I'll give that idea a try as it may be easier and reduce the risk of the full bag being torn when I pull it open and separate it from the next on the roll.

I'm the same, I don't buy "random" cards in case I need one. I go to the cheap card shop a couple of times a year and buy specific cards for the birthdays, anniversaries, christmas, etc., as per my list. Then I have them all in a drawer ready to be written and posted. The only "random" cards I have are a couple of bereavement cards and a couple of general congratulation cards for unforeseen events.

I buy 500 thin, white freezer bags at a time from our farm shop and use them as little rubbish bags when I'm cooking. Onion peelings, stock cube wrappers, meat drip pads all go in there, then when I'm finished, tie it up and drop in the bin.

Oh the irony. 😂 Shop at the local farm shop but quite happy to waste 500 plastic bags and could not be bothered to recycle the food waste.

No wonder our planet doesn’t stand a chance.

Sounds lovely but doesn't it cost you a fortune?

Most things become habit after doing it on repetition several times and with habit things get quicker

Ooh great idea! I have 3 adult men in the house and the sorting of pants & socks when they all look so similar is a nightmare! I will issue each of them mesh bags. 😀

I buy 500 thin, white freezer bags at a time from our farm shop and use them as little rubbish bags when I'm cooking. Onion peelings, stock cube wrappers, meat drip pads all go in there, then when I'm finished, tie it up and drop in the bin*
*
This is really wasteful. I just use an old tea towel on top of the chopping board, or small towel to do the chopping, peeling etc. when done just scoop up the tea towel and empty into bin/food recycling. Then just put the towel in with the laundry.

I make DD4 responsible for keeping socks in pairs if she wants to wear pairs; the baby just wears any old two socks. Free yourselves from the tyranny of caring about matching socks!