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 don't have room in a fridge for a pan or casserole! Everything needs to go in reused take away containers, a covered bowl or a ziplock bag.

You'd need an enormous fridge to have space for a casserole dish or two, wouldn't you?

I'm also wondering how many pans @StrawberryJellyBelly owns that she can keep a couple in the freezer. And how big a freezer...

Maybe I'm just storing stuff inefficiently.

I'll fight for my right to bung a cooled half-finished lasagne in the fridge in its Pyrex dish! That's why they have lids! Probably not a saucepan, mind you

I'll be honest, Carter, I'd fight for my right to stand at the counter with a fork late at nioght when no one is looking and scoff lasagne leftovers. Getting it to the fridge is doing well!

WORD. But then what's for breakfast?

I was exactly like this, you need to switch your thinking and when you clear out a cupboard or something deal with whatever doesn't live there straight away then you don't get swamped in piles that inevitably get chucked back in because you can't finish or the piles themselves get too big to deal with, I used to think why go put this where it goes when I know there are 10 more things for that place, I may as well do it in one go but it doesn't always happen or you have too much stuff for that place and then you've another spot to sort. So take it to where it goes straight away then whenever you have to stop its in a better state than when you started.
Listen to Dana K White she's great, while you're cleaning of course!

That's just 'most peoples way'

I have started my Scandinavian Death Sweep by selling my vintage set of Spode. Family won't have to worry about that in the future 😀

Cut off the base of a large yoghurt pot.

Shove this into the top of a plastic bag to keep it open while you ladle stuff into it before freezing.

I have perfected my online food shop- I have one shop per month for non perishable non food (toilet roll, detergent, washing up liquid etc etc) I have one shop for fresh food a fortnight and have a ten day meal plan (3 days leftovers, 1 day eat out/cupboard raid/similar). Life is busy with work and two toddlers so it's the same proteins each week but change up the carbs (so tacos or noodles or rice etc depending on recipe). I just add the whole shop to my order and check it out. Delivery saver pass paid for monthly and the same slot means it's on the Google calendar synched to both our phones and we predictably know what day the shop comes and thats blocked out so no schedule clashes.

For me, it’s planning ahead: at the end of a DIY project I’d make sure the drill is charged, anything I used the end of (sandpaper, rawl plugs) is restocked, tidy it all up. So next time I do a DIY job, it’s all there ready and I wouldn’t have to stop and charge the drill. Plus if I know I’m doing DIY at lunchtime on Tuesday, I factor in checking all the bits at the weekend so I can problem solve ahead of time. The same way you check you’ve got all the ingredients for a recipe before you start chopping and frying anything.

I also wouldn’t do a big organisation project like Marie Kondo or emptying junk drawers or demolishing a shed or anything that causes chaos unless my time is guaranteed: so not during a busy work week, or the week before half term, or when anyone in the house has so much as sniffed.

Also tidy before you start: DP is a demon for leaving breakfast mess on the counter then trying to empty the clean dishwasher in amongst it then trying to use the drill on top of all that. Tidy up one thing then do the next. Pack up a project that gets interrupted and start over the next time: it’s not duplicating labour, it’s preventing chaos.

Kitchen used to annoy me as far too many dishes in the plate cupboard. Casserole or serving dishes precariously balanced etc. Dragged them all out and only put back what I use on a reg basis. Put the Christmas dishes down to the utility room in a cupboard (or box in a loft or shed depending on your space). Threw out any chipped or charity shopped others. I now use my nice plates as goodness knows who I was keeping them for. They are in the plate rack.
Also if you have a cupboard in the living room for papers, sort them and keep stack of A4, new pens, heavy sellotape dispenser, parcel tape. Parcel tape is great to strengthen a box as have lifted a box of my grans old China before and the bum fell out….cue some smashed China that I wanted to keep!

They are pricey but meal boxes (Mindful Chef and Hello Fresh) really work for us. Basically outsourcing meal planning for 3 dinners a week. Good to reduce food waste too. We just buy for the 2 adults as our son eats earlier than us during the week and it’s easy to plan for him.

More or less, yes.

Fro example, Nigella one pot lemon chicken, BBC herby sausage and lentil, BBC bean, kale and proscuito stew etc.

All the above to show it s not always mush or liquid!

I always put the pan in the fridge - if it is a casserole dish or some other cooking dish (not a pot). Most have lids I pop on, otherwise I use cling film or I have big stretchy silcone lids. Otherwise I am washing a storage container as well. I also don't like storing in plastic so it helps avoid that.

This is genius

DS had a trip with Beavers to a fire station. Several important lessons, but the one which has stayed with me years later…

clear the fire exits/stairs/hallway before bed.

I now do this every night (usually it’s just taking something up which has been left on the stairs) plus added bonus of a little tidy up. I’m not talking a massive amount, just whatever might trip you up in an emergency in the dark.

I put pans in the fridge. I just suddenly realised one night that it makes a whole lot more sense than moving it all into a container, washing the pan, then moving it back into the pan and washing the container 😂 Most of my pans fit with the lid on, the tall ones fit with a plate on top.

I'm not organised enough to make a funnel out of a yoghurt pot, so I put my freezer bag in a jug and fold the edges out so I can tip the stuff in.

Is this a special box for photos or a random one? I have lots of albums but they only hold 200 each and they’re getting a bit out of hand! I’ve been wanting to go though and reduce the number of photos for a while but keep putting it off. A photo box for each year sounds a good idea.

🙏 thank you so much!!!

Every January I get a photo album printed with my favourite photos from the previous year. I've done it since my kids were little. They are all teenagers now but they still like to pull them out and look through them together. It also serves as a reminder of when we did what!

Love this idea.

I can add to the passports tip - works on an iPhone, no idea about Android etc. save the photo in files on your phone and rename it passport_yourname etc. Then when you need it pull down the search box and type passport and they will be there for you to open. Saves scrolling through all your photos to find it.

Ohyeahwaitaminute
Cut off the base of a large yoghurt pot.

Shove this into the top of a plastic bag to keep it open while you ladle stuff into it before freezing.

This is genius

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Another way is to put the empty food bag into a large cup or bowl say, bit enough to take the contents you want to freeze. Open it up so you can ladle in without dripping. Keeps the bag upright while you do so then just tie/ziplock when done

Oh and another MN tip I got ages ago was if possible store them flat so they stack and take up less space

Is anyone else half way through this thread, noticing the chasm between these people and current life and wondering where the hell to start? I might have to add it to the stop-reading pile with the news. ;) (I love the car tip though - mine is permanently full of little stones for some reason.)

iPhones have a search photo function. It’s surprisingly good. Try it with things like “basket”, “stairs”, bike etc.

If you just put “passport” into that and you had a passport page pic in there, it would probably come up.

I have a pic of my driving licence on mine and it found it when I put that in.