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

Whenever I see a particularly beautiful card (there are some very posh stationary shops around me) I buy it. I have a stash of really lovely arty cards so I can always dredge one up for birthday/condolences/congratulations. A really lovely picture can be used for anything! I also buy job lots of cheap picture frames and any cards that I REALLY love I put in a frame and hang on the wall. Because the total cost is usually under £5, I have lots of gorgeous pictures that I can move around the house or as the season dictates. Along with changing cushions, I find changing pictures is the quickest way to revamp a room.

I bet if you saw more women than men napping on the train you would say that all women are exhausted from all their chores,right?

placemaking

1. I keep all the kids' socks in a drawer in the hallway. They NEVER put them on when getting dressed so I figured they only need socks when they're putting their shoes on so why not keep them all downstairs. Saves us at least ten minutes of stress every morning as they no longer disappear upstairs looking for socks every time we leave the house.

1. ROBOVAC

Also group the cutlery together: forks together, then teaspoons etc. then you simply take out the whole set at once.

I’ve set a 5-minute daily limit for Instagram and now use that time I would have been scrolling to study/learn affixes, get better at math and reading comprehension.

Made a spreadsheet for household cleaning tasks, it's very boring but I have ADHD plus I'm a procrastinator so without it I'd never get anything done

Purchased a little basket to keep in the fridge for when I need to get things out for cooking/baking. Instead of juggling all the salad stuff, sauces, eggs, butter and inevitably dropping something on the way to the kitchen...I just put it all in the basket and carry that through.

We don't have laundry baskets, dirty clothes are in the washing machine. Bedding and towels (whites) get washed at the weekend.

Day behind meals when DC were little. We would reheat whatever we had the day before.

Clothes laid out the night before. Lunches made.

Keep £1 in the drink holder in the car and always put it back after returning the trolley.

I have an odd socks basket.

Any odd socks remaining after a wash go in there. Once every month or so tip it all out and task DS (7) with pairing up any pairs.

F

I swapped to a coverless duvet! It's so much easier no fighting with covers. I just use a flat sheet under it and wash that.

Stopped ironing.

Learned the art of delegation.

Bought an automatic floor cleaner for the kitchen and bathrooms.

Have self cleaning ovens.

Well my son introduced our magnetic whiteboard and pen. Whenever somebody finishes stuff or notices it's running low they write it down. The board is checked before we go shopping.

I've just bought a really cheap non-battery operated meat (and fish) thermometer. It takes the guesswork out of prodding at something to check if it's cooked. Other things are a lemon zester and a modified criss cross steel for knife sharpening. These were both cheap too and I've had then for years.

@threeringcircus - I read "got rid of my mum" and thought "well that's a bit drastic" before reading, with some relief", the word "guilt" on the next line 😳 😀

My battle cry is "don't put it down - put it away". Seems to fall on deaf ears a lot of the time unfortunately.

I don't understand why everyone doesn't use a sheet under their duvet. I'm not in the UK and had no idea that there are parts of the world where people use just one sheet and constantly wash the duvet cover. It seems odd to me. Sheets here are mostly sold in pairs, so we just wash the sheets and the covers are only washed when needed (in my case that's not very often!).

That was my mum's battle cry when I was a teen. I'm 64 now, and it's still falling on deaf ears (although my DM is no longer here to tell me).

When I'm at home chatting on the phone to my sis or DD I have a damp e-cloth in my hand. I use it to wipe down skirting boards, around door handles and light switches.

After showering and getting dressed in the morning, I always make the bed and tidy the bedroom before I leave the room. Then it's done for the day.

Last thing at night, I wipe out and polish the kitchen sink. It makes me feel in control the next morning.

Google Calendar on everyone’s phone, a different colour for each family member plus one for us 4 as a family.

Only use deep fitted sheets, Sharpie size on each sheet.

Sellotape dispenser. Actually love it.

Gender neutral stack of cards & gift wrap.

Family email address for school and all things kids.

Different colour/pattern socks for everyone and I’ve actually chucked out all socks when school/colours have changed. DH only has patterns/spotted socks; DS black or grey & Nike white; DD girls and Asics white.

Throw out 3 things every working day, it may only be a stretched hairband, rubbish pen and an empty jar.

All socks, underwear, and bras are identical and black.
20-ish of each so they can all go into one load at the same temperature. Huge game changer, saved me loads of hassle.

Toiletries and cleaning supplies are bought in bulk and replaced regularly so there is never a risk of running out.

4 compartmented laundry baskets for whites, blacks, colours, and delicates - no sorting needed for wash days.

Permanent running shopping list in my phone that is added to on a daily basis.

Calendar in phone synced to email so all bookings are automatically added to my calendar.

I use reminder function in my phone for little jobs that need doing throughout the week.

3 sets of bedsheets so there is always a clean supply. Each set is thrown in washing machine immediately upon removal.

Clothes are stored together according to use - lounge clothes, office clothes, going out clothes all in separate places.

Clothes in separate piles of - feeling fat today, normal day, feeling sexy today.
I found that more useful than storing by colour. I mostly don’t care so much about the colour, but instead how it makes me feel.

Notebook and pen in each handbag and in the car.

Finally, a toolbox! I never thought I was the type, but it had the basics.

Learned the art of delegation.

Now that’s my sort of house hold tip!

Seriously though - I must be quite organised as I already do most of these. My addition is only relevant if you have kids that are being taken straight from school to activities and need a substantial snack. I keep a box of healthy snacks in the car which is replenished straight from the weekly shop and then just grab a bag of oranges/apples etc from the fridge each morning to add to it. Previously I was putting together a bag of snacks each day. Absolutely tiny thing but it has made a big difference to me.

I had a serious declutter 5 or 6 years ago when Marie Kondo was a thing. I was never a hoarder anyway but I got rid of anything which wasn't useful (and actually used! Toastie makers are useful but if you never actually use it, still clutter!), seriously nostalgic or something I really really liked and would have missed. It really helped clear up enough space to have 'a place for everything'. I'm naturally very disorganised and lazy so it's much easier to keep on top of things having less 'stuff' and knowing exactly where to put it back. It's helped me feel much calmer and happier in my living environment. Declutter guys, it's life-changing!

I use nail paint with different colors on the charging head. Everyone knows their color. Helps a lot when it is borrowed.

I replenish anything we’re low on for Christmas in January. Picked up all my cards for this year for 25p a box, wrapping paper 10p a roll.

I have loads of large sweet shop jars, in which I keep all those small bits and pieces that are needed for household and DIY tasks: hinges, screwdrivers, hooks, screws, light bulbs, etc. They live on a shelves in the side conservatory and keep everything neat and dust free, whilst being easily located.

I have the same system in my bathroom, with smaller, fancier jars, for soaps, plasters, painkillers, bandages, spare toothpaste, toothbrushes, sanitary products, liniments, etc. It keeps everything together and tidy.

Most of the time when I am preparing birds for cooking, I either skin them (much quicker and less messy than plucking) or with pigeon and duck, just remove the breast.

I sharpie the bed linen too and have a stash of greeting cards.

Some of these tips are brilliant ⭐