Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Simplifying my life. Starting today....

11 replies

HollyhockCottage · 18/06/2025 15:41

I've had a few awful years culminating in selling my late mum's house. Just accepted an offer. My nerves are shot to pieces with things I've had to go through. I'm terrified the sale will fall through. Literally terrified 😔

Anyway, today I'm simplifying my life and I'm currently working through the 5032 emails in my inbox. Delete, delete etc. Once that's done I'm unsubscribing from everything and dealing with emails when they arrive ....either save it important or delete!

Next will be finance. Too many accounts with small amounts in. Just going to have 2 or 3 max ..

Have you managed to completely simplify your life?

OP posts:
Eestar · 18/06/2025 23:44

I don't iron, basically ever.

I avoid owning clothes that need it, and pretty much everything goes in the tumble dryer.

Devianinc · 18/06/2025 23:47

I hope you’re ok. It’s a good thing you’re trying to make your life easier. I hope it all works out well. It’s hard but you’re on your way. One day at a time.

hellopeople123456 · 19/06/2025 00:00

I love simple life hacks for an easier life I’ve use a few random ones that may or may not be of any help

Emergency paper plates and cutlery for those days when you are stressed and can’t face washing up

capsule wardrobe

drying rack cupboard - game changer

keeping a filled dishmatic on the shower and using it at the end of showering/bathing on the glass shower curtain

bag for the stairs - game changer

robot hoover

tolley disc on keys

mini toothbrush and toothpaste in my bag

fancy shaped ice - just enhances my life 😂

dry shampoo

fake tan for contour

mannequin that I put my outfit on the night before so I feel boujee

Alphabet1spaghetti2 · 19/06/2025 00:12

I live alone!

I clean as I go, shove all the laundry in the washing machine as it accumulates (no sorting). Simple meals at home - eat a cooked meal at work. Clean car only for mechanic! Simplified finances and no direct debits/standing orders. Deal with post/email as it arrives. Spend an hour or two on the 1st of the month sorting household bills for the month and pay anything there and then. Shopping delivered once per month.
Uniform for work and simple barely there makeup.

Janeeyrre · 19/06/2025 00:23

Fingers crossed your house sale goes through, sounds very stressful for you.💐

I don't have too much clutter in the house, makes cleaning easier and I don't tend to lose things. I have a couple of plastic storage crates for random bits and summer clothes/swimsuit/hats etc that only get used once or twice a year. All my clothes fit on one hanging rail and one chest of drawers.

Im not a minimalist at all but it's so much easier not having mountains of clothes.

Bagellicious · 19/06/2025 00:42

watching with interest

uncomfortablydumb60 · 19/06/2025 01:04

Just about to put my thinking cap on
These are my favourite type of threads

Seamoss · 19/06/2025 08:55

Declutter. Everything in your home should have a place to live and should fit in its container. It should serve a purpose - either you love it or you need it. Guilt is not a purpose.

Stop shopping as a leisure activity. Only buy what you need/love and only if you have a space to house it.

Automate and streamline finances. You need 4 bank accounts: a current account; an easy access savings account/cash isa for an emergency fund; stocks and shares ISA for long term savings; and a pension.
Set up monthly direct debits to pay into your savings every month. Set up direct debits to pay off your bills every month. Make a note on your calendar 4 weeks before each contract/policy ends so you have time to research the best deal on each.

Do a wash overnight and each morning hang clothes on coat hangers straight out of the washing machine on the line. Never iron again

Say no to everything you don't want to do. Stop people pleasing

Meal plan. And when you cook, make double. One bolognase for tea tonight, one for the freezer to save you cooking from scratch a day next week.

Supermarket shop online

Alphabet1spaghetti2 · 19/06/2025 10:28

Also I don’t do birthdays or Christmas for anyone. It’s a straight bank transfer of cash for under 18s.

Wrongone · 19/06/2025 10:56

Well done! Some great ideas here.

Expensive but worth it big changes for me were: weekly cleaner, fast/powerful hairdryer from Dyson and a dishwasher when my ex moved out. The latter two might sound silly but they have both saved me so much time. Outsource as much as you’re able to - oven/carpet/sofa/car clean, ironing if you have any, gardening etc.

Small but very effective changes: meal plan, batch cook and get the food shop delivered weekly. Having an evening to do nothing (once my child is in bed), to just decompress and chill. And have something in the diary for you to enjoy!

Small but useful things: having a stash of pound coins, a stash of pretty but generic birthday cards and wrapping paper. Probably not as useful if you don’t have school age children and endless collections/parties.

I find routine really helps me too for the repetitive tasks - e.g I have weekly reminders in my phone calendar to put the bins out (and a note whether it’s recycling or black bin), to pay for extra curricular activities on a certain day of the week. I have a terrible memory so need everything written down.

As you’re just starting out you could set aside some time to go through bills/policies and diarise renewal dates, create a budget if you need one or even just a basic spreadsheet of your bills/outgoings.

If this all sounds too much maybe just start with a list of jobs you hate/find time consuming/difficult/stressful and see what you can change - it could be that you outsource it, delegate it, stop doing it completely or look into a more efficient way of doing it.

I have two lists on my phone - one for urgent things (like return some clothes) and one for non urgent things. Sometimes if something stays on the non urgent list too long I decide it can’t have been worth doing anyway so delete it.

Finally, lists! Some of these things might sound like hard work, you might need a day or two of putting the work in to get things in place, but once your ‘systems’ are up and running it’s just a case of maintenance and tweaks as and when needed.

BigDahliaFan · 19/06/2025 10:57

A cleaner, that was great.

Using Alexa to keep a shopping list.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page