To ask: please share your life hacks?

[IDoDaChaCha]

Are there things you do that make your life easier? I'm a single mum hoping to have another baby (both with donor sperm) and I want to learn how best to manage time, which isn't finite!

Share your life hacks with me?

I like stuff like: running bleach around the rim of the bath and taps and same with the sink, going off to do something else and rinsing it all later.

I need to pick your collective brains!

I decided a while ago life is too short to peel potatoes, so I just buy tubs of ready made mash.

I don't iron at all, unless it's a occasion. I just hang everything carefully and fold. A bit of fabric conditioner prevents creases!

Boring but both time savers!

An* occasion

Tumble dry clothes then put on hangers when warm. If you don't have a tumble dryer hang clothes on when they are wet, and hang in door ways=less ironing.
During winter , if no tumble dryer, hang bath towels on hangers with the clips and Hang to dry in doorways.
By ready prepared veg, mash etc.

*buy no by

Keep some vanish gold with the 'rubbing head' (it's ready mixed gel). Rub straight onto stains- baby food etc, and leave until you put on a load of washing.,

Keep chopped veggies in freezer. I freeze onions and you can use thenstraight from freezer.

Keep a bottle of bleach and a packet of the big floor wipes you get from Asda (£1 a pack) in each bathroom and give it a quick 2 minute clean when you pass through.

Try and make each meal feed all 3 of you with adaptions - no cooking and eating separate meals.

Don't iron anything, fold or hang straight from the tumbler or washing line

Make up the beds with a flat sheet as well as a duvet - much quicker and easier to wash and dry a sheet and pillow case rather than a full set

Before you go to bed each night make a point of putting the dishwasher on, wiping the surfaces and laying out the breakfast stuff. Lay out a full outfit for you and the kids too. Makes mornings a lot smoother.

Online grocery shop - takes 10 minutes instead of 2 hours

Sorry to derail the thread slightly: I hate the term "hack". It's a tip.

Carry on

Amazon prime - has hands down saved me more time than anything else put together.

If you have kids that puke a lot do a mattress protector then sheet then mattress protector then sheet combo so you take off the top two at bloody 3am and bed's made (still found no hack for avoiding showering Barfchild at 3am though. Bitter, me?!)

What's a life hack? Is it an American tip?

Yes yes yes to no ironing and ready prepped fresh and frozen fruit and veg. You can even get ready peeled potatoes for boiling/roasting now.

Decide on a 'colour scheme' for each person clothes wise. That way everything goes with everything and easy to know what's who's in the laundry cycle.

Eg I'm a red head so suit greens, Browns and reds best so that's what's in my wardrobe plus neutrals. Dd is dark haired and olive skinned and suits citrus/Mediterranean colours.

Ditto towels and bedding that way if X duvet cover isn't dry one that is will still go with Y pillow cases.

Wipes for everything, cleaning, polishing, skin, marks on walls and furniture.

Baby powder comes in handy for all kinds of things too.

Have a neutral coloured handbag and purse with practical designs that you can use anywhere.

Use the calendar on your phone with alerts.

Spreadsheet for budget and monitor regularly.

'Piggy banking' bank accounts, one for direct debits, one for spending, one for saving at least. I have 2 savings accounts to save for different things.

Keep money off shopping coupons in the notes bit of purse so you are prompted to use when paying.

I'm sure there's loads more, I'm a Lp too we HAVE to be on top of the finances and organisation cos no other bugger will be.

^ tis a thing for the youth of today (aka tips for making your life easier)
I tried one this week...putting a plain shower curtain behind my posher one so the plain one sat in the bath and got yukky but the posher one stayed beautiful and pristine outside the bath....Shower curtain rail objected and fell down.

Keep a running shopping list. As you run out/run low on something, write it down immediately. Then you're always on top of it and don't have to do a big trawl when you're doing your big shop.

Put laundry in its eventual destination rather than via a drawer. Eg after washing and drying swimming stuff, put it straight back in swimming bag rather than putting the various bits in the towel drawer, underwear drawer Etc

Desperately seeking excellent advice.

Even when mine was older I kept a pack of those disposable night training bed mats for when she had upset tummy (also handy when dds are starting periods), one under her one over her (for both ends) even now if either of us have bad tummies instead of a bowl you have to then clean out we use carrier bags with newspaper or kitchen roll laid in em, then nobody has to deal with vomit just tie and bin!

When roasting a chicken, roast two instead (saves time & electricity) carve and freeze second one. Then you have sliced roast chicken ready for another meal.

Never leave a room empty handed, always take something to put away in its place somewhere else.

Buy all your birthday cards, thank you cards, Christmas cards in advance. Have a box of wrapping paper, sticky tape, tissue paper, gift bags all ready with cards for last minute wrapping.

Buy punnets of 2min rice (aldi) and pre made mash.

Wash and fold school PE kits put in PE bag ready for next year in the first week of the school holidays. (Shin pads, mouth guards etc all ready)

Always have a pot of £1 coins available (snack money, bus fare etc) no last minute scrambles for change.

Do less laundry! I'd got into the habit of washing everything after one wear, then realised that was ridiculous.

Now we wash things when they need it, usually 2 or 3 wears for tops, more for jumpers etc. If something has a stain or spill I try sponging it off rather than washing it.

Meal planning is essential - every meal now makes at least part of another meal. E.g. Last night was vegetable frittata, so I washed and prepped more veg than needed (which hardly takes any extra time) and those will be in stir fry at lunch. Also obv cook extra portions of anything you can freeze.

Shout stain remover
Honestly saves me so much time and effort!
Frozen pre cut veg!!!!!!!!
Slow cooker meals
Batch cook!
Spend one day cooking various meals and it can last two weeks!
Cleaning wipes
Loads of storage as then things are easier to put away!

Oh I like the shower curtain idea. Obs not the falling down bit but it couldn't have been the weight surely!

I second potatoes. Though I avoid them mostly.

Tried the frozen sandwiches last week. The youngest didn't care either way, the older one who eats earlier was not impressed.

I also, no longer iron since reading MN. I don't tumble dry or hang weird either. Just do what I usually do and creases come out when worn for a few mins due to body heat.

Don't worry about time though. You'll have 5 years before the school hell starts and then is panick about being on time, with everything they need, dashing from one club to another and throwing tea in somewhere then putting to bed before realising you forget.

Decluttering as much as possible- everything is easier to tidy and keep clean if you only have the stuff you really need.

@TheClaws 😂 exactly what I was going to say!
All great advice though! I'm definitely in the not ironing camp, also making sure at least the kitchen is clear before bed.
A daily shower spray and squeegee thingy means no water mark build up - makes cleaning the bathroom quicker.

Roast chickens 3 at a time and freeze 2☺. I use I individual roast bags. You just bin when finished. No oven mess.

Yes to wipes and bleach.

I keep a couple of old pillowcases up near the Laundry basket. I place my bras for washing straight in. When there's 2 I knot at top and place in washing machine. Saves bra quality and there's no tangle.

I cook risotto in my slow cooker. After 1hr on highest setting, you just stir and serve. Perfect.

Think schoolgaterebel is my mother! She never leaves a room empty handed even when visiting people! And she made us do same. We even do it at work!

She also has an entire gift cupboard these days! We mostly use gift bags in the family and they get reused to death! She buys Christmas cards, wrap, ribbon and bows and even some gifts in the Jan sales! By 1 Nov last year she declared to me she'd already bought wrapped and labelled everyone's!!

Love slow cooker for batch cooking just throw in and switch on!

Not ironing has been a game changer for me.

It was DH who told me that body heat would get rid of creases. I was very sceptical. But, he is right!

I honestly haven't ironed in years. I suspect we would iron work shirts/blouses though (if either of us wore them, but we don't)