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!

Flanders a friend has been telling me how much fun they're having with Echo having purchased during the sale. Have to admit I hate Cortana on MS (stop popping up trying to 'help' when I'm doing stuff). All reminds me of infuriatingly 'helpful' robots from Hitch Hikers Guide maybe at some point in the future Echo will become an android who goes to the shops for you? Now that I would invest in

poweredbybread I feel your pain! Can't even think about the move without feeling frustrated, so I don't think about it!! I've been putting more stuff in the dishwasher recently, although I'm sure it would break my kettle..!

Mine isn't that imaginative but just prepping food in advance - I have ready made smoothie bags made up in the freezer so in the mornings I just shove it in the blender with milk and blitz it. If I have a spare 20 mins during the day I prep what I can for evening meal as it always feels more effort the later on in the day it gets.

School uniform - if you have a choice don't buy white polo shirts, get the coloured option which will hide the stains. Even though you can get white ones for 50p in Aldi - when they last one wear before DS1 ruins them!

D&V - be prepared, get a bucket for each person in the house and have a dedicated "sick kit" of wipes/disposable sheets etc - agricultural supply shops sell half size calf rearing buckets which are also much easier for smaller people to hold too. Don't let DH borrow the only bucket in the house for an emergency gardening "job" as that will be the night you need it bitter experience

Chocolate I never buy white (can't keep it clean myself ) but if there's a white top in a clothing bundle I buy for DD that gets stained I dye it with Dylon machine dye. Had loads of (very chic looking IMO) black vests and purple tops and babygros most materials dye pretty well.

Put
Stained clothes
Out in the sun and rain and watch stains vanish

Also when you strip beds and wash the bedding,
When it's dry put the duvet cover and sheet (and any other matching pillowcases) all inside a pillow case. Then when you come to
Change the beds again you can just pull out the stuffed pillowcase with everything in

Spend less time on Mumsnet

runs and hides

Stains on school polos are declared "clean dirt" after washing and get ignored.

SideOrder a few people here recommending that, will definitely have to try it!

Ido - I started doing it and it's made life so much easier! And the airing cupboard looks loads tidier, although I might start putting them in a box under the bed now after reading on here!

Littlemiss completely agree, will be trying storing them under relevant beds too. Great tips!

Mattress protector- sheet - mattress protector- sheet. Makes cleaning up sick/wee much easier at 3am.

We have 3 in trays on a piece of furniture by the front door. One for DH (keys, wallet, phones, letters to deal with) one for me (idem) and one for paperwork that has been dealt with and needs filing. (Generally fills up every 6 weeks- I hate filing).

Kondo folding means clothes take up less space and are easier to see. Got rid of a whole chest of drawers with this method.

Declutter. We don't need half the stuff we have.

I have a master list of everything we might buy from the supermarket that I print off the computer. It's stuck on the fridge and as and when I highlight the stuff we need to buy more of. Then I hand it to DH and he buys it all

I have a good vacuum packer, it's brilliant as food can be sealed, frozen and kept for months and months.

I'd also freeze things flat, like Bolognese, stew etc, then you can stack them better in the freezer and fit more in.

Food* vacuum packer. Damn phone.

SheSaid have you got a link? Sounds fab

www.argos.co.uk/product/2923329

This is the one I have but you can buy it in a few places.

I just did a Google search though and places like Robert dyas sell very similar looking ones for less money that might also be worth looking at.

SideOrder I've not tried it for all stains but I have tried putting clothes stained with lily pollen out in the sun and found the stains do magically disappear!

Has anyone tried using a steamer to quickly get wrinkles out of clothes? I'll do anything to avoid ironing

Any tips on how to choose what to get rid of? I have always been a hoarder and lately I feel suffocated under all the crap.

Kids toys
Clothing
Kitchen equipment

How do I decide what to keep?

I am loving this thread and already do many of the things and have. Picked up a few new tips.
Can I ask people who do their Christmas shopping in the January sales, i lIke to tailor each gift for the person I'm buying it for so do you just buy some random reduced stuff because it's going cheap .

Mama, if you can't remember the last time you used it then I'd say it's time to get rid.

Mama - advance search declutter or kondo on MN. Tons of advice out there!

I basically went through and only kept stuff I liked or was useful (like a raincoat). Anything that I might one day need - if I haven't used it in 18 months it went. Including lots of prepregnancy clothes (my body changed shape and I changed styles), toys that haven't been a hit. One of the hardest but best is getting rid of presents people have given you that you don't like or use. Don't feel obliged to keep them. They got their pleasure from giving you a present. You can get your pleasure from the space created by getting rid of it!

Lauriefairy I am the same, 3 storey house so I have things like reading glasses, rubber bands, pens, scissors in several key rooms not just in one place. Find having scissors in easy reach especially useful.

Never iron.
Sheet, duvet cover (and any extra pillow cases) all stored in the matching pillowcase. Saves hours of hunting.
Batch cook and sticker all foods going into the freezer with name, date and portion size (e.g. Spag bol, Aug 17, 2C) C=child, A=adult.
Have week every few months eating only freezer & cupboard food. Can be a bit odd, but uses up leftovers and saves a little (or a lot).
Freeze the following: ends of wine to use in cooking (do same with cheese, any going off tomatoes, bananas, rhubarb - can use in cooking). Freeze egg whites and all bread products (easy to defrost as needed). Cook apples, then freeze.

I always take leftovers for lunch and if I make too much of any pasta meal I freeze it and keep a space in my freezer for lunches to grab when I'm pushed for time.

Reduce the morning rush by getting everything ready the night before.

E.g. When I get in from work I usually change into slouch clothes. As I'm doing that I get out tomorrow's clothes.

When I'm making dinner I make the lunches for the next day.

I do one small load every other day, I thought it was wasteful at first but because there's not much to hang up to dry I can keep on top of it.

Put the dishwasher on before bed even if it's not jam packed. Empty it while kettle boiling in the morning.

Keep your receipts when you go shopping then later on you can highlight the things you & kids really did enjoy eating, sounds boring but I've really pared down what I buy now. I never buy bogofs or things on the off chance someone might like 🤷🏼‍♀️