To ask for your easy life hacks?

[Polkapjs]

I need easy ways to make life easier and help me get my life in order in all areas

Tonight have have used a garlic press with an UNPEELED love of garlic as recommended by Jamie Oliver. Genius.
Give me yours that don’t involve needing stuff I don’t have but help make stuff a bit easier or cheaper?

A quick spray of water/very watered down washing up liquid etc all over the worktops /walls /any dirty surface -cuts down the clean up amazingly. The liquid starts the break down process so all you have to do is wipe. Fantastic if youve been baking and left spills to dry.

Whenever you have to decant anything into a smaller container do it in the dry sink. I seem to lose a couple of spoonsful of sugar every time I empty the bag into the canister. Before I came to the realisation that the sink was the prefect place it always involved worktop and floor clean ups.

I use packing cubes ( which arent actually cubes ) every time I go away now. I just take the relevant cube out of the case and plonk it straight into a drawer or shelf . Laundry goes into an unused cube. Zip them all up at the end of the stay and pop back in the case .

I keep birthday cards and folded wrapping paper in a loose leaf binder. I was fed up of not being able to find cards and paper if needed quickly that I decided to store them like this. New ones go straight into the file and I can quickly see what Im looking for.

Scissors. I use scissors for most things I cut with a knife -except bread -that would be weird.

@tutu112 on the hob, I think it will cook in the oven too

I want to know what the deleted posts were
Some of these seem beyond me. I was only on garlic without peeling but there are lots I think I can use so I will!

I have a weekly meal plan with the same ingredients each day of the week (similar to SquashedToes). It has a little flexibility but I know exactly what to buy each week and can also include any food offers.
Sun - roast chicken/meat, veg and mash or roast potatoes,
Mon - fish (could be fish pie, battered fish, fish fingers or fishcakes, tuna and pasta bake).
Tues - leftovers from Sun - meat or chicken cuts mixed with rice, pasta or noodles and sauce, or made into a thick soup with bread rolls or garlic bread. If no left overs then macaroni cheese.
Wed - Mash or jackets - could be jacket potato and filling or bangers and mash, shepherd's pie.
Thurs - egg based meal - egg & chips, quiche, egg, bacon and beans; ham & eggs; french toast.
Fri - As Monday
Sat - pizza or ready meal or home made burgers/hotdogs.

Delicious way of using bananas that are going brown. Chop them into chunks and freeze. Then use a hand blender to blend them with a spoonful of milk and your choice of extra ingredients to make a super low calorie soft ‘ice cream’. Ideas for extra additions: cocoa powder, cinnamon, handful of chocolate chips, chopped nuts, strawberries, cherries.
Right now I always have a tub of banana chunks in the freezer and have been experimenting with different recipes.

Way to cut down on food waste (saw this one in a newspaper recently). Always take a ‘shelfie’ of your fridge and cupboard before you go shopping so you know what you have in and what you need to get to go with it.

Easy marinade for meat: put chilli, garlic and soy sauce into the last spoonfuls of jam left in a jar. The jam replaces sugar to make the marinade sweet.

I want to know what the deleted posts were

Me too Polkajps [sonfused].
Things don't usually kick off on a thread listing tips

Polka- they were just spam posts.

Love the meal plan Nelly!

Thanks Dausy

The wonderful "Snap" hooks courtesy of df's cast offs

I bought frozen peppers and mushrooms today and got a tension rod on the basis of this thread. Frozen veggies have worked really well and will install tension rod tomorrow!

Have had a look at packing cubes, brilliant thanks for the pp who suggested those.

I've been tempted by the frozen chopped onions etc but I have a huge guilt about being lazy! Plus they cost so much more than the raw materials.

@Whyisitnotcompulsory current weekly meal plan is:
Mon - Chicken salad (or might be served with veg/rice)
Tues - Spaghetti Bolognese
Weds - Mexican = chicken fajitas
Thurs - Quiche with salad or veg (this changes the most to and has been casserole or pie at various times)
Fri - Pizza
Sat - BBQ night (or takeaway)
Sun - Roast

Rather than buying ready prepared frozen onions / peppers / carrots, I feel yo have a food processor it's quick enough to prep your own the. Freeze in zip lock bags. If you lay the bag flat for freezing, they will keep relatively separate for ease of using.

@ElfrideSwancourt

I have just tried to do the Amazon thing and I can't get it to work, it's just saying something about a pantry box bit nothing on how to have a monthly delivery.... help! I really need to do this 😂

Freeze a banana, pineapple or any other fruit you like. I put it in the nutri bullet with coconut milk and it makes delicious, healthy ice cream.

www.amazon.co.uk/Subscribe-Save-Health-Beauty-Grocery/b?node=423139031&tag=mumsnetforum-21&ie=UTF8

@Timeisslippingaway posted link above

Thank you.

It was me that recommended storing garlic in oil , I have read the piece posted by PP about it been unsafe , I am surprised that it could cause problems . I keep mine for weeks months and never in the fridge and have never had any issues, but I guess it is up to the individual as to whether it is safe to do so .

Thank you ferntwist!

I reckon I could do a few of these!

White vinegar is a brilliant cheap cleaner. We buy it in bulk. I haven’t bought any kitchen cleaner since January, I just put vinegar, bicarb and a bit of lemongrass oil to stop it smelling like a chip shop. If you’re doing a dishwasher clean in empty, stick some white vinegar in a ramekin and it’ll help clean it up and make it shiny.

polkapjs I was wondering the same!! What could possibly be naughty about cleaning the house etc..? My mind is now working overtime!!