To ask for your ultimate life hacks/time saving ideas/easiest recipes/money saving tips all in one go.

[shakeituntilyoumakeit]

I’ve been unwell and off work for a money and the combination of getting back on my feet and January and kids and school and washing and ALL OF THE THINGS to be a bit much at the moment and need some ideas on how to make life easier.

I’ve just started making overnight oats for everyone which is very cheap, very quick, vegan, a nice kids activity for them to learn to chop fruit and pick what they want and thought of the time I could have saved over the years. This combined with the fact it’s really healthy and it’s a nice activity to do with the kids made me want to reach out for hive mind collective wisdom.

What am I missing! I’m looking for your smuggest tips!

Cutting pizza before putting in freezer - why have I not thought of this?!!
Another pizza one, if you ever have leftover slices and aren't of the eat it for breakfast school, wrap up and freeze individually then just dry fry topping side down for a few minutes (flip it over so bade is hot too) as you need it.

Also if you've room keep flour in your freezer to stop weevil type creatures scoffing it.

Aldi do biodegradable baby wipes now to the PP who uses wipes for dusting.

They're very good at cleaning. I used them on my cooker extractor hood. Lift grease remarkably well.

@HerstoryVsHistory 1) Meal plan. I have 5 lots of weekly meal plans that I alternate. It stops us eating the same things and a whole set of weeks meals are pre-done. I get the shopping delivered as well. Ain't nobody got time to be going to the shop anymore. Share?

Feel too guilty to use disposable wipes. Buy half a dozen microfibre cloths in different colours for different jobs/rooms then bang in the washing machine.

Easiest but really tasty meal I love to do is pasta with homemade pesto, takes about 15mins all in

Sorry @HerstoryVsHistory I forgot the please. Thanks.

I use a week to view diary for meal planning. Then you can write it when appointments etc are and need quick dinner, or plan special days.

I batch cook a lot! You can batch cook and freeze rice.
2.5kg dry brown basmati cooked up all at once. Soak overnight to rinse starch and reduce cooking time, takes really no longer than one portion. But imagine the time and fuel savings of cooking 40+ portions at once!

Cool quickly in individual portions (I use ice packs inside the packs) and freeze as soon as possible.

I'm not buying any more microfibe cloths because of the environment but when I need to replace the ones I have I'll try and get bamboo or something. I wish I hadn't bought the ones I do have as I do guilty about washing them.

Mine are:

Meal plan and 1 online shop a week. Stop popping to the shop for extras. It saves money and means you use up stuff rather than buying stuff because you fancy. Only exception is if we run out of milk. We also throw away far, far less food.

Kids’ stuff got ready the night before so there’s no last minute panic in the morning.

Keep extra supplies of loo roll, tinned and frozen stuff in, always.

Batch cook and freeze.

I don’t iron anything (husband irons work shirts).

Take photographs of important letters from school etc so if I lose them I have a record.

Everything gets put in the diary on my phone straight away.

Buy a selection of presents when on offer for kids’ parties, same with cards.

Only buy black socks for DH and me! Saves endless matching up after washing.

Keep a list of what’s in the freezer and cross off as we use it.

If you're washing your bedding and clothes, put your wet clothes on an airer next to the radiator and cover the whole lot with a wet sheet/duvet cover. Ensure it's tucked over the radiator and the whole lot dries in no time!!

@Apileofballyhoo but they go in with the hot dark wash, so the water is being used anyway. Not sure how you would wash bamboo ones. I have had mine for 3 years now, they are as good as ever.

Most of mine have been said but I do...
Set breakfast table and fill kettle with water and put coffee in cups every night ready for morning.
I also put half of a tumble dryer sheet inside cushion covers so everything smells fresh

I use old sheets and clothes to make free cloths.

I love threads like these. I have young children so the things that help me out are:

When making the beds in the morning put out pjs ready for the night

With the 2 year old she is constantly wetting through nappies at night so I keep a spare set of bedding under her bed so it's nice and close should I need to quickly change her bed

I also found that timing everyday tasks really changed my life. So just time how long it takes to do household tasks. So I time how long it takes to wash up. 4 minutes. Then next time I'm struggling to motivate myself to do it I just remember it only takes 4 minutes.

I always make sure I keep a rubbish bag and a cleaning cloth in the car so that if I'm ever waiting in the car somewhere I just give it a quick clean

We bought air purifiers (£24.99 in Argos) one upstairs and one downstairs. They remove bad smells and make the house smell like fresh air. Saves having to constantly buy stinky air fresheners. They last for life so are a much better investment

I have a fabric sofa, with the kids it's constantly getting dirty so I now put throws on it and just wash them instead of having to take off the covers once a week

@Equanimitas - my DD has 5 school uniforms. 5 Pinafores and 5 summer dresses, 2 fleeces for winter and 2 cardigans for summer 50p each from school 2nd hand shop. Polo shirts and tights/socks from supermarket. The dresses last 2 years - just a bit shorter the 2nd year!

Mine did fine with 2-3 uniforms, but obviously with more shirts, socks etc. Pinafores in particular don't need to be changed every day unless your child is unusually messy.

It's the micro plastics from the cloths being released into the water I'm worried about justasking! But tbh I think nearly everything has some kind of negative environmental impact. I won't buy any more microfibre unless they are some kind of bio material. I did get scrubbers made from cactus or something in Aldi and I'm happy with those as an alternative to plastic. It's a minefield!

Don't leave sorting out car insurance till the last minute, the price is higher if you need cover to start in the next few days but lower if it's the following week.

Bring up your child(ren) better than I did so that they eat the same things as you do. Fri to Sun I recycle the same chicken curry, turkey shepherd's pie and chicken roast dinner because other than fish and chips, they are the only meals we all like!

@Equanimitas - oh yes - I agree they don't always need changing every day. 5 sets just means she always has plenty as I'm not around in the week and her dad doesn't put any washing on.

Why do you need a subscription service for washing up powder or loo rolls??

I put all bedding in the room its to be used in (e.g. in bottom drawer). Easy to change, no thinking about which bed it goes on.

DS1 has grey socks. DS2 has navy blue socks. I have black socks (DH deals with his own socks).

All clothes for the week sorted for the boys Sunday evening (no uniform here) and put in a drawer each in our corridor. Every evening I take out the clothes for the next morning then they grab and get dressed.

Everything for school and work sorted the night before.

Go on holiday the same dates every year. Saves thinking time and means that we can coordinate easily with grandparents.

Also do lists of what we take on which holidays (obviously different between summer beach holidays and February visiting family holidays) that i just doublencheck and adjust as necessary

Agree with keeping packing lists for holidays, even better buy a notebook exclusively for it.

When you get home you can update it with things that would have been useful or stuff you didn’t wear.

I can’t tell you how happy this thread is making me. It’s absolutely wonderful. Why haven’t I reused the plastic wrap from cornflakes today wrap sandwiches! And the one drawer for black socks is just utter perfection.