What are your weird personal rules?

[Biffbaff]

I have a personal rule, and I don't know where it came from, but it's: No outside things can touch the inside of the bed.

For example, if I want to put a bag on the bed, I would put it on top of the duvet. Absolutely no way in hell could I put it on the bottom sheet, or if the duvet was rucked up or folded over on the inside of the duvet. It makes me on edge just thinking about it.

Please share your weird personal rules (lighthearted + no judgement here)!

Kiksta I'm the same with tea. I think it comes from growing up using tea leaves. You have to leave about at the bottom because its a bit tea leafy.

eggs have to be balanced in their carton as far as possible. eg. if one is removed from bottom right the next one has to be removed from top left.

If you are asking for or looking for scissors you have to make a scissoring motion with your hand whilst doing so.

I’m with everyone on the no outdoor things on the bed. However, my teen DCs aren’t - it really winds me up when I see them lounging in their outdoor clothes sitting on their bottom sheets.

Ditto their scruffy school bags on worktops.

Never ever ever let the towel you use to dry yourself touch the floor. That goes for home, beach, swimming and anywhere else you use a towel.

Always rinse a glass before drinking from it 🙈

Tea towels are not for wiping any floors or surfaces.

My rule is use up all the Christmas cards in one pack before opening another. So lets say we have three packs with different designs. I open one and work through until I've finished it before I open another one.

DH on the other hand says that that is boring and opens all three. He also says it doesn't do to send family members living close to each other the same card in case they see each other and mention they got the same card from us. I really don't care.

But that takes up a lot more room in the box they live in between Christmases.

The problem has been largely resolved by buying and sending far fewer of them.

If I'm expecting visitors I have to clean and tidy before they come. I have a sliding scale of the amount of cleaning that I feel I have to do and this is linked to how well I know them.

Those in my inner circle I can leave it at a tidy round, dust and mop. More distant folk I have to clean behind furniture and get the limescale off the shower screen.

I am not a person that appreciates being dropped in on as it means I haven't had chance to do my pre-clean.

If I lived in a midden I'd understand why but I'm clean and sanitary and could let anyone in without them recoiling at my personal standards. I blame my mother who had a ritual of scouring the whole house every year before the posh relatives arrived for Christmas.

I'm not allowed my morning coffee until exactly 10.30, and it has to be out of the correct mug. I understand the water out of a mug thing, but I'm more worried about coffee being served in a glass. It's all wrong!

If I put an item of clothing on inside out I have to either wear it like that or take it off and put something else on. No turning it the right way out and putting it back on.

Also 'stir with a knife, stir up strife'

I don't consider myself to be superstitious but I clearly am!

An odd number of ice cubes in a drink, but an even number of asparagus spears per person.

@PragmaticWench

Jogging trousers may only be worn outside of the house for sport or travelling to/from a sporting activity. The only exception is on an aeroplane, longhaul, but not in the airport at either end.

Same here. I hate jogging bottoms or any kind of "lounge wear" outside the house.

Similar - Pyjamas are for sleeping, not running around during daytime. If you want or need to change coming home from work then wear something. you can leave the house with and look still decent.

If I'm leaving the house and I've used my hair straightener in the preceding two hours then I must take them with me in my bag.
If I absolutely can't then I must take a photo of them with the non-plugged in plug visible.

I'm another nothing from outside touching the inside of my bed.

I must be the last person to go to bed and the last person to enter each room before bed.

No clothes on radiator.

(My favourite so far is the person who wears odd socks under a pair of matching socks btw !)

I'm with you on the bed thing. I was outraged a couple of years ago, about this very thing. Me and DH had travelled half way around the world. We'd been in the car, on trains, in airports, on planes and coaches....and DH's rucksack had been on the floor of all of these places. Finally arrive at our hotel, and where does he plonk his rucksack? ON MY PILLOW! How on earth is this acceptable??!!

When I'm working from home, I don't switch the radio on until I've checked my emails.

This originated when it was possible to go into the office, and I might find an email that meant I needed to go in, and I thought it would be depressing if I was enjoying the music on the radio.

Currently due to Covid it isn't possible to go into the office unless you give a week's notice and get authorisation from someone very high up but my superstition has persisted.

Oh I am the same OP re: inside of duvet. We fold ours back and my DP will put his gym bag on top (so on the side that would touch our bodies when folded over) and I can’t STAND IT. He thinks I’m OCD, and doesn’t understand when I explain he has no idea what has touched the bottom of his gym bag! I also have to wash my feet before bed, just a quick rinse in the wet room. Sometime I purposely make myself not wash them, so it doesn’t become a full OCD thing - but I will lie there thinking about how they’re not washed if so. I also need moisturiser beside the bed as if my feet or hands feel dry I cannot sleep!

@kiksta

I also don't finish a cup of tea. No idea why. Any other drink will be finished but a cuppa, I have to leave a drop in the bottom

Me too. When I was a child, my nana told me that swallowing tea leaves make you ill, so even though I use teabags and drink coffee, I still don’t finish it off. You’ve got to do what your nana tells you.

No ornaments or toys on window sills!

After having had an attempt by two men posing as gas engineers to scam their way into my home (looking for a non existent gas leak) I have a hatred of strangers coming into my home. I will do anything to avoid it. If I have to call a tradesperson in I always have to have a male relative there. They are less likely to take liberties if there is another man about. No one comes in without an upfront appointment. I speak to people through an open window or a locked gate.

To be honest it is really a hatred of people trespassing on my time or interrupting my work. I have better things to do than chat to neighbours and random callers trying to sell me things or con me out of money. I do a very good "deaf old lady" act although I can hear perfectly.

Unless I invite you to my home I cant be bothered with you.

Volume level should be an even number. At a push, a number ending in 5 is okay, or 33. But not 55. 99 would be okay, except it would be deafening.

Socks and shoes, left one on first. Same with trousers, jackets, whatever, left limb first. Not a rule as such, but doing it the other way just feels confusing and wrong.

If I need to cross a road, I want to cross it as soon as possible. To walk any distance before crossing makes me very twitchy.

I won’t stand in front of the microwave when it’s heating something in case microwaves escape and poach my kidneys.

@Cocomarine

I really dislike being given water - or any cold drink really - in a mug, not a glass. To the extent that I’ll literally have just enough to slake my thirst if really needed, and leave the rest.

I don’t know why it feels and tastes so wrong. I wondered if it were about being able to see the liquid, but hot chocolate in a mug is fine, and though I’m not a fan of opaque glasses, I have no problem with drink cans.

So it’s basically just as you say - weird personal rule!

Can you drink hot drinks in glass mugs?

I’m quite sure I give my kettle the equivalent of blue balls by always switching it off just before it boils. Can’t let it boil. Have to physically stop myself from doing the same to other people’s kettles.

Have “my” forks and (not that he knows it) giving DH the other ones.

Indoor clothes and outdoor clothes; when returning home I get changed and clothes I wore outside straight in the washing basket. The idea of sitting on my couch in clothes I wore outside, ick.

And "beating" the microwave, always open the door before it finishes. Aim for 1 second left lol.

Can you drink hot drinks in glass mugs?

Some places serve small/medium latte in a glass. I’m not a fan.

My personal rules were formed in childhood and all about keeping safe, but from what I don't know. I still can't drop them as an adult. I'll list those relating to sleeping.

Arms or legs can't be outside of the bed, off the edge, even slightly. And this one is really weird, but I can't have the back of my hands uncovered while sleeping, they either have to be under the covers, under the pillow, or palm upwards. This rule doesn't apply to sleeping in daytime or if they become uncovered during sleep. My dh has never noticed my stupid rules.