Important tips we might not know.

[girlfriend44]

There are social tariffs for broadband and water if your on some benefits.
If you have Plantar Facilitis a Cortisone injection can be given free at the doctors and helps relieve the pain.
Tell us something we might not know that can help us?

Take baby powder to the beach it removes the wet sticky sand like magic.

Check if eggs are edible (we buy loads from a farm with no stamp) by placing them in a jug of water. If they float they are off. Standing upright means use them up soon. Lying on the bottom is fresh.

And there's plenty of cold water in the Arctic to wash out any bloodstains caused by bears.

Never try to wash your hands in a bison. They don't like it😂

Also, don't eat out of a pudding bison, the pudding will have hairs on it.

Probably none of these would really be classed as important but they are helpful. For years I've put useful techy things I've come across into a #MildlyUsefulInfo hashtag on Twitter, have a rummage -

twitter.com/search?q=%23MildlyUsefulInfo&src=typed_query&f=live - stuff that's quite handy to know rather than world-beating :)

My favourite techy one will always be Ctrl+F (aka Edit / Find) which lets you find any word or phrase in a document whether it's online, a Word doc or a PDF. On an iPhone you'd just type your word into the search bar and it will tell you how often (and where) it appers on the page.

My favourite real-world one is that drowning is generally a very calm and not at all thrashing about event, and that's why people can drown in a pool without people realising what's happening. Drowning doesn't look like drowning: slate.com/technology/2013/06/rescuing-drowning-children-how-to-know-when-someone-is-in-trouble-in-the-water.html

Also, from my mum, when starting a course of new medication always start the first pill the next morning (unless advised to take the first dose immediately of course). If you have a reaction to it, it's just a lot easier to deal with in daylight hours than late at night.

Jo

And my best too from mumsnet if you have a king size duvet write on the bloody thing with a sharpie and never have to start again with the decking duvet cover on the wrong way.....

Don't even think of trying to weigh sticky stuff (syrup, honey, etc) in the pan on the scales - instead put the container on the scales and take the ingredient out until the difference in weight indicates you've got enough

Smug tip of the day award

An old theatre & engineering tip.

If it wobbles and it’s not meant to, use gaffer tape.

If it’s meant to wobble & doesn’t, use WD40.

If you're asleep at your desk and get caught out, slowly raise your head, saying “Amen” at the same time.

If you have a child doing endless dance classes buy a laundry net to wash all the bastard tights in otherwise they can rip in the machine.

My late mother tried to get me to drink Guiness or 'stout' when I was pregnant because of the iron! Revolting stuff, maybe champagne improves it.

@Giggorata 🤣love that!

A solution of bio soap powder in hot water cleans kitchen extractor filters in seconds and better than in the dishwasher. It's good for dishes which have become sticky with hot oil residue. It brings stainless steel sinks up like new if you leave the solution to soak for ten minutes.

@marmaladepop yes! I have an enormous pan for batch cooking and I throw in lots of extra veg from the fridge into whatever I'm making. It's so nice to come home and have a choice of several home cooked meals in the freezer. I also freeze wholemeal pitta breads to go with chilli or curry and pop them in the toaster whilst microwaving the frozen dinner. Another tip is to use pre sliced onions and mushrooms as they're not too expensive and they make the task much easier. I also batch cook soup and freeze for work lunches and if you freeze buttered bread rolls they are defrosted by lunchtime.

If you have plantar fasciitis, don't be fooled by any blithe assertions that it'll be fixed with one little injection at the GP. There are very real risks to the procedure up to and including complete rupture and permanent weakening of the structures of your foot, along with infection and thinking it's all better now, going for a long walk/run/wearing the pretty shoes again and promptly snapping the entire thing in half.

It can also be a symptom of more than simple impact damage and crap footwear needing orthotics, as it's very common in people with autoimmune or connective tissue diseases, partly due to the disease making the tissues more prone to damage and not healing and partly due to having poor biomechanics meaning you are putting more stress on the area in the first place. Also assume that it will always come back - so no wearing crappy shoes without orthotics.

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Other tips include

Physios give you those exercise sheets because they work for the vast majority of the population if actually done reliably. Even if/including people with autoimmune or connective tissue diseases. They also tend to be a bit matter of fact rather than fluffy bunny with you because they're expecting you, along with 99% of their patients, to not bother doing them. If you do follow their instructions, they will treat you like royalty and be delighted that somebody actually listened.

Don't hunters in the US/Canada wear bright clothes to stop them shooting each other?

Another travel tip, slightly inspired by the thread about keeping scammers going, if your youngster is travelling abroad have a code word or phrase to be included in a genuine plea for support when money, passports etc are lost. Keep a record of their passport number etc and their bank details.

On a keyboard: shift + command + 4 will bring up an icon called a crosshair, hold down the mouse to screengrab a portion of your screen. Use it all the time

When you put something in a safe place take a photo of it in the safe place in case you forget where you stored it.

😂
and useful too
i think you win

If you have a sticky lock don't use oil based spray, there is a charcoal spray used by locksmiths to make the lock parts slide easily. If you have already used oil, don't try the charcoal.

If gaffer tape hasn't fixed it, you haven't used enough gaffer tap

If you are a display screen user at work, your employer is obliged to pay for an eye-test every two years. Should you need special glasses only for this equipment, your employer must provide them (but not if you need glasses for general use).

www.hse.gov.uk/msd/dse/eye-tests.htm

You are also entitled to free eye tests if a close relative has been diagnosed with glaucoma.

Try soaking in a solution of biological washing powder.

A great way of washing small things on holiday too!