Simple things that I should have done years ago to make life easier

[malificent7]

My lovely cat has been waking us up at 5/6am for 6 years.
Last night I had the genius idea of closing the lounge door so she couldn't come to our room.
Hence we slept longer. Why did I not think of this earlier? I love cat snuggles but love a lie in more.

Am I thick or does anyone have similar stories?

Yes don't throw away family history. Put it in a box. If you don't have kids of your own, write what's there and let cousins or whoever decide what to keep. If they bin, that's on them, but you didn't do it.

Mine was the realisation that you don't need physical stamps to post a letter and can just buy a stamp online and print it off. If you are sending somrthing tracked, the postie even comes and picks it up for nothing (well where I live they do)

My late MIL was the inheritor of her family's 'junk' after they died and she was having what she called a 'sideation', ie chuck out, when we called once. We managed to stop her and found some amazing stuff, Christmas cards from the WW1 trenches, letters etc., be careful what you throw out, some can be interesting and has been a useful source for her great grandchildren's (who she never knew) school projects,

Only outdoors shutters!
Indoor shutters are dust trap. No one has time for those.

My late OH, when we first married over 50 years ago, developed this into rolling socks and underpants together, he needed untraining though.

I like that idea. I may have to make a trip to the Christmas cupboard this weekend with a bottle and maybe something munchie with a long shelf life.

I have a squeegee by the shower controls so I make sure to do the glass each time. Also I do this as a set of squats so I get exercise in as well.
Jars of ginger, garlic etc work nicely, as does the frozen stuff. Fast and no smelly hands from it.
Also, sorry - not having any cats...

That's genius!

Yes but the veg needs to be at the bottom of the fridge as it should the coldest

Makes me feel better that it only took me 9 months living here before we shut the cat in a room overnight.... I just couldn't cope with the insomnia anymore. Thought he would hate it but he seems ok. Has food, water, litter tray and several sleeping spots available.

For sheets - we just store them in the bedroom they belong in 🤷‍♀️ Never had an airing cupboard, they just go in a drawer or on a shelf.

Yes! I definitely needed these in my life!

I've got a proper Christmas card book, with columns for sent/received for each year. I mark them off, and if I haven't received a card for 3 years I cross them off the list.

I locked my cat out of my bedroom and I've been presented with some sort of dead animal at my bedroom door every morning since (about 3 months now). My eldest thinks she's bribing her way back into my goodbooks by bringing gifts, but personally I feel like she's threatening me that I'll be next if I don't get my shit together and let her wake me at stupid o'clock in the morning by scratching my face.

If you do want to peel ginger, you can do it really easy with a teaspoon - just scrape the skin with it!

But where to put it?! Like many thirty and twenty somethings, I don’t have a lot of space to keep all this stuff!

Genius

@minipie "Another tip: To label stuff in the freezer, use masking tape (frog tape ideally) and write on it with a sharpie. Comes off easily and cleanly and you can use a longer strip if you want to write details like portion size or cooking instructions."

That reminds me, we just write straight onto tupperware with Sharpie. We've discovered it lasts through many washes if you leave it alone, but comes off quite easily with a scrubby sponge. I can't guarantee it works on all tupperware but it is fine on all our various tubs - I've never made a mark yet that has turned out to be permanent.

Sharpie comes off with hand sanitiser or a magic sponge. I even use it on appliances like the washing machine to save searching for my glasses.

I usedto really struggle with organisation. Everyone kept telling me to write lists but it didn't work! I was in my 30s when I read that when you write a list you should go through it methodically and tick things off as you go, not moving onto another thing until you've don't the previous thing. Thus blew my mind!!! I was just writing lists and then not looking at them again!

I hate ironing but have developed a new technique which I have coined 'hand ironing'. I have a clothes horse on my balcony rather than I line in my garden, so this may not work for everyone. Basically, I sit in front of the TV with a basket of wet washing, put a cushion on my knee and flatten everything with my hand and fold it. Then I pop everything onto the clothes horse and it dries as if its been ironed. I find it really satisfying and it's just so much more enjoyable that actual ironing.

Taking a large ready packed Itty Bitty box camping instead of having masses of important bits and bobs from the house in various back pack pockets and separate bags and places.

Large plastic storeage 'itty bitty box' has everything in it already and is like a grab bag type scenario for camping trips. Everything in it, lives in it permanently.

Contains
charging cables for everything we own and use.
torches
eco washing up liquid
deo
soap
beer opener
cork screw
para cord
tent pegs x 6
peeler
paring knife
hair brushes
toothbrushes
toothpaste
suncream
insect bite cream
bog roll
wet wipes
tea lights
lighter
tea towels x2
walky talkies (I know, but they are fun on hikes and in woods and at shops)
Play lists on micro SD card
Spare socks and pants x2
washing up sponge
String of solar lights
£50 in an envelope

I just pick it up and lob it in the boot and we are good to go.

I wear the same clothes all year long and everywhere. I own about 7 midi dresses.

In the winter I wear them with tights, boots, a thin polo neck underneath and cardigan. In summer, just with flat sandals or trainers. For a night out, I just wear heels and matching accessories. It's so convenient!

I keep fresh ginger frozen and just grate what I need, skin and all... so quick and no food waste.
With garlic, I have one of those silicone tubes that peel the garlic, which are great, but I was going away a few months ago and to save wasting some new bulbs, I froze them whole and now just take out the number of cloves I need, and because they're frozen they peel and chop really easily.

In future though, I'll peel them using my silicone tube and then freeze them as single cloves... so much quicker and cheaper than buying them ready done (less plastic packaging waste, too).

I sew a little cross or use a fabric marker on the end of sheets to distinguish the length from the width, it saves messing about and turning them round when I find I have them the wrong way round.
My sheets are all flat and white ones and some are longer than others so I know which is the length.

(Apologies if it’s already been put on the thread) Strip beds and wash the complete set of bedding in one go, tumble or line dry together and then fold everything into one pillowcase. Stack in laundry/airing cupboard. Never have to look for pillowcases/ right size sheets again.

I have 6 pairs of jeans and a lot of white T shirts and vests in different styles. I wear the jeans most of the year, until it is too hot and then I wear my collection of linen dresses, except for special occasions.