Let's start a thread of just random advise / hacks

[washingmachineslivelongerwithcalgon]

No specific topic, just great advise you'd give.

Keep it simple.
(Apologies, I didn't know which other category to put this under that would gain traction)

I'll go first:

• don't sweat the petty stuff, & don't pet the sweaty stuff.
• if you can't open a food jar, pierce the top to get the air out and it opens right up!
• drizzle a tablespoon of marmite into the cooking fat before you roast your potatoes (and drizzle some over the spuds)
• if you don't have egg cups, use shot glasses
• hair spray gets most things out of carpets. (Learnt this when staying at a boyfriends house as a teen and dropped lipstick. Blind panic and hairspray saved me!) used it ever since, in emergency situations.

Put a small amount of (clothes) conditioner in a spray bottle filled with warm water and use it to clean bathroom tiles.

Never, EVER take a Iaxative and a sIeeping piII on the same night, especiaIIy if you are over 50. Don't ask.

Blister plasters are worth the money, yes mother I am looking at you, regular plasters DO NOT work the same magic.

A teaspoon full of Marmite in chicken gravy (proper gravy made from juices) turns it from "Meh" to "WOW!"

An outfit/look only needs one thing to make it special. I have a collection of Irregular Choice shoes. I only wear them with a plain black dress as the shoes are the statement. If you have a statement dress, wear everything else plain. I have a friend who's look is all about her hair. Colours, dreads, short, long, she changes all the time, but she wears plain black clothes and that makes her hair stand out. Less is more.

Other peoples choices should not automatically be yours simply because they are so sure that they are right. They are right for them, you should do right for you. Again, looking at you Mother.

Hide your chocolate in amongst the tea towels..... they'll never find it.

Reuse gift bags?

Who doesnt do this?! And please tell me that you dont write on the bag tag!

I think we, as a family, spent a couple of years buying bags. Now we are avid recyclers. We love a "big birthday" party as that means that there will be a new lot of bags entering the mutual exchange! My 50th was particularly lucrative, although as was noted by my sister, most of them were bottle bags so clearly my friends know me well!

Part of the fun of birthdays is the "Oh this the bag X gave to me and I gave to you!" The Peppa Pig bag that I got from DD is being saved for my sister 50th!

beep

Oh mate.

Didnt take a sleeping pill but I was massively bunged up when PG at 38 and absolutely knackered. Took the laxative the doctor gave me. We needed to buy new bed linen anyway......

Hang pairs of socks next to each other on the line, from the toe end. When dry fold the cuffs up together before taking the pegs off so they're already paired and won't get separated.

My ADVICE is to ignore dicks on MN.

Pairs of socks?

What is this concept?

We have the sock drawer, a great big thing in the blanket box, and we all dive in a hopefully make a pair!

That would be my random piece of advice....dont worry about pairing socks. Just buy them all in the same colour and hope for the best. According to 12 year old DD, random socks are more fashionable at her school than matching socks. She bought her 72 year old DGF a set of 10 non matching socks for Christmas last year and he loves it.

Get a natural latex topper for your bed.

Get a water distiller for your drinking water - OMG It has even changed the texture of our skin!

Anal fissures that don't heal have a fungal infection. Clear that and it will heal in less than a month.

Not everything needs a reaction or even an action.

Cheap washing powder will clean dirt off anything.

Don’t correct people’s grammar on the internet. The adult you’re correcting either has generally decent grammar, in which case your correction is pointless and nitpicking. Or otherwise they in fact make mistakes all over the shop, in which case your specific correction is unhelpful and patronising. Above all though, it just makes you look like a dick.

Life’s too short for dicing onions. Bags of ready-diced and frozen onions are your friend.

That's how my mum does it!! ☺️

If your children have board games, get rid of the box and put the pieces in a ziplock bag. You can then store them stacked easily or like a filing cabinet.

If you are doing a PGCE you will be effectively working and studying and have little time for anything else, so make yourself a uniform. Mine was black linen trousers and the same blouse in different colours / patterns.

If you normally get a coffee on the train check out the first class tickets, sometimes it is the the same price as a coffee and you get free coffee and more room.

If you have had a hairdo with lots of hairspray (behive or 1950s style) use conditioner before shampoo.

Replace your cocoa powder hot chocolate with 1 1/2 cups of milk + 1/3 cup of heavy milk + 200g of melted unsweetened chocolate + 2 tsp of sugar.

Tastes like the hot chocolate you have in Paris!

Love this thread idea thanks OP!

1. You can clean just about anything with vinegar /lemon juice /bicarb

1. Give toddlers only two options to limit fall out

1. Instead of saying to kids "be careful!" which can be distracting... Say "watch each step you take and make sure your feet don't slip" (for example)

1. Don't take yourself too seriously and work on being easy going. Makes life so much easier and kids feel so much more relaxed

@washingmachineslivelongerwithcalgon i hope you’re ok - looks like some of the real arsehole posts have been deleted now but I’m sorry you saw them and they made you feel shitty.

This is a great thread idea, thank you. And I’m sure your two year old is doing just fine, and I’ve definitely played on my phone when with my babies.

you’re doing a great job 💐

Ugh I’ve made this mistake before too shudders

Could you give me more detail on keeping black things black technique please?

Out of curiosity,how does one cure the fungus?

If you have to take children to A&E and have time to pack a bag put in

A) Change of clothes for child and you- vomiting is likely and sitting in hospital stinking of vomit makes the whole think even worse Put a plastic carrier bag in to store vomit stained clothes.
B)Favorite toy/comforter
C)Drink for child and you(preferably in a travel mug/sports bottle so it can't spill and can be refilled
D) Something to eat for both of you, although check if child is allowed to eat before giving them food, it's likely to be a long time and hospital vending machines are universally full of shit/don't work/are empty. In an emergency hospitals will feed the patient/child but not parents. Even a few decent cereal bars are better than nothing.
E) Money/cards

Parents tend to think of stuff to take for child but forget themselves, you can function better if you're fed, watered and vaguely clean.

Apologies if some of these have been mentioned … I haven’t yet read the whole thread.

1 - If a shirt collar and front placket need sharpening up but you don't want to get the iron and ironing board out, use a hair straightener.
2 - Check before you commit and sit! Is there loo paper in the
public toilet cubicle?
3 - Keep spoons or measures in frequently used containers - the
scoop in the laundry powder, scoop in the cat biscuit bin, scoop in the coffee
jar ... if they are dry measures the spoon does not need cleaning each time
it's used.
4 – If you are making finger-sized club sandwiches ask the
bakery to slice the bread laterally (longways rather than in the usual squares,
if that makes sense) … obviously this needs to be at a place that slices to order.
5 – Just as I only use white sheets/pillow cases (2 queenbeds and 2 singles), I only wear black knee-high socks under trousers. No time wasted matching patterns or colours.
6 – If you fear not being able to remember where you have parked in a large carpark, take a photo of the identifying number or some distinctive feature of the space.
7 – If you cannot read some tiny print, take a photo of it then use the phone camera’s enlarge function.
8 – Life is too short to fold fitted sheets.

Does anyone have advise on getting wood paint out or clothes 😳 (and hair!!)

Laces- if double knotted just pull the laces and it will undo rather than untying each knot separately.

How have I got to the age of 64 without knowing this? Tried it today, and it works - thank you @Gnomegnomegnome.