Life hacks

[Dancer12345]

I’ve just watched a video on Facebook with supposed life hacks. The odd one seemed ok, but some just seemed like I’d never use them, and many seemed to take longer than the obvious way of doing something!

So, do you have a life hack that you use a lot, works well, and saves time (and possibly money)?

Oh I like this 😍

• if you need to remember to take something out/bring something home, leave it next to your car keys.

• have a bag in a cupboard and bag full of bags in the car. When you use a bag from the car put it in the bag under the stairs. Keep going until full and then switch over to reset!

If I can think of more I’ll add!

Ooh I like that one about the bags. What happens when you’ve taken the last one out of the car though? You have to remember to take the full bag and put it in there - I’d probably have forgotten by the time I unpacked my shopping!

Ummm....

• avoid going food shopping with your annoying children by telling them it’s illegal for children to enter a supermarket between the ages of 2 and 15.

• hang a shoe organiser inside your coat cupboard door, fill the pockets with very useful things: packets of pocket tissues, deodorant, hairspray, glasses wipes, etc. So you can grab them on the way out the house even in a rush...

• buy a USB night light for the bathroom, that way you won’t be woken up by anyone’s midnight trips to the loo with the bathroom fan starting up... (also implement a “if it’s yellow let it mellow” rule!)

• white vinegar in with boiled eggs makes them easy to peel

• hang your tights up with your dresses so you don’t have to faff around untangling them from a drawer

• keep a small laundry bag net for all socks to go in - put straight in machine once’s half full. helps fight the odd sock mysteries...

NonJeNeRegretteRien Brilliant! The shoe organiser one is a great idea!

Clean bedding; everything is washed and folded into the matching pillow case, keeps it all together and neat in the airing cupboard.

Ooh I remember reading that one about the bedding but have never done it. Great idea, really must try that.

If you don't have a pound coin or a trolley token thing for your trolley, a standard round ended key works perfectly well. Has saved me a couple of times now.

How did you find that out?! Handy to know!

Put two or three bin liners inside each other, take full one out and next is ready.

Small toys (Lego) played with on a blanket, so easy to tip back into a big box.

Only buy washable felt tip style pens.

If you have a large or wide box or gift to wrap use a paper tablecloth instead of several rolls of ordinary wrapping paper.

This thread should be moved to chat or the housekeeping board so it doesn't disappear after one month.

If there’s a glass of water with some left in I always water the plants with it instead of pouring down the drain. Then I never forget to water the plants!

I listened to a "life hack" podcast on a plane once. It said if you need to remember something in the safe in your hotel room, put one of your shoes in it. I had a fair bit of cash in the safe so overnight I left my shoe in it as I was leaving v early the next day and didn't want to forget it.

I got up at 4:30am, showered, dressed, went to leave and couldn't find my shoe. I thought well no point missing a flight for one shoe so I left wearing another pair. It wasn't until I landed and the hotel called saying "We found cash in your safe... and um one shoe" that I remembered.

Oh, store tubes of wrapping paper in hangable clothes protectors/suit covers and hang in your wardrobe or cupboard.

If you’ve dropped something small in a deep pile carpet/nook cover the end of your vacuum cleaner hose with a pop sock and turn the hoover on, it should suck the item (earring or whatnot) and catch it in the pop sock without gobbling it up

If you have smashed glass use a slice of bread to collect up the tiny shards

To keep cake that has been cut moist use slices of bread as stoppers.

Can't think of any decent ones that haven't been said on these threads but marking my place. The shoe organiser one I really need to do

Blue java :o

Blue java

BlueJava Haha I was thinking what a great idea til I read the rest of your post!

For really burnt on food in pans/tins I dissolve biological washing powder in water then bring it to boil. The hard burnt on food softens & becomes easier to scrape off and wash.

If you are making a shop bought steak pie cut your pastry before you cook it . Much easier just to portion it out then

BlueJava
Yup that's probably what I would have done.

Replace anything that takes more than ten minutes to bring back to rights.

Anymore than that and you will be scrubbing forever more and will never see a happy day again.

Buy one plastic box per family member.

When washing is clean and dry fold washing into correct box for each family member and then hand it to them to put the washing away.

Use a permanent pen to number the bases and lids of all your tuppperware so matching the right lid to the right pot is easier

I hang the washing out to dry in order of age and size. Bedding, towels,dp trousers and t-shirts, myself bottoms and tops, ds etc, dd1 etc and dd2. Easy to collect and fold into piles that everyone can put away on their own.