Life "hacks" - ways you secretly stay ahead of the pack?

[tarquinandjocasta]

By this I don't mean those crap Take a Break tips that are going round the internet - use a trouser hanger to hold your recipe book. More like things that you do, that give you a bit of an "edge" no matter how trivial.

I am having a crisis of confidence day - feeling a bit like I'm not good enough.

I'm just wondering if others have secret ways of feeling better about trivial stuff that doesn't really matter in the big scheme of things.

Obviously MN itself is a bit of a secret and a great way of finding stuff out/researching without "letting on" to people in RL….

If I am feeling lazy, I buy plain fairy cakes and ice them myself fancily filling with lemon curd and piling on the buttercream and pass them off - people think I am quite the domestic goddess.
I warm shop bought biscuits in the oven too.

There must be other things that you don't 'fess up to in RL?

maybe it's just me then.

I have no such tips, but will happily lurk to discover some!

Why don't you feel good enough? Bet you are. What would you tell your mate if she said that to you?

Always buy pre made mash - even when making a shepards pie
Always leave bed linen and towels into launderette

I pay my kids 10p a time to take their clean, folded laundry upstairs and our it all away.

Takeaway once a week - it's on the meal plan and everything!

Messy bob for my hair - towel dry then turban, get ready for work then shake out, salt spray all over and blow dry fringe.

Used to be very unconfident around make up. Found a lady who does lessons ( i needed the same one three times) . Now i have the hang of it and, when i wear grown up clothes, can put on makeup without any angst.

I think the lesson is, that whatever you feel unconfident about, someone somewhere is good at it and can teach it, too. You just got to find 'em.

I love life hacks!

:)

Erm you can't put metal in a microwave...hope that's a joke!

I want to read one of these online. And the best one was how to eat a cupcake by twisting off the bottom and replacing it on top of the icing

And how to make a bowl out of a large bag of crisps by turning up the bottom.

AAAAHAHA Judy'sPriest!!!

What works for me 3 kids under 7 often absent husband working away:

Quick Dressing:
Bobbi brown pot rouge - for cheeks & lips
Cardi tshirt & jeans uniform
Leggings tunic boots cardi for winter
Lip wax & eyebrow wax

Kids:
Yy to putting their own laundry away
Yy to getting their own brekkie out toast cereal & I make the eggs
Yy to clothes out the night before
Yy to lunchbox made night before

Me/general sanity savers:

• getting early to things ( click is set 10 mins ahead)
• walk every day somewhere
• save an amount weekly
• say NO often

These really aren't revolutionary are they

omg judy's priest. I didn't understand that to begin with! yak

Not a martyr, no I'm not a martyr.
But I get up half an hour before everyone else in the house, have coffee and look at my control file, week to a page diary and write my lists for the day. My list has three sections - absolutely musts, would be nice to get done, and dream on.
Eventually the dream on section (like shaving my legs) works it's way up into the absolutely must section and so the family wanders on and things get done.
School letters to be dealt with go into the control file and are put into the Absolute Musts and dates added to the calendar. If they include details on clothing or lunch, they are put into a clear wallet at the back of the control file and Ltr in File added to the calendar note.
Sunday evening while Countryfile is on, we all get together at the table and say 'what we got on this week' and look at the diary.

I have led people to believe we have 27 dogs, 12 ducks, 76 gerbils, a selection of reptiles and many fish. This means I can pay no attention at all to my appearance as they all think I am always busy doing animal stuff.

I sound like a control freak. Well if it looks like one...

Meal plan and shopping list always on my phone no more last minute what are we having for dinner panics as I always know in advance and have everything ready

Slow cooker used a lot as dinner is done in the morning and I love that

Oh and I used to get very irritated by people who did meal plans!!

I'm intrigued springlamb. What's a control file?? Do you have a massive family?

Spaghetti, Elmlee, milk

Well, I'd never buy bought stuff and try to pass them off as homemade - I think that's a bit silly tbh. I'd either make stuff, or say, 'It's from Sainsbury's' or wherever. Honestly can't see the point of lying.

Online food shopping helps a lot.

I have separate folders for things at work and at home (eg one for each class at work and one for recipes, style ideas etc at home) and cull them regularly (every other day at work and less frequently at home) which stops me drowning in piles of paper.

Benetint blusher is a godsend for giving my vampire-pale face a quick bit of colour and making it look as if I have actually spent slightly more than 0.4 of a second on 'grooming' before leaving the house.

Olivio

"I have led people to believe we have 27 dogs, 12 ducks, 76 gerbils, a selection of reptiles and many fish. This means I can pay no attention at all to my appearance as they all think I am always busy doing animal stuff. "

Bloody brilliant!!

I take all the washing out of the washer, hang it on hangers - even pyjamas and tee shirts etc.

Hang it on the rail or washing line to dry, then straight into wardrobes. No standing folding or ironing. I also have a 9kg washing machine which cuts down on the amount of loads I have to do. When I had a 6kg one, I felt as though I was washing all the time

Slow Cooker

As soon as the kids are old enough, they iron their own school uniform ready for the next day.

Antibacterial wipes to give the loo and hand basin a quick clean.

I save £20 a week and put it into a jam jar. It pays for all birthday and Christmas presents. I put the same amount away in another jar and that pays for stuff over the six week school holidays - trips out, meals, petrol etc. it spreads the costs and there's no debt to deal with

I give my shoes a quick shine on those brushes along the sides when I'm on an escalator

I also buy pre made cakes & ice them beautifully for the school cake sale!

I Keep a drawer of emergency gifts for kids & adult friends, as well as gift wrap and birthday cards & cellotape. (Also contains some gifts I've been given that I don't want, I stick a note on who gave it to me and when so I can 're-gift')

I also only use pre made mash.