Simple useful things that took you too long to work out...

[MyCatIsAGit]

Like taking the oven shelf out of the top oven to use in the bottom (bigger) oven so you can fit 3 trays in rather than just 2.

10 years we've had that oven, juggling baking trays at Christmas and for kid's beige food and chips tea, in fact most days. Especially as top oven doesn't work v well.

Revelation this Sunday..

If you have one of those fridges that has a water cooler thingy (that you always forget to use) put wine in the water cooler. Tell everyone NOT to drink the water because it has cleaning stuff in it.

Lovely, cold wine all the time. Just for you.

If you are making fairy cakes, use an ice cream scoop to put the mixture into the cases - evenly sized cakes.

If making burgers or meatballs etc with your hands, run hands under the tap first so they are wet - the mixture will not stick to your hands in a yucky manner.

Few drops of essential oil on a cotton wool ball placed behind the radiator makes rooms smell nice in winter.

In desperation, white wine through a soda stream makes passable celebratory fizz. Especially if everyone has had a few.

I tried the hair remover down plughole tip after reading about it on MN years ago. Doesn't work - well not with the Superdrug own brand hair remover cream.

YY to keeping swim stuff in bags.

the folding clothes to the same shape and the depth of drawers trick is a revelation - so clothes stand up in the drawers and don't get messed up when you take stuff out - her is an example re tshirts but you can apply the method to anything:

We recently got a puppy, so have put a gate across the hallway so she can't get to the stairs or front door.

Gone are the days of walking down the hall to put things on the stairs for taking up later. We just pop them through the gaps in the banisters.

We could have been doing this ever since we took the boards off the banisters, but have literally never thought of it, until forced into it by circumstance.

It does make me wonder what other obvious timesavers we are missing.

Pizza dough freezes really well & defrosts quickly.

I make up a large batch (i kilo of flour), make our pizza and then freeze the rest in pizza size lots. It also defrosts very quickly. 1kg of organic strong flour about £1.30 makes 5 biggish pizzas (if you like thin crust).

How did I not know this a lifetime ago?

KeepItDOwn that cake cutting tip is genius!!

BabySocks I love it. I get so muddled because I remember the older one wearing it. DC2 starts school in September so there will be more to mix up.

The floss works but you need to find unflavoured floss. I have a cake wire though.

Freeze left over gravy in a silicone muffin tin (remove and place in a freezer bag once frozen). You then have child-sized gravy portions to throw over sausages or Aunt Bessie's Yorkshire puds.

Put a few blobs of Argan oil on children's knotty hair before washing. Wash, condition and brush. Easily.

Warm up make-up pencils prior to sharpening. They break off too easily if the're cold.

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If you freeze flat things like wraps that are hard to separate when you just want to defrost one or two, fold them in half before sticking them in the freezer and they don't form as tight a 'seal' with one another so you should be able to just slide them apart.

Not RTFT yet but some great ideas. I always struggled with toasting a Pitta and having to turn it over and retoast, then my DS suggested I cut it in half before toasting. Bloody genius

Store baked beans upside down so the beans sink, turn right way up when you open the tin so the juice is now at the bottom and pushes all the beans out in one go. Saves digging around with a spoon.

I wouldn't bother buying greaseproof paper to line the tops of kitchen cupboards, just use newspaper.

I never have to change duvet covers again. We only have 4 tog ones which dry quickly, so I have machined the covers on and wash the whole lot, even double ones. I invested in 2 duvets for each bed, just cheap ones, so one on and one drying.

Ah Charlie I did the newspaper thing a few years ago, but it absorbs all the grease etc. that was why I was interested in the wax paper idea, it should repel it. Or may be I just need to clean more often.

Becool, I like that folding! I like the drawer dividers more, though. I wonder where you can get them from.

I hate packing and used to get really stressed about forgetting stuff like my toothbrush because I'd leave it out til the last minute so's I could use it.

Then I remembered that toothbrushes are really cheap, and why not have more than one on the go?

Taking this to its logical conclusion I now have complete toilet bags permanently packed for myself and each DC. No more dashing out for Calpol or bum cream in the middle of a break, I only have to remember one thing.

We also have a full set of toothbrushes in both bathrooms- saves DC trying to argue that they can't brush their teeth because someone is in the loo.

the folding clothes to the same shape and the depth of drawers trick is a revelation - so clothes stand up in the drawers and don't get messed up when you take stuff out - her is an example re tshirts but you can apply the method to anything: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJAYRXjZoMY

Dear god, the t-shirt folding is fine but what in the name of fuck is the point in folding up the teeny tiny knickers? I fold my knickers but they are a marque compared to the ones she had. In fact, what is the point in the teeny tiny knickers at all? (I am aware that I am now old and everyone will be shocked that I don't wear teeny tiny knickers but ones that cover my arse.)

Taking this to its logical conclusion I now have complete toilet bags permanently packed
I do that too. There is a wash bag with a couple of nights worth of shampoo, shower gel etc always packed.
Another similar tip is to keep a packing list in your overnight bag or suitcase. Generally you always need to take the same stuff.

If you have scraps of food to throw out (maybe pet food or children's leftovers) but the weather is hot and its ages til bin day and you don't want to risk maggots in your wheelie bin, then keep a nappy sack or small biodegradable bag for scraping scraps into tucked away in a corner of your freezer. Throw out the night before bin day.

If you have made a big salad but only eaten half of it, place a damp piece of kitchen roll over it and keep in fridge overnight. Keeps it fresh and doesn't wilt.

Same with a bag of salad. Put in a bowl with damp kitchen roll on top and it stays fresh.

There is no need to peel root ginger if you are going to freeze it and then grate it. Keep it in the freezer and take out to grate - the skin stays on the outside of the grater while the ginger is on the inside

Cleaning the shower cubicle - save your back from all that bending and get a washing up brush for the bathroom. Spray on cleaner and then use brush and then rinse off.

Becool pizza dough also makes really good breadsticks. I always make extra and freeze