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..

I file all warranties instructions etc together in box file.

I check to see if the instructions are online, and if so, then I just chuck them!

Irons, kettles, computer printers. Keep box and sellotape receipt to the inside. You would be amazed how often these things have stopped working when they are 11.5 months old. In which case, take to shop and exchange - no questions asked.

I gave up with printers that cost about £100. I bought a bigger, better more commercial one for about £400. It is now four years old and I have only had to replace the ink cartridges twice. Ink has cost about £150 in four years. The cheaper printers needed about £49 worth about three times a year. Quids in!

I use air tight pegs like in the image for bags, in the freezer, or cereal that is not being eaten immediately, biscuits, etc.

They are as good as new when I open them months later.

We have those, Lweji. They are indeed brilliant. We used to use clothes pegs, but these are better.

Kill me now many of them have ring pulls now. I store upside down too :)

My DC have towelling pull one robes for after swimming. After months of always forgetting someone's hat/goggles/pants (they go in their swimwear) I hit upon the idea of packing the stuff they need in the pocket of the robes.

Also - tankinis - very handy for potty training/potty trained girls. Also for mums who put their cosies on under their clothes if taking DC swimming later.

Bath crayons are great for reluctant writers. DS practices his spellings on the bath.

You can go to the loo wearing a one piece swimsuit without taking it off - just pull it to the side. No worries.

You can go to the loo wearing a one piece swimsuit without taking it off - just pull it to the side.

This is like the moment (when watching Big Brother) I learned that some people wee in the shower.

^

My legs are too fat, and dd likes to do things properly (she's 3 and potty trained herself at 2.2).

Write down how many mother-uncle specific cards you need over the course of a year & buy in the cheap card shop all in one go. So much easier to go to a drawer rather than a trip to shops. If you're really organised you could put them in an envelope for each month & write bday dates on it.

Peel a hard boiled egg by putting it in a drinking glass and shaking.
Shell comes straight off and you can do it while it's too hot to handle too.

If you want easy to peel hard boiled eggs, always use eggs several days old. Really fresh eggs are a bugger to peel as they have less air in them than slightly older ones.

Spinning a boiled egg before you peel it works really well too.

If you get wee on your swimsuit you are doing it wrong

Photograph all receipts /warranty papers etc and store them to a cloud server such as Dropbox etc
Everything in one place then and easy to find.

Oh and another cat litter tip... Keep a bag of cheap stuff in your car over winter. If it snows and you get stuck a good handful under your wheels will give you enough traction to get going again.

Roll out pastry or biscuit dough between 2 sheets of clingfilm. No more sticking.
Im desperate for a other grandchild to try out the envelope neck trick!

Photograph childrens' party invites so you have a copy on your phone.

So when, like me, you set off and have forgotten the invite and need the address/telephone no, it's there on your phone.

Ditto letters for school activities.

Much easier than having reams of paper stuck onto your fridge with magnets!

Last year I also bought a magnetic year planner and stuck it on the fridge with all holiday dates/trips on. I have three different schools between my DCs and it's always been a nightmare. Then I stopped work and realised I had spent years coordinating numerous staff holidays/meetings/trips without a hitch using just a wall planner....

Further to EvelynJ I buy all the birthday cards I need for everyone in one go just once a year. That way I always have one. Also keep a packet of Thank you cards in the house - I pick them up if I see them on offer / nice batch at car boot etc.

Also one I saw on here and which I tried for the first time last night. Put liquid paracetamol in yoghurt for toddler who won't take medicine. It works!

i freeze toddler size meals in cup cake tins. When frozen put in a sink with a little bit of lukewarm water and put all the discs of food in a freezer bag in the freezer. Bigger portions and much easier than ice cube trays. I also do this for homemade tomato sauce, left over coconut milk and cream and then add them to cooking.

Silver permanent pens are brilliant for labelling school clothes and sports kit, socks, shoes etc. it doesn't wash off and shows up on any colour.

YY to taking photos of party invites on phone & school lists.
Saved me many a nightmare.

I just buy plain cards in bulk (usually about 50p each) and the DC and I write in them.

I use the fridge door as a shopping list - I glued a magnet to a dry-wipe pen and keep stuck there so that we can add things as we need them, then take a photo on my phone as I'm leaving the house to take to the shops.

Love this thread.

Yy NoIsNotACompleteSentence Photograph childrens' party invites so you have a copy on your phone.

Love the airtight pegs. Lweji and Jux - can I ask where you got yours from?

Silver sharpies are also the best way to label black electric cords. Write on them when they come in and never again forget what they are for.

Also makes it easy to identify the correct pug in a mulitbox.