Silly little life hacks...

[Wisconsin Beth]

Jun 11, 2015 8:00:49 GMT -5 KaraBoo said:

Brush teeth in the shower to save time in the morning.

I had a roommate that did that.  I didn't care that she was brushing her teeth in the shower but was grossed out by her leaving the toothbrush in the shower.  All that soap and dirty water bouncing around the shower stall and then using her toothbrush.  Just icky to me.

[Tennesseer]

Jun 11, 2015 8:12:48 GMT -5 Wisconsin Beth said:

Jun 11, 2015 8:00:49 GMT -5 KaraBoo said:

Brush teeth in the shower to save time in the morning.

I had a roommate that did that.  I didn't care that she was brushing her teeth in the shower but was grossed out by her leaving the toothbrush in the shower.  All that soap and dirty water bouncing around the shower stall and then using her toothbrush.  Just icky to me.

Works fine if you live alone. Better in the shower than at a traffic light which I have witnessed in my rearview mirror.

[Wisconsin Beth]

Jun 11, 2015 8:15:58 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Jun 11, 2015 8:12:48 GMT -5 Wisconsin Beth said:

I had a roommate that did that.  I didn't care that she was brushing her teeth in the shower but was grossed out by her leaving the toothbrush in the shower.  All that soap and dirty water bouncing around the shower stall and then using her toothbrush.  Just icky to me.

Works fine if you live alone. Better in the shower than at a traffic light which I have witnessed in my rearview mirror.

True. 

[Artemis Windsong]

Jun 10, 2015 16:30:39 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Jun 10, 2015 16:28:46 GMT -5 The Captain said:

You are married, right?

Nope. Hence just stuffing it in the darn drawer. I do pair socks though.

I lay my underwear flat and put it in the drawer.

I use a large safety pin to hook my socks to for the laundry.  I get about 4 pair to a safety pin.  Time saved hunting for the socks and none end up with me.  Didn't you know, I am the one with all the lost socks.

I stuff one sock inside the other when I put them away.

My quick dinner is chili cheese fries using canned chili and frozen french fries, shredded cheese.  Followed, of course, by stir fry.

For the shower, I use either a squeegie or a Mr. Clean Eraser to clean the shower as soon as I'm finished.

The bathroom, I clean one part every time I go in.  It's seconds at a time to keep it perpetually clean.

I put the old shopping bags in the bottom of my bathroom trash so I have a fresh bag when I gather up the full one.

[Deleted]

Jun 10, 2015 15:11:44 GMT -5 The Captain said:

Jun 10, 2015 12:07:53 GMT -5 NancysSummerSip said:

Save the Parmesan cheese rinds for use in making sauces.

Oh, and to get rid of annoying co-workers, heat up stinky food for lunch. What...you don't think this one should count?

Ohh, that's right on the cheese rinds.  You can also toss one into a pot of minestrone soup or white bean and escarole soup to flavor it!

Wait a minute; my cheese rinds have wax on them . . . do you let the wax melt into the soup

[The Captain]

Jun 11, 2015 9:00:57 GMT -5 @rockit said:

Jun 10, 2015 15:11:44 GMT -5 The Captain said:

Ohh, that's right on the cheese rinds.  You can also toss one into a pot of minestrone soup or white bean and escarole soup to flavor it!

Wait a minute; my cheese rinds have wax on them . . . do you let the wax melt into the soup

I could be wrong but I think only soft cheeses have wax on them, right?  I usually do this only with hard cheeses but there's no reason you can't take the wax off and use soft cheeses as well.  We just never have leftover soft cheese in my house...

[Deleted]

Jun 11, 2015 9:05:24 GMT -5 The Captain said:

Jun 11, 2015 9:00:57 GMT -5 @rockit said:

Wait a minute; my cheese rinds have wax on them . . . do you let the wax melt into the soup

I could be wrong but I think only soft cheeses have wax on them, right?  I usually do this only with hard cheeses but there's no reason you can't take the wax off and use soft cheeses as well.  We just never have leftover soft cheese in my house...

Its on my hard cheeses - mostly the wine infused cheese . . . I have a rind sitting there, just waiting for me to figure out what to do with it!! Love the cheese but the store stopped carrying it 

[Chocolate Lover]

Jun 10, 2015 16:47:21 GMT -5 The Captain said:

Jun 10, 2015 16:30:52 GMT -5 Chocolate Lover said:

I am and still don't fold it. 

Sweetie, you're married - not dead.

Personally, I always think if the wrapper is visually appealing, the candy tastes better.

(GAWD I can't believe I just wrote that!!! )

GULP!!! hitting post now...

DH prefers wrapper free, so it really doesn't matter what it looks like. 


Seriously, how many wrinkles do you think they end up with?  Mine doesn't come out of the drawer wrinkled. I don't have it crammed so full that it'd cause wrinkles. 

[alabamagal]

I got tired of searching for keys in my purse. So I put a clip on my purse and put my keys there.

[cronewitch]

Sock trick I have used for 29 years for ISO is to only buy 3-4 kinds of socks and buy a lot of them. I get him Costco socks in 6 packs for every day, white with gray toes they all match he has opened packs and new packs. He gets tall socks for his motorcycle boots and some brown socks named Steel toe for wearing fishing they are very warm. Then when one sock wears out he can throw them away and with laundry they are just kept in a drawer, reach in get two socks white with gray toes or special socks. When the majority of the socks loose elastic toss the entire batch and give him about 12-18 new pairs of matching socks. Retired socks can be used to cover dodgers in your tackle box so they stay shiny or as tiny dust rags or oil dipstick rags.

[Bluerobin]

Jun 11, 2015 11:58:41 GMT -5 cronewitch said:

Sock trick I have used for 29 years for ISO is to only buy 3-4 kinds of socks and buy a lot of them. I get him Costco socks in 6 packs for every day, white with gray toes they all match he has opened packs and new packs. He gets tall socks for his motorcycle boots and some brown socks named Steel toe for wearing fishing they are very warm. Then when one sock wears out he can throw them away and with laundry they are just kept in a drawer, reach in get two socks white with gray toes or special socks. When the majority of the socks loose elastic toss the entire batch and give him about 12-18 new pairs of matching socks. Retired socks can be used to cover dodgers in your tackle box so they stay shiny or as tiny dust rags or oil dipstick rags.

I only buy black socks!  Doesn't matter that much when the washer eats one!

[andi9899]

Jun 11, 2015 7:48:47 GMT -5 Bluerobin said:

Putting your garlic in a small jar and shaking will peel the garlic! 
Place several cloves in a jar of cooking oil and store in the fridge.  Then when cooking, brush the oil onto meat.  Absolutely great for pork chops on the grill!!!!!

I so wish I had seen this before I went to the grocery store last night. I really want to try this now. Do you put the cloves in whole?

[Bluerobin]

Jun 11, 2015 14:53:46 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Jun 11, 2015 7:48:47 GMT -5 Bluerobin said:

Putting your garlic in a small jar and shaking will peel the garlic! 
Place several cloves in a jar of cooking oil and store in the fridge.  Then when cooking, brush the oil onto meat.  Absolutely great for pork chops on the grill!!!!!

I so wish I had seen this before I went to the grocery store last night. I really want to try this now. Do you put the cloves in whole?

Yep, about 5 to 6 cloves should do it!  You can store in fridge for a month or two.  We used a glass jar.  The longer they "marinate"  the more garlicky they are!  At least let them in overnight.

[alabamagal]

I have 3 kids very close in age. When they were younger, probably up to about age 12, I would only buy one kind of socks in large quantities. When I did wash there was a big pile I would pair them up and divide into 3 piles. Yes community socks!

[Tennesseer]

Jun 11, 2015 14:53:46 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Jun 11, 2015 7:48:47 GMT -5 Bluerobin said:

Putting your garlic in a small jar and shaking will peel the garlic! 
Place several cloves in a jar of cooking oil and store in the fridge.  Then when cooking, brush the oil onto meat.  Absolutely great for pork chops on the grill!!!!!

I so wish I had seen this before I went to the grocery store last night. I really want to try this now. Do you put the cloves in whole?

You can also wrap a clove of garlic in a damp paper towel. Microwave for about 20 seconds and then gently rub the clove in the paper towel. The garlic skin will come off. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use in the future.

[Opti]

Jun 10, 2015 11:31:21 GMT -5 The Captain said:

Just taking a break and decided to solicit your ideas for great little life hacks.

In my case here are some examples:

1.  Quick dinner Chinese stir fry - Use garlic ginger paste from Indian Grocery store - saves tons of time (I know, seems obvious but we used to tend not to cross ethnic ingredients)

2.  When squeezing lime/lemon juice over food take leftover rind and toss it in a small pot of boiling water on the stove.  The essential oils will soon perfume the house.

3.  Scented bar soap can be stored in t-shirt undergarment drawers to give those articles of clothing a nice scent.  DD has especially taken a liking to this trick.

Comon guys, I need a mindless distraction - any other ideas?  Yea, I know I'm not really creative...

This garlic ginger paste sounds cool. Do you find it in the refrigerated section or elsewhere. And very important how much is it. Sounds much better than the powdered ginger and granulated garlic I sometimes use.

[Opti]

Jun 10, 2015 16:30:52 GMT -5 Chocolate Lover said:

Jun 10, 2015 16:28:46 GMT -5 The Captain said:

You are married, right?

I am and still don't fold it. 

I am single and still fold my underwear. How do you find the pair you want, if you just stuff them in there?

[The Captain]

Jun 11, 2015 22:12:49 GMT -5 Opti said:

Jun 10, 2015 11:31:21 GMT -5 The Captain said:

Just taking a break and decided to solicit your ideas for great little life hacks.

In my case here are some examples:

1.  Quick dinner Chinese stir fry - Use garlic ginger paste from Indian Grocery store - saves tons of time (I know, seems obvious but we used to tend not to cross ethnic ingredients)

2.  When squeezing lime/lemon juice over food take leftover rind and toss it in a small pot of boiling water on the stove.  The essential oils will soon perfume the house.

3.  Scented bar soap can be stored in t-shirt undergarment drawers to give those articles of clothing a nice scent.  DD has especially taken a liking to this trick.

Comon guys, I need a mindless distraction - any other ideas?  Yea, I know I'm not really creative...

This garlic ginger paste sounds cool. Do you find it in the refrigerated section or elsewhere. And very important how much is it. Sounds much better than the powdered ginger and granulated garlic I sometimes use.

It's not just cool, it's awesome! It's just on regular shelves but you refrigerate it once opened (like store bought mayo).

Below is a picture of the exact brand we use but don't pay attention to the price, which is stupid high.  I'm not sure exactly how much a 26oz jar is (they do come in smaller sized but we use a decent amount so I buy the jumbo jar) but I seem to think around 7-9 bucks?

www.amazon.com/Swad-Ginger-garlic-Paste-26-5-Oz/dp/B00K8DN8DK/ref=sr_1_9?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1434115947&sr=1-9&keywords=ginger+garlic+paste

[Chocolate Lover]

Jun 11, 2015 22:21:27 GMT -5 Opti said:

Jun 10, 2015 16:30:52 GMT -5 Chocolate Lover said:

I am and still don't fold it. 

I am single and still fold my underwear. How do you find the pair you want, if you just stuff them in there?

Um.......they all look different. It's not hard. The drawer isn't huge, I don't have enough underwear to last 6 months or anything. 

[alabamagal]

I use the stuff it in the drawer underwear method. I do laundry weekly. The "popular" underwear is in the front of the drawer. The emergency pairs are toward the back.

[Miss Tequila]

You all fold underwear?? Why? I can honestly say, no guy has ever gotten to me in just underwear and turned me away because they obviously hadn't been folded.....

<walks away shaking head about the OCD freaks in this thread>>

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

I'm a folder too. Always have been.

I did manage to finally train DH in the art of folding his own jockeys.. this was after endless hours of training on how to pick them up off the bathroom floor and get them to the laundry hamper in the first place.


If we were watching TV or a movie in the evenings I'd often be running the laundry at the same time (since we were both working).

If his socks and shorts happened to be the load of dry laundry that came out of the dryer, I'd the works in his lap to fold and match up - after all, he was the one who'd be wearing them.

If they're folded before they go in the drawer, you can stack them neatly and still have room to spare. And with the socks all paired & matched up, he could just grab a pair of those quickly from the drawer too.

Bad enough I had to press a business shirt for him to wear every day - the least he could do in return is fold his own underoos.

Only a few more years training and he was able to handle the art of folding towels too. (As well as picking up the wet ones off the floor).

[Miss Tequila]

Jun 10, 2015 16:47:21 GMT -5 The Captain said:

Jun 10, 2015 16:30:52 GMT -5 Chocolate Lover said:

I am and still don't fold it. 

Sweetie, you're married - not dead.

Personally, I always think if the wrapper is visually appealing, the candy tastes better.

(GAWD I can't believe I just wrote that!!! )

GULP!!! hitting post now...

What does folding underwear have to do with making them (or you) visually appealing? 

[lexxy703]

I used to be a folder, then I just started laying them in the drawer flat.  Now I the clean clothes on the guest room bed & call it good.

[Tennesseer]

Jun 12, 2015 14:19:32 GMT -5 lexxy703 said:

I used to be a folder, then I just started laying them in the drawer flat.  Now I the clean clothes on the guest room bed & call it good.

That, or just leave the underwear in the dryer and take out what you need for each new day until the dryer is emptied. This only works though if you live alone.

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

Jun 12, 2015 18:21:12 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

That, or just leave the underwear in the dryer and take out what you need for each new day until the dryer is emptied. This only works though if you live alone.

But what about any other laundry that accumulates in the meantime? Do you just let that pile up on the floor til all the underwear in the dryer has been "recycled"?

If you hang shirts up the minute they come out of the dryer and are still warm, they'll be wrinkle-free - or at least not as wrinkled as they would beif you just left them in the dryer.

You can fold socks &/or underwear, T-shirt etc, & towels etc while sitting & staring at TV. Then just carry the neat stack to where it supposed to be stored (drawers, linen closet etc).

One load of clean laundry can be (neatly) put back it's right place before the next load is even finished.

Doing the laundry is only a pain in the ass & tedious if you make it so.

[Tennesseer]

Jun 12, 2015 18:44:22 GMT -5 ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ said:

Jun 12, 2015 18:21:12 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

That, or just leave the underwear in the dryer and take out what you need for each new day until the dryer is emptied. This only works though if you live alone.

But what about any other laundry that accumulates in the meantime? Do you just let that pile up on the floor til all the underwear in the dryer has been "recycled"?

If you hang shirts up the minute they come out of the dryer and are still warm, they'll be wrinkle-free - or at least not as wrinkled as they would beif you just left them in the dryer.

You can fold socks &/or underwear, T-shirt etc, & towels etc while sitting & staring at TV. Then just carry the neat stack to where it supposed to be stored (drawers, linen closet etc).

One load of clean laundry can be (neatly) put back it's right place before the next load is even finished.

Doing the laundry is only a pain in the ass & tedious if you make it so.

I only have to do two, maybe three, loads of laundry a week. It's just me. When I am in a lazy mood, dark clothes, including clothes that do need folding, are done first. Then its time to wash the underwear-all whites.

I do try to make it a point to do the underwear first (like today). That way it makes it to the drawer. But I have been known to do the underwear last and just take out what I need from the dryer as needed.

[lexxy703]

Jun 12, 2015 18:21:12 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Jun 12, 2015 14:19:32 GMT -5 lexxy703 said:

I used to be a folder, then I just started laying them in the drawer flat.  Now I the clean clothes on the guest room bed & call it good.

That, or just leave the underwear in the dryer and take out what you need for each new day until the dryer is emptied. This only works though if you live alone.

LMAO Tenn........I wasn't going to admit to that!

[Tennesseer]

Jun 15, 2015 10:03:47 GMT -5 lexxy703 said:

Jun 12, 2015 18:21:12 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

That, or just leave the underwear in the dryer and take out what you need for each new day until the dryer is emptied. This only works though if you live alone.

LMAO Tenn........I wasn't going to admit to that!

I can be very lazy and am proud to admit that.

[lexxy703]

Jun 15, 2015 10:07:21 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Jun 15, 2015 10:03:47 GMT -5 lexxy703 said:

LMAO Tenn........I wasn't going to admit to that!

I can be very lazy and am proud to admit that.

The sad thing in my case is ultimately it takes more effort to go down two flights of stairs everyday to get dressed.  I'm not even that good at being lazy.