Life Hacks... Those Little Tricks To Make Life Easier For you. Please Share Yours.

[K'Tesh]

Isn't annoying when you drop something smooth, small, hard and thin (like a coin or a washer) and it lands on a smooth hard surface (like a wood floor or tile), and you can't pick it up, because your freshly trimmed fingernails lack the edge needed to catch the edge of the item? I finally found a solution for it. I don't trim both hands on the same day. I trim them on alternate weeks (I try to do them on "fingernail Friday"). This way, one hand's nails are freshly trimmed, and the other has the necessary growth and edge needed to pick up those things, and both are short enough to be presentable in public.

That is one of my little life hacks. Do you have any you'd like to share?

 

[Peartree]

It's a little thing, but I like shaving with a mug, shaving soap, and a brush. (Alternately, since I started shaving my head, I use an inexpensive rotary shaver.) I don't buy shaving cream, and I don't worry about having another size can, or a different product, that is allowable by the FAA for travel. I know that shaving cream isn't expensive, but shaving soap is super cheap and over a lifetime it'll save a few bucks.

 

[DigBaddy]

We spend a lot of time with our little camper in national parks and other places. We make double batch meals weeks in advance of any trip, and freeze half in food saver vacuum bags. We don't have to worry about having raw meat to cook at all, and they are effectively ice packs and can thaw while keeping other stuff cool.

And then we get good, healthy, home cooked meals while camping instead of having the usual burgers, brats, hotdogs, etc and things are ready quickly, saving LP and time and minimizing cleanup.

Sharpen your chainsaws, fuel them up, and top off the oil immediately after using them. When you need them after a storm takes out a huge tree that blocks your driveway, you will be ready to go. Especially when it's nearly nightfall on a Sunday....

Carry a tire plug kit in every car and an air compressor. That can be faster than changing it out for your spare.

 

[eugenefl]

Before you sit on the porcelain throne, actually VERIFY there is ample toilet paper present. This is especially important in public restrooms, but can apply in your own home especially if you have inconsiderate family members or roommates.

 

[prfesser]

I have six 5-gal gas cans. The local Kroger gives 10 cents off for every 100 bucks spent. Between grocery shopping and prescriptions I get between 0.50-1 dollar off per gallon. So at the end of the month (points expire) I fill up my RAV4 and the gas cans---max allowed with discount is 35 gallons. Cans are gradually emptied into Geniece's car, my RAV4, the mower, and the weed whacker. In addition to lowering gasoline cost significantly, I usually have a fair supply of fuel for the generator, in the event that we have a power outage. (No more ice storms til Dec, but lots of wind coming in Tornado Alley...)

 

[DigBaddy]

Before you sit on the porcelain throne, actually VERIFY there is ample toilet paper present. This is especially important in public restrooms, but can apply in your own home especially if you have inconsiderate family members or roommates.

My brilliant wife predicted the Great Covid TP Shortage of 2020 before it happened and bought two bidet toilet seats. Lack of TP is rarely an issue and we've already more than paid for them in reduced usage. Worst case, you just air dry...

Also, if you ride bikes or spend time hiking or hunting, Carry TP, plenty of it.

 

[DigBaddy]

I have six 5-gal gas cans. The local Kroger gives 10 cents off for every 100 bucks spent. Between grocery shopping and prescriptions I get between 0.50-1 dollar off per gallon. So at the end of the month (points expire) I fill up my RAV4 and the gas cans---max allowed with discount is 35 gallons. Cans are gradually emptied into Geniece's car, my RAV4, the mower, and the weed whacker. In addition to lowering gasoline cost significantly, I usually have a fair supply of fuel for the generator, in the event that we have a power outage. (No more ice storms til Dec, but lots of wind coming in Tornado Alley...)

Want to throw people for a loop, get a lot of gas with a bicycle.

I converted a Burley kid trailer to a utility trailer. Really handy for fetching stuff; even heavy stuff. Straw bales for seeding grass fit nicely too

 

[prfesser]

On grocery shopping: a LIST. Whether printed on paper or carried on your phone, it's the ONE thing that reduces grocery costs more than any other factor. (Eating a meal before shopping is the second-most-effective cost reducer; planning the week's meals is good too).

I'm old-school and use a paper list. Left side of the paper has the items that make up 95% of what we buy; with paper I can see the entire list at one shot, no scrolling back-and-forth needed. Right side is our 30-40 most common meals. During the week we check off items needed, add new items as needed, mark a meal you'd like for the coming week. Back of the sheet has the digital coupon listing so I remember special buys.

Having done the weekly shopping for over 40 years I know whether a sale price is great, okay, or just blather. Prices of some goods have gone up significantly but we still spend only about $100-120 a week on groceries. We do a lot of scratch cooking and rarely eat out or takeout (maybe once a month), which helps too.

 

[prfesser]

My brilliant wife predicted the Great Covid TP Shortage of 2020 before it happened and bought two bidet toilet seats. Lack of TP is rarely an issue and we've already more than paid for them in reduced usage. Worst case, you just air dry...

Also, if you ride bikes or spend time hiking or hunting, Carry TP, plenty of it.

Agreed! FWIW get a good bidet seat, one that warms water electrically. Waiting for the hot water to get there from the water heater takes a century or two.

 

[georgegassaway]

Had an issue with hair clogging the bathtub drain over time. Finally figured out a solution. Got a kitchen sink strainer, made out of some sort of rubber (or silicone), at Dollar Tree.

Flipped it upside down (raised up, not recessed) and put it over the drain in the bathtub. That solved it. Every once in awhile I remove hair that has collected on the top, no more clogs.

A drawback is that it lets about 1" of water stand in it while showering, and for awhile after before slowly draining out. I solved some of that by drilling a few holes in the sides (near the base), so that water could drain more quickly after I was done.

(note the photo above is one I googled, and would not have the standing water issue. The one from Dollar Tree does not have holes for the first 1")

 

[BBrown]

Eating a meal before shopping is the second-most-effective cost reducer

This technique doesn't work at the liquor store!

 

[eugenefl]

My brilliant wife predicted the Great Covid TP Shortage of 2020 before it happened and bought two bidet toilet seats. Lack of TP is rarely an issue and we've already more than paid for them in reduced usage. Worst case, you just air dry...

Also, if you ride bikes or spend time hiking or hunting, Carry TP, plenty of it.

My "moments without TP" have left me scarred. I'm an avid off-road mountain biker, 4-wheel enthusiast, tent camper, and hiker. I never leave home without TP! We also thought about getting a bidet for the house when it dawned on me that I was too cheap and would just wash off with a hose if things got desperate! LOL....

 

[eugenefl]

Having trouble keeping organized or tired of looking at clutter? I am not sure if this qualifies as a life hack necessarily, but I often worry about my desire to "collect" and boderline "hoard" (i.e. collections that get out of hand and can no longer be contained within display cases, closets, etc.) as it relates to the human condition, emotions, nostalgia, traumas, etc. I listened to the audio book "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing" by Marie Kondo and found it to be deeply insightful into behavior and provide rational arguments and explanations for the reasons we collect things to begin with and the reasons why we find it difficult to part with them. Not gonna lie, you're not going to pry my rocketry collection out of my hands until I'm dead or in desperate financial times needing to save myself and family, but the book has really helped me identify things to part ways with while minimizing the emotional attachment or irrational fiscal arguments associated with "I might need that one day....20 years later." I have to thank Marie. I was able to get rid of enough stuff that didn't bring me joy to make room to collect more rocket stuff. Do rockets bring me joy? You betcha! Thanks Marie!

 

[prfesser]

When opening a zip-top bag---especially the cheap thin ones that tend to stretch before they tear open---start at one end of the zipper, not the middle. Much easier!

 

[K'Tesh]

At the 3:54 mark... How to use hot glue to replace a clogged spray paint nozzle...

 

[cls]

I put my wallet and keys in the same place every time. I've found developing these sort of mindless habits are a mind saver!

 

[Cape Byron]

When opening a zip-top bag---especially the cheap thin ones that tend to stretch before they tear open---start at one end of the zipper, not the middle. Much easier!

Or, pinch the zip-lock and slide the two pieces apart. Works a treat.

 

[prfesser]

At the 3:54 mark... How to use hot glue to replace a clogged spray paint nozzle...

At 5.20: quicker than their method and doesn't leave green stains on your fingers. Clamp wire end in a vice, grab the other end with pliers, give a good strong yank, not hard enough to break the wire. Straightens wire pretty well.

 

[OverTheTop]

I use a labeler to identify my many chargers, especially the ones with no brand-names on them to make their matching appliances obvious.


I suppose masking tape and a sharpie would work just as well.

If I don't do this they are likely to end up in my bucket of unidentified plugpacks and then get used for something else, or get the cable cut off and used for something else.

 

[hobie1dog]

great list with photos:

200 Incredible Life Hacks That Make Life So Much Easier

We have collected 200 most practical life hacks into this one big list. By tweaking little things in your daily life, it can make your life much easier.

www.lifehack.org

 

[shockie]

This technique doesn't work at the liquor store!

That's why you should get drunk before shopping for alcohol.

 

[hobie1dog]

I just saw the post about screwdrivers having the ridges placed specifically so that you can use a closed end wrench on them for leverage.

 

[Rob Campbell]

Before you sit on the porcelain throne, actually VERIFY there is ample toilet paper present. This is especially important in public restrooms, but can apply in your own home especially if you have inconsiderate family members or roommates.

I had to sit on the throne in a grocery store one time and didn't check the paper supply. I engaged in a little creative quick thinking and whipped out my phone and called the number and had customer service slide a roll under the stall door. If it had been the 80's, I's have been literally up a certain creek without a paddle.

 

[AcadiaRockets]

I have only bought the same socks since 1990. I don't know how much time I have saved in 32 years on not matching socks but I imaging to myself its quantifiable. I am sure I have bought hundreds over the years and granted this sock is an expensive sock for hiking. But every every piece of footwear I have owned in 32 years was fitted around it. Wake up in the morning, which socks? Nope! no decisions need to be made. Move on with day.
Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

 

[K'Tesh]

I had to sit on the throne in a grocery store one time and didn't check the paper supply. I engaged in a little creative quick thinking and whipped out my phone and called the number and had customer service slide a roll under the stall door. If it had been the 80's, I's have been literally up a certain creek without a paddle.

Rule #2 Beware of Bathrooms​

You are at your most vulnerable while sitting on the toilet, so always take extra care.

 

[SolarYellow]

Sharpen your chainsaws, fuel them up, and top off the oil immediately after using them. When you need them after a storm takes out a huge tree that blocks your driveway, you will be ready to go. Especially when it's nearly nightfall on a Sunday....

I do the opposite. Saw gets the fuel dumped and run until it stops, so there's no fuel in the tank to go bad before it gets used next time. I probably don't run mine as often as you do.

 

[DigBaddy]

I do the opposite. Saw gets the fuel dumped and run until it stops, so there's no fuel in the tank to go bad before it gets used next time. I probably don't run mine as often as you do.

That's a good approach if they aren't used a lot, good tip!

I use mine a fair amount. Cut down and cut up four trees on Sunday

 

[Sandy H.]

Talking about chainsaws and emergency use, my brother got the tip (living in the Florida Keys) to buy premixed canned gas. Feel free to use regular mix gas when you're doing a lot of cutting, but if you're not going to cut often, but need it to start on the first pull after a hurricane, drain the gas after use and keep one or more sealed cans of gas. They last in the high humidity indefinitely until opened and that is what counts when stuff is mission critical. True, I think it is more than $20 per gallon, but when you're in disaster recovery mode, do you really care about that or would you rather take everything apart, rebuild the carb and hope that your gas supply of mixed fuel didn't absorb too much water.

I have debated buying a can myself, but the reality is that we don't typically have emergency level issues. Having said that, not being prepared will be a pain if a big deal does happen. . .

I do only buy non-ethanol fuel for the mowers and I do put in fuel stabilizer in the winter.

He has also switched to only buying 5 gallon drums of VP racing fuel for his racecar. Buying a 55 gallon drum is cheaper, but it does absorb water/rust internally if it isn't used quickly. Costs more per purchase, but not clogging a fuel filter and leaning the motor out pays for the difference pretty quickly. He's amazed at the guys buying pump gas and the number of problems they have compared to himself.

Sandy.

 

[bjphoenix]

That's a good approach if they aren't used a lot, good tip!

This is a good practice for lawn equipment that is used all summer but not winter- when used last in the summer you drain out the remaining fuel and let the engine run until it runs dry.

 

[therling]

If you own any Japanese machinery like a car or a motorcycle you may not have learned that those aren't Phillips screws, they're JIS fasteners that you will round out if you use a Phillips head screwdriver on them.

All the JIS fasteners on my 2000 Kawasaki W650 have long been gouged out because I didn't realize the screwdriver that came in the tool kit was the right tool for JIS cross head screws. The difference is subtle, but it's at the point where the most torque is applied while trying to loosen or tighten them. Note the angles in the lower part of the illustration.

You can use a JIS screwdriver on a Phillips screw but not vice versa. Some JIS screws have a tiny dimple stamped on the head for identification.