Yahoo Lifestyle People Are Sharing The Single Greatest Life Hack Everyone Should Know About
Life is all about working smarter. And every once in a while, you hear a trick that makes you think, huh, why didn't I think of that? Well, Redditor That_Is_Bryce asked, "What is your 'I can’t believe other people don’t do this' hack?" Here are some of the game-changing tricks that people use all the time.
1."If you are constantly grabbing a tool to move from point A to use it at point B, just get a second one for point B. For example, it is great to have a sharps drawer where you keep scissors, but if you are always looking for scissors while at your desk, just get a second pair to keep in your desk..."
"...If you have to go find an Allen wrench from the garage to tighten a stubborn kitchen faucet, get one of the correct size to keep in the kitchen. Instead of moving a phone charger between your bedroom and the living room, just get a second one for your living room. Obviously, financial and space limitations can apply. But pay attention to what you waste frustration looking for, where you actually use it, and if possible, just get a second one to keep in that location."
2."I keep one of those dish cleaning wands you fill with soap in my shower. It’s filled with Dawn soap and vinegar. I scrub my shower walls and tub every other shower, just while I’m in there. It takes less than 2 minutes, and I never have to clean my tub/shower otherwise. I’ll do a Comet tub clean scrub about two times per year, but I can’t even see or tell the difference. It’s mostly just for peace of mind."
3."Eat muffins upside down because it won’t fall apart and you get that sweet muffin top last."
4."You can use hand sanitizer to remove ink stains."
5."I keep a list of joyful moments every year. I track the date and the moment. These can be big and small: a great holiday, or the way a friend looks when they tell you something, and they're vulnerable but trust you. I used to think I could just remember everything, but I'm 41 now, and rereading these lists always cheers me up."
6."Very simple but the number of people don’t know that Control/Command + Shift + T brings back the tab you closed by accident on Chrome or whatever is wild. It’ll even bring back entire windows if you accidentally close everything."
7."I keep an emergency $20 in my phone (in between the phone and its case). It's come in handy many times when I've forgotten my wallet or been to a cash-only place."
8."I tell my toddler that tv show characters go on vacation so we can take a break from watching them."
9."I have a Google account for the house. I email things that I need to remember. I have photos of various things around the property (including plants because I always forget what a weed is and what a plant is). In Drive, I have saved all the paint colors, documents related to renovations and house plans, etc. If we ever sell the house, I can change the password for the new owners, and they will effectively have a house manual."
10."Book flights using a VPN to make yourself appear from a different country. It often means a cheaper flight. And no, before you ask, you don't have to book or be from the country you're going to in order to book a flight from another country. By doing this, I saved $1600 on a flight from the US to Australia."
11."Put together bags to organize the things you need when you go to specific places. I have a gym bag, a work bag, a roller skate bag, a dance bag, you get the idea. I buy inexpensive bags at thrift stores. I just grab the bag for the designated activity. It means no gathering things up and hoping I remember it all. I just pick up the bag and go."
12."After Christmas, not only do I buy wrapping paper when it's cheap, but I buy it according to the background color. Red, white, green, blue. (You can use whatever color plan works for you.) When I get gifts, I box them, wrap them, and when I wrap them, I wrap them in a color indicating where they're going..."
"...All presents in red paper are for the three of us and they stay home. All the presents in green paper are going to my mom's house. All the presents in white are going to work and other friends. All the presents in blue are going to my husband's parents. This makes sorting things out quickly when you're ready to go a lot easier. I also keep a box cutter, good paper scissors, box tape, and regular tape, as well as a pen that will write on the tags packed with the wrapping paper. That way I don't have to go look for anything, it's all right there and it stays right there when I'm done."
13."I line waste baskets throughout my house with several plastic trash bags. When one is full, I simply pull it out and a fresh one is already in place. Saves me from running back and forth the evening before trash is picked up."
14."I use a salad spinner to store sliced watermelon and other chopped fruit. The screen separates the fruit from juice and keeps it fresh for much longer."
15."My wife and I take out a certain amount of cash weekly. Say it’s $125 each, so we take out $250 total. This is our personal spending money each week. For instance, if one of us wants lunch, it comes from our weekly cash allowance. Same for online purchases. Then, at the end of the week, we put all our leftover cash in a jar, and it becomes our communal fund. We use it for groceries, dinners out, vacations, etc... This has helped us cut down our spending each week tremendously."
16."Keep an upstairs-downstairs basket and put it at the bottom or top of the stairs. Add things to the basket as you realize they need to go up or down. The next person to climb the stairs carries it."
17."Promo codes can be found by Googling or searching Reddit. I’ve even asked companies if they’d honor the rate Groupon is offering, and most do!"
18."When you order Chinese food and get anything that has a fried component (like General Tso's chicken or orange beef), order the sauce on the side. That way, if you have it delivered or pick it up, the fried part will still be crispy because it hasn't sat in the sauce for too long and gotten soggy."
19."I buy my socks all at once, and they're all identical. When I need socks, I grab any two because they all match. When one gets a hole, I throw one sock away, not a pair. When I start to run low, I throw them all out and start over. The idea that people actually spend time sorting, pairing, and folding socks is insanity to me."
20."I eat tacos and burritos over lettuce. It makes a nice salad when some of the contents fall out."
Do you have something to add? What is a game-changing life hack you're surprised more people don't know about? Tell us in the comments or in this anonymous form.
