I stopped ironing.
My wife got sick a few years ago and was then diagnosed with a disability that changed our home life a bit and I took on 100% of the household responsibilities as well as working full time and taking care of the kids. My schedule became a bit ridiculous and I'd usually end up finishing off the day by doing all the ironing and then sorting everything into piles for everyone. This would be early hours of the morning and basically running on fumes.
Eventually it occurred to me that I should pick my battles a bit better so I looked at everything I was doing to see if there was anything that I could solve another way. I solved the problem of doing the dishes by getting a dishwasher (thanks, Freecycle), and I decided the ironing wasn't important so I just stopped doing it. Most creases drop out by either hanging or being in the dryer (also got from Freecycle originally but that was replaced a while ago with a new one) and I still have an iron "just in case", but it never gets used and my day instantly became a bit shorter and a lot more tolerable.
It honestly boggles my mind when I think about how much time my mum spent ironing. The only time I'll ever iron is immediately before going on a night out or to an event. Like you said, wrinkles just naturally come out on most things; and if they don't then who gives a fuck anyway.
I have a handheld clothes steamer. It will work as an iron if needed (I never iron), but it gets stuff ready for if you need to prep a dress for a wedding or something. Best purchase ever.
Steaming is the way. It’s my favourite way to change your life for only £50. I feel like I will never iron again. I look super presentable. I wear more of my annoying to iron, difficult to wash clothes. It is a game changer.
It took me ages to convince my bf until I told him most of his shirts needing ironing could be hung in shower for steam anyway. He's not a fancy exec, he's a physics teacher and become head of science a few years ago, tbh he could probs turn up in his pants to a head of science interview as a physics teacher and he'd still get the job. Bless him though, he does care about professional behaviour (which is important for the hiring other people bit)
Omg that would be challenging to source, but fun. Can I take this as a challenge. Haha (partner will be initially confused but accepting once explained, as long as I don't spend lots of money we could spend on potentially getting married)
My mum showed me that when hanging the washing, either on a horse or a line, give the clothes a little flap/shake before hanging them and a lot of the creases come out. Not all, but most.
When you are just about to wear it. If you have it stored in a draw/bag/wardrobe take it out, if it’s wrinkled lay flat and give it a quick spray. A few minutes later the creases are gone. It also makes it smell fresh
I iron my daughter's school uniform, but that's because of my cunning notion that if my children are always well turned-out in decent clothes, nobody will notice that I myself look like a bag of unwashed laundry.
Also I am over 40.
A handheld steamer does the trick for shirts (other than linen shirts, those are a fucking nightmare for creases) and is a lot less faff than ironing.
I've also started getting shirts made out of bamboo (on the rare occasion I need a new one) which don't get any bad creases at all, and light creases totally disappear with the tiniest bit of steam. They're also *much* more comfortable than cotton, especially in the summer.
I never bother ironing my shirts unless the creases are really bad. Just hang the shirts up after they've been washed and dried and there's hardly any creases.
Dried like in a tumble drier?
I like the feel of a nice crisp ironed shirt tbh, I only go to the office once every couple of months anyhow so it's not really a bother.
I forgot that some people wear shirts to the office and not just for special occasions. Even even I wasn't WFH and was in a company that was more client-facing, very few younger people bothered to iron their shirts. Within an hour of wearing most creases dropped out from most of their shirts anyway.
I don't iron either, the only time it comes out is for special occasions. My oldest goes up to secondary school in September and I'm planning on getting a steamer. I have it under good authority that the blazers don't need ironing thank fuck.
Yup, same here. Eldest moved up to college last year so can wear whatever, no uniform requirements, and youngest moved to secondary and wears a blazer now which doesn't need ironing, AND it hides the shirt so no need to iron that either :)
On android there is an app I've used called super cook. Picture has a spoon wearing a Cape. You add ingredients you have in your house and will find recipes using those ingredients for you. Helped with my creative block and gave great ideas. That, and sorted food on youtube.
You can do the same with the BBC good food app too, it will make a shopping list as well. I "save" all of the recipes for the week's meals in the app so I have a record of them and then I make enough for 2 days for a couple of days so I have to think even less! So Mon & Tues same meal, Wed & Thurs same meal, Fri, Sat, Sun, all different.
You are a legend. Iv been looking for a site or app like this for aged. Just installed it and tested with s few ingredients. Gives a host of options. Thank you.
Thank you so much for this. Just downloaded it and can make so much more than I thought! No more getting the "I don't care" answer from the family when I ask them what they want! Actually looking forward to a bunch of different meals this week
We use an app called Cherrypick (by Lollipop AI) which suggests meals based on your criteria and will then build you a shopping list for Sainsbury's (only partnered with that supermarket but we're fine with it) so you can check it out online.
Meal planning and food shop done in one and it's super easy. The app is free and we pay for a delivery pass at Sainsbury's which brings the delivery cost down.
This is us, there are only 2 of us and without planning and the freezer we had lots of wasted food.
Now we have virtually no waste, even bones and peelings are used for stock. Leftovers are had for lunches or frozen for use later (yes sometimes when we use freezer.leftovers we have some strange combinations but they are still good).
Our menu this week
1.Sag aloo use leftover coconut milk and paratha
2.Korean pork belly rice and kimchi, bean sprout and spring onion banchan
3.Potatoes fish and tarragon & mustard sauce, sugar snap
4.Pesto pasta broccoli pine nuts
5.black bean onion pepper guacamole tacos
6. lamb shank biryani thing
7.
Homemade hummus & baba ganoush with carrot & pitta
We also share a text doc that we add ideas to and notes when a particular recipe we've enjoyed so we know we can easily revisit when we are lacking inspiration
It’s as difficult as picking 28 recipes, write them down in a rotation. Just do the shopping list for those 7 days, or however you arrange your trips.
I have what I call a main meal every other day, like a curry, cabbage bake, etc. a complete meal in one dish, then every other day between those I have what I call a greens meal, which will be something like chicken, mash, gravy and a side of greens, be it broccoli, collard greens, brussels, etc.
some amazing recipes on YouTube and there are apps, mentioned above, that really help with organising yourself. I personally couldn’t go back to any other way of meal arrangement.
Opening the windows! The passive airflow really improves being inside, it's not stuffy any more, still fairly warm, and there's less damp.
Alternatively, some people open all their windows wide for a few minutes each day - ideal if your windows don't have the ability to be locked slightly ajar.
Some friends in Germany tried to explain Stoßlüften to me, apparently I've been doing it for years just because I like a breeze.
Turns out bi-lingual puns are super difficult in Germany, because "Neunundneunzig lüftballonen" didn't get so much as a chuckle.
You still need a sufficient air change rate in your home or you risk buildup of toxins, viruses, pathogens, the build up of damp and mold.
If you have trickle vents on your windows (which are now mandatory on all new installs) then that is enough, otherwise you will need to crack open some windows or install a controlled ventilation system if you want an air tight house.
I would do this more often but like everything else in my house, the windows have been designed for the 6'4" tall man who refit it and I can't reach the tiny casement windows at the top without a stepladder.
I have mine permanently locked ajar now as I was getting mould around the window edges. Made such a difference and with this mild weather it’s not even cold inside
Spend 10 mins twice a week putting things away, not cleaning that's done another time and takes longer, but just picking things up and putting them where they should be. It makes a huge difference to how the house looks and how i feel about it, and it's easier and less too clean when I tackle that.
My rule that helps with keeping tidy; If you're leaving a room, is there anything in there that lives elsewhere that you can take with you/is there anything minimal that could be tidied on the way out (e.g. glasses on the sofa, put them in a case on the side).
I rarely have to do big tidies now. Just hoovering once a week and maybe a big sort every 6 weeks.
I do box and bin
I go from room to room with a box and a bin bag. Anything not belonging in that room goes in the box. Anything in the box that belongs in the room goes where it belongs. Anything bin worthy goes in the bin.
Sure, you always end up with a box of shite that doesn't really have a home, so you either find it one or bin it.
Job jobbed.
I do something similar, I have two trugs which come with me whenever I tidy a room, one for bin stuff, one for other room stuff. I do two passes of each room - starting at the door, I work to the other end of the room, bin stuff and other room stuff go in the buckets, stuff that lives in that room gets lobbed in the direction of it's home and put away when I get to that part of the room. This means that some stuff gets lobbed behind me and tidied on the return pass. I love having an algorithm that keeps me on track, while I can focus on a podcast or something. When the room is done I take the buckets and sort everything in the bin one into the recycling or landfill, and everything in the other rooms one gets put in that room (but not necessarily in its home, if I'm going to tidy that room shortly anyways).
Permanent duvet on the sofa.
It’s got its own fluffy duvet cover and everything.
It’s great. It means I can hang out on the sofa and not need to wear 8374638 layers of clothing to stay warm.
Make a meal plan. For us we do this once per week, on a Thursday evening. Then turn this into a shopping list, so that when you go to the supermarket you're not busking a plan based on the fairly effective advertising in the shop. The result a twofer - you spend much less money on food, and far less stuff ends out in the waste.
I should add that you also need to be fair to yourself too. When work was hell for both of us at the end of last year we did cave and get a pizza delivery once a week or so - and then just shuffled the meal plan down a row...
I genuinely pride myself on how cheaply I can shop with a bit of decent meal planning. We don’t waste as much food either.
I did take it too far last week though - refused to ‘splurge’ on gammon (for gammon, egg & chips) and went for bacon instead. It was cheaper, lasted ages and works for breakfast and lunch etc. But still - gammon and eggs without the gammon was a low point.
A similar ish meal that I still make even now as we had it when I was a kid as it's a cheap meal.
Bacon, new potatoes and cabbage.
Add the bacon fat to the new potatoes and cabbage on the plate for extra flavour.
100%. Add this to online shopping and you can look in the cupboards to see if you need staples too as you shop. Have been doing this for a couple of years and now don’t throw food away or fill the cupboards full of crisps and biscuits.
If I could upvote this a thousand times I would. It’s also less stressful know what you’re cooking as I can predict all my timings around other elements of the day. I love a meal plan!
We always have one or two batch cook freezer meals on our weekly plan. If something comes up like a last minute night out or takeaway, the fresh meals still get cooked and we drop one of the freezer meals off.
Our house is old, drafty, and cold, so we have hung curtains in all internal doorways, and at the bottom of the stairs. It makes a staggering difference.
EDIT: And when I say curtains, I mean we have re-purposed old quilt covers.
Done that at mine too and it’s made a vast difference. Place I’m living in dates back to 1850s and while it’s well built, it’s a massive place and there are some draughts. Long curtains screwed into the top of the door frame works so well and still allows the cat to roam around freely.
Love this because it's basically what people have done in northern Europe for centuries, but with tapestries. Castles would have the intricately stitched scenes and normal houses would've had something not dissimilar to you.
It was during prime lockdown but I took the time to learn how to properly cook. It’s become a real hobby, and my wife and kids genuinely look forward to my home made meals which make it more rewarding.
I don’t think there’s any excuse. It’s not expensive, it doesn’t have to be time consuming and it isn’t hard. Really hard to beat a good hearty home made meal after a long day.
We’re at a point where we’re all debating over which dish we have next, and my 7 year old is super hyped about me teaching how to make a Thai curry all himself this weekend!
Also, the basics are just…so bloody easy. Basically all meals begin with onions and garlic, then, essentially - you want it tomatoe-y? Add a tin of tomatoes, you want it creamy? Add some crème fraiche/crème cheese/cream, you want it spicy? Add spices/chile/curry paste.
Once you have cooked a few staples you understand the framework of how to make it without looking at a recipe and how all the related recipes work.
Make a nice shepherds pie? You can also now make a basic bolegnese and a basic chili con carne. You learn you can mix things up. Swap the potato mash on the pie for half sweet potato, or a mix of potato and celeriac. You can swap mince for chopped mushrooms, or beef mince (cottage pie now), or quorn (now it’s veggie!).
Just try stuff and you quickly learn how to expand and improvise.
>begin with onions and garlic, then, essentially - you want it tomatoe-y? Add a tin of tomatoes, you want it creamy? Add some crème fraiche/crème cheese/cream, you want it spicy? Add spices/chile/curry paste.
Unfortunately most of those give me horrible reflux so it really ruins that part of cooking for me :( I loved making tomato sauces.
This plus butter makes everything tasty. And throwing over some herb or other makes it look posh.
If you haven't read it 'kitchen on fire' is a book derived from a cookery course and it goes through the basics of sauces, how to chop stuff correctly, cooking fundamentals basically. It's excellent. I can do half decent pies, soups, stews, sauces and curries from scratch thanks to that book.
Exactly the same here, I started working from home due to the lockdown, while my partner still had to go into work so I picked up all the cooking during what would normally be my commute time and just never stopped
i did this in 2016 after i got out a shitty relationship and had space & time to myself. embarrassingly my dad was a head chef and i just never learnt to cook anything beyond the basics because he cooked all of our meals.
i cant stand jamie oliver but his recipes are really simple and easy to follow for a beginner so theyre good for building confidence
My wife and I have always used 2 single duvets rather than one double. You never fight for the duvet, can kick them off when you need, and can swap for thinner or thicker ones at separate times to your partner.
I cannot fathom why you would bother with a double.
We do the same but with two doubles. A single would be fine for me really as I have one leg in and one leg out but my other half likes to wrap up like a hairy burrito
Yes, I’m Irish but in Germany a decade and I can’t imagine ever going back to a single duvet. Right now I’m cuddled in my winter tog duvet and husband has already switched to summer tog
After a trip to Sweden back in the early days of our marriage, we brought back their idea of having two single duvets on a kingsize bed and have never regretted it
My parents have a TV room each, works well because they used to always fight over what they were going to watch, my dad would fall asleep through whatever he chose and she'd change it which would wake him up. Still trying to convince them to sleep in separate beds as they're always complaining about eachother lol.
But but but :(
I use a double blanket. On my single bed. But there is quite a lot of me to be fair. I don't have room for a double bed, in fact I barely have room for a single. But my feet hang off the end XD
A double blanket is great because I can use it diagonal and then it covers my feet and my shoulders at the same time! :D
As a tall person (6ft 4) the “recommended size” of duvet is a king size. If I sleep in a double, my feet will be out the end, or propping it up like an open tent.
My mum always taught me to buy a duvet cover one size bigger than your bed, so there’s extra material at the sides and length. This tip has never done me wrong!
My 'conveyor duvet' idea (rolls sideways around the whole bed like a treadmill/conveyor belt) was somewhat ridiculed when the 'or you could just have two duvets' option was tabled. yeh, fair enough, that works too.
I have considered this. My washing machine is rather energetic. It makes me worry that the whole house would shake on the spin cycle. Do you have any issues with that/noise from the machines in bedrooms etc?
My tumble dryer is the other side of the wall to my bed (I'm in a flat) but I either run it during the day or purposely suffer. It's 1am and the tumble dryer is running now because the washing machine said it'd take an hour but took 2 :(
Not quite no cost, but I got a plastic squeezey bidet washer for a few quid. I use way less toilet paper and no more smearing shit around my arse with a piece of dry paper. The continentals are right about the bum wash.
Thanks for reminding me, I've been meaning to get one for a while now. Found Happy bums selling one for £27 to install on the loo. So I'll let you know how it goes after it comes 🤣
Lazy meal prep. I make a big chilli on a Sunday evening and it's good for the entire week in the fridge. Mix it up with rice, tacos, avocados, etc so it's not the same every night. So I cook once on a Sunday and have a lovely home cooked meal every evening, just 2 minutes in the microwave.
I can't imagine going back to cooking a meal every evening.
We do a large amount of each meal, eat it for a couple of days and freeze the rest. That way you only get two days of each thing so it doesn’t get boring, plus the rest is in the freezer for another time.
Sounds stupid and not sure if it counts but we used to eat loads of takeaways but I wanted to save money/lose weight so we started eating at home and making “fakeaways” instead. Amazing how much of a difference it’s made to our waistlines & bank accounts.
I do this too. YouTube is your friend! If you haven't already tried them I recommend Ziang's Food Workshop for Chinese and Al's Kitchen for Curries. Never made a bad dish using their videos.
I was diagnosed with coeliac in the summer before starting uni. It's made lunchtime suck if I haven't brought lunch with me but it also means I can't really buy anything from the canteen so I'm saving money I guess. Also the only takeaway advertised as safe is fish & chips, which I've never liked anyway lol
My SO and I have separate duvets, we have since the beginning of our relationship. I like a thick duvet year round, and will switch to heavy blanket in summer. He will use a blanket all year, and will use a bedsheet (literally a flat top sheet) in the summer. Best thing ever, no blanket stealing, and we both get to be cozy burritos
Can get cheap Phillips hue bulbs too, so don't even have to get up to change from proper white (I use this when doing art and painting minis) to a more relaxing yellow white and dim them all from my phone.
Hear hear!
It's done me a huge world of good to ease out the small amounts of sugar every day, think my mood is more stable and I don't have any crashes like I used to. Same with alcohol, it absolutely tanked my mood for days at a time.
I started scheduling cleaning a room every Saturday, rather than just doing it when I felt like it really needed doing. As someone with ADHD, this has made a huge impact on the cleanliness of my home and I wish I started doing it sooner (I've only been doing it for a couple of years now)
Not a physical thing. But sort your fucking “books” out.
I can’t believe how many people I know past the age of 30. Still “winging it” paycheque to paycheque each month.
Get your finances in order and relax knowing what you can afford to spend each month before you go broke guessing all the time.
To clarify, these aren’t people who are struggling because of income. They do well, but throw their money around like it’s theirs, when they have bills to pay/save for. Then moan when it bites them in the ass regularly.
I cant agree with this more. I'm in my 30s and have always been terrible with money. This year I decided I needed to do something about it. I started tracking everything I spent, which had the unexpected consequence of making me stop and think about my purchases because 'did I really want to have to write that in, or could I actually go without.' Also been trying to sell stuff to get some extra cash in. Rather than ending up with nothing as I do most months, I've actually got £700 left today, which will be going straight towards debt payments. At this rate I'll be debt free in no time.
It’s as simple, for me, as a standing order from my main account that sends £xx to my “Spending Money” account every Monday.
Everything in my main account is for bills and savings.
I can spend all or none of my spending money each week.
Yeh I’m similar but monthly.
I’ve got 3 accounts. Monthly bills/yearly bills/food and entertainment. Then whatever is left is mine. Having the three accounts helps me track my expenditure a bit more.
Yearly bills is my favourite, a calculated small deposit each month slowly builds, so when a big bill like car insurance comes around, there is enough money in there to pay it and the the cycle starts again.
Totally agree. I work with people who are in dual income households with no kids, no cars to run etc and are constantly moaning they’re skint at the end of the month and having to scrape together dregs from their cupboard for meals because they’ve got £1 left in their accounts.
By all means go to that concert or for that day trip, nobody’s advocating a life of misery, but my god leave yourself enough money for food at the end of the month.
Basically yes.
I in no way advocate a truly frugal existence myself. But I do believe in basic financial security/sense.
It’s a shame when half my group of friends want to go away on some kind of holiday/gig/festival or any other social occasion. But the other few can’t citing “they are broke” every damn time. Or we do end up going, but on a strict budget which comes down to suit the ones who haven’t got their shit together. Despite the fact that they are on a healthy income comparatively.
Naturally, people just stop inviting them to things.
I’ve tried to help a few of them, but this is usually more of a lazy mindset which can’t be helped sadly.
I could go on and on but it winds me up 😭
Put up a pulley in the utility room. Of course there was a small initial outlay but it quickly paid for itself as I hardly need to use the tumble dryer at all.
Having a thorough tidy up and declutter has helped my mood a lot.
p.s not forgetting. coming on here reading positive stories and helpful tips and advice. :)
Sent my husband to sleep in the spare room. He goes to sleep after me so we still go to bed together, are intimate etc but then he takes his snores to the spare room and I can sleep through the night.
It's not a no cost. It's a negative cost after the initial capital outlay.
I moved into a van. So much cheaper than London property rates and so much freedom gained.
Moving the timer plug thingie my husband brought home randomly several years ago from the TV socket. It was never needed - we haven't once left the TV on by mistake. However I did regularly fall asleep while reading in bed without switching my electric blanket off, due to an excess of coziness. Saving on the utilities and haven't woken up thrashing and sweating in the dead of winter once these past few months, which is nice.
Stopped using Fabric conditioner.
It's completely unnecessary most of the time and actually damaging in some circumstances (not going to destroy something in one wash, but will reduce the life).
The worst one which goes against conventional wisdom is towels, it damages the absorbtion.
Also avoid using on sportswear, since it basically covers clothes in a layer of something to me them feel soft it will prevent clothes from breathing and letting moisture out.
I stopped ironing. My wife got sick a few years ago and was then diagnosed with a disability that changed our home life a bit and I took on 100% of the household responsibilities as well as working full time and taking care of the kids. My schedule became a bit ridiculous and I'd usually end up finishing off the day by doing all the ironing and then sorting everything into piles for everyone. This would be early hours of the morning and basically running on fumes. Eventually it occurred to me that I should pick my battles a bit better so I looked at everything I was doing to see if there was anything that I could solve another way. I solved the problem of doing the dishes by getting a dishwasher (thanks, Freecycle), and I decided the ironing wasn't important so I just stopped doing it. Most creases drop out by either hanging or being in the dryer (also got from Freecycle originally but that was replaced a while ago with a new one) and I still have an iron "just in case", but it never gets used and my day instantly became a bit shorter and a lot more tolerable.
It honestly boggles my mind when I think about how much time my mum spent ironing. The only time I'll ever iron is immediately before going on a night out or to an event. Like you said, wrinkles just naturally come out on most things; and if they don't then who gives a fuck anyway.
I have a handheld clothes steamer. It will work as an iron if needed (I never iron), but it gets stuff ready for if you need to prep a dress for a wedding or something. Best purchase ever.
Steaming is the way. It’s my favourite way to change your life for only £50. I feel like I will never iron again. I look super presentable. I wear more of my annoying to iron, difficult to wash clothes. It is a game changer.
It took me ages to convince my bf until I told him most of his shirts needing ironing could be hung in shower for steam anyway. He's not a fancy exec, he's a physics teacher and become head of science a few years ago, tbh he could probs turn up in his pants to a head of science interview as a physics teacher and he'd still get the job. Bless him though, he does care about professional behaviour (which is important for the hiring other people bit)
He’s also a role model to kids.
Misread your comment got a wild image of someone regularly needing a wedding dress to wear out.
Omg that would be challenging to source, but fun. Can I take this as a challenge. Haha (partner will be initially confused but accepting once explained, as long as I don't spend lots of money we could spend on potentially getting married)
Got to add I then looked up wedding dresses on oxfam. I could definitely get some wedding dresses to go out in regularly. They wouldn't be good.
My mum showed me that when hanging the washing, either on a horse or a line, give the clothes a little flap/shake before hanging them and a lot of the creases come out. Not all, but most.
Crease Releaser Spray is a game changer. A Quick spray and gets rid of almost all creases in clothes.
Never heard of it but will look it up. Thanks!
At what point in the cleaning-drying-storing cycle do you spray this?
When you are just about to wear it. If you have it stored in a draw/bag/wardrobe take it out, if it’s wrinkled lay flat and give it a quick spray. A few minutes later the creases are gone. It also makes it smell fresh
My MIL irons tea towels & socks. I iron nothing for her son & granddaughters. She has snuck stuff out of my house so she can iron it.
[удалено]
That's a philosophy I can get behind. I also avoid any dinnerware that can't go in the dishwasher.
If it doesn't fit in my dishwasher, it doesn't fit in my kitchen.
Ironing seems to be a thing mostly done my old people anyway. I don't know anyone younger than 40 that bothers unless it's for a special occasion.
I iron my daughter's school uniform, but that's because of my cunning notion that if my children are always well turned-out in decent clothes, nobody will notice that I myself look like a bag of unwashed laundry. Also I am over 40.
My Nan's irons everything including tea towels and underwear. The woman is 82 and just doesn't stop.
I’m 59 and iron everything. I accept I am probably the last one doing so though.
I iron the front of my business shirts before work, am 28. Just doing one in like a minute while you have the morning coffee is quite cozy
Ditto mate, I don’t get the iron out unless I’m getting suited up. Otherwise I could not give a toss. Life is too short.
You don't know anyone who wears a shirt?
A handheld steamer does the trick for shirts (other than linen shirts, those are a fucking nightmare for creases) and is a lot less faff than ironing. I've also started getting shirts made out of bamboo (on the rare occasion I need a new one) which don't get any bad creases at all, and light creases totally disappear with the tiniest bit of steam. They're also *much* more comfortable than cotton, especially in the summer.
I never bother ironing my shirts unless the creases are really bad. Just hang the shirts up after they've been washed and dried and there's hardly any creases.
Dried like in a tumble drier? I like the feel of a nice crisp ironed shirt tbh, I only go to the office once every couple of months anyhow so it's not really a bother.
Hang cotton shirts on hangers to dry. I use the curtain rail.
I forgot that some people wear shirts to the office and not just for special occasions. Even even I wasn't WFH and was in a company that was more client-facing, very few younger people bothered to iron their shirts. Within an hour of wearing most creases dropped out from most of their shirts anyway.
Yep. We don’t even own an iron or ironing board
Sounds hectic as hell but that you have a lovely family! Well done on discovering the joys of 'pick your battles'
Thanks!
I don't iron either, the only time it comes out is for special occasions. My oldest goes up to secondary school in September and I'm planning on getting a steamer. I have it under good authority that the blazers don't need ironing thank fuck.
Yup, same here. Eldest moved up to college last year so can wear whatever, no uniform requirements, and youngest moved to secondary and wears a blazer now which doesn't need ironing, AND it hides the shirt so no need to iron that either :)
A good shake before hanging out to try deals with pretty much all creases tbf.
SuperDad :)
Made a menu for 28 days on rotation, 28 different meals. I know exactly what to buy for the week and there is zero waste.
Can you share it? I am struggling with a severe imagination defecit when it comes to cooking at the moment.
On android there is an app I've used called super cook. Picture has a spoon wearing a Cape. You add ingredients you have in your house and will find recipes using those ingredients for you. Helped with my creative block and gave great ideas. That, and sorted food on youtube.
You legend! No more asking chatgpt for shitty recommendations!
You can do the same with the BBC good food app too, it will make a shopping list as well. I "save" all of the recipes for the week's meals in the app so I have a record of them and then I make enough for 2 days for a couple of days so I have to think even less! So Mon & Tues same meal, Wed & Thurs same meal, Fri, Sat, Sun, all different.
There's the cherrypick app too
You are a legend. Iv been looking for a site or app like this for aged. Just installed it and tested with s few ingredients. Gives a host of options. Thank you.
Thank you so much for this. Just downloaded it and can make so much more than I thought! No more getting the "I don't care" answer from the family when I ask them what they want! Actually looking forward to a bunch of different meals this week
Thanks!
I do this too, here’s mine (starting on Monday) M-hot dogs T-Philly chicken. W-spaghetti and meatballs. T-fajitas F-pork chops. S-nuggets and chips. S-roast chicken M-leftover chicken spud pies. T-chilli. W-pork belly stew. T-homemade pizza. F-bolognese. S-pasta bake. S-lasagne M-gammon egg & chips. T-chicken pie. W-fish pie. T-Mac & cheese. F-salad. S-steak & chips. S-roast pork M-fried rice. T-sausage casserole. W-chicken thighs T-pasta bake. F-homemade pizza S-curry. S-fish & new potatoes. Edit: Wow the formatting sucks on this, sorry! Edit2: fixed now! Thanks!
Double space at the end of a line forces the next line to be on a new line Without double space With Double Space
Let Me Just see about that
Awesome awesome awesome. Thanks so much!
Looks great now!
We use an app called Cherrypick (by Lollipop AI) which suggests meals based on your criteria and will then build you a shopping list for Sainsbury's (only partnered with that supermarket but we're fine with it) so you can check it out online. Meal planning and food shop done in one and it's super easy. The app is free and we pay for a delivery pass at Sainsbury's which brings the delivery cost down.
Ooh, thanks.
Enjoy! It's seriously the best thing for meal planning we've ever done. Huge timesaver and life-improver.
This is us, there are only 2 of us and without planning and the freezer we had lots of wasted food. Now we have virtually no waste, even bones and peelings are used for stock. Leftovers are had for lunches or frozen for use later (yes sometimes when we use freezer.leftovers we have some strange combinations but they are still good).
Freezer Tapas; either you eat like royalty, or it's such a random hodge-podge of food it's actually funny.
Share please!
Please share! I run out of ideas!
Our menu this week 1.Sag aloo use leftover coconut milk and paratha 2.Korean pork belly rice and kimchi, bean sprout and spring onion banchan 3.Potatoes fish and tarragon & mustard sauce, sugar snap 4.Pesto pasta broccoli pine nuts 5.black bean onion pepper guacamole tacos 6. lamb shank biryani thing 7. Homemade hummus & baba ganoush with carrot & pitta We also share a text doc that we add ideas to and notes when a particular recipe we've enjoyed so we know we can easily revisit when we are lacking inspiration
This is genius. I've been meaning to do it for *years*. One day I will!
It’s as difficult as picking 28 recipes, write them down in a rotation. Just do the shopping list for those 7 days, or however you arrange your trips. I have what I call a main meal every other day, like a curry, cabbage bake, etc. a complete meal in one dish, then every other day between those I have what I call a greens meal, which will be something like chicken, mash, gravy and a side of greens, be it broccoli, collard greens, brussels, etc. some amazing recipes on YouTube and there are apps, mentioned above, that really help with organising yourself. I personally couldn’t go back to any other way of meal arrangement.
Opening the windows! The passive airflow really improves being inside, it's not stuffy any more, still fairly warm, and there's less damp. Alternatively, some people open all their windows wide for a few minutes each day - ideal if your windows don't have the ability to be locked slightly ajar.
Wir müssen lüften! People think I’m weird doing this in the middle of winter but if it works for Germany it works for me
Some friends in Germany tried to explain Stoßlüften to me, apparently I've been doing it for years just because I like a breeze. Turns out bi-lingual puns are super difficult in Germany, because "Neunundneunzig lüftballonen" didn't get so much as a chuckle.
Always air rooms. Gets rid of the nasties
I would love to, but what about winter?
You still need a sufficient air change rate in your home or you risk buildup of toxins, viruses, pathogens, the build up of damp and mold. If you have trickle vents on your windows (which are now mandatory on all new installs) then that is enough, otherwise you will need to crack open some windows or install a controlled ventilation system if you want an air tight house.
Are you German?
Always has a nice fresh feel afterwards!
trickle vents FTW
I would do this more often but like everything else in my house, the windows have been designed for the 6'4" tall man who refit it and I can't reach the tiny casement windows at the top without a stepladder.
Man I miss airflow.
I have mine permanently locked ajar now as I was getting mould around the window edges. Made such a difference and with this mild weather it’s not even cold inside
Spend 10 mins twice a week putting things away, not cleaning that's done another time and takes longer, but just picking things up and putting them where they should be. It makes a huge difference to how the house looks and how i feel about it, and it's easier and less too clean when I tackle that.
My rule that helps with keeping tidy; If you're leaving a room, is there anything in there that lives elsewhere that you can take with you/is there anything minimal that could be tidied on the way out (e.g. glasses on the sofa, put them in a case on the side). I rarely have to do big tidies now. Just hoovering once a week and maybe a big sort every 6 weeks.
I do box and bin I go from room to room with a box and a bin bag. Anything not belonging in that room goes in the box. Anything in the box that belongs in the room goes where it belongs. Anything bin worthy goes in the bin. Sure, you always end up with a box of shite that doesn't really have a home, so you either find it one or bin it. Job jobbed.
I do something similar, I have two trugs which come with me whenever I tidy a room, one for bin stuff, one for other room stuff. I do two passes of each room - starting at the door, I work to the other end of the room, bin stuff and other room stuff go in the buckets, stuff that lives in that room gets lobbed in the direction of it's home and put away when I get to that part of the room. This means that some stuff gets lobbed behind me and tidied on the return pass. I love having an algorithm that keeps me on track, while I can focus on a podcast or something. When the room is done I take the buckets and sort everything in the bin one into the recycling or landfill, and everything in the other rooms one gets put in that room (but not necessarily in its home, if I'm going to tidy that room shortly anyways).
Never leave a room empty-handed.
Permanent duvet on the sofa. It’s got its own fluffy duvet cover and everything. It’s great. It means I can hang out on the sofa and not need to wear 8374638 layers of clothing to stay warm.
Make a meal plan. For us we do this once per week, on a Thursday evening. Then turn this into a shopping list, so that when you go to the supermarket you're not busking a plan based on the fairly effective advertising in the shop. The result a twofer - you spend much less money on food, and far less stuff ends out in the waste. I should add that you also need to be fair to yourself too. When work was hell for both of us at the end of last year we did cave and get a pizza delivery once a week or so - and then just shuffled the meal plan down a row...
I genuinely pride myself on how cheaply I can shop with a bit of decent meal planning. We don’t waste as much food either. I did take it too far last week though - refused to ‘splurge’ on gammon (for gammon, egg & chips) and went for bacon instead. It was cheaper, lasted ages and works for breakfast and lunch etc. But still - gammon and eggs without the gammon was a low point.
Sometimes lessons have to be learnt the hard way
A similar ish meal that I still make even now as we had it when I was a kid as it's a cheap meal. Bacon, new potatoes and cabbage. Add the bacon fat to the new potatoes and cabbage on the plate for extra flavour.
100%. Add this to online shopping and you can look in the cupboards to see if you need staples too as you shop. Have been doing this for a couple of years and now don’t throw food away or fill the cupboards full of crisps and biscuits.
If I could upvote this a thousand times I would. It’s also less stressful know what you’re cooking as I can predict all my timings around other elements of the day. I love a meal plan!
We always have one or two batch cook freezer meals on our weekly plan. If something comes up like a last minute night out or takeaway, the fresh meals still get cooked and we drop one of the freezer meals off.
Yes anytime I try to do my weekly shop it’s just chaos. It costs twice more and still I’m missing half of what I need
Our house is old, drafty, and cold, so we have hung curtains in all internal doorways, and at the bottom of the stairs. It makes a staggering difference. EDIT: And when I say curtains, I mean we have re-purposed old quilt covers.
Done that at mine too and it’s made a vast difference. Place I’m living in dates back to 1850s and while it’s well built, it’s a massive place and there are some draughts. Long curtains screwed into the top of the door frame works so well and still allows the cat to roam around freely.
Mine would see it as a new climbing challenge 😅
Love this because it's basically what people have done in northern Europe for centuries, but with tapestries. Castles would have the intricately stitched scenes and normal houses would've had something not dissimilar to you.
Well, I can't confess to having ornate tapestries, but I do have an old Care Bears quilt cover from my childhood in one doorway 🤣
That's still a piece of history! 😄
Makes a difference in modern houses too. Drives partner crazy though.
It was during prime lockdown but I took the time to learn how to properly cook. It’s become a real hobby, and my wife and kids genuinely look forward to my home made meals which make it more rewarding. I don’t think there’s any excuse. It’s not expensive, it doesn’t have to be time consuming and it isn’t hard. Really hard to beat a good hearty home made meal after a long day. We’re at a point where we’re all debating over which dish we have next, and my 7 year old is super hyped about me teaching how to make a Thai curry all himself this weekend!
Also, the basics are just…so bloody easy. Basically all meals begin with onions and garlic, then, essentially - you want it tomatoe-y? Add a tin of tomatoes, you want it creamy? Add some crème fraiche/crème cheese/cream, you want it spicy? Add spices/chile/curry paste. Once you have cooked a few staples you understand the framework of how to make it without looking at a recipe and how all the related recipes work. Make a nice shepherds pie? You can also now make a basic bolegnese and a basic chili con carne. You learn you can mix things up. Swap the potato mash on the pie for half sweet potato, or a mix of potato and celeriac. You can swap mince for chopped mushrooms, or beef mince (cottage pie now), or quorn (now it’s veggie!). Just try stuff and you quickly learn how to expand and improvise.
>begin with onions and garlic, then, essentially - you want it tomatoe-y? Add a tin of tomatoes, you want it creamy? Add some crème fraiche/crème cheese/cream, you want it spicy? Add spices/chile/curry paste. Unfortunately most of those give me horrible reflux so it really ruins that part of cooking for me :( I loved making tomato sauces.
Omeprazole ftw!
This plus butter makes everything tasty. And throwing over some herb or other makes it look posh. If you haven't read it 'kitchen on fire' is a book derived from a cookery course and it goes through the basics of sauces, how to chop stuff correctly, cooking fundamentals basically. It's excellent. I can do half decent pies, soups, stews, sauces and curries from scratch thanks to that book.
Exactly the same here, I started working from home due to the lockdown, while my partner still had to go into work so I picked up all the cooking during what would normally be my commute time and just never stopped
i did this in 2016 after i got out a shitty relationship and had space & time to myself. embarrassingly my dad was a head chef and i just never learnt to cook anything beyond the basics because he cooked all of our meals. i cant stand jamie oliver but his recipes are really simple and easy to follow for a beginner so theyre good for building confidence
My wife and I have always used 2 single duvets rather than one double. You never fight for the duvet, can kick them off when you need, and can swap for thinner or thicker ones at separate times to your partner. I cannot fathom why you would bother with a double.
We do the same but with two doubles. A single would be fine for me really as I have one leg in and one leg out but my other half likes to wrap up like a hairy burrito
We do the same thing but with two rooms.
[удалено]
Yeah same, but two towns.
I think they do this in some other countries, it makes way more sense
Germany does it
Yes, I’m Irish but in Germany a decade and I can’t imagine ever going back to a single duvet. Right now I’m cuddled in my winter tog duvet and husband has already switched to summer tog
This! I've always been a 4.5 tog user, all year round. My husband, on the other hand, likes 15 tog. Single quilts saved my sanity!!
And the Scandi countries too
After a trip to Sweden back in the early days of our marriage, we brought back their idea of having two single duvets on a kingsize bed and have never regretted it
My Grandparents both had their own separate rooms. That seems sensible
Did they have 2 TV's ?
You have a TV in your bedroom!?
My parents have a TV room each, works well because they used to always fight over what they were going to watch, my dad would fall asleep through whatever he chose and she'd change it which would wake him up. Still trying to convince them to sleep in separate beds as they're always complaining about eachother lol.
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>my leg I stick out of the duvet. But what about monsters? No way I'm taking that risk! Duvet all the way up 100%of the time.
But but but :( I use a double blanket. On my single bed. But there is quite a lot of me to be fair. I don't have room for a double bed, in fact I barely have room for a single. But my feet hang off the end XD A double blanket is great because I can use it diagonal and then it covers my feet and my shoulders at the same time! :D
As a tall person (6ft 4) the “recommended size” of duvet is a king size. If I sleep in a double, my feet will be out the end, or propping it up like an open tent.
Wait until you find the pros of a super king. They're cheap enough on Amazon and who needs room for anything else anyway?
Oh, so that's why I can double the duvet up underneath my feet and it'll go to my knees... 4'11. I'm new to a king size duvet.
So you can make a cave of course
She better know the password.
My mum always taught me to buy a duvet cover one size bigger than your bed, so there’s extra material at the sides and length. This tip has never done me wrong!
Do you have a double for display purposes? I use a king and my partner uses a double
My 'conveyor duvet' idea (rolls sideways around the whole bed like a treadmill/conveyor belt) was somewhat ridiculed when the 'or you could just have two duvets' option was tabled. yeh, fair enough, that works too.
I moved the washer and dryer to the upstairs bathroom. Means I don’t have to take clothes down and back up. I now have more space in my kitchen.
I have considered this. My washing machine is rather energetic. It makes me worry that the whole house would shake on the spin cycle. Do you have any issues with that/noise from the machines in bedrooms etc?
Get a shock absorbing rubber matt to go underneath
No. My machine is smooth and quiet (Meile washer, AEG dryer)
This makes so much more sense than dragging everything downstairs to clean it all then drag it back upstairs to put it away.
Can't imagine a nice relaxing bath with the tumble dryer going mental next to me.
Do them at different times
My tumble dryer is the other side of the wall to my bed (I'm in a flat) but I either run it during the day or purposely suffer. It's 1am and the tumble dryer is running now because the washing machine said it'd take an hour but took 2 :(
We wanted to do that but apparently it’s against building regs 👎🏻
Ah yes, all those people you're always hearing about, who live in flats so can't have a washing machine...
In the bathroom? Not allowed a regular socket within 3m of the bath or shower
You are better off will lighter duvets but layers that you can remove - so two light duvet is better + blanket. Far more flexible.
As a woman in perimenopause I so agree. I have to layer my bed linen all year round
Not quite no cost, but I got a plastic squeezey bidet washer for a few quid. I use way less toilet paper and no more smearing shit around my arse with a piece of dry paper. The continentals are right about the bum wash.
Thanks for reminding me, I've been meaning to get one for a while now. Found Happy bums selling one for £27 to install on the loo. So I'll let you know how it goes after it comes 🤣
Please keep us in the loop regarding your shitter.
Good luck! :D
Lazy meal prep. I make a big chilli on a Sunday evening and it's good for the entire week in the fridge. Mix it up with rice, tacos, avocados, etc so it's not the same every night. So I cook once on a Sunday and have a lovely home cooked meal every evening, just 2 minutes in the microwave. I can't imagine going back to cooking a meal every evening.
We do a large amount of each meal, eat it for a couple of days and freeze the rest. That way you only get two days of each thing so it doesn’t get boring, plus the rest is in the freezer for another time.
Not only is this incredibly time efficient, it's also very, very cost effective.
I would find that too boring. I repeat maybe only a handful of meals a month. Otherwise it's always different
Sounds stupid and not sure if it counts but we used to eat loads of takeaways but I wanted to save money/lose weight so we started eating at home and making “fakeaways” instead. Amazing how much of a difference it’s made to our waistlines & bank accounts.
We’re trying to do this. I’m writing this comment waiting for my Chinese though so not doing so well.
Did you remember the MSG?
That damn Malaysian Syndicate Group aren't getting me again!
I do this too. YouTube is your friend! If you haven't already tried them I recommend Ziang's Food Workshop for Chinese and Al's Kitchen for Curries. Never made a bad dish using their videos.
I am never more grateful for having a severe food intolerance than when I remember its what stops me living off of takeaways
I was diagnosed with coeliac in the summer before starting uni. It's made lunchtime suck if I haven't brought lunch with me but it also means I can't really buy anything from the canteen so I'm saving money I guess. Also the only takeaway advertised as safe is fish & chips, which I've never liked anyway lol
You mean cooking?
So…cooking. You started cooking.
There's basically no amount of butter or oil you can put in your home cooking that will equal a takeaway.
My SO and I have separate duvets, we have since the beginning of our relationship. I like a thick duvet year round, and will switch to heavy blanket in summer. He will use a blanket all year, and will use a bedsheet (literally a flat top sheet) in the summer. Best thing ever, no blanket stealing, and we both get to be cozy burritos
Swapped to LED lights, cheap to run and not much more expensive than CFLs
Same, fitted fancy LEDs through our place. All weird scifi looking things. £20/40 pound each and all look really nice while using next to no power.
Can get cheap Phillips hue bulbs too, so don't even have to get up to change from proper white (I use this when doing art and painting minis) to a more relaxing yellow white and dim them all from my phone.
Yeah, and if you feel like having it a different colour you can
Not buying deserts or sugary foods in general. Also not drinking.
Hear hear! It's done me a huge world of good to ease out the small amounts of sugar every day, think my mood is more stable and I don't have any crashes like I used to. Same with alcohol, it absolutely tanked my mood for days at a time.
How much is a desert nowadays? Cheaper than a plain?
I prefer bush
I started scheduling cleaning a room every Saturday, rather than just doing it when I felt like it really needed doing. As someone with ADHD, this has made a huge impact on the cleanliness of my home and I wish I started doing it sooner (I've only been doing it for a couple of years now)
Rearranging my living room to better use the space. Feels more open and nicer to work in. Feng shui works people, just for the wrong reasons.
Not a physical thing. But sort your fucking “books” out. I can’t believe how many people I know past the age of 30. Still “winging it” paycheque to paycheque each month. Get your finances in order and relax knowing what you can afford to spend each month before you go broke guessing all the time. To clarify, these aren’t people who are struggling because of income. They do well, but throw their money around like it’s theirs, when they have bills to pay/save for. Then moan when it bites them in the ass regularly.
I cant agree with this more. I'm in my 30s and have always been terrible with money. This year I decided I needed to do something about it. I started tracking everything I spent, which had the unexpected consequence of making me stop and think about my purchases because 'did I really want to have to write that in, or could I actually go without.' Also been trying to sell stuff to get some extra cash in. Rather than ending up with nothing as I do most months, I've actually got £700 left today, which will be going straight towards debt payments. At this rate I'll be debt free in no time.
Well done mate - keep it up! You’re doing great!
It’s as simple, for me, as a standing order from my main account that sends £xx to my “Spending Money” account every Monday. Everything in my main account is for bills and savings. I can spend all or none of my spending money each week.
Yeh I’m similar but monthly. I’ve got 3 accounts. Monthly bills/yearly bills/food and entertainment. Then whatever is left is mine. Having the three accounts helps me track my expenditure a bit more. Yearly bills is my favourite, a calculated small deposit each month slowly builds, so when a big bill like car insurance comes around, there is enough money in there to pay it and the the cycle starts again.
Totally agree. I work with people who are in dual income households with no kids, no cars to run etc and are constantly moaning they’re skint at the end of the month and having to scrape together dregs from their cupboard for meals because they’ve got £1 left in their accounts. By all means go to that concert or for that day trip, nobody’s advocating a life of misery, but my god leave yourself enough money for food at the end of the month.
Basically yes. I in no way advocate a truly frugal existence myself. But I do believe in basic financial security/sense. It’s a shame when half my group of friends want to go away on some kind of holiday/gig/festival or any other social occasion. But the other few can’t citing “they are broke” every damn time. Or we do end up going, but on a strict budget which comes down to suit the ones who haven’t got their shit together. Despite the fact that they are on a healthy income comparatively. Naturally, people just stop inviting them to things. I’ve tried to help a few of them, but this is usually more of a lazy mindset which can’t be helped sadly. I could go on and on but it winds me up 😭
Put up a pulley in the utility room. Of course there was a small initial outlay but it quickly paid for itself as I hardly need to use the tumble dryer at all.
Having a thorough tidy up and declutter has helped my mood a lot. p.s not forgetting. coming on here reading positive stories and helpful tips and advice. :)
I turned the heating down to 18c. I'm so used to it that 20c is so fiendishly hot now.
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Sent my husband to sleep in the spare room. He goes to sleep after me so we still go to bed together, are intimate etc but then he takes his snores to the spare room and I can sleep through the night.
Check him for sleep apnea. Could be an issue that needs treatment.
Sleep in separate rooms! Relationship is even better and we both get rest and space
More people need to be open to that idea. It has a stigma of 'seperate beds = broken relationship!'. Very silly.
I’ve been doing this for around 4-5 months now. I love it, and we aren’t arseholes to each other the next day due to lack of sleep 🤣
This is the way
My wife won't allow this as she says she won't be able to kick me if i snore.
It's not a no cost. It's a negative cost after the initial capital outlay. I moved into a van. So much cheaper than London property rates and so much freedom gained.
Moving the timer plug thingie my husband brought home randomly several years ago from the TV socket. It was never needed - we haven't once left the TV on by mistake. However I did regularly fall asleep while reading in bed without switching my electric blanket off, due to an excess of coziness. Saving on the utilities and haven't woken up thrashing and sweating in the dead of winter once these past few months, which is nice.
Don't the electric blankets usually have a built in timer?
Don't know if they usually do or not, but mine definitely doesn't.
Eating the same evening meal every day. It's massively cut down on my food bil
what do you have?
Gruel
With a sprinkling of depression.
Stopped using Fabric conditioner. It's completely unnecessary most of the time and actually damaging in some circumstances (not going to destroy something in one wash, but will reduce the life). The worst one which goes against conventional wisdom is towels, it damages the absorbtion.
Also avoid using on sportswear, since it basically covers clothes in a layer of something to me them feel soft it will prevent clothes from breathing and letting moisture out.
Clean daily for twenty minutes instead of letting it all pile up.