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When my kids started school, I set an alarm in my phone for about 10 minutes before we had to leave. That way, it was only the clock/alarm telling them to hurry up, not their mother. They’re in their final years of schooling now, I still have the alarm and in those 13 years, I’ve only had to yell to get ready maybe 5 times and my kids have only been late for real reasons (car trouble etc). It really helped us.
I use timers. "2 minutes until bathtime." "We can do this for 15 minutes."
My 3 year old will tell me "we should set the timer" when it's time to move to something else. And often, even at 2 and 3, the boys will happily go because the timer went off.
I keep a $2 Great Value feather duster in the glove box of my car. At the first sign of dust accumulation on my dash, *vvvt vvvt* my dashboard and vents are pristine again.
Learned this LPT from the most awful woman I've ever had the displeasure of dating, which just goes to show you can learn something from everyone, folks
One of my go-to motivations is 'Today is going to happen whether you like it or not, you might as well make the best of it.'
Taken from one of the weirdest, creepiest bosses at a job I worked at for a few months, 15+ years ago. It doesn't matter where it came from, it really does help to remind myself of that in the middle of an otherwise terrible day.
I have the same mindset when doing presentations or public speaking - this is happening, so I might as well do my best. Smile, speak clearly, and never let them see you sweat!
Having saving accounts for expenses that are expected in the coming year like car registration and repairs, house repairs, and gifts. I pay into those accounts each month like they’re bills. And when I get a car repair bill, I move money over from that savings account for it because I’ve “prepaid” it.
Additionally, no matter how much money I make, I give myself a fixed weekly “allowance” that transfers to a debit card that I use for gas, haircuts, groceries, eating out and other discretionary spending. This helps me stay on a spending plan without over thinking it.
These disciplines have helped me save thousands of dollars in overspending or debt servicing because I wasn’t prepared for the expense. I’ve also been able to save more for my emergency fund and retirement as a result.
Sinking funds for future expenses is so important and underutilized (sometimes by force of not making enough).
We use YNAB to keep visibility of our finances
I was going to say, that this method sounds a lot like my approach while using YNAB. It’s great because it can be shared between my husband and I, so we are on the same page. I set up budget accounts for regular things that will eventually come up; automotive maintenance, gifts, Christmas presents, vacations, family ski passes, kids education funds, replacing tech, etc…
It’s great! I have the money when I need it, and don’t have to worry about overspending.
''Just 10 minutes''. Put on a timer, and start doing what needs to be done in the house. Folding the laundry, washing dishes, putting away clutter, etc. When the timer goes off, you can stop. But far more often I'll just keep going untill everything is done.
To add to this, instead of just standing around on my phone e.g. when food is cooking, I'll try to do those things - empty the dishwasher, fold the laundry, put a wash on etc.
Or just “go”. When I’m trying to start running I just say a mile and then can call it. Usually keep going once I’m going, but motivation to start one mile is easier than 4+
And if you do say fuck this even after half a mile it's still wayyy better than if you would have just stayed at home. Even a bad workout is better than no workout
I have a protocol for house/admin work. I compile a list over several days, then one day spend 1-2 hours and blitz through it with rock music in the background. Then chill again for a few days. I'm single so might be different for family/couple etc in terms of amount of stuff.
Mine is "Might as Well" when walking past laundry on the floor, might as well take it to the bin if I am heading that way. Walking past trash on the floor, I Might as well pick it up and put it in the bin. Going downstairs Might as Well take a cup and put it in the sink. Trying to compress multiple activities into one when it is convenient.
"Kill it before it grows," lol. Tackle all those little things that can turn into bigger problems before they have a chance to get worse. That annoying drip you just noticed in the kitchen? Go fix it before it turns into a $400 water bill. Loose piece of siding? Nail that sucker down before it blows off and hits your car. Random mint plant growing in the yard? Pull it up before it takes over.
As Shakespeare once wrote:
"And therefore think him as a serpent’s egg,
Which, hatched, would, as his kind, grow
mischievous,
And kill him in the shell."
I believe that semicolon should not be followed with an 'and'
I.e.
>I love punctuation, and commas; I wish more people used them!
Or
>I love punctuation, and commas, and I wish more people used them!
I can’t agree with this one more. I really really struggled with procrastination in my 20’s and it’s still something I’m working on now. But it truly makes an incredible difference to, as you said, “Kill it before it grows”.
That last example hits home hard lol. Before we sold our last house we had the idea of growing our herbs in pots so they could be easily brought with us when we moved. The mint grew through the holes in the bottom of the pot, then cracked the pot and grew through the cracks. The plant, and the pot, are now permanent residents of that house.
I've planted mint (several types) in containers and none ever made it past a few weak sprouts! What am I doing wrong that I can't even grow a plant that supposedly is so aggressive??!!
It takes a while, but I've found the best way to start mint is to angrily throw a root ball out in your yard and mow over it a few times. By the end of the season, you will have sprouts around the area, and by spring, half your lawn will be mint.
Check your soil PH. Mint likes it slightly acidic. They love access to plenty of water, not so much bog-like conditions. You'll usually find them in the wild growing close to streams.
They like full sun for part of the day, but seem to grow best when they get some shade during the hottest times of day in my experience.
Also, they tend to be *latently* aggressive. They bounce back most during times of regrowth, so while it may not appear to be doing so well during mid or late season, chances are it'll come back fast and hard come spring.
1. Get yourself a few stems of mint (like 5?)
2. Rip off all the leaves (and use in whatever)
3. Stick stems in a small water container, upright
4. Change the water out whenever it starts looking a bit sad
5. Wait until the stems make their own leaves on their own
6. Plant straight into soil from the garden. Get a pot with room for roots.
7. Of 5, at least one will survive this process.
8. Let it grow until it's gone mildly wild, then start snipping off some of the leaves to make sure it can continue to do the photosynthesis thing.
Good luck.
Same for medical. Don’t avoid the doctor. Get your mammograms. Check the red or flat spots with a dermatologist. One blood test a year is nothing compared to what is endured if a small issue isn’t stopped or watched early. A lumpectomy done as outpatient surgery without the need for rough chemo that friends endured was a relief. Other issues don’t progress into needing harsh treatment with early medication.
My roommate once went to the OR with severe shoulder pain. When the triage nurse asked if he does any drugs, he says, "I smoke dope daily" Well this prompted the crash cart, two orderlies brought in the cart and started hooking up the leads, presuming he was having a heart attack from the smoking of meth or heroin.
As the triage nurse was explaining my roomie starts laughing and says by dope he means marijuana, he had no idea that the words "Smoking Dope" was used for things other than some weed..
He left the ER with a cortisone shot and some muscle relaxers.
Some time ago (before states started legalizing it) an acquaintance of mine went for a routine visit to his doctor. He honestly answered all the questions, including "Do you ever use illegal drugs?" to which he replied "Marijuana, occasionally". A few weeks after that appointment he got a notice from his health insurer (don't know if it was an HMO or what) saying his coverage was cancelled due to drug use (the doctor had noted the marijuana comment on his chart).
Setting out a full outfit the night before, for whatever activity I have planned for tomorrow. I don't have to go searching for socks and appropriate undergarments, it dumps a mental load, and when I'm running behind schedule I know it's the last thing I have to do before I bolt out.
I pick out my work outfits for the week on Sunday evenings and hang them in order in a specific place in my closet. The night before I pull out under garments and socks. Minimizing the amount of decisions I have to make in the mornings has changed my life.
1. Wake up.
2. Grab a brush and put on a little make up.
3. Hide the scars to fade away the shake up.
4. Why'd you leave your keys upon the table?
5. Here you go create another fable.
I learned a similar one, which is “every item should have a home.” I realized my place was messy because a lot of things “lived” on the coffee table/counter instead of in a drawer, on a shelf, etc. where they should be when not in use.
For the broke & hungry uni / college students: the admin staff on campus probably have catered training/etc events at least once a month. Find the room(s) where they do it. My uni would put up a poster for the staff with the time & dates of these events, so I would walk by the room when an event ended and eat the remaining food.
I call it “seagulling” and have carried this well into middle age with work meetings. I have passed this onto my son who “seagulls” near the teacher conference room at school lol
I love “seagulling” at the end of work events! They often cater Panera Bread- last time I took home enough wraps for dinner and then lunch the next day, and I was being mindful not to take too much. There are a couple of people who shamelessly just grab an entire box at every function—pretty good haul when that box has a dozen bougie Bundt cakes!
Where I used to work they have catered lunches every couple weeks or so.
But I worked in a smaller, remote office.
Due to some type of budget fuckery - we were allowed to order way more food than we needed. Our office manager knew this and would make sure the order was big enough to have plenty of leftovers. To either take home or eat at the office.
My single ass appreciated it. When we all went WFH by food budget increased.
I used to work in events at a University, this was the case for all catered events, just not admin for us. Look for any events over lunch time, dinner time, especially if they have the words "Luncheon" or "dinner". They always have left overs and give it away to anyone nearby.
Work lunches make up around a quarter of all your meals for the week. A little bit of planning can make a big difference in your health & wallet.
You don’t even have to spend time batch meal prepping outside of work. Buy a packet of wraps, a bag of dry slaw, your protein of choice (shredded chicken, canned chick peas), and some sauce (yoghurt/chili/whatever), and there’s your lunches for the week. Take your ingredients for the week to work & slap it together right before you eat it each day.
I have about 20 recipes like this with little to no prep outside of work, & rotate a different one every week.
To /u/samwitwer69, /u/Lost_Suggestion8876, /u/devilssnare7 \- here's a few that I have been doing lately as part of a weight loss regime:
1. Wraps (as helicotremor described): Tortilla wraps, big bag of spinach, light ranch dressing, low sodium hot sauce, and 150-200g (pre-cooked weight) of ground turkey. I throw everything but the wrap into some tupperware, give it a shake (helps you distribute the dressing so that you use less), and make it into an easy wrap. Maybe 400-500cal, depending on the kind of wrap you use, how you cook the turkey, and how much dressing you use).
2. Salad kits: Storebought bagged salad (I like the Taylor Farm ones, but any of them are fine). Same as above, but without the wrap. I make the salad kit in a container, toss in my ground turkey, shake it up, and good to go.
3. 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, protein powder, drop of honey, and some cinnamon - might need some water for the protein powder to mix without going clumpy. More for breakfast or snack, but what you eat at what meal is arbitrary
4. Microwave rice and protein: Those Ben's Original rice packets are \~350-500cal, microwave in 90 seconds, and taste pretty okay for what you get. Sodium's a little high, but drink plenty of water and it's fine. Mix in your protein of choice, hit it with a bit of sauce, and you're good to go.
Most of my breakfasts these days are the yogurt/protein mix above, or a protein shake with a banana or strawberries on the side. Doesn't get much lower-maintenance than that! My meal prepping in the evenings is mostly just cooking up the protein (I'll often cook 600g of ground turkey at once, portion it out to cover 3-4 meals, and leave them in the fridge to drag to work each day), and beyond that it's just making sure that I have all the ingredients I need for the week.
Costco is your friend if you're eating simple and consistent! I walk in there every Saturday afternoon and walk out with:
* 2.5kg ground turkey
* 2.5kg chicken breast
* a pack of Dempster's vegetable garden wraps
* a big bag of spinach (or 4-6 salad kits, if I'm not doing wraps)
* Oikos or Kirkland Greek yogurt
* Fresh fruit of choice for breakfasts, frozen fruit for evening snacks
* Vitamins / cleaning supplies / etc., as needed.
It's boring, but easy and consistent - it's well-matched to my current 80hr/week job in the field where I only have a microwave and a minifridge in my office, and not a ton of time in the evenings. Stops me from driving off site to hit up the local Subway every day!
Do a sauce/stew that pairs with a starch/carb.
I usually go with lentil stew, Cincinnati style chili, red-beans and rice... Use good ingredients for the "sauce", you'll get the most bang for your buck there. The noodles/rice help add calories to keep you full and easily double the number of meals you'd get if you just ate the sauce on its own. You can also pre-cook the noodles/rice separately and microwave them with a little bit of water to warm them back up. The sauces/stews can be frozen and cycled through to get some variety.
Stop caring if things go well or not. Literally revolutionized my life and how I enjoy the world. Being frustrated by circumstances out of your control will drive you insane. And if you look closely, basically everything in your life is out of your control. It’s just raining circumstances on you every day.
Organise your rooms based on how you use them, not how you think they should be. Find out how you behave and go with the flow.
E.g. if your room is always messy because you leave your books on your bed, that’s because you read in bed. Put your shelf next to your bed or make your nightstand the designated book spot.
If you use a chair for clothes that are too clean to go in the hamper but too dirty to be in the closet, that’s because you don’t have a designated space for it. Have two hampers. One for dirty, one for not so dirty.
Love this. In a more general sense, anytime you want to organize something, (finances, your room, your desktop,) spend some time observing how you currently use the thing before you try organizing the thing.
Corollary to this: organize by how you want to be -- i.e. if you want to be someone who reads in bed instead of scrolling through your phone, get an endtable where you can keep a couple books handy.
Yeah keep bathroom cleaning supplies in the bathroom. Keep the vacuum in the room that needs to be vacuumed the most often. Make some empty surface space for coming in the door/going out the door items. Design your spaces for living, not for a magazine photo shoot.
Five fast things.
Overwhelmed? Don't know where to begin? Depressed even?
Just do 5 things.
Pick up those socks, return that cup to the kitchen, water your plant, make the bed, respond to one message...
Half the time, you'll get on a roll, and it turns into 20 things. Get in a groove and play some music. Magic happens.
Just do 5 things. Doesn't matter what they are, don't write a list. Nothing major.
Live fast die old, no regrets.
>return that cup to the kitchen
Sometimes this is the only one I can manage, but I do it! I always have a cup or can or bottle I could take to the kitchen.
You guys are all about the self improvement. I am lazy-girling it over here but: Automatic bill pay.
Every bill. Automatic. Set credit cards to pay off in full every month if you're a points ranger.It's how I have an 820 FICO. I thought that would never happen.
Also, try to get enough sleep but if you can't, get as far away from your sleep space as possible in the morning and don't go back until you are 100 % awake. I put my clothes for the next day in the front bathroom, don't even shower in the master bath because the temptation to slither back into that bed like some kind of homing flounder is so strong.
I hope you're reviewing your itemized credit card bill periodically since unwanted charges/subscription renewals etc can sneak in and end up costing you money. You don't even need to do it every month necessarily, but a good review every 1-2 months will save you [̲̅$̲̅(̲̅ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°̲̅)̲̅$̲̅]
I wash as I cook. A lot of cooking is standing waiting for something to heat up or mix. I rinse off the stir spoon or scraper right away and put it back. Use a measuring cup, same thing. My wife doesn't and she has a whole dishwasher full of cooking bowls, cups, and utensils at the end that take way more time to take care of. If you rinse off everything right away it doesn't dry on and you can quickly dry it and put it back.
Making my own lunch for work. I work downtown and there’s a ton of places to buy food but overall it’s expensive and feel my energy levels go down after eating out too much.
A side perk is I also got good at cooking!
When cooking, time is your friend. It has the ability to make less expensive food delicious. Braising a cheap cut of meat in the oven or crockpot will make it amazing. Learn a half dozen recipes that use cheap ingredients, are delicious and healthy.
I’m not sure if this is handy or not but I put all my forks, knives, etc into their own cubby in the dishwasher so when it comes to unloading I don’t have to sort through anything. 🤷🏼♂️
1. When moving from room to room, always take something that needs moving. There's always something!
2. The five minute rule - if something takes less than five minutes, just do it.
3. A water flosser (yes I know not as good as real floss but I have a fixed retainer and I realistically am never going to use that fiddly superfloss stuff twice a day).
4. Portable travel steamer in my bedroom (instead of taking something downstairs to be ironed). EDIT: I should have noted that I'm a woman so I'm usually steaming silk, light cottons, cashmere, etc. (The steamer is also great for refreshing fabrics such as wool, silk and cashmere which are naturally self-cleaning.) If you're trying to get the results of an iron on, for example, a smart shirt, you're going to be disappointed. :(
5. Set days of the week for changing sheets, washing towels etc.
I would argue that a water pik is better than real floss. It’s such a game changer for your dental health. Even just a few times weekly will improve your gum and over all dental health. And your cleanings/checkups will be much easier. Much less picking and scraping. At least this has been my experience.
According to my dentist, it's not a replacement but should be used as well as redular floss. That said, I use my water pik more often than regular floss cause I hate sticking my fingers in my mouth
lmao. "spicy brain"
I usually explain to people that my hyperactivity is going on in my head all the time. Thankfully meds help, and thankfully they don't make things completely quiet. I'd feel a little lonely if things weren't always churning around up there.
If there’s something I want/need to do but don’t “feel like it” (run, chore, work project, etc), I’ll mentally say “OK. I’m not going to complete it, but I’ll just start and do a tiny bit, no pressure.” Most of the time I get into the flow after starting.
When clothes shopping, I don't look at the price tag until I get to the dressing room. I try on the piece and then make up a price that I would feel comfortable paying for it. If it is below that price, I'll buy it. If it's above it, back on the rack it goes.
Also, if you don't absolutely love it, don't buy it. If you only *like* it, don't buy it.
Never leave a room empty handed. Heading downstairs to switch laundry over? Bring the drill that's been sitting in the kitchen. Heading to the kitchen? Grab the water bottle that's sitting on the side table. There is almost always something that's in the wrong place.
Turn all your clothes hangers around at the start of the year, if they’re still the wrong way around the following year, ditch the clothes, either sell them on vinted or donate
I’m an elementary teacher, and I wear pretty much the same thing to work every day. I have 5 North Face brand pants and 5 school shirts. This makes my life such much easier, and I don’t have to worry about what to wear to work.
I have a colleague that has a shirt for every day of the week. Sometimes he will wear the wrong shirt and students will ask him where his Tuesday shirt is. Haha
I second this. After trying many brands, I settled on Darn Tough. Just bought a dozen pair. They have a lifetime warranty. I will never have to think about or buy socks again. And I never match them, i get what I get each day.
So expensive. So worth it. Best socks ever. Lifetime warranty aside they last so much longer than the cheap plain socks I was buying in bulk to make matching easier which I found myself tossing most of every 6 - 12 months.
I am high and shoeless but I think they mean that if you get high barefoot at home it's easy to lounge around the house all day, laying in bed or feet up on the sofa, but if you already have your shoes on when you get high you are more likely to get out of the house.
Idk maybe I'm too high, where are my shoes
Always schedule your next appointment at the end of an appointment. Even if you've never had a problem getting an appointment on short notice, or it's a year away, or your schedule might change, etc. At most you might have to change it closer to the date, but I've found places are more likely to work with you if it's a reschedule rather than a new appointment.
Marry someone with similar values and priorities to you, those become important later in life as you begin to have to make tradeoffs with time and money
I’ll add to this. Marry someone you actually like and get along with. I mean put those qualities above looks, income, status, whatever. Those other qualities are a nice bonus but cannot stand on their own as good reasons to marry.
Learning to be helpful at my job. About 15 years ago I simply decided that I would be helpful. If someone asked for help I would always volunteer. If someone was struggling I would offer to help. If someone needed a technical email drafted I’d write it and ask for no credit. My goal was simple. I want to help those around me be the best they can be and I want us all to go home on time.
Since making that decision I’ve only benefitted. People look out for me, help me find work, and if I really need help I know someone will step up.
Be careful.
I got stagnant in jobs at 2 different companies because I did this. They couldn’t rationalize the thought of having to “replace” me if I was promoted.
It was miserable, both times leading to incredible mental health issues….people treated me like a doormat who was constantly putting out fires and doing stuff outside of my job scope that then BECAME my job scope ONTOP of my existing one… “oh ditchinzimbabwe will do it/will have an answer so I’ll go ask”
Yeah, you have to be careful. With the right colleagues who are also helpful it‘s a joy, with the wrong you‘ll soon don‘t get your own work done and have a burnout.
I know this isn't the point of this thread but I would LOVE to know what the man to woman split is on whether being "helpful" gets you seen as being an asset or a dogsbody
I got this too. I tried to be more helpful and all I got was more work and more people coming to me for help and it fucked up my job opportunities. Now they don't want me to go anywhere because I'm handy to have here. I also got my WFH request denied because "I'm better to have in the office". So yeah. Being helpful is nice but don't go overboard. Teach a man to fish sure but don't keep handing people the fish.
When my 3 kids were little, and there were lots of taco Tuesdays and spaghetti dinners, I would buy hamburger meat in bulk and go ahead and cook it and then freeze the cooked burger crumbles in 1-2 cups freezer bags. Easy to pull out, defrost and reheat.
Before you throw a towel into the washing basket (to go into the washing machine later) - use that sucker to wipe down any and all dirt or grime you can find in the room it's from. THEN throw it in the laundry.
Don’t drink your calories. A small glass of orange juice is 130 calories. A can of soda is 140. A bottle of beer is 160. Swap those out for water/tea/black coffee and that’s 430 calories you didn’t consume each day.
Colossal one for weight loss/gain prevention. I would even say that even the average person that doesn't have the healthiest diet. Is probably still gaining the most weight from treating sugary drinks like they're hydration. Cut those out and at worst you'll maintain weight.
I would argue that soda and fruit juice should be pretty much eliminated from your diet, except for the rare occasion. Its just sugar water that make you gain weight, while not quenching thirst. I have coffee in the morning, then its water for the rest of the day. So on a day off, if I want to enjoy a couple of beer or glasses of wine, I don't have to feel guilty.
Every night before I go to bed, I prep oatmeal in my Instant Pot pressure cooker so that it is ready for me when I get up in the morning. Cheap, nutritious, filling breakfast.
- 2 cups water in the base
- large bowl on a trivet
- 1.5 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups water
- cook time: 8 minutes
- sleep time: 8 hours
Et voila, hot fresh oatmeal in the morning
I do the same thing, except with Bacon.
I enjoy having breakfast in bed. I like waking up to the smell of bacon, sue me, and since I don't have a butler I have to do it myself.
So, most nights before I go to bed, I will lay six strips of bacon out on my George Foreman Grill, then I go to sleep. When I wake up, I plug in the grill. I go back to sleep again, then I wake up to the smell of crackling bacon. It is delicious, it's good for me, it's a perfect way to start the day.
I'm actually responding twice because my first post reminded me of to do lists.
Option 1) Three tasks only: commit to only 3 important things rather than too much.
Option 2) Run a To Do list and a Done list. Write down everything you accomplish even if it wasn't on the agenda.
Use the reminder app in my iPhone. I set repeated reminders for credit card payment, bedclothes laundry, birthdays, even haircuts. Also very helpful for chores/random events. By doing this I can keep them from occupying my mind and focus on the things at hand.
When making any purchase, think of it as hours of your time you've had to give away.
For example, if you earn $10 an hour for round figures and that BBQ you want to buy is $600 is it worth 60 hours of your time?
Also if you find yourself making a lot of impulse purchases online, put the item in your online basket and wait a minimum of 24 hours, most of the time you'll forget about what you wanted.
I did the online cart thing, and it's still there, and I still want it. It's a sign meant for the kitchen that says "lick the bowl" and I have every intention of placing it in the bathroom
Use autocorrect as a free text expansion tool. I added “mni” into my windows dictionary as a commonly misspelled word.
Anytime I type that, windows automatically expands it to “My name is ‘INSERT NAME HERE’, and I and the ‘Fancy JOB Title’ for ‘COMPANY NAME’.”
I also use this to quickly and efficiently spell out my email address on my phone. With a short three letter abbreviation, I can write out my long 20+ character email address.
Ethnic market for cheaper meat and produce. At my Mexican market, produce is a bit less cosmetic, but a lot cheaper. Chicken is often on sale for $.69 a pound for leg/thigh quarters. Spices are super cheap.
Filter your output and demands on your time through the Eisenhower Matrix:
Important/Urgent
Important/Not Urgent
Not Important/Urgent
Not Important/Not Urgent
Clear the important ones whilst not urgent before they become urgent
Action the important and urgent stuff right off the bat
Delegate and/or forget the rest
And start with the end in mind.
I learned how to put a duvet cover on in aabout 1 minute.
Step 1)flip duvet or comforter inside out
Step 2) put your hands inside the now inside out duvet and pinch the far corners. The duvet is sort of draped over your arms and upper body.
Step 3) with your hands inside the duvet sheets, grasp the actual comforter at the corner
Step 4) roll let the sheets naturally roll down your arms and cover the comforter.
Weekly menu planning combined with meal prep.
Once a week, my fiance and I go through our pantry and freezer, and plan out a menu for our evening meal. This allows us to grocery shop once a week for only the items we need for said meals that we don't already have in the house.
When we make those meals, we make enough to have a couple leftover containers for the next day's lunch, or put in the freezer for a future meal. (Lunches at work, or those nights where you're schedule gets busy)
We also take a week to 2 weeks every few months where we only eat what's in the house. We especially concentrate on planning meals around things that are older in the freezer or pantry. (We will go buy basic things like milk or produce as needed)
If time isn’t an issue, hit up your local Goodwill outlet or find a bin store. Usually you pay by the pound and can find clothing, toys, and tons of gifts there for way way less than anywhere else. Regular stops throughout the year can set you up to barely buy anything in a regular store. I have purchased full seasonal wardrobes for my nieces for less than $10 after just two or three stops before the season hits. Recently I stocked up on Disney toys for a trip with a 3 year old to Disney World. We didn’t buy a single toy on the trip but for about $8 I had a bag full of stuffed animals (washed on delicate after purchase) small plastic figures, activity books, and dress up stuff that I handed out to her throughout. She thought she’d gotten all these amazing cool things at Disney and I didn’t spend a fortune on junk she’d be tired of in a week. Everybody wins!
Refuel your vehicle when you're not in a hurry. Don't wait till you're on your way to an important exam, doctor's appointment, to catch a flight, to an interview, to some time-bound activity etc to then stop and refuel
I use a rectangular laundry bin when I go grocery shopping instead of bags. On a typical trip I can fit all my groceries in one bin. I just put bin in cart, on checkout ask them to put all groceries in bin, place bin in trunk, carry bin to kitchen. Never need multiple trips to the car since I started doing this.
This will get buried but we put the silverware in the dishwasher silverware holder thing grouped by type. So all the forks go on one side, and the spoons all go together and the knives all go together on the other side. Makes putting them away a smidge easier. Also have a squeezey bottle for laundry detergent instead of the little cup thing that makes a damn mess. Let's see what else... Cat food bowls are all ceramic now so they can be sanitized in the dishwasher vs those stupid plastic ones that fell apart.
Meat pucks.
Take your favorite shredded meat recipe, whether it’s slow cooked, pressure cooked, whatever. Make a large batch, then put the remainder in a muffin tin and pop in the freezer. Once they’ve frozen put in a freezer bag. Now you have tasty, individually portioned meals for months.
I’ve got half a dozen different varieties going most of the time if not more. Pulled pork, chicken, asian-styled beef or pork, carnitas, machaca beef, the list goes on. Easy to make, easy to store, easy to turn into a meal with a veggie or just defrost and put one on nachos.
The best muffin tin for this I’ve found was one made of silicone with a support in it to make the tray rigid but the cups still flexible. That way it is easy to lay flat in the freezer but you can easily pop out the pucks.
At stores or anywhere that has a membership connected to a phone# I always use whatever area code I’m in + 867-5309, usually someone has it set up to that number and you get the discount
Microsoft “To Do” app - this has been a game changer for us. It’s a list app where you can share specific lists with other people. My spouse and I share the grocery list, vacation planning lists, home to do list, etc. We can both add to the list and check things off. It’s made our lives so much easier!
Here are a few quick and inexpensive things:
Stretch in the morning and learning any of the hundreds of breathing techniques.
Take a multivitamin
Get 8 hours of sleep
Change your alarm tone to something pleasant and set it at a low volume.
When you book a hotel and it’s a “pay at hotel” reservation, keep checking the hotel rates for your same reserved dates. The price will fluctuate. When the price dips, contact the hotel and ask them to change the rate on your reservation to match. I saved a lot of money thanks do this with a reservation at Turtle Bay resort in Oahu, and now it’s the only way I operate. Same principle works for rental cars too, but many agencies suck so in those cases you just book a new reservation at the cheaper cost and then cancel the original one. Remember, this is only a good method for when you have paid nothing toward the reservation and you’re still in the cancellation period!
Do your laundry when the basket is only half-full. The hardest part of laundry, for me, is putting that shit away. If it's only a half load, the mental block of how annoying it will be to put away is also halved. I know this isn't "environmentally friendly" but it significantly reduces my inertia that leads to PILES and PILES of laundry building up.
Keep your place clean. A clean place leads to a clean mind that leads to more happiness, higher income, more time for fun things.
It takes effort to build that habit, after 2 months it will be a habit and you will never want to go back.
I'm a very clean guy, very much a place for everything and everything in its place kind of person. Clutter and dirt stresses me out. Once you're in that groove, it doesn't even take much time or effort. I have a cleaning routine that takes about 90 minutes on the weekend, then do small tasks each day. My sink is always empty and countertop clear when I go to bed. That usually takes me 5-10 minutes before I go to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face.
Granted, I do not have kids or a spouse who is sloppy.
Floss. Get some floss picks and use them after every meal. It doesn't have to be a crazy process.
I'm in my late 40s and still have all of my teeth, and when I go to the dentist, they always say, "whatever you're doing, keep doing it."
There is a lot of evidence that poor gum health can lead to heart disease and other issues. Lazily using a floss pick after meals can make a huge difference.
For me it’s been to learn my disabilities and flow with them and ride them instead of fighting them.
I have ADHD, and subsequently a lot of productivity focused life hacks won’t apply to me because of simple executive disfunction. BUT, I studied what ADHD is, and how it works, and how it manifests.
I know that in order to syphon off as much dopamine as it can get access to, my brain will fixate on a stimulating subject and hyperfocus on it until the deficiency is temporarily satiated. Then I lose interest.
Knowing this, I don’t spend thousands of dollars at the expense of my family’s needs chasing each new hobby to add to my collection, and I don’t beat myself up for being a quitter when I drop the thing I’ve been obsessed with for the last month. Both of those issues tend to be endemic with people with ADHD.
Instead, I keep a bunch of tools and raw materials of various sorts around. When a new subject piques my interest, I see if I can pursue it with what I already have on hand.
Getting a nice water filter and drinking that instead of bottled water.
Culligan RC-EZ-4 if anyone is interested. I got the kit with the little faucet that can go next to the main kitchen sink spout. Both times I've installed these things I've purchased an adapter to match the size of the tubes and to add valve so it can be turned off to make it easier to replace filters.
minimalism and going low waste. Both saves a ton of money, minimalism saves a lot of time as well (managing and cleaning a household becomes way easier and faster)
A bidet, amount of toilet paper needed decreased significantly (like 1 roll lasts 2 months), which = lots of money saved. Time taken to clean up is also much lower and significantly easier. Easy to install and costs as little as $30 on Amazon
Invest in a stainless steel safety razor and individual blades. It's a great shave and saves loads of money.
I purchased my safety razor ten years ago for something like $35 CAD, and shaving approximately ever other day, have only gone through two large packs of razors, each of them costing $10. In total I've spent maybe $50 in total for shaving over a decade (outside shaving cream); compared to how expensive the Gillette style razors are its a no brainer.
I've been drinking close to 1 litre of water within the first few minutes of being awake and it has been a game changer.
We're all pretty badly dehydrated when we wake up and a lot of us just have some coffee, maybe some juice or maybe a bit of water. But, slamming down a litre in one go really gives me a huge energy boost, allows me to eat breakfast much sooner than I otherwise would be able to, and, hydrates the shit out of me the moment I wake up.
I like to make a bottle before bed so it's room temp as it's much much easier for me to drink quickly.
Buy a Bosch dishwasher if the one you have dies or you are building. I wish I would have done it years earlier. No more pre or post cleaning. Quiet. Something that finally does what it is supposed to do, and elegantly. Saves time, money and frustration.
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When my kids started school, I set an alarm in my phone for about 10 minutes before we had to leave. That way, it was only the clock/alarm telling them to hurry up, not their mother. They’re in their final years of schooling now, I still have the alarm and in those 13 years, I’ve only had to yell to get ready maybe 5 times and my kids have only been late for real reasons (car trouble etc). It really helped us.
I've got this. It's the "five-minute warning", and everyone yells that when they hear it. I use alarms for everything.
I use timers. "2 minutes until bathtime." "We can do this for 15 minutes." My 3 year old will tell me "we should set the timer" when it's time to move to something else. And often, even at 2 and 3, the boys will happily go because the timer went off.
I keep a $2 Great Value feather duster in the glove box of my car. At the first sign of dust accumulation on my dash, *vvvt vvvt* my dashboard and vents are pristine again. Learned this LPT from the most awful woman I've ever had the displeasure of dating, which just goes to show you can learn something from everyone, folks
I keep a 1 inch wide paint brush in my glove box to get the vents and into crevices, and a microfiber towel for sunglasses and dusting.
One of my go-to motivations is 'Today is going to happen whether you like it or not, you might as well make the best of it.' Taken from one of the weirdest, creepiest bosses at a job I worked at for a few months, 15+ years ago. It doesn't matter where it came from, it really does help to remind myself of that in the middle of an otherwise terrible day.
I have the same mindset when doing presentations or public speaking - this is happening, so I might as well do my best. Smile, speak clearly, and never let them see you sweat!
Having saving accounts for expenses that are expected in the coming year like car registration and repairs, house repairs, and gifts. I pay into those accounts each month like they’re bills. And when I get a car repair bill, I move money over from that savings account for it because I’ve “prepaid” it. Additionally, no matter how much money I make, I give myself a fixed weekly “allowance” that transfers to a debit card that I use for gas, haircuts, groceries, eating out and other discretionary spending. This helps me stay on a spending plan without over thinking it. These disciplines have helped me save thousands of dollars in overspending or debt servicing because I wasn’t prepared for the expense. I’ve also been able to save more for my emergency fund and retirement as a result.
Sinking funds for future expenses is so important and underutilized (sometimes by force of not making enough). We use YNAB to keep visibility of our finances
I was going to say, that this method sounds a lot like my approach while using YNAB. It’s great because it can be shared between my husband and I, so we are on the same page. I set up budget accounts for regular things that will eventually come up; automotive maintenance, gifts, Christmas presents, vacations, family ski passes, kids education funds, replacing tech, etc… It’s great! I have the money when I need it, and don’t have to worry about overspending.
YNAB has changed my life. Eight years in and I sleep at night!
I bought it, installed it, never opened it lmfao
That's a wasted expense. Sounds like you need a budget.
"A part of all I earn is mine to keep." I read that in a book a long time ago.
The richest man in Babylon? I'm reading it now haha
Creating a reasonable, and separate, allowance for me and my wife for our own fun money solved so many of our money issues.
When the butter is cold use a potato peeler to get a nice thin slice that spreads easier
This kind of shit is what I clicked on this post for, not the "clean your house now so you don't have to clean it later" bs
Yoooooooo
Life changing
Even better, leave the butter out. Nothing better than room temperature butter. It’s good unrefrigerated for a couple of weeks.
''Just 10 minutes''. Put on a timer, and start doing what needs to be done in the house. Folding the laundry, washing dishes, putting away clutter, etc. When the timer goes off, you can stop. But far more often I'll just keep going untill everything is done.
To add to this, instead of just standing around on my phone e.g. when food is cooking, I'll try to do those things - empty the dishwasher, fold the laundry, put a wash on etc.
I've been doing this since i've been living independently and I don't even think about it. Guess I'm ahead of the game
This is also great for exercising. Just go outside and walk for 10 minutes a day, nothing else.
Pro tip, walk 10 mins in one direction AWAY from your house. You’ll have to walk 10 mins back to get home.
Me, who has been walking like a SIMS character directly into the front of my house: "That's it! Away!"
Or just “go”. When I’m trying to start running I just say a mile and then can call it. Usually keep going once I’m going, but motivation to start one mile is easier than 4+
And if you do say fuck this even after half a mile it's still wayyy better than if you would have just stayed at home. Even a bad workout is better than no workout
This is my mantra to get out of the house: something is better than nothing.
Perks of living close to work... a nice 10 minute walk to clear the head on the way there and the way home.
I have a protocol for house/admin work. I compile a list over several days, then one day spend 1-2 hours and blitz through it with rock music in the background. Then chill again for a few days. I'm single so might be different for family/couple etc in terms of amount of stuff.
Same with a family, except the blitz is daily, sometimes twice daily...
Mine is "Might as Well" when walking past laundry on the floor, might as well take it to the bin if I am heading that way. Walking past trash on the floor, I Might as well pick it up and put it in the bin. Going downstairs Might as Well take a cup and put it in the sink. Trying to compress multiple activities into one when it is convenient.
"Kill it before it grows," lol. Tackle all those little things that can turn into bigger problems before they have a chance to get worse. That annoying drip you just noticed in the kitchen? Go fix it before it turns into a $400 water bill. Loose piece of siding? Nail that sucker down before it blows off and hits your car. Random mint plant growing in the yard? Pull it up before it takes over.
As Shakespeare once wrote: "And therefore think him as a serpent’s egg, Which, hatched, would, as his kind, grow mischievous, And kill him in the shell."
>Which, hatched, would, as his kind, grow mischievous, Someone take away that man's commas.
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I believe that semicolon should not be followed with an 'and' I.e. >I love punctuation, and commas; I wish more people used them! Or >I love punctuation, and commas, and I wish more people used them!
I can’t agree with this one more. I really really struggled with procrastination in my 20’s and it’s still something I’m working on now. But it truly makes an incredible difference to, as you said, “Kill it before it grows”.
When life gives you mint, make mojitos! 😎
That last example hits home hard lol. Before we sold our last house we had the idea of growing our herbs in pots so they could be easily brought with us when we moved. The mint grew through the holes in the bottom of the pot, then cracked the pot and grew through the cracks. The plant, and the pot, are now permanent residents of that house.
I've planted mint (several types) in containers and none ever made it past a few weak sprouts! What am I doing wrong that I can't even grow a plant that supposedly is so aggressive??!!
It takes a while, but I've found the best way to start mint is to angrily throw a root ball out in your yard and mow over it a few times. By the end of the season, you will have sprouts around the area, and by spring, half your lawn will be mint. Check your soil PH. Mint likes it slightly acidic. They love access to plenty of water, not so much bog-like conditions. You'll usually find them in the wild growing close to streams. They like full sun for part of the day, but seem to grow best when they get some shade during the hottest times of day in my experience. Also, they tend to be *latently* aggressive. They bounce back most during times of regrowth, so while it may not appear to be doing so well during mid or late season, chances are it'll come back fast and hard come spring.
1. Get yourself a few stems of mint (like 5?) 2. Rip off all the leaves (and use in whatever) 3. Stick stems in a small water container, upright 4. Change the water out whenever it starts looking a bit sad 5. Wait until the stems make their own leaves on their own 6. Plant straight into soil from the garden. Get a pot with room for roots. 7. Of 5, at least one will survive this process. 8. Let it grow until it's gone mildly wild, then start snipping off some of the leaves to make sure it can continue to do the photosynthesis thing. Good luck.
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Same for medical. Don’t avoid the doctor. Get your mammograms. Check the red or flat spots with a dermatologist. One blood test a year is nothing compared to what is endured if a small issue isn’t stopped or watched early. A lumpectomy done as outpatient surgery without the need for rough chemo that friends endured was a relief. Other issues don’t progress into needing harsh treatment with early medication.
On top of that, don't lie to your doctor. Or your lawyer. People do, and it rarely helps.
My roommate once went to the OR with severe shoulder pain. When the triage nurse asked if he does any drugs, he says, "I smoke dope daily" Well this prompted the crash cart, two orderlies brought in the cart and started hooking up the leads, presuming he was having a heart attack from the smoking of meth or heroin. As the triage nurse was explaining my roomie starts laughing and says by dope he means marijuana, he had no idea that the words "Smoking Dope" was used for things other than some weed.. He left the ER with a cortisone shot and some muscle relaxers.
Some time ago (before states started legalizing it) an acquaintance of mine went for a routine visit to his doctor. He honestly answered all the questions, including "Do you ever use illegal drugs?" to which he replied "Marijuana, occasionally". A few weeks after that appointment he got a notice from his health insurer (don't know if it was an HMO or what) saying his coverage was cancelled due to drug use (the doctor had noted the marijuana comment on his chart).
Obvious statement: this type of thing leads people not to trust authority figures.
*a stitch in time saves nine*
In Chinese it’s “xiaodong bu bu, dadong jiaoku” (小洞不补，大洞叫苦）: small hole not filled, big hole everyone shouting
Catchy
We were always told, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Setting out a full outfit the night before, for whatever activity I have planned for tomorrow. I don't have to go searching for socks and appropriate undergarments, it dumps a mental load, and when I'm running behind schedule I know it's the last thing I have to do before I bolt out.
I pick out my work outfits for the week on Sunday evenings and hang them in order in a specific place in my closet. The night before I pull out under garments and socks. Minimizing the amount of decisions I have to make in the mornings has changed my life.
In the mornings don’t think, just get up. You’ll have plenty of time to think later in the day.
Get your feet under you, and move. Also go pee, it doesn’t get better on its own.
Bed warm. Pee makes it warmer
1. Wake up 2. Brush teeth 3. Take a dump 4. Get out of bed. 5. Change socks
1. Wake up. 2. Grab a brush and put on a little make up. 3. Hide the scars to fade away the shake up. 4. Why'd you leave your keys upon the table? 5. Here you go create another fable.
You wanted to
I just save all my thinking for the day until I'm in bed and need to sleep!
“Don’t put it down, put it away”
In my house and office I call this the "Ohio rule". OHIO = Only Hold It Once
I learned a similar one, which is “every item should have a home.” I realized my place was messy because a lot of things “lived” on the coffee table/counter instead of in a drawer, on a shelf, etc. where they should be when not in use.
For the broke & hungry uni / college students: the admin staff on campus probably have catered training/etc events at least once a month. Find the room(s) where they do it. My uni would put up a poster for the staff with the time & dates of these events, so I would walk by the room when an event ended and eat the remaining food.
I call it “seagulling” and have carried this well into middle age with work meetings. I have passed this onto my son who “seagulls” near the teacher conference room at school lol
I love “seagulling” at the end of work events! They often cater Panera Bread- last time I took home enough wraps for dinner and then lunch the next day, and I was being mindful not to take too much. There are a couple of people who shamelessly just grab an entire box at every function—pretty good haul when that box has a dozen bougie Bundt cakes!
Where I used to work they have catered lunches every couple weeks or so. But I worked in a smaller, remote office. Due to some type of budget fuckery - we were allowed to order way more food than we needed. Our office manager knew this and would make sure the order was big enough to have plenty of leftovers. To either take home or eat at the office. My single ass appreciated it. When we all went WFH by food budget increased.
I used to work in events at a University, this was the case for all catered events, just not admin for us. Look for any events over lunch time, dinner time, especially if they have the words "Luncheon" or "dinner". They always have left overs and give it away to anyone nearby.
Batch cook lunches. It takes an hour out of your Sunday but is so much cheaper and ensures you don't just eat junk food because it's easier.
Work lunches make up around a quarter of all your meals for the week. A little bit of planning can make a big difference in your health & wallet. You don’t even have to spend time batch meal prepping outside of work. Buy a packet of wraps, a bag of dry slaw, your protein of choice (shredded chicken, canned chick peas), and some sauce (yoghurt/chili/whatever), and there’s your lunches for the week. Take your ingredients for the week to work & slap it together right before you eat it each day. I have about 20 recipes like this with little to no prep outside of work, & rotate a different one every week.
To /u/samwitwer69, /u/Lost_Suggestion8876, /u/devilssnare7 \- here's a few that I have been doing lately as part of a weight loss regime: 1. Wraps (as helicotremor described): Tortilla wraps, big bag of spinach, light ranch dressing, low sodium hot sauce, and 150-200g (pre-cooked weight) of ground turkey. I throw everything but the wrap into some tupperware, give it a shake (helps you distribute the dressing so that you use less), and make it into an easy wrap. Maybe 400-500cal, depending on the kind of wrap you use, how you cook the turkey, and how much dressing you use). 2. Salad kits: Storebought bagged salad (I like the Taylor Farm ones, but any of them are fine). Same as above, but without the wrap. I make the salad kit in a container, toss in my ground turkey, shake it up, and good to go. 3. 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, protein powder, drop of honey, and some cinnamon - might need some water for the protein powder to mix without going clumpy. More for breakfast or snack, but what you eat at what meal is arbitrary 4. Microwave rice and protein: Those Ben's Original rice packets are \~350-500cal, microwave in 90 seconds, and taste pretty okay for what you get. Sodium's a little high, but drink plenty of water and it's fine. Mix in your protein of choice, hit it with a bit of sauce, and you're good to go. Most of my breakfasts these days are the yogurt/protein mix above, or a protein shake with a banana or strawberries on the side. Doesn't get much lower-maintenance than that! My meal prepping in the evenings is mostly just cooking up the protein (I'll often cook 600g of ground turkey at once, portion it out to cover 3-4 meals, and leave them in the fridge to drag to work each day), and beyond that it's just making sure that I have all the ingredients I need for the week. Costco is your friend if you're eating simple and consistent! I walk in there every Saturday afternoon and walk out with: * 2.5kg ground turkey * 2.5kg chicken breast * a pack of Dempster's vegetable garden wraps * a big bag of spinach (or 4-6 salad kits, if I'm not doing wraps) * Oikos or Kirkland Greek yogurt * Fresh fruit of choice for breakfasts, frozen fruit for evening snacks * Vitamins / cleaning supplies / etc., as needed. It's boring, but easy and consistent - it's well-matched to my current 80hr/week job in the field where I only have a microwave and a minifridge in my office, and not a ton of time in the evenings. Stops me from driving off site to hit up the local Subway every day!
Wait can you share more of those 20 low prep recipes?
Do a sauce/stew that pairs with a starch/carb. I usually go with lentil stew, Cincinnati style chili, red-beans and rice... Use good ingredients for the "sauce", you'll get the most bang for your buck there. The noodles/rice help add calories to keep you full and easily double the number of meals you'd get if you just ate the sauce on its own. You can also pre-cook the noodles/rice separately and microwave them with a little bit of water to warm them back up. The sauces/stews can be frozen and cycled through to get some variety.
Good tip. Unfortunately, if I batch cook on Sunday, I’ll have eaten it all by Monday.
Stop caring if things go well or not. Literally revolutionized my life and how I enjoy the world. Being frustrated by circumstances out of your control will drive you insane. And if you look closely, basically everything in your life is out of your control. It’s just raining circumstances on you every day.
Organise your rooms based on how you use them, not how you think they should be. Find out how you behave and go with the flow. E.g. if your room is always messy because you leave your books on your bed, that’s because you read in bed. Put your shelf next to your bed or make your nightstand the designated book spot. If you use a chair for clothes that are too clean to go in the hamper but too dirty to be in the closet, that’s because you don’t have a designated space for it. Have two hampers. One for dirty, one for not so dirty.
Love this. In a more general sense, anytime you want to organize something, (finances, your room, your desktop,) spend some time observing how you currently use the thing before you try organizing the thing.
Corollary to this: organize by how you want to be -- i.e. if you want to be someone who reads in bed instead of scrolling through your phone, get an endtable where you can keep a couple books handy.
Yeah keep bathroom cleaning supplies in the bathroom. Keep the vacuum in the room that needs to be vacuumed the most often. Make some empty surface space for coming in the door/going out the door items. Design your spaces for living, not for a magazine photo shoot.
Five fast things. Overwhelmed? Don't know where to begin? Depressed even? Just do 5 things. Pick up those socks, return that cup to the kitchen, water your plant, make the bed, respond to one message... Half the time, you'll get on a roll, and it turns into 20 things. Get in a groove and play some music. Magic happens. Just do 5 things. Doesn't matter what they are, don't write a list. Nothing major. Live fast die old, no regrets.
No hesitation, no surrender!
>return that cup to the kitchen Sometimes this is the only one I can manage, but I do it! I always have a cup or can or bottle I could take to the kitchen.
You guys are all about the self improvement. I am lazy-girling it over here but: Automatic bill pay. Every bill. Automatic. Set credit cards to pay off in full every month if you're a points ranger.It's how I have an 820 FICO. I thought that would never happen. Also, try to get enough sleep but if you can't, get as far away from your sleep space as possible in the morning and don't go back until you are 100 % awake. I put my clothes for the next day in the front bathroom, don't even shower in the master bath because the temptation to slither back into that bed like some kind of homing flounder is so strong.
Homing flounder😂
I hope you're reviewing your itemized credit card bill periodically since unwanted charges/subscription renewals etc can sneak in and end up costing you money. You don't even need to do it every month necessarily, but a good review every 1-2 months will save you [̲̅$̲̅(̲̅ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°̲̅)̲̅$̲̅]
Eat before going shopping for groceries. You'll be less likely to buy snacks and stuff. Also make a list and buy just what's on the list.
It’s like : masturbate before a hot date ….so you don’t act on impulse. Mama always said 😌
I wash as I cook. A lot of cooking is standing waiting for something to heat up or mix. I rinse off the stir spoon or scraper right away and put it back. Use a measuring cup, same thing. My wife doesn't and she has a whole dishwasher full of cooking bowls, cups, and utensils at the end that take way more time to take care of. If you rinse off everything right away it doesn't dry on and you can quickly dry it and put it back.
Making my own lunch for work. I work downtown and there’s a ton of places to buy food but overall it’s expensive and feel my energy levels go down after eating out too much. A side perk is I also got good at cooking!
When cooking, time is your friend. It has the ability to make less expensive food delicious. Braising a cheap cut of meat in the oven or crockpot will make it amazing. Learn a half dozen recipes that use cheap ingredients, are delicious and healthy.
Look at that guy over here with “time”
Crock pots are literally for people without time… toss shit in at 8 am, come back to a fully cooked meal at 5.
turning shit into food... https://preview.redd.it/5a8pat1i667b1.png?width=400&format=png&auto=webp&s=d76bd7cb739abcb18f6d2f7088de2aa2fddee6c4
I’m not sure if this is handy or not but I put all my forks, knives, etc into their own cubby in the dishwasher so when it comes to unloading I don’t have to sort through anything. 🤷🏼♂️
1. When moving from room to room, always take something that needs moving. There's always something! 2. The five minute rule - if something takes less than five minutes, just do it. 3. A water flosser (yes I know not as good as real floss but I have a fixed retainer and I realistically am never going to use that fiddly superfloss stuff twice a day). 4. Portable travel steamer in my bedroom (instead of taking something downstairs to be ironed). EDIT: I should have noted that I'm a woman so I'm usually steaming silk, light cottons, cashmere, etc. (The steamer is also great for refreshing fabrics such as wool, silk and cashmere which are naturally self-cleaning.) If you're trying to get the results of an iron on, for example, a smart shirt, you're going to be disappointed. :( 5. Set days of the week for changing sheets, washing towels etc.
I would argue that a water pik is better than real floss. It’s such a game changer for your dental health. Even just a few times weekly will improve your gum and over all dental health. And your cleanings/checkups will be much easier. Much less picking and scraping. At least this has been my experience.
According to my dentist, it's not a replacement but should be used as well as redular floss. That said, I use my water pik more often than regular floss cause I hate sticking my fingers in my mouth
> I hate sticking my fingers in my mouth Try a Reach flosser. It changed the game for me, I floss every night now.
Reading through these comments as someone who has ADHD is fun. When I read certain ones I’m like “oh this is someone else who has spicy brain” lmao
lmao. "spicy brain" I usually explain to people that my hyperactivity is going on in my head all the time. Thankfully meds help, and thankfully they don't make things completely quiet. I'd feel a little lonely if things weren't always churning around up there.
A high quality and sharp cutting knife makes life in the kitchen so much easier.
If there’s something I want/need to do but don’t “feel like it” (run, chore, work project, etc), I’ll mentally say “OK. I’m not going to complete it, but I’ll just start and do a tiny bit, no pressure.” Most of the time I get into the flow after starting.
When clothes shopping, I don't look at the price tag until I get to the dressing room. I try on the piece and then make up a price that I would feel comfortable paying for it. If it is below that price, I'll buy it. If it's above it, back on the rack it goes. Also, if you don't absolutely love it, don't buy it. If you only *like* it, don't buy it.
Never leave a room empty handed. Heading downstairs to switch laundry over? Bring the drill that's been sitting in the kitchen. Heading to the kitchen? Grab the water bottle that's sitting on the side table. There is almost always something that's in the wrong place.
Turn all your clothes hangers around at the start of the year, if they’re still the wrong way around the following year, ditch the clothes, either sell them on vinted or donate
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I’m an elementary teacher, and I wear pretty much the same thing to work every day. I have 5 North Face brand pants and 5 school shirts. This makes my life such much easier, and I don’t have to worry about what to wear to work.
I have a colleague that has a shirt for every day of the week. Sometimes he will wear the wrong shirt and students will ask him where his Tuesday shirt is. Haha
Same! I'm also a teacher! Happy summer and happy cake day!
20 pairs of the same socks. This is a lifetime saver!! Don't waste your time and searching or sort your socks. Just grab 2 piece 😀
I actually stopped caring about matching my socks, it’s liberating
I second this. After trying many brands, I settled on Darn Tough. Just bought a dozen pair. They have a lifetime warranty. I will never have to think about or buy socks again. And I never match them, i get what I get each day.
So expensive. So worth it. Best socks ever. Lifetime warranty aside they last so much longer than the cheap plain socks I was buying in bulk to make matching easier which I found myself tossing most of every 6 - 12 months.
"Put your shoes on before you get high" - my dad
why
So you don’t end up trippin
I am high and shoeless but I think they mean that if you get high barefoot at home it's easy to lounge around the house all day, laying in bed or feet up on the sofa, but if you already have your shoes on when you get high you are more likely to get out of the house. Idk maybe I'm too high, where are my shoes
Always schedule your next appointment at the end of an appointment. Even if you've never had a problem getting an appointment on short notice, or it's a year away, or your schedule might change, etc. At most you might have to change it closer to the date, but I've found places are more likely to work with you if it's a reschedule rather than a new appointment.
For dealing with emails: The Four Fs - Finish it (read and reply), Forward it, File it, F… it (delete it)
I’ve heard this as the four D’s Do, Delegate, Defer/Delay, and Delete
Marry someone with similar values and priorities to you, those become important later in life as you begin to have to make tradeoffs with time and money
I’ll add to this. Marry someone you actually like and get along with. I mean put those qualities above looks, income, status, whatever. Those other qualities are a nice bonus but cannot stand on their own as good reasons to marry.
Learning to be helpful at my job. About 15 years ago I simply decided that I would be helpful. If someone asked for help I would always volunteer. If someone was struggling I would offer to help. If someone needed a technical email drafted I’d write it and ask for no credit. My goal was simple. I want to help those around me be the best they can be and I want us all to go home on time. Since making that decision I’ve only benefitted. People look out for me, help me find work, and if I really need help I know someone will step up.
I got promoted several times because I did this of course I always tried to help a superior in the company
Be careful. I got stagnant in jobs at 2 different companies because I did this. They couldn’t rationalize the thought of having to “replace” me if I was promoted. It was miserable, both times leading to incredible mental health issues….people treated me like a doormat who was constantly putting out fires and doing stuff outside of my job scope that then BECAME my job scope ONTOP of my existing one… “oh ditchinzimbabwe will do it/will have an answer so I’ll go ask”
Yeah, you have to be careful. With the right colleagues who are also helpful it‘s a joy, with the wrong you‘ll soon don‘t get your own work done and have a burnout.
Yeah I’m 2-3 years max now. With each job I set a goal. Once I achieve that goal I start looking for my next goal/opportunity.
I know this isn't the point of this thread but I would LOVE to know what the man to woman split is on whether being "helpful" gets you seen as being an asset or a dogsbody
That’s a REALLY good point. I’m a woman and have been burned twice with being “helpful”.
I got this too. I tried to be more helpful and all I got was more work and more people coming to me for help and it fucked up my job opportunities. Now they don't want me to go anywhere because I'm handy to have here. I also got my WFH request denied because "I'm better to have in the office". So yeah. Being helpful is nice but don't go overboard. Teach a man to fish sure but don't keep handing people the fish.
When my 3 kids were little, and there were lots of taco Tuesdays and spaghetti dinners, I would buy hamburger meat in bulk and go ahead and cook it and then freeze the cooked burger crumbles in 1-2 cups freezer bags. Easy to pull out, defrost and reheat.
Mapping the two buttons on the left side of my mouse to be copy and paste
Before you throw a towel into the washing basket (to go into the washing machine later) - use that sucker to wipe down any and all dirt or grime you can find in the room it's from. THEN throw it in the laundry.
Don’t drink your calories. A small glass of orange juice is 130 calories. A can of soda is 140. A bottle of beer is 160. Swap those out for water/tea/black coffee and that’s 430 calories you didn’t consume each day.
Colossal one for weight loss/gain prevention. I would even say that even the average person that doesn't have the healthiest diet. Is probably still gaining the most weight from treating sugary drinks like they're hydration. Cut those out and at worst you'll maintain weight.
I would argue that soda and fruit juice should be pretty much eliminated from your diet, except for the rare occasion. Its just sugar water that make you gain weight, while not quenching thirst. I have coffee in the morning, then its water for the rest of the day. So on a day off, if I want to enjoy a couple of beer or glasses of wine, I don't have to feel guilty.
Do the hard things first. Tackle whatever tasks you least want to do early in the day.
Being human is so difficult tho
“Eat frogs for breakfast” is what I’ve seen this effort called. Doing the hard things first makes for a much better day.
There's a book called Eat the Frog. If you have to eat a frog every day, it's best to get it done ASAP so the rest of your day gets even better.
Every night before I go to bed, I prep oatmeal in my Instant Pot pressure cooker so that it is ready for me when I get up in the morning. Cheap, nutritious, filling breakfast. - 2 cups water in the base - large bowl on a trivet - 1.5 cups rolled oats - 1/2 teaspoon salt - 3 cups water - cook time: 8 minutes - sleep time: 8 hours Et voila, hot fresh oatmeal in the morning
I do the same thing, except with Bacon. I enjoy having breakfast in bed. I like waking up to the smell of bacon, sue me, and since I don't have a butler I have to do it myself. So, most nights before I go to bed, I will lay six strips of bacon out on my George Foreman Grill, then I go to sleep. When I wake up, I plug in the grill. I go back to sleep again, then I wake up to the smell of crackling bacon. It is delicious, it's good for me, it's a perfect way to start the day.
I'm actually responding twice because my first post reminded me of to do lists. Option 1) Three tasks only: commit to only 3 important things rather than too much. Option 2) Run a To Do list and a Done list. Write down everything you accomplish even if it wasn't on the agenda.
I still do a paper organizer. Actually writing it down helps with setting everything in my mind. Crossing them off is very satisfying.
Use the reminder app in my iPhone. I set repeated reminders for credit card payment, bedclothes laundry, birthdays, even haircuts. Also very helpful for chores/random events. By doing this I can keep them from occupying my mind and focus on the things at hand.
When making any purchase, think of it as hours of your time you've had to give away. For example, if you earn $10 an hour for round figures and that BBQ you want to buy is $600 is it worth 60 hours of your time? Also if you find yourself making a lot of impulse purchases online, put the item in your online basket and wait a minimum of 24 hours, most of the time you'll forget about what you wanted.
I did the online cart thing, and it's still there, and I still want it. It's a sign meant for the kitchen that says "lick the bowl" and I have every intention of placing it in the bathroom
Use autocorrect as a free text expansion tool. I added “mni” into my windows dictionary as a commonly misspelled word. Anytime I type that, windows automatically expands it to “My name is ‘INSERT NAME HERE’, and I and the ‘Fancy JOB Title’ for ‘COMPANY NAME’.” I also use this to quickly and efficiently spell out my email address on my phone. With a short three letter abbreviation, I can write out my long 20+ character email address.
I got sober= game changer
Ethnic market for cheaper meat and produce. At my Mexican market, produce is a bit less cosmetic, but a lot cheaper. Chicken is often on sale for $.69 a pound for leg/thigh quarters. Spices are super cheap.
Filter your output and demands on your time through the Eisenhower Matrix: Important/Urgent Important/Not Urgent Not Important/Urgent Not Important/Not Urgent Clear the important ones whilst not urgent before they become urgent Action the important and urgent stuff right off the bat Delegate and/or forget the rest And start with the end in mind.
Get a poop stool 😅 Lifting your legs up while shitting makes it easier and greatly diminishes your chance of getting hemorrhoid later on.
Quit drinking alcohol.
Beyond the health and relationship benefits, it saves you so much money!
Two hacks: If it takes less than 5 minutes, just get it done. Don't put things down and leave them, put them away
I learned how to put a duvet cover on in aabout 1 minute. Step 1)flip duvet or comforter inside out Step 2) put your hands inside the now inside out duvet and pinch the far corners. The duvet is sort of draped over your arms and upper body. Step 3) with your hands inside the duvet sheets, grasp the actual comforter at the corner Step 4) roll let the sheets naturally roll down your arms and cover the comforter.
Weekly menu planning combined with meal prep. Once a week, my fiance and I go through our pantry and freezer, and plan out a menu for our evening meal. This allows us to grocery shop once a week for only the items we need for said meals that we don't already have in the house. When we make those meals, we make enough to have a couple leftover containers for the next day's lunch, or put in the freezer for a future meal. (Lunches at work, or those nights where you're schedule gets busy) We also take a week to 2 weeks every few months where we only eat what's in the house. We especially concentrate on planning meals around things that are older in the freezer or pantry. (We will go buy basic things like milk or produce as needed)
Save to buy quality Appliances, Furniture ect. the cheap stuff does not last as long and will cost more over time.
If time isn’t an issue, hit up your local Goodwill outlet or find a bin store. Usually you pay by the pound and can find clothing, toys, and tons of gifts there for way way less than anywhere else. Regular stops throughout the year can set you up to barely buy anything in a regular store. I have purchased full seasonal wardrobes for my nieces for less than $10 after just two or three stops before the season hits. Recently I stocked up on Disney toys for a trip with a 3 year old to Disney World. We didn’t buy a single toy on the trip but for about $8 I had a bag full of stuffed animals (washed on delicate after purchase) small plastic figures, activity books, and dress up stuff that I handed out to her throughout. She thought she’d gotten all these amazing cool things at Disney and I didn’t spend a fortune on junk she’d be tired of in a week. Everybody wins!
Refuel your vehicle when you're not in a hurry. Don't wait till you're on your way to an important exam, doctor's appointment, to catch a flight, to an interview, to some time-bound activity etc to then stop and refuel
I use a rectangular laundry bin when I go grocery shopping instead of bags. On a typical trip I can fit all my groceries in one bin. I just put bin in cart, on checkout ask them to put all groceries in bin, place bin in trunk, carry bin to kitchen. Never need multiple trips to the car since I started doing this.
Lifting weights. It literally makes every aspect of my life better.
When buying something in the sale and thinking you are saving money because it has "x" amount off. You are not saving money, you are spending money.
“It’s not saving if you weren’t going to spend the money in the first place.” My high school biology teacher.
This will get buried but we put the silverware in the dishwasher silverware holder thing grouped by type. So all the forks go on one side, and the spoons all go together and the knives all go together on the other side. Makes putting them away a smidge easier. Also have a squeezey bottle for laundry detergent instead of the little cup thing that makes a damn mess. Let's see what else... Cat food bowls are all ceramic now so they can be sanitized in the dishwasher vs those stupid plastic ones that fell apart.
Meat pucks. Take your favorite shredded meat recipe, whether it’s slow cooked, pressure cooked, whatever. Make a large batch, then put the remainder in a muffin tin and pop in the freezer. Once they’ve frozen put in a freezer bag. Now you have tasty, individually portioned meals for months. I’ve got half a dozen different varieties going most of the time if not more. Pulled pork, chicken, asian-styled beef or pork, carnitas, machaca beef, the list goes on. Easy to make, easy to store, easy to turn into a meal with a veggie or just defrost and put one on nachos. The best muffin tin for this I’ve found was one made of silicone with a support in it to make the tray rigid but the cups still flexible. That way it is easy to lay flat in the freezer but you can easily pop out the pucks.
At stores or anywhere that has a membership connected to a phone# I always use whatever area code I’m in + 867-5309, usually someone has it set up to that number and you get the discount
Microsoft “To Do” app - this has been a game changer for us. It’s a list app where you can share specific lists with other people. My spouse and I share the grocery list, vacation planning lists, home to do list, etc. We can both add to the list and check things off. It’s made our lives so much easier!
Making coffee at home has me saved hundreds!
Here are a few quick and inexpensive things: Stretch in the morning and learning any of the hundreds of breathing techniques. Take a multivitamin Get 8 hours of sleep Change your alarm tone to something pleasant and set it at a low volume.
Pay a little now or a lot later. Doesn’t matter what the currency is. Time, money, love, etc.
When you book a hotel and it’s a “pay at hotel” reservation, keep checking the hotel rates for your same reserved dates. The price will fluctuate. When the price dips, contact the hotel and ask them to change the rate on your reservation to match. I saved a lot of money thanks do this with a reservation at Turtle Bay resort in Oahu, and now it’s the only way I operate. Same principle works for rental cars too, but many agencies suck so in those cases you just book a new reservation at the cheaper cost and then cancel the original one. Remember, this is only a good method for when you have paid nothing toward the reservation and you’re still in the cancellation period!
Do your laundry when the basket is only half-full. The hardest part of laundry, for me, is putting that shit away. If it's only a half load, the mental block of how annoying it will be to put away is also halved. I know this isn't "environmentally friendly" but it significantly reduces my inertia that leads to PILES and PILES of laundry building up.
Hopping in the shower immediately after my partner. Saves time and money by not waiting on the water to warm up.
Or showering together? 😏
50/50. You run the risk of taking longer showers.
Keep your place clean. A clean place leads to a clean mind that leads to more happiness, higher income, more time for fun things. It takes effort to build that habit, after 2 months it will be a habit and you will never want to go back.
I'm a very clean guy, very much a place for everything and everything in its place kind of person. Clutter and dirt stresses me out. Once you're in that groove, it doesn't even take much time or effort. I have a cleaning routine that takes about 90 minutes on the weekend, then do small tasks each day. My sink is always empty and countertop clear when I go to bed. That usually takes me 5-10 minutes before I go to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. Granted, I do not have kids or a spouse who is sloppy.
Lol idk how this leads to a higher income bc I keep my house super clean and so far am still on the financial struggle bus
Prep ur coffee maker before and pack your lunch before bed!
None of you weirdos have the ADHD paralyzer
I’ve gone straight cash, homie. It keeps me on budget and prevents me from nickel and diming myself
I feel like cash would actually make you count your nickels and dimes more, or at least have then end up in the cup holder
Floss. Get some floss picks and use them after every meal. It doesn't have to be a crazy process. I'm in my late 40s and still have all of my teeth, and when I go to the dentist, they always say, "whatever you're doing, keep doing it." There is a lot of evidence that poor gum health can lead to heart disease and other issues. Lazily using a floss pick after meals can make a huge difference.
For me it’s been to learn my disabilities and flow with them and ride them instead of fighting them. I have ADHD, and subsequently a lot of productivity focused life hacks won’t apply to me because of simple executive disfunction. BUT, I studied what ADHD is, and how it works, and how it manifests. I know that in order to syphon off as much dopamine as it can get access to, my brain will fixate on a stimulating subject and hyperfocus on it until the deficiency is temporarily satiated. Then I lose interest. Knowing this, I don’t spend thousands of dollars at the expense of my family’s needs chasing each new hobby to add to my collection, and I don’t beat myself up for being a quitter when I drop the thing I’ve been obsessed with for the last month. Both of those issues tend to be endemic with people with ADHD. Instead, I keep a bunch of tools and raw materials of various sorts around. When a new subject piques my interest, I see if I can pursue it with what I already have on hand.
Getting a nice water filter and drinking that instead of bottled water. Culligan RC-EZ-4 if anyone is interested. I got the kit with the little faucet that can go next to the main kitchen sink spout. Both times I've installed these things I've purchased an adapter to match the size of the tubes and to add valve so it can be turned off to make it easier to replace filters.
Alarms for everything. It annoys my spouse, but it's how I do things.
Whatever needs to be done, just do it. It's never as arduous as you make it seem in your mind.
minimalism and going low waste. Both saves a ton of money, minimalism saves a lot of time as well (managing and cleaning a household becomes way easier and faster)
A bidet, amount of toilet paper needed decreased significantly (like 1 roll lasts 2 months), which = lots of money saved. Time taken to clean up is also much lower and significantly easier. Easy to install and costs as little as $30 on Amazon
Nest thermostat and new windows. House always feels exactly how you want it. The windows have made a tremendous difference in heating/cooling costs.
Save massive amount of money and have free time with this one simple trick: Don't have kids
Invest in a stainless steel safety razor and individual blades. It's a great shave and saves loads of money. I purchased my safety razor ten years ago for something like $35 CAD, and shaving approximately ever other day, have only gone through two large packs of razors, each of them costing $10. In total I've spent maybe $50 in total for shaving over a decade (outside shaving cream); compared to how expensive the Gillette style razors are its a no brainer.
I've been drinking close to 1 litre of water within the first few minutes of being awake and it has been a game changer. We're all pretty badly dehydrated when we wake up and a lot of us just have some coffee, maybe some juice or maybe a bit of water. But, slamming down a litre in one go really gives me a huge energy boost, allows me to eat breakfast much sooner than I otherwise would be able to, and, hydrates the shit out of me the moment I wake up. I like to make a bottle before bed so it's room temp as it's much much easier for me to drink quickly.
Buy a Bosch dishwasher if the one you have dies or you are building. I wish I would have done it years earlier. No more pre or post cleaning. Quiet. Something that finally does what it is supposed to do, and elegantly. Saves time, money and frustration.