Do you have a secret trick?

olgadapolga

kboss2010 said:

olgadapolga said:

Islandmaid said:

I always fold the freshly laundered bedding and pop the sheet, duvet cover and all but one of the pillow cases into the remaining pillow case.  That way, the next time you change the bed, you have all of the ‘equipment’ to hand and it’s easier to find it all 😊

Oh my word, this is beyond genius. BEYOND genius. I put the relevant duvet covers and pillowcases together but they always end up getting separated when teenagers and husband go near them.

I'm reorganising my linen cupboard tomorrow (I would do it this afternoon but I'm clearing my lounge).

(Wanders off, muttering to self, "Genius, I tell you, GENIUS!")

I wish I could take credit but I stole it from someone else but, genuinely, WHY did no one teach us these life hacks? It sounds ridiculous but these little changes save sooooo much time! 

I half-sorted out my linen cupboard as I couldn't pair up some of the duvet sets due to random pillowcases etc., being removed. However, the unpaired stuff is on a separate shelf, ready to be matched up once beds have been stripped and the washing done. This concept is so amazing, I will save hours if not days/weeks over the rest of my life! My teenaged son helped and thought that I'd gone mad whilst admitting that it was, indeed, a completely genius concept.

kboss2010 said:

Giving things a home at their point of use so that I hardly ever have to put things away has been life-changing to me. 

My kitchen is organised like this, so I don't have to think about where stuff is. The rest of the house? Not so much.

One thing that does save a lot of time and anxiety is getting a basket for DH to put his keys, wallet and mobile in. It took a few days but he eventually was trained to use it. He doesn't lose his stuff anymore and I don't have to waste my time searching for it. We used to have joint credit cards and every time he lost his wallet, he would cancel the cards, which affected me as well as him. I refused to let him have any cards on my account after he'd done that once. 

angela110660

thanks everyone for great hints and tips on here. Re the putting bedding in pillowcase to store it tip - I think I first heard about it via Anthea Turner's Perfect Housewife show on tv quite a few years ago. Could be wrong but that sticks in my mind for some reason. 

Rosa_Damascena

Lindlou said:

I remember that spaghetti only too well.....

So do I. I liked on toast up until my 30s

@olgadapolga - you are right about lost keys etc. My mum is always losing hers which is bad enough, but then somehow it turns into everyone else's fault which makes a bad situation worse. 

mandy47

I recently went on a short break. I was trying to keep packing to a minimum so instead of taking my large heavy glass bottle of my favourite scent I just sprayed all my clothes with it as I packed. 

-taff

GaleSF63 said:

Here's one money-saving tip - when you load your car at the supermarket don't forget anything you put on the roof. I've just seen a packet of loo paper lying in the middle of the road about 200 yards from Morrisons.

I hope you picked it up!!

kboss2010

olgadapolga said:

kboss2010 said:

olgadapolga said:

Islandmaid said:

I always fold the freshly laundered bedding and pop the sheet, duvet cover and all but one of the pillow cases into the remaining pillow case.  That way, the next time you change the bed, you have all of the ‘equipment’ to hand and it’s easier to find it all 😊

Oh my word, this is beyond genius. BEYOND genius. I put the relevant duvet covers and pillowcases together but they always end up getting separated when teenagers and husband go near them.

I'm reorganising my linen cupboard tomorrow (I would do it this afternoon but I'm clearing my lounge).

(Wanders off, muttering to self, "Genius, I tell you, GENIUS!")

I wish I could take credit but I stole it from someone else but, genuinely, WHY did no one teach us these life hacks? It sounds ridiculous but these little changes save sooooo much time! 

I half-sorted out my linen cupboard as I couldn't pair up some of the duvet sets due to random pillowcases etc., being removed. However, the unpaired stuff is on a separate shelf, ready to be matched up once beds have been stripped and the washing done. This concept is so amazing, I will save hours if not days/weeks over the rest of my life! My teenaged son helped and thought that I'd gone mad whilst admitting that it was, indeed, a completely genius concept.

kboss2010 said:

Giving things a home at their point of use so that I hardly ever have to put things away has been life-changing to me. 

My kitchen is organised like this, so I don't have to think about where stuff is. The rest of the house? Not so much.

One thing that does save a lot of time and anxiety is getting a basket for DH to put his keys, wallet and mobile in. It took a few days but he eventually was trained to use it. He doesn't lose his stuff anymore and I don't have to waste my time searching for it. We used to have joint credit cards and every time he lost his wallet, he would cancel the cards, which affected me as well as him. I refused to let him have any cards on my account after he'd done that once. 

Great job, it sounds like you’re almost there!

Ooft yep! My Dad AND my OH are utterly useless at losing keys, wallet, headphones etc. - I’ve been driven mad by men around me constantly losing stuff my entire life! (One has ADHD, as do I, the other is dyslexic so it’s a perpetual battle)

Tiles honestly stopped SO MANY ARGUMENTS from them losing things & the resulting morning panic! I also have them for me too. At some point they have to take responsibility for their own stuff, not my circus, not my monkey anymore!

I’ve been organising the house a tiny bit at a time in this way, it’s taken me the best part of a year but I’m 80% of the way there. I’d just say, if it’s something you want to do, start small e.g. your hairbrush, a hairdryer, one sock drawer, one junk drawer, one new basket on a shelf etc etc.

kboss2010

My tip for tidying your bedside/side tables is buying lamps with USB ports built in for charging your devices. This saves the need for extension cables as you only need one plug socket for up to 4 devices (a lamp + up to 3 usb charging points)

olgadapolga

kboss2010 said:

olgadapolga said:

kboss2010 said:

olgadapolga said:

Islandmaid said:

I always fold the freshly laundered bedding and pop the sheet, duvet cover and all but one of the pillow cases into the remaining pillow case.  That way, the next time you change the bed, you have all of the ‘equipment’ to hand and it’s easier to find it all 😊

Oh my word, this is beyond genius. BEYOND genius. I put the relevant duvet covers and pillowcases together but they always end up getting separated when teenagers and husband go near them.

I'm reorganising my linen cupboard tomorrow (I would do it this afternoon but I'm clearing my lounge).

(Wanders off, muttering to self, "Genius, I tell you, GENIUS!")

I wish I could take credit but I stole it from someone else but, genuinely, WHY did no one teach us these life hacks? It sounds ridiculous but these little changes save sooooo much time! 

I half-sorted out my linen cupboard as I couldn't pair up some of the duvet sets due to random pillowcases etc., being removed. However, the unpaired stuff is on a separate shelf, ready to be matched up once beds have been stripped and the washing done. This concept is so amazing, I will save hours if not days/weeks over the rest of my life! My teenaged son helped and thought that I'd gone mad whilst admitting that it was, indeed, a completely genius concept.

kboss2010 said:

Giving things a home at their point of use so that I hardly ever have to put things away has been life-changing to me. 

My kitchen is organised like this, so I don't have to think about where stuff is. The rest of the house? Not so much.

One thing that does save a lot of time and anxiety is getting a basket for DH to put his keys, wallet and mobile in. It took a few days but he eventually was trained to use it. He doesn't lose his stuff anymore and I don't have to waste my time searching for it. We used to have joint credit cards and every time he lost his wallet, he would cancel the cards, which affected me as well as him. I refused to let him have any cards on my account after he'd done that once. 

Great job, it sounds like you’re almost there!

Ooft yep! My Dad AND my OH are utterly useless at losing keys, wallet, headphones etc. - I’ve been driven mad by men around me constantly losing stuff my entire life! (One has ADHD, as do I, the other is dyslexic so it’s a perpetual battle)

Tiles honestly stopped SO MANY ARGUMENTS from them losing things & the resulting morning panic! I also have them for me too. At some point they have to take responsibility for their own stuff, not my circus, not my monkey anymore!

I’ve been organising the house a tiny bit at a time in this way, it’s taken me the best part of a year but I’m 80% of the way there. I’d just say, if it’s something you want to do, start small e.g. your hairbrush, a hairdryer, one sock drawer, one junk drawer, one new basket on a shelf etc etc.

I'm definitely organising my house and decluttering as I'm much happier in a tidy, junk free home. Unfortunately I'm still sorting things out from when we moved house almost four years ago! But progress is being made. One of the best things I have done was to evict "Justin Case" and "May B Needed" from my life. Unfortunately DH has not reached this point yet although I do occasionally tell him that yes, that random widget might be beneficial at some point but if/when he does need it, he won't be able to find it as Justin will have hidden it.

I'm also trying to get rid of stuff that hasn't been used in the last year. DH doesn't agree with this. We have a microwave that has been in its box for at least the last seventeen years. We had it when we went caravanning; we got rid of the caravan when my now eighteen year old was tiny. It's not been used since. It's moved house twice with us but DH will not get rid of it, Justin Case the microwave we actually use goes wrong. The stored microwave won't "go" with our new kitchen so it's not going to be used anywày! One day I shall sneak it out if the house (when I reach the cupboard it's in) and banish it forever!

YoungBlueEyes

Is your microwave a big old jobber @olgadapolga? And are either of you gardeners? If so, put the micro into use in the garden - I read somewhere about a guy who gave all his shop bought compost a quick blast in his to kill any unwanteds  

Valli

kboss2010 said:

My tip for tidying your bedside/side tables is buying lamps with USB ports built in for charging your devices. This saves the need for extension cables as you only need one plug socket for up to 4 devices (a lamp + up to 3 usb charging points)

where did you get these?