15 Life Hacks: How to Cut Corners In a Jam

My refrigerator has been broken for over a month.  It stopped working without warning and the appliance repair folks are just replacing different parts until they hit the jackpot.  Luckily, we have a smaller back-up in the basement, which has kept me from cooking dinner over a campfire in the back yard. This got to me to thinking, there are plenty of life hacks out there I don’t know about that could make life a lot easier!  Here are a few of my favorites:

  1. Wrap a wet paper towel around a warm drink and put it in the freezer.  It will be almost completely cold in 15 minutes.
  2. Hammering a nail?  Use a clothespin to keep it in place.
  3. For a night out on the town, put your cash in the wrapper of a sanitary pad and seal it up.  No one wants to steal that!
  4. Keep your little ones extra safe by storing all your cleaning supplies in a hanging shoe rack.
  5. Is your white wine a little too warm?  Cool it off with some frozen grapes.
  6. Eat a burger upside down, so the juices are absorbed by the thicker bun.
  7. Does someone have a boo-boo?  Freeze a sponge and seal it in a baggie for a mess-free cure.
  8. If you are traveling and you need a bed rail for an active sleeper, bring along a pool noodle and tuck it under a fitted sheet at the edge of the bed.
  9. Dinner may be leftovers, and that’s ok! Just create a circle space in the middle for even heating in the microwave.
  10. When traveling with your family, mix up their clothes in the suitcases – this way, if luggage gets lost, everyone still has something to wear.
  11. Store a set of matching sheets in one of the coordinating pillowcases.
  12. The glitter all over your house can be picked up by a lint roller, which can be a fun way for your kids to help.
  13. To prevent your dishwasher from filling up with used cups, attach magnets to the “cup of the day” for easy access for your kids.
  14. Did you buy cucumbers instead of zucchini for dinner (true story)?  Just visit SuperCook.com, enter what’s in your fridge, and they will help you out of a cooking disaster.
  15.  This is the best one.  Are you on the job hunt?  Be sure to list one of your achievements as the 2006 Time Person of the Year, because you were! 

Please share your favorite hacks below!