Hey guys! Happy Wednesday! I hope your week is going well.
Last week, I went to visit my friend, Sydney for dinner and whenever I take a road trip, I always like to listen to podcasts. My favorite podcast that I listen to every week is Emily Ley’s Simplified podcast. The episodes are typically 30 minutes or less and they are packed with guests, life lessons, and tips to live a simplified life. If you are looking for a new podcast, this is it.
When I’m in the car and on a road trip I love listening to The Bestie Breakdown. Two of my favorite bloggers, Shay Shull and Erika Slaughter share everything about life, travel, fashion, and kids. If you are looking for a fun podcast that will guarantee you laughs, this is perfect for you. I was listening to one of their podcasts where they talked about their favorite life hacks, they offered so many great suggestions that it got me thinking about some of my life hacks.
When life gets busy, especially in the spring and summer, I crave order and stability even more. In order for my day to run smoother there’s a few tricks that I incorporate into my daily routine. I also reached out to some of my closests friends and family for their favorite life hacks too. This is a mix of things for at home or at work or on the go.
Five Life Hacks
- Quick way to clean pots- Pots can be a challenge to clean out especially if you are cooking with cheese, lots of oils, or if you burn something. Instead of spending lots of time scrubbing out the pots after dinner, drop a cascade pod in the pot and fill it with warm water. Let it soak and then rinse, it does a great job giving it a good cleaning and it saves you time from scrubbing.
- Quick way to clean grills or waffle makers- Making a panini with a panini maker or using a George Foreman grill to cook chicken or a waffle maker are all fun and games until you have to clean them out. Food can become trapped in the holes and on the grill. An easy way to clean it after you are done is by taking a wet paper towel and placing it on the grill or waffle maker after you finish using it, you get it cleaned easily and it saves the wear and tear on your appliances.
- Never forget a coupon- If you are like me, I’m sure you get coupons or rewards offers in your email all the time. You may get excited by it but then forget about it and you lose out on the money. A new way I have been keeping track of rewards and coupons is by putting the expiration date on my calendar. Whenever I get a coupon or reward in my email that I want to use, I automatically add the date it expires in the calendar on my phone. Once a week when I’m planning out my week, I transfer all my digital dates and appointments to my Simplified planner. This is a way for me to keep all my long-term dates in one spot and not get too overwhelmed by the day to day stuff. You can read about my system here.
- Always keep in your car- Something I always keep in my car is stamps. I know mailing letters isn’t as popular anymore but when you do have to pay that bill, send that birthday card or drop something off in the mailbox, having stamps on hand is key.
- One load a day – If you live in a big family like I do, I’m sure you have loads and loads of laundry. I’m still living at home and one of the ways I try to help out is by doing the laundry. With a lot of people under one roof, the laundry can get overwhelming. As a way to manage it, I try to follow the one load a day philosophy. Every day, I do a load of laundry, on weekends there may be more, but by doing a load a day, it helps me stay on top of it and not get overwhelmed.
Those are just five easy life hacks that I follow and that help my life run smoother. What are some of your top life hacks?!