Changes you've made to make life easier

[Ladyandthepuppies]

I love all of these! Great suggestions!

I quit Facebook and don't have most other social medias (this is literally one of my only social media accounts, if you can even call it that.) Facebook was an incredible time suck for me and I don't miss it.

I track my spending very closely and plan out even little expenses, like budgeting for a mani/pedi or shifting things around so I'll have an extra few bucks to spend next week on Prime Day. As a result, I am credit card debt free and I spend my money with confidence that I can afford it.

Overdrive!!! It's an app from my library that sends ebooks right to my phone. It's 100% free. I can get on the waitlist for all the newest books and they get checked out to me automatically and checked back in again 3 weeks later- no late fees! I didn't think I would like reading ebooks but it's actually so convenient, now when I'm stuck in a drs office or my friend is running 5 mins late I just pull out my phone and dive back into my book! Trust me friends, Overdrive is the best!

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

I bought duplicates of all my make up, toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, and other items like lotion, razor, bandaids, ibuprofen, slippers etc. I put it all in a travel bag.

When I need to go anywhere for travel, that is all ready to go. All I need to pack is clothes, shoes and pjs.

It is SO helpful. I can be fully packed to go in under ten minutes.

 

[emma'smom]

We have a service mow/mulch lawn.

We have a cleaning service.

Amazon delivery for everything!!

I buy rotisserie chicken for all kinds of recipes, debone and freeze it!

Created a “sports bag” to take with me to all my children’s games... it has things to keep me happy and is small enough for stadiums. Sunscreen, sunglasses, bug spray, mints, a magazine, hat, etc....

 

[Hisgirl]

Last night I thought of another one.

We hadn't been sleeping well, which then dominos into the rest of our day, so now we set our thermostat to 68-70 depending the heat outside. I know my power bill is going to be verra verra bad, but I don't care. I'm sleeping like a baby. I'll cut back somewhere else.

Another thing: Someone mentioned keeping a packed bag. SUCH a great idea! My parents are late 80s and when you get 'that' phone call, you have to drop and run. I keep a packed bag, change of clothes, matching makeup, toiletries, and phone charger READY TO GO along with a notebook where I have every bit of information about my parents lives written down.

 

[Hisgirl]

OH!! And another one!
Oh my gosh, I'm so embarrassed about this one!
I hate having to round brush my hair. It's shoulder length and lots of layers and when I'm done it looks like a five year old tried to style my hair. I go about once every 10-14 days and get my hair washed and styled just so I don't spend the whole month looking silly. Anytime I have a family gathering, a special meeting, a party, I get a wash/blow dry. It feels VERY indulgent but it's the only time my hair looks decent. Then I use dry shampoo to keep it a few days and then back to five year old styling my hair.

 

[Imzadi]

I just recently placed my first order to have groceries delivered to my home.

We don't have grocery delivery, but I'll start using it the second Kroger starts in our area

Is the grocery delivery service you are using Instacart?

You're going to love having groceries, laundry supplies & shampoo & stuff delivered. You do NOT have to get Amazon Prime or wait for the local supermarket to finally start delivering. There are (at least) two other online stores that can do it.

See below!

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paper towels, toilet paper, laundry detergent, woolite big bottles, cat litter, puffs (multi packs) all ordered from target and timed for when they give a $5 gift card. i break orders into 2 multiple of $35+ so i get free shipping (and use the $5 gift cards on the next round of orders). they schlep the 30# cat litter containers to my door which is adjacent to the garage so much less lifting and carrying for my old, achy back.

YES!!! You wrote out just what I was going to write.

Target & Walmart each have a groceries department with FREE shipping on online orders over $35. It is EASY to make the $35 minimum, when you add in laundry detergent, soap, shampoo, etc.

NO need to pay for an Amazon Prime membership. (It's not free shipping when you paid about $100 in advance in a lump sum for delivery. ) And with Amazon Prime, many items have to be bought in 6-packs or by the case. If you are not an Amazon Prime member, a lot of food & pantry items are not available to non-members.

At Target.com or Walmart.com, you can usually buy just ONE can/package of something if you want. This is great as I found that Target's store brand, Market Pantry, and Walmart's store brand, Great Value, items are equivalent in quality & taste on many items as name brand items. I was able to buy just one can try first. And the prices of these items are usually the "sale" price of name brand items, like Del Monte veggies - without having to wait for your local supermarket sales.

In addition, if you sign up for free with a rewards site, like Swagbucks, when you click through Swagbucks affiliate link TO Target.com or Walmart.com, you get points for shopping at those stores. Those points convert to dollars for a free gift card to various stores. Target.com or Walmart.com are two of those stores.

So when I make a $35 purchase at Target.com or Walmart.com, I get about a $5 gift card from Swagbucks. Which I then use to buy more groceries/pantry items at Target.com or Walmart.com, again going though Swagbucks affiliate link for another $5 gift card. Repeat, repeat. . .

Free shipping, items delivered to my door, plus a $5 GC from Swagbucks.

And Barkley mentioned that sometimes Target has a $5 off sale on purchasing groceries or house cleaning supplies. They also have some other online coupons that can be applied of individual items. I get the Blink eye drops, and if I buy 2, they routinely have a $6 off coupon.

~My husband likes to do walmart grocery pick up while at the present moment I prefer not to. They don't take manufacturer coupons and they can charge more online through grocery pickup than the item would be in store. But if he's really wanting to do it that time's grocery run that way we'll do it.

Yes, that's the one downside of buying online at Walmart. They used to be the same prices as in the store till about a year ago, when they started the order & pick up service. But, it seems to only be for groceries. Their other supplies, like cleaning supplies, are the same as in the store - at least the stuff I get. Some of their Great Value brand food items I can only get there. And they are lower in price than the same named brand items, so it is still a savings. I buy their Great Value low sodium canned chicken for chicken salad. Target doesn't have an equivalent and named brands are way too salty. So I stock up on that & cleaning supplies at Walmart & more food items from Target online.

 

[AndreaDM]

When I first met BF he used the bottom sheet as a mattress cover and the top sheet as a bottom sheet, I was like, what kind of monster are you?? Now that I've moved in we have a real mattress pad and use the sheets the normal, civilized way lol. The ONLY way I'd drop the top sheet is if I used a duvet with a washable cover. I don't wash the comforter very often, but then we don't sleep with it next to our skin, that's just icky.

I've started getting up just a tad earlier so I can knock out a chore or 2 in the mornings before I leave for work. With my commute I'm gone 11 hours a day so when I get home, I'm beat. Knowing that the vacuuming is done or the bathrooms are clean is such a relief and all I have to worry about is dinner. I don't really meal prep, but I do have a loose plan in place for the week. I probably cook 5 out of 7 nights on average, but chopping veggies, etc. is kind of soothing to me at the end of the day and I enjoy cooking a nice meal for my family.

I have also stopped going to as many activities and functions, when I was married to my ex we were always going to some charity event of some sort. Most of the time I did enjoy myself, but there was always the stress of what to wear, plus we'd end up spending money on stuff we didn't need. I choose how and with whom to spend my time and money.

 

[DopeyDame]

I've done a lot of things that have made my life easier in the last couple of years:

• I've removed all the clutter in the house. We don't have knickknacks, or pictures around, or souvenirs and such that we have to clean. Surfaces are kept clear to minimize cleaning time.
• I've minimized my wardrobe. I have ten shirts and ten skirts and two pairs of PJs for winter and two for summer. I own 8 pairs of shoes. That's it! So no rummaging through a messy closet to find something, because my closet is mostly empty.
• We keep the house really clean all the time. I'm working on the kids to put everything away right away. Each night we go through and vacuum, clean the floors, clean the kitchen, etc. before we sit down and rest or do any leisure activities.
• I generally try to keep up with things and not get behind. My laundry basket is empty each night most of the time, I recycle or process mail as soon as it enters the house, the kids papers from school get recycled as soon as I take a look at them. If there's a flyer for school I take a picture of it with my phone and then recycle it.

All of these things have made me MUCH more relaxed!

You are my idol. I know intellectually that I would be *so* much happier if I did all that... but instead we have way too much junk, piles upon piles of kids stuff, and our house is a mess. Sigh.

 

[CdnCarrie]

We stopped cutting the lawn, vacuuming, doing laundry, doing dishes...pretty soon we're going to stop showering to save even more time.

Seriously, the biggest time saver we have is in food prep. We only cook once a week, on Sunday. We cook enough to last from Sunday-Thursday dinners for everyone. So Mon-Thur we only need to heat and eat. Same for the kids lunches when school is in. On Sunday, we make sandwiches for the week and make about 20 snack bags. On a school morning, we just grab a sandwich, a snack bag, a piece of fruit from the fridge and a bottled water...takes 2 minutes or less. I do the same for my stuff. I prep a weeks worth of protein shake powder, breakfast, lunch and afternoon snacks so I never have to do it after work and it only takes me a minute to pack for the day.

Yes, that makes for a busy Sunday morning (the whole thing takes about 60 minutes with DW and I working together) and a lot of dishes to wash Sunday night, but it's an invaluable time saver during the week when our schedule is out of control busy.

What do you cook on Sunday that is good for suppers all week long?

 

[havaneselover]

Bullet journaling (I have one personal one and one at work). It’s been life changing. I definitely need to have my lists on paper.

And I agree with the no top sheet and getting up at 4 am to workout

 

[Imzadi]

I guess if you slather a sandwich in mayo or oil, that could become an issue. But we don't.

it's great that the taste is the same to you and it helps.
Me? I am one of those who finds that once even the meat is touching the bread the bread absorbs moisture and gets gummy and I dislike it.

Actually, I do like to slather my sandwich with mayo. I can't stand a dry sandwich. However, I also don't like the mayo slathered on the bread. The bread absorbs too much, gets all soggy and there's barely mayo on the meat or cheese. When I make a sandwich at home, I put the mayo between the meat & the cheese.

There is a deli here that makes pastrami sandwiches with cole slaw & Russian dressing. They even give extra Russian dressing in the 2 oz condiment cups so I can dip my sandwich in it.

 

[sets14]

The kids and I are home for the summer and I have been keeping a cooler filled with ice and drinks in our foyer. Seems crazy and it’s not for people who don’t like clutter but we always have friends and family coming by since we’re home and it keeps my fridge clear of cans, juice, bottles of water, etc. People can just grab what they want, no showing them where things are, serving them, etc. Grab and go! Friends and family are also good about bringing some drinks to help replenish if they come by a lot. Once we are back to school I will put it up.

 

[LovesTimone]

Meal Planning
Freezer meals
List for everything
Lawn service
I try to shop for gifts and cards ahead of time like 2 or 3 months at a time.

 

[PollyannaMom]

The kids and I are home for the summer and I have been keeping a cooler filled with ice and drinks in our foyer. Seems crazy and it’s not for people who don’t like clutter but we always have friends and family coming by since we’re home and it keeps my fridge clear of cans, juice, bottles of water, etc. People can just grab what they want, no showing them where things are, serving them, etc. Grab and go! Friends and family are also good about bringing some drinks to help replenish if they come by a lot. Once we are back to school I will put it up.

I love this! - I've done it for outside when DS has had friends over to swim, but never thought about just keeping one stocked. It's brilliant!

 

[Spencer Wright]

I'm hoping to share some tips on changes you've made that have made your life easier or just better somehow. Things that once you've started you wished you had done sooner. We are all so busy that sometimes we dont stop and think if there is a better way to accomplish something. I just recently placed my first order to have groceries delivered to my home. My work schedule is erratic and it takes me 3 hours to food shop and put away all that food each week. For the past year or so I have been dreading food shopping. I'm hoping grocery delivery will make my week a bit better. I was resistant for so long because of the extra cost but I'm pretty sure I'll make up for it by not impulse buying! Any tips or thoughts you'd like to share?

Ironically, I also do the grocery delivery, and could not be happier about it! I live right outside of Philadelphia, but on weekends grocery stores are so understaffed and swamped, it can take 2-3 hours. I tried a wide variety of stores (there are about six within a few miles), and different times throughout the weekend with no luck.

Some people I know will go at like 10pm but I decided to try delivery. They offer a lot of sales and things so it ends up barely costing anything!

 

[lovin'fl]

Oh, and I tossed a lot of plants and flowers that need watering. Minimized to a couple that are easy to water (two in pots that hold water).

 

[CdnCarrie]

Ironically, I also do the grocery delivery, and could not be happier about it! I live right outside of Philadelphia, but on weekends grocery stores are so understaffed and swamped, it can take 2-3 hours. I tried a wide variety of stores (there are about six within a few miles), and different times throughout the weekend with no luck.

Some people I know will go at like 10pm but I decided to try delivery. They offer a lot of sales and things so it ends up barely costing anything!

Are you shopping for a large family? With 2 teen boys I buy a LOT of food and never takes me that long and I always go on the weekend.

 

[Spencer Wright]

Are you shopping for a large family? With 2 teen boys I buy a LOT of food and never takes me that long and I always go on the weekend.

NO! That's what made things so frustrating. Its shopping for me, one other man, and three cats.

But they'll be two people on register working VERY slowly; or I tried going at 6:00am-ish a few times and had to really work to track someone down in the store.

3 hours is probably an exaggeration, but 2 is not! If I could I would go on a weekday.

 

[VandVsmama]

I do a few things to make my life simpler/easier:

1. Garden with native plants. After a couple of years have passed and they're established plants, there's hardly any need to give them supplemental water except for an occasional soak in the middle of the summer.
2. No grass in the front or back yards. Not a slave to the lawn mower and don't have to pay a landscaper to take care of it if I don't want to do it myself. Water bill is lower as a result!
3. I don't iron any clothes unless I absolutely have to.
4. About once a year, we go through all of our stuff/junk that's tucked away in various nooks & crannies and sell, donate, or throw away the stuff we no longer want to keep.

 

[sk!mom]

I worship Amazon Prime. As an Arkansas resident I have a loyalty to Walmart as they have done so much for education and health care in our state - but they just can’t deliver like Amazon Prime. When I need some odd thing like a shaker to mix vinaigrette there it is on Amazon.

I am retired so don’t need a lot of dress clothes. I wear denim and black jeans in the winter and white ones in the summer. I found a brand that fits me and is cheap at Costco and bought multiple pairs. Got rid of the older stuff that didn’t fit right etc. I did the same thing for summer shorts - found a brand that fit and is the right length. Now it is so easy to grab a pair of pants and then find a top.

As I have diminished physical stamina and ability because I am so old I now have a cleaning person and yard workers. It killed me to accept my limitations- but it did make life easier.

Off topic but my sister lives in NorthWest Ark and the first time we visited DH said as we left town, "so this is what WalMart does with all the money they make in every other community."

It makes my sis more loyal to them and DH and I more determined to shop elsewhere.