Have you ever seen or read one of those posts that goes viral filled with life hacks and helpful, useful tips for living? Well, this isn’t one of those, but I thought it would be fun to share a couple of my life hacks and a few of my favorite things. While searching for a visual and some links for this post, I came across the following diagram for making shadow hand puppets. This is brilliant! Ryan and I have tapped out with ducks, butterflies, crocodiles and spiders, so I’m excited to bring out a few of these show stoppers when I tuck him in tonight.

Handpuppet Hacks

hand puppet life hack

 

This next one, of course, I’m TOTALLY using…

A hole in your pants?

butthack
Oh. My. Word. Just, ohmyword! WHAT THE WHAT?!

Anyway, here are mine in no particular order. I hope some will help you one day.

Jar impossible to open?

Save the rubberband from your broccoli and keep it handy in the kitchen for opening tight fitting lids on jars. Works like a charm. And it's particularly helpful when I'm having pain in my hands and wrists from arthritis. Cost: depends on your local grocer.

Save the rubberband from your broccoli and keep it handy in a kitchen drawer for opening tight fitting lids on jars. Works like a charm. And it’s particularly helpful when I’m having pain in my hands and wrists from arthritis. Not only do you get the satisfaction of opening a jar, but you know you’ve eaten your veggies…double win! Cost: depends on your local grocer.

Simple, earth-friendly storage bins

Use blueberry bins from the farmers market or grocer to store other essentials in the linen closet, or for crayons for kids, or lipsticks/lotions/keys on the counter. I just think they are cute and I love how easily they slip into cupboards. Cost: a pint of berries.

Use blueberry bins from the farmers market or grocer to store essentials in the bathroom or linen closet, or for crayons for kids, or lipsticks/lotions/keys on the counter. When the Gravewolds aren’t vagabonding, I use these and egg cartons to hold my jewelry making design supplies. I just think they are cute and I love how easily they slip into cupboards. Cost: a pint of berries.

Convenient headphone storage

Have you ever gotten a favorite tin of mints, eaten them all and then thrown the tin away? Or in some boxes of tea at the holidays, small travel teabag tins are included with purchase. Well, they are the perfect size for coiling your headphones and slipping them into your purse or a computer bag. The minty smell wears off eventually, but I suppose you could keep one curiously strong mint in there for nostalgia.

Have you ever gotten a favorite tin of mints, eaten them all and then thrown the tin away? Or in some boxes of tea at the holidays, small travel teabag tins are included with purchase. Well, they are the perfect size for coiling your headphones and slipping them into your purse or a computer bag. The minty smell wears off eventually, but I suppose you could keep one curiously strong mint in there for nostalgia. Cost: a tin of mints or free with the purchase of a box of teabags from some companies.

Small bathroom storage solution

My little sister taught me this trick. She is the queen of organization, efficient use of space, and optimal living with minimal excess. This would have been brilliant as one of three girls growing up wrestling for the bathroom. Use an over the door/back of the door, shoe hanger and hang it on the back of your bathroom door or linen closet door for easy access to bathroom essentials. The height of the shoe slots is nice for tall lotions, hairspray, hair grooming things like scissors and shavers. It comes in very handy for us as the Graveswolds all using one bathroom that only has two drawers in the vanity. PS, even though canvas is nicer looking or the clear plastic ones you can see through, I chose a mesh hanger for 2 reasons: one, I wanted to see what I needed easily, and two, it's easier to clean if there is a spill. Cost: they range from $12 on up.

My little sister taught me this trick. She is the queen of organization, efficient use of space, and optimal living with minimal excess. This would have been brilliant as one of three girls growing up wrestling for the bathroom. Use an over the door/back of the door, shoe hanger and hang it on the back of your bathroom door or linen closet door for easy access to bathroom essentials. The height of the shoe slots is nice for tall lotions, hairspray, hair grooming things like scissors and shavers. It comes in very handy for us as the Graveswolds all using one bathroom that only has two drawers in the vanity. PS, even though canvas is nicer looking or the clear plastic ones you can see through, I chose a mesh hanger for 2 reasons: one, I wanted to see what I needed easily, and two, it’s easier to clean if there is a spill. Cost: they range from $12 on up.

Simple bag clips

This particular clothesline clip was painted green, but my kitchen is usually filled with the plain wood natural ones. I use them for closing up bags of chips and food in the pantry and refrigerator and freezer. I personally am not a fan of things that say, "Chip Clip" and are wonky, chunky big plastic monsters that close the deal. A simple, basic, and effective little wooden clothesline clip that has stood the test of time...I'm a fan of those things.

This particular clothesline clip was painted green, but my kitchen is usually filled with the plain wood basic ones. I use them for closing up bags of chips and food in the pantry and refrigerator and freezer. I personally am not a fan of those giant, “Chip Clips” that are wonky, chunky big plastic monsters of inconsistent shapes and sizes. A simple, basic, and effective little wooden clothesline clip that has stood the test of time…I’m a fan of those things and anything that resembles them. Cost: $2-3 for 2 dozen+

The Ultimate Natural Deodorant

Oh. My. Word! Can I just tell you that this deodorant has changed my life! My friend Amy remembered my search for the perfect natural deodorant and bought me a little tub...either that or she got a whiff of me one day and just said she bought some for me while she was buying some for herself. Either way, it's the best in my whole world! For anyone who remembers, the stainless bar actually does eliminate odors, but I've discovered it actually works better ON the actual armpits of one of my shirts in combination with this deodorant cream from Soapwalla. Cost: priceless not to stink, but $14.

Oh. My. Word! Can I just tell you that this deodorant has changed my life! My friend Amy remembered my search for the perfect natural deodorant and bought me a little tub…either that or she got a whiff of me one day and just said she bought some for me while she was buying some for herself. Either way, it’s the best in my whole world! For anyone who remembers, the stainless bar actually does eliminate odors, but I’ve discovered it actually works better ON the actual armpits of one of my shirts in combination with this deodorant cream from Soapwalla. Cost: priceless not to stink, but $14.

If the Greeks have Windex, I have sodium bicarbonate

I mean, what more can one possibly say about sodium bicarbonate?! If the Greeks have Windex, I have sodium bicarbonate, baby. I use this every. single. day. I brush my teeth with it two times a day. I use it to clean the toilet, tub, sink...the kitchen sink. Jason just used it to clean a very dirty inner lining on his baseball cap. I've shaken it into the floor mats in my car to soak up smell and moisture. It cleans burnt on food off of pans with some elbow grease. It takes the dark marks left from pots and pans in ceramic sinks right off. And. And. And...besides brushing my teeth with it, my favorite use for it is when I've eaten something that doesn't set right in my stomach. I scoop a heaping teaspoon of it into my mouth and swig it down with half a glass of water. Then, within a minute or so, I burp like a college frat boy and my belly feels amazeballs. True story. It's an alkalizer and it works without any other ingredients.

I mean, what more can one possibly say about sodium bicarbonate?! If the Greeks have Windex, I have sodium bicarbonate, baby. I use this every. single. day. I brush my teeth with it two times a day. I actually use it to clean EVERYTHING and the kitchen sink. Jason just used it to clean a very dirty inner lining on his baseball cap. I’ve shaken it into the floor mats in my car to soak up smell and moisture. It cleans burnt on food off pans with some elbow grease. It takes the dark marks left from pots and pans in ceramic sinks right off. Soap scum is no threat to baking soda! And. And. And…besides brushing my teeth with it, my favorite use for it is when I’ve eaten something that doesn’t set right in my stomach. I scoop a heaping teaspoon of it into my mouth and swig it down with half a glass of water. Then, within a minute or so, I burp like a college frat boy and my belly feels amazeballs. True story. I just did it after the Superbowl because, well, nachos! It’s an alkalizer and it works without any other ingredients. Cost: depends on size you buy and brand, but generally starts at around $2.25 and runs up to $30.

Inflammation issues?

One, how pretty is this mug one of my dear friends gave me?! She said it made her think of my mom, who loved blue and white china, so she knew I'd love to sip tea from it. She was right! Thanks, Bina! Anyway, I drink about 4-6 cups of tea a day. To stave off inflammation in my body I add a tincture of tumeric to my ginger tea for a bit of spice rather than OTC drugs.

One, how pretty is this mug my friend Bina gave me?! She said it made her think of my mom, who loved blue and white china, so she knew I’d love to sip tea from it. She was right! Anyway, I drink about 4-6 cups of all sorts of different teas a day. To stave off inflammation in my body I add a tincture of turmeric to my ginger tea for a bit of spice rather than OTC drugs. Cost: depending on the store and size, the tincture extract bottles, (this one is 1oz) run anywhere from $10-15. (not meant to prescribe or diagnose, I’m not a health professional, I’m just sharing my hacks. Listen to your body to know what works for you.)

Avoiding/hate reading the Bible?

Reading the Bible isn't necessarily a life hack, but there are a lot of things in it that equip me

Reading the Bible isn’t necessarily a life hack, but there are a lot of things in it that equip me for life, encourage my soul, and draw me to a quiet place akin to the original Garden where I can hear God’s heart of unconditional and relational love over me and for mankind. I don’t speak old English, nor can I read Hebrew or Aramaic, and I had read and studied the New International Version through and through for 25 years. On my 40th birthday a while ago, ahem, I received this from Jason and Em and have been both reading it and listening to the audio version. If you’ve ever shied away from reading the Bible for whatever reasons, The Message//Remix compiled by Eugene Peterson could be the read you are looking for. Peterson is brilliant to make this his life work. And if you aren’t familiar with Bible reading in general, here are some hints: I like to have some colored pencils nearby when I read to highlight passages or sentences that speak to me, as well as a notebook to write it down and get it one step deeper into my head and heart. Where do you even begin reading? I like to point people to the first book, Genesis, chapters 1-3, then over to the New Testament to the book of John, chapters 1-4, and then a couple books prior to that in Matthew. Also, near the middle of the Bible there is a book called Proverbs that is thick with wise advice. There are 31 chapters in it, so it’s a good place to start and read just one a day. No matter what, there’s no shame in never having read the Bible. And if you come and read here often, you won’t get judgment from me. Jesus was called the Word of God and if all else fails, look to Him and His life and the direction He pointed rather than wasting your time duking it out with people who want to bash you over the head with the Bible.

I’d love to learn some more. What is a life hack of yours you would care to share? Add it in the comments.

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4 Responses

  1. One of my life hacks… I like to think of myself as a resourceful person. I never carry a purse. They are heavy and fill up with all kinds of junk. If I need something, I look for a friend who carries a big purse and ask to borrow said needed thing. It works 99% of the time. 😀

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