sunnyday
New Member
Joined: March 2010
Posts: 23
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Post by sunnyday on May 9, 2010 21:35:13 GMT -5
Shortcuts - Great post: eMail Junk Mail: Spent one whole week opening every junk email received that day and requested that I be dropped from their mailings. Cut email clutter by 50% in one week. Make sure to just open emails from names your recognize - like Applebees - you don't want to open virus email by mistake.
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seraphina
New Member
Joined: July 2009
Posts: 34
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Post by seraphina on May 10, 2010 9:26:11 GMT -5
I don't know if this counts as a "shortcut" but this is what I do everyday, and it takes maybe two minutes.
After I am done brushing my teeth/washing my face in the am, I do the "flylady, swish and swipe method". I keep a large thingie of clorox wipes underneath my sink (clorox because they're the best on mirrors) and when I'm done with my face, I wipe the sink/counter, toilet seat and under it, and the bathtub, and quickly scrubbie scrub the toilet with the brush. I never have to actually "clean" my bathroom. I've instilled this in my 11 yo DD and so the guest bathroom/her br is always clean as well.
I also informed my daughter that since she likes to wear 2 to 3 outfits per day she can do her own laundry now. She's been doing her laundry for 2 years. I put a sticker on the washer's cool cycle and the dryer's auto dry medium cycle so she knew where to turn the knobs. This has cut down quite a lot on my laundry. Hubs wears the Army uniform, and although it's supposed to be "wash and wear" I still take them to be starched...I hate all the new velcro on the army uniforms, it sticks to everything, and they always look wrinkled;he rarely changes into civilian clothes in the evening and to pay $6 a week to not deal with the hassle of his uniforms is a price I'm glad to pay.
Not so much a shortcut either, but I always have an empty sink. Dishes/pans go directly to the dishwasher, which when is 3/4 (cleans the best that way and not so overwhelming to unload) is run. I unload as soon as it is dry, during the day when no one else is home to add dishes to my sink. During the weekend, the SOP if the washer is running is:you dirty it, you wash it NOW!(Yes, I'm a mean mom/wifie).
That's all I have for now, but these little things have saved me a bunch of time/frustration over the last two years.
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Post by razy on May 11, 2010 2:54:21 GMT -5
I bought 12 pairs of black socks all exactly the same, no more matching socks or looking for lost one. Tried to get G to do that too but he is attached to his horrible old socks.
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Post by CaringFriend on May 11, 2010 18:55:13 GMT -5
One serious shortcut that I have considered - if I were single (but I'm not) - is that I would eat out every other night. That eliminates 99% of grocery shopping, cooking, and dishes. There is a family-owned restaurant nearby which serves delicious meals for $6.95. The meals are so large that one could feed a person for 2 days, which is what we do when we do go there. For $3.50 per day a person would be fed and not have to do all of the above mentioned chores.
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Post by howardsgirlfriend on May 12, 2010 0:09:43 GMT -5
I bought 12 pairs of black socks all exactly the same, no more matching socks or looking for lost one. Tried to get G to do that too but he is attached to his horrible old socks. Maybe this will work for you: DH had a bathrobe that was full of holes--some so large that I could have put my head through them, courtesy of our dog. He didn't want to replace it, "because she'll just chew up a new one." He wanted me to mend it, but I could have made a new one in less time. One holiday, I bought a new bathrobe that looked as much like his old one as possible, laid it out where the old one was, and hid the old one. I then winked, and insisted that I'd "mended it."
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Post by sidestep on May 12, 2010 0:14:09 GMT -5
Howardsgirlfriend, how devious of you!
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Post by Celeste on May 12, 2010 22:45:13 GMT -5
If you are an American citizen and you want to get off junk mail lists, contact the Direct Marketing Association 'Mail Preference' service. You can either use this link or contact them by snail mail. There is a letter form requesting the service here that you can print and fill out, including $1. You will be on the list for three years. Mail Preference Service Direct Marketing Association PO Box 643 Carmel, NY 10512 The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a privacy rights group, has a lot of practical advice for keeping an eye on your privacy and security. It is well worth a look.
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Post by CaringFriend on May 12, 2010 23:09:02 GMT -5
I have more jewelry than my jewelry box will hold. Almost all of it is in sets, that is, matching necklace, earrings, and watch or bracelet. My short cut storage solution was to place each set inside a Ziploc storage bag - the sandwich size, but they are stronger for storage purposes. That way I only needed to get it from one place, as opposed to gathering it from 2 or 3 different locations. Also, this solution provided more storage space than what I previously had.
I keep these "filed" in a dresser drawer. That is, they are lined up like file folders. When I was working and perhaps running late, I would just grab the bag of jewelry I needed, then put it on once I was at work. Also, when packing a suitcase to travel, I select the bags of jewelry I think I'll need and place those smaller bags in a gallon-size Ziploc bag.
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Kaifi
New Member
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 74
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Post by Kaifi on May 14, 2010 7:31:55 GMT -5
My mum-in-law, years ago, was overwhelmed by the amount of dirty dished that had accumulated. My dad-in-law came in and found her sitting at the kitchen table in tears. He promptly got some black refuse bags, swept EVERYTHING in, chucked them, and went and bought "new, 2nd hand stuff" from the thrift shop. He rinsed it all off, and put it away for her. I wouldn't recommend doing this every time you get behind with the dishes, but it was sweet of him, I think And apparently it cheered Mum up no end (by the way, now there's just the 2 of them at home, you could literally eat off the floor. Not that I'd want to).
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Post by fluffernut - now Jannie on May 14, 2010 7:49:27 GMT -5
I put obvious junk mail catalogs etc directly in with my newspaper recycling. . I'm not afraid of identity theft, those catalogs only have my name and address, which are in the phone book anyway.
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Post by sloppyjojo on May 19, 2010 23:43:23 GMT -5
I add odds and ends to my laundry baskets of clean, folded laundry before I take them to the bedrooms. All the little odds and ends that belong in the bedrooms get taken there with the clean laundry and then put away when the laundry is put away. No extra trips for the little bits that get spread around the house. Seems so simple. Why did it take me 20 years to figure this one out? JJ
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Post by sloppyjojo on May 19, 2010 23:51:46 GMT -5
I also went one month calling every single catalog company that sent me a catalog that month asking to be removed from their mailing list. You just call the ordering number and they might want the customer number off the address label. Then I put the catalogs in the recycle. A few months later - poof! Nary a catalog through the mail slot. Makes me think of the Seinfeld episode where Kramer gets buried trying to return all his catalogs to Pottery Barn. They are the worst!!!!
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Post by CaringFriend on May 20, 2010 1:27:57 GMT -5
Another shortcut I have is how I clean the tiled walls in the shower/tub. I do it while I am taking a shower. There are 3 walls: 1 long and 2 short. I divide the long wall into 2 parts and clean one wall each time I shower. I simply use my washcloth and bar soap. That's all, and it really does the trick! So 1 wall section per day and in 4 days all of the walls are cleaned. The 5th day I dry all the shower walls with a towel. The important part of this is having a hand-held shower head to rinse the walls and plastic shower curtain liner at the end of each shower and cleaning period. I also try to take 1 bubble bath each week. That gives the tub a good cleaning. I add baking soda and bubble bath to the water as the tub fills. Instead of bubble bath, I usually use body wash that was on sale and I had a coupon. Before getting in, I stir the water to be sure the baking soda dissolves. It makes the water really smooth and silky. At the end of my bath, I use my washcloth and wash the insides of the tub - quick and easy. No tools or cleaning supplies to gather, then put away. The hand-held shower is then used to rinse away the suds. Between the shower and the tub, that is 6 days of cleaning in bits. I can take a day off or start the cycle again. But routine helps. So, "If it's Sunday, it's a day off from cleaning the shower/tub. Monday through Friday are the tiled walls. And Saturday is a nice soaking, relaxing bath and tub cleaning." That has been my salvation for many years.
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Post by dairy2mama on May 20, 2010 21:11:58 GMT -5
I have one set of sheets. I wash them, dry them and put them back on the bed all on the same day. When the children were small, they had two sets in case they got sick on them. dairy2mama
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Post by downandout on May 21, 2010 13:00:02 GMT -5
i dont know if this counts but since ive added another litter box i dont have to scoop them out every day. every other day works out fine and then when i do scoop i put the droppings in a zip lock bag. that way i can just put this in the kitchen garbage and it wont stink up the house. no extra trip to the can outside.
i second the suggestions to not sort laundry before washing and to using paper plates when you can. i dont/wont iron so if something is wrinkled bad i put it back in the dryer on the damp dry setting and it takes the wrinkles out.
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