Have you ever been running late and just absolutely couldn’t find your keys? Have you ever been in the middle of your mile long to-do list only to realize you forgot something but don’t know what it was? I’m sure you’ve also never been in a situation where it’s dinner time and you have nothing in the kitchen to cook. No, not you! You’re too organized! (Maybe you need some life hacks? We got you covered!)
Well….we all have been there. Life really does get busy and sometimes it’s the little details in life that take up the most time. It’s things like putting laundry away, washing dishes, taking the trash out, finding your keys, cooking dinner (which we ALL know includes a lot more than actually cooking the meal itself. I’m talking about buying groceries, thawing meat, any other prep work, and finally cooking. It’s a big mental load.)
I realize that as life gets busy we all come up with little tricks or “hacks” that make tasks easier for us. In an effort to share the love, I have gathered together a list of “small things” that have become a part of my day to day life and make my crazy routine a little less hectic. These are what I like to call my Life Hacks. I want to share some tips, tricks, and habits that have become normal in my home and they help me keep my sanity while I’m running around chasing my 2 fun loving boys!
Hang up your keys
This one is really a habit, but it’s easy to do once you get in the rhythm. We use a key hanger right beside our door. When we get home, the first thing we do when we walk inside is hang up our keys. This way, if we are ever rushing out because we are running late OR if there is ever an emergency, we can easily locate the keys and get out the door quick. This tip is also super helpful because little hands can’t grab them and hide them! I’ve been told that when I was really young my favorite game was hide the keys. My mom was not as pleased as I was with this fun little game. 🤣
Put extra trash bags UNDER your trash bags.
During my time as an intern for a church plant on Long Island, part of my way to serve the church was cleaning. I learned this awesome trick from the ladies at the church. Really, this tip is two-fold. First, reuse Walmart bags in small trash cans instead of actual trash bags. This saves you a little money and maybe helps the environment a slight bit. Second, before you put a new bag in your bin, add a few extras underneath it. The next time you take the trash out, you’ll thank me! 
Pour your grease in tin foil and throw it out
No one wants a clogged drain, but that’s exactly what you’ll get if you pour grease down your sink. (Trust me- it’s like concrete when it’s dried. We just moved into an old house and my husband had to dig up some pipes that were clogged only to find concrete in them- nope- it was dried grease) Avoid a septic disaster by pouring hot grease into tin foil, let it cool, then crumple it up and discard in your trash. You’ll also save lots of time trying to clean the grease out of a bowl. (Side note: you can use any container really, my mom used to use glass pasta sauce jars, but I don’t keep any readily available so tin foil was my next go-to item on hand). 
Use a menu board for meals and grocery list
My most dreaded task is trying to figure out what the next meal will be. I’ll wash dishes all day but hate coming up with meal ideas. We keep a dry erase board on our fridge that has our meal plan for the week and a space for any items that we come across that we need to pick up at the store. (For example: If you used the last bit of jelly, just add jelly to the grocery list)
Once a week before my grocery run, I make a plan for meals for the week, write my menu on the board, and reference my board for any needed items at the store. This makes cooking and my shopping trip a little less of a mental hassle. It takes one day out of my week that I have to think through meals, then after that I just KNOW what I’m cooking. Every night I reference the board and put any meat in the fridge that needs to be thaw for the next day. We don’t run out of anything that we need because I forgot to buy it at the store. (Usually, Ha!) I used to have a cute chalk board, but it fell off our wall and got broken. So now we use this one. 
Keep Toilet Paper on the Back of the Toilet
Have you ever REALLY had to GO but sit down only to find there is no toilet paper? Yea, not a fun situation. Keep an extra roll of toilet paper on the back of the toilet so you’re never left paperless. (That is of course, unless you’re in a pandemic and can’t find any at the store… only in 2020 right?) This can be especially helpful for guests. They don’t have to go looking through cabinets if they run out. 
Have you ever thought about what little things in your life may be uniquely helpful for your day to day? What tips, tricks, and life hacks have you adopted to make your life easier? We would love to hear about them in the comments! We hope these life hacks help!
Read more from Kelly here.
