The Best Sundae
After a long workweek, you’re craving something delicious, and you reach for your jar of Nutella in the fridge. Unfortunately, there’s only a tiny bit left at the bottom, not enough to spread on toast or anything else. But you’re determined not to waste even a single spoonful of Nutella.
Here’s a simple solution: grab some vanilla ice cream (or chocolate if you’re a fan of rich desserts). Scoop a couple of generous scoops of ice cream into the Nutella jar. Add some toppings for extra indulgence, whether it’s sprinkles, peanuts, whipped cream, or candy. In no time, you’ve transformed that small amount of Nutella into a delicious, decadent makeshift sundae.
I Hate Stems!
Strawberries are a popular fruit loved by kids and adults alike. However, some people dislike the green stems on top. Kids often prefer their strawberries without those leafy green parts.
To remove the stem without damaging the strawberry, here’s a clever trick: use a straw. Insert the straw from the bottom of the strawberry, pushing it up through the top. This way, you can cleanly remove the stem while keeping the strawberry intact.
Ice Your Coffee
The Right Way Many of us rely on coffee shops or drive-thrus for our daily caffeine fix. However, those coffee expenses can add up over time, not to mention the inconsistency in the strength of iced coffee and cappuccinos. Why trust someone else with your coffee when you can make it yourself?
Grab an ice cube tray, but instead of filling it with water, fill it with coffee. You can even flavor the coffee before freezing, so your “iced coffee cubes” have some personality. By doing this, you ensure that your coffee or iced coffee will be robust and flavorful instead of getting diluted by regular ice cubes.
Painting Hack
Painting a room is a common DIY project to save money. However, it can get messy, especially when you’re wiping excess paint from your brush on the rim of the paint can. Paint drips down the side, and you might end up with paint on the floor, your body, or your clothes.
Here’s a brilliant idea: when you open the paint can, place a rubber band around the entire can, leaving a large portion of the band hanging over the open paint container. Use this band to wipe off excess paint from your brush. It will be a much cleaner and neater process.
Homemade Taco Shells
It’s Taco Tuesday, but you’ve run out of crunchy taco shells. Don’t worry; you can make your own homemade taco shells easily.
Take a muffin tin and flip it upside down, so it looks like the side of a Lego. To create crispy taco shells, take a tortilla and mold it into the center of four muffin compartments. Spray the entire backside of the tin with cooking oil. Once the tortillas are in place, bake them in the oven for about 10 minutes (check your oven temperature) at 375 degrees. When they’re done, you’ll have formed taco shells.
Keeping The Bananas Ripe
Bananas can be tricky. Unless you consume them quickly, they tend to spoil, and mushy bananas with brown peels aren’t appealing. Some people refrigerate them, while others keep them at room temperature. Is there a way to extend the freshness of your bananas?
Wrap plastic around the stems of the bananas. This helps by creating a barrier that reduces moisture loss from the fruit. Bananas lose moisture as they ripen, and covering the stems helps retain some of that moisture, preventing them from becoming overly soft. Additionally, bananas produce a natural plant hormone called ethylene, which accelerates ripening. Covering the stems with plastic reduces the exposure to ethylene gas, slowing down the ripening process and extending the shelf life of the bananas.
Cold Water is a Must
When you’re on the go and need a cold, refreshing bottle of water, there’s a simple trick to make sure it’s always chilled and ready.
Take a few plastic water bottles and fill them about 1/4 of the way with water. Lay them on their sides in the freezer. When you’re ready to go, fill the rest of the bottle with water, and you’ll have a cold bottle of water to take with you. This way, you don’t have to worry about carrying around a warm or room-temperature drink.
Light The Candle…Italian Style
Lighting a candle can sometimes be tricky, especially when your lighter runs out of fuel or you’re worried about using matches or a small lighter. Here’s an unexpected trick for lighting a candle during a romantic Italian dinner.
Take an uncooked piece of spaghetti, the long and skinny type. Light one end of the spaghetti. Then, use the ignited spaghetti to light the candle’s wick. It’s quick, easy, efficient, and safe.
Hide Your Cash Appropriately
It’s always wise to have a hidden compartment for emergency cash when traveling or going about your daily life. Instead of relying on small pockets or compartments in your clothing, consider this clever method.
Roll up a few dollar bills and keep them in an empty lip balm or Chapstick container. No one would think to check there if you were ever mugged or robbed. It’s a small, weightless, and inconspicuous way to carry emergency cash.
Shoes or Cleaning Supplies?
Organizing cleaning supplies can be a hassle when they’re all crammed under the sink. Finding what you need quickly becomes a challenge. Here’s a simple solution to keep your cleaning supplies organized.
Use a hanging shoe rack on the inside of your cupboard door. It provides compartments for your cleaning products, allowing you to easily see and access them. This not only frees up space but also prevents clutter and makes it convenient to find what you need.
Clip ‘Em Up
Loose cables can clutter your workspace, posing tripping hazards and making your area look messy. To keep your cables organized and prevent them from tangling, consider this handy hack.
Use binder clips to keep your cables organized and untangled. You can even use different colored or labeled binder clips to identify and differentiate between various cables. Clipping cables together keeps them off the floor and neatly arranged on your desk, reducing tripping hazards and protecting them from wear and tear.
Smell Good and Feel Good!
When traveling or unable to do laundry, keeping your dirty clothes from affecting your clean ones can be a challenge. Here’s a solution to help control odors and moisture.
Place an extra bar of soap in the middle of your pile of dirty clothes. The soap can help prevent the smell of dirty clothes from transferring to your clean ones. It also absorbs moisture and sweat, reducing the growth of bacteria and mold on your clothes. This is especially useful when you don’t have immediate access to laundry facilities.
A Breakfast Trick
Pancakes on a weekend morning are a treat, but making them perfectly round can be challenging. If you don’t have a circular mold, here’s a clever way to get those perfect pancake circles.
Use an old ketchup bottle to store your pancake batter. When you’re ready to cook, squeeze out perfectly round dollops of batter onto a hot skillet. It allows you to control the amount of batter and even store any excess batter in the fridge for your next pancake craving.
Cornbread and Condiments
Cornbread muffins are a popular choice at barbecues, and they pair perfectly with various condiments. Instead of using multiple small bowls or plates for different condiments, here’s a smart hack.
Use a muffin tin to keep different condiments separated and organized. This prevents cross-contamination, allows guests to easily find their preferred condiment, and saves table space. Muffin tins are typically non-stick, making cleanup a breeze.
Make That Burger Juicy…With Ice
Dry burgers are disappointing. To keep your burgers juicy while cooking, use this clever trick.
Place an ice cube on each patty before cooking. The ice cubes act as a buffer against overcooking, maintaining moisture in the burgers. They can also facilitate better flavor penetration when used with marinades or seasonings.
Making Fire With…Doritos?
In emergency situations where kindling is scarce, you can use Doritos to help start a fire. While this may seem unusual, the oils and flavor powders in Doritos make them surprisingly flammable. However, use this method only when other fire-starting materials are unavailable, and be cautious when handling fire.
Planning For Winter
In cold climates with snowy and icy winters, keeping your car’s side mirrors free of ice and snow can be a challenge. Here’s a practical solution to protect your side mirrors.
Use Ziploc bags to cover your side mirrors when you’re expecting icy conditions. This prevents ice and snow buildup on your mirrors, making it easier to start your vehicle in the morning. Ziploc bags offer a quick and cost-effective way to safeguard your mirrors when you don’t have specialized mirror covers.
Double The Ketchup
Dispensing ketchup from small paper cups at fast-food joints can be frustrating, especially when you need more than one cup’s worth. Here’s a simple trick to maximize your ketchup in a single cup.
Open up the paper cup by unfolding it to create more surface area. This allows you to double the amount of ketchup you can pour, making it easier for dipping or pouring onto your plate.
Double Up
When grilling food on skewers, preventing the food from sliding off can be challenging. To ensure even cooking and avoid mishaps, try doubling up on skewers.
Use two skewers instead of one for added stability. This prevents food from slipping off the skewers and promotes even cooking on both sides, ensuring your kebabs or grilled items turn out perfectly.
The Perfect Egg Shape
Cooking eggs to perfection, especially for breakfast sandwiches, can be a challenge when you lack circular molds. Here’s a clever solution using an unexpected item: a raw onion ring.
Place a raw onion ring in a skillet and crack an egg into the center of the ring. Cook the egg to your liking. The onion ring not only acts as a mold but also adds a hint of sweetness when caramelized, creating a delicious combination of textures.
Keep Your Windows Functional
In cold climates where snow and ice can be a problem, your car’s side mirrors can easily get covered. To maintain their functionality, consider this practical hack.
Use Ziploc bags to protect your side mirrors from ice and snow. This quick and low-cost solution helps keep your mirrors clear, making it easier to drive safely during winter weather.
Expedite the Cooking Process
We’re going to use equal parts physics and logic when giving this next life hack. There are times where people want to freeze their meat as a means to save some for future events. Often times, large chunks of meat can take up a big amount of space in their freezers. Conversely, thicker pieces of meat tend to cook longer. The connective tissues in large slabs eventually get broken down, and only then will the meat be tender. But, when the meat is thinner in nature, it’ll be cooked more quickly.
As such, this is what we have here with a two-in-one life hack. You’ll save some room in your freezer, and you’ll have thinner pieces of meat which will take less time to thaw — and eventually will be cooked at a quicker rate compared to if they were thicker in nature. Even more efficient, you can better measure out meat for meals or even meal prep by doing this. If it were a large hunk of meat, things wouldn’t be as easy to break down.
Using What You Go
Believe it or not, there are people who will get in their cars and pick up pizza in person. Some don’t want to rely upon delivery, and others won’t want to pay the exorbitant tack-on fees associated with delivery apps. However, problems may persist depending upon how far away you live from the pizzeria. Namely, how will you keep the pizza warm when driving in the car?
In a word, seat warmer. Now, not everyone has a seat warmer. For those who don’t, another life hack involves wrapping your pizza in a warm blanket en route to your house. However, for those who do have seat warmers, simply drop the pizza boxes next to you and crank up the heat. Your pizzas should be nice and toasty by the time you get back to the crib. This is an even better idea when getting into your car and picking up a pie when it’s cold, snowy, and potentially rainy outside. Your car will also smell like pizza (not a bad thing!).
Making Travel Easier
Traveling for a lengthy trip can be utterly annoying. There are times where you want to load your suitcase with tons of clothes — yet you don’t have the space for them. Or, you land in your destination — only to realize that all of your clothes are wrinkled. No need to worry, we’ve got the life hack for you!
It’s quite simple: Roll your clothes. It really works! You open up loads more space from within your travel compartment. Not only can you add more clothes that you’d normally have to abandon, but you also ensure that the clothes will remain wrinkle free. This is also a benefit when traveling. Think about it…there’s a high likelihood you’ll be bringing home some souvenirs. As such, folding this way will give you extra space for those items. It’s a total win-win!
Snacking…With a Twist
Dunking Oreos in milk is an activity we’ve practically all enjoyed at one point or another. There’s nothing like submerging the crisp, chocolatey cookie into the ice cold white waters of milk. In the process, the cookie slightly softens — thus giving us a mush-like mixture with chocolate and cream that juuuuust keeps enough in the way of texture.
However, the act of dunking does leave your hands rather dirty. The residue of chocolate black cookie can have a staining impact on your fingertips. As a means to have a clean cookie-into-milk dunk, try using a fork! That way, you get full coverage on the dunk while also not getting things on your hands. This also make a ton of sense when you’re wearing a nice outfit — or even your favorite shirt. Because really…who wants to take the time to try and scrub out black cookie remnants out of your clothing?
Freeze Your Avocado!
People love avocado. You can eat it when making guacamole, on a burger, or on toast. However, some people — depending on where you live — don’t always have access to high-quality avocados. Much of this has to do with climate and weather. As such, the risk in having a brown/damaged avocado is there. There are also times where you don’t want to be forced into chowing down on all of your avocados within a short timeframe. Sometimes, you just want to space it out and save them.
This is where freezing comes from. Extract the avocado from its black peel, discard the gigantic seed, mash up the avocado, put it in a freezer-friendly bag, and simply freeze it! That way, you can have avocado year around — and you will ensure that it will not rot/get brown. When you need avocados for a recipe, you can simply take them out of the freezer, eliminating the need for last-minute trips to the store. Freezing avocados can also help retain their nutritional value, including their healthy fats, fiber, vitamins (such as vitamin K, vitamin E, and some B vitamins), and minerals (like potassium).
Fix The Cord
We’ve all had this happen before. When you were a kid, you surely had a sweatshirt or a pair of sweatpants with a drawstring. For whatever reason, this seemed like a green light to chew on the string before pulling it out of your sweatshirt completely. While this behavior normally doesn’t exist as an adult, there are times where the drawstring on a sweatshirt gets pulled disproportionately towards one side or another. From there, the task in leveling the length can be a challenge.
According to those who became a bit inventive, a secret trick in fixing the length involves using chopsticks. Yes — the cord essentially can be pushed back inside the sweatshirt with a chopstick (which simulates a needle of sorts). Some also like to use a safety pin. If you’re using a safety pin, open it up and attach it to one end of the drawstring. If you’re using a paperclip, straighten it out and form a small loop at one end of the drawstring, then secure it with tape. This will serve as your threading tool. Carefully insert the safety pin with the drawstring through one of the openings. Push it through the channel or tunnel created by the hem or hood. Once the pin or paperclip emerges from the other opening, carefully remove it from the drawstring. Ensure that the drawstring is evenly distributed and not twisted inside the channel. Tie knots at both ends of the drawstring to prevent it from slipping back into the channel.
Keeping Lunch Clean
Working from home has become the norm for millions of people around the country. This inevitably involves working a ton from a laptop or a computer. Well, when it comes time to eat lunch, there are moments when you want to sit down in front of your computer and indulge in a messy meal. One of those can be a burrito.
At the same time, work could cause you to use your hands at any moment. Well, as a means to put your burrito upright without spilling its contents, simply use a mug! Yes, by placing the burrito in a mug, you’ll be able to get back to work quickly whilst also not making a mess. Use a tortilla and form it around the perimeter of the cup (or in this case a big coffee mug). From there, fill up the tortilla with your favorite items. This is especially a great hack if you’ve got some leftover ground beef. Throw that on there and heat in the microwave with some cheese. Once done, then you can add salsa, sour cream, and guacamole.
Who Needs Starbucks?
Flavored coffee is all the rage right now. Whether its adding a unique creamer, or heading to a chain drive-thru for your caffeine fix, people simply love flavoring with regards to their coffee. For those who want to save a few bucks and make coffee from home, we’ve got a trick for you.
Before brewing your coffee, simply add a pinch of flavoring to the coffee grounds. We’re taking about vanilla bean paste, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, or practically anything you’d want! Flavored syrups are a popular choice for adding sweetness and flavor to your coffee. Common flavors include vanilla, caramel, hazelnut, and cinnamon. You can easily find these syrups at grocery stores or online. Add a splash to your coffee and adjust the amount to your taste. Also, flavor extracts, such as almond, peppermint, or coconut, can be added to your coffee for a burst of flavor. Just a few drops can go a long way. Be cautious not to overdo it, as extracts can be quite concentrated.
Children…Be Quiet!
When you’ve got multiple children, the risk of those tots fighting is rather high. This is particularly the case when they are young and impressionable. The immaturity can be exacerbated even further for whatever reason when taking any sort of drive — whether its a road trip or a short jaunt to the store. The screaming, quarreling, and fighting can be absolutely infuriating for the driver and everyone else.
If we’re talking about small children, we’ve got a solution. Simply put, use pieces of cardboard as dividers between each seat in the back row. That way, the kids won’t have any reason to fight with their siblings if they can’t see or touch them. This is also a very important thing for the driver. Distractions can happen quite easily, and if worried about what’s going on in the back of the car, it could result in an unsafe driving situation — whether an accident or something else. The drive needs a true peace of mind when operating a car, especially with children present.
A Game Changer For Pringles
As the commercials for Pringles says, “Once you pop, the fun don’t stop.” These chips are densely packed together on top of one another. While they’re fun to eat, sometimes it’s difficult in getting them out of the can one at a time (especially for those who don’t want to consume an entire can in a single sitting).
Well, we do have a trick which will make life much easier when consuming these crunchy treats. When opening a can, take a piece of paper, slightly fold it, and slide it down one of the side of the can. That way, the chips can come out of the can in a neat way where you can grab them one by one. If some chips are stuck near the bottom, you can give the can a gentle shake to encourage them to slide out. Be careful not to shake too vigorously to avoid breakage. By following these steps, you should be able to get your Pringles out of the can with ease and minimal breakage. Remember to handle the can and chips gently to keep them intact.
Slow Down, Pup!
There are many animals — especially dogs — who can be ravenous eaters. Whenever the bowl is placed in front of them, the pooch will scarf the food in mere seconds. There are problems with this. For one, the dog could get digestive problems by eating so quickly. Secondly, the dog could still feel hungry — thus resulting in your feeding the dog more. You could be spending more money than needed on dog food, and the dog could gain a couple of extra pounds in the process.
As such, there’s a solution where the food can slowly trickle out to the point that the dog will get its nutrients — while at the same time you don’t run the risk of overfeeding. All you need is PVC pipe with two end caps. After filling the pipe with dog food, drill holes all over the pipe. The kibble will then slowly come out when the dog ‘plays’ with the pipe.
Give Your Legos a Quick Wash
Legos are often a fun activity for children (and even some adults). However, these little colorful pieces can get quite dirty. We’re talking about when they’re played with outside…and invariably sucked on by small children. With colds and other illnesses often exchanged during winter months, it makes sense to clean the Legos. But, how would you go about doing this? Cleaning each piece one by one doesn’t seem to be very efficient.
Well, here’s an idea for you! Using a dishwasher safe/laundry bag, throw all of the Legos in there and wash using a dishwasher. You won’t lose any Legos since they’ll all be in one bag. Additionally, they’ll all be quickly disinfected for your child to use! Kids are not the most clean people in the world. They’ll take their toys to school, and the rates of kids coming home with a cough or cold is usually pretty normal when they’re at a young age. Washing the Legos will — in theory — help protect against your child getting sick.
Keep Your Wine Cool
Now this is a life hack everyone can get behind — particularly if you are of age, and enjoy alcoholic beverages. When drinking a white wine or lighter blend, there’s always the issue in wanting to keep one’s glass cold. This is particularly the case when savoring a glass of wine. It also exists when the weather outside gets a bit too toasty. Well, look no further than frozen grapes.
Frozen grapes act as a terrific substitute for ice cubes. Unlike ice cubes, frozen grapes won’t dilute the wine. Duly, they soak up wine to act as little ‘flavor bombs’ by the time you finish your glass. It’s a win-win all the way around! Even nicer, the grapes will add a sweetness to the wine, but not so much so that it changes the flavor profile. Plus, there’s a nice element of texture in play when chomping down onto a crunchy, refreshing grape in the midst of a buttery glass of wine.
You’ve Never Seen This Before
You may think this looks strange. There are plastic forks placed in the middle of flower beds/garden beds. However, there’s a strange method to the madness which actually makes a ton of sense.
Placing plastic forks in the soil, particularly around plants you want to protect, can help deter weeds from taking root. This method creates a barrier that prevents weed growth by obstructing their access to sunlight and space. While this might look wonky and a bit weird, it has been proven to be quite effective! Plastic forks with their tines facing upward can act as a deterrent to animals like cats, rodents, and birds. When they encounter the forks, they are less likely to walk or dig in the flower bed, helping to protect your plants and soil. This even includes your pets! Plastic forks are durable and can be reused season after season. They are also easy to clean and store when not in use.
