Remember those video game cheat codes we once scribbled on notepads? Life doesn't come with a manual, but these brilliant shortcuts are the next best thing. Some are social wisdom that took others decades to learn—like how telling someone to "calm down" has precisely the opposite effect every single time. Others save you money, like letting the employer name the first salary figure during negotiations.
These simple strategies won't help you beat Mario Bros, but they'll make your everyday interactions smoother, your home life easier, and sometimes even keep a few extra dollars in your wallet. From making better pickles to making better impressions, these thirty life hacks feel like someone finally handed you the secret guidebook the rest of us have been using all along.
This post may include affiliate links.
When hosting older people, play music from an era when they were in their 20s. My in laws were born in the 30s and the last time we had a gathering, I put on a play list of hits of the 50s. Over the course of the evening, this brought back all kinds of memories and they regaled us with stories of youth we'd never heard before. It was a delightful window into that era of their lives.
Instead of telling someone to "calm down", use cooperative and alternative language such as "let's take a moment for now" or "i get you, let's look at it this way..." (nobody in the history of time has calmed down from a "calm down")
Make sure someone gets inside safely before driving away. If you're dropping someone off at home, wait until they’ve actually gotten inside before leaving. It’s a small gesture that can make a big difference in their safety and peace of mind.
When you get good service, tell their boss. Just got off the phone with the office manager of the plumbing service we had out due to a severely blocked pipe. They were great, and I wanted their boss to know. Good companies will listen to complaints; great companies will reward their employees for raves. Those two plumbers are getting bonuses, and that’s just cool. It’s an easy way to make someone’s life better for making your life better.
I'm struggling to find myself a fitting blouse. What's okay with my títs, are looking like a tent for my waist and hips, and the other way: being okay 'down', would break the buttons 'up'. But sometimes I need a blouse, and is a pain in the a.ss to find one. Fast-fashion shops are out of my "hunting-field", so one time, when I needed a blouse, I went to some designer shops. In one of them, the girl working there was really nice and helpful, trying really hard to get me a passing blouse. No luck. That visit took like 20 minutes, she was bringing me like all of their models to try, sadly none of them was fitting. At the end, I was asking for her manager. I saw the OH-NO-F:CK! on the girl's face. I was telling to her manager, that although, unfortunately, I couldn't find anything in their shop fitting me, she was a great help, and although, I thanked her many times, I want to thank the manager too, hiring so very competent people. Their reaction said, they wasn't used to hear this.
For young parents meeting their kids friends parents: Save their kids name in parentheses next to their name. It helped me a ton when kids were starting school and making friends
If someone gives you homemade pickles or similar, give them back the cleaned jar when it's gone. It will make them feel good that you ate it, and they obviously need the jars to make more.
I'm doing this, although, buying. There is a beekeeper neighbour guy, who provides me with 100% clean honey from his bees every 1-2 months for just a 5 euro, what is below with at least 2-3 euro of the price, what you can get from the stores for that quality and amount of honey. I'm religiously cleaning and giving him back the jars.
Stubborn Spot on Dishes? Try Salt. If you have a dish you are trying to clean with burnt food that won’t come up, sprinkling a generous amount of course salt on your sponge before scrubbing will help lift it up immensely. The abrasiveness will help scrub out the tough spot.
What course should the salt be in, though? Arts? Mathematics? Philosophy? XD
If you're bringing a book for a long trip, read the first chapter at home. Otherwise you may be stuck with a dull book and I know from experience, it will be the longest trip ever.
Or take your kindle, with, in my case at least, 400 plus books to read.
In a pinch, you can shave (your head) with conditioner. Birthed from a recent shower thought when I realized I hadn't packed shaving cream on a work trip. I shave my head daily and turns out the hotel conditioner works like a charm. Maybe even better than my regular shave cream
You can remove scratches from hardwood floors by rubbing a walnut on the scratch. Just tried it myself, works like a charm.
If you have trouble with your grocery orders getting delivered to the wrong address just add a single alcoholic beverage to the order. They are required to check your ID upon receipt of the groceries.
Or just ask for your year of birth in the UK. Or just check your address details before you order?
When searching for old work emails, start by looking in your "Sent" folder. It's impossible for this folder to be cluttered by spam and it will always contain things you replied to.
First time delivering a training or a long speech? Be sure you have a glass of water next to you
I always have a glass of water beside me, but thanks be to all the gods, I will never have to deliver a speech of any sort!
Laundry - Shake out clothes before putting them in the dryer. Shaking clothes before placing them in the dryer helps eliminate excess water, prevents wrinkles, and ensures clothes tumble freely by separating tangled fabric. This ultimately results in faster drying times.
Keeping fresh apples in the refrigerator can keep them fresh for months. If you have the room in your refrigerator, apples will keep fresh for months just sitting on a shelf or in a drawer. I don't keep them in a bag, just set them in there. Wash them off when you're ready to eat them. Make sure to check them regularly, and remove any bad ones. Buying in bulk is a good way to save money, and they will stay fresh for quite a while.
If you live in a hot country, this is what you do for all fruits & veggies. Every time.
Keep green onions and herbs like cilantro, parsley in a cup of water like freshly cut flowers
A caveat: while yes, you can have "eternal green onions" by continually keeping the bulb/roots in a glass of water and just clipping the stems that grow, eventually the plant will "wear out" (and taste bland/gross), as the plant needs nutrients found in the soil. You can keep them in water for regrowth in the short term, but it is far better to plant the bulbs/bottoms in soil if you want free green onions forever.
When negotiating salary, always wait for the employer to name a number first. You might get a higher offer than you expected.
It is easier to change someone's mind if you explain they were lied to/betrayed than saying "see, I told you so". It's so tempting to gloat when the facts are on your side. It's satisfying in the short term, but does nothing to advance your position.
Don't let the satisfaction of being right obstruct the opportunity to actually change someone's mind.
It depends, how much you are caring about of that specific person. For some colleagues and even boss, I'm taking the petty pride to say so. Especially, when I was s.ucking because of their idiot stubborness, what turned out to be wrong. What I said already months before.
Pin a note in your notes app and add things your partner mentions they like to make gift giving easier. Whenever my wife mentions she’s low on a perfume or sends me a link to something I save it in my notes app. Makes gift giving way easier and she always gets what she wants.
Use the FORD method when you don’t know what to say in conversation.
F - Family (Their S/O, kids, siblings, pets, family traditions)
O - Occupation (What do they do? How did they get into it? Where did they go to school?)
R - Recreation (What do they like to do?)
D - Dreams (Ask about their goals, dreams, and aspirations)
"Don't knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn't start a conversation if it didn't change once in a while." - Kin Hubbard
Used coffee grounds aren't trash-they're free deodorizer, scrub, and garden gold. Stop wasting money! Neutralize fridge smells (dry them first!) Mix with coconut oil for a DIY exfoliant. Sprinkle in gardens to deter slugs enrich soil. Your coffee's second act is better than most Netflix sequels.
Put cheese in your hard tacos first. If you put cheese on the bottom of the taco shell, it will melt under the heat of the meat and keep the shell together rather than explode into 1000 fragments when you bite into it.
If it didn't deliciously explode into fragments, was it really a taco?
Struggling to cancel a subscription? Select 'I’m moving to an unavailable country' and it will get instantly canceled. When canceling a subscription online, select " I'm moving to another country where this service isn't avaliable " and often. Your subscription will get instantly canceled , as they can't hassle you with random deals anymore
When reheating rice that has hardened in the microwave, place a damp paper towel over the plate and it will rehydrate. This works for any type of rice (white, brown, fried, etc) and for any dish that contains rice.
When ordering pizza for a kids party request square cut instead of standard cut. It will make the slices smaller and also add crust free slices leading to less waste.
I do this with frozen pizza. It's much less messy because the pieces are too short to flex *much*.
If you’re ever feeling overwhelmed, try writing down the 3 things you absolutely need to accomplish today, and focus only on those.
Write the date on the lid of your leftovers with a whiteboard pen to know how old they are
I write the date that I opened the bottle/packaging of groceries like milk, pasta, etc., so I know how long the container has been open :)
If your oatmeal gets stuck to the pot, turn off the heat and put a lid on it. The steam will release it
I am a microwave cook- anything that can be done in the microwave quicker/easier will be. I don't think I've ever cook porridge on the stove. I remember my mum used to most Saturdays and it was so good, but I'm too lazy to do it myself.
Store natural peanut butter upside down. The separation of oil in natural peanut butter is inevitable. However, if you store it upside down for a day before you open and stir it, most of the oil will go to the top of the jar, making it easier to integrate. After stirring, keep it stored upside down in the fridge and it will be smooth and buttery when you use it.
I have tried this but it still doesn't mix well and I ended up with so much more mess around the rim. I know Kraft/the equivalent is full of c**p but it's just not 'right' if it doesn't spread easily onto my toast.
Don't randomly drop "can I ask you something or do something" and wait for their reply. Follow it up with your quest immediately. Saying "Can I ask you something?" before actually asking just slows things down. You might even go offline before they reply, making them overthink it and causing unnecessary friction. Instead, get straight to the point-if they don't want to engage or answer, they'll let you know. It makes conversations smoother and more efficient.
This seems rude. Plus, if the person you're asking is presenting a lesson (e.g., a professor/teacher) or is trying to get through a presentation (e.g., boss or co-worker), it seems extremely rude to ask for permission and then not give a sh!t about actually getting permission. Plus, they may be on a time limit and don't have time at that moment to answer your question during the midst of their presentation/lecture. It seems common courtesy to wait for them to say "yes" after asking if you can ask a question.