Issue #64: 33 (more!) brilliant life hacks
Because you can never have too much wisdom.
Who’s your wisest friend? I think mine might be my friend Ariel. Every time I talk to her, I learn something new and incredibly helpful. She’s the one who told me nipple cream is a (highly effective) dupe for the La Neige lip mask, a weekly “wedding planning/admin” check-in with Sam would make the process far more manageable, and that the Dollar Tree is an excellent place to pick up party supplies, costume accessories, and stocking stuffers.
I thought we’d given you all of our wisdom in our first batch of life hacks — but it turns out, we’ve got more.
Whenever you’re asked to guess a number (how much money someone saved, how many miles they ran, how long they needed to wait at the DMV…), be conservative. The person asking wants to surprise you.
Get in line behind two people with full carts over four people with small ones. Every customer needs to pay, put their bags in their cart, etc. regardless of how much they’re buying, so the line with fewer people will actually move faster.
You can easily change the length of bracelets, anklets, and necklaces with jewelry extenders. I buy inexpensive ones on Amazon.
If you’re in a hurry at a restaurant, tell your server when you sit down how long you have to finish your meal. They’ll accelerate the whole process.
I have my birthday card formula dialed to a science: Dear [name], Happy birthday! I hope you have a wonderful year filled with [thing they love], [thing they love], and [thing they love]. Grateful to [know/work with/laugh with] you. It works for everyone from coworkers to in-laws and feels personal without being too intimate.
Before you buy anything new, search “[clothing item] used” to see if it’s listed on any resale sites. I’ve saved hundreds of dollars on NWT (new with tags) and NWOT (new without tags) items doing this.
When they ask you if you want to schedule your next appointment now, say yes.
Use iPhone shared notes for:
“Agendas” for your catch-ups with friends (I looove doing this, so fun)
The movies/shows/activities/etc. you want to watch/do with someone else
Grocery lists with your partner/roommate
A form of exercise you enjoy > a cheaper, quicker, more convenient option. You’re way likelier to do it regularly when you don’t dread it.
If you get recurring anxiety over whether you locked the door, turned off the stove, unplugged your curling iron, etc., take a picture of the object every time you leave the house so you have “proof” it’s okay.
Bring a nylon foldable duffel on trips so you don’t have to worry about luggage space if you go shopping. (Or, if you’re playing on expert mode, leave space for purchases in your carry-on.)
To move clothes from one closet to the next (like when you’re organizing or moving), take them out on their hangers, put them in a garbage bag so the hangers are pointing towards the bottom, rip a hole in the bottom and pull the hangers through, then tie the bottom of the bag in a knot. Now you have an easy-to-transport bag.
Always download the Kindle sample of a book before you decide to buy it. (You can do this even if you don’t have a Kindle!)
Bring Liquid IV with you when you travel. You’ll need it, whether you’re warding off a hangover or preventing dehydration on the plane.
Ask, “Do you want me to offer advice or just to listen?” any time someone vents to you. (I know we all know this, but a reminder never hurts.)
Write down the key facts about your coworkers — their hometown, partner and kid’s names, hobbies, etc. — so you don’t forget… and can ask good follow-up questions, like, “How is the job search going for James?” and “Do you have a fly-fishing expedition coming up?”
Box breathing is an effective antidote to stress.
Attack stains immediately (they're much easier to get out when they're fresh versus dried) and use cold water and laundry or dish detergent, never warm water or soap — both of which can “set” the stain.
Put a slice of bread in your brown sugar to keep it from hardening.
Speaking of bread, buy a good loaf from a local bakery, slice it up, and stick it in the freezer. Perfect for eating one slice at a time or having it in-store for unexpected guests (serve with good olive oil and balsamic vinegar!)
Get a pair of kitchen scissors (for cutting pizza slices, herbs, meat, etc.)
When you’re booking flights, always make sure the layover time is long enough by googling the airport name + “time for connection.”
Make a game of seeing how long you can use something without replacing it.
And some hacks from our (also very wise) readers…
“When stores ask for you birthday, about 1/2 the time, I give my *half birthday*, so 6 months into the year I get a little reward or treat from certain shops!” -
“There’s an AMAZING website called Inkbox where you can custom design a tattoo you’re thinking about and they’ll send it to you, and it’ll last for two weeks! (They also have designs readily available.) I designed a custom one and tried it out — it looked perfect.” -
(This would be a great source for bachelorette/bachelor/birthday party tattoos.)“I take a pic of my shipping receipts and write what they were for on the image. Then I add all of them to a folder on my phone. When I’m trying to track the status of a return, it makes it much easier to find the specific return.” -
“Buy a new perfume just before an event/activity you’re looking forward to, and wear it for the first time there. Every time I wear Aesop Tacit now I’m reminded of my ‘practice wedding,’ which was such an excellent evening surrounded by friends and love. It’s magic how one spritz can take me right back to that feeling!” -
“Mobile Passport is 100000x better than Global Entry and it’s 1) free 2) no sign up period 3) easy 4) always has a shorter line than Global Entry. I have Global Entry and NEVER USE IT because Mobile Passport is king.” -
“Create a list of go-to gifts per occasion in your notes so you don’t need to think about it when ordering something for a college grad or three-year-old birthday.” -
“Heat your travel mug with warm water then dump it out right before you put your coffee in. That way, your coffee doesn’t cool down when you put it in.” -
“Highly recommend buying essential oils and dropping it onto the wool balls to add scent to dried clothes. Makes it feel so much more luxe!” -
“Another contact notes one: Put in friends’ food allergies/preferences and addresses, so you don't have to embarrassingly ask again and again!” -
It truly takes a village, so please drop your own life hacks in the comments!
And ICYMI…
The most popular link from Monday’s Links We Sent Our Friends was my kitchen MVP, followed closely by the bodysuit Aliza bought after renting it on Nuuly.
A previous version of this post included a hack to bring old underwear/running shoes on vacation and then throw them away at the end to save room in your bag. We got a lot of great feedback in the comments about how wasteful this can be — and how easy it is to recycle old shoes and textiles — so we’ve removed it.
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Just a note to be very careful with the old underwear/shoes hacks. That can work if you're traveling to a country with equal or better waste disposal practices than your home country. It is *not* super cool if you're travelling to places less developed or more swamped with trash than your own home because you're effectively dumping trash (and the cost and long-term storage side effects of that) on people who don't have the resources to handle it. (This is a critique I've seen people, particularly people of color, voice frequently in response to this idea, so please go look for their input if you're looking for more info)
Love the rest of this list 💚
When stores ask for you birthday, about 1/2 the time, I give my *half birthday*, so 6 months into the year I get a little reward or treat from certain shops!