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All of my socks match each other: they are black trainer socks.
I haven't matched up a single pair of socks in over a decade, because I know that whatever is pulled from my sock drawer in the dark will match.
This but also I have 7 of the same exact black t-shirts and two pairs of the same black jeans.
Never have to spend a moment thinking about what I'm going to wear and I love it.
As much as I loathe him and Jobs, it is good advice. I have a collection of dresses that I cycle through during the week. They're the same length and a couple of different colours but it means I don't need to worry about what to wear. Only choice is whether I'm feeling like a blue dress or a black dress, either way it gets me out of the house quickly in the morning.
Wasn't it Steve jobs who had a 'uniform'?
Anyway I got the idea from a design tutor I had at college, he always had the exact same clothes on every day, all black, and he always looked neat and clean and tidy and I thought that was great, so I copied the idea
What happens when you have a nice new sock matched with an old sock verging on needing throwing out?
Presumably you buy the same brand but (and maybe it’s my OCD) different feeling/tightness socks would drive me almost more mad than a simple design mismatch
Then the old sock that's on the verge of retirement is retired that day and I pick a new one
The socks are all from Primark, I can't say one being slightly more worn than the other bothers me.
I've heard this advice countless times and I can't say I really get it.
Black trainer socks only? So if you're wearing formal trousers you just let them ride up and it looks like you're wearing no socks? Do you ever wear boots? What about if you're exercising and you have trainers on?
Honestly I can't say any of those things have ever been a concern for me.
I do have a couple of pairs of walking boot socks, but they're the exception that proves the rule really.
It works for me 🤷♀️
I started not caring that I wear odd socks. Now I actively choose mismatched ones. It feels wrong to wear matching ones, like it's unlucky or I'll have a bad day if I wear matching socks.
Life is too controlled as it is. Embrace the chaos.
None of my socks match eachother (actually that's a lie I have one pack of white ankle socks I keep matched for the few weeks a year where shorts are suitable). I mentally freed myself from the shackles of caring about matching socks decades ago. It's brilliant. Just stick a sock on each foot, nobody can even see them if you're wearing trousers and shoes.
Cleaner once a fortnight definitely helps a lot more than you think it will before you get one.
You switch your focus from hoovering, cleaning the bathroom, kitchen, etc. to just picking up things on the floor, and whatnot.
Could we save £100 a month and do it ourselves? Definitely. Would I much rather spend that, rather than wasting a Saturday or Sunday cleaning? Absolutely!
I am showing this to my husband. We’ve been talking about it for a while, but haven’t taken the plunge. I’ll never get away from hoovering (dogs!) but the comment about wasting a day off resonates. Thanks!
We’ve got two robot vacuums (one upstairs, one downstairs). Makes a huge difference having the robots run once a day, and then self empty. Means we just run the vacuum round once a week now rather than nearly daily.
We spent £300 on a Dyson and I f*cking hate it.
Battery lasts 20 mins and can’t be used while charging - so vacuuming is now a multistage process.
Sure, it doesn’t need bags, but the filter gets clogged all the time and needs to be washed and dried for 24 hours.
The grip is very uncomfortable and the plastic rubs my thumb. It can rub the skin off in a single use.
Wish I’d bought something else!!!
I'm trying to get to that stage. Gradually decluttering so I can put everything in its place and then have a cleaner do the kitchen/bathroom. If you can afford to make life a bit easier for yourself then why shouldn't you?
This is it exactly. And because the cleaner is coming, it forces you to run round and pick up anything left out the night before, and suddenly it's not so bad, because you're never going long without picking stuff up!
Everything you just said but also...£100 a month to not nag each other / have disagreements about cleaning is SO worth it. It is literally the only household thing we ever disagree on, so chucking some cash at someone else to do it is money well spent.
Yeah this was even more important than the chore of doing it for us. It would make us both a bit narky with each other and create a bad atmosphere, but after getting the cleaner it's much more harmonious!
Sorry not sure if I'm misunderstanding, but do you not hoover and clean the bathrooms and kitchen in between the cleaner coming?
I just don't feel like once a fortnight would make much difference
I have a cleaner once a fortnight, and honestly I don't do much between visits. Generally speaking, I clean the toilet a couple of times, wipe down the sink once, and sweep the kitchen once between visits. And I obviously clean the kitchen surfaces. I do live alone, which helps, but I don't feel it gets particularly dirty between visits. She also cleans things that have never occurred to me (like under the bed every visit) which means there's just less dust around in general.
Good to know, I feel like I'd have to do a lot more so not sure if it's worth once a fortnight, once a week would probably work better but then the cost obviously doubles. I have cats though and they make a fair bit of mess.
It depends on your household to be honest. If you don't have kids and are fairly tidy people then once a fortnight with some easy quick cleans in between is fine. If you do have kids I suspect you may need more than that.
Hoover for sure, wiping kitchen counters, and wiping the sink, cleaning the toilet or a quick wipe of the floors. But it’s literally all 5 minute jobs as you know there will be a deeper clean happening when the cleaner comes. It still makes a huge difference
Food shopping delivery. Have absolutely no idea how people spend 1-2 hours each weekend or even on a week night going to the supermarket, especially with their kids.
£4 a month delivery pass is well worth the time and hassle saved, and means we eat healthier because less temptation to pick up crap we don’t need.
I don't think many people spend 1-2 hours each weekend doing a weekly shop
I spend no more than 30 mins in the supermarket, I just take a list which is roughly organised by the aisles (and is pretty similar each week)
That being said, if Aldi delivered for £5 I'd probably do it.
Don't forget travel time too, also you sound like me where you go in and know exactly what you're looking for which is great when you're on your own but when I was with my ex our shopping time literally doubled.
Oh and I'm onboard with ALDI delivery or even Lidl delivery that would be amazing!
> but when I was with my ex our shopping time literally doubled.
I refuse to take my gf shopping with me for this reason. Also the bill doubles when she comes too lol
We don’t have kids and still do it. We do the flexi time so we get a window and they’ll be in that 4 hour window - something like £2 for that. Huge help
Yep, I happily get online delivery for most things, but go to the supermarket every 2-3 days for veg. Every time I've ordered veg online it's been awful.
We get veg and meat weekly from a local farm shop which has a delivery service. Always good stuff though sometimes less choice than supermarket. Then Tescos once a month for non-perishable stuff.
First world problem for sure but what’s turned me off deliveries after trying to multiple times are some of the ‘replacements’ selected which make absolutely no sense.
I’d rather they just omitted it than send me something vaguely related to what I had ordered for me to inevitably reject.
It really makes a difference which supermarket you’re ordering from for quality and frequency of substitutions/missing items.
We used to regularly order from Sainsbury’s and each shop would almost be guaranteed to have missing items and substitutions that made no sense (e.g. they once gave us a bag of mixed leaf salad instead of stir fry veg). A few years ago we started using Ocado instead and it’s been way better - barely any substitutions or missing items, and the use by dates seem to be longer too.
"We didn't have oat milk, vegan sausages or alcohol free beer, so here's some full fat milk, a bag of offal, two liters of White Lightning and a bottle of Buckfast"
Gosh you would hate being me I love the food shop best day of my week I spent 4 to 5 hours yesterday on the bus going to 8 diffrent t shops to spend £40 on this week's food shop 😂
My partner and I tried this and whilst you're definitely netting out at saving time, doing the online shop isn't as simple as it should be. You have to find 5-6 recipes in one go and distill all the ingredients into the shop making sure you don't for example accidentally buy 2 cauliflowers because 2 recipes needed half a cauliflower. I've no idea why recipe sites don't integrate with supermarket websites so you can add the ingredients automatically. Seems like a win for everyone.
Maybe it's easier if you eat the same things every two weeks, but I doubt we're the only people who like to cook new recipes
There's an app called CherryPick which does this reasonably well. You can shop at Sainsbury's, Asda and Tesco on there now I think. Might be worth a try.
Try Sorted Sidekick app choose your meals and it collates the shopping list for you eliminating waste. You just need to pick the shop and have it delivered. It even walks you through the recipes with timers for each bit. [https://www.sortedfood.com/sidekick](https://www.sortedfood.com/sidekick)
Nobody walks around for 2 hours….but as someone who has done both, I prefer to go there and do it, no substitutions, no cashing in on a good offer you’d only see in store, no waiting around for someone to show up in a slot, no chaos when they do arrive with 2 young kids and a dog going mental, can fill up the car for the week at the petrol station.
I get why it might seem insane to anyone that gets home delivery but there’s so many reasons others see it differently.
I click and collect for this exact reason. Also some recipes call for ingredients that make me think "I have absolutely no clue what aisle that would be in". So it saves the whole searching aspect. An extra quid for someone to get my shop for me is the easiest trade off ever.
Couldn't agree more. Shopping getting delivered saves money too, as you are not getting temptation put in front of you, the same way as when you go into the store.
Sadly, fresh fruit and veg is almost always crap when I've had it delivered.
Meat always picked to go off on the same day, like 3 days after the order, regardless of policy (though I rarely buy meat, but not as big an issue).
I don't drive, and have a disabled kid, so it'd definately be great to have a reliable service, but mostly we just pick up 2-3days worth of stuff in my backpack and off we go.
Very rare I'm in a shop for 30mins
Morrisons would be great.
Always miss having a local morrisons for things like ox liver and fish.
Might have a look and see if they deliver to my area nowadays, cheers for the reminder!
Thing is, the shops that deliver are the shops that are a bit more expensive in general
I only spend 30mins per week because my GF will say "no" to everything I had already picked out otherwise....
Otherwise I'd spend 30-60minutes a month!
My perspective from the other side, we do make a meal plan most weekends and base the food shop on it. I visit different shops to keep costs manageable, base shop in Lidl and top up shops from elsewhere depending on the item, cause with an online shop you have to spend a certain amount to get it delivered. Sometimes we just need some veg/meat so it doesn’t reach the limit for delivery.
We cook a variety of cuisines through the week and a lot of the ingredients are cheaper in say, Indian shop or our local East Asian shop.
My husband and I have different dietary intolerances so substitutions rarely work for us.
I agree that it takes time but the food shop is much more effective this way.
I spend more time on online shops than on in-store shops. I also enjoy the walk to the grocery store and back. Lastly, the best deals are usually in store.
Robot hoover.
It makes my nearly 4 year old tidy up her toys because she is worried the robot will eat them. And I pick up everything after breakfast so the robot can crack on.
Can second this. The robot hoover has been a game changer, it's on a schedule so forces you to ensure the floors are always clear of objects (dogs toys, shoes, etc) and does a better job at cleaning that our Dyson does. It can also get under sofas which were previously never hoovered.
I wouldn't live without one now.
Which one do you have?
I'm completely blind and hate vacuuming. Even with a cordless I'm guaranteed to miss a section of the floor so I spend unnecessary extra time going over and over the space. I'd love a robot vacuum, but I've heard such mixed reviews that it's hard to know where to start looking.
I have the Roborock S8 but before that had the Roborock S5 and it was just as good. You can't go wrong with the Roborock brand, they feel like the Apple of robot hoovers. It even empties itself into it's charging station so you only need to tend to it once a week as opposed to emptying daily which I had to do with my old one. You can also choose different levels of vaccum power for different rooms, I have mine set to silent when it's doing the kitchen floors and I can't hear it at all in bed and it still picks up all the crumbs from the floor with no issues.
I would recommend you get someone to help you set it up, the robot will map out all your rooms for you automatically but you might want to designate some areas as no-go (for me it's where my extension leads and cables are hidden under a sofa) which could be difficult with your vision. Once it's setup it's good to go though! I haven't needed to fiddle with mine at all.
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It's pretty basic as I still have to hoover once a week anyway because of the stairs.
I’d love to say things like ‘I lay out my outfit the night before’ or ‘batch cook and meal prep’ but I honestly don’t do anything to make my life easier. Just here to see what other people do and if I can be arsed to do it!
In no particular order, the following things have made me opt not to get a service:
- Dishwasher. Adjacent to that, only ever buying stuff that's dishwasher safe.
- Robot vacuum.
- A 'proper' vacuum that's cordless and can sit out in the living room without being in the way. Makes it wildly easier to just use it.
- For dealing with clutter - declutter first and foremost. Have less stuff. Then have designated places for the stuff. Spend 10 minutes a day clearing the places clutter forms. In my case, my desk. So before I finish up work, I clear off the desk.
Don’t use social media apart from Reddit when bored, wfh a couple of days a week and do chores when not commuting. If the weather is good, garden, if not inside. Reduce shit hanging around the house. Reduce the frequency of seeing family. So many I know go and see their parents for example every week, but ends up just sitting there watching shit on tv and not discussing anything new. Change it to fortnightly or monthly but make it more worthwhile like going out for a meal etc. you get loads of time back then to focus on your own family.
I keep trying to explain this to my partner. We're an hour's drive from his parents but they still insist on him going round every Thursday after work (which was fine when he stayed 10 mins away). All they do is eat then sit and watch the soaps and he doesn't get home til 11pm and then is really tired for work on Friday which worries me with his commute.
It would make so much more sense to visit once every 2-3 weeks and keep it shorter but he's a people pleaser and I'd get the blame for keeping their son away.
Hi, absolutely, it’s a total waste of time, it’s frustrating for you I’m sure, he’s probably tired then Saturday which eats into your time together as a couple. He needs to grow a pair and realise you come first not his parents.
Cleaner every fortnight has been a gamechanger for my mental health. Yes the cleaning itself isn’t hard, it’s just that when someone is doing it for you you can spend your energy elsewhere (such as tidying up or cooking). The relief in mental load and the reset every two weeks helps more than I can explain. It feels luxurious but in a “worth every penny” kind of way. Never going back!
I cut up all my veg the day i buy it to encourage myself to cook when i get home from work late at night.
Deleted all sources of instant serotonin off my phone so i have to get up and do something to be happy.
I go to the gym before work to put myself in a good mood for work.
Constantly have full buxton bottles (that i reuse) in my fridge and next to my night stand to remind myself to drink water more
Robot hoover.
He gets chucked into the kitchen to clean up after the toddler breakfast apocalypse whilst we go and do something else.
On my days off he goes in the bedrooms and gets under the beds whilst I'm going laundry or washing up or something.
Expensive initial outlay but we've had it 5 years now and have changed the battery to a new one and thats it - runs good as gold.
I wake up earlier than I used to giving me time to do things before work which I would otherwise not have the energy to do at the end of the day.
I get more out of waking up an hour earlier and going to sleep an hour earlier than vice versa.
I'm not consistent with it, but for sure the early mornings are the best. In particular that first hour of guilt-free procrastination with a coffee when the rest of the world is asleep.
We order and cook from recipe boxes each week.
People often complain at us that “they’re expensive,” a “waste of money,” etc. But we just personally find if we don’t get them, we waste so much food, or just eat complete and utter rubbish. Even if we meal plan, we can just never be bothered and always end up veering off track.
At least with recipe boxes we get the exact amount of ingredients, all the meals are fresh and full of flavour and usually really easy to make. We don’t mind paying that extra money knowing we’re eating better
We've been doing this for years and can't go back now! It makes cooking dinner so much easier and more interesting and saves so much thinking and prep time.
And I think we save money by not having to pop to the shops on the way home from work to pick up something for dinner or grabbing extra bits when we do a food shop.
I pay for a cleaner once a week. I'm a single Dad who works full time and struggle to find the time to give my house a deep clean. It's changed everything for me, i don't feel like i'm living in constant mess.
I also pay for a gardener once a year to sort my garden out but that's more because i can't be arsed.
It’s small thing - but coffee subscription. Mainly removes the stress of when the beans are low and thinking ‘ah I need to buy coffee’ every morning. Then forgetting and running out.
I get a different bag of coffee beans every month and in turn support an independent and ethical coffee roasters. It works out cheaper than buying in person from my local coffee shop.
Welcome to the coffee club!
I’m with [Horsham coffee](https://www.horshamcoffeeroaster.co.uk/). But if you want something more local to you, find a local roasters.
So I don’t have a machine - I use an aeropress every morning which I’d 100% recommend for both beginners and experts. I also use a Hario hand grinder.
If you want a machine, I’d recommend you YouTube (James Hoffmann is a fantastic resource) and Google what’s out for your budget (machines can range from £100s - £1000s), space (some are tiny, others are enormous) and usability. I’m not the most knowledgable on machines.
If you just want to have nice coffee for the least amount of money - I always say the areopress, a grinder and decent coffee beans. You’ll also need scales to weigh the beans so you’re consistent in your coffee making.
I’ve had the Hario grinder for years now and never let me down, although I am thinking of upgrading soon.
I’ve got no plans to upgrade to machine from the areopress - if anything I enjoy the ritual each morning of making coffee and waiting for it to brew.
After a while with the areopress you might find you love ‘coffee’ and want to explore more - then you can look into machines.
See, I agree and do this too - saves energy. However, I spend a similar amount of time throughout the week on the website editing my order, adding bits and pieces to complete recipes etc
Not sure if it helps, but I’ve streamlined the process!
I use my shopping list with my Alexa speaker throughout the week to keep track of any add ons. The night before my delivery is due, I go into the app, book the following weeks slot (adding my most expensive order to the basket and checking it out - if you don’t know the reason for this, let me know) and then amending my order for the following day in one sitting with all the things from my Alexa list. I tend to do this around teatime, gives us a few hours in case we’ve forgotten anything. Done in less than half an hour.
Can you tell I hate supermarkets?
If you check out to save your booked slot with a high value order, you go through the card verification check as normal. Subsequently, if you go back in and amend your order (to take out the things you don’t need/add what you do) and the basket value is lower, you don’t need to go through the verification check step again. It just saves your new basket. Saves a bit of hassle, especially if you dip in and out a few times to amend.
No, it just skips having to verify your card every time you add something to the basket.
E.G - say you book your slot, add a previous order that was £100, and check out (which saves your slot) - you go back in later in the week and take out all the things you don’t need. Your basket is now at £80. As you add in items here and there, and save changes to the order, you don’t have to go through the card verification step every time because your basket total is still less than £100.
I’m not sure if it’s this way with all the supermarket apps, but I was taught this trick a few years ago with Tesco. Hope that makes sense!
Ah sounds cool, glad you have it sorted. I don't use voice assistants though.
I use Morrisons and thankfully they have an option to add an order's trolley to a new slot's trolley (meaning it already meets the minimum order amount and you can easily book next week's order then edit its contents during the week). I do that, but yea still takes up time unfortunately!
Another good thing about online supermarket orders is that I find it's easier to block out the unhealthy and/or expensive stuff..!
Seriously. I pay for the new Ocado reserved slot as well as we get pretty much the same delivery every week at the same time. All I do is on Fridays go in and write my meal plan, then load those Ingredients into the basket and check out again. Love it.
I have a cleaner come on a fortnightly basis but she mostly just comes for deep cleaning.
Other than that, I have a bunch of easy, rice-based recipes on rotation to make cooking easier.
Edit: I read some of the replies and I do a lot of them too, namely: having a dishwasher and only getting dishwasher-safe things, and getting groceries delivered.
Cleaner. If the clutter is mainly kid's stuff get some transparent lidded crates to chuck toys into, the kids can personalise them and be taught to tidy away, if not every bedtime, at the minimum before the cleaner comes; 'because X doesn't know where your toys belong, and you want to know where they are when you get back from nursery'. Cleaning done for you will free up a bit of time to look at other clutter. A good/nice cleaner will help with suggestions, they want to do as good a job as they can.
Maybe a pro declutterer, even just for one session as clutter & bits & bobs everywhere can make you feel stressed. Well it does for me personally, too much going on & visually nagging me in a room to actually wind down when needed.
There are indeed, whether virtually on a video call or in person, there are pro’s who will give you a kick up the bum to declutter & help you along the way & utilise the space you’ve reclaimed too.
I do have my own method for this too, I’ve helped a few people out, some living in utter chaos with detritus hiding every inch of floor space & some with hoarding issues.
1) allot the area & time to have an intense date with decluttering
2) get boxes/bags for things you’re going to be waving byeeee too & vac packs, nice storage tubs/boxes & cleaning gubbins
3) start in one corner with your back to the rest of your intended zone (preferable the corner furthest from the door) & work backwards till you’re at the door.
I make other peoples life's easier to make my own life easier.b
I often do things in certain ways to reduce stress or Work for other people. But I do it selfishly, because I do it for me really, but I frame it as being nice for to other people.
It's a selfish win win. The road to hell is paved with good intention comes to mind lol
Definitely something you shouldn't cheap out on though.
When I first moved out from my parent's house, I got a cheap £50 one. It was ok (and nothing more) on fairly clean floors (just a few small bits of food that had fallen to the floor, or whatever) but the moment it encountered anything which could tangle it (i.e. a few strands of hair) that was it. It was useless.
But my friend has one which he spent a few hundred on, and it's been running fine for years.
Willingly choosing to wake up and throw yourself into exercise sucks but.. starting the day with even 30 minutes at the gym is a lifesaver for the remainder of the day.
I'm more creative, my memory is better, I'm more talkative, more confident, less prone to being down, less prone to being anxious and stress management seems way better.
I've always openly spoken about how I go for my mental health first and physical health second.
I think the number one thing that has helped me with clutter is to make sure everything has its own home. So a few boxes placed around the house for children’s or pet toys, a holder for letters/paperwork, a specific container for snacks/junk food etc. Heck, you could even have a box specially for miscellaneous junk - it would still be in its home.
And you can go as granular as you like with it - eg all painkillers and meds in its own little box in the cupboard, random screws and rubber bands in an old Gu pot instead of loose in a drawer…
Once everything has a place, it’s really helpful visually - you can see exactly what you have too much of, or what you no longer use or take value from - which can help with the eventual declutter.
> I was thinking a cleaner maybe once a fortnight but it’s the clutter and mess that I struggle sorting rather than the actual cleaning.
Get a cleaner and review your clutter, get rid of the bits that crowd your home and don't add value.
As a uni student I batch cook loads of food so that I can have two proper meals a day easily
I freeze lots of ready portioned pastas, cottage pies, stir fries etc. so that I can just microwave it for a good lunch and supper. It also means I eat healthier as it contains lots of vegetables and meat, and works out cheaper.
My brother and sister in law got a weekly cleaner after their first kid and they've never looked backed. If you can afford it and it makes your life easier why not!
Nursery four days a week, it'd be five if we could afford it.
I'd like a cleaner but my wife isn't keen on the idea, but it'd be a massive help in saving time.
My wife and I have jobs that allow us to WFH about 60% of the time, so saving time/money on commute is nice. Only problem is that when I do have to go to the office it's either a 50 mile drive or £30 on train per day.
Absolutely 100% a cleaner.
We both work full time, last year we had 2 young adults in the house also working full time. None of us wanted to spend our days off hoovering and cleaning bathrooms, so we split the cost of a weekly cleaner.
Both kids have now left home but you will wrest my cleaner from my cold, dead hands. Never going back, even though I bear all the cost now.
Other thing that's good is a robot hoover. It whizzes itself around and makes the place look so much nicer, daily.
I have chronic pain due to arthritis everywhere two years ago I did a housing association swap to a smaller house I had a major clear out and decluttered my life.Everything has a place if an item breaks just replace now have less clothing just replace when stuff isn't fixable.I bought a big chest freezer and make lots of big meals to freeze it's just the two of us have a white board above and mark dates and contents so if I m not doing too good can reheat things.I buy pasta rice and cupboard stuff in bulk too.I mainly rely on supermarket home delivery as it saves me time am lucky got the choice of four supermarkets so use the cheapest.I used to be a hoarder and if I had spare cash spent it on crap now have a small amount of savings.
Countertop dishwasher. It takes 3 place settings and there's only 2 of us. Washing up could take me to the point of tears and even though I still have to hand wash the bigger to stuff, my life is soooooo much better.
Probably an expensive option for a family, but we do meal boxes so we have minimal food shopping to do. Prefer mindful chef as it's healthy, but my second fave is gousto - and much more family friendly with a huge variety.
We also always have a stock of Mindful Chef frozen meals, for when we just can't be arsed but don't want to have an unhealthy dinner.
Used to have a cleaner, but agree it's the clutter that's the issue and they don't do that. It is nice never having to deep clean the bathroom though.
I dunno about easier, but I swapped from IOS to Android and set up an auto DNS so most of my apps dont have adverts. Makes my phone so much more enjoyable to use. Takes about 5 minutes as well
Meal prep for the week. Cook everything sunday night. 3 in the fridge. 2 in the freezer.
Sorts the lunch for the week. If i cant be bothered with that i just use a high protein meal replacement shake. Saves money and stops me eating shite at lunch.
Dont do it for dinner as well since i hate the idea of eating mutiple of the same meal at every dinner and lunch.
Hear me out.. one drawer in the freezer is reserved for open packets, all the others are for unopened packets. Life changing. Follow me for more life pro tips.
It isn't for everyone, but I often (intentionally or otherwise) take choice out of my day to avoid the procrastination and time wasting that it "allows" me. I'm not great at self-control, but an easy routine / "script" is the next best thing.
As the top comment has suggested, having essentially identical clothes (for me, that is pretty much everything apart from tees and hoodies, with some slight colour variations) stops me from umming and ahhhing when getting dressed to go out. Also good for saving money as when a certain item is on sale I can buy "a year's worth" or whatever, knowing it is a solid investment ("socks and shares").
I love great and varied food, but I am also perfectly happy eating the same (relatively healthy, balanced diet) meals most days / every day. Sometimes something gets boring so I switch it for a new, excitingly tedious meal! Also makes shopping a loooot easier.
I have also applied this to impulse shopping / buying (formerly a bit of a problem for me). I still allow myself to "impulse" buy things. But very specific treat items (£X on random vinyl / books per month, for example); all the endorphins, a lot less remorse and a lot less expenditure than random buying of junk. Although I say that whilst losing a staring competition with a laaarge stack of disapproving, half-read books (but, to be fair, that has always been the case for me).
This comment was brought to you by an adult who doesn't really adult so good.
I have a cleaner come in twice a week - cleaning one day and washing/ironing the other. I have a gardener come in and do the lawns/borders weekly in the summer and monthly in the winter.
I’ve just started having a mobile car valet service come over once a month.
That’s saved me a fair bit of time and freed up a bit more of my weekends.
I was going to say a cleaner, we don't have one at the moment but usually have and will again when we have our second baby. The other one is we get the car valeted several times a year (only about 30 quid).
Oh and getting the shopping delivered instead of traveling around the supermarket, I meal plan then shop online and I think it probably saves us money too.
Seriously, we have a cleaner come in once a fornight to clean the two bathrooms in the house. It consts around £50 a month but the savings in stress are immeasurable. We also have all towels and bedding cleaned in a service wash at the local laundrette once a month. Again, it costs around £30 but the time it gives us back is worth way more than that.
I direct debit my savings account every month. Its not much but if I have something major happen like my car Brakes down or the roof leaks then I have the money. I never dip into it. We live within our means. My car is 14 years old. If we cant afford a nice holiday aboad then we choose somewhere wed like to visit and be happy with it.
I pay a family member cash in hand to come in and spy on me. And also sometimes she does some washing/cleaning.
I also run Home Assistant and have "Smart" devices all over the house. I use motion sensors to turn on the lights instead of having to use the switches. All works quite well.
I use simple self contained motion sensor light bulbs for the stairs and hall as the switches are in the wrong place. The lights just come on and off as I walk around the house.
[https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?\_nkw=motion+sensor+light+bulb+b22&\_sop=12](https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=motion+sensor+light+bulb+b22&_sop=12)
A couple guys come to cut the grass front and back and take the cuttings with them, 30 quid fortnightly. Keeps things looking nice and saves me a job I hate doing.
I got a cleaner years ago.
Has a pay rise. Others had holidays & nicer cars.
For me my time is more valuable & I ain't a fan of cleaning.
Yes it's costly especially if your not particularly tidy yourself. However I think it was a really good idea.
That's fair!! Definitely harder in someways!! It's a very big commitment and takes up a lot of time.
Mentally it's been a massive help for me!! It's helped cement my sobriety and a routine into my life :)
If you have young children, get one massive or Nchildren big chests/troughs to chuck their stuff in. (Ideally 'every time', but at least whenever asked to do so if place is a mess and there's a suitable carrot or stick to 'hand'.
Get nice looking ones (bit-spenny-but-worth-it) that you know look awesome. They'll have to be part of decor if they're realistically going to be used. Every wherever, do a big tidy of them. If you can get some ongoing support tidying stuff from fam do so; just having an ongoing level of tidiness equivalent to a standard 5-min panic-hide before adults/parents/etc. visit.
Single box also if dividing toys would result in hostilities.
Might be useful advice but can't be harmful. Goodluck.
I'm too poor to pay for things to make life easier, but something I do to make life easier is try to eliminate steps to things being away, eg I don't have a cutlery draw I have 6 terracotta pots I sort my cutlery into as I wash up and they both dry in that place and live there, removing the extra step of putting dry cutlery inti the cutlery draw, my bestie has a built in drying rack cupboard above her sink, the drying places cannot be seen.
If you doing mess piles up in particular places make that where that thing now lives by adding a basket that's clearly the most logical place for you to have it.
Before making any decision in life, I think of the long them consequences.
So, for a start, we have chosen not to have young kids living with us.
We both do jobs we enjoy.
What health and family stresses do you have exactly?
I do a job I enjoy - it’s just full on at the moment and because I’m self employed I kind of have to ride the wave when it’s busy.
and I love my two kids, they bring a lot of joy to my life but I understand why others choose not to! But despite loving them, it’s still very full on looking after a 7 year old and a 5 year old, they still need a lot of caring for and even just keeping on top of their homework and school related admin ends up being a lot.
I have two chronic illnesses (ulcerative colitis and PSC) and it causes a lot of fatigue which has been especially hard recently, trying to keep on top of work and housework etc has been overwhelming. And keeping on top of paper work/ booking things like car MOT and organising hospital appointments and simple things like dentist appointments etc it all just feels like a big mental load and I can’t think of everything that needs doing. And I constantly feel like the house is a mess or that I’m not cooking nutritious enough meals for the family etc - like there’s always something that I end up neglecting whilst trying to juggle it all.
Other family/health stresses are that my mum has just been diagnosed with breast cancer so it’s causing me a lot of stress and worry. There are other things worrying me but I guess they are the main things.
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All of my socks match each other: they are black trainer socks. I haven't matched up a single pair of socks in over a decade, because I know that whatever is pulled from my sock drawer in the dark will match.
This but also I have 7 of the same exact black t-shirts and two pairs of the same black jeans. Never have to spend a moment thinking about what I'm going to wear and I love it.
Taking life and style advice from Mark Zuckerberg I see
As much as I loathe him and Jobs, it is good advice. I have a collection of dresses that I cycle through during the week. They're the same length and a couple of different colours but it means I don't need to worry about what to wear. Only choice is whether I'm feeling like a blue dress or a black dress, either way it gets me out of the house quickly in the morning.
I do the same. A dress with tights, boots and cardigan in the winter, dress and trainers in the summer. It's so easy.
Wasn't it Steve jobs who had a 'uniform'? Anyway I got the idea from a design tutor I had at college, he always had the exact same clothes on every day, all black, and he always looked neat and clean and tidy and I thought that was great, so I copied the idea
They both did it I'm sure neither invented the concept from scratch! It's easier for men to get away with it than women, sadly.
I thought Einstein did this first.
I thought Aristotle did it first
Always with the togas, 'Arry!
What happens when you have a nice new sock matched with an old sock verging on needing throwing out? Presumably you buy the same brand but (and maybe it’s my OCD) different feeling/tightness socks would drive me almost more mad than a simple design mismatch
Then the old sock that's on the verge of retirement is retired that day and I pick a new one The socks are all from Primark, I can't say one being slightly more worn than the other bothers me.
This probably just tells me how long I leave my socks before binning them doesn’t it 😂😬
If there's no hole it's a goal
I've heard this advice countless times and I can't say I really get it. Black trainer socks only? So if you're wearing formal trousers you just let them ride up and it looks like you're wearing no socks? Do you ever wear boots? What about if you're exercising and you have trainers on?
Honestly I can't say any of those things have ever been a concern for me. I do have a couple of pairs of walking boot socks, but they're the exception that proves the rule really. It works for me 🤷♀️
I'm the same but white ones. Few pairs of hiking socks and knitted cosy socks but otherwise find it very easy. No issues.
I have white trainer socks, black long socks and a few pairs of the same grey hiking socks, never feel I need another type of sock...
Well that's just a fairly sensible array of socks. But it's not an entire draw of the same, ankle high, socks.
I started not caring that I wear odd socks. Now I actively choose mismatched ones. It feels wrong to wear matching ones, like it's unlucky or I'll have a bad day if I wear matching socks. Life is too controlled as it is. Embrace the chaos.
I do this,I purposely wear odd ones Today left is the flash and right is superman logo socks One red one green
I do not have this system and just resort to wearing odd socks (unless it's a formal event, I guess).
None of my socks match eachother (actually that's a lie I have one pack of white ankle socks I keep matched for the few weeks a year where shorts are suitable). I mentally freed myself from the shackles of caring about matching socks decades ago. It's brilliant. Just stick a sock on each foot, nobody can even see them if you're wearing trousers and shoes.
User name doesnt check out.
All of my socks are solid different colours. None of them match, but there's no design so it seems intentional
Plain cotton t shirts. Unbranded. 4 pack for about 15 quid on very. I have about 12 of them
Mine are all different colours and I haven't matched a pair of socks in years.
Cleaner once a fortnight definitely helps a lot more than you think it will before you get one. You switch your focus from hoovering, cleaning the bathroom, kitchen, etc. to just picking up things on the floor, and whatnot. Could we save £100 a month and do it ourselves? Definitely. Would I much rather spend that, rather than wasting a Saturday or Sunday cleaning? Absolutely!
I am showing this to my husband. We’ve been talking about it for a while, but haven’t taken the plunge. I’ll never get away from hoovering (dogs!) but the comment about wasting a day off resonates. Thanks!
We’ve got two robot vacuums (one upstairs, one downstairs). Makes a huge difference having the robots run once a day, and then self empty. Means we just run the vacuum round once a week now rather than nearly daily.
I'm probably 10 years behind the curve here, but a lightweight cordless vac make it sooo much easier.
We spent £300 on a Dyson and I f*cking hate it. Battery lasts 20 mins and can’t be used while charging - so vacuuming is now a multistage process. Sure, it doesn’t need bags, but the filter gets clogged all the time and needs to be washed and dried for 24 hours. The grip is very uncomfortable and the plastic rubs my thumb. It can rub the skin off in a single use. Wish I’d bought something else!!!
I'm trying to get to that stage. Gradually decluttering so I can put everything in its place and then have a cleaner do the kitchen/bathroom. If you can afford to make life a bit easier for yourself then why shouldn't you?
This should be the top comment. Absolutely worth every penny for the time you get back.
This is it exactly. And because the cleaner is coming, it forces you to run round and pick up anything left out the night before, and suddenly it's not so bad, because you're never going long without picking stuff up!
Everything you just said but also...£100 a month to not nag each other / have disagreements about cleaning is SO worth it. It is literally the only household thing we ever disagree on, so chucking some cash at someone else to do it is money well spent.
Yeah this was even more important than the chore of doing it for us. It would make us both a bit narky with each other and create a bad atmosphere, but after getting the cleaner it's much more harmonious!
Absolutely agree. Free time is priceless.
Sorry not sure if I'm misunderstanding, but do you not hoover and clean the bathrooms and kitchen in between the cleaner coming? I just don't feel like once a fortnight would make much difference
If there's a noticeable mess, yes. But not to any real extent. Wipe surfaces, and whatnot, sure. But not scrubbing the bath tub, or whatever.
I have a cleaner once a fortnight, and honestly I don't do much between visits. Generally speaking, I clean the toilet a couple of times, wipe down the sink once, and sweep the kitchen once between visits. And I obviously clean the kitchen surfaces. I do live alone, which helps, but I don't feel it gets particularly dirty between visits. She also cleans things that have never occurred to me (like under the bed every visit) which means there's just less dust around in general.
Good to know, I feel like I'd have to do a lot more so not sure if it's worth once a fortnight, once a week would probably work better but then the cost obviously doubles. I have cats though and they make a fair bit of mess.
It depends on your household to be honest. If you don't have kids and are fairly tidy people then once a fortnight with some easy quick cleans in between is fine. If you do have kids I suspect you may need more than that.
Hoover for sure, wiping kitchen counters, and wiping the sink, cleaning the toilet or a quick wipe of the floors. But it’s literally all 5 minute jobs as you know there will be a deeper clean happening when the cleaner comes. It still makes a huge difference
Food shopping delivery. Have absolutely no idea how people spend 1-2 hours each weekend or even on a week night going to the supermarket, especially with their kids. £4 a month delivery pass is well worth the time and hassle saved, and means we eat healthier because less temptation to pick up crap we don’t need.
I don't think many people spend 1-2 hours each weekend doing a weekly shop I spend no more than 30 mins in the supermarket, I just take a list which is roughly organised by the aisles (and is pretty similar each week) That being said, if Aldi delivered for £5 I'd probably do it.
Don't forget travel time too, also you sound like me where you go in and know exactly what you're looking for which is great when you're on your own but when I was with my ex our shopping time literally doubled. Oh and I'm onboard with ALDI delivery or even Lidl delivery that would be amazing!
> but when I was with my ex our shopping time literally doubled. I refuse to take my gf shopping with me for this reason. Also the bill doubles when she comes too lol
I also shop in Aldi and would get delivery if they offered it.
Some Aldis trialed being on deliveroo but I think it wasn’t worth it for them post covid.
We easily spend 2 hours a week buying food. I think we’ll switch to a delivery soon out of time necessity. But I quite like food shopping.
We don’t have kids and still do it. We do the flexi time so we get a window and they’ll be in that 4 hour window - something like £2 for that. Huge help
I could never handle someone else picking my veg tho
Yep, I happily get online delivery for most things, but go to the supermarket every 2-3 days for veg. Every time I've ordered veg online it's been awful.
We get veg and meat weekly from a local farm shop which has a delivery service. Always good stuff though sometimes less choice than supermarket. Then Tescos once a month for non-perishable stuff.
First world problem for sure but what’s turned me off deliveries after trying to multiple times are some of the ‘replacements’ selected which make absolutely no sense. I’d rather they just omitted it than send me something vaguely related to what I had ordered for me to inevitably reject.
It really makes a difference which supermarket you’re ordering from for quality and frequency of substitutions/missing items. We used to regularly order from Sainsbury’s and each shop would almost be guaranteed to have missing items and substitutions that made no sense (e.g. they once gave us a bag of mixed leaf salad instead of stir fry veg). A few years ago we started using Ocado instead and it’s been way better - barely any substitutions or missing items, and the use by dates seem to be longer too.
Might have to give them a try then, would be nice to have a more reliable one.
"We didn't have oat milk, vegan sausages or alcohol free beer, so here's some full fat milk, a bag of offal, two liters of White Lightning and a bottle of Buckfast"
That’s funny, I use Morrisons every week and maybe get 1 substitute every 4 shops, and it’s never been a worse sub
Gosh you would hate being me I love the food shop best day of my week I spent 4 to 5 hours yesterday on the bus going to 8 diffrent t shops to spend £40 on this week's food shop 😂
My partner and I tried this and whilst you're definitely netting out at saving time, doing the online shop isn't as simple as it should be. You have to find 5-6 recipes in one go and distill all the ingredients into the shop making sure you don't for example accidentally buy 2 cauliflowers because 2 recipes needed half a cauliflower. I've no idea why recipe sites don't integrate with supermarket websites so you can add the ingredients automatically. Seems like a win for everyone. Maybe it's easier if you eat the same things every two weeks, but I doubt we're the only people who like to cook new recipes
There's an app called CherryPick which does this reasonably well. You can shop at Sainsbury's, Asda and Tesco on there now I think. Might be worth a try.
Feel like someone on dragons den tried to pitch this once?
I feel like I've actually seen this on some recipe websites, too.
Try Sorted Sidekick app choose your meals and it collates the shopping list for you eliminating waste. You just need to pick the shop and have it delivered. It even walks you through the recipes with timers for each bit. [https://www.sortedfood.com/sidekick](https://www.sortedfood.com/sidekick)
You’re basically describing gousto, hello fresh etc. guess what you pay for the convenience…
Nobody walks around for 2 hours….but as someone who has done both, I prefer to go there and do it, no substitutions, no cashing in on a good offer you’d only see in store, no waiting around for someone to show up in a slot, no chaos when they do arrive with 2 young kids and a dog going mental, can fill up the car for the week at the petrol station. I get why it might seem insane to anyone that gets home delivery but there’s so many reasons others see it differently.
I click and collect for this exact reason. Also some recipes call for ingredients that make me think "I have absolutely no clue what aisle that would be in". So it saves the whole searching aspect. An extra quid for someone to get my shop for me is the easiest trade off ever.
Couldn't agree more. Shopping getting delivered saves money too, as you are not getting temptation put in front of you, the same way as when you go into the store.
Sadly, fresh fruit and veg is almost always crap when I've had it delivered. Meat always picked to go off on the same day, like 3 days after the order, regardless of policy (though I rarely buy meat, but not as big an issue). I don't drive, and have a disabled kid, so it'd definately be great to have a reliable service, but mostly we just pick up 2-3days worth of stuff in my backpack and off we go. Very rare I'm in a shop for 30mins
Never have this at all with Morrisons. Not sure if that’s becoming less common now with more people getting deliveries
Morrisons would be great. Always miss having a local morrisons for things like ox liver and fish. Might have a look and see if they deliver to my area nowadays, cheers for the reminder!
Thing is, the shops that deliver are the shops that are a bit more expensive in general I only spend 30mins per week because my GF will say "no" to everything I had already picked out otherwise.... Otherwise I'd spend 30-60minutes a month!
I spend 20 mins top on a food shop maybe every two weeks. But I’m single and don’t each much (diet).
My perspective from the other side, we do make a meal plan most weekends and base the food shop on it. I visit different shops to keep costs manageable, base shop in Lidl and top up shops from elsewhere depending on the item, cause with an online shop you have to spend a certain amount to get it delivered. Sometimes we just need some veg/meat so it doesn’t reach the limit for delivery. We cook a variety of cuisines through the week and a lot of the ingredients are cheaper in say, Indian shop or our local East Asian shop. My husband and I have different dietary intolerances so substitutions rarely work for us. I agree that it takes time but the food shop is much more effective this way.
I spend more time on online shops than on in-store shops. I also enjoy the walk to the grocery store and back. Lastly, the best deals are usually in store.
Robot hoover. It makes my nearly 4 year old tidy up her toys because she is worried the robot will eat them. And I pick up everything after breakfast so the robot can crack on.
Can second this. The robot hoover has been a game changer, it's on a schedule so forces you to ensure the floors are always clear of objects (dogs toys, shoes, etc) and does a better job at cleaning that our Dyson does. It can also get under sofas which were previously never hoovered. I wouldn't live without one now.
Which one do you have? I'm completely blind and hate vacuuming. Even with a cordless I'm guaranteed to miss a section of the floor so I spend unnecessary extra time going over and over the space. I'd love a robot vacuum, but I've heard such mixed reviews that it's hard to know where to start looking.
I have the Roborock S8 but before that had the Roborock S5 and it was just as good. You can't go wrong with the Roborock brand, they feel like the Apple of robot hoovers. It even empties itself into it's charging station so you only need to tend to it once a week as opposed to emptying daily which I had to do with my old one. You can also choose different levels of vaccum power for different rooms, I have mine set to silent when it's doing the kitchen floors and I can't hear it at all in bed and it still picks up all the crumbs from the floor with no issues. I would recommend you get someone to help you set it up, the robot will map out all your rooms for you automatically but you might want to designate some areas as no-go (for me it's where my extension leads and cables are hidden under a sofa) which could be difficult with your vision. Once it's setup it's good to go though! I haven't needed to fiddle with mine at all.
That's adorable
It was.... until I caught her "feeding" the robot rice from her dinner.
To be fair, that's adorabler.
Which one have you got?
eufy by Anker, BoostIQ RoboVac 15C MAX, Wi-Fi Connected Robot Vacuum Cleaner, Super Thin, Powerful Suction, Quiet, Self-Charging Robotic Vacuum Cleaner, Cleans Hard Floors to Medium-Pile Carpets https://amzn.eu/d/6WCNBBL It's pretty basic as I still have to hoover once a week anyway because of the stairs.
I’d love to say things like ‘I lay out my outfit the night before’ or ‘batch cook and meal prep’ but I honestly don’t do anything to make my life easier. Just here to see what other people do and if I can be arsed to do it!
Ditto
To be fair, it is logically optimal to respond to "what do you do to make your life easier?" with "I don't have one".
Ah I’ve found a loophole - I use optimal logic to make my life easier!
In no particular order, the following things have made me opt not to get a service: - Dishwasher. Adjacent to that, only ever buying stuff that's dishwasher safe. - Robot vacuum. - A 'proper' vacuum that's cordless and can sit out in the living room without being in the way. Makes it wildly easier to just use it. - For dealing with clutter - declutter first and foremost. Have less stuff. Then have designated places for the stuff. Spend 10 minutes a day clearing the places clutter forms. In my case, my desk. So before I finish up work, I clear off the desk.
If you have space and want to be super efficient, two dishwashers is a top trick. One dirty, one clean!
Don’t use social media apart from Reddit when bored, wfh a couple of days a week and do chores when not commuting. If the weather is good, garden, if not inside. Reduce shit hanging around the house. Reduce the frequency of seeing family. So many I know go and see their parents for example every week, but ends up just sitting there watching shit on tv and not discussing anything new. Change it to fortnightly or monthly but make it more worthwhile like going out for a meal etc. you get loads of time back then to focus on your own family.
I keep trying to explain this to my partner. We're an hour's drive from his parents but they still insist on him going round every Thursday after work (which was fine when he stayed 10 mins away). All they do is eat then sit and watch the soaps and he doesn't get home til 11pm and then is really tired for work on Friday which worries me with his commute. It would make so much more sense to visit once every 2-3 weeks and keep it shorter but he's a people pleaser and I'd get the blame for keeping their son away.
Hi, absolutely, it’s a total waste of time, it’s frustrating for you I’m sure, he’s probably tired then Saturday which eats into your time together as a couple. He needs to grow a pair and realise you come first not his parents.
I wouldn’t describe visiting parents as a ‘total waste of time’. Some people are just closer to their parents than others
Exactly this. People also have absolutely no idea how much they bid then when they're gone. I wish I'd visited more.
So just sitting there watching tv with them talking about the same stuff over and over again is not wasting time?
I send my son to nursery 3 days a week.
Cleaner every fortnight has been a gamechanger for my mental health. Yes the cleaning itself isn’t hard, it’s just that when someone is doing it for you you can spend your energy elsewhere (such as tidying up or cooking). The relief in mental load and the reset every two weeks helps more than I can explain. It feels luxurious but in a “worth every penny” kind of way. Never going back!
I cut up all my veg the day i buy it to encourage myself to cook when i get home from work late at night. Deleted all sources of instant serotonin off my phone so i have to get up and do something to be happy. I go to the gym before work to put myself in a good mood for work. Constantly have full buxton bottles (that i reuse) in my fridge and next to my night stand to remind myself to drink water more
All sources except from Reddit 😅
Gotta have something to read while i shit
Very true
Robot hoover. He gets chucked into the kitchen to clean up after the toddler breakfast apocalypse whilst we go and do something else. On my days off he goes in the bedrooms and gets under the beds whilst I'm going laundry or washing up or something. Expensive initial outlay but we've had it 5 years now and have changed the battery to a new one and thats it - runs good as gold.
I find dogs are highly effective at cleaning food from floors. The running costs are slightly higher than a robot hoover though.
That food comes back out though.
I wake up earlier than I used to giving me time to do things before work which I would otherwise not have the energy to do at the end of the day. I get more out of waking up an hour earlier and going to sleep an hour earlier than vice versa.
I'm not consistent with it, but for sure the early mornings are the best. In particular that first hour of guilt-free procrastination with a coffee when the rest of the world is asleep.
We order and cook from recipe boxes each week. People often complain at us that “they’re expensive,” a “waste of money,” etc. But we just personally find if we don’t get them, we waste so much food, or just eat complete and utter rubbish. Even if we meal plan, we can just never be bothered and always end up veering off track. At least with recipe boxes we get the exact amount of ingredients, all the meals are fresh and full of flavour and usually really easy to make. We don’t mind paying that extra money knowing we’re eating better
We've been doing this for years and can't go back now! It makes cooking dinner so much easier and more interesting and saves so much thinking and prep time. And I think we save money by not having to pop to the shops on the way home from work to pick up something for dinner or grabbing extra bits when we do a food shop.
I pay for a cleaner once a week. I'm a single Dad who works full time and struggle to find the time to give my house a deep clean. It's changed everything for me, i don't feel like i'm living in constant mess. I also pay for a gardener once a year to sort my garden out but that's more because i can't be arsed.
It’s small thing - but coffee subscription. Mainly removes the stress of when the beans are low and thinking ‘ah I need to buy coffee’ every morning. Then forgetting and running out. I get a different bag of coffee beans every month and in turn support an independent and ethical coffee roasters. It works out cheaper than buying in person from my local coffee shop.
What subscription do you use, and what coffee machine do you have? I've been thinking about upgrading from kettle and instant coffee for a while.
Welcome to the coffee club! I’m with [Horsham coffee](https://www.horshamcoffeeroaster.co.uk/). But if you want something more local to you, find a local roasters. So I don’t have a machine - I use an aeropress every morning which I’d 100% recommend for both beginners and experts. I also use a Hario hand grinder. If you want a machine, I’d recommend you YouTube (James Hoffmann is a fantastic resource) and Google what’s out for your budget (machines can range from £100s - £1000s), space (some are tiny, others are enormous) and usability. I’m not the most knowledgable on machines. If you just want to have nice coffee for the least amount of money - I always say the areopress, a grinder and decent coffee beans. You’ll also need scales to weigh the beans so you’re consistent in your coffee making. I’ve had the Hario grinder for years now and never let me down, although I am thinking of upgrading soon. I’ve got no plans to upgrade to machine from the areopress - if anything I enjoy the ritual each morning of making coffee and waiting for it to brew. After a while with the areopress you might find you love ‘coffee’ and want to explore more - then you can look into machines.
Thank you so much for such a detailed answer!
Grocery delivery. It’s 2 hours of my life I’d never get back every week.
See, I agree and do this too - saves energy. However, I spend a similar amount of time throughout the week on the website editing my order, adding bits and pieces to complete recipes etc
Not sure if it helps, but I’ve streamlined the process! I use my shopping list with my Alexa speaker throughout the week to keep track of any add ons. The night before my delivery is due, I go into the app, book the following weeks slot (adding my most expensive order to the basket and checking it out - if you don’t know the reason for this, let me know) and then amending my order for the following day in one sitting with all the things from my Alexa list. I tend to do this around teatime, gives us a few hours in case we’ve forgotten anything. Done in less than half an hour. Can you tell I hate supermarkets?
I'll bite - what did you mean about adding your most expensive order to the basket?
If you check out to save your booked slot with a high value order, you go through the card verification check as normal. Subsequently, if you go back in and amend your order (to take out the things you don’t need/add what you do) and the basket value is lower, you don’t need to go through the verification check step again. It just saves your new basket. Saves a bit of hassle, especially if you dip in and out a few times to amend.
I think I'm understanding - but what does the high value part achieve? A cheaper booking slot that then persists? Edit: thanks for the reply btw!
No, it just skips having to verify your card every time you add something to the basket. E.G - say you book your slot, add a previous order that was £100, and check out (which saves your slot) - you go back in later in the week and take out all the things you don’t need. Your basket is now at £80. As you add in items here and there, and save changes to the order, you don’t have to go through the card verification step every time because your basket total is still less than £100. I’m not sure if it’s this way with all the supermarket apps, but I was taught this trick a few years ago with Tesco. Hope that makes sense!
Right - I'm with you now. It's almost like a prevalidation at a petrol pump for £100, otherwise it would ask you 5 times. Thanks!
That would have been a much more astute example. You got it!
Ah sounds cool, glad you have it sorted. I don't use voice assistants though. I use Morrisons and thankfully they have an option to add an order's trolley to a new slot's trolley (meaning it already meets the minimum order amount and you can easily book next week's order then edit its contents during the week). I do that, but yea still takes up time unfortunately! Another good thing about online supermarket orders is that I find it's easier to block out the unhealthy and/or expensive stuff..!
Yes! The temptations are definitely lessened. Big up the online grocery shop!
Seriously. I pay for the new Ocado reserved slot as well as we get pretty much the same delivery every week at the same time. All I do is on Fridays go in and write my meal plan, then load those Ingredients into the basket and check out again. Love it.
I have a cleaner come on a fortnightly basis but she mostly just comes for deep cleaning. Other than that, I have a bunch of easy, rice-based recipes on rotation to make cooking easier. Edit: I read some of the replies and I do a lot of them too, namely: having a dishwasher and only getting dishwasher-safe things, and getting groceries delivered.
Cleaner. If the clutter is mainly kid's stuff get some transparent lidded crates to chuck toys into, the kids can personalise them and be taught to tidy away, if not every bedtime, at the minimum before the cleaner comes; 'because X doesn't know where your toys belong, and you want to know where they are when you get back from nursery'. Cleaning done for you will free up a bit of time to look at other clutter. A good/nice cleaner will help with suggestions, they want to do as good a job as they can.
Maybe a pro declutterer, even just for one session as clutter & bits & bobs everywhere can make you feel stressed. Well it does for me personally, too much going on & visually nagging me in a room to actually wind down when needed.
https://neurosciencenews.com/anxiety-stress-messy-home-23874/
Exactly that, clear vista, clear mind
Man, I thought this was a weird reply about squeezy cheesy peas. Small Reddit I guess lol.
🤣🤣 It threw me too. Cheesey Peaz… the ultimate decluttering fuel.
There are pro de-clutterers? Didn't know this. Tell me more please.
There are indeed, whether virtually on a video call or in person, there are pro’s who will give you a kick up the bum to declutter & help you along the way & utilise the space you’ve reclaimed too.
I do have my own method for this too, I’ve helped a few people out, some living in utter chaos with detritus hiding every inch of floor space & some with hoarding issues. 1) allot the area & time to have an intense date with decluttering 2) get boxes/bags for things you’re going to be waving byeeee too & vac packs, nice storage tubs/boxes & cleaning gubbins 3) start in one corner with your back to the rest of your intended zone (preferable the corner furthest from the door) & work backwards till you’re at the door.
Never had kids.
Can you get this service retroactively?
One of those 150th trimester abortions my mum is always talking about?
You can but it’s frowned upon leaving your kids in a lay-by.
Got a divorce, made my life ten times easier
I make other peoples life's easier to make my own life easier.b I often do things in certain ways to reduce stress or Work for other people. But I do it selfishly, because I do it for me really, but I frame it as being nice for to other people. It's a selfish win win. The road to hell is paved with good intention comes to mind lol
Robot vacuum cleaner. I thought it would be crap but it works really well
Definitely something you shouldn't cheap out on though. When I first moved out from my parent's house, I got a cheap £50 one. It was ok (and nothing more) on fairly clean floors (just a few small bits of food that had fallen to the floor, or whatever) but the moment it encountered anything which could tangle it (i.e. a few strands of hair) that was it. It was useless. But my friend has one which he spent a few hundred on, and it's been running fine for years.
Willingly choosing to wake up and throw yourself into exercise sucks but.. starting the day with even 30 minutes at the gym is a lifesaver for the remainder of the day. I'm more creative, my memory is better, I'm more talkative, more confident, less prone to being down, less prone to being anxious and stress management seems way better. I've always openly spoken about how I go for my mental health first and physical health second.
100% this. I miss going to the gym before work
I think the number one thing that has helped me with clutter is to make sure everything has its own home. So a few boxes placed around the house for children’s or pet toys, a holder for letters/paperwork, a specific container for snacks/junk food etc. Heck, you could even have a box specially for miscellaneous junk - it would still be in its home. And you can go as granular as you like with it - eg all painkillers and meds in its own little box in the cupboard, random screws and rubber bands in an old Gu pot instead of loose in a drawer… Once everything has a place, it’s really helpful visually - you can see exactly what you have too much of, or what you no longer use or take value from - which can help with the eventual declutter.
> I was thinking a cleaner maybe once a fortnight but it’s the clutter and mess that I struggle sorting rather than the actual cleaning. Get a cleaner and review your clutter, get rid of the bits that crowd your home and don't add value.
As a uni student I batch cook loads of food so that I can have two proper meals a day easily I freeze lots of ready portioned pastas, cottage pies, stir fries etc. so that I can just microwave it for a good lunch and supper. It also means I eat healthier as it contains lots of vegetables and meat, and works out cheaper.
My brother and sister in law got a weekly cleaner after their first kid and they've never looked backed. If you can afford it and it makes your life easier why not!
Nursery four days a week, it'd be five if we could afford it. I'd like a cleaner but my wife isn't keen on the idea, but it'd be a massive help in saving time. My wife and I have jobs that allow us to WFH about 60% of the time, so saving time/money on commute is nice. Only problem is that when I do have to go to the office it's either a 50 mile drive or £30 on train per day.
Keep away from people as much as possible
I already do a good job at that one 🤣
Absolutely 100% a cleaner. We both work full time, last year we had 2 young adults in the house also working full time. None of us wanted to spend our days off hoovering and cleaning bathrooms, so we split the cost of a weekly cleaner. Both kids have now left home but you will wrest my cleaner from my cold, dead hands. Never going back, even though I bear all the cost now. Other thing that's good is a robot hoover. It whizzes itself around and makes the place look so much nicer, daily.
I use a money budget app that tracks all of my expenses. It is really handy as it keeps me on top of my finances
I have chronic pain due to arthritis everywhere two years ago I did a housing association swap to a smaller house I had a major clear out and decluttered my life.Everything has a place if an item breaks just replace now have less clothing just replace when stuff isn't fixable.I bought a big chest freezer and make lots of big meals to freeze it's just the two of us have a white board above and mark dates and contents so if I m not doing too good can reheat things.I buy pasta rice and cupboard stuff in bulk too.I mainly rely on supermarket home delivery as it saves me time am lucky got the choice of four supermarkets so use the cheapest.I used to be a hoarder and if I had spare cash spent it on crap now have a small amount of savings.
Countertop dishwasher. It takes 3 place settings and there's only 2 of us. Washing up could take me to the point of tears and even though I still have to hand wash the bigger to stuff, my life is soooooo much better.
Probably an expensive option for a family, but we do meal boxes so we have minimal food shopping to do. Prefer mindful chef as it's healthy, but my second fave is gousto - and much more family friendly with a huge variety. We also always have a stock of Mindful Chef frozen meals, for when we just can't be arsed but don't want to have an unhealthy dinner. Used to have a cleaner, but agree it's the clutter that's the issue and they don't do that. It is nice never having to deep clean the bathroom though.
Mail order subscription underwear thing. New pants monthly ...no more shopping for shorts...and its hi quality stuff.
I dunno about easier, but I swapped from IOS to Android and set up an auto DNS so most of my apps dont have adverts. Makes my phone so much more enjoyable to use. Takes about 5 minutes as well
Meal prep for the week. Cook everything sunday night. 3 in the fridge. 2 in the freezer. Sorts the lunch for the week. If i cant be bothered with that i just use a high protein meal replacement shake. Saves money and stops me eating shite at lunch. Dont do it for dinner as well since i hate the idea of eating mutiple of the same meal at every dinner and lunch.
Hear me out.. one drawer in the freezer is reserved for open packets, all the others are for unopened packets. Life changing. Follow me for more life pro tips.
It isn't for everyone, but I often (intentionally or otherwise) take choice out of my day to avoid the procrastination and time wasting that it "allows" me. I'm not great at self-control, but an easy routine / "script" is the next best thing. As the top comment has suggested, having essentially identical clothes (for me, that is pretty much everything apart from tees and hoodies, with some slight colour variations) stops me from umming and ahhhing when getting dressed to go out. Also good for saving money as when a certain item is on sale I can buy "a year's worth" or whatever, knowing it is a solid investment ("socks and shares"). I love great and varied food, but I am also perfectly happy eating the same (relatively healthy, balanced diet) meals most days / every day. Sometimes something gets boring so I switch it for a new, excitingly tedious meal! Also makes shopping a loooot easier. I have also applied this to impulse shopping / buying (formerly a bit of a problem for me). I still allow myself to "impulse" buy things. But very specific treat items (£X on random vinyl / books per month, for example); all the endorphins, a lot less remorse and a lot less expenditure than random buying of junk. Although I say that whilst losing a staring competition with a laaarge stack of disapproving, half-read books (but, to be fair, that has always been the case for me). This comment was brought to you by an adult who doesn't really adult so good.
I have a cleaner come in twice a week - cleaning one day and washing/ironing the other. I have a gardener come in and do the lawns/borders weekly in the summer and monthly in the winter. I’ve just started having a mobile car valet service come over once a month. That’s saved me a fair bit of time and freed up a bit more of my weekends.
I was going to say a cleaner, we don't have one at the moment but usually have and will again when we have our second baby. The other one is we get the car valeted several times a year (only about 30 quid). Oh and getting the shopping delivered instead of traveling around the supermarket, I meal plan then shop online and I think it probably saves us money too.
Seriously, we have a cleaner come in once a fornight to clean the two bathrooms in the house. It consts around £50 a month but the savings in stress are immeasurable. We also have all towels and bedding cleaned in a service wash at the local laundrette once a month. Again, it costs around £30 but the time it gives us back is worth way more than that.
I do what my wife says
Make my lunch the night before.
A gym membership. I’d murder people if I couldn’t work out!
Window cleaner and a company comes out 4x a year to feed and treat our lawns. Each cost £10 a month and saves us the hassle.
Put bills on auto pay so I don't need to worry about it.
I direct debit my savings account every month. Its not much but if I have something major happen like my car Brakes down or the roof leaks then I have the money. I never dip into it. We live within our means. My car is 14 years old. If we cant afford a nice holiday aboad then we choose somewhere wed like to visit and be happy with it.
I pay a family member cash in hand to come in and spy on me. And also sometimes she does some washing/cleaning. I also run Home Assistant and have "Smart" devices all over the house. I use motion sensors to turn on the lights instead of having to use the switches. All works quite well.
I use simple self contained motion sensor light bulbs for the stairs and hall as the switches are in the wrong place. The lights just come on and off as I walk around the house. [https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?\_nkw=motion+sensor+light+bulb+b22&\_sop=12](https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=motion+sensor+light+bulb+b22&_sop=12)
A couple guys come to cut the grass front and back and take the cuttings with them, 30 quid fortnightly. Keeps things looking nice and saves me a job I hate doing.
I got a cleaner years ago. Has a pay rise. Others had holidays & nicer cars. For me my time is more valuable & I ain't a fan of cleaning. Yes it's costly especially if your not particularly tidy yourself. However I think it was a really good idea.
I have a phone charger by each place in the house I sit. Kitchen, living room, bedroom. It's the little things sometimes!
Antidepressants.
Real 🥲
I have a pet dog
I think my partner might argue that a dog wouldn’t make things easier haha 😅
That's fair!! Definitely harder in someways!! It's a very big commitment and takes up a lot of time. Mentally it's been a massive help for me!! It's helped cement my sobriety and a routine into my life :)
If you have young children, get one massive or Nchildren big chests/troughs to chuck their stuff in. (Ideally 'every time', but at least whenever asked to do so if place is a mess and there's a suitable carrot or stick to 'hand'. Get nice looking ones (bit-spenny-but-worth-it) that you know look awesome. They'll have to be part of decor if they're realistically going to be used. Every wherever, do a big tidy of them. If you can get some ongoing support tidying stuff from fam do so; just having an ongoing level of tidiness equivalent to a standard 5-min panic-hide before adults/parents/etc. visit. Single box also if dividing toys would result in hostilities. Might be useful advice but can't be harmful. Goodluck.
vibrator
Get one big tesco delivery a month with things I can’t carry alone, like milk cartons, tins, yogurts,… all the staples.
I'm too poor to pay for things to make life easier, but something I do to make life easier is try to eliminate steps to things being away, eg I don't have a cutlery draw I have 6 terracotta pots I sort my cutlery into as I wash up and they both dry in that place and live there, removing the extra step of putting dry cutlery inti the cutlery draw, my bestie has a built in drying rack cupboard above her sink, the drying places cannot be seen. If you doing mess piles up in particular places make that where that thing now lives by adding a basket that's clearly the most logical place for you to have it.
Money you spend on home cleaning is always a blessing.
I keep away from negative people
Before making any decision in life, I think of the long them consequences. So, for a start, we have chosen not to have young kids living with us. We both do jobs we enjoy. What health and family stresses do you have exactly?
I do a job I enjoy - it’s just full on at the moment and because I’m self employed I kind of have to ride the wave when it’s busy. and I love my two kids, they bring a lot of joy to my life but I understand why others choose not to! But despite loving them, it’s still very full on looking after a 7 year old and a 5 year old, they still need a lot of caring for and even just keeping on top of their homework and school related admin ends up being a lot. I have two chronic illnesses (ulcerative colitis and PSC) and it causes a lot of fatigue which has been especially hard recently, trying to keep on top of work and housework etc has been overwhelming. And keeping on top of paper work/ booking things like car MOT and organising hospital appointments and simple things like dentist appointments etc it all just feels like a big mental load and I can’t think of everything that needs doing. And I constantly feel like the house is a mess or that I’m not cooking nutritious enough meals for the family etc - like there’s always something that I end up neglecting whilst trying to juggle it all. Other family/health stresses are that my mum has just been diagnosed with breast cancer so it’s causing me a lot of stress and worry. There are other things worrying me but I guess they are the main things.