Topic Wiki

Food:
  • If you get a piece of eggshell in with the eggs while cracking them, use the other half of the eggshell to fish it out instead of trying to use your fingers or anything else.
  • If you want to separate the yolk from the white, take an empty clean water bottle, squeeze the bottle, place the mouth over the yolk and slowly release the bottle. The yolk will get sucked up into the bottle with minimal/no white.
  • When boiling eggs, add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda to the water. Makes them really easy to peel and doesn't affect the taste.
  • If you have a room temperature bottle (and esp can) that you want to get cold fast, wrap a wet paper towel around it and put it in the freezer. It'll be ice cold pretty quickly.
  • Microwave rice from TJ's
  • Open a can of corn,put salt pepper and cheese on top, microwave or oven it (super easy lunch)
  • 2 slices of old pizza from the fridge, lay them cheese sides on top of each other and put them in a sandwich maker. Instant calzone.
  • For chulent of course.. Using only navy beans, chulent mix a big no no.
  • If you're going to freeze ground beef, put it in a gallon ziploc and squeeze/spread it flat to fill the bag. You can stack them in the freezer and it'll defrost much faster (without the outside spoiling while the inside is still frozen).
  • To easily melt a small amount of chocolate / butter, put it in a ziploc bag and put that into a mug of hot water for a few minutes. No mess! You can cut a hole in the corner to pipe chocolate too.
  • Shredded cheese lasts longer in the freezer, but will clump up, before freezing add a little bit of cornstarch (1tbs) and shake vigorously. The pieces will stay separate and it'll be easy to use.
  • To cool down baby food without blowing at it (which may add your bacteria to the food) wave your hand at it.
Travel:
  • If you want a hot meal on any plane, bring a tradition soup or oatmeal packet and use the free hot water they offer with tea. Great for traveling in general.
  • Before you go on a long flight, freeze a JJ cappuccino.  If it's frozen they let it on the plane. Once you get up from your nap on the plane there is nothing as refreshing as an iced cappuccino. It should still be freezing but not frozen.
  • When packing a suitcase, put your socks inside your shoes. It will save a little space and stop your shoes from getting crushed.
  • The aisle seat armrest usually has a little button underneath by the hinge that allows you to lift it. Makes it much easier to get in and out of your seat, especially if your tray table is open with stuff on it.
  • When we go on trips My wife packs the childrens clothing in individual ziplocs for each day of our trip. Like that she doesn't have to look for all the matching stuff.
Computers:
  • You can open links a in new tab by clicking with the scroll wheel.

    Quickly toggle between tabs.

    1) Excel and most internet browsers: Ctrl + PgUp/Dn
    2) Google Sheets: Ctrl + Shift + PgUpDn
    3) chrome: control-tab / control-shift-tab
alternatively ctrl+number tab from left
   
  • Widows+V will open up your clipboard with all recent stuff copied.
Every day/Home:
  • If you are drilling into a wall, open an envelope and tape the flap to the wall under where you are drilling and it catches all the plaster/dust that comes out. Makes cleanup after a small drilling a breeze
  • Open glass jars with rubber gloves, Or a rubber band around the lid.
  • When you first open a bottle of soda or seltzer or pop, begin by slowly turning the cap one-quarter turn and wait about 10 seconds, watching for the small bubbles to slow down, and listening as the sssst of escaping gas gets quieter.  Then turn another 1/4 turn, and wait another 10 seconds till it quiets down.
  • If you get chewing gum on your clothes, put the clothes in the freezer for a bit, it will be much easier to remove the gum afterwards.
Stores:

  • Check out at the pharmacy in the grocery store when the regular lines are long.
Perscriptions:

  • GoodRX.com, even for meds that are covered. My insurance can have a $15 copay, but coupon from GoodRX gets me the medication for $7. When insurance doesn't cover the medication, it's a fraction of the cost. I've seen discounts of 90%
Holidays:
  • After Yom Tov, especially Pesach, make a spreadsheet. What on the menu went over well with guests and kids. What did you run short on and need to have more next time around. What did you way overbuy on. That way there is no need to reinvent the wheel next year.

« Last edited by qooldude on July 07, 2022, 12:22:43 AM »

Author Topic: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!  (Read 219105 times)

Offline srap

  • Dansdeals Presidential Platinum Elite
  • ********
  • Join Date: Dec 2013
  • Posts: 2819
  • Total likes: 202
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 4
    • View Profile
Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #240 on: June 15, 2020, 10:28:02 AM »
 ;D ;D Notice:  Two posts saying the same thing different ways


If you are sending a husband to pick up groceries in a supermarket that you know where each of  the products are stocked, list the items according to the aisles. That way they don't have to run back and forth from one end of the store to the other and forget some stuff along the way.
Ftfy

AND


If you are sending a kid to pick up groceries in a supermarket that you know where each of  the products are stocked, list the items according to the aisles. That way they don't have to run back and forth from one end of the store to the other and forget some stuff along the way.
Or husband  ;)


***  YET  Could it be a case-in-point that the ones who "liked" the second post needed the spelled out version to hit home?   :o :P :D   

(How many of you just checked to see who "liked" the second post?)
 
« Last Edit: June 15, 2020, 10:32:06 AM by srap »

Offline YitzyS

  • Dansdeals Lifetime Presidential Platinum Elite
  • *********
  • Join Date: Jan 2015
  • Posts: 5584
  • Total likes: 13800
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 34
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Location: Lakewood, NJ
Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #241 on: June 15, 2020, 10:46:19 AM »
When you are off DDF for an extended weekend and want to catch up on the life hacks thread but don't have time to read 100 posts, read only the posts with likes - those are usually the most useful...

Online ExGingi

  • Dansdeals Lifetime 10K Presidential Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Nov 2015
  • Posts: 15769
  • Total likes: 7896
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 19
    • View Profile
  • Location: 770
  • Programs: בשורת הגאולה. From Exile to Redemption. GIYF. AAdvantage Executive PlatinumŽ
Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #242 on: June 15, 2020, 10:53:15 AM »
If you want to insert a few words of Hebrew or Yiddish into your text, and you haven't yet figured out how to do this in the usual way  :-[, go to Google Translate and input the English word in the English > Hebrew (or Yiddish) translator. You can copy and paste the answer.

If this doesn't get you the word you want,  use the Hebrew > English translator.  In the corner of the Hebrew side, there's a tiny Hebrew keyboard that you can use to spell the word, then copy and paste.

At least this works on the PC, IDK about the phone app.

Hebrew, Yiddish and English are installed and standard on my PCs and phone. I use Google Translate when I want something in a different alphabet. I find that using an unfamiliar keyboard arrangement is daunting, so I usually resort to handwriting, it either gives me the right character or lets me choose from several options it thinks I might have written.
I've been waiting over 5 years with bated breath for someone to say that!
-- Dan

Online Joeymc

  • Dansdeals Platinum Elite + Lifetime Gold Elite
  • ******
  • Join Date: Dec 2019
  • Posts: 866
  • Total likes: 419
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 28
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Location: Brooklyn
Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #243 on: June 15, 2020, 10:56:45 AM »
Hebrew, Yiddish and English are installed and standard on my PCs and phone. I use Google Translate when I want something in a different alphabet. I find that using an unfamiliar keyboard arrangement is daunting, so I usually resort to handwriting, it either gives me the right character or lets me choose from several options it thinks I might have written.
A Lifehack for writing in a different language on your phone that you aren't comfortable with the keyboard layout (or with the exact spelling) is to use Google keyboard and click the microphone. You can then just speak whatever you were going to write.
120 characters? Hmm, I wonder what I could write with 64 characters. Boy, it's gonna be hard to use up 15 characters. W-

Online Joeymc

  • Dansdeals Platinum Elite + Lifetime Gold Elite
  • ******
  • Join Date: Dec 2019
  • Posts: 866
  • Total likes: 419
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 28
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Location: Brooklyn
Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #244 on: June 15, 2020, 11:00:08 AM »
Really useful one.

Fill your water bottle about a third and put it in the freezer in it's side.

When you're about to leave your house, fill the rest of the bottle up from the tap and you instantly have an ice cold bottle of water instead of just a block of ice that you have to wait hours to have a drink.

I use this all the time
120 characters? Hmm, I wonder what I could write with 64 characters. Boy, it's gonna be hard to use up 15 characters. W-

Online ExGingi

  • Dansdeals Lifetime 10K Presidential Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Nov 2015
  • Posts: 15769
  • Total likes: 7896
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 19
    • View Profile
  • Location: 770
  • Programs: בשורת הגאולה. From Exile to Redemption. GIYF. AAdvantage Executive PlatinumŽ
Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #245 on: June 15, 2020, 11:14:48 AM »
A Lifehack for writing in a different language on your phone that you aren't comfortable with the keyboard layout (or with the exact spelling) is to use Google keyboard and click the microphone. You can then just speak whatever you were going to write.

Last time I checked Gboard (IIRC that's what Google Keyboard is called) it had limited language support.
I've been waiting over 5 years with bated breath for someone to say that!
-- Dan

Online Joeymc

  • Dansdeals Platinum Elite + Lifetime Gold Elite
  • ******
  • Join Date: Dec 2019
  • Posts: 866
  • Total likes: 419
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 28
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Location: Brooklyn
Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #246 on: June 15, 2020, 11:16:02 AM »
Last time I checked Gboard (IIRC that's what Google Keyboard is called) it had limited language support.
What languages are you looking for?
120 characters? Hmm, I wonder what I could write with 64 characters. Boy, it's gonna be hard to use up 15 characters. W-

Offline etech0

  • Dansdeals Lifetime 10K Presidential Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Dec 2013
  • Posts: 12880
  • Total likes: 3370
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 1
    • View Profile
  • Location: not lakewood
  • Programs: DDF
Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #247 on: June 15, 2020, 11:17:02 AM »
Really useful one.

Fill your water bottle about a third and put it in the freezer in it's side.

When you're about to leave your house, fill the rest of the bottle up from the tap and you instantly have an ice cold bottle of water instead of just a block of ice that you have to wait hours to have a drink.

I use this all the time
And if you're going out for a whole day and need more than one, you can take one that's totally frozen for when you finish the half frozen one.
Workflowy. You won't know what you're missing until you try it.

Offline pointer

  • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Feb 2018
  • Posts: 1625
  • Total likes: 317
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 23
    • View Profile
  • Location: United States
Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #248 on: June 15, 2020, 01:16:05 PM »
To measure honey in a cup for a recipe, smear a drop of oil with a paper towel on the bottom & sides of the cup. Honey will slide right out.
Non stick cooking spray is the easiest way to get it done.

Online Joeymc

  • Dansdeals Platinum Elite + Lifetime Gold Elite
  • ******
  • Join Date: Dec 2019
  • Posts: 866
  • Total likes: 419
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 28
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Location: Brooklyn
Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #249 on: June 15, 2020, 01:18:15 PM »
Or, obviously, if your recipe calls for oil and other ingredients, measure the oil first.
120 characters? Hmm, I wonder what I could write with 64 characters. Boy, it's gonna be hard to use up 15 characters. W-

Offline etech0

  • Dansdeals Lifetime 10K Presidential Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Dec 2013
  • Posts: 12880
  • Total likes: 3370
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 1
    • View Profile
  • Location: not lakewood
  • Programs: DDF
Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #250 on: June 15, 2020, 01:20:32 PM »
Or, obviously, if your recipe calls for oil and other ingredients, measure the oil first.
+1
Workflowy. You won't know what you're missing until you try it.

Offline Yehudaa

  • Dansdeals Presidential Platinum Elite
  • ********
  • Join Date: Mar 2018
  • Posts: 3628
  • Total likes: 2472
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 111
    • View Profile
Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #251 on: June 15, 2020, 01:30:44 PM »
To measure honey in a cup for a recipe, smear a drop of oil with a paper towel on the bottom & sides of the cup. Honey will slide right out.
Or, obviously, if your recipe calls for oil and other ingredients, measure the oil first.

Combine that with this :)
To measure oil:
Measure the appropriate amount of water
Pour into a plastic cup
Use a sharpie to draw a line at the top of the water
Dump out the water
Pour oil into the cup until the line
Now you don't need to wash the measuring cup! (just let it air dry)

Offline etech0

  • Dansdeals Lifetime 10K Presidential Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Dec 2013
  • Posts: 12880
  • Total likes: 3370
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 1
    • View Profile
  • Location: not lakewood
  • Programs: DDF
Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #252 on: June 15, 2020, 01:34:10 PM »
Combine that with this :)
Then you gotta make a bunch of lines :)

Or in summary, if you're going to make a measuring cup dirty, better measure a bunch of things while you're at it!
Workflowy. You won't know what you're missing until you try it.

Online Joeymc

  • Dansdeals Platinum Elite + Lifetime Gold Elite
  • ******
  • Join Date: Dec 2019
  • Posts: 866
  • Total likes: 419
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 28
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Location: Brooklyn
Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #253 on: June 15, 2020, 01:41:25 PM »
Then you gotta make a bunch of lines :)

Or in summary, if you're going to make a measuring cup dirty, better measure a bunch of things while you're at it!
In that case you can just buy these

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0815YQLFD/
120 characters? Hmm, I wonder what I could write with 64 characters. Boy, it's gonna be hard to use up 15 characters. W-

Offline etech0

  • Dansdeals Lifetime 10K Presidential Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Dec 2013
  • Posts: 12880
  • Total likes: 3370
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 1
    • View Profile
  • Location: not lakewood
  • Programs: DDF
Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #254 on: June 15, 2020, 01:42:28 PM »
In that case you can just buy these

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0815YQLFD/
That's not a hack anymore :) plus way less cost effective than sharpie-ing your own
Workflowy. You won't know what you're missing until you try it.

Online Joeymc

  • Dansdeals Platinum Elite + Lifetime Gold Elite
  • ******
  • Join Date: Dec 2019
  • Posts: 866
  • Total likes: 419
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 28
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Location: Brooklyn
Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #255 on: June 15, 2020, 01:46:44 PM »
That's not a hack anymore :) plus way less cost effective than sharpie-ing your own
Using a product that is designed to make your life easier, to make your life easier, is not called a hack?

Also, it's only more cost effective to sharpie your own if time and sanity aren't part of your cost
120 characters? Hmm, I wonder what I could write with 64 characters. Boy, it's gonna be hard to use up 15 characters. W-

Offline pointer

  • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Feb 2018
  • Posts: 1625
  • Total likes: 317
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 23
    • View Profile
  • Location: United States
Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #256 on: June 15, 2020, 01:48:15 PM »
Using a product that is designed to make your life easier, to make your life easier, is not called a hack?
No.
Maybe a smart idea, but definitely not a hack.

Offline etech0

  • Dansdeals Lifetime 10K Presidential Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Dec 2013
  • Posts: 12880
  • Total likes: 3370
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 1
    • View Profile
  • Location: not lakewood
  • Programs: DDF
Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #257 on: June 15, 2020, 01:49:50 PM »
You're talking about paying over 50 cents for a single use measuring cup, vs a standard plastic cup which costs between 1 and 2 cents. Whatever works for you!
Workflowy. You won't know what you're missing until you try it.

Offline lcm

  • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2019
  • Posts: 1619
  • Total likes: 644
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 6
    • View Profile
  • Location: 5th paragraph of https://www.dansdeals.com/sms/
Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #258 on: June 15, 2020, 01:52:53 PM »
Or just line the measuring cup with a clear plastic bag.

Online Joeymc

  • Dansdeals Platinum Elite + Lifetime Gold Elite
  • ******
  • Join Date: Dec 2019
  • Posts: 866
  • Total likes: 419
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 28
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Location: Brooklyn
Re: Life Hacks, Post Your Favorites!
« Reply #259 on: June 15, 2020, 01:58:29 PM »
Or just line the measuring cup with a clear plastic bag.
Now that's a hack
120 characters? Hmm, I wonder what I could write with 64 characters. Boy, it's gonna be hard to use up 15 characters. W-