Life is hard. In fact, it’s the hardest thing ever. Luckily, we live in an age where we can deal with the harder parts of life with ease… as long as we know ways to cut the hardship short. Life hacks have definitely helped me out in the past. Check out some of my favorites below!
- Get rid of grease on eyeglasses by washing them with a bar of soap. Don’t ask me how it works, but it does. Your glasses will be spotless in a pinch!
- Get rid of huge chunks of debt by talking things out with collections agents. By law, you should never have to be threatened, harassed, or abused because of the fact that you owe a debt. What’s amazing about this is that if collectors get caught doing something that doesn’t jive with the laws in your country, then you may be able to get a money reward by reporting them. Similarly, if you call collections up and ask for a large portion of your debt forgiven in exchange for a lump-sum payment, you’ll also get rid of debt sooner rather than later. Most collectors would rather get something instead of nothing, so they’ll take what they can get.
- Chill a wine bottle in a jiffy. Have a beautiful bottle of white wine you need to chill quickly? This hack works on any beverage! Just wet a paper towel, wrap the towel around the bottle, and stick it in the fridge for about 10-20 minutes. When you grab it, it will feel like it’s been chilling all day. Refreshing!
- Check to see if someone really wants to follow up by calling you. When you’re exchanging numbers, repeat their phone number back to them – but switch any two numbers. If they don’t pick up on the switcharoo, then they most likely weren’t interested in giving you a call back later on. However, if they correct you, it’s their real number.
- Use Word files like .ZIPs. If you need to send a Word file filled with pictures and other items to a friend, switch from saving it as a .docx to a .zip. They can then unzip the file and get everything in your document without having to re-save every small image that you have in the document.
- Before you get any major purchase, get the Blue Book price for it and haggle. Most people are totally unaware that cars aren’t the only thing that have a Blue Book price guide to them. Most healthcare services are covered by the Healthcare Blue Book, and researching what you need can help you avoid being overcharged. Apartment rentals also have their own kinds of statistics that can be used to really get a good feel for property prices. Even construction has a market value guide. You have no reason to allow yourself to be overcharged.
- If someone won’t stop asking intrusive questions, stay silent and stare at them. More often than not, they’ll feel very awkward and stop talking. If they keep asking, they’ll end up looking like a lunatic. If they begin badgering you about how rude you are, they’re going to look idiotic.
- Remind yourself that you don’t need to have a “legitimate reason” to break up with someone. Too often, we forget this little fact and stay in relationships that aren’t good for us as a result.
- If you want to remember something with ease, take notes – and make the notes look pretty. This tends to spark a person’s visual memory and also makes them focus on what they’re trying to remember.
- Realize that the people who are most judgmental of others usually have serious issues. One thing I’ve noticed is that the people who are loudest about how bad your habits are, often are the ones who need to put someone down in order to feel like they have control over someone. Shaming tactics of any sort are a control mechanism, and it’s a sign that someone’s trying to project the guilt they feel onto others. In other words, don’t take what haters say seriously, and let them bloviate elsewhere. Haters gonna hate!
- Get a Louboutin look to your shoes by painting the soles with red nail polish. It’s all the fabulousness and none of the price tag. What’s not to love? Be careful, though – this could get tacky if not played right.
- Work your way through traffic with ease. Blinker lights don’t always show up in bright sun, and at times, people will actually just ignore them. On busy streets and highways, this can make lane switching difficult. Using hand signals along with blinker lights is a smart way to grab other drivers’ attention and get them to allow you to switch lanes.
- If you want someone to like you, ask them for help. It’s called the Benjamin Franklin Effect, and it works. People like the idea of being asked for help, and when they help you, it subconsciously makes them want to be nicer to you. Oddly enough, the opposite is true, too. If you want to turbo-boost this tip, get very grateful when they do something for you.
- Get more out of your drawers and luggage space. Instead of working everything in by folding stuff in squares, rolling up your items tends to work out better. It also helps avoid the dreaded fold creases that come with a tightly packed suitcase. To keep things fresh, add a used dryer sheet in your pack before you head out.
- Keep your metabolism going with thermogenic foods and drinks. Thermogenic foods are foods that naturally increase the body’s temperature, which in turn can boost your metabolism by as much as 20% for short periods of time. Some of these foods include caffeine, green tea, and garlic. Also, almost any form of chili pepper will have a thermogenic quality to it as well.
- If you don’t know what to do in your current relationship, pretend that a friend was telling you about a situation identical to yours. By taking out the personal investment you have and looking at it from an outsider’s perspective, the answer usually becomes clear as day. (The hard part, of course, is actually following through with the advice you give yourself.)
- Get people to stay honest with you by rewarding them when they do. It takes a lot of guts for someone to be honest all the time, and it’s usually not rewarded behavior. People often feel scared to broach a tough subject, and it’s usually something that will backfire. Instead of blowing up on them, thank them for being honest. Show them that it’s appreciated, and work together on a solution that works. More often than not, it’s our honest friends who are our best friends.
- Don’t waste time on people who were bad to you. You would be surprised at how much more you can achieve when you stop talking to (or helping) people who were sucky to you. When you release yourself of obligations to jerks, you end up freeing your money, your time, and your sanity for things that are worth it. Needless to say, you might notice a lot of your life improving when you stop dealing with toxic folks.
- If you’re feeling self-doubt about something, do something to improve your standing. Doubting yourself is not going to do you any good, and trying to find reassurance from others can lead you into very bad situations. The only person who can offer you real reassurance is you, and you can do that by doing something to improve your standing in whatever you’re worried about. For example, if you’re worried about being single, go out and meet new people. If you’re worried about your career, start a business. You get the point.
- When cutting someone off, be blunt about it. This can be hard to do, but it’s better to be blunt than leave them guessing. By telling them flat-out that you no longer want to be their friend, or by telling them that the business relationship is concluded, you do not leave them up in the air. You also are solidifying your stance, which in turn helps people peg you as a straight-shooter.