For the April installment of my 21 In ’21 series, I’ve got a list of 21 helpful hacks to share that could quite possibly blow your mind and make life a wee bit easier.
Like in 21 In ’21: Blogs To Discover, 21 in ’21: Instagram Accounts To ❤, and 21 in ’21: Delightful Reads, I am publishing a post on the 21st of each month that lists 21 of my top recommendations/favorites/ideas as they relate to that month’s topic. Limiting the list to 21 might seem restrictive (and I might sneak in a couple extra if necessary) but think of it as an ice-breaker exercise. Or a conversation starter regarding helpful hacks you’ve learned over time or come across recently.
And like in those previous installments, the list of helpful hacks you’ll see below is not limited to one specific niche. Some of them are fashion/beauty-related, others are house-related or about trending issues, and of course, mostly geared towards topics that interest me. After all, it’s my list. The sources for these articles vary from news organizations, websites, blogs, and social media. I’ve grouped hacks by general category but otherwise, there is no particular order to the list. Specifics of the outfit I’m wearing as well as a shout-out to my guest photographer will be provided after the list.
Helpful Hacks – Fashion & Beauty
Use cut-to-size lengths of pool noodles as insert/shaper for tall boots.
Keep track of which clothes you haven’t worn by turning all your hangers in one direction, and as you take out clothes to wear, hang them back up with the hanger facing the opposite direction.
Deodorize vintage or thrift clothing by spritzing them a one-part to two-part mixture of vodka and water.
Prevent button threads from unraveling by dabbing them with a bit of clear nail polish.
10 Ingenious Styles To Loop Your Belt Like A Star
Helpful Hacks – Food & Home
Place rubber bands saved from flower bundles bought at the grocery store around the edge of a cutting board to make it non-slip.
Fill your reusable bottle to 1/4 with water (test that when it’s put on its side, the water stays just below the bottle’s neck) and then freeze. As you head out on a hot day, fill it up with your beverage of choice to enjoy and your drink will stay chilled for a long time.
Adding vinegar to water used for making hard-boiled eggs makes peeling the shells easier (read article)
Use a strainer to separate the remaining pieces of cereal from the powder in the bottom of the bag/box.
To make cold butter “softer” and easier to spread or work with, use a grater to create shavings.
How To Fold A Fitted Sheet – THE EASIEST AND QUICKEST WAY! YOU’RE WELCOME!
Helpful Hacks – Smartphone & Technology
Use zoom in your smartphone camera as a magnifying glass for that difficult-to-read fine print.
Bothered by robocalls? You can manage that in the phone settings of your smartphone by activating the Silence Unknown Callers toggle.
Text replacement shortcuts will speed up the typing of often used text like common phrases, email addresses, and hashtag lists.
Hitting the “Spacebar” scrolls down a web page; hit the “Spacebar” + “Shift” to scroll back up.
Save a step by clicking on a link with your mouse’s scroll button to open that link in another browser tab.
Helpful Hacks – Life In General
When reading product reviews, sort by “recent” as well as by “top” to assess whether purchasers’ opinions have changed over time.
Stop multi-tasking. It’s a self-defeating proposition. Pick one thing, get it done, and cross it off your list. Move onto the next thing.
You can have it all once you realize you have enough.
Don’t take criticism from someone whose advice you wouldn’t take.
Tell the people you love that you love them more often.
You might say that this last set may not quite fit the definition of a “hack” and to that, I say “so sue me”. Sometimes all we need are a few reminders to stop and take a breath.
Regarding my outfit, it’s another mix of retail purchases and thrift store finds. The retail purchases are the jacket and the top, which I knotted at the waist instead of tucking in. The floral skirt is a thrift store find and the boots I purchased on Poshmark. It was The Husband that discovered the owl pendant (you can see it in the photo below) while searching through a 5/$5 bin at a flea market a few years ago. It originally had faux-gem eyes but one was missing so I removed the other one. Also in this photo is my niece Melissa, who was also my stand-in photographer for these photos.
Are there any hacks on my list that you hadn’t heard of before? Have you come across any lately that surprised you with how clever they are? And, one last question … how are you doing now that three months and 21 days have already passed in 2021?
Stay well and let’s keep in touch! Subscribe, tweet, follow, friend, pin … all options are available. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
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Note: This is an unsponsored post; however, some or all of the links to clothing items are associated with an affiliate program where I earned a few cents for each click.
16 Comments
You can have it all, and the criticisme quote are good!! And vodka spraying on my clothes?? You mean alcohol vodka?? But I’m going to start with the turned hanger thing!
Nancy, I hope you like that trick.
This skirt is so pretty with those boots and the little tie knot on your top! I have always wanted to try the ‘turn the hanger the other way’ and see how much I actually wear each season!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Excellent hacks! I’m looking forward to using some of them. Love your skirt!
xoxo
Lovely
http://www.mynameislovely.com
Great list of hacks Rena, thank you. Turn the hanger really works! It makes you look for an outfit to make it work or tells you if it’s on the way out. Good note about the multi-tasking, I think we all try to fit in too much, actually completing one thing always feels far more rewarding.
Pamela
http://www.style-yourself-confident.com
Pamela, it’s good to know that you’ve had success with the reversing hangers hack. And yes, many of us are guilty of trying to do too much.
Such great hacks, Rena! I had no idea about the space bar hack… that’s really useful! I’ll be using it all the time!
I have an owl pendant that’s very similar to yours.
Have a fabulous weekend.
Hugs
Suzy xx
Suzy, there are so many great tricks for smartphones that aren’t well known.
There are some good hack here that I didn’t know. Going to make note!
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
Mireille, I hope you had success with the hacks you tried.
I’ve been doing the hanger trick every 6 months for about 5 years – it’s been hugely helpful to me to see what I haven’t worn and nudges me towards letting go of things I don’t reach for. It also ensures I wear everything I own – no stragglers in my closet.
I use the new tabs for everything I do! It’s super helpful when replying to comments – I open the person’s name then check to see if they have their blog/page linked. It ensures I reply and visit the people who comment, which is so important. So, thank you! for commenting, Rena! 🙂
You and your niece have a strong family resemblance. Love your fun outfit – I bet you twirled a few times in your skirt!
Sheila, flared skirts always get a twirled. As for the hanger trick, I’m waiting to try it myself until my upcoming closet makeover is done.
I love this outfit, Rena! And how fun that your niece was your photographer for this post! I really enjoyed the belt tying article that you linked! I remember learning how to do this with my belts 25 years ago when I first started working in retail. I still do it to this day! But there are some really unique methods in that article that I am going to try!
Shelbee
http://www.shelbeeontheedge.com
Shelbee, the belt article reminded me of all of the similar ones for scarves but this was the first one I’d come across for belts. I’ve been looking in thrift stores for more belts but ones in passable condition are a bit hard to come by.
So many great hacks…I’ve learned some new things today! Fabulous outfit, I love the floral print skirt! Thanks for linking up!
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com
Emma, I’m glad that you like the look and I hope that you find some of the hacks useful.