33 Essential Life Hacks That Are Actually Useful

1. If your butter is too cold to spread, use a cheese grater

2. Mushrooms can also be sliced easily with an egg slicer

3.

Make a little pocket inside your watermelon to collect seeds


4. Annoyed that your Post-its always curl up? You’ve been pulling them off all wrong

5. Need a crisp shirt, but don’t have an iron handy?

Steam works pretty well too


6. If you’re drilling into drywall and making a mess, stick a Post-it underneath to collect the dust (instead of having to vacuum later)


7. Is your toothpaste tube getting low? Use a bobby pin to squeeze out every last bit


8. If you can’t get a stripped screw out, use a rubber band to get a better grip with your screwdriver


9. Want to cook two pizzas at once? Here’s how to get both to fit


10. If you want to watch Netflix in bed or while washing dishes, use a few Command hooks for a cheap and easy display


11. Command hooks are also handy for making sure your garbage bag doesn’t slip down into the can


12. Don’t want to wait by the oven for your pizza to get crispy? Place someone’s phone in front of the oven and keep an eye on your pizza via video call


13. Want chilled wine, but don’t want to water it down with ice cubes? Add some frozen grapes instead


14. Not enough space in your kitchen? Put a cutting board on an open drawer for a little extra surface area


15. No corkscrew? Just use a screw and a pair of pliers


16. If you need a cable holder in a pinch, just use a Lego Minifigure


17. Microwave not big enough for two bowls at once? Use a mug!


18. Large candles look great, but they can be so expensive. Make them last a little longer by putting tea lights inside


19. Use a baggie to attach your phone to the seat-back table for some in-flight entertainment


20. If you’re wrapping a bunch of presents, pull off a long length of tape, attach it to your work surface, and use scissors to cut it into manageable strips


21. Constantly misplacing your keys? Use Lego blocks to keep them in one spot


22. Towel racks work well for pot lids, too


23. You can top off the oil in your car without a funnel. Just use a screwdriver


24. Place your eggs in a bowl of water to test how fresh they are. The more they float, the older they are


25. If you’ve got extra ground meat, pack it in thin, flat sheets before you freeze it. That way it will thaw more quickly when you need to use it


26. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you need to improvise a sprinkler, just stick a hose into a plastic bottle with some holes punched into it


27. Straightening irons work on more than just hair. They’re great for quickly pressing your shirt collars, too


28. Those little liquor bottles are the perfect size for a single serving of salad dressing. No need to lug a big bottle around


29. A cardboard packing crate and a box of crayons will keep your toddler safe and busy for hours, and they won’t destroy your walls in the process


30. If you need to refer to notes while you’re working on a laptop, use one of those hangers with clips for pants and you can do both at the same time!


31. Keep an emergency $5 bill and list of essential phone numbers under the back case of your phone


32. If you want your kids to spend some time outdoors in the summer but don’t want to worry about them getting too much sun, put up a tent and turn it into a fun, shady sandbox


33. If you can never remember which side of the car your gas tank is on, just check the fuel gauge. There should be a little arrow that indicates the correct side