Life's little secrets
 

Have you ever stumbled upon a new way to do something that made the task much easier or just made the journey on life's road a bit less bumpy? Most of us know the easy fixes, like using hydrogen peroxide for blood stains, etc. What about the more uncommon fixes? The ones that, when you realize them, make you go 'Why didn't I think of this before?'

I'll start. One issue that plagues people who are cohabiting or married is the issue of the toilet seat. Guys don't want to bother putting it down and expect the woman to check before sitting. Women never want the seat up in the first place and expect the man to put it down when he's done. How about a compromise? Let's face the fact no toilet is ever particularly clean. Sure, if you give it a good scrub it may stay clean for a little while, but after its first use it's pretty much soiled. How about after using the toilet you always put the lid down? Not only does it cover up a dirty porcelain fixture, but it just looks more asthetically pleasing. I mean, let's face it, a toilet bowl is a pretty ugly thing. Put the lid down and it's just another place to sit. Besides the fact it keeps the family mutt from drinking out of it. :D I have used this method to help keep the peace with two women I have lived with since I thought of it and it has worked great. No one complains about having sat down on the cold porcelain because the seat was left up and the bathroom just looks better.

only morons argue about the toilet seat thing.. it's one of the more easily avoidable conflicts in life :D

here's my contribution..

it's better to grab that girls ass right before you're about to get off the bus.

If it's down here I accidentally pee on the seat, so, knowing my wife's past experiences, she usually keeps it up ;)

I dunno if this qualifies as a "little secret" or not. But as a kid, painting houses, I realised that if I wear my clothes inside out, they can get paint splatter on 'em and yet remain more or less wearable for things other than painting. Once the splatter is dry. And they're turned right side out again.
Though dedicating an extra pair of old shorts and a t-shirt exclusively to painting would also have worked... but whatever.

i'D RATHER listen to John Coltrane.

really I would.

My contribution...

When two people are arguing and ask you who you think is right, say you have no opinion. I never get involved in other peoples fights because, after all is said and done, both sides will resent you.

Blow off the top of a soda can before you drink it. Well, unless you like dirt and spider eggs.

Unless the can has been sitting in a cardboard carton, I always wash the top off or wipe it with a wet paper towel.

I would specifically apply this very wise course of action to work-related situations. It is better to be thought of as detached and aloof to your coworkers' personal lives than to get duped into choosing a side, and making your working relationships uncomfortable or even untenable.

When painting or doing anything like it, dig your fingernails into a bar of soap...much easier to remove than paint

When you go over a pencil drawing with any sort of ink...wait a little bit before erasing the pencil marks to allow ink to dry so it won't smudge.

Same with me. I also clean all of my canned-food tops before opening.

When washing my hands after a bathroom visit, I use old liquid soap bottles that still have soap at the bottom.
I fill it part way up with water, shake to blend, and use that instead of wasting it. If you put too much water in it to where it doesn't give you enough lather, then just add some more soap. :)

Bah! Eating a little dirt never hurt anybody.

If you join Columbia House (at least for the DVD club), you can save a lot of money so long as you don't get suckered into buying anything more than the minimum requirements. Get your enrollment selections and the optional purchase if offered (it will count towards your commitment. Then complete the rest of your commitment requirements with $19.99 titles. The average cost per DVD will be somewhere around the $8-10 area.

Cancel
Repeat as desired.

I once had deal with BMG. When I cancelled, I'd get 2-3 calls a week asking me to reconsider. One guy acted like I'd just broken of an intimate relationship. He literally said "Was it something that I did?" Not something WE did, but he made it personal. Spooky as hell...

12 DVD's for the price of your soul.

Hard boiled eggs are much easier to de-shell if you use eggs that are a few days old. The skin inside the egg becmes looser, allowing you to peel the shell off in large pieces, like an orange.

For the record, I just cancelled my Columbia House subscription a week or two ago and haven't heard a word from them. I do expect some mailings, though.

A little tip that saved me a few times:

Got water rings on your wood furniture? Mayonaise will get them out. Put just a little on a soft cloth and rub over the ring. You may have to do the entire surface because the mayo also does a nice polishing job.

The country with the most steel wins the war, in case anyone here ever becomes president...

Never date a girls that has more than two cats.

It's better to have nothing than to have alot of ugly things in your house.

Mirrors and white walls can give the illusion of more space while dark colors will do the opposite.

When designing a public building, make sure they make it so the entrance doors swing outwards instead of in. That way if there's a fire the people won't get piled up at the door.

Don't leave fun to find fun.

Is your keyhole giving your key a rough ride? Simply scribble & scratch a pencil lead on all the peaks, valleys, nooks and crannies of the key. Don't be shy. Then slide that key in and out of the keyhole for a little while, to transfer some of the lead (well, graphite, of course) into it.
That oughta have smoothed out the problem. Now wipe the key clean if you like.
However, turning the key in the lock is a whole other thing. Can't help you there.

when you close velcro pull it a little to one side for a much better grip.

Never mess with a married woman, because the husband will have nothing to lose.

Make friends with just one cop, but discuss with him how a cop likes to have people interact with them. You can actually do this with most cops that you never even met before, they've always told me what I wanted to know about.

If your pants are constantly sagging (unpurposefully), and you don't like belts, suspenders are the best thing since sliced bread.

Duct Tape is great for fixing holes in clothes temporarily. It even goes through the washing machine pretty well. Duct Tape is good for everything. I read recently that they can help remove warts. Just leave a tiny piece on for a week. Take off, clean and repeat until the wart is gone. Supposedly it works. Haven't tried it.

Avon Skin-So-Soft mineral oil is great for getting wood stain off your hands and even off of clothes. The original scent works as a bug repellent too some.

Hair spray is great for ink. Just spray it on your clothes or even carpet and let it dry. Then wash appropriately.

Peanut butter is great for getting the leftover sticky gummy stuff after taking a sticker off an item. Just use a little and rub with your finger. The grain scrubs gently and the oil lossens things. I love Goo Gone too works great but if you don't have it the peanut butter works too.

Cottage Cheese works well as a substitute for sour cream on your potato. Tastes almost the same. I like it better actually.

Oh and when you are feeding a baby - babyfood. Just wear your undies or a grungy t-shirt. Much easier cleanup.

When two people are arguing in front of me and one of them tries to draw me in on their side, I always say, "I wasn't paying attention." Then walk away. Get's you out of the argument and can even cause the people arguing to realize how insignificant the problem is.

Plumbing: Familiarize yourself with the workings of your toilet. It's SO, SO easy to fix, and the parts that you'd need are cheaper than hiring a plumber. Even if you end up going to a salvage store and buying a used toilet. (Oh, and teflon plumber's tape is just about the coolest thing ever.)

Stains: When I was a building manager, we asked the guy who did all of our carpet cleanings what HE did when someone in his house spilled. He said he simply got out a clean rag and some rubbing alcohol. He'd pour a liberal amount of alcohol on the stain and rub in a circular motion, first one way, then back the other. It gets the stain from every angle, and the alcohol is an excellent solvent.

More to come when I have a few moments.

Just wanted to say that I read this yesterday, and then tried it today. It works and it's fun. Thanks :)

Wall/window-mounted air conditioners: These have a strong tendency to freeze over. There are way too many reasons that it happens: high humidity, high smoke/dust content in the air, pets, etc. When they freeze over, it drops the output significantly. Solution? Get a few towels, place them under the unit, take the front plastic cover/screen off the AC, and take a hair dryer to it. The ice will thin down so that you can pull larger chunks off of it, which you'll then dump in the sink/tub. If you do this every other day, you'll save yourself a lot of electricity, and the hassle of having to remove the ice once it's built up good. :p

Ok, so I'm no master chef, and occasionally I will prepare a packaged meal, the kind that come with some powdered sauce mix. I used to have a problem with getting the powder to dissolve properly into the mix of noodles (or whatever else came in the box), it would always come out lumpy. Now, I set aside the powder and some of the required liquid (milk, water, etc.). Then I combine them in a small storage container which has a lid that seals well. Put the lid on and with a minute or two of shaking and the powder is completely dissolved, no lumps!

After reading Four Fingers' post, I wish I still rode the bus... :D

Don't eat yellow snow

Don't look directly at the sun

Don't run with sissors - Microsoft Word

This thread kicks ass all over the place.

On making friends: small, unrequited favors go a long way. Someone in your dorm/neighborhood sick? Make them a thermos of hot tea. It takes a couple minutes to boil the water and throw in a teabag. Assuming they're a non-asshole they'll remember it.

I didn't come up with this idea, but that's no reason that I can't share it with others.

Everyone gets a lot of junk mail. Some of that junk mail (specifically credit card applications) comes with a return envelope, postage paid. Use these envelopes to send the rest of your junk mail back to the company.

Not sure if it really helps...but it make me feel better.

some things are worth paying full price for.

shoes.
razor blades(believe it or not)
toilet paper
to name but a few.

Oh- and socks....jeez, do yourself a favor and spend some premium $ for some good socks.

Ish, my wife and I do that too. What I'd like to find is some sort of manufacturing company that produces waste sheet metal in approximately junk-mail envelope sizes. That way, they have to pay MORE because you're shipping back something heavier than what they expected. Right now, though, we just feed in shredded stuff and all the junk they sent us (with the names and any identifying markings removed, as I believe this constitutes as mail fraud).

Why not just have two toilets? Might make it easier.

Leave four things in every bathroom you own:

- Extra roll of toilet paper.
- Plunger
- Toilet Brush
- Air freshener/matches

Your guests will thank you.

I've said it before in Tilted Cooking, but I'll say it again here:
Mayonnaise is NOT a substitute for sour cream in anything. (Especially home made chip dip)

To drill a straight hole with an electric drill (right-handed): hold the drill with your left hand over the top, right hand gripping the pistol grip, extend your right index finger along the side of the drill (parallel to the bit) and hit the trigger switch with your middle finger.

This same principle can be applied to shooting a rifle: point with your left index finger at the target (shooting right-handed).

And Teflon tape is a must-have for leakless plumbing repairs.

I'm a waiter and am on my feet a lot! I invested in a good pair of shoes.

It's oftentimes a good idea to buy quality when you are using the product constantly.

Aslo, keep in mind, that generic is just as good as major bands. Many foodstuffs come from the same factories, only wrapped in different packaging. You pay for the marketing.

Cheaper products a located above or below your eyeline. Go to the store. Bend down. How much does it cost less? (unless its targeted twords a certian group like kids for example)

Reminds me of the time I went to a Superbowl party and used the bathroom. Someone before me used up all the paper and never bothered refilling it. I looked in the usual places (under the sink, in the closet) and eventually grabbed a piece of facial tissue. When I asked the hostess if she had any more paper she said there was a whole package... In the hallway linen closet just OUTSIDE the bathroom! :rolleyes:

Shoes..naaah. My $17 Wal-Mart shoes are quite comfortable and look decent, too. Razor blades..YES. I'll never forget when I tried store-brand replacements. It felt like I went over my face with 80-grit sandpaper and tried to shave with a paring knife. Toilet paper is another good one. I buy store brand versions of pretty much everything, except for TP. Charmin Ultra is great stuff.

Only other thing I can think of is car parts. Yes you'll spend twice as much for good brand replacement parts, but you won't have to replace them 10 times as often like with the cheap pieces of crap.

Do you have a pair of reading or sunglasses which always have a loose hinge screw? I had a pair of sunglasses I had to tighten almost weekly. Then a friend told me to tighten them down good and put a bit of clear nail polish on top of each screw. It worked like a charm. You have to be very careful to put just a tiny bit of polish, as too much will just leak down into the hinge area and mess it up.

batteries: for small appliance batteries (ie anything that uses AA, AAA, C, & D cell sizes) buy cheapo brands, in bulk if possible. consider: Duracell (for example) is often twice as expensive as a generic brand. But they dont last twice as long. If you have something that goes through a lot of batteries, buy the cheapest ones you can find. You'll save in the long run.