Most people move away from home sometime in their 20’s. This is when you quickly discover that:
- Electricity is expensive
- You weren’t raised in a barn because now you close doors since heat and air conditioning is also expensive.
- Mom was right
- Groceries are expensive
- Dad was also right
After college, life becomes complicated, messy, tricky, and filled with things you probably heard about as a kid, but never imagined were really true. (They really will shut off your cable if you are two days late on the payment. Who knew?)
So if you are looking for shortcuts to help make life easier, we have a few tips for you. The following life hacks can help to make things a little bit less complicated and that means fewer calls to mom.
- Save Money on Avocados
Who doesn’t love guacamole? But let’s face it; at $3 or more apiece, the last thing you want to do is go home with an avocado that is already breathing its last. Picking an avocado depends on when you plan to use it. Want guacamole tonight? Don’t pick a bright green, hard avocado. Look for one that is almost black and soft to the touch. Not TOO soft, however, as that means it is already too gushy to eat. It should feel like a marshmallow. If you want to eat some in a sandwich later in the week, pick one that is firm and green. Put your avocados in a brown paper bag when you get home and store it in a cupboard (NOT the fridge!) Your avocado should ripen in 48 to 72 hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen. If you want to know more about avocados, you can click here.
- Keep Onions, Garlic, and Shallots from Rotting in the Fridge
While onions and garlic aren’t really expensive, don’t you just hate it when you head to the vegetable bin of your fridge for a big slice of onion to put on your sandwich only to find that your onion has grown roots and leaves? You can keep onions, garlic, and shallots, good for 3 or 4 months if you store them in paper bags. Yep. Simple brown paper bags. Use a hole puncher to put several dozen air holes in the bag, place your onions inside, then fold the top and use a large paper clip to keep it closed. Put the bag in a bottom kitchen cabinet. Pretty easy, isn’t it?
- Avoid Soggy Lettuce
Eating healthy means plenty of salads, but you might already know from experience that a big bowl of lettuce greens in the fridge goes soggy and gross in about 3 to 4 days. Keep your salad fresh for 7 to 10 days using this one little trick. Put your greens in a large bowl, then simply place a single paper towel on top. You don’t have to tuck it in or anything else. If the paper towel is a bit large, you can fold it so it fits. You don’t have to cover all the green, either. Now cover the top of your bowl with plastic wrap. Replace the paper towel every three days as it collects the moisture that causes soggy salads.
- Sweet Sore Throat Relief
The next time you have a sore throat, but you don’t have any honey or lemon to mix in some tea, break out the marshmallows. Marshmallow plants have been used for thousands of years to ease sore throats and help calm nagging coughs. While marshmallows aren’t exactly health food, eating two or three isn’t going to kill you. Tear larger marshmallows in half and suck on it for a minute, then swallow. Wait another minute or two, then repeat with the other half. If one doesn’t do the trick, keep repeating until you have eaten a max of 3 marshmallows. If 3 marshmallows don’t do the job, eating more won’t work either and you should just suck it up and go to the store for some tea, honey, and lemon.
- Make Coffee at Home
We know how you feel; those caramel Frappuccino’s from your local Starbucks or other coffee joint are super delish! However, at $7 or more per Grande (16 ounces), not to mention 400+ calories each, they aren’t doing your wallet or your waistline any favors. An occasional treat is one thing, but don’t make these an everyday habit. Instead, find a blend of coffee that you really, really love and make your own coffee at home. Buy several stainless steel travel mugs and you are good to go! You can even buy a Starbucks mug for your coffee. This way, people will think you splurged big bucks on brand name coffee, but only you know the secret. Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone your secret!