Life Hacks and Other Time Saving Ideas

Food: Separate bananas when you get home — leaving them connected at the stem makes them ripen faster.

Food: Store opened cheese in aluminum foil to keep it fresh much longer and prevent mold.

Food: Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating raw; peppers with 4 bumps are firmer and better for cooking.

Food: Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef to help pull the grease away from the meat.

Food: For richer scrambled eggs or omelets, beat in a couple spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream.

Food: Reheat leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat — keeps the crust crispy, no soggy microwave pizza.

Food: Easy deviled eggs — put cooked yolks in a zip-lock bag, seal and mash, add the remaining ingredients, cut the tip, and pipe directly into the whites. Toss the bag when done.

Food: Whip store-bought frosting with a mixer for a few minutes to double its volume — you get more coverage with fewer calories per serving.

Food: Before measuring sticky substances like peanut butter, fill the measuring cup with hot water, dump it out (don't dry), then measure. Everything slides right out.

Food: Reheat refrigerated biscuits, pancakes, or muffins in the microwave alongside a cup of water — the steam keeps them moist.

Home: Wet newspapers placed in layers around plants and covered with mulch keep weeds out better than most gardening plastic.

Home: Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to safely pick up small shards of broken glass you can't see easily.

Home: Sprinkle cayenne pepper around plants to keep squirrels away — it doesn't harm the plants.

Home: Attach an empty paper towel roll to your vacuum hose — it can be bent or flattened to reach into narrow openings like heat registers.

Home: Keep a chalkboard eraser in your glove box to wipe a foggy windshield — works better than a cloth.

Home: Rub a potato on car windows and rinse off with a hose to make them rain-repellent.

Home: Place a sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two to re-open it without tearing.

Home: Get rid of fruit flies — fill a small glass halfway with apple cider vinegar and add 2 drops of dish soap; mix well. Flies are drawn to it and won't escape.

Home: Eliminate ants with cornmeal — put small piles where you see them. They carry it home, eat it, and can't digest it. Safe for pets and children.

Self-care: Place a dryer sheet in your pocket to keep mosquitoes away.

Self-care: Use hair conditioner to shave your legs — cheaper than shaving cream and leaves skin very smooth.