“Why Didn’t I Think Of That?” – Part Eleven

Here on my blog, I strive to share simple, everyday tips and tricks that can help make life a little bit easier. But sometimes, the tips that I want to share aren’t something I can write a whole blog post about. And since I simply cannot waste a good idea, I tuck them away to use at a later date. Today I’ll be sharing some of those tips and tricks with you in the eleventh edition of my ongoing series “Why Didn’t I Think Of That?”

1. Key Ring Helper

Having trouble keeping a key ring open long enough to slip a key onto it? Use a staple remover! Clamp the teeth of the staple remover between the rings near the opening. The teeth of the staple remover will keep the ring open, making it much easier to slip your new key onto the ring!

2. Color Coded Eggs

If you store hard-boiled eggs in their shells, it can be hard to tell them apart from your raw eggs once you put them in the fridge. Here’s simple tip to help you mark your hard-boiled eggs! When you’re boiling the eggs, just add a splash of balsamic vinegar to the water. The dark-colored vinegar will tint the outside of the eggshells slightly. (But don’t worry, it won’t affect how they taste). Once you put your eggs back in the fridge, you’ll know that the slightly darker eggs are the hard-boiled ones!

3. Light Candles With Spaghetti

Regular matches often burn up before you can manage to light the wick of a stubborn or deep candle. In these cases, a raw spaghetti noodle can help! Light one end of a piece of spaghetti, and it will burn long enough to light all your tallest or most stubborn candles.

4. Save Water For Watering

Your house plants, potted plants, and garden need water, but they’re not picky about where it comes from. So save the water you use to boil or steam vegetables, pasta, eggs, and more, and use it to water your plants! (Allow the water to cool to room temperature first, so you don’t accidentally scald your plants.) Reusing your cooking water is a great way to save water overall!

5. More Popped Popcorn

Tired of all the unpopped kernels at the bottom of your homemade popcorn? Try soaking the kernels in water for a few minutes before you make your popcorn! The water encourages faster popping, so you’ll end up with fewer unpopped kernels after cooking!

Related: 2 Ways To Make Amazing Homemade Popcorn In Your Microwave

6. Drip-Free Cones

The next time you’re making ice cream cones for yourself or your kids, stick a marshmallow in the bottom of the cone before adding any ice cream. The marshmallow will help stop any ice cream drips from leaking out the bottom of the cone! Plus it’s an extra treat you get to enjoy once you’re finished with the ice cream. :-)

7. Crystal Clear Mirrors

Use a brown paper bag or a piece of newspaper for cleaning windows and mirrors, rather than using paper towels. Paper bags and newspaper won’t leave behind any lint, and your mirrors and windows will be left clean and streak-free!

Related: 9 Unexpectedly Useful Things You Can Do With A Paper Bag

8. Easier Taco Assembly

Use a fork to help keep your taco shell in place while you fill it! Just slide the edges of the taco shell between the prongs of a fork, and set the fork down on a flat surface. You’ll be able to scoop your taco fixings into it much more easily!

9. Toasted Sandwich Tip

In my opinion, the best BLTs have bread that is nicely toasted on the outside but soft on the inside. An easy way to achieve this at home is to toast two pieces of bread in the same toaster slot! The outsides of the bread with get nicely toasted, while the inside stays soft and delicious.

10. Quickly Cool Drinks

Need to cool a drink down quickly? Wrap a damp paper towel around the bottle or can, then place the drink in your freezer for a few minutes. Your drink will be cool and ready to sip in a hurry! (Just don’t forget it’s in there, or you run the risk of having to clean up a soda explosion!)

11. Cleaner Bath Toys

Most bath toys have a hole in the bottom that allows water to get inside. If soapy water gets inside bath toys and stays there, it can get grimy in there over time! An easy way to avoid this is to use a dot of hot glue to seal up the hole. They’ll still float, but you won’t have any issues with mold and mildew growing inside them. (Just make sure your little ones won’t miss the squeaky effect first!)

Love The Tips In This Post?

Then you’re really going to love my new perpetual daily tips calendar — “Why Didn’t I Think of That? 365 Tips & Tricks to Solve Life’s Little Problems. It’s a bit like my blog in miniature because it features “one good thing” every day!

The daily tips in this calendar cover just about every aspect of life at home, from cleaning and laundry to beauty and organization. I’ve poured all my first-hand experience and research into these pages, so you can trust that every tip has received my OGT Seal of Approval!

But you might be wondering, “Why would I buy a calendar in April?” And that’s a great question! One of my favorite things about this calendar is that it’s perpetual. At the end of every year, you can flip the pages back over and start again! So it’s a calendar you can start using any time of year.

OGT readers are loving it so far:

I’ve had this calendar for a few weeks now, and I’ve learned or been reminded of something valuable each day. My rule is not to take sneak peeks ahead! It’s well-constructed on heavy stock, designed beautifully, and sits unobtrusively on my desk next to my computer. What a clever idea—thank you so much for coming up with yet another brilliant idea, Jillee!

Carol O.

I love my new perpetual calendar! Every day, I look forward to turning the page to read a new daily tip. Thanks for providing a new idea each day of the year. I’m looking forward to using it year after year.

Kathy

I just love this perpetual calendar. It’s so colorful and handy. I look forward to Jillee’s emails every day because she always has such helpful tips for things I never would have thought of. Now I can look at these different tips daily, and the calendar will never expire. Thank you for another great idea!

Kristin

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