Lifehacks Part 2 & Asking the Audience (That's You)

Last spring I asked you for your lifehacks and shared some of mine. I am still loving my vinegar/water solution (best grease cutter EVER), google calendaring and syncing with Steve's gcalendar, meal planning, enjoying the handiness of baskets (especially for optimizing space in our too-small freezer) and trying to keep to my laundry days.

I loved hearing what everyone had to say about their lifehacks, so I thought it might be time to ask (and share) again. Here are mine; don't forget to share yours.

• Jarred and Bottled Ingredients. Oh my word. How much do I hate trying to "mince" garlic (and how your hands always smell like garlic afterward), remember to buy limes, and keep a basil plant alive? So much. Which is why these little guys are my kitchen BFFs. Way less perishable, more convenient, and easy to have on hand just in case. LOVE THEM.

• Coupons. Who would have ever thought that I would get in to coupons? I have occasionally looked at blog posts where women go in to six different stores and come out with tons of free food--this has TERRIFIED me for years. How on earth to get to that many stores with that many coupons with kids in tow? But I decided to simplify. I only coupon at one store (our local Harris Teeter), and I use a very helpful blog (Southern Savers) that details which coupons to use with which sale items. I occasionally even find some good deals on my own. I am starting slow, but its pretty fun. And I can usually find cereal for $1, which is great because we eat a ton of that stuff.
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• Baskets and Boxes. Still love these. Our bookcases all have a ton of boxes and baskets, because we have a lot of junk (see next lifehack....). So Gracie's toys in the family room? Get tossed in a basket. Steve's video games? Basket. Shoes by the door? Bills to be paid? Mail? Diapers? Yes. All hidden in baskets and/or boxes.
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• Purging. Steve and I have been married for less than five years. We have lived in 5 different homes. And that means we have packed a LOT, and I know just how much STUFF we have. So, though my nature tends more towards pack-rat-ism, I am now boldly trying to embrace the philosophy that if I have no use for it, I throw it away. Even with sentimental stuff. If it is taking up space and never gets used, we take a picture of it and give it to Goodwill or toss it. Obviously there are some things we can't toss (baby hats, wedding dress, etc.) but lots of other things have been kissed goodbye. That said, I still keep WAY too much stuff. This is a work in progress.
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• Baby Wipes. Not just for bums. These things are great for cleaning any surface, at home or abroad.
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• Compartmentalized Purse. Most diaper bags are ugly or bulky. Mine was cute but huge, and I got tired of lugging it around. I got a cute purse at Target with three compartments--the middle one has a zipper. Diapers, wipes, changing pad, and Charlie's emergency change of clothes go in the zipper pocket. Usable things like hand sanitizer, wallet, and phone in the front, and less used stuff (a book, umbrella, whatever the day requires) in the compartment in the back.
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• Keys on a Carabiner. This is my number one mommy-sanity-saver. I was CONSTANTLY losing my keys in my purse and trying to dig through it to find them with a child on my hip. NO MORE. I put my keys on a carabiner and clip it to either one of the rings on the strap of my purse or, if I'm unloading kids/groceries/whatever, I clip them to my belt loop. Easy access, I can see them at all times, and no more delving to the depths of my bag to retrieve them.
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• One at a Time. Though I do constantly walk through the house gathering things, I only really try to get one room really clean at a time. I work on the kitchen, do all the dishes, etc. and THEN move on to something else. So that at least one room looks nice even if the rest are still works in progress.
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• Keeping Up Appearances. And on that same vein, guess what? People who are home all day? Their houses get messy. (That's right!!! You're not the only one! I only just figured this out.) Our house gets especially thrashed on the weekend. Because mama takes a day off from cleaning. :) So if you come over, and you think, WOW! THEIR LIVING ROOM LOOKS SPOTLESS!!! it is because I have either (1) enlisted the troops for a real house cleaning or (more likely) (2) cleaned up only that room because I knew you were coming. :)
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• Picking a Parking Spot. When I had Grace, I became incapable of finding my car in a parking lot. So I now park in the same row every time I go to a store. I have a row at Marshall's, Target, Harris Teeter, and anywhere else I frequent. So I just walk down that aisle and eventually I run into my car. :)

So tell me, what do YOU do to stay sane?