The Craftiest Workshop

I have often seen tricks for making life easier floating around on facebook. I thought I would share some of them that I have tried or plan to try.

1. Eye glasses case to hold earphones and cords while travelling

On our last big trip I had to take earphones, a cord for my ipad, a cord for my phone and a converter. I put each one in a separate baggie. Good luck reaching into my bag and pulling out the one I needed at any given time. The cords also get bent and can easily get damaged. Using old glasses cases would keep them more organized and safer. Now I just need to find a few more cases.

2. Keep emergency money in phone case

No matter where people go these days, they seem to always take their cell phone with them. They may not take their wallets or if they do, they may only have credit or debit cards with them. Have you ever been to the grocery store and you get to the cash only for them to tell you their machines aren’t working and they can only take cash? This hack may solve your problem. Stick a $20 or $50 dollar bill in your phone case (unless you tend to misplace or lose your phone).

3. Toilet paper rolls on loose wrapping paper

I have a bin of Christmas wrap and I don’t just use one up until it is done and go on to another. I like to vary which wrap I use. That means many are loose and cut in weird spots. This is a simple solution to keep it much neater and the wrap doesn’t get ripped as easily. You can even use an empty wrap roll, cut it into many pieces and put on the ones that still have paper.

4. Empty paper rolls for Christmas lights

I started doing this a few years ago and it is so much less stressful when you go to take out the lights to put on the tree. Each strand has its own cardboard tube and they are not knotted. You can cut a notch in one end to secure the plug end so it is easy to find to test before unravelling. I find that wrapping paper rolls cut in half work better for anything with more than 75 bulbs.

5. Key chain ring for zipper that falls down

Ever have a pair of pants where the zipper seems loose and always falls down; usually at the most inopportune time? This little trick will help solve that issue. You simply put a key chain ring which is slightly larger that the button onto the zipper pull. Then you hook it on the button before doing it up.

• 

• 

6. Use car mats for traction when stuck in snow or mud

This photo was floating around facebook but I realized that it really does make sense. It is something that is always in the car with us and could be used in a emergency.

7. Tie your extension cords together

I learned this one from my dad when I was a teen, tasked with doing the lawn trimming. You should always tie the two extension cords together in order to keep them from disconnecting. This works well when using things that you move around like lawn equipment or small power tools.

8. Use mouthwash as toilet cleaner

For some reason, at our house, with multiple bathrooms and more than one person that cleans them, we run out of toilet cleaner sometimes. If you pour in mouthwash instead, leave it thirty minutes then scrub, it can also do the job.

9. Drilling into wood and prevent splitting without a pilot hole

When drilling into a piece of wood near the edge, drill in a bit, reverse and let spin a few seconds and then drill it all the way in. This will prevent the board from splitting. We built a deck just before winter and even I was able to use this method and did not split even one board.

10. Clean ice off your windshield with a baggie of warm water

I saw this video on The Weather Network and will have to give it a try. I was thinking of those days when you get freezing rain and can’t seem to scrape a hole anywhere. Perhaps this would help at least get you started.