Helpful life hacks- from saving money to getting ready quicker

Who else loves life hacks! I know I’m not alone, and especially with the Holidays coming up we all need tips that help us have more time to get tasks done.

Ah, time. I remember a time when I didn’t have obligations to be someplace or a definite schedule to stick to. And recently I’ve had so many things going on that it’s hard to even catch my breath, so I’m in dire need of a few hacks to lighten my load.

If you’re feeling the same way then take 5 minutes to read this post and I guarantee that by the end you’ll have learned new tricks to give you an extra 1 hr + during the day. Or, maybe time isn’t something you struggle with – Getting ready quicker? Shopping? I love to shop but I’m not made of money so I’ve had to find more affordable places to shop that don’t compromise the quality of the clothing.

Whatever your reason, whether it be needing time or saving money, I’ve got you covered. By the end of this post you’ll be feeling 100 times better and ready to start Thursday off with ease.

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HIIT workouts work!

If you’re crunched on time but love working out then give HIIT workouts a try. HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training which is wonderful if you’re looking to burn fat and keep your heart rate going. And the best part being that they only take around 15-20 minutes to complete! No need to spend an hour + at the gym when you can simply hit your HIIT workouts at home.

Shop frugally

Frugal living is the best living. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE spending a few bucks on a nice pair of shoes now and then, but, for me at least, it’s not realistic for everyday living. So instead of denying the shopping lover in me, I decided to branch out from my staple stores and give other stores, more frugal living stores a try, and here’s what I came across-

These stores sell very affordable clothing that isn’t cheap quality. The material holds up very well for everyday use and is a wonderful alternative if you want to shop but don’t want to empty your wallet.

• https://us.shein.com/
• https://www.zaful.com/
• https://www.nordstromrack.com/– designer clothes at 1/4 of the price
• https://www.saksoff5th.com/Entry.jsp – designer clothes at 1/4 of the price
• https://www.forever21.com/us/shop
• https://www.zappos.com/

If you’re looking to go even more affordable then eBay is a great option. You have to look into the clothing item you’re buying but if everything checks out then you’re good to go. I have boughten a few clothing items from here and have never had a problem. Note: if you are a first time eBay shopper then make sure to find the tag NWT = new with tags/ new without tags. Preowned is okay but new is better if it’s available.

• https://www.ebay.com/

Make overnight oats

Make your oatmeal the night before so in the morning you don’t need to figure out what to make and spend 10-20 minutes preparing it. Your breakfast is already made, once again saving you TIME!

Meal prep on the weekends

Meal prepping can save alot of time and money!

After a long days work, the last thing you want to think about is coming home to cook, then do the dishes. So instead try meal prepping which is guaranteed to help.

Every Sunday (or your preferred day), go grocery shopping and buy ingredients for 2-3 meals which you’re going to make that week, come home, prep them, store in containers and in the fridge they go. This way when you come home from working your food is already prepared.

Note: Make sure that if you’re going to eat the same meal more than once a week to buy enough ingredients. Also, if you meal prep on Sunday then by Friday I recommend finishing your meals because, at least in my experience, by Friday the food starts to become a tad icky from sitting in the fridge for a few days. So plan accordingly.

Start your car ahead

If you’re someone who has a pre-start button on your car keys then take advantage of it. With cold weather here frost is also on the way. Instead of waiting for your car to warm up and defrost with you in it, start it from the window with a simple push of a button about 5-7 minutes before leaving so you can zoom right off and not have to wait.

BUT! What if your car keys don’t have this magical button? Then do what I do- about 5-7 minutes before you have to leave, run outside to your car, start it and run back inside. I even had a second house key made so I don’t need to worry about locking the house with my keys in the car.

Take time off social media

Humans spends hours a day scrolling through social media. Imagine if instead of being glued to your phone you deleted or stopped going on instagram or Facebook for a bit. You’ll immediately see a difference in the amount of time you have during the day. Divert your social media time into working on tasks that would otherwise have been done late at night (since you were on your phone) so you can relax and get a good nights rest.

Plan outfits the night before

To help you in getting ready quicker in the morning, plan your outfits out the night before so when you wake up there’s no need to shuffle through your closet and drawers wasting 20 valuable minutes.

Stop gaming!

Put down the phone and stop playing games. If you find yourself spending more than 1 hr a day playing games on your phone then it’s time to take a breather. Stop playing for a few days and you’ll see how much more time you have.

You don’t need to stop forever, playing once in awhile is okay but, if you are really crunched on time during the day and have no minutes to yourself, then try taking a break from games.

Use a traffic app

Using a traffic app like https://www.waze.com/ will help you find where traffic is that day so you can plan your commute accordingly. No more getting stuck in traffic for 2 hours and being late to work, which in turn leaves you with less time during the day to get stuff done.

Make a to-do list

For some, me included, to-do lists work. They give you an opportunity to see exactly what you need to complete that day and then when you’ve completed a task give it a check off. This way you are able to plan your time and allot sections for different tasks.

To-do lists will also keep you on track so you don’t forget to do something or wander off and start gaming. They tell your brain, “okay, this is what needs to be done today”, so you’ll go do it!

Sleep. zzz…

Sleep is important! Your whole life people have probably been telling you this and it’s the truth. Giving your body 8+ hours of rest each night is what’s going to give you the energy to keep moving and not fall behind.

Call ahead to Starbucks or Dunkin

If you’re someone who enjoys a daily Starbucks or Dunkin coffee/ meal then instead of going into the store and waiting on the line for 5-10 minutes, call in your order ahead so it’s ready when you get there, saving you even more time 🙂

Block out 30 min – 1hr each day

If you really struggle on finding ‘you’ time during the day, then make a block out in your planner labeled ‘me time’. During this time go do something for yourself so when ‘you time’ is over you’re feeling refreshed and ready to keep moving.

Workout & watch tv

No time to workout? Not even HIIT workouts fit into your busy schedule. First, I would say give up watching tv but I’m not that cruel. Instead, workout and watch tv at the same time. You kill two birds with one stone. You’re able to watch your daily ‘Great British Baking Show’ episode and are burning calories so you can then go recreate the contests bakes, and not worry about the calories. A treat for the body and soul. 🙂

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Thanks for reading today’s post and checking out my blog. Next blog post → Friday! 

𝐻𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝒶 𝑔𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉 𝒹𝒶𝓎!