Better living through getting rid of stuff

Now that I've reorganized in the kitchen, I can usually put away everything from the dishwasher in less than 2 minutes. Before, it could take quite a bit longer. What I did was put everything that's commonly used (my most commonly used glasses, plates, bowls, and cutlery) in the cabinet that's right next to the dishwasher. This way I can stand in one spot, stack a bunch of like items from the dishwasher in my hand (easier because they're lightweight Corelle), and put them away, all with very little movement. Only one type of thing goes in a stack, and there's no delicate rearranging needed to get things into that space.

I didn't really get rid of that much stuff, despite the title of this blog post. I did get rid of a few things, but mainly I separated them into the "very commonly used" area, and the "not so commonly used" area. The most commonly used items are VERY accessible, as they should be. And the others are on the other side of the kitchen.

One other guideline that I have is consolidating on one type of plastic storage container. For instance, the only plastic storage containers that are allowed in the "very commonly used" area are ones that stack easily, and use the same size lids (though the containers themselves are different sizes). I happen to use the Rubbermaid Easy-find Lids variety, but there's others that are similar.

At the house of some relatives, it can take a long time empty the dishwasher, and clean things up in general. There may be multiple sets of dishes, multiple sets of cutlery, dozens of knives, each with a separate home, some on the other side of the kitchen. I'm absolutely not saying that my kitchen setup is better, but it's definitely suited to me - someone who's more efficiency-minded than most.

Want to avoid weight gain? Make snacking inconvenient!

Like most of us, I have to work at keeping my weight at a reasonable level. Especially in the last 5 years or so, it seems like any indulgence causes the scale to go up more quicker than previously. My conclusion is that I need less indulging in indulgences!

But my strategy in many areas of life is to make things easier and more efficient. At one point I thought I'd be efficient and frugal, stocking up on snacks, while keeping them somewhat inaccessible.

No surprise - that's not a good idea. Stocking up is for staples, and regarding snacks as a staple causes too much snacking. Even keeping the snacks in a relatively inaccessible upper pantry wasn't inconvenient enough.

What is inconvenient enough? Making it fresh, each time I want a snack!  So, instead of making a family-size pan of brownies, and having them sitting on the counter for as long as it takes to polish them off, I make a microwave mug cake. It's still rich and delicious, but it involves getting out all the ingredients, measuring everything out, using the microwave, etc. Even if I give myself permission to make it whenever I want, I don't go to the trouble more than once a week.

I recently saw a recipe online for a version that only has 2 ingredients - cake mix, and water. I was tempted to try it. But then I realized - no! The point is not to make it convenient and easy, the point is to make it more difficult - effort-FULL instead of effort-Less.

For a salty snack, I either make microwave popcorn (with a special microwave popcorn bowl that we've had for years, and that works fantastically), or these cheddar cheese crisps in the microwave.

People today are much, much heavier than we were 100 years ago. That's not because our nature has changed to become more slothful and gluttonous. It's because our environment has changed, and being slothful and gluttonous is so much easier. When treats take more effort, we're changing our environment to be more like it was 100 years ago. And that's good for our health.

My low-budget EDC (Every Day Carry)

I'm not a survivalist or "prepper" by any means, but I've always been interested in stories of survival, and I believe in the Boy Scout motto, "Be prepared". When the whole "EDC" (every day carry) trend started, back in 2007 (see the Google Trends report), it resonated with me, and I created my own little kit.

The standard EDC, which tends towards fancy knives and expensive notepads, would work great for a zombie apocalypse. Mine is very basic, and mostly has the tried and true items that I actually need regularly. I have it in a separate see-through plastic container, so I can move it as needed (office bag, day pack, travel bag, etc.). Since everything is easily visible from the outside, I don't need to be so concerned about organizing it properly.

And here's what I have inside.

1. String - I used this just once, a few years ago. I got a farewell gift of two monstrously huge coffee table books when I left my job at the UN. I was biking to work, and my work bag wasn't large enough. I used some string to tie the books to my bike rack, and made it all the way home. An EDC triumph!
2. Large Binder Clip
3. Small plastic bags
4. Band Aids - always good if you have kids, even if it's more to just not see the blood anymore. You can make friends on the playground with them, too, when other kids get hurt.
5. Sun lotion - Always good to have a little container on hand.  The container itself is from Daiso, the Japanese dollar store, they have a huge selection of tiny containers.
6. Gum - My kids always like to have some. I sometimes have a little container of tic-tacs or Skittles, which I used to call "walking pills" when the kids were getting tired of walking around on our trips.
7. Cash, whistle, earplugs, needle/thread - The cash, I've used on numerous occasions where I only had my credit card on hand. The rest of it - not very much.
8. Hand sanitizer - useful on planes and while traveling
9. Flashlight - this little flashlight, the Pak-Lite 9V LED, lasts forever! I use it most frequently when traveling, and reading at night with my Kindle, which is not backlit.
10. Tissues
11. Hairband - keeps me cooler when walking
12. Twist Ties
13. Safety Pin 
14. Vaseline
15. Medium size plastic bags 
16. Small pocket knife - I wouldn't want to carry a large, heavy pocket knife around, but a small one is great
17. Spare tampons
18. Large size plastic bag -  This is just a folded up bag from Target. I love them, they're very durable. I end up using it a lot.
19. Mini lighter - If I'm ever in a situation where I'm stuck in the wilderness and need to make a fire, I'll be prepared! I haven't yet, though.  
20. Compass - Sometimes when traveling, a compass can be handy.
21. Roll of dental floss - I've used this for some spare string occasionally
22. Single-use eye drops - I tend to have dry eyes, so I like to have some of these around
23. Ibuprofin - no need to suffer from headache
24. Sheets of paper
25. Pencil stub

In addition to these items, I always carry my smartphone, wallet, and keys.

So in looking through these items with a critical eye - honestly, there's a lot I haven't used much, if at all. But they're mostly extremely light, so I'll keep on carrying them. And it gives me a big thrill when I can solve a problem with something that I have with me. 

5 tips for making children's clothing last

My kids are growing fast, and not particularly concerned about fashion. So, I've found a few strategies that keep them decently clothed, without me needing to spend a lot of time and money shopping. Since I have boys, these tips are focused on boy's clothing, but they could work as well for girl's clothing.

Here's what I do.

1. Put a cuff on jeans, if they're too long. This is commonly done, except that I go one step further and actually hand-sew the cuff in two spots, so that it doesn't come undone. I will also buy the jeans a little long, as opposed to exactly the right length. Then when my children grow, I just undo the cuff. Jeans with cuffs in them look fine, unlike "high-water" jeans - i.e. jeans that are too short, which look goofy.

2. If the sleeves on a knit shirt are too long, I put elastic in the cuff. I cut a tiny little hole on the inside of the cuff (on a knit shirt, it won't unravel), and thread a piece of thin elastic through, then tie it off at a length that fits snugly around the child's wrist. This looks great and prevents the sleeve from going over the wrist. Then when it's no longer needed, just snip the elastic and remove it.

Note the small hole where the elastic is threaded through

3. Don't get white clothing! Stains in non-white clothing usually disappear without any extra laundry work. In whites, you may have to do extra scrubbing and/or bleaching to remove stains, if you can remove them at all. I'm happy just not getting the kids white clothing.

4. Keep them in shorts and short sleeves as much as you can. The "acceptable length" of shorts is extremely broad - anywhere from mid-thigh to just above the knee. As long as it's an elastic waist, that covers at least a couple years. And t-shirts and polo shirts that fit quite large usually look just as good as t-shirts that fit exactly right. If your child wears the t-shirt both when it's large on him, and regular size, you can get additional years of wear out of it.

5. Patches - this is an area where I haven't had much luck. I've done the iron-on knee patches, and most of them seem to come off very easily. I'd suggest doing some research on which patches work best, and then following the instructions exactly. Of course, the knees are the first to go, especially if your kids still play on the floor a lot.

But - knee patches are never necessary on shorts - yet another reason to favor them!