# Life hacks you figured out on your own **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 11, 2023, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041 "2023-03-11T20:36:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![motu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/motu/32/259_2.png) [@motu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/motu)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2023, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/290 "2023-04-01T15:10:49Z")
I always have an old shower curtain liner in the trunk in case I have work on the car or look underneath. The first time I picked up a date in a car, the car got a flat tire. I had never changed a tire and I was wearing white painters pants. Very embarrassing. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2023, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/291 "2023-04-01T19:34:54Z")
Here’s the shelf on which I keep my spices. [![Google Photos](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/jgRLEemU3_qsSu2LjlqKT7QEF1K7u8CvD39hkwEmQi_jSBJDtg_-QqgzS2keloeomUlCB6_qGG0lG-0i1omUn1hWFXkvOIisplNMI3fSjTotfZa1blzAnKK08v3W78Iljz598D8mRxw=w600-h315-p-k "New item by James Hyder") ](https://photos.app.goo.gl/AasxjEvH8jks2Qcy5) There are 30 or 40 bottles there, so when I wanted to find one, I had to shuffle through a bunch to find it. Today I spent a couple hours doing this: [![Google Photos](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/vBmAoeq1lWC9Dub9vCB_AWIQe5NthPfr8TtuV6WVd8z5Y4h6guyGubdxOhfuNdmjocSi8BPIuHMvbJoZXaNUjej3UytTd8JnaxWclttPJ0kgI3K4zq9JZRCJwddVSNiJt8ZaYWS5wL4=w600-h315-p-k "New item by James Hyder") ](https://photos.app.goo.gl/6GJcSm5c1v2TihVX6) I found some 1-inch round labels online, made an inventory of all the spices, and since the labels didn’t come with a template, set up a Word doc to print them all out (getting the sizing and spacing just right took the most time). I can’t wait to start cooking! ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2023, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/292 "2023-04-01T19:41:32Z")
I’ve done that as well, but I used a sharpie. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2023, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/293 "2023-04-01T20:00:31Z")
I tried that, but it tended to wear off quickly, and of course didn’t work on the black tops. Also, the red McCormack lids are embossed with the logo, and writing on that usually doesn’t yield legible results. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2023, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/294 "2023-04-01T20:15:17Z")
I do exactly the same, started about two years ago. Also amazed how long it took me to find out and to get into the habit of actually doing it. Nice to know I am not the only one. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2023, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/295 "2023-04-01T20:54:59Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > > [@NinthAcolyte](#): > > > > Unrelated realization: Your name is “puzzle gal!” I’ve been reading it as “puzzle-legal” for years. I thought you were a lawyer or something. > > Hey, me too! I read it puzz-legal and wondered what a puzz was. Don’t know why, but I felt it sounded jewish. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2023, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/296 "2023-04-01T22:02:58Z")
Yeah, we have a special pull out cabinet thing about 5 inches wide and 3 shelves. My Wife did the sharpie to the tops of them. We still can’t keep anything in alphabetical order though. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2023, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/297 "2023-04-01T22:09:13Z")
> [@teelabrown](#): > > If you’re buying eggs and you still have a couple left over from last week in the egg container in your fridge, buy a different color (white or brown) than last week. Then you will always know which eggs are the older eggs and should be used up first. Why not use a sharpie or a pencil to mark the older eggs with a dot? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2023, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/298 "2023-04-01T22:16:37Z")
We were given a wedding present consisting of a spice rack that displays the tops of the bottles, with matching glass bottles with white lids. Some (thyme) have the original printed label. (It came with more labels than bottles.) Some still have the calligraphy i wrote lo these many years ago, using a fine-point sharpie. Some replacement bottles have a bit of masking tape on them that i labeled with a sharpie. Those are mostly black lids. (From Penzey’s) I also have some “spice island” bottles whose lids conveniently have a white center, suitable to write on. I mostly buy spices in bulk and refill my existing bottles. ---
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2023, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/299 "2023-04-02T03:29:36Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Why not use a sharpie or a pencil to mark the older eggs with a dot? That’s added work. You’re buying a new dozen anyway, just choose the different colored ones from last week. ---
**Author:** ![Orville\_mogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/aeb1de/32.png) [@Orville\_mogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orville_mogul)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2023, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/300 "2023-04-02T11:20:44Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > Don’t know why, but I felt it sounded jewish. perhaps you were thinking of putz? 😅 I too thought it was puzz-legal ---
**Author:** ![Orville\_mogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/aeb1de/32.png) [@Orville\_mogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orville_mogul)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2023, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/301 "2023-04-02T11:24:30Z")
slight hijack, but how important is it to use up the older eggs first? At our house we keep eggs in the fridge for weeks if not months, and nothing has ever gone bad. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2023, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/302 "2023-04-02T11:38:31Z")
Fresh eggs are better for meringue. Otherwise, my experience is the same as yours. Old eggs are fine for scrambled eggs, cookies, etc. Still, it’s generally best to rotate your stock. We just had a can of cranberry jelly (probably inherited from my mom) that didn’t taste very good. I checked, and the can said to use by 2017. If you never use that last egg from the older stock, it will eventually get too old. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2023, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/303 "2023-04-02T12:34:10Z")
Our spice cabinet is at eye level, so we have a small plasitc shelf unit with three little shelves in there, highest in back, so we can see the front labels of the bottles as the rows rise toward the back of the cabinet, like a chorus. I use a labeler for tops and bottles that get refilled. The next shelf up has oils and sprays, which is on a small lazy Susan to make it easier to find what we’re looking for. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2023, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/304 "2023-04-02T13:06:08Z")
I got one of those tiered spice rack things from Bed Bath and Beyond for a linen closet/medicine cabinet. It does make finding that old bottle of meds I know is in here somewhere a whole lot easier to find when I don’t have to pick everything up to see the label. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2023, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/305 "2023-04-02T21:36:09Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > After my glasses are cleaned with soap and then rinsed, I clean them with a pre-moistened lens tissue. My glasses come out perfectly clean, and it only requires one tissue. I do that, too, except using only zero tissues. I just cleaned them with my fingers, soap, and water-- What do I need the tissue for? > [@Joey\_P](#): > > When you have to leave a voicemail for someone, the first thing out of your mouth should be your name/number. If you start with “Hi, this is Joey P, my number is xxx-xxx-xxxx…” And then again at the end of the message, in case they were scrambling for a pencil and paper at the start. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > Fresh eggs are better for meringue. Otherwise, my experience is the same as yours. Old eggs are fine for scrambled eggs, cookies, etc. And old eggs are better for hard-boiling. They’ll peel cleaner. New contribution: When you’re sweeping the floor, and sweeping the dust pile into the dustpan, move the dustpan away from the broom as you’re sweeping (obviously, slower than the broom). You’ll get more of the dust in that way. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2023, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/306 "2023-04-02T21:41:11Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And then again at the end of the message, in case they were scrambling for a pencil and paper at the start. That’s exactly what I do but in these days of CallerID, it’s probably not necessary. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2023, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/307 "2023-04-02T21:47:17Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I do that, too, except using only zero tissues. I just cleaned them with my fingers, soap, and water-- What do I need the tissue for? Ditto. Soap and water. Sometimes i dry them with whatever is handy: my t-shirt, a paper towel, a bath towel. I wear glass glasses without any coatings, so I’m not worried about scratching them on anything softer than sand. (the first time an eye doctor tried to sell me on coatings, he showed me his glasses, which were a mess with a partly-worn-off coating. I’m sensitive to that kind of “dirty” lens, so i said no. I’ve been happy with that choice.) ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2023, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/308 "2023-04-03T17:49:52Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > We still can’t keep anything in alphabetical order though. I use two separate baskets for mine. One is for mostly baking spices, the other for mostly savory spices and herbs. That basket needs to be bigger. The spices used almost every day sit in front. ---
**Author:** ![Dogginit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogginit/32/16920_2.png) [@Dogginit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogginit)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2023, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041/309 "2023-04-03T21:25:14Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > If you never use that last egg from the older stock, it will eventually get too old. Hence my habit of cracking eggs into a separate dish - I’ve run across one too many green eggs that necessitated tossing out a whole recipe. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-hacks-you-figured-out-on-your-own/981041.md?page=16)