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At the best of times life can be complicated. Especially if you're locked out of your car or your cellphone's gone flat. But there are things you can do to make life simpler for yourself.
Locked out of your car? Put a spare car key behind your number plate with Prestik. Or under the car. Wherever no one else will be able to see it. If you have to park your car in a dodgy place, you can always remove the extra key temporarily. If you are locked out of your car, the relief will be great if you can get back in without the help of a locksmith.
Many socks, one colour. Kid's socks often have a nasty habit of disappearing one by one. There is nothing as frustrating as only being able to find one green sock, one blue one and one yellow one. Therefore, it makes sense to settle for many pairs in one colour – say dark blue, that go with everything. In this way, you will never have the frantic early morning sock hunt.
Freezer gone on the blink? There are few things worse than returning from holiday and finding that the power has been off and that the contents of your freezer have gone seriously off. Don't try and remove and dispose of the stuff as is. Freeze everything rock solid again, before burying it deep in the garden. It won't be half as grim an experience as when everything is runny. Clean the freezer and smear it with a paste of vanilla essence, water and baking soda. It might work.
Trips to the vet. Ever noticed how Gabby disappears when you just as much as touch the cat cage before your vet appointment? Once you've caught Gabby and put her in the cage, remember to put a newspaper and a black plastic bag under the cage on the car seat. The smell of cat urine is extremely difficult to remove from car seats. So in this case, prevention is definitely better than cure.
Buy stamped envelopes. Eliminate ever having to go on a hunt for stamps again. Buy stamped envelopes at the post office – they also come in different sizes, should you want to send larger documents.
Feeling nauseous? When feeling nauseous, remember that dolomite tablets will reduce high acid levels in your stomach. These are also cheaper than many other anti-nausea medications and are often at hand.
Don't write your address on car keys. Should you lose your keys, or should they be stolen, anyone will be able to see exactly which front door will be opened by these keys. Never write your address on a key tag. A cellphone number is enough so that an honest person can locate you, if you have misplaced your house and car keys. It is expensive to replace all your locks, which you will have to do if a thief has laid his hands on your keys and also knows where you live.
Carry one or two cheques. If you are mugged and you are carrying a full chequebook with you, a thief could go on a major shopping spree. It is seldom necessary to carry more than one or two cheques. Tear them out and leave your chequebook at home. Just remember to cancel your cheques should they land in the wrong hands.
Keep your cellphone loaded. Many people have been saved from tricky or dangerous situations by being able to call for help using their cellphone. If your cellphone battery is flat, you cannot even call the emergency numbers. Don't do this to yourself. Get into a habit of loading it at regular times.
Baking soda paste removes odours.Whether you need to get an odour out of a couch, off car seats or out of the fridge, baking soda really does absorb it all. Either make a paste with baking soda and water and smear it on the offending area, or put baking soda in a cup in the vicinity of the problem area.
Hook your keys. Ever spent hours looking for your house or car keys? Who hasn't? If you put a hook at the front door and get into the habit of hanging them there upon arrival, you will eliminate the problem in one fell swoop.
Sweet-smelling chariot. Cars easily collect odours. If you have kids, you'll know what this is all about. And getting rid of them is not always easy. A helpful hint is to buy plastic sachets of fabric softener and place them in the car. They give off a very pleasant and reasonably strong odour for a few months. When they are no longer effective, you can use them to soften your fabrics.
Do banking on the internet. This saves you from standing in queues, dealing with debit order problems, or paying accounts using the postal service. It is quick, cheap, efficient and immediate.
Camping snack. When camping or hiking, refrigeration facilities are mostly not available. This means few fresh fruits or vegetables can be taken on the trip. One exception to this is cucumber, which tends to stay fresh for much longer than other fresh things do. Pack a few – you will be very grateful for something fresh on day four.
Take children's toys with you. Small children easily get bored when visiting other peoples' houses. If you take a supply of interesting toys with you, this will minimise the problem of having nagging children around your feet when you are trying to catch up with your friends.
(Susan Erasmus, Health24, October 2004)
