I have several little systems that make perfect sense to me, and I rarely see others using them. They are tiny improvements, but I find them worthwhile:
1) Keep your cups and glasses in the upper cabinet closest to your fridge. Saves steps.
2) Keep your pots and pans in the upper cabinet closest to your stove. This seems so obvious to me…reaching down and lifting up to move the heaviest things in the kitchen seems counter-intuitive.
3) For women, keep only what you need everyday in your purse. I have the smallest purse out of any woman I know, and I carry two packs of cigarettes and two pairs of glasses in there!
4) Still in the purse realm…get one with a strap long enough to wear crosswise over your body. It keeps your hands free. Also: always, always, always put your keys/debit card/glasses back in your purse right away when you’re done with them!
5) When storing left over brown sugar or raisins, roll up the bag it came in very tightly, packing the contents as you go and leaving no air, then place in a ziplock bag, again rolling out all of the air. They will remain soft and usable indefinitely.
6) Infant care: Ditch the changing table, and get your self a big rectangular basket or two. Stock w/ diapers, a changing pad, and a box of wipes. Keep in whatever room(s) you spend the most time with the baby.
7) Infant care part II: (If you are not breast-feeding) When going out with the baby, take bottles full of room temperature water and ziplock bags filled with one serving of powdered formula. At feeding time, snip off a corner of a bag, pour into bottle and shake well. No refrigeration required.
8) In the bathroom, forsake all toothbrush holders in favor of a small canister (don’t use the lid). In my house, this 4” wide vessel contains 5 toothbrushes, 3 tubes of toothpaste, and various dental implements neatly and compactly.
9) Back to the kitchen: When filling ice cube trays, take them all to the sink at once, fill them all and stack them, then return them all to the freezer at once. Again, this seems obvious, but I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve seen people walking back and forth carrying 1 or 2 trays at a time.
10) (Because 10 is such a nice, round number.) Instead of buying expensive gift bags, head to a craft store and buy plain craft (tan) paper bags. Super cheap, and when used with pretty tissue paper they are quite pretty. I buy them by the dozen. Even cheaper: For smaller items, use brown paper lunch bags. After placing the item(s) inside, fold down the top edge 2 or 3 inches. Use a hole punch to punch two holes through all layers of the fold, thread a curling ribbon or piece of raffia through the holes and tie in a bow. If you like, use markers or stamps to decorate…I prefer to keep mine simple. I always have these items on hand, and they work for any occasion.
Ok…I think I’m done changing the world ;)