Friday 17 August 2007

Saving Energy, Tips If You Are Lazy

1. Only varnish your toenails on the toes that will be showing. When I am wearing open toe sandals I find I can get away with three.

2. If you have young children and dogs keep a mop bucket with soapy disinfectanted water on the go at all times outside the back door. If you are worried about what it looks like you can hide it behind a shrub. Keep an eyeout for any snails which may climb on to it and save them. If the weather is not hot it will last for a couple of days.

3. If you can't be bothered to buy new felt tips when they run out get the kids to dip them in an eggcup full of vinegar. It really does prolong the life of the pens, and the kids quite like the idea, like they are dipping quills into ink.

4. Delegate. If you have got guinea pigs (and if it is not winter when they really need hay) don't shred up paper but put some sheets into their their sleeping area and they will shred it themselves to make their own bedding. It also gives them something to do.

5. If you can't be bothered to weed say that your's is a natural wildlife garden, but always make sure that the grass is cut short so people can tell it's not just a mess. This is in the same way councils are now leaving grass verges partially unmown so that the wild flowers thrive but always making sure that there is a border of mown grass to indicate upkeep.

6. Throwing a ball for a dog. Go to the top of a hill (in my case an old railway embankment)and then let gravity do its work. Because the dog has to keep running back up the hill this will mean that he gets tired more quickly meaning you have to throw the ball less. I notice Scamp has picked up on this idea as he will take his ball to the top of the stairs and then push it down, DIY ball chasing.

7. If you are out and about with a digital camera and your batteries run out to save yourself the trouble of walking to a shop to buy some new ones take out the batteries and shake them. It will keep them going for a few more pics. If they then run out and you are really desparate to take one last picture throw them on the floor and put back into camera. This also has been tried and tested.

8. If you are like someone I know just put a lot of bubblebath in the bath so you don't actually have to do anything like moving when you are in it and just let the bubblebath do the work, with the action of the bubbles.

7 comments:

Rima said...

Excellent tips, each and everyone of them. I will take notes (mental ones since I'm so lazy). One question: how many times did you test the batteries bit?
And something to add to the disinfecting bucket - my friend used to keep a sprayer bottle filled with bleach and water, and a roll of paper towels near her back door. Less messy than the mop, maybe?

lebanesa said...

I use the bubblebath method for hairwashing. Just put some shampoo in a jug, fill with bathwater and pour over your head while you are sitting in the bath. Wait a bit then rinse. Perfect results every time.
My Mum's method with anything that doesn't work is a bit like your batteries thing, but slightly more violent - i.e. Give it a good kick. Works for washing machines, etc - but not advised for anything that is very hot at the time, or anyone who might have the energy to kick back.
lol ;-)

lebanesa said...

If you don't bother saving the snails, it works as a snail trap as well, saving even more energy. I made the mistake of leaving a glass of very nice red wine on the wall of the patio the other evening, by the time I remembered where it was, a huge slug had got all the way up and was having a good old drink,(maybe that's why it's a slug of whisky?) somehow I didn't want to drink the wine then... not sure why not.

Irene said...

I am a firm believer in giving anything a firm shake when it has stopped working, be they animate or inanimate. I have no little children and my dog won't chase a ball. He is lazy and figures we should go get it ourselves. Do you ever eat escargot?

Bev said...

Dear me, you lot are no friend to snails. LOL

Frances, at least your snail would have been happily anaesthetised before it met its fate.

They are living creatures too, you know. I never kill them. Sometimes I have been known to chuck them over next door's fence, thus leaving any moral dilemas up to them.

Rima, I only did the batteries thing once, as it looked a bit silly, what I was doing.

Bobbie said...

I must put some of these lazy-woman ideas into use. I'm forever running out of energy and I'm sure they will come in handy :)

Debi said...

My favorite? DIY ball chasing! You are nut, Beverly and I love it.

My daughter taught me this trick about painting your toenails. Paint them at night sloppily. (This saves energy and time, not nail polish.) Don't worry about "staying in the lines," worry only about getting good coverage. Then in the morning, when you take your shower, scrub your feet with a washrag. The polish comes right off the flesh, but stays on the nails.

I don't know if it sames time or energy now that I think about it. But it does save aggravation.