by Texas Homesteader ~
Do you need a simple way to remember to turn off the stove or to take something with you when you leave the house? How about an easy way to remember to bring something home with you when you’re out visiting others?
Check out this Homestead Hack.
Looking For A Simple Reminder Idea
Do you worry about forgetting something like unplugging a coffee pot or turning off the stove?
Or do you hate when you go to someone’s house and just know you’re gonna forget to pick something up, and then you DO forget?? Ugh.
There’s got to be an easy way to set up a reminder, whether you’re at home or out visiting others.
Don’t Leave Home With The Stove On!
Recently I was simmering a turkey carcass to make Homemade Broth. Y’all know to make really good broth, it needs to simmer for a while!
But we had a quick errand to run later in the day.
We would only be gone for an hour or so, but for safety reasons I certainly don’t want to leave the stove on. I really needed to make absolutely certain I turned off the burner before we left.
A Low-Tech Reminder Idea – Use Your Car Keys!
I knew we couldn’t leave the house without the car keys. So I told RancherMan I was going to move them temporarily. Then I placed his car key next to the stove.
That way when the keychain wasn’t on the hook where it belongs, we’d remember why we moved them & remember to turn off the stove.
This hack has successfully served me well in a number of situations!
Reminders To Bring Home Dishes
Once we went to a cookout at a family member’s home in another city. In our family when we gather for a meal, everyone contributes to the meal by bringing something.
I decided to bring Homemade Coleslaw to go with the other cookout foods.
After the meal the leftovers were placed in their refrigerator to keep it cool. But I sure didn’t want to leave without my dish as I’d done many times in the past!
So I placed RancherMan’s car key on top of our host’s fridge to remind us to grab our dish before we left. We couldn’t leave without his key!
When it wasn’t in his pocket we remembered our leftover food and pulled it from the fridge when we went to retrieve his key. No more leaving without dishes we’d brought.
Reminders To Bring Something With Me
And when I needed to remember to take some Saved Veggie Seeds to share with a friend at church, I placed the seed packet on our counter top & then placed our car key next to it.
When RancherMan picked up his key, I picked up the seeds. Easy peasy.
Heck I’ve used this Homestead Hack for so many reasons I can’t begin to list them all. Sometimes the old & low-tech ways really are the best!
~TxH~
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Other Kitchen Hacks
- Paper Napkins In A Paperless Kitchen
- Easy Reminder For Kitchen Stove
- Make Your Slow Cooker More Efficient
- No Cooking Fat Down The Drain
- Labeling A Glass Jar
- Cleaning A Narrow-Neck Jar
- Keep That Broccoli Fresh
- Don’t Waste Onion Trimmings
- Heat-Free Way to Peel Tomatoes
- Cleaner Vegetable Chopping
- Quick Baking Measurement Reminder System
- Easily Separating Cream From Milk
- Using Frozen Water Bottles In The Kitchen
- Don’t Waste It – Free Vegetable Broth
- Easier Deviled Eggs – No Mess!
- MYO Crispy Taco Shells CHEAP
- Tame Kitchen Appliance Cords
- Save Your Fingernails When Cleaning
- Expand Your Muffin Tin Capacity With Canning-Jar Rings
- Use ALL Of Your Spray Cleaner
- Quick Coffee Stain Cleaning
- Repurposing Mesh Bags For Scrubbers
- Cute Windowsill Container For Herb Cuttings
- Less Mess When Measuring Honey
- How To Tell If Your Baking Powder Is Still Good
See All Homestead Hacks
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Hi, Y’all –
I just came across your wonderful blog, and after reading many of the the comments, I am enthralled! These are my kind of people. I was born in 1935 in The Bronx, during the Great Depression, and grew through World War II rationing; Our family of five subsisted on a $12.00 per week salary, paying a $15.00 a month rent. We automatically did without, or, improvised. That was a normal life. We endured, and to a large extent, I have many happy memories. Notwithstanding the Gold Stars in the windows on our neighborhood, or the anguish of classmates having learned of the loss of a father, brother or relative. The devastating news spread like wildfire. The worst was when we visited a relative in a VA Hospital ward, filled with combat maimed veterans. A sobering experience I wouldn’t wish on anyone of a tender age. Our family was extremely lucky; only two suffered minor combat injuries.
We grew up in a deprived era, but there were no news media telling us that The newspapers were full of the hardships the British were experiencing during the war. For us, life was just a daily grind. Not at all bad, considering war torn Europe. I do remember my mother doing lots of mending to the clothes we had; and my father stuffing newspapers into his thin jacket to ward off the cold on his way to work. My sickly, mostly home bound uncle, living on handouts from kindly relatives, was lining a shoe with a worn through sole, with card board. I thought he was very clever, and didn’t pity him, he always smiling.
In my formative years, being frugal was no after thought, it was normal. Frugality becomes ingrained; so I laugh when I am called “EL Cheapo.” I am not cheap, just thrifty. Cheap is buying crappy, overpriced convenience food.
Maudlin details aside, I would like to pass on one of my hacks.
For labeling, I use painter’s tape, marked with a magic marker. Fast, easy, expandable for size, and cheap. Doesn’t require any effort or chemicals to remove, and – get this – it’s recyclable. After removing a large piece of tape, I wrap it around one of the pens the banks give away, so that if I have to remind myself of something that I must do, now or in the near future, I write it on a turned inside out mailed advertising envelope, and simply tape it with the still good used tape, onto the door, where it will be staring me in the face when I finally exit.
And all those scraps of paper? Easy. Waste paper baskets from the Dollar Store. Dozens of them. One on each side of the bed, sofa, etc. Place them wherever convenient, to save steps. Grocery store bags fit them perfectly, with just enough overhang to make a square knot while they are still in the basket, when they are full. A double win-win solution, as extra bags are stored in the bottom of the baskets. Comes garbage collection day, a quick trip around the house scoops up only the almost filled bags. Later, when attempting to dispose of trash in the basket of the recently removed bag, a bag is easily retrieved from the bottom of the basket and positioned for use. Ta-dah! Multiple problems disposed of efficiently and inexpensively.
My favorite grocery bag hack: When something has to be delivered in the near future, while I think of it, I put it in a grocery bag and hang it on the inside of the exit door knob. No notes to myself to remember to drop off something at some later date. The best part is, it is already bagged, ready to go.
I visited Texas several times; nice, conscientious, patriotic, friendly people. Even saw the Book Repository, two weeks after the incident, from where Lee Harvey Oswald supposedly killed JFK. But that’s another story for another time.
Wishing you and your adoring readers, the very best in the coming New Year,
Nick M.
Thanks for sharing your tips, Nicholas. You know I’m a huge fan of #UseWhatchaGot! And I’m glad you stopped by. ~TxH~
That’s REALLY clever! It’s also a good reminder that if you have a specific place where your keys go, & get used to always using that spot, you won’t lose your keys
Good point, Laurinda. RancherMan always places his keys on a hook so he always knows where they should be. When they’re not there, it’s because they’ve purposely been placed somewhere else. This hack has served us well for years. ~TxH~
Brilliant
Low-tech, bebe! 🙂 ~TxH~