The Hack Life

Author: DanielleR

  • Wrapping Up Christmas

    A few ideas for wrapping and unwrapping

    Well, within the next few days the big day will be here! So much excitement, and then we’ll all be on to another adventure in the new year. Before that happens though, we need to wrap up things in this one, which brings me to one of my favorite topics; gift wrapping. Wrapping up those special treasures that you’ve taken the last several weeks to procure in order to bring a smile to the faces of those you love most is a most important finishing task. So, let’s get started.

    First, I’m sure you’ve all heard of using plain brown wrap. It’s a good idea, not too ostentatious, a staple of traditional Christmas wrapping; but, if you add a little twine, maybe a sprig of pine bough and berries, it takes on a whole new understated, but classy look. You can also stamp or paint the wrapping with designs that fit the personality of the person that you’re giving the the gift to, which makes it all that much more personal. You can also use newsprint, using a section of the newspaper that most relates to the person you’re wrapping for. This will save you some time painting and stamping. It’s very personal, and gives your gift and old fashioned look. Using bits of leftover ribbon, fabric and yarn from your sewing or craft room that can also add wonderful personal touches to your masterpiece. The possibilities are endless when you think about it.

    If though, like me, you need to save time as well as money, I have an app for that too. I usually accomplish this by buying a reusable shopping bag from a really great store and giving my gift in that. I find that those small reusable shopping bags are usually the most popular. The ones from places like World Market, TJ Maxx, Macy’s and the like. The paper ones from these stores work well too.

    Other ideas include using things you may already have around the house, like planters, small crate boxes, or other novelty containers that you may have been saving to use for a special time. This is it. There’s no time like the present, for the present.

    Lastly, let your innovative inner creative loose, and go wild. There is no right or wrong way to wrap a gift. Especially when it comes from your heart. There’s there’s also the added benefit of using what you have on hand already to give your gifts that personal signature. I hope this little spin on gift wrapping has given you some great ideas and made you smile in the process.

    Enjoy. And as always, Happy hacking until next time.

  • It’s the Little Things…

    By now most of you have either heard of or weighed in on (or both) the subject of Global Warming. Everything is heating up. The Temperature, Natural Disasters, the Trash Problem. In short, things are changing fast.

    While I don’t consider myself a dyed-in-the-wool environmentalist, I do recognize that there are small things that can be done to help solve some of the current problem in small ways. I’m a believer that if we do just a little bit, maybe sometimes a little more, that things will get better a little faster than they are right now. There’s also the added reward of getting to save a little money and live a little bit simpler at the same time.

    There is a movie on Netflix called “Buy Now” that illustrates how an overabundance of “stuff” has brought us to where we are now. Long before I ever saw the movie, I unknowingly took the first step toward simplifying my life.

    It started somewhat in earnest one day when I was visiting my sister and asked her for a bottle of water. You know the ones; disposable, recyclable single serve bottles of water we all buy (or used to). She told me that there were none in the house because she and her family didn’t use them anymore. As it turns out that they’re not quite as recyclable as they claimed to be. Not only that, they are still piling up at an unprecedented rate. So, one summer day a week later, I decided to put water, ice and a stainless steel straw into my Yeti tumbler, just to try it out. At first I figured that I wouldn’t last more than a couple days , if I even lasted that long. I’m still using that same Yeti tumbler with the same stainless steel straw 6 years later. I know it’s not much, but it’s a start. It’s been said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. I’m also thinking that if more people took just one small step from time to time, things would get a little better a lot faster. Need I say, they would also be surprised at how much money it could save them in the process. We never think about change until we make one (even on a lark) and see how it affects our daily lives.

    Some other changes I’ve made along those same lines are:

    Laundry Detergent Sheets – I swapped out those huge ugly plastic laundry detergent bottles on top of my washer for laundry detergent sheets and I couldn’t be happier. The top of my washer is now clean and I’m not spending a fortune on huge plastic bottles of laundry detergent anymore, Or even pods. Saving my rotator cuffs and my sense of aggravation in the process.

    Wool Dryer Balls – These babies are a game changer. 3-4 100% New Zealand Wool Dryer Balls will have your clothes looking and feeling like they just came from the Dry Cleaners. They absorb half the moisture and all of the wrinkles. Clothes are ready to hang, fold or wear straight out of the dryer. Oh yeah, and they’ll save you a ton of money in dryer sheets. Because they can be re-used up to 12,000 times. They’ve already paid for themselves a couple of times over.

    Swedish Dish Cloths – Last but not least, this list wouldn’t be complete without telling you about these little 8×8 wonder cloths. They are durable, re-usable and compostable; made from cellulose and wood fiber. They will soak up 15 times the liquid of your best paper towel and they don’t hold bacteria like a sponge will, so they won’t get stinky from being wet for a little while. They can be used time and again and thrown in the washing machine or washed out by hand (I don’t recommend the dryer). When they reach the end of their usable life, they can be thrown in the compost bin or the green waste can and they will simply break down. Great deal, no? Mine usually last me a couple of months at a time.

    These are just a few of my favorite things, all of which can be purchased on Amazon for a fairly nominal cost. I will be sharing other favorites in future posts. I hope whatever your thoughts are about this, you’ll consider making just one small tiny change and see if it improves your life in any way.

    Till next time, happy hacking.