LIFE HACKS!

Have you ever discovered anything and thought, "Man I wish I had been doing this my whole life?!"  Lately I have been thinking about a few of my new habits and realizing how silly I was to not have been doing them forever.  So, here is my list of "Things I wish I realized sooner in life." (OR LIFE HACKS!)

1.  Remove makeup with a warm washcloth.
Seriously, why did I not realize this sooner?  Splashing makes such a mess and doesn't remove makeup as well.  And warm washcloths feel sooo luxurious, like you're way fancier than you actually are.

2.  Take a shower before bed.
Some people think it's gross to not take a shower every night, but let me explain.  I have to take showers in the morning in order to do my hair.  I have curly hair and it has to be wet to be styled.  So I've always just taken my showers first thing in the morning.  When we moved to Brazil, however, the heat and humidity kind of forced me to take showers multiple times a day.  And I came to love showering at night, right before bed.  It's relaxing and puts me in a sleepy mood.

3.  Baby wipes are not just for babies.
Use baby wipes to freshen up when you don't have time to take a shower.  Bring them to work and do a mid-day armpit, back of neck, under-boob, and any other sweaty places touch up.  If I don't have time to shower at night, I like to wipe my feet with baby wipes.

4.  Use vinegar to clean your house.
Dilute vinegar with water or just use it straight up.  It disinfects and cleans nicely.  I mix in some essential oils and use it diluted to clean countertops and straight up to clean the toilet bowl.  If you need a little more "scrubby" action, sprinkle on some baking soda first.

5.  Frozen vegetables are just as tasty as fresh veggies, but they're so much easier to use.
I use frozen vegetables all the time.  Sneak them in spaghetti, lasagna, stir-fry, steamed as a side, soup, and pretty much any other time you'd use a vegetable.

6.  Summer dresses can be worn all year long.
If it's a maxi dress, throw a cute sweater on top, put a blazer over it, or wear a long-sleeved shirt underneath (depending on the style).  If it's a strapless or "tube top" dress, pull it down and make it a skirt.  For short dresses, pair with tights, boots, and a cardigan.  I've made many summer dresses "work appropriate" by layering other shirts or blazers over top.  This is very dependent on your climate, but I live in the South and it doesn't get very cold in the winter (it doesn't snow!).

7.  Don't wash your jeans very often.
I actually read an article by a jean designer who said that you should never wash your jeans!  I don't know about that, but I don't wash them very often.  The color stays true longer.

What are some things you wished you learned sooner in life?