These days it's all about shortcuts.

How did I not know about soffritto mix before now. For years I have sweated blood and tears (OK blatant exaggeration) to finely chop onion, celery and carrots to make the base for my bolognese or casseroles, when all this time I could have got waitrose to do it for me! Of course it's more expensive. I think almost all shortcuts are, but that's the price you pay for convenience. The key is working out whether the time and effort you save justifies the additional cost, for you. And it's those last 2 words that are key. Everyone's priorities are different and a corner I feel comfortable cutting someone else may not. But after having SG I realised 2 young children = no time for me. So now I proudly say, my name is mummy (I have no name anymore) and I cut corners! 

N has always said to me it's better to do an 80% job than not do it. I used to struggle with this. If I couldn't clean my whole bathroom properly, by moving all the products and using all my fancy cleaning supplies, I would wait. If I did that now we would be living in squalor! So I have lowered my standards and actually my house is probably cleaner. I guess I should have listened to N in the first place (don't tell him that though!). 

So what are my favourite shortcuts? Well Dettol wipes are my new best friend. I buy them on offer and clean everything with them (except the kids)! They adorn every single room in my house. And my new favourite hack (I could talk about that slightly strange word for a whole post, but basically it means clever solutions for tricky problems) is rubbing a lemon on limescale. I recently bought a book of the memoirs of a 1930s housemaid (I am having Downton withdrawal symptoms) and this was one of her insightful tips. Before I throw a used lemon away I find a bit of limescale, and trust me there is plenty, rub it over it, and rinse later. 

My favourite beauty shortcut is using coconut oil to remove my makeup, it doubles as an amazing moisturiser, thereby killing two birds with one stone. And for cooking there's nothing better than my freezer. Frozen onion, garlic, ginger, chilli, herbs and now soffritto. Definitely more expensive but when you're in a hurry to cook a decent fresh meal they can shave off crucial minutes. 

So what are your favourite shortcuts (and hacks). I'd love to hear them.