All of us have our special shortcuts to make life a little bit easier.

Other people might think they sound odd, or that they’re too niche to apply to a bunch of situations, but we know better.

If you’re looking for a little trick like that to add to your repertoire, these people are here to share theirs!

1. Even if it just distracts you.

Running your hands under very hot water to alleviate migraine pain.

as someone who grew up with chronic migraines…. honestly anything that distracts you from the pain is considered some sort of “alleviation”

2. Like shouting “fire!” instead of “help!”

Screaming “my baby!” (Sorry guys, this is a girl trick) actually gets you more attention if you are ever assaulted by someone in public, regardless of if you have a child or not. Most people are too chicken to want to get involved.

I was almost pulled into a car walking in my home city and it worked like a charm. Though I missed punching him.

3. A classic because it works.

Not saying it’ll work for everyone, but if you want to quit biting your nails, try wearing a rubber band on your wrist. Every time you bite, snap the rubber band. Eventually, you’ll start snapping it at the mere thought of biting your nails.

I was a habitual nail biter for probably 15 years. I was able to shake it after about a month and the habit never came back.

4. Maybe I can actually solve one of these now.

Solve the “find the difference in these two pictures” type of puzzles by relaxing your eyes and letting your vision double over.

The differences will blink and be very obvious. Same technique you would use to see magic eye imagines.

5. Like magic (except for the cost of the milk).

If you get a really bad sunburn dump a gallon of whole milk in the tub add enough water to make it warm enough to bear. Lay in it use a wash towel to wet the rest of you.

The burn will go away. The pain of the burn and the actual burn. I am the father of two redheads, this is for real . Did this on my kids when they were babies.

6. Going to try this immediately.

Making a ground-beef based dish? Tacos? Chili? Sloppy Joe’s? Hamburger Helper?

Do you h**e how ground beef shrinks up, floods the pan with moisture, and ends up tough, tight, gray and greasy?

1.5 teaspoon baking soda 4 Tablespoons water

Mix it in a glass and drizzle it over the raw beef. Try to toss and coat and let it sit 20 minutes. Your beef will be more alkaline, brown super easily, hold onto moisture and stay plump and juicy. Brown beef not gray, with body and volume like scrambled eggs. Try it.

7. Sure, you look a little weird but desperate times.

the range of your car key fob is extended if you hold it under your jaw and open your mouth towards the vehicle while pressing whatever buttons.

8. And no seconds!

“Serve your food on a smaller plate.

Tricks the brain into thinking it’s a large portion.”

9. Plus it makes you feel better.

Your remote control battery are almost empty? Hit the remote control and the batteries will work at least a litte longer. This doesn’t work all the time, but plenty of times it does work.

An explanation I found on the internet is that the slap breaks the oxide layer that can build up between the battery and the contacts of the remote.

10. Saving this for my next pizza night.

If you burn your tongue, try taking some sugar and kinda like rub it into your tongue with the roof of your mouth (if that makes sense).

11. All the bonus points.

Cutting onions on a damp paper towel will attract the acids that make you cry. Tear-free onion cutting every time.

Bonus points for using a sharp knife too.

12. Make sure you change it later.

Learned this a while back and for some strange reason it’s actually helped. When you have an assignment to type out like an essay to write, use the comic sans font and your ideas just flow out of you.

As opposed to times new roman or any other official font, you’re less worried about the ‘correctness’ of each sentence and you can just write without being too much in your head.

Then of course before submitting have a read through and change it to the official font required.

13. A whole barrel.

From the very first day you own your home, lie to yourself that your mortgage payment is 100 more currency units than it actually is. Lie, steal, k**l, whatever you have to do.

Make that extra payment amount every month from day one, and it’ll save you an absolute barrel of money.

14. For the students out there.

Trick 17:

If you’ve to print it out to give it to your Prof, use Times New Roman or something alike (Like with those angles/hooks on the letters), but if you have to give it to your Prof. digital – Use for an example Arial.

Why? Because studies show that your eyes get easier tired when you read Times New Roman at the PC as when you read Arial and vice versa.

That was basically the first thing my Teacher back in school said to us – In Germany you’ve to write a 15 to 25 paper in your last “Class” before you go to an University.

To learn … writin’ papers.

15. But you have to be willing to walk away.

If you want a deal for your cable/internet then call your telecom saying you want to cancel.

Do not speak to the billing department, speak to retention.

16. A trick of the trade.

Remote control not working? Look at the front end through your phone camera, and test the button.

Your camera doesn’t filter out the infra-red your eyes can’t see. The bulb at the front will light up (on camera) if the remote is actually sending the signal, telling you if the problem is with the remote or the TV.

Yes, I use to work in retail.

17. If you don’t have a lighter.

Save the lint from your dryer and roll in vaseline. My grandpa used these back in the day when we’d go on hunting trips.

He’d make them quarter to half dollar size and keep in a metal tin and the vaseline also made them virtually waterproof. What we used for our campfires being poor white trash lol.

18. A handy one if you’ve got kids, for sure.

Expo marker erases sharpie on most smooth surfaces and always from glass!

So does rubbing alcohol.

19. Advice for literally everyone.

If you feel like you need to laugh or scream, but you are not in a place where this is appropriate, open your mouth and breathe out an entire lungful like “haaaa.”

It will mitigate the feeling, and it’s barely audible.

20. Wow, I had no idea.

D**d batteries bounce when dropped on a hard surface. Good batteries don’t.

21. Pressure points are life.

If your nose is stuffy and congested (or you can try it regardless, it works anyway) press firmly on the bridge of your nose for about 15 seconds. You’ll feel your sinuses draining and it helps immensely if you’ve been crying for a while and it feels like your face hurts.

There’s other pressure points too but that’s a good quality of life hack

22. Definitely better than just waiting.

If you get wood stain in your hands, rub any kind of kitchen oil on it then wash your hands with warm water and dish soap!

Works amazingly, otherwise I think I would still have that stuff on me and it’s been about three months since then.

23. I only do this with stinky loads.

When filling your washing machine, add a cup of plain white vinegar with your detergent in every load. It’ll remove any stinky odors and naturally softens fabric.

24. We’ve always got those lying around.

Ground up orange peels will remove grease from your hands after working on the car.

Grind them up in a blender, and freeze them for later use.

25. I’m definitely going to try this one.

Rubbing a metal spoon (or any stainless steel object) gets rid of most, if not all, of the scent of garlic or onions on your fingers.

26. For the slow readers out there.

If you have a Kindle and are renting e-books from the library, put it in airplane mode and when it’s due back, the book will still return but the content will still be on your device until you turn off airplane mode.

I don’t usually finish my books before they are due back so this trick works great.

Or choose “download and transfer via usb” from your My Content and Devices page. After the book gets auto returned, you can put the downloaded file back onto your kindle and it doesn’t get deleted/returned again. (Useful if you accidentally turn off airplane mode at any point)

27. Or anything that can’t judge you.

If you want to make sure you understand something, try to explain it out loud to a rubber duck.

(Not kidding.)

28. Never toss a good rubber band.

Keep a few broccoli rubber bands in the junk drawer and wrap them on the lids of any tough to open jars for extra grip.

29. That seems counterintuitive.

Brain freeze can remedy a headache. So if you happen to have a headache on a hot summer day and don’t have any aspirin, go get some ice cream.

Also, if you have a headache on a hot summer day, you might be dehydrated. Chug some ice water to give yourself a hydrating brain freeze.

30. A waste of good carbs.

If you need to pick up small pieces of glass out of a carpet, use a wet slice of bread.

The surface tension “sticks” to the pieces of glass and the bread picking them out of the carpet. Just remember to vacuum afterwards.

And run a flashlight over the area because the glass will reflect the light differently, making it easier for you to find.

31. When the kids are asleep and you can’t bang it on the counter.

Using a spoon the crack the seal on a jar.

32. In case of emergencies.

California Scents, or most of the little air fresheners that come in the little cat cans that have the little scent bricks in them are soaked in kerosene. They will burn up to 20 minutes. I’ve tested it and timed it.

It’s not exactly a pleasant smell to burn, however they’re extremely reliable firestarters.

33. This is going to save me!

If you ever have to put a screw/bolt into wood where it already has a hole that is too large for the diameter of the screw. Simply hammer a golf tee into the hole and snap/cut it off. Now your screw will bite and have holding power. I use this trick most often for door hinges.

I know I’m going to be trying all of these out myself. I hope they work!

If you’ve got a weird little trick that never lets you down, share it with us in the comments.