What’s Bugging You? Easy Solutions to Life’s Little Annoyances
Sometimes all it takes is a simple solution to solve an annoying problem – and improve our lives dramatically as a result.
Take our dog Bo for instance. He’s an absolute joy to be around. But he’s getting up there in age – and has developed some quirky habits that are frustrating the heck out of us. For one thing, he gets thirsty at night and whines. Not only do his cries interrupt our sleep, one of us has to get up and turn the hallway light on for him so he can maneuver the stairs and get to his water bowl. We have to wait until he’s done drinking and comes back to bed, so we can turn off the light. This was happening several times every night and we were getting cranky. Our energy was dropping. Our productivity was suffering. We weren’t as pleasant to be around.
When we mentioned this to our neighbors in casual conversation the other night, they suggested we keep a bowl of water in our bedroom for him. It was one of those, ‘duh, why didn’t I think of that’ moments! So simple. So obvious. And yet so effective – I’m happy to report!
Another thing we were tired of tolerating was the clanging sound Bo made when he licked the dog food bowl (even after it was empty). (Yes, I know…first-world problems). When we stopped complaining and started looking for a solution, it was so simple and obvious – ditch the metal bowl and get a ceramic one. Total effort: a quick trip to the Dollar Store. Total cost: $2.00. The peace that we now enjoy as a result: priceless!
What little things you are putting up with lately that has become a source of frustration? Often, just recognizing them and focusing on finding a solution can lead you to a simple answer. Fixing it may just relieve some stress and bring you the peace-of-mind you’ve been craving. You might also want to brainstorm solutions with friends, family or neighbours – like we did. Or share your minor tolerations in the comments below and ask this online community to offer suggestions. You may be surprised and amused to find that the answers were right under your nose the whole time.
WOW how simple…good job and I love Bo….I agree these simple things (first world issues) can be annoying…and do deplete our energy. Keep up your good works….clutter and small things do add up!!
Julie, thanks for suggesting another great solution!
Gail, yes – if you take care of the little annoyances, it’s almost as if the bigger ones take care of themselves – or at least we are in a better state to handle them.
If you get weary of having a water bowl in your bedroom, you may consider a night light in the hallway for Bo’s night time journey. 🙂
@juliebavi
I was sure that a motion-sensor nightlight for the stairs was going to be the solution to the problem!!
Pauline – oh, so smart! Why didn’t I think of that!
I have enjoyed your tv show, books and website. I wish you had full length episodes online to watch. I have a small pantry, but I have a hard time keep the foods that come in bags organized like raisins, potato chips, snack foods. It seems a waste of time to relocate the foods in to bins when they are eaten regularly, and no teenager wants to sit on a couch with a tupperware of potato chips. Any easy storage ideas or a really tight space?
Diane, a practical solution that doesn’t take extra time is to keep the foods in their original bags and either use clips to reseal the bags or simple place the item inside a large zip-lock bag. Then, keep these bags tidy in the pantry by placing them in baskets. Label the baskets based on category: snack foods, baking goods, etc. Hope that helps.
A simple and easy is usually the best and cheapest way to go…
For Dianne and your snack food storage problem might I suggest a hanger that has small clips attached (like the ones that hold baseball caps or chips in variety stores). You can find them cheap at flea markets or some times stores will sell them to you….hang on a wall and you have instant vertical storage (also good for the packages of rice and pasta too!)
I’m not sure the dog would understand how or why to use a motion-sensor light, though… your solution is probably a better one for now!
Hellen, if you find that the collar is still making noise against the plastic bowl, take off Bo’s collar at night. I’ve always done that with my dogs because I’m such a light sleeper that I wake up when they merely walk through the room!
Diane — baskets are a great help and you can often find good, cheap ones at dollar stores. Just make sure they are sturdy if they will be handled and moved a lot.
I think of baskets as drawers — many kitchens no longer have as many drawers as they used to in bygone days. Baskets on shelves serve as my drawers. Sometimes they take up a little more room, but what they provide in keeping organized makes up for it.
Looking for simple solutions is really helpful when dealing with children — of all ages. Sometimes you can get rid of the problem just be looking at it differently — and stop being a control freak who has to do things her/his way! (Control freaks are guaranteed not to be happy, by definition, and I’ve decided I’d much rather by happy.)
One of the best, simple things I did when my children were very small was to give them an allowance (I started with a quarter per year of age) with which they could buy their own scotch tape. Then if they wanted to pull off yards of it and make big sticky balls , or put feet of tape on paper where fractions of inches would have served — it was no longer any of my business! The tape was their own to do with as they wished. (And they had a lot of fun as well, and eventually learned the fine motor skills to handle tape “properly”.)
This philosophy works with lots of “problems” — if you make them not be a problem any more, everyone is happy.
Oh…the ol’ “can’t see the forest because of the trees” problem! Good to be reminded that there can be a simple solution to the nagging problems…now, how to get my husband to put his clothes in the hamper…hmmmm.
Arlyn, remove the lid from the hamper and keep the hamper in the area that he undresses. I did this with my kids and it solved the problem.
Arlyn — Tell him supper will be ready as soon as he’s picked up his clothes and put them in the hamper! ;-p
Hi Hellen –
Whenever you use clips (I’m assuming paper clips) – use wood clothes pins instead. They clamp close eg. opened potato chip bags
with a solid “clomp” and will not slip off. This is good for clamping close the bag of cereal inside a box after you’ve opened the box, etc. I always fold over the top of the bag once or more times before I clamp with a clothes pin.
Make sure to use clothes pins with strong whatchamacallit. There are some (cheaper quality) clothes pins that have a “gentle” clamp –> problem : they slip off.
Another great column, Hellen. Thanks.
Evelyn, glad you enjoyed the post. I was referring to the clips specially made to clamp opened potato chip bags. Maybe it’s a clamp and not a clip? But your suggestion to use a clothes pin is more cost effective and, best of all, most people have these at home anyway, so it saves a trip to the store. Thanks for sharing.
Love all of these ideas!
I also would like to pass along this one. I have all wood floors in my home and lots of dust bunnies if I dont keep up. I use a hair dryer to get dust bunnies from under my piano and china hutch. Blows them out the other end and I vacuum or swiffer them up!
Just another thought about your doggy bowl situation. As dogs/cats get older their eyesight grows dim and it is hard for them to see at night. I was told to put a little vanilla near the rim of the bowl so they could “sniff” out where there water is in the dim light. But be sure to use only one scent for one thing. Vanilla = water, and another scent for their “p pad” if nessacary. I hope this helps.
Klee, yes I think his eyesight is starting to go, which is why we need to turn the light on and stand at the foot of the stairs reassuring him if he’s going up or down. The vanilla is a great trick – thanks!
I would never suggest taking a collar off the dog, Betty. My sister bought my dog a present for christmas a few years ago. It’s a little Neoprene pocket that goes on their tags so their tags don’t jingle. When we got our second dog, I was so used to not hearing the jingling of tags, I had to go out out and buy one for him. 🙂 They sell them at Petland and they’re about $10 but worth every penny!
Just a suggestion, my older cat started drinking more than usual and turns out she may be diabetic. Same symptoms as people – always thirsty and lots of extra potty trips. Perhaps a visit to the vet just to be sure it is not a medical issue.
I remove my dog’s collar at night when we go up to bed. We call it putting on her jammies. No annoying noisy tags to disturb your sleep.
I always leave her collar in the same place, so I can easily find it in the morning to put it back on.
Love the scent idea! Thanks Hellen, we have a pop-up hamper without a lid, and it’s in the bedroom within 5 feet of the bed…the clothes are on the floor on his side of the bed…for days…until he finally trips over them……maybe I can scent the hamper with peanut butter….
Arlyn — give him the task of running the vacuum in the bedroom. Maybe he’ll figure it out.
I’m not an animal owner unfortunately, but I agree with the suggestion of getting him checked for diabetes; first thing I thought of while reading the article. I hope that is not the reason for his diminished vision.
I am glad a few people mentioned getting Bo checked for diabetes by the vet. This was also the first thing I thought of when I read this post. I hope he is okay!
Arlyn- we have the same annoyance! I told him that it was enough for me to wash, dry, fold, and put away everyone’s clothes (4 kids as well) but I thought it was manageable for him to drop his dirty clothes in the hamper at the end of the bed. I just leave it for him now. I’m too good to pick up his dirty clothes. Afterall, he’s grown. But I loved the scent suggestion. Instead of scenting the hamper with peanut butter……we can play find the plate of Chinese food…:b
@Chaka – love it!