Making life easier FTW!

I have a post/rant planned for next month all about how we tend to romanticize and glorify and extol the benefits of the simple prairie life when in actuality, it really was anything but. For today, though, I am going to talk about how while modern life is not the simple life, there are a few things that help simplify it. Or at least make it easier.

I hope that makes sense.

Also, am I the only one who hears the phrase “the simple life” and automatically thinks of that terrible show with Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie? (Please, for the love of all that is holy, tell me no, I am not the only one.)

I fear I'm digressing. So let's regroup and get back to the point I was trying to make which is that there are some things in my life–and probably yours, too–that can alleviate stress, free up some time, and make life a whole lot easier. Like:

1. A crockpot. While I do love to cook, there are some days I just don't feel like it. Particularly on really hot days or days that I am exceptionally tired. Unfortunately, my family still likes to eat on those days. (When I worked in an office, my crockpot would have come in incredibly handy had I remembered to use it more.) Anyway. Going out to eat or getting takeout is not a frequent financial option right now so I have to cook. Enter the crockpot. I enjoy the fact that I can take 10 minutes in the morning, toss some raw ingredients in the pot, and let it go until dinner time. Saves time, saves money, and I don't really have to do much. It's basically the trifecta.

2. Delay start features. On both my dishwasher and my washing maching, there is a delay start function. I love this. It means I can run the dishes while I sleep and don't have to endure the loud, helicopter takeoff sounds and for laundry, I can get an entire load (save for folding) done before my daughter even wakes up in the morning. It makes getting these unpleasant household chores done much more tolerable since a good portion of them are happening while I am asleep. It's pretty ideal.
3. Auto bill pay. I balance my checkbook once a week and pay cash for pretty much everything. Having auto bill pay means that a) I don't have to keep track of a dozen due dates; b) don't have to manually login to a dozen accounts; and c) can keep to my once a week balancing schedule. It makes budgeting and planning so much easier and simpler and also? No late fees or stupid tax. The only time it becomes a pain is when I have my debit card number stolen (which happened recently) or a card expires. But that once every few years annoyance is totally worth the benefits.
4. DVR. I don't know if it makes my life easier or just enables my TV watching habit, but DVR is one of my favorite inventions of the last few years. I love the fact that I no longer have to choose between two shows happening concurrently, and I love even more the fact that if I can't watch something, I can record it without having to screw with a machine or a tape. It also means that I can skip commercials (win!) and go to bed if something is on too late (bigger win!).

}

5. Online shopping. Living in the middle of nowhere, it's sometimes just a pain in the ass to get to a store. Also, I am lazy and sometimes just don't want to go to a store. Or the stores don't have what I am looking for (like my latest purchase, Essie I'm Using My Maiden Name). So I shop online. I can pick out exactly what I want, I don't have to contend with assholes in parking lots or in the stores, and I don't even need to wear pants. Plus, Amazon has a feature where you can set up recurring purchases that ship on a set day every month (good for household supplies like paper towels and dish soap) so you don't even have to remember to buy them. They just show up! I plan to utilize this in the future.

I'm a fan of pretty much anything that gets a task done the way I want it and with as little effort as possible. If it's one less thing I have to remember, it gets an A in my book. There are too many things I want to do to spend unnecessary time doing the things I have to.

How about you? What do you use in your life to make things simpler or easier?