Tell Us Now: What's A Life Hack That Actually Works?
![Tell Us Now: What's A Life Hack That Actually Works?](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/3/0/764730_320x180.jpg)
We learn something new all the dang time, and you can come across some pretty amazing things along the way. Regardless, there are always a lot of life-simplifying tricks that you haven't discovered yet.
Life hacks are designed to improve your life, and their true meaning is a technique or procedure that acts as a kind of short cut to some desired outcome. There's really no rational reason to not embrace these sweet hacks, whether you want to save yourself time or effort, especially with the ever number of ingenious hacks coming onto the internet nearly every day.
You're probably wary of hearing about life hacks if you're anything like us. Typically, the time-saving advice takes longer than the tried-and-true method. We asked Cracked users on Facebook, "What basic life hack has truly improved your daily life?" in order to avoid leading you wrong with any of that stuff. Here are 19 tricks that other people have found beneficial, according to readers.
![TELL US NOW. USING A VENDING MACHINE Brock B. says, Fold a dollar in half LONGWAYS to make it work in a vending machine. The problem isn't the condition of the dollar, it's light bouncing back at the sensor. A longwise crease will fix the reflection problem.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/1/7/764717.jpg)
![TELL US NOW. DURING A STORM Jewel S. instructs, Put a coin on top of your ice...if the coin is at the bottom of your ice when you return-you lost power longer than is safe for food, and it all needs to be thrown out.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/2/2/764722.jpg)
![TELL US NOW. GETTING A START ON THE DAY Anna T. says, Making my bed first thing every morning. It's quick to do but still makes you feel like you've accomplished something. Plus, you always have a tidy bed to come back to at night.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/0/9/764709.jpg)
![TELL US NOW. TREATING PAIN Cameron S. says, I use frozen ketchup packets on my sore knuckles on my left hand. They don't freeze solid SO it works great.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/1/1/764711.jpg)
![TELL US NOW. OVERCOMING CHALLENGES Courtney S. says, Two of the biggest life hacks I've taken to heart are baby steps and being kind to myself. Breaking down big or overwhelming tasks into small pieces and doing those pieces slowly over time, and trying really hard to give myself the](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/2/0/764720.jpg)
![TELL US NOW. REMEMBERING TASKS NC ACTIY Tyler Y. informs US, I take pics of important things then use them as my lock screen to set reminders.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/2/4/764724.jpg)
![TELL US NOW. STOP LOCKING YOURSELF OUT Zachary M. says, When I first got my license I locked the keys in my car about once a week. Then I developed the habit of touching the keys in my pocket before shutting the door. Haven't locked myself out in years. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/1/8/764718.jpg)
![TELL US NOW. ADDING A KEY TO A KEYCHAIN BURO Using a claw-style staple remover to pry and hold open the ring keys or dog tags go onto, says Amanda I. That ring was my nemesis for years until I made it my bitch with the claw. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/1/4/764714.jpg)
![Life hack on how to more easily fill an ice tray - Jeremy C. tell US, Trickle water into the top two spots (holding the tray at an angle) and let the water cascade down to fill them all. Stop when the water is just starting to get to the bottom ones.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/1/5/764715.jpg)
![Lifehack to help keep your house clean - Lisa P. tells US, I spend 15 minutes a day on housework. That's it. Lots less stress, and my house actually stays cleaner.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/1/3/764713.jpg)
![Cure for hiccups lifehack - Norman M. tell US to bite and suck a slice of lemon while Morgan B. advises eating a spoonful of peanut butter. C](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/2/3/764723.jpg)
![Lifehack on how to hang a picture on your wall - Nicholas C. recommends putting a dot of toothpaste on a picture hook So you know where to put the nail in the wall.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/1/6/764716.jpg)
![Eating a hamburger lifehack - Adam H. instructs, Eat your hamburger upside down. The 'top' part of the bun is bigger and stays together better than the much thinner bottom.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/1/9/764719.jpg)
![Lifehack to make a better grilled cheese sandwich. Photo of a delicious looking grilled cheese sandwich with the text - William W. advises, Use mayonnaise instead of butter to make grilled cheese sandwiches. Less likely to burn, much easier to spread, and nearly identical taste.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/1/0/764710.jpg)
![Life hack to help prevent glasses from fogging up - photo of a masked person with fogged up glasses and the text - Chris S. tells US to put a dab of shaving cream on your glasses, then wipe it off to keep them fog-free.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/2/1/764721.jpg)
![Microsoft Excel lifehack - photo of an excel spreadsheet with the text - Eric Foote tells us, Copy an Excel column to Notepad, change the column to 'Text' and then paste back to Excel. Super handy for dates because Excel screws up everything if you just try to change the formatting there.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/0/8/764708.jpg)
![TRAINING YOUR DOG life hack - photo of a dog laying on a bed with the text - Erik N. tells US, Dogs waking you up too early because they want to eat? Set an alarm on your phone with a tone that will never be used for anything else and only feed them after it goes off. In a few weeks they will leave you alone and just wait for the alarm!](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/2/6/764726.jpg)
![Cleaning lifehack - photo of some orange slime on some fingers and the text - CLEANING UP MESSES Emily H. informs US, Using a dust pan and a squeegee to pick up thick wet messes!](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/2/5/764725.jpg)
![Battery lifehack - Duracell battery and the text reads - SEEING IF A BATTERY IS DEAD DURACELL R DELUXE ALKALINE ARLA S0LAt -3x0 John H. explains, Drop each battery (with the flat, negative end down) from a couple of inches up. If the battery is charged, it should make a solid thud and most likely stay standing. If, however, the battery is dead, it will bounce and fall over immediately.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/1/2/764712.jpg)