Halls Living

Student life hacks

By QMResLifeEllie 01 May 2022

Lifehack: a strategy or technique adopted in order to manage one's time and daily activities in a more efficient way.

Heading to university means you'll have lots of new things to learn, and that's not just your chosen subject! Living away from home, cooking, cleaning and balancing life will no doubt take some getting used to. So to give you a hand, we've pulled some handy life hacks to try.

1. Cutting an onion

If you're not used to cooking at home, you might not know that most recipes you'll come across will use onions as a base ingredient. 'Dicing' is the most common way but you can easily end up making a mess! Follow this video and you'll be chopping like a pro.

2. Cooking rice

Whether it's cooking too much, too little or ending up with a pile of mush, rice can be a tricky food to master.

Knowing how much rice to use is the first hurdle but typically, 1 mug of rice would serve 4 people, so if you are just making it for yourself, 1/4 this and you'll be left with the perfect amount.

Now for the cooking, follow this simple step to step guide.

3. Different ways you can use potatoes

Potatoes are such a versatile food, you can eat them in so many different ways and they are perfect to add onto your shopping list. Save some money by avoiding the fresh/frozen aisle for pre-cut and cooked potatoes and grab a bag from the veg section instead.

4. Cooking eggs

Eggs are another food staple that you can have for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Mix it up by trying out the various ways you can cook them...

5. Draining pasta

You can find LOADS of hacks all over TikTok but one that's become standard practice in most households now is the best way to drain pasta. Don't forget, this works for potatoes, veg, rice and everything else too.

6. Laundry symbols

We all love getting new clothes but when it comes to washing them it can be slightly confusing. To risk shrinking your brand new t-shirt, make sure you read the label on the inside to see what type of wash your item requires. Most of them are pretty unclear if you've never seen them before so take a look below at what they all mean.

Click on the picture to get a closer look!

If you don't know where to start when using the machines at Queen Mary, we've got a full guide.

7. Netflix secret codes

If you like to relax after a day of lectures with a new tv series or film then you might want to make note of these secret codes that help you find that perfect show for you...

You will no doubt find your own hacks as you settle into student life but hopefully, these will make life that little bit easier as you figure it all out!