81. Oatmeal Packets
Best Place to Purchase: Grocery stores
Average Product Price: $2.85
If you brought along a delicious packet of oatmeal to make on-the-go but forgot to bring a bowl, don’t worry, as this hack will teach you how to make oatmeal right in the packet. Flip the pack of instant oatmeal upside-down, so that the top portion is facing the table.
Oatmeal Packets Don’t Require Bowls @OLIVIA TARANTINO / Twitter.com
That former top will serve as a waterproof seal. Cut the bag open and pour hot water into the package. You might want to try it with lukewarm water first, to make sure it works. When it comes to a healthy snack, oatmeal can’t be beaten, especially if it has fiber and whole grains.
82. Makeup Label Expiration Dates
Best Place to Purchase: Ulta, Target, Sephora online
Average Product Price: $1-$100* (Varies Based on Product)
U.S. laws and regulations don’t require cosmetic labels to have expiration dates on their packages, but manufacturers are responsible for ensuring that their products are safe. So, they often include some sort of shelf life on their products. If you see, for example, a “3M” on your makeup, that means it will last three months from the time you bought it.
Makeup Labels @Healthline/Twitter.com
If your makeup has expired, just toss it in the trash. Old makeup can have bacteria buildup, which could lead to acne. Also, colored pigments will be duller and powders harder to use, so you’re better off just getting rid of your expired makeup. Don’t try to save it.
83. Toblerone
Best Place to Purchase: Walmart
Average Product Price: $1.88*
Getting a Toblerone for the holidays can be a fantastic treat. All of that rich Swiss chocolate, just for you. Nevertheless, breaking off a piece can be quite tricky, and taking a knife to it seems sacrilegious. So how do you break off a significant amount of chocolate without having to ruin your hands?
Toblerone @tryberg / Pinterest
Instead, consider splitting the chocolate the other way. Instead of trying to pull each triangle away from the bar, break it inwards instead. You’ll find that it’s much easier to pull apart, and you won’t have shards of chocolate everywhere. That means more chocolate in your mouth.
We’re not sure who discovered this dynamite little trick, but realistically, it was probably an avid Toblerone fan. It takes a lot of time and dedication to discover the best way to eat chocolate – even if it’s the best voluntary job on the planet.
84. Crew Necks
Best Place to Purchase: Target, Amazon, clothing stores
Average Product Price: $25-$50*
If you take a look at any sweatshirts you have hanging in your closet, you might see that they have a V-shaped stitch at the middle of the collar. There is a purpose to this stitch, which is called the V-stitch, V-insert, or the “Dorito.” It’s become less common over the years, and many brands have phased it out.
Crew Neck @GearPatrol/Twitter.com
Originally, the V-insert was designed to keep the sweater or sweatshirt from losing shape. As the wearer stuck their head through the opening in the sweatshirt, the V-insert stretched to accommodate. The V-insert’s secondary purpose was to absorb sweat, as the chest is a major hotspot for perspiration.
85. The Indent in the Bottom of a Wine Bottle
Best Place to Purchase: Grocery stores, liquor stores
Average Product Price: $4-$30*
Have you ever noticed that the bottom of a wine bottle has a funny little indent? This actually dates back to the days when wine bottles were made of hand-blown glass. Glassblowers couldn’t make the bottom flat, so they were left with the choice to make it curve inwards or outwards.
Indent in the Bottom of a Wine Bottle @Emma Verner / Facebook.com
If they had chosen outwards, then the bottles wouldn’t be able to stand upright. Nowadays, bottles are made by machine, not by hand, removing the need for the indent. Nevertheless, wine manufacturers chose to keep the bottom the way it has been for centuries.
86. Metal Rivets on Jeans
Best Place to Purchase: Target, Amazon, clothing stores
Average Product Price: $165* (Average Price of Women’s Jeans)
If you own a pair of jeans like everyone else does, then you’ve probably noticed that there are a lot of small, metallic rivets on your jeans. These metal rivets aren’t there to make a fashion statement, they actually have practical purposes as well.
True Religion Jeans @truereligion / Twitter.com
Originally, denim was popular among the working class—farmers, ranchers, miners, laborers, and similar blue-collar, hard labor professions. Rivets were placed on jeans where they were most likely to fall apart during this hard labor. Rivets would prevent the jeans from ripping easily, giving them extra life even in the harshest of conditions.
87. Tiny Fabric Squares
Best Place to Purchase: N/A
Average Product Price: $0*
Sometimes when you buy a new shirt or new pants, you might have noticed that the clothing comes with a small plastic baggy with a button and a tiny square of matching fabric. The fabric is only one inch, so it’s hard to tell just what you can use it for. The button is self-explanatory (in case yours falls off), but what’s with the fabric?
Tiny Fabric Squares @OXO TV / Youtube.com
As it turns out, this tiny square of fabric is there to test cleaning products on. You can make sure your detergent won’t ruin the material. Secondarily, the fabric can also be used to patch up tiny holes in your clothing.
88. Toothpicks
Best Place to Purchase: Amazon, specialty stores
Average Product Price: $5.27/100-count pack* (Tea Tree Therapy, Amazon.com)
Toothpicks might seem like a straightforward item, but have you noticed that some have grooves at the end? Grooved toothpicks, also called Japanese toothpicks, aren’t super common, and they’re usually individually wrapped.
Toothpicks @HotDeals/Pinterest
These grooved toothpicks, as opposed to flat toothpicks, have a grooved top for sanitary purposes. You can snap off the grooved top (its grooves are weak points) and use it as a stand. The stand will hold up the rest of the toothpick, preventing it from touching the tabletop. No matter whether the pick or table is dirty, both won’t contact the other. Hygiene is very important in Japanese culture, so it makes sense that they originated the grooved toothpick.
89. Page Margins
Best Place to Purchase: Staples, Office Depot, dollar stores
Average Product Price: $0.99 per pack*
Paper was invented in 105 A.D., but notebook paper was invented in 1888. Back in those times, mice and rats were a huge problem. Though these creepy critters can’t read (that we know of), they love the taste of paper. They would often sneak into stores and homes, eating the edges of the paper.
Page Margins ©DAVID/stock.adobe.com
Paper manufacturers made it their mission to outsmart these rodents, and they placed margins on the papers. Mice and rats could nibble at the margins, but they wouldn’t touch what was written on the paper. As pest control improved, the margins lost their usefulness, but they were never phased out.
90. Audio Jack Rings
Best Place to Purchase: Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon
Average Product Price: $10-$15 per pair*
To understand this hidden purpose, you’ll have to know a little bit about how headphones work. Your headphones’ wires are conductors that carry the sound signal. The role of the headphone jack is to carry the sound’s signal, reproducing it as best as possible.
Audio Jacks Protect Sound @Canon / Wikipedia.com
Though the jack can’t improve the quality of the sound of the original signal (if it’s a bad signal, there’s not much you can do about that), the jack does protect the sound and transmit it as best it can. That’s why, if you find yourself having issues with the audio in your headphones, the jack could be the culprit.