8 life hacks you should absolutely master when you live alone

Don’t get me wrong. Living alone is great. You have the bed and the quilt to yourself, and the TV remote; and no-one interrupting your yoga time, asking you where the other blue sock is. And if you master these hacks it gets even better:

1. Pay your bills online

Don’t waste time looking for someone who’ll stand in a queue for you. Or, worse, be queuing up yourself. Everything from property tax to electricity bills can be paid online.

2. Learn to change a gas cylinder

Know how the regulator works. It’s simple: fit it over the new cylinder, press down till you hear the click. Switch on.

3. Know how to replace a fused bulb

Again, simple once you know how. Ensure you’re standing on a stable stepladder or stool. Also, that the switch is off.

4. Buy food in small quantities

Supermarkets encourage us to buy in bulk. Don’t – whether its dry goods or veggies. Shop at standalone grocery shops and vegetable vendors, so you can buy 200 gm of dal or 150 gm of bhendi. Large quantities of dal, for instance, get moth-ridden in a few weeks.

5. Cook smart

Try and turn one cooking session into two meals. Boil two eggs – make egg curry for dinner, eat the other on toast for breakfast.

6. Keep wine fresh

You can’t usually finish a bottle of wine by yourself – unless you’re on a bender – and stuff left in the bottle goes off because of the air it’s in contact with. Not a problem. Transfer leftover wine into a wide-mouthed jar, ensure you fill it to the top. Chill and drink another time.

7. Open jars

Wrap a thick rubber band around the middle of the bottle and another around the lid. You won’t be wishing you had a strong man around the house.

8. Do things solo

All your friends busy on a Sunday morning? Learn to do stuff on your own. Watch a movie (it’s only daunting until you do it once), read a book in a cafe, go to an art gallery on your own. It’s called masturdating, the Urban Dictionary informs us. And pleasurable it is, too!