Just make it through the day, that's all you've got to do. Isn't that what we preach to ourselves over and over in our heads. Make it through the dreary day and somehow at the end, the haphazardness mess deemed your life is balancing like a game of Jenga. Sometimes, all the little responsibilities we have rapidly accumulate and it seems like the entire day is spent accomplishing tedious tasks. Skipping your typical routine of catching up on re-runs is outvoted by taking a snooze.
But, why? Why does everything have to be cookie-cutter perfect? It's okay to mess up. In the end, if the kids are still breathing and the house didn't burn down then it was a productive day! If anyone understands what it's like to take a few shortcuts in life, it's the family from Shameless. Working with what's at their disposal, this family barely skates by through humorous attempts at keeping the family together. With that said, these are a few life hacks that Shameless has taken interesting approaches on.
1. Pickin' up the groceries
Make a grocery list and head to the nearest Wal-Mart -- wait, I meant your neighbors. There are perfectly good neighbors with a fully stocked fridge and fresh food for the taking. Hey, you might have to fill the milk jug with a little bit of water so that it's full, but it works.
2. Avoid vacuuming
If no one makes a mess, then what mess is there to clean up? Before anyone comes into the house, have a nice set of plastic bags laying around. Give them a plastic bag for their shoes and no mucky mud is being dragged through your house.
3. Neighbors are having a barbecue
Classic baby back ribs pulled pork, and homemade mac n' cheese can bring any neighborhood together. Taking advantage of an abandoned meat truck, the entire neighborhood bonded by ransacking whatever slabs of meat they could carry. At the end of the night, people were happy and their bellies were as full as their smiles.
4. Broken washing machine?
Kitchen appliances are expensive, it's hard to expect that someone had that kind of cash hiding in the cookie jar. If your washing machine isn't completely broken, then don't fix it -- follow the cliché saying, it always works. Like Shameless, just shove a wooden chair up again the washing machine door and it won't leak too bad.
5. Urban camping at its finest
It's been a couple days at the three jobs you're juggling and you need to get away from all of the stress, but the forest is too far. Simple solution: buy a tent and head out underneath the local train. You can still have a fire and the sound of the train drowns out the city. Some people just simply won't understand, like it's socially unacceptable or something.
6. Pay the bills
It's that time of the month: the bills are due. The rent, electric, water, etc. -- oh and it's winter so that means more money for the heat. Simply pass around an empty cereal box around the breakfast table and everyone will pitch in whatever crumbled dollar bills they can scrounge from their pockets. Or you could just donate one of the children, you have a few more to spare.
7. Catch a ride to work
Your car has either broken down or you don't even have a car for it to break down. That doesn't mean that you call sick into work. Find a ride, anything is possible. Borrow a train pass or steal the neighborhood punk's skateboard and hitch a ride on the local garbage truck.
