Make Sure The Kids Know These Life-Hacks Before Leaving For College

Going off to college is stressful for both you and your kids. You're emotional, and they're nervously excited. There's so much to plan and prepare, so many things to remember to pack, so many forms to fill out, and multiple big decisions that need to be made. But you also need to make sure you don't forget to teach your kids all those important life lessons. It's all too easy to get caught up in the details, and to forget to teach your kid how to cook for themselves and how the washing machine works, before he or she flees the nest.

Your children will need to feed themselves at some point in their college years, and eggs in any form are the perfect, easy, healthy, protein-packed place to start. However, to avoid making themselves ill, they need to know how to check if their eggs are fresh or not. The simplest way is to place the egg in a glass of water, and if it sinks, it's good to eat.

To learn more about how to check if your eggs are fresh, click here.

The base of almost every home-cooked meal is a chopped onion. Make sure your kids know how to chop an onion, and how to do it without crying. The secret? Leave the root intact while they slice.

For more tips on how to chop an onion without crying, click here.

Before lots of money is thrown in the trash due to overzealous adherence to the expiration date, make sure you know what is and what isn't safe to eat after this date. Milk, eggs, cheese, and juice tend to be edible for at least a week after the expiration date, while you should always follow the rules with mixed greens and raw meat.

For more information on what you can eat after the expiration date, click here.

Your kids are finally going to have to learn how to do their own laundry. Make sure they know how the machine works, what colors they should and shouldn't combine, and what settings work best. They won't be happy if all their clothes shrink and turn pink after the first time they try to use the washer and dryer without your help.

We know you don't want to imagine that your little ones will be drinking in their first year at college, but it's likely that they will be. With that in mind, you should consider teaching them how to open a bottle when they don't have a corkscrew or bottle opener at hand. For beer bottles, use another bottle as a lever to pull the top off. For wine, there are multiple, slightly more difficult, creative solutions, such as making use of a metal coat hanger.

For 5 Ways to Open Wine Without a Corkscrew, click here.

If you're not sending your kid off to college with a fancy espresso machine, make sure they know how to make a cup of Joe without a machine, for when caffeine emergencies strike. The easiest method requires a coffee filter, a mug, and some twine. Boil water, place coffee grounds in filter paper, tie the top of the filter with twine, and place the 'coffee bag' in the mug. Pour the hot water over the coffee bundle and let it steep for three to four minutes.

As a student, cleaning up is your worst nightmare, which means that one-pot pasta dinners are your dream come true. This pasta-cooking trick makes a comforting, affordable dinner, which can also be eaten straight out of the pan, to really make sure no washing up needs to be done.

For the One Pot Creamy Ham and Pea Pasta recipe, click here.

If your kid's going to host a party, there needs to be music. Instead of investing in fancy speakers, use the plastic bottle trick. Cut the top off a plastic bottle, and near the bottom, cut a slit wide enough to fit the base of your phone in. Put your phone in the slot so the base is in the bottle, and press play.

Pizza for breakfast is no bad thing. It's one of college life's greatest indulgences. But you can make it even better by biting into warm pizza in the morning. The secret to successfully reheating pizza is to put it in the microwave alongside a glass of water, so that the pizza doesn't dry out while it heats up.

For the 5 Best Ways to Reheat Pizza, click here.

You don't need to kit your kids out with endless kitchen equipment before they set off for college. Amazing meals can be made with just a microwave and a mug, like these super simple and incredibly tasty scrambled eggs.

For the Microwave Scrambled Eggs recipe, click here.

The last thing you want is for your kids to come home during vacation with a suitcase filled with clothes which need repairing. Help yourself out by teaching them how to sew a button on to their pants, jackets, and coats: an essential life-skill which will be used endlessly.

Save yourself some panicky phone calls by teaching your kid the easiest way to remove a stain. The most foolproof tactic is to dab (don't rub) the stain with paper towel, pour club soda onto it, spread salt over the top, and let it dry. Finally, wash the item as normal, and the stain will be gone.

For more tips on how to get rid of stains, click here.

Starting at college is likely to be a shock of endless activity, work, friends, socializing, and partying, which will quickly start taking its toll on your kid's energy levels. Make sure he or she knows the benefits of a two-minute nano-nap: It will help them out all the time.                                                                                                     

For more information on how to nap effectively, click here.