TikTok Tips From a Non Gen Z-er

Let’s just get this out of the way right now, I am not a Gen Z person and have no business being on TikTok. I’m not even a Millennial… technically I fall right into that generation gap that no one claims, also known as Xennials. Or more aptly named the “My So-Called Life” generation, which I will happily own. You better believe there was NO WAY I was going to miss the sexual tension between Jordan and Angela, so I worked my entire sophomore year around the new episodes. Remember in the ’90s when you had to be smart enough to program your VCR or miss out on TV shows FOREVER??? Sigh.

It’s clear that social media in general is not great for our mental or emotional wellness, but I’ve found a refreshing change of pace with TikTok. Maybe it’s because I am just there to enjoy the content without the pressure of curating my feed (trust me, no one wants to see me attempt to dance), or maybe that the platform is more about creative co-creation than impossibly beautiful home and beauty photos. Whatever the reason, I love getting lost in the rabbit holes of random videos. I mean, we ALL need support like this in our lives.

To justify my late-night scrolling habit, I’ve started collecting tips, interesting finds and, truly useful hacks that I want to share with you! They range from time-saving products and inspired recipes to “seriously, how I am just learning this?”

I promise you’re going to want to bookmark this article to come back to later.

TikTok Made Me Buy It

  • I’m a person who gets excited about trash bag hacks like this and this now. And I’m OK with that.
  • I’m all for “clean” cleaning products, because hypothetically if you like to scrub your shower nude while letting your keratin treatment do its thing for 10 minutes, you’d want to make sure your cleaner wasn’t full of gross chemicals. Right?
  • Moms of the world, we were made for more than slicing 30 billion grapes in half. We should all have one these things, and then try this hack for healthy faux Sour Patch Kids!

TikTok Made Me Eat It

  • Sneaking healthy food into kids’ mouths seldom works, but these crispy white beans are yummy enough to pull it off. 
  • Always on the hunt for lunch salads, I instantly fell in love with @TheSaladLab.  I think I’ve favorited every single one of her posts. Now if I only get her to deliver them to me every day, life would be perfect.
  • Of course, I have to include another healthy-ish treat. Because chocolate. Fudgy microwave avocado brownies?!? Yes, please!! Also, how did I make it this far in life without knowing this avocado trick?

TikTok Made Me Try It

  • No one warned me how much paperwork is involved in being an adult and especially as a parent. This tip has been LIFE CHANGING for the hell that is sign-up forms for school/daycare/summer camp/sports/you name it. And bonus, it’s a great option for keeping a record of the GIANT piles of kid art and scrap pieces of paper before they get tossed in the recycling bin mommy’s “special filing spot.”
  • My daughter is officially in the kid’s birthday party loop now, and I can’t wait to try this genius gift wrapping method. Now to make sure that I only buy presents in normal shaped boxes…I’m looking at you LOL dolls and BeyBlades.
  • I’m pretty sure my Martini days are behind me, but thanks to this hack, my chip and dip days just got a little classier!
  • Luckily, I haven’t had to try this one yet, but kudos to the smart person who figured it out!
  • And last but definitely not least, you should check out @Andr3wsky. He’s technically not offering up any hacks or tips, but he has big feelings about things like folding laundry. SAME, Andr3w, it is like a personal attack, every time!

We all know there’s no such thing as too many hacks, so if you also hoard these kinds of links, please share your finds in the comments!

Rachel Sleeter
Approximately 1 day of her life, Rachel hiked on a glacier in Iceland. The other 99.9% of her days her hands are full doing creative strategy at Hallmark Cards, being a mom to Luna who is a five-year-old Queen of Sass, wife to Matt who is a funny Google-a-holic, and dog mom to Rosie, whose sweetness is matched only by her smelliness. Her favorite ways to avoid cleaning the house are leisurely strolls through Target (pre-pandemic) listening to mostly crime podcasts, spending a small fortune on curly hair products, crafting Barbie schools out of Amazon boxes, making complicated recipes with too many ingredients, playing 1 million games of Zingo, and enjoying her Westside downtown neighborhood with her family.