10 Basic Life Skills You Should Have

Posted on February 18, 2011 by LJ Earnest
Categories: Lifehacks

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Fridays are tip days at SimpleProductivity blog.

I’ve been working with my Brownie troop as they prepare to make the transition into the Junior Girl Scouts, and we are focused on learning specific skills with them.

I was making a list of things they are going to need to learn, and I thought that it’s filled with things everyone should know. Here it is:

1. Sewing a button or hem. Everyone should be able to do emergency repairs to clothing with a needle and thread. Sure, you can attach a button or fix a sagging hem with a stapler, but it’s better to do it right. Learning how to thread a needle and quickly sew a button or sew a hem can be a facesaver.
2. Cooking basic foods. Everyone should be familiar enough with a kitchen to produce basic dishes. It will vary from culture to culture, but here in the States, I think everyone should be able to cook pasta with sauce.
3. Planning balanced meals. No one is going to tell you what to eat once you leave your home of origin. Knowing how to plan balanced meals with plenty of fruit and vegetables will bolster your health.
4. How to do the dishes. Not everyone has a dishwasher; they are still luxury items. So you should know how to wash dishes properly, using hot water and soap, and how to disinfect them as well.
5. How to iron a shirt. No-iron shirts still wrinkle, and you may need to press one for an important interview. Ironing a shirt is not hard, and it is easy to master.
6. Basic first aid. You may not know CPR or the Heimlich maneuver(although I recommend it), but you should be able to clean a cut and put a bandage on it. You should also be able to assess an injury and know when to seek medical intervention.
7. How to keep a check register. Even in these days of debit cards, you should still be able to do a simple deposit/withdrawal check register to keep track of your money. You may never have to do this, but understanding how will allow you to double-check what comes from financial institutions.
8. How to fill out a simple tax form. I learned how to do this in my 9th grade Government class (thanks, Mr. K!). We filled out the simple tax form and gained an understanding of how it worked. Again, you may never use this, but isn’t it best to check over the tax forms prepared by someone else before you sign them?
9. Use jumper cables correctly. Cars have batteries. Batteries falter and fail. These are the facts. Having jumper cables can get you going again, but only if you know how to use them properly. Failing to use them properly can destroy your car’s electrical system or harm you.
10. How to do laundry. Mom won’t do your laundry forever. Understand how to sort clothes and run a basic washing machine. This will save you time and money, and you will probably never have to face the embarrassment of underwear tinted pink by a red item.

What other skills do you think are essential? Let me know, and I’ll take it back to my Girl Scouts.

Photo by colon+right.bracket

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