Aussie mum wows with beach hack using $3.60 Woolworths item: 'Genius'
Heading to the beach should be a simple thing. Throw a towel, good book, some sunscreen and a bottle of water into a bag, and off you go.
If you have kids on your care, though, this simple packing process becomes way more complicated. Suddenly, you need extra towels, clothes, beach toys, nappies, drink bottles and snacks and whatever else your child has decided they can't leave home without that day. And, if you decide to skimp on the snacks, you'll inevitably find yourself paying top dollar for them once you get oceanside.
While we've yet to find a solution for how much stuff you need for a few hours at the beach with small humans, an Aussie mum-of-two has, at least, discovered a very clever way to avoid spending $60 on a couple of Frosty Fruits once you're there.
"This is such a simple idea, but a bit of a lifesaver over summer," Chantelle Ellem tells Yahoo Lifestyle.
Chantelle's trick is popping a few Zooper Dooper iceblocks into an insulated drink bottle, meaning her friends and family can enjoy a refreshing treat on those hot days on the sand.
"I know that my kids never want to get out of the water, so the temptation of a sweet treat works wonders in getting them out and into the car," she tells us.
The clever mum shared the hack on Facebook, eliciting hundreds of comments from impressed parents who thought the idea was nothing short of genius.
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"This is an epic hack! I never would have thought of this," one person wrote.
"What a fantastic idea! I'm a Yeti girl, and have plenty of large ones that would fit," said another.
'Wow, I never thought of this. Genius. Thank you for sharing," a third comment reads.
"I love how much it resonated with people, how excited they were by the trick and all it took was a drink bottle and some Zooper Dooper's from Woolies [which were half-price at $3.60]," says Chantelle.
Revealing how she came across the idea, Chantelle explains that, like most things, it was the power of social media that led her to it.
"Like all things on social media, one day last year I was down a rabbit hole and saw someone in America share that they were putting hot dogs in a thermos, and then another putting treats in a drink bottle," she says. "I quickly grabbed my drink bottle and some Zooper Dooper's from my local Woolies to see if they would fit, and they did - like a glove!"
While Chantelle says she's not tested exactly how long the ice blocks can last in the bottle, she says it can certainly buy you a few hours.
"You can even pop some icy cold water in the bottle around the icy poles to make it last longer. My bottle fits up to 10 icy poles, but if you're heading about with more kids, take another bottle so no one misses out."
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According to the mum-of-two, the trick will work with any metal-insulated drink bottle.
If you're looking for even more ways to put that Stanley Cup, Yeti or frank green bottle to work, Chantelle also recommends the popular hot dog hack that originally led her to her ice block experiment.
"Definitely borrow the hack of putting hot dogs into a thermos or drink bottle in hot water, and then creating a quick dinner out," she says. "Just put them into hot dog buns and add tomato sauce. I love an easy dinner out so that you don't have to come home and cook dinner or clean the kitchen. That's a win!"
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