Everything used to be a lot simpler. You could simply mail a box or throw out your trash, even run a load of laundry, without thinking too much about it. Not anymore. Now you need to complete a form or download an app to do the simplest of chores.
We asked our readers about chores they think take too much planning now & here are eleven they told us about. Which one do you think is the biggest hassle?
Mailing a package needs measurements and barcodes
Going to the post office was once a quick trip. You simply had to write the name of who you were mailing the package to, pay for the postage & then you were done. But it’s more logistical now.
You’ll need to weigh the box & measure every side, then choose the right shipping tier and print the prepaid barcode. One reader said the blue drop box didn’t accept their QR label, so they had to schedule a pickup.
Recycling depends on item-by-item rules
People have recycled for almost all of human history, but it really picked up during the 1960s and 1970s. The process was a lot easier because plastic went in one place, paper in the other, that was all.
Nowadays, many readers said you have to be more selective. Cardboard can only be taken if it’s clean. As for black plastic trays? They don’t count. Not to mention metals, glass, electronics and food waste. You’ll need to keep up with exactly what’s “in” this week.
Yard waste pickup follows strict bundling limits
That’s not all for trash. There were days when you could pile branches by the curb & the city would take them, no organization needed. It’s not that way now.
The city wants them tied with jute twine, and each bundle must be under 4 feet long. They need to face the same direction, and one reader said their town rejects piles that have too many leaves.
Laundry in shared buildings now runs on reservations
The hardest part of doing laundry in an apartment used to be finding a free machine, and then you just had to load it. But now there’s an app.
A few readers said they feel exhausted from having to book a washer & top up their balance before even putting their clothes in. They even mentioned that their buildings lock the machines between bookings.
Vehicle registration hinges on testing windows
In the past, you had to fill out a form & mail it in to renew your registration. You could do it in around 15 minutes or so. But nowadays, there are so many more factors to consider.
You’ll need to check emissions cycles & drive patterns, as well as whether your car’s system says it’s ready. One reader said they drive around before a test, just to reset their monitors. It’s that annoying.
Bulk trash pickup requires requests and stickers
Sure, you could drag your old furniture to the curb & be done with it before. There was no need to worry about anything except how you’d get it out there.
However, several readers mentioned they had to complete an online request & payment before throwing out their old stuff. They also had to attach a printed sticker before pickup day. Don’t forget to put it exactly in the right spot.
Swapping lightbulbs involves specs and smart pairing
The days of simply getting a 60-watt bulb at the hardware store are officially over. Not only do you have to match the base size, bulb type, lumens & color temperature, but you’ll also need to connect your bulb to the WiFi.
A few readers admitted they hated having to scan a QR code and sync their new bulb to an app, just to change it. Why is lighting so complicated?
Vacuuming means charging, mapping, and app setup
Oh, if only cleaning were as simple as it was in the past. You could plug in the vacuum cleaner & vacuum, nothing more, nothing less. These days, it’s more.
Quite a few readers said they have to pre-charge their robot vacuums and clear cables before their vacuum cleaners start. One reader mentioned how they had to wait for their vacuum to update first. It’s a hassle. Half the time the battery runs out before the room is finished.
Getting printer ink involves chips and subscriptions
Older printers were far better than the technologically “advanced” ones today. Whenever you had to change the ink, you just bought a generic pack from the store (usually the cheapest one) and put it in.
Modern printers are fussier. They’ll reject the refill unless you have the exact chip model for the printer & may also block generic brands. One reader mentioned their model auto-orders new cartridges they didn’t even ask for.
Paying a utility bill means juggling portals & payment verifications
It used to take five minutes tops to pay your water or power bill, since you just had to check the form & stamp it. Then you were done.
But these days, every company has its own website portal, with a separate login and security checks to go through. That’s just to get into your account.
You’ll need to prove you’re not a robot multiple times, and it’s not easy to switch back to paper billing. One reader told us it took them over twenty minutes just to pay one bill.
Smart thermostat setup involves sensors & schedules
Thermostats have one job. They turn the heat up or down. How hard could that be? It turns out, very, especially compared to the past.
You had to twist the dial & hear the click to get warm air when you wanted, but now, you have to connect them to Wifi and download an app. Several readers said they had to name all the room zones & make sure the temperature zones were balanced before they could even get warm.
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