5 Life-Changing Things a Middle-Aged Man Has Learned from TikTok #tictoktaughtme

Okay, so maybe "life-changing" is a little dramatic - I can admit that, but I am at a point in my life where I get super-excited when I learn some silly little hack. Next thing you know I'm writing an article calling those things "life-changing." What are you gonna do?

Get our free mobile app

I am 46 (almost 47) years old, so I am actually a little past middle-aged, although people are living longer, so I reckon it's possible I'm only halfway there. I spend a LOT of time on TikTok - it is the most common way that I kill time throughout the day. I see stuff on a daily basis that piques my interest, and I save a lot of clips with the thought that I might actually do something with them. I'm gonna say about 98% of those clips are never seen by me again. I guess that means I only try about 2% of things I've saved, and a handful of those things actually work, and those are the things I'm writing about.

#1 - Chicken Tenderloins Hack

This has got to be #1 on my list because it is probably the thing I've learned from TikTok that I have used the most. It is a very simple kitchen hack that I promise works and will change the way you prepare chicken.

#2 - The Best Way to Reheat Leftover Pizza

I used to heat up leftover pizza in the microwave, and that is still an "okay" method - it is certainly the quickest. But if have a little extra and you want that pizza to taste fresh like the night before, believe me when I say this method works. The key is to have patience - warm it up slowly on low heat. I promise you'll love the results. By the way, I skip the water and it works just fine for me.

#3 - One of My Favorite New Breakfast Recipes

Breakfast food is my favorite kind of food - I can eat it any time of day (or night) and I can eat it several times a week. I was really excited to try this recipe that includes sausage, gravy, biscuits, and eggs. Let me tell you, it did NOT disappoint. It is so incredibly easy and so incredibly yummy. Unfortunately, my family does not share my excitement about this recipe, so I have to make it for myself - that just means more for me. Woohoo!

#4 - Gimme Those Old-School Jams

I acknowledge that I am NOT a lady in my 30's - hell, I'm not even a man in my 30's anymore, but it's the name of this Spotify playlist that grabbed my attention. The name is a perfect description of my high school dance experiences. Our dances were held in our school's cafeteria...I was always sweaty...and I was trying to get my grind on. The songs on this playlist all came out after high school and even college for me, but I added it to my library nonetheless. TikTok is actually a really great way to learn about all kinds of music.

#5 - I Don't Want to Subscribe

I know, with almost 100% certainty, that you have felt the frustration of seeing a great headline on an article, following the link to read the article, only to be thwarted by a pesky pop-up saying you have to subscribe to see the rest of the article. To quote Miss Sweet Brown, "Ain't nobody got time for that!" For the record, I am not condoning the use of this information, and I neither confirm nor deny that I have used it myself.

Bonus - Father Doesn't Always Know Best

I have an 18-year-old daughter and a 15-year-old son, so I have known for a long, long time that dads don't have all the answers. We try to give good advice and we do our best to keep our kids safe, but sometimes we miss the mark. This Tiktok is a hilarious reminder that dads aren't always right.