Admit your examples of things you heard you were supposed to do but skipped it and things went fine. Or other random hacks.

- Make the bed

- I removed the tags from all of the pillows.

- It was on clearance and said dry clean only but I washed it and it's OK. (Usually, not always, YMMV.)

- to avoid dusting, line decorative object shelves and top of furniture with any kind of decorative cloth. Then only the objects get dusty.

- walk the dog. No wait, I did do that.

-Wear matching socks
-Always listen to what a doctor tells you
-Eat dessert after the meal
-Drink beer before wine and you will feel fine

And pretty much every Old Wives Tale out there.
Some examples:
https://www.goodhousekeeping.c...
Or:
https://www.thehealthy.com/bod...

Then there is the "witchcraft" advice:
-Do not open an umbrella indoors
-Do not put your shoes on a table
-Do throw spilled salt over your shoulder
-Do not walk under a ladder
-If you find a penny pick it up
-Four leaf clover is lucky
-Make a wish on a wishbone, or birthday candle for increased chances of it happening

Some crazy superstitious advice:
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbn...

Do you put the picked-up penny in your shoe?

I thought that was supposed to be a silver sixpence for a bride.
I better check....
https://theweddingguide.co.uk/...

But no, I have never done so with a street penny. But I now have the irrational fear of dropping a penny, will I lose luck? There can only be so much in the world, right?

I think it's a one-way thing, for the good. And if some people don't drop pennies, how will any be found?

"Find a penny, pick it up.
All day long, you'll have good luck."

I have no idea what a sixpence is, and never heard of that tradition before. I've tried to live as "British free" as possible, aside from a quick visit there in 1984. Interesting, thank you.

purpleinopp said:
I have no idea what a sixpence is . . .

I've tried to live as "British free" as possible. . .

Coin worth six pennies (pence).

Why?

Just conflating another thread, the imperial measurement system is about as British as it comes. To be really anti-British you may prefer the metric system?

Excellent point. I'm a complicated being and never claimed that all parts of me agree with each other. The struggle is real. ; )

purpleinopp said: Excellent point. I'm a complicated being and never claimed that all parts of me agree with each other. The struggle is real. ; )

Haha. I relate. I'm an unabashed Anglophile in many respects, yet was continually annoyed by my British mother's old-country habits.

LOL! And just give her a big hug while you can. : ) Moms are funny. Mine refuses to acknowledge that I'm not an impulsive teen anymore, even though the roles are reversed with her asking for a few bucks, letting me know when she'll be late, not suited to being left alone, and not always sure where her shoes are. Sigh!

This morning, I lathered, rinsed, but I didn't repeat.

Last night, I used the oven w/o preheating. That time was spent precooking the food I guess.

Oh, Zoe, I am intrigued.
What mom-habits were specific to the UK? (Hopefully you are not referring to politeness). Or you mean skipping the dentist?

Little late for that hug, Tiff, but I appreciate the sentiment. Funny, for the past several years I have viewed my grown daughter as an equal peer and was surprised recently when she said she still viewed me as "mom" who knew best and should be deferred to. Ha, didn't realize she did!

Orion, imagine trying to live like you're in a small rural English village pre-1940s in post-WWII Southern California. She never shed many of her habits concerning food, housekeeping, child-rearing and apparel and most certainly did not approve of (or remotely understand) Elvis Presley or Marilyn Monroe. Sigh.

As for this:

plasko20 said: Eat dessert after the meal . . .

Yup, life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.

Ah, yes. A proscriber to Mrs Beeton's Book, no doubt:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
I understand.

Imagine having to worry about the exact placement of napkins, different forks and knives and spoons for different courses, and all the other invented rules and regulations within a home. Exhausting. Even these-days it is easy to find silly guides:
https://www.robertwelch.com/pa...

I for one am a rebel. I always swap over the fork and knife whenever I go out to eat. The fork is always in my right dominant hand, and the knife in the left.
My father does eat soup the "proper way" (pushing the spoon away from you towards the bowl to dip into it, rather than bringing the spoon inwards towards you which is more convenient and most people do), which we laugh at. That said, I do have my pinky slightly out when drinking tea/coffee/wine/champagne etc.

And one Americanism I will never get used to is people wearing hats indoors which is quite fundamentally improper. Every time I go out to eat there is always someone in a baseball cap out to eat, and they do not remove it. Same goes for public transport, which I also consider to be semi-indoors. So, I do have my own politeness demons to battle undoubtedly.

Not Step on a Crack.
BUT I still cannot step on a crack without cringing. This applies to sidewalk cracks, not to gaps between bricks / pavers, or cracks in bricks.
Wash all dishes /clear sink into dishwasher before bed.

Interesting about the cracks, Sally!
I noted something similar for me. Whenever I am going to climb any set of stairs indoors or outdoors I absolutely must use my right leg first so my right foot is placed on step number 1. There is no logical reason for this. But I subconsciously change the length of my steps when approaching any set of stairs so that the right will always go up first.

Forcing myself to go left-first is really quite weird. So I can feel what you feel when forcing yourself upon a crack.

Self-analysis is truly fascinating. Why do we all do what we do, and in the order that we do it?

I do try to follow the custom of the place I've taken myself to, especially restaurants. Why else would I go there if not to experience what is normal at that place? I don't consider following the atmosphere and customs of where I've decided to insert myself as optional. The option was chosen by me by choosing to go there.

Can you give some examples of these restaurant-specific customs?
I am not sure I am following. The only one I can think of is wearing a bib in a lobster place. But my mind is blank beyond that (still need coffee).

wow, I wonder if I do that with steps.
Using your non-dominant hand for anything.. brushing teeth or pouring coffee..etc. feels so weird.

plasko20 said: Ah, yes. A proscriber to Mrs Beeton's Book, no doubt:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
I understand.

Imagine having to worry about the exact placement of napkins, different forks and knives and spoons for different courses, and all the other invented rules and regulations within a home. Exhausting. Even these-days it is easy to find silly guides:
https://www.robertwelch.com/pa...

I for one am a rebel. I always swap over the fork and knife whenever I go out to eat. The fork is always in my right dominant hand, and the knife in the left.
My father does eat soup the "proper way" (pushing the spoon away from you towards the bowl to dip into it, rather than bringing the spoon inwards towards you which is more convenient and most people do), which we laugh at. That said, I do have my pinky slightly out when drinking tea/coffee/wine/champagne etc.

And one Americanism I will never get used to is people wearing hats indoors which is quite fundamentally improper. Every time I go out to eat there is always someone in a baseball cap out to eat, and they do not remove it. Same goes for public transport, which I also consider to be semi-indoors. So, I do have my own politeness demons to battle undoubtedly.

Orion you have confirmed my suspicions about your origins. I never knew my mother to consult Mrs Beeton's but HER mother might have. Yes, I do know how to set a formal table. Ditto the soup spoon technique. But no pinky-waving here.

Hats on men indoors. Admittedly, it is jarring because of long early training, but I've always wondered why it's okay for women and not men. Seems like unequal treatment. In fact, have you ever sat behind a woman wearing a hat in a theater (nope, I won't spell it the British way) and had your view blocked? Should be against the rules. However, if we get on the subject of men wearing baseball hats backwards, indoors or out, I'll voice loud judgment. Perhaps that's best saved for a different thread. I admit I love this meme:

sallyg said: wow, I wonder if I do that with steps.
Using your non-dominant hand for anything.. brushing teeth or pouring coffee..etc. feels so weird.

I recently had a right-hand injury. Brushing the teeth!!!