Tips

Most of us keep our eyes open, L°Ô¿Ô°KING for good tips to make our lives easier, but if we can find tips that also save time and money, they are especially worth trying.  I would be interested to know if you try some of these tips and find them to be beneficial in your home!

 

Easy Way to Remove Strings from Mashed Sweet Potatoes ~ Use an electric mixer to mash your sweet potatoes.  Slowly lower the speed as you lift the beaters from the potatoes, to remove most of the potatoes.  You no doubt will find lots of strings clinging to your beaters.  Run water over the beaters to remove the strings, and repeat beating and removing strings from the beaters once more.  This makes for creamier and less stringy potatoes!

 

Auto Inspection Savings ~ Before my husband takes a vehicle for inspection, he always checks the lights, turning signals, windshield wipers, etc. himself, with my help.  Then he replaces whatever needs attention for a fraction of the cost, buying parts at an auto parts center.  If one doesn't know how to do this, it would be worth learning from a friend.

Mark Your Calendar for the months of future auto inspections, so you don't let it slip by and get a ticket.

 

Appliance Wholesale Distributors sell appliance parts for much less!  If you or your husband can replace a part safely without hiring a professional, you can save lots of money.  My husband bought a special appliance light bulb from an appliance wholesale distributor in town for 59 cents and replaced it himself.  The distributor where he bought the bulb told him that's exactly where that particular store buys all their appliance parts, but they were going to charge my husband $29.99 for that same little 59 cent bulb!  Not labor - just the bulb!

 

Check Your Roof After a Snow ~ If it's below freezing outside and the snow melts quickly on parts of your roof, the heat from your house may be helping to melt it, since warm air rises.  Check to see if you need more insulation in the attic.  That can make a huge difference in heating costs!  With heating bills "going through the roof," we need all the savings we can get!

 

Tax Credits ~ Storm windows and doors, thicker insulation in the attic and other home improvements can each save you a lot on fuel bills and you can take a tax credit too!  It's a win/win situation! 

 

Foaming Natural Dishwashing Liquid ~ Regular dishwashing liquids from the grocery store cause chapped and peeling skin for many people.  I couldn't resist the new foaming liquid by Dawn, but it wasn't kind to my hands at all, so I emptied the bottle to save for other types of jobs - possibly as a prewash on clothing stains.  Natural dishwashing liquid from a health food store is much easier on hands, and I stock up when it's on sale.  Wearing gloves, of course, is another alternative, but many of us find them to be bothersome.  This is my solution to the problem - using natural dishwashing liquid in the foaming dispenser at a 1 to 2 ratio - one part liquid soap with 2 parts water.  The foaming dispenser makes the natural liquid last much longer.  I soaked the bottle in hot water to remove the label, and Goo Gone removed the sticky residue.  Then I decoupaged a fabric flower on the front of the plain blue bottle, so now it looks like it really belongs in my kitchen.

                       

Preserving Baby Memories ~ After our daughter's family moved into a new house, I noticed our 3 year old grandson's nursery curtain (a topper) in storage.  I asked my daughter if she'd like me to preserve the memory of his baby nursery by turning the topper into four drawstring totebags for his toys, and she liked the idea.  When I made them, I removed the inside label, sewing it on the outside of one bag to expose the label, "Just Born."  I gave them to our grandson at the birth of his new baby sister, with a new toy, book, craft activity and game in each bag to open over a four-day period, letting him know he's still very special, even with a new baby sister in the house taking center stage.

 

Planning an Herb Garden ~  During the colder months, even while the snow still lies on the ground, why not look forward to spring, by thinking of starting an herb garden and drawing up plans?  Herbs usually flourish in spite of neglect - they love the hot sun and do well even in drought.  My favorite herbs are sweet basil, curly and flat leaf parsley, garlic chives, thyme, peppermint, tarragon, marjoram, oregano, sage and rosemary.  Small plants can be found at farmers' markets to plant after frost.  Basil is a tender plant when it comes to frost, but is very easy to grow.  Peppermint is delicious, but invasive, so plant that in pots or in an area where the roots will not invade other plants.  Check out a book on herbs from the library to help with your dreams and plans.

 

Hard Water Deposits on Showerheads and Nozzles ~ Vinegar is great to remove hard water mineral deposits around faucets, but have you ever noticed mineral deposits clogging the holes on your sink spray nozzle and showerhead?  Pour about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of straight white vinegar into a baggie and fasten it to a nozzle or showerhead with a strong rubberband until the deposits disappear.  Then reuse the same bag for another clogged nozzle or two.  Works like magic!

 

Easy Lunch Time ~ Eating lunches out on a job quickly drains a budget dry. Just in case you forget to pack your husband a lunch some day, supply him with a few things like canned soup, fruit, crackers, peanut butter and nuts to keep on hand at work.  For traveling keep fresh fruit, crackers, cheese, granola bars, and nuts handy.  Carry water bottles and healthy snacks in the car all the time.  While running errands, many times I've found it took longer than planned.  Rather than stopping for fast food, having a healthy snack and water in the car saved me from spending time or money on another purchase, especially an unhealthy snack or meal.

 

Lemon Juice without Seeds ~ Microwave lemons for a few seconds to get more juice from them.  Then squeeze half of a lemon, holding cheesecloth over the cut part, to catch the seeds.  Or hold it with the cut part upright, so the seeds won't fall out.

Good Marinade for Meat ~ Did you know that any brand of bottled Italian Salad Dressing makes a good marinade for meat?


Pastry Blender for Meat ~ When browning ground beef, try using a pastry blender to break the meat into smaller pieces, unless you are cooking in a Teflon pan.  It works much better than a fork.


Frozen Oranges and Lemons ~ Buy several oranges and lemons when they are on sale.  Put them in the freezer in Ziplock bags.  When a recipe calls for juice, just defrost in the microwave.  When a recipe calls for grated peel, it's easy to grate while frozen. 


Peeling Sweet Potatoes ~ For easy-to-peel baked sweet potatoes, rub the skin with vegetable oil before baking.  The skins will come right off.


Less Mess ~ Peel your vegetables over a half sheet of newspaper.  When you're finished, just fold up and throw it all away!


No Smoke While Broiling ~ When broiling meat, put 1/2 cup of water in the drip pan. There will be no smoke and cleanup will be a snap!

Oil in a Squirt Bottle ~ I keep oil in a honey bear squeeze bottle in a cabinet near the stove - with the lid off.  That way I can reach for the oil, squirt it into the pan, and put it back in the cabinet - all with one hand.  As often as we cook, little things like this save time and help a lot.

 

For Browning Meat ~ Keep whole grain flour in a sugar shaker container, so you can simply sprinkle flour over the meat before browning, rather than putting flour into a dish to coat the meat.  Flour is not wasted and you save using a dish for coating the meat with flour when using a sugar shaker.  Brown only one side of the meat, put in a pan with oil, floured side down, and sprinkle flour on the other side while in the pan before turning to brown the other side.

What to Do with White Rice? ~ Forget about eating white rice with the natural nutritional value bleached out.  Use any white rice you may still have in the house to make beanbags for children, a microwavable heat wrap for the neck, or draft dodgers to keep cold air outside.  Or fill a storage bin with white rice and sand toys for toddlers to have lots of indoor fun while it's too cold or rainy to play in a sand box outdoors.  A swivel sweeper will make quick work of the mess made indoors.

 

Large Chicken Breasts have too much meat for one serving, in my opinion.  Many times I slice boneless, skinless chicken breasts into two portions, after removing the fat.  My favorite way to shrink the portion is to slice each chicken breast in half, horizontally, and freeze the meat with plastic wrap between each piece, so they can be separated easily when needed. 

 

Easy Gourmet Chicken ~ Using a meat tenderizer mallet, pound each whole chicken breast with plastic wrap on both sides of the meat, stretching it to a larger flat piece of chicken.  Place a spinach filling or stuffing on the breast and tightly roll up to bake, placing the seam on the bottom.  This gourmet touch is very easy.  One large chicken breast can easily serve two people.  Top it off with a light sauce and a sprinkle of sweet basil or parsley.

 

No More Tears with Onions ~ Putting onions in the freezer for a while (don't freeze them though) helps cut down on tears. Also burn a candle nearby.  Peel the onion from the top without disturbing the root, which is the part that causes burning tears. Chop or dice the onion, leaving the root intact.  I cut down almost to the root all across the onion about 4 times, then give the onion a quarter turn and do the same thing.  Next I thinly slice the onion on a cutting board with a chef's knife, while clasping it with my left hand, as the root holds it all together.

 

Easiest Way to Get Rid of Onion Odor on Hands ~ After working with onions, wash with soap and water, then rub your hands over the chrome faucet several times.  This really works!

 

Extend the Life of Celery ~ Wrap celery in aluminum foil as soon as buying it and refrigerate it, for much longer lasting fresh celery.  It stays fresh for 3 weeks this way!

 

Quick Fix for Spots on Kitchen Floor ~ When you find a few spots on your kitchen or bathroom floor, that don't warrant getting the mop out and washing the entire surface, just drop a wet terry cleaning cloth on the floor and move it around with your shoe, cleaning the spots.  No need to get down on your hands and knees or even bend down, until you retrieve the cloth.

 

Pure Water ~ Distilling your own drinking water saves on buying and lugging 8 pound gallon jugs home from the store.  A water distiller removes chlorine, lead, and other harmful contaminates that are present in water and the taste is great, making it much easier to drink the large amount of water each day that we should.  If you drink distilled or reverse osmosis water, you will do well to check into liquid minerals, however.  Adding a few drops to each gallon will also change the Ph oh the water from acid to alkaline, which is better for health.  Plenty of pure, uncontaminated water is very important for all parts of our bodies - and even improves the complexion.

 

How Much Water Should We Drink Each Day? ~ Take your weight in pounds and divide by 2.  That will tell you how many ounces of pure water you should drink each day.  A person weighing 130 pounds should drink 65 ounces of water every day.  With 32 ounces in a quart, that's one ounce more than 2 quarts (8 cups).  A person weighing 200 pounds needs to drink 100 ounces of water each day - more than 3 quarts.  If you have trouble keeping track of how much you drink, it helps to measure out the amount each morning in a juice pitcher, water bottles or Tupperware cups (2 cups/16 oz. each).  My doctor said headaches are sometimes brought on by forgetting to drink enough water.  Pure water removes toxins from our bodies. 

 

Make Do and Do-It-Yourself ~ The older generation would often say, "You can't squeeze blood from a turnip."  Or "Make do with what you have."  Then they would make whatever they needed!  If your parents were known to say things like that, you are probably creative, from their example and out of necessity.  Today we have lots of practical help with Do-It-Yourself information at our fingertips!  Do a search on specific projects at www.DIYnet.com,  www.HGTV.com, www.lowes.com and www.homedepot.com for step by step instructions; then print them out for your use.  Teaching video clips are available on these sites as well. 

 

Patching the Soap ~ Our son-in-law laughed so hard when he learned how we have always "patched the soap," as my husband calls it, by sticking the last sliver of soap onto the next bar, rather than tossing it.  My husband and I both grew up in homes where we were taught to do that, and continued with this money saving practice after we were married.  Later our son-in-law gave us a call, just to say he asked his best friend what he does with the last little bit of soap.  His friend said, "I just stick it onto the next bar of soap!"  So even some in the younger generation have learned this frugal trick!  We just save the slivers from each bar of soap, and when we have a few, I patch them all at the same time.  It works great to place a small amount of water in a shallow dish, place the sliver and a new bar of soap in the water, microwave for about 30 seconds, and press them together.

My Favorite Housecleaning Shortcuts ~ The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, lamb's wool dusters, the Swivel Sweeper, OxiClean, rubbing alcohol, and terry cloth cleaning cloths are my favorite housekeeping shortcuts, each helping to save lots of time and energy! 

 

Marks on Walls, Appliances, Floors ~ The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is truly magic!  I find more uses for it every week.  It removes coffee cup rings from a light countertop, without having to reach for bleach!  It removes stains from leather tennis shoes, appliances, scuffs on floors and the bottom of doors.  Dollar General has a less expensive brand that works just the same.

 

Lamb's Wool Dusters can pick up dust in a jiffy.  I use 3-4 at a time, and shake the dust off of all of them outside when they have done their job.  They come with long or short handles.

 

A Swivel Sweeper picks up surface dirt in just a few minutes, from all four sides without a cord following you around (rechargeable).  It swivels 360 degrees and allows you to maneuver around furniture and other objects easily! CVS and Hamricks have carried them for $39.95. www.swivelsweeper.com

 

OxiClean Works Great! ~ Even when clothing has gone through the dryer, only to find a stain afterwards, OxiClean still works most of the time.  Last week OxiClean removed black grease from a pair of khaki pants that had gone through the dryer and some unknown stains from two other items.  It works great on used baby clothes you might find at Goodwill or yard sales.

 

Spot Cleaning Clothes without a Water Spot ~ Using a clean terry cloth with some clear rubbing alcohol on it, gently wipe away the stain.  After it is removed, dry the spot with a hair dryer.  I've found this to work very well.

 

Rubbing Alcohol dabbed onto a terry cleaning cloth works as a great cleaner and germ killer, as well as being inexpensive.  Shine a bathroom in short order.  Start with the mirror, and wipe the countertop, faucet and sink.  Use another cloth to wipe over the bathtub faucet, tile and the tub.  Shine the towel racks and toilet tissue holder.  Wipe over the toilet - even the floor, in the same way.  Periodically wipe over all the doorknobs, light switches, and phones, especially during the cold and flu season.  I like to use wintergreen alcohol, but the plain alcohol works just as well.

 

Terry Cleaning Cloths ~ I don't even call these cloths "rags," because they are so nice to use - no holes.  Using thin, worn towels (without holes), I cut each bath towel into 8 sections, and zigzag, non-stop, all around the rounded edges with my sewing machine, assembly line style, without cutting the thread until the end.  Old hand towels, dish towels and washcloths work too.  Fluff them in the dryer to remove the lint before using as cleaning cloths.  I fold mine over once and stack them in bathrooms, laundry room and the hall closet for cleaning.  When laundering them, I skip the fabric softener so they are more absorbent.  We are still using cleaning cloths that used to be towels we received as wedding gifts 41 years ago!  If you don't have worn towels yet, check at yard sales, Salvation Army, and Goodwill.

 

Combining Discount Opportunities ~ One week at Kroger, after missing several weeks of grocery shopping, trying to use up what we had, I paid $140 for two full carts of groceries, but actually took home $244's worth of groceries - because of sale items, triple coupons, and my senior citizen discount.  That was fun - until I had to put all those groceries away!  Save trips to the store by keeping bread and milk in the freezer and planning to use what is already in the freezer, refrigerator and pantry.  Kroger doubles the value of coupons every day (50 cents and under) and periodically used to triple coupons. 

 

Longer Lasting Soap ~ If your bars of soap come in boxes, such as Dove Soap does, remove the bars from the boxes as soon as you buy them and store unwrapped in a large open box.  They will harden a little more this way and last longer. 

Pretty Gift Boxes ~  Save the soap boxes that bars of soap, such as Dove, come in, and make lovely little gift boxes!  Fold the top ends inside the box and tape down.  Using colorful fabric scraps or wrapping paper, cover the box and glue the ends, with seams on the sides of the box.  Avoid having the seam on the bottom of the box, because it won't stand up very well.  Trims of lace, ribbons and beads add a special creative touch too.  If you want, you can add a ribbon or raffia handle.  Even brown paper from a grocery bag that is sponge painted would make a nice gift box with a raffia handle.  Tuck a small gift into the box with colorful tissue paper.  This is perfect for earrings, a bracelet, or a small Christmas ornament!

Peanut Butter Suet ~ Wrens, nuthatches, tufted titmice, chickadees and woodpeckers especially love peanut butter suet!   Peanut butter and fat are good cold weather treats for birds because they need extra fat in their diet to keep their tiny bodies warm.  Peanut butter is perfectly safe for birds and they will not choke on it.  You can mix up your own mixture to save a lot of money though.  Mix shortening and peanut butter together.  Add flour and/or cornmeal, until it is easy to form into blocks to fit into a suet feeder.  You can even use flour or cornmeal that has become buggy, and the least expensive shortening and peanut butter will do fine.  I wrap the blocks in plastic wrap and put several in the waxed liners that I save from cereal boxes.  They can be stored at room temperature (preferably cooler), though they can also be refrigerated or frozen.  Do not add water or it will become as hard as a rock.  Guess how I know that?  I will warn you that raccoons dearly love this suet too.  They come at night, reach right into the feeder and dig it out!  Then in the morning you may see greasy little raccoon prints everywhere.  So I asked my husband if he'd build a wire cage surrounding our suet feeder, extending the space between the suet and the outside edge, with spaces for the smaller birds to go inside and feast.  That is working real well! 

Science Fair Ideas ~ It may be too late for your high schoolers to use these ideas this year, so you might file this for next year.  Robert Krampf has put together a quick list of 35 experiments, along with some suggestions for turning them into interesting science fair projects.  Some are simple, while others are more complex.  You will find projects for just about every grade level, especially if you get your creative juices flowing.  You can find the list at:  

http://krampf.com/members/science-fair-ideas  - Used by permission

 

Highlights for Kids http://www.highlightskids.com  ~ Highlights Magazine Links, Hidden Pictures, Games and Giggles, Express Yourself, Story Soup, Science in Action & Fun Finder

 

Babies Likes to Put and Take ~ Once your baby can sit up by himself, this is an activity that may help keep him occupied for a while.  Give him two small basins or sturdy plastic shoe boxes - one with small toys.  Teach him to take toys out of one basin and put them into the other one.  Babies and toddlers love this and the sound is fascinating to them as well.

 

Lego Play ~ Store Legos in covered containers or Ziplock bags.  Then when your children play with those creative little pieces, have them be creative as they play with them on a bar pan with sides or a storage bin with low sides.  That will prevent the many tiny pieces from becoming a choking hazard for smaller siblings, and barefooted parents won't keep stepping on them.

 

Diaper Pails ~ Try dumping a small container of whole coffee beans into a mesh bag.  Close the end and toss it into the bottom of your baby's diaper pail, below the bag.  His room may smell like Starbucks for a week, but soon that will vanish and you will no longer smell the diapers.

 

Excellent Step by Step Help with Getting Your Home Clean and Organized ~ www.flylady.com   A good many e-mails are involved, but this has helped many women get their homes in order, including Heart to Heart subscribers, who recommend this great resource. 

 

Lightbulb Penguin ~ Save burned out lightbulbs for crafts.  This is just one of the cute ornaments you can make:  http://familycrafts.about.com/od/penguincrafts/ss/lbpenguin.htm

 

Snowmen, Snowglobes and Snowflakes ~ http://www.hgtv.com/holidays-occasions/snowmen-snowglobes-and-snowflakes/index.html

 

Food Time Line ~ Ever wonder what foods the Vikings ate when they set off to explore the world?  How Thomas Jefferson made his ice cream?  What the pioneers cooled along the Oregon Trail?  Who invented the potato chip -- and why?  Welcome to the Food Timeline.  Great site for finding recipes related to the time period you or you children are studying.  www.foodtimeline.org  ~ Thanks to Debbie Klinect in Florida for mentioning this to me!

 

Thanks to Becky Noell in Georgia, for the following tips seen in the Home & Garden section of her local newspaper, and also sent by a friend.  Other than that, the source is unknown.

Easy Deviled Eggs ~ Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up.  Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up, mixing thoroughly.  Cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done for easy clean up. 

Expanding Frosting ~ When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar/calories per serving. 

Reheating Refrigerated Bread ~ To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster. 

Newspaper Weeds Away ~ When you start putting in your plants, work nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers and put layers around the plants, overlapping as you go.  Cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic, but they will not get through wet newspapers.

Retrieving Bits of Broken Glass ~ Use a dry cotton ball to pick up tiny broken glass pieces of glass. The fibers catch ones you can't see!

 

Easier Thank You Notes ~ When you throw a bridal/baby shower, buy a pack of thank you notes for the guest of honor. During the party, pass out the envelopes and have everyone put their address on one. When the bride/new mom sends the thank you notes, they're all addressed!

In Case of Stolen Bike ~ If you purchase a new bike for your child, place his/her (ID) inside the handle bar before placing the grips on.  If the bike is stolen and later recovered, remove the grip and there is your proof of who owns the bike. 

Flexible Vacuum ~ To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge, add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings. 

Reducing Static Cling ~ Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and - voila - static is gone. 

Measuring Peanut Butter or Honey ~  Before pouring sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill it with hot water.  Dump out the hot water, but don't dry the cup.  Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out. 

 

Foggy Windshield? ~ Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

Leg Shaving Conditioner ~  Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's a lot cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair.