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Tips That Make You Feel Like a Genius
Secretly, I feel like a genius when I discover a secondary use for this or that — in case I run out of this, but have plenty of that! Like using a paper coffee filter to wash a glass top or mirror when I'm in a pinch for paper towels. Or using …Read more.
Supermarket Tricks That Makes Us Spend More
I've always thought of myself as pretty sharp when it comes to spotting supermarket trickery. I'm not even fazed by an end-cap display announcing, "Special." I know their ways. They hope we'll just assume that "special" means …Read more.
The Struggle to Actually Use up Gift Cards
My love-hate relationship with gift cards has intensified. What a pain, really. I'm one who just forgets to use them, and when I remember, I try to figure out how to use each one to the last cent. I was reminded of my situation recently when I …Read more.
Commingle Personal and Business Finances? Never!
Dear Mary: I am reading your book, "Debt-Proof Living," and have begun tracking my expenses. I have a home-based business. Should I include business expenses or just personal expenses in the tracking? — Lucy, Vermont
Dear Lucy: You …Read more.
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Cheapest Parent Wins 2nd Award!This month's Tip of the Month was won by virtue of the fact that it's a tip we never had heard before. Sure, we've received thousands having to do with laundry and ways to soften dryer loads cheaply, but this one left us smiling: TIP OF THE MONTH. When my daughter was in college, she and her friends had a "Whose Parent is the Cheapest Contest." I won hands down for, among other things, figuring out how to make my own dryer sheets. I tore old towels into 2-inch strips until I filled an entire laundry basket with them. I put them into a bucket, poured in cheapie liquid fabric softener and tossed them like a salad until the strips were thoroughly damp but not drenched. Then I hung them over plastic hangers and allowed them to dry completely. Altogether, it took 20 minutes and about $1.50 to make six months' worth of strips. As a bonus, the whole house was filled with a wonderful fragrance! — Lois H., Maryland BRIGHT WHITE. I have a dry-erase board on my refrigerator. It gets a lot of use and becomes stained and hard to clean. To make it look like new again, I polish it using any brand of whitening toothpaste. I add a dab to the board and rub it in circles with a dry paper towel. Then I wet the towel to remove any remaining toothpaste. By the time I'm finished, the board is clean, and it even smells good. — Barbara, California STEAMED HEAT.
SAVVY PACKER. If you are packing for a move and plan to store items wrapped in newspaper for an extended period of time, be careful, because ink from newsprint can stain fine china, dishes and other items. I recommend checking with a local newspaper printing plant for end rolls. The rolls come off their presses with blank paper left on them, but it's not enough to continue printing. They are usually 3 to 4 feet long with yards of paper still attached. I used to get them from my local newspaper for free. End roll paper makes great disposable tablecloths for picnics, too. — Tammie, Pennsylvania Do you have a great tip? Share your timesaving and money-saving savvy by e-mailing your tip to mary@everydaycheapskate.com. Use "Tip of the Month" as your subject line, and include your full name and home state, along with your well-written tip. You will win a one-year membership to Mary's Web site, http://www.DebtProofLiving.com, if your tip is chosen as a "Tip of the Month"! Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com and author of 18 books, including "Debt-Proof Living" and "Tiptionary 2." To find out more about Mary and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS SYNDICATE INC.
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