Creative Ways to Replace Favorites by Mary Hunt on Creators.com

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Creative Ways to Replace Favorites

For a couple of years, I have been secretly mourning the loss of my favorite cake saver. Here's the best (or worst) part: I paid $1 for it in some sale bin somewhere. It was the best I've ever had, and I assumed it was irreplaceable. I am thrilled to know how to replace it — for a buck. You go ahead and read today's Reader Tips. I'm off to the dollar store!

TRANSPORT A CAKE. I couldn't afford one of those "fancy" $8 cake savers for transporting cakes, so I just went to the dollar store and bought the biggest plastic bowl I could find with a lid. I set the cake on the lid with a little frosting under the cake to hold it in place and then frosted it, and now I have an airtight cover by using the bowl over it! — Mike, email

WASHCLOTH ICEPACK. When I need an icepack for my face, I take a face cloth, wet it, fold it length-wise into thirds and place it in a small plastic bag. Then I place it in the freezer. In just a short time, my freezer pack is ready and on my face. The small size of the facecloth is just right for your face, and when it is no longer needed, you have your face cloth back. — Pat, email

NO-BURN CANDLES. I can have wonderful candle scents without burning a candle. Just set a glass jar-type candle on your range top next to the oven vent. The heat melts the candle and sends the wonderful scent all through the house, and the candle never burns away. I have had the same cinnamon candle for almost three years now, and it still smells as great as it did when I first bought it.

— LeAnn, Texas

NO-MESS DEVILED EGGS. When I make deviled eggs, I place the cooked egg yolks into a large zip-type bag, along with the rest of the filling ingredients. I then knead the mixture with my hands to combine (the kids love doing that part because it feels funny). I carefully snip the bottom corner off the zip-type bag and pipe the filling into the egg whites. Toss the bag, and your cleanup is complete. — Donna, Minnesota

BUTTON AT THE READY. When I buy a garment that has extra buttons attached in a little bag, I sew them to an inside seam allowance of the garment. Then they are always with the garment, and there's no hunting for them when you need to replace a lost button. — J.B., Arizona

GARAGE SALE PREP. I have several boxes set up in the garage for our annual community garage sale. They are labeled: Toys, Clothes, Housewares and Misc. I keep a package of price stickers and a pen handy. Every time I put one thing into the sale boxes, I price it. Then on the sale day, I simply open the boxes and set things out for display. — Leonora, Florida

Would you like to send a tip to Mary? You can email her at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. Include your first and last name and state. Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com and author of 20 books, including her January 2012 release "7 Money Rules for Life." To find out more about Mary and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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