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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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The Cymbals of AutumnIf humor is the best medicine, I am a very healthy person. That's because I get to read your mail every day, and quite frankly, some of it just cracks me up. Take today's first reader tip, for example. As great an idea as it is, the visual of Tena in her front yard banging away with two giant pot lids as if she were the head percussionist in the St. Louis Symphony. Well, read on, and you'll know what I mean.
QUICK PICKUP. Fall is upon us, and now is the time for the backbreaking work of stuffing leaves into large bags. My hands are small, so I have a difficult time picking up very many leaves at one time. Last year, I came up with this idea: I went into the kitchen and pulled out two large lids from my pot rack. Holding the pot lids as if they were cymbals, I was able to scoop twice as many leaves at one time to speed up the process. -- Tena F., Missouri FREE GOODS. In the area where I live and other areas, there is a double incentive to keep track of grocery prices and compare them with the scanned prices at checkout. Our supermarket has a scan guarantee. If you go through the line and catch errors, our supermarket will give you one of the items free and correct the prices of the others. I've received a number of free items under this policy. -- Louise T., e-mail COMPUTER LOGIC. Turning off your computer routinely is a good habit to get into.
WASTE NOT. I buy the supermarket rotisserie chickens when they are on sale for half price. After serving them for dinner, I use the bones to cook up homemade chicken broth. I add onions, celery and carrots to the water, bring it to a boil and then let it simmer for a few hours. After I strain the liquid, I have wonderful broth with way less sodium than the packaged kind. I purée the veggies and add a bit of milk for cream of veggie soup. -- Sandi B., e-mail FREEZER SAVER. I recycle my milk jugs by washing them and filling them with water. Then I put them in my freezer. They help the freezer run more efficiently, and I have free ice when I need to pack a cooler or fill a drink tub for a party. When the power goes out, they keep my freezer cold longer. -- Judy B., e-mail Would you like to send a tip to Mary? You can e-mail her at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. Mary Hunt is the founder of DebtProofLiving.com and author of 17 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.
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