Quick and easy. That's how I enjoy saving time and money. And every day I learn fun new ways to do that from you, my lovely readers! Check out this new batch of time- and money-saving tips:
BANANA BUNS. Inevitably there are always hot dog buns left after a hot dog meal. My kids love to eat peanut butter, jelly and banana sandwiches on hot dog buns. Quick, easy and no banana slices fall out like they do on regular sliced bread. — Carolyn
CHEAP CHICKEN. I love using rotisserie chickens when I am in a hurry — in pasta sauce or casseroles, they taste great and really cut down on prep time — especially when it comes down to eating in versus eating out. In my favorite supermarket, they sell hot rotisserie chickens for about $5 each. However, I have discovered that I can get a cold one, usually from the day before, for $2.50 — half the price! Cold works great for me. We almost never eat them immediately upon bringing them home and had always been refrigerating them until use. The cold, cheaper ones can generally be found in the deli refrigerated area, that is near other prepared foods, salsas, and so on. — Kerri
FILE THEN FORGET IT. When I buy something that has a warranty, I save the receipt and staple it to the owner's manual, then file it. — Hillary
NATURAL CLEANER. I once read you could use a cut lemon with salt sprinkled on it for a non-abrasive cleaner. I had a red stain on my new granite countertop and thought I would try this. Some of the stain came out right away, but it still left some color. I left the lemon/salt juice for about an hour and the stain disappeared completely. I have used this several times and it always works. Once I used a lime and it also worked well, too. — Aleta
[Be cautious with allowing any acid to linger on your granite countertops, as eventually this will eat through the sealer, causing the granite to appear dull. — MH]
VIOLET BRUSH. To keep your indoor African violet plants healthy and blooming, dust the leaves periodically with a clean paint brush. When your plant's leaves are full of dust it cannot breathe and it doesn't stay healthy. It really works! I have had no luck in getting blossoms on my violet plants but since I have been dusting periodically they are full of blooms. — Jean
CLOSET STRATEGY. When you change your closets over for a new season, put the hangers on the rod backwards. When you wear an item, turn the hangers the conventional way. At the end of the season you can easily see what you haven't worn and the items you need to evaluate for culling. — Lisa
SECOND LIFE. If you use an electric toothbrush and are like me, you hate throwing away those old, not so cheap but need-to-be replaced toothbrush heads. Hang onto them, because I recently found a use for them. The stones in my wedding rings tend to get dull and dirty from everyday wear, but now I just place an old head on the toothbrush and spin the dirt away. Once you decide to replace the entire toothbrush hang on to the old one to be used for deep down house cleaning in smaller places such as baseboards, corners or between the knobs on your faucets. — Marcie
NO MORE SLIPPAGE. If your headband keeps slipping off, try sticking some soft adhesive Velcro pieces on the inside of the band. No more slipping! You can find it in most sewing sections of your local department stores. — Erin
INSULATING SHEET. We have two slider doors in our home. The heat loss from such big windows made it difficult to sit near those chilly doors. I purchased two sheets of 2-inch insulation board (Styrofoam type). At nighttime or when we will be away, I put the insulation, between the curtain and the window. It cuts out an incredible amount of cold and keeps our heating costs down, too. — Linda
LIKE A PRO. If you like to rearrange your furniture from time to time, you can save a lot of wasted effort by drawing a floor plan of your house and pictures of your furniture drawn to scale. This way you will at least be able to see if things will fit in the new location before moving them. This is especially helpful if your space is limited, and may keep you from such dilemmas as when friends of mine discovered on moving day that their queen-sized bed wouldn't go through the door of their new flat. — Roger
Would you like more information? Log on to EverydayCheapskate.com, where this column is archived complete with links and resources for all recommended products and services. Mary invites questions, comments and tips at [email protected], or c/o Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Suite B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com, a personal finance member website and the author of "Debt-Proof Living," released in 2014. 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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