Whether it's a sagging closet rod, kale down the garbage disposal or premium fuel in the gas tank, EC readers are always anxious to share their best tips, tricks and ideas for ways to save time and money — and avoid potential headaches!

SAG NO MORE. To fix a sagging clothes rod, buy a piece of 1/2-inch galvanized pipe and a piece of 3/4-inch polyvinyl chloride piping, or PVC piping, both the same length as the rod. You can get these at your local home improvement center, such as Home Depot or Lowe's. Remove the sagging rod. Slip the pipe inside the PVC to create a new rod, and slide this into the rod brackets. If you are bothered by the printing on the PVC, clean it off with rubbing alcohol. — Bob

STICKY, MESSY SAP. A cheap and safe way to remove pine tree sap from your car without damaging the finish is to rub it with a soft cloth soaked with plain 70 percent isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol), which is available at the pharmacy or drug store for a buck or two. — George

SECRET INFO. When you finish refurbishing a room in your home, write down this important information on a piece of paper, and tape it to the back of the switch plate: the brand and color of the paint, how much it took to paint the room and the circuit breaker number that serves the room. You'll be happy to find the information next time. — Trevor

KALE, NO! I made a big mistake recently when I cut a bunch of kale up into smaller pieces and put it down the garbage disposal. I let it grind like crazy and followed it with tons of water, and still, it clogged up the system in my apartment building for three floors down. It took maintenance four hours to clear it. They said, "The lettuce turned into something similar to glue/concrete!" — Naomi

SUPER CUBE. This is a crazy simple tip, but it works for me. I love ice-cold water and must have it at all times. However, at work the water is just cool, not the icy deliciousness I require. I solved this issue by taking a bottle of water slightly less than half full and laying it down sideways in the freezer. (We are lucky enough to have two refrigerators in our break room.) Later, I grabbed the frozen half bottle and filled it up with water. Voila! Ice-cold water for several hours. I just keep filling it up until its time to get out another one. Just make sure not to put too much water in the bottle, or you won't be able to fill it with water. — Laurel

STICK WITH REGULAR. Most gas stations offer unleaded premium for 10 to 12 more cents per gallon more than unleaded regular. Many customers think they're giving their car some kind of extra care or treat by filling up with what they think is the best. Don't do it. Virtually all automobiles run just fine on regular unleaded, so unless your owners manual specifically states that your car requires a premium grade of gas with higher octane, save your money and stick with regular. — David

LEVEL PAY. After consulting my yearly budget, what I've done with my electricity and heating bills is pay the same amount each month. Because I live on fixed income, I send each of those utility providers a flat $100 per month. This means I purposely overpay for heat in the summer when the furnace is not in use and overpay the electric company in the winter when I'm not running my central air conditioning. I've been doing this for years. No big bills in the summer for the electric; no big bills in the winter for the heat. This takes the mystery out of my budget and works quite well for me. — Pam

FLIP THE PAINT. Store partially full cans of paint upside down. The paint will form an airtight seal, extending its life. — Ted

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 webpage at www.creators.com.