So, you planted a garden, lucked out when your property included fruit trees, stumbled upon a produce sale you just couldn’t pass up, or joined a CSA. Good for you! Now what? What will you do with all that bounty?
Your choices are a) quickly consume your harvest before it spoils b) give it away or c) preserve it to enjoy in the future.
One of the best ways to preserve—the method of food preservation that is making a big comeback—is known as “canning.”
Canning is not difficult, but it is a procedure that should be followed precisely.
Changing your environment can greatly improve your outlook. And that doesn’t have to cost a fortune.
The key to great decor isn’t how much money you have to spend. More importantly, it’s about seeing possibilities in what you have already. You’ll be surprised at what you can do yourself for little or no cost.
1. Use what you’ve got
I have a friend who calls herself a professional arranger because people hire her to come to their homes and “redecorate” with the things they have.
She goes through every room, the attic and basement; every cupboard and closet taking inventory of everything available for her final designs. Then, she completely clears the room and starts from scratch to furnish and decorate with only the things that she found in the home. The results are amazing.
(If that triggered something in you that whispered, “I wish someone would pay ME to do that,” check out the International Association of Home Staging Professionals. Or offer to do this for a few friends, take before and after photos and order business cards. You do not need a license or any particular certification to become a professional arranger.)
RELATED: 8 Words to Change Your Life
I love the ingenuity of my readers, especially those who send me their tips. Just when I think I’ve heard it all, here comes another batch of tips that have me saying it again, “Wow, what a great idea!”
Enjoy today’s offering of tips from my great readers. I hope they will spur you on to submit your own great ideas* for how you save time and money every day!
DOG TREATS
I hate to pay the going price of price of doggie treats—$4 to $8 a pound or more. What’s more, most of them look to me like artificial food. So, I came up with the idea of cut-up hot dogs to use as treats and rewards. Supermarkets always have cheap, store brand hot dogs for around $2 a pound—even cheaper on sale. I slice the hot dogs into 1/2-inch pieces and keep these doggie treats in a container in the refrigerator. I get quite a few treats per pound. I’m giving our dogs real food instead of treats that look like plastic—at a considerable savings per pound. Rachel
EMERGENCY EARRING FIX
I recently lost the back to an earring while at work. I made an emergency replacement, that has lasted several wearings now. I cut a small piece from a wide rubber band—about 1/4-inch long, then pushed the hook of the earring through it snugging it to the back of my ear. It worked great and did not show, maybe too great, because I keep forgetting to buy a proper replacement! Judy
RECYCLED VINEGAR
My coffee maker requires occasional cleaning by running white vinegar through it. After the vinegar has been processed, I pour a little baking soda down my bathtub drain, then pour the pot of hot vinegar into the drain and plug it up.
The reaction between the baking soda and hot vinegar cleans the drain pipe of built-up soap scum and hair, and plugging it up funnels the reaction into the drain instead of letting it bubble back up into the tub. My tub uses a rubber stopper so I hold it in place with pliers to avoid being burned with the hot vinegar.
This saves me money from having to buy expensive drain cleaner and saves the environment by1 using a natural product to keep my drain clean. Susan
DOG HAIR “MAGNET”
The best way to remove dog hair from the carpet in a car or truck is with a pumice stone. It’s what car detailers use and it works like a charm. Just rub it towards you and the pet hair just balls right up in seconds. Pumice stones are cheap at most dollar stores. Christina
RELATED: Ask Me Anything: Pet Hair, Almond Milk, That Stick Vac
HOMEMADE DEODORANT
Due to the heavy toxins in store-bought deodorants, I’ve wanted to stop using it for years, but didn’t know what the alternatives were. Recently, I stumbled on a recipe for homemade deodorant. It has three ingredients: ¼ cup baking soda, ¼ cup cornstarch, and 5 tablespoons unrefined, organic coconut oil.
Mix ingredients together well, then heat in the microwave for 20 seconds to melt and fully incorporate. Allow to cool and set. To use, apply to underarms with fingers.
I’ve been using this homemade deodorant for months now and I’m thrilled. It works as an anti-perspirant and also prevents odor.
The best part? The recipe made 6 ounces for roughly $1.30 in supplies. For 6 ounces of the clinical strength deodorant I’d been using, I would’ve paid approximately $28.25. Plus, I use way less of the homemade than I did the store bought deodorant so my 6 ounces of homemade deodorant will last much longer than 6 ounces of the store bought stuff would have. Carmel
LETTUCE LONGEVITY
I want to share my tip which I learned from my aunt who owns a very popular bar-b-cue place.
I take a fresh head of lettuce, core it, wash and dry it thoroughly, then tear off big chunks to fit inside a quart-size Ziploc bag.
I wrap the chunks tightly in paper towels, place them in the storage bag, and seal tightly, mashing all of the air out of the bag while zipping shut.
I keep several quart-size bags of lettuce in my produce bin for weeks at a time with no browning or wilting. It really works! Carolyn
MORE: How to Keep Lettuce Fresh for Weeks
COPPER CLEANER
I have a copper-bottom sauce pan, which I inherited. It is beautiful, but the copper discolors, which is normal. Here’s how I clean it:
When I have leftover dill pickle juice, I pour it into a pie plate and then set my copper-bottomed pan into the brine and leave it for 20 minutes or so. The pan copper comes out sparkling clean with no scrubbing. Gwen
READ: Make It Yourself: Copper Cleaner, Aluminum Cleaner and Dishwasher Detergent, Too
Apparently, I’m a slow learner. I can’t think of another reason why it took years to associate my sons’ and husband’s itchy skin problems with the dryer sheets I used in the clothes dryer. While we didn’t experience respiratory problems that are often associated with fabric softeners, the medical website, WebMD.com, reports that the perfumes and additives in laundry products may also cause respiratory problems in some individuals.
One would expect that such a life-impacting revelation (all the skin problems disappeared once I stopped using any fabric softeners or dryer sheets) would have banned those pesky sheets from our home. But that’s not true.
Dryer sheets have so many other uses around that home—indoors, outdoors, and in the garage too—I keep a box of fragrance-free dryer sheets on hand for many other uses. (Even without fragrance, dryer sheets pose a problem for my family when used in the dryer with clothing, sheets and towels).
A used dryer sheet is ideal for many of the applications that follow. However, if you, like me, don’t end up with used sheets from the dryer, simply soak a new sheet in water and then wring it out. Most of the time you want to the sheet to be damp anyway. Hint: If you are sensitive to dryer sheets, be sure to wear rubber or latex gloves when handling a new sheet.
RELATED: Fabric Softener Products are the Problem Not the Solution
SCREEN CLEANER
Dryer sheets make great dusting and cleaning cloths for television and computer screens. Not only will they clean the screens, the antistatic properties will treat the screens to repel rather than attract dust. Dryer sheets are designed to reduce static cling, so they remove the dust, and help keep it from resettling from television and computer screens.
DRY-ERASE
To add luster and restore the surface of a dry-erase memo board, polish it with a dryer sheet.
It’s been at least 30 years since my husband and I sat for hours with an attorney who specializes in estate planning. That was not the most pleasant thing I’ve ever done.
We were young and the idea of being old and planning for our respective deaths seemed ludicrous.
That meeting together with nearly $2,500 made us the proud owners of a Family Trust and Estate Plan, which includes the important legal documents that every adult needs.
Recently, a letter from Jenny reminded me that we need to update the documents in our Estate Plan because they may now be out of date. For sure they are “out of state,” due to our relocation to Colorado.
Thankfully, we now have an option to do this ourselves—legally and properly—for a whole lot less than it cost decades ago.
Jenny writes: I’m 50, married and have two adult children. Our financial life is not complicated. I do not have a Will and know that I should. Can I put faith in a simple Will done by one of the large online companies or is it in my family’s best interest that I hire a lawyer? I have read your work for many years and appreciate your advice. Thank you. Jenny
Thank you for the trust you put in me, Jenny. That is something I value highly. My quick answer is that absolutely you need a Will plus four other documents as well. I have an online source to recommend to you which will help you do this yourself—a reputable legal help organization you can trust and without reservation.
Will this preclude the need to hire an attorney? It could, but I cannot advise you on that because every situation is different. What I can tell you is that you can do this yourself and be well protected now with all of your information and desires written down in proper legal order—and have that to take to an attorney if or when you find that necessary.
I really don’t know where I got the thing. It may have been a wedding gift. What I know is that I tried to use that cast iron skillet without success and I mean not even a little bit.
Food would become hopelessly stuck to it and burned beyond recognition. If it wasn’t turning out charred fare, it was growing a fine coat of rust.
Photo credit: WestChesterCycles c/o Flickr
In the interest of full disclosure, the shots above are not of my skillet. They are an apt depiction, however. Mine looked like all of the above. At the time, I wasn’t photographing my culinary disasters with hopes that one day I could share them with you.
Things got so bad, one day I threw that skillet and its sorry charred contents into the trash. What followed what a case of guilt that prompted me to dig it out, chiseled it down, put it through the dishwasher (the worst thing ever for cast iron) then banish it to the back of a closet.
Years later—OK decades—I pulled that skillet out of detention. I’d been learning that cast iron skillets are highly revered by experienced cooks. I was determined to take on the challenge of cast iron. I am proud to say I won that battle.
This skillet pictured below—now more than 40 years old—is the skillet I abused and which abused me right back. It has become one of my most prized possessions. All is forgiven and now my skillet and I have quite a thing going on.
All around the country, newly-minted high school graduates are heading off to college. They’ll be taking a lot of things with them, but financial literacy is not likely to be one of them.
If I could spend a little time with these awesome students, this is what I would attempt to cram into their heads, then pray that it penetrates their hearts:
A BUDGET IS YOUR FRIEND
That means you 1) have a written plan for how you are going to spend your money 2) you use that written plan like you would a road map, consulting it often and 3) you use a site like Mint.com or a pencil and paper to record how you spend every nickel. Sallie Mae has a monthly budget worksheet you can print out to help you estimate your costs and keep expenses under control. Do not attempt to do this “keeping track” thing in your head. You are amazing, but don’t push it 🙂
GET A FREE CHECKING ACCOUNT
It’s not easy these days to find free checking accounts with no strings attached—no monthly fee, no minimum balance requirement and no minimum deposit. But many banks such as US Bank, do offer free student accounts that fit this criterion. Explore banking options in the city where you will be attending school or find out if the bank or credit union that your parents already use offers free student accounts and has a branch near the college campus. Read more
© 2018 EverydayCheapskate.comLast week’s mail certainly proved my theory that we have the best expert community going on here at Everyday Cheapskate. Even better, we’re willing to share. As an added bonus, three of today’s tipsters included photos with their tips!
©2018 EverydayCheapskate.com
MICROWAVE CORN ON THE COB
I wish to share a sweet corn trick with you and your readers that allows one to cook fresh corn in the husk, in the microwave. I am including a few photos to demonstrate. Dick
- Cut through the husk right up to—not through—the cob at the stem end (where the ear was attached to the stalk), and all the way around.
- Microwave on high, 3 minutes per ear. Example, if you have two ears, microwave for 6 minutes.
- Remove from microwave carefully, then grasp and pull the corn right out of the husks.
- No muss, no hairy corn silk!
INSTANT POT CORN-ON-THE-COB
Preparing fresh corn on the cob is quick and easy in an Instant Pot. Pour one cup cold water in the pressure cooker. Set the trivet in place, then place four ears of shucked and cleaned fresh corn-on-the-cob on the trivet. Close the lid and cook at High Pressure for 2 minutes no matter how many ears you are cooking. Turn off the heat and Quick Release. Open the lid carefully. Serve immediately with butter. Fresh corn- on-the-cob comes out perfect every time! Rob
I have to admit to being a bit of a gadget freak. I’m drawn to tools and devices that do cool things. And when I discover “cool” includes being a money saver, for me that turns a purchase into an investment with a guaranteed rate of return.
Here’s a list of eleven gadgets, tools and items I’ve found that can save a lot of money and generally recoup the cost in less than a year. That time frame will vary depending on your specific situation. Your mileage may vary.
You can count on this: Once you’ve recouped the purchase price, these items will continue to save you money—for free!
PROGRAMMABLE THERMOSTAT
If you have a central heat and air conditioning system, you need a programmable thermostat. There are less expensive options available, but a high quality programmable thermostat like the Nest Programmable Thermostat will result in very precise temperature control. You can program it (easy) to automatically lower your air conditioning and/or heat use while you’re not home. Just set it and then forget about it; Nest will automatically adjust things for you so that you aren’t wasting expensive electricity—without any noticeable changes for you and your family.
With just a few manual adjustments, the Nest Thermostat can learn your habits and immediately start saving you money by automatically adjusting the temperature. Nest works with Alexa, which means you have voice control capability as well as the ability to control Nest from your smartphone. Used well, Nest can easily return its cost to you in the first year—making the annual savings free from then on. About $215.
123rf.comOver the years, I have learned an important lesson about getting the best deals on just about everything. Extreme bargain hunters have something in common: timing. No matter what they’re trying to save on, they’ve got it down to a science, knowing specific days (and even the exact time of day) when a bargain is at its best.
I’ve had the privilege of interviewing some of the tops experts in their fields (love my job), and oh, what I learned. I’ve tested these secrets and they’re for real.
Want to save like an expert? Learn these deal-hunting secrets.
Hotel Rooms
Best time to book a room? 4 p.m. local time on a Sunday, says CBS News travel editor Peter Greenberg. Calling then can save you significantly, but the process can be tricky. Forget everything you think you know and follow these steps:
1. Call the hotel’s local direct line, not the 800 number. The 800 number will connect you to a clearinghouse that books rooms for hundreds of locations. “The people who answer those phones don’t have the power to give you a better deal,” says Greenberg. Look up the local phone number for that hotel location.
2. Don’t ask to speak with Reservations—that will only get you routed back through to the 800-number clearinghouse. Instead, ask to speak to the manager on duty at the specific location. He has the authority to negotiate rates.
3. Be courteous. Tell the manager that you’re shopping for a great room rate during a specific week, followed by, “What can you do for me?” If you feel hesitant, think of yourself as a valuable commodity. After all, you want to take an unsold room out of inventory.
4. Say thank you and bask in your good fortune.
Air Travel
There’s nothing more confusing and frustrating than buying plane tickets. One day you check ticket prices and think, Maybe I can get them cheaper if I wait. A few days later you check again—and the same seats have jumped $100 each. Arrgh! So how do you know when to buy?