Everyday Cheapskate - Mary Hunt's Everyday Cheapskate

Chicken Labeling: Prepare to Be Surprised

If you’ve ever stood in the supermarket wondering if paying more for chicken that is free-range, antibiotic-free, no hormones added, farm-raised, natural, and organic is going to make you healthier, wealthier, wise—or just a better person—you’re not alone.

Recently, as I was doubting myself on my chicken choices I decided to get to the bottom of what all of this really means. It’s not what I thought.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is a cabinet-level agency that oversees the regulation of food-grade chicken and is responsible for the claims on packaging and labels.

And despite all of the hype and fluff, there is only one label—organic—that guarantees specific standards and for which you might consider paying more.

Briefly here is what all of it means—or doesn’t mean—according to the USDA.

March 21, 2019/0 Comments/by Mary Hunt

How to Clean a Shark Vacuum and Its Filters

Cleaning

You know by now just how much I love my Shark vacuum cleaner. And given my readers’ letters and comments, I know that many of you have Sharkies, too.

I love your messages. They make me smile because I understand the range of emotions that come from using a Shark vacuum for the first time—from amazement to flat out embarrassment.

Where on earth did all of this dirt and debris come from? I can’t believe what’s been lurking in my carpet!

With all of the miles I’ve put on my numerous Shark vacs over the years, I’ve never had one fail. And while the manufacturer boasts that Sharks never lose suction, that is predicated on regularly cleaning Sharkie’s canister, filters, and rotating brush.

It’s right there in the owner manual, which most of us don’t think to read until we have a problem. You need to clean your Shark every three months to keep it working at top efficiency—more often with heavy use. It’s easy.

Signs Sharkie needs a bath

loss of suction
dirt being left behind
sounds weird like Sharkie is gasping for air
an unpleasant, dirty odor

March 20, 2019/26 Comments/by Mary Hunt

9 Cooking Mistakes We All Make and How to Fix Them

Food & Recipes

Just the other night I suffered a kitchen disaster. I hate when that happens. I ruined an entire pot of pasta because I got busy and was not paying attention. By the time I realized, the pasta had cooked way beyond al dente, all the way to total mush.

It killed me to dump the whole thing down the disposal, but there was no way to undo that disaster.

Thankfully, that’s not true for every cooking mistake. This is a list you’re going to want to keep handy just in case.

Too much salt

It’s a common cooking mistake. If you’ve added far too much salt to a sauce or soup and you have enough ingredients, double the recipe or make more by half, then mix it in with the salty batch a bit at a time until you’ve reached your desired flavor.

Another trick is to add a bit more unsalted water to the mix, provided this will not also dilute the flavor.

Burnt toast

Don’t toss it until you’ve tried this neat trick: Use your cheese grater to quickly scrape off the burned layer. Works like magic!

Undercooked cake

The first sign of a cake that’s not done is that sinkhole in the middle. Once cooled you cannot re-bake it. But don’t worry. This is not a hopeless kitchen disaster.

Break the cake into pieces (even those parts that are undercooked) and combine them with whipped cream and fresh fruit to make dessert parfaits or one large trifle.

ENJOY: 25 Items Under $25 to Help Organize Your Life

March 19, 2019/3 Comments/by Mary Hunt

Meet My Spring Clean A-Team

Cleaning

make your-own-glass-cleaner-for-sparkling-windows

There’s an illness that has been documented by poets for centuries and I’ve got it. It’s Spring Fever, that wonderfully amorphous disease we all recognize come April and May.

Spring fever remains a fuzzy medical category, but there has been a great deal of research on how seasonal changes affect our mood and behavior. I know how it affects me—it makes me want to clean!

While I don’t invite all my friends over to help, I have built quite a team that makes the job, if not fun, at least enjoyable. Today, I’d like to introduce you to each member of my awesome spring clean team.

Deep Cleaning Brushes

I got the initial set as a gift from a friend who knows me well. I love to clean nooks and crannies, which is crazy, but true nonetheless. OXO Good Grips Kitchen Appliance Cleaning Set specific cleaning tools are perfect but not only for the kitchen. I use them on grout, in corners; along baseboards. And into the dishwasher they go almost daily, to get sanitized. Watch out nooks and crannies. Your dirty days are fast coming to an end.

Squeegee

I suppose that windows would win if I could have only one item on my spring clean list of dirty things to clean. There’s just nothing like looking at spring through sparkling, crystal-clear windows. Want to know the secret to the sparkle? A good squeegee and the best scrubber to go with it.

MORE: Sparkling Clean Windows—Cheaper, Better, Faster!

Microfiber Cloths

Forget the paper towels. And the terry cloth. When it comes to serious cleaning of anything—especially glass and mirrors—there’s nothing more efficient than microfiber because it is lint-free and streak-free. A set will last for years. And years.

March 18, 2019/0 Comments/by Mary Hunt

The Best Way to Vacuum Carpet is to Memorize this Routine

Best Inexpensive, Cleaning

Perhaps this has happened to you: You’ve lived with carpeting, then for one reason or another you live with hardwood or some other type of hard surface flooring that shows up every little bit of dust and dirt. You can’t believe it! You can sweep or vacuum one day and by the next morning, dust and dirt have returned.

Of course, you think that some new dirt- and dust-producing thing has mysteriously descended on your living space, but the truth is it’s the same dust and dirt that has always been present only now you can see it.

I cannot tell you how shocked I was to see what accumulated in such a short time on my new dark wood floors. In my mind, I multiplied by 7, 14 and even 21 days. Am I the only one who doesn’t vacuum every day of her life? Yes, I admit it. And just imagining what had accumulated in the carpeting almost made me wretch. Seriously.

March 17, 2019/36 Comments/by Mary Hunt

This is How You Make World-Class Gourmet Pasta on a Shoestring

Food & Recipes

A plate of gourmet-quality Pasta Mama from Hugo's Restaurant, West Hollywood, Calif.

A popular restaurant in West Hollywood, Calif., Hugo’s, has been critically acclaimed for one of its menu items, Pasta Mama.

The first time I heard about it, I thought it was a bit odd. Pasta with eggs? I couldn’t imagine what would prompt people to drive many miles to get Pasta Mama. But they do, saying, it’s the best pasta they’ve ever eaten.

I had to try it, and as you might imagine, I love it. I would describe it to you here, but it’s indescribable—indescribably delicious, that is.

But I don’t drive to Hugo’s to pay $14 (plus tax and tip) for this dish. Instead, I make it myself, from scratch, following my copycat recipe. What a wonderful, simply satisfying dinner—or breakfast—entree.

Pasta Mama takes all of about 10 minutes from start to finish and feeds two for a total cost of about $1.50.

At that price, you have little to lose if you try it and don’t like it, and chances are really good that you’ll love it.

In fact, I won’t be surprised to hear that you’ve added Pasta Mama to your family’s list of favorite meals. Serve it once a week and your grocery budget will love you.

March 15, 2019/7 Comments/by Mary Hunt

This is the Best Car Trash Can Ever

Automobiles, Best Inexpensive

This car trash can is the perfect size with all the features we need at a super affordable price

123rf.com

Wouldn’t you think that if car manufacturers can perfect self-driving cars, they could also come up with a way to conquer the car trash problem?

Inside of a car with every nook and cranny stuffed with trash

Photo Credit TheOnion.com

I’ve always thought that a built-in trash compactor would be great. Or even better, some kind of incinerator that sucks the accumulation of trash and garbage right out of the car and into a holding tank somewhere that magically converts it into purified drinking water. Or gasoline.

While waiting for that kind of invention to appear, I’ve tried plastic bags, plastic tubs, and every kind of frugal trick and tip you can imagine to handle the annoyance of car trash.

I’ve tested and tried. Some ideas are better than others, but nothing has ever proven 100% satisfactory. Until now.

March 14, 2019/1 Comment/by Mary Hunt

All You Need to Know to Get Your Prescription Eyeglasses Online

Best Inexpensive, Home & Family

In the interest of full disclosure, let me say right up front that when I first heard about ordering prescription eyeglasses online, I scoffed. I rolled my eyes. What next? Mail order surgery? Online doctor visits? Not me.

It does seem weird if not downright irresponsible to get prescription eyeglasses online. I’m the first to admit it.

I mean, what kind of person would trust her eyesight to some website in the sky by forwarding a doctor’s written prescription, selecting frames online and expect said unknown entity to grind those lenses properly, fit them into the frames of choice, return these prescription eyeglasses to said person, having them fit perfectly, charging him or her a fraction of the cost he or she would pay locally and expect any of this to turn out well?

Do not be surprised when I say that I would be that kind of person. I’ve had an epiphany, a change of heart.

Up until the past decade, I’d not worn glasses, enjoying perfect vision. But life happens (perhaps you’ve noticed this). I was totally unprepared for the mind-numbing cost of prescription eyewear.

I went to a top-notch optometrist (I still do) and assumed that to take the best care of my eyes, I needed to purchase my new glasses from the little boutique there in his office.

When the bill totaled more than $750 for my designer frames, lenses, anti-scratch coating (don’t believe it), UV protection and the anti-glare option, I was shocked. And more than ready to consider other options. Read more

March 13, 2019/36 Comments/by Mary Hunt

The Most Critical Six Months in a College Grad’s Life

Mary's Perspective

Graduating from college is one of life’s most thrilling events. Finishing my degree, walking the aisle and receiving a fancy document in a leather-bound case remains one of the high points of my life.

Leaving college life behind, I was ready to live life to the fullest, whatever that meant. I was so over living under campus rules, grueling classwork, never-ending papers, mid-terms, and finals. I was ready to begin life in the real world.

Unfortunately, I still had a lot to learn about managing finances. I knew nothing and worse, wasn’t aware that I knew nothing. What was there to know, anyway?

Sadly, I am not alone. Today’s graduates are smart but generally financially ignorant.

For college graduates gearing up to enter the real world, I offer the following for starting off on the right financial foot.

March 12, 2019/2 Comments/by Mary Hunt

How to Give New Life to an Old Eyeglasses Case

Home & Family, Tips

Recently, I dropped off several out-of-prescription eyeglasses at a Walmart Vision Center, just one of many collection centers around the country that partner with Lions Clubs to collect old eyeglasses for those in need at home and medical missions abroad.

With the cost of prescription eyeglasses equaling a year’s salary in some countries, donated eyeglasses are the best hope for bringing sight to many visually impaired people who could simply not afford the cost.

The attendant kindly asked, however, that I not leave the cases.

My first thought was to toss the cases into the trash on the way out and just be done with it. But it didn’t feel right. There just had to be a way to give new life to these sturdy, protective cases.

Some quick research turned up these clever ideas:

Electronic accessories

An eyeglasses case is a perfect size for headphones, charging cord for the typical mobile device. No more tangled mess.

: Photo Credit: Details-Etc.

Sewing kit

Travel-size thread, scissors, needles, pins, and so on fit easily inside one of these cases. Gluing a couple of magnets in the lid helps to keep sharp items in place so they’re handy.

Photo Credit: Sulky

March 11, 2019/7 Comments/by Mary Hunt

Photocopying or reproduction other than for subscribers’ personal use is strictly prohibited without written permission from the publisher, DPL Press, Inc. Everyday Cheapskate, Debt-Proof Living, Cheapskate Monthly, Tiptionary, Rapid Debt-Repayment Plan, Rapid Debt-Repayment Plan Calculator, Freedom Account, Live the Plan! and 7 Money Rules for Life are trademarks owned by Mary Hunt.All letters, tips and other materials and correspondence submitted to Everyday Cheapskate, Debt-Proof Living and Mary Hunt become the property of Mary Hunt and all rights thereto including copyrights.

Submitters grant the exclusive right to use and or reproduce the materials in any manner and for any purpose. All information published is taken from the most reliable sources possible and given as information only. All specific financial, legal, tax and accounting situations should be referred to appropriate legal or accounting professionals.

Chicken Labeling: Prepare to Be Surprised

How to Clean a Shark Vacuum and Its Filters

Signs Sharkie needs a bath

9 Cooking Mistakes We All Make and How to Fix Them

Too much salt

Burnt toast

Undercooked cake

Meet My Spring Clean A-Team

Deep Cleaning Brushes

Squeegee

Microfiber Cloths

The Best Way to Vacuum Carpet is to Memorize this Routine

This is How You Make World-Class Gourmet Pasta on a Shoestring

This is the Best Car Trash Can Ever

All You Need to Know to Get Your Prescription Eyeglasses Online

The Most Critical Six Months in a College Grad’s Life

How to Give New Life to an Old Eyeglasses Case

Electronic accessories

Sewing kit

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Signs Sharkie needs a bath

Too much salt

Burnt toast

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Sewing kit

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