"Why didn't I think of that?" Household tips.

Som of th biggest changes to my budget have come from household tips that i read in newsletters, books and websites.



here are a few new ones i have found and liked. I have been working on this post and a ew others like it for a few days now. why i have been so quiet i guess. anyway i hope there is one in here everyone can implement.



1) Sprinkle cinnamon on aluminum foil and place it in a hot oven, leaving the door open. As the cinnamon heats, the cinnamon will permiate the house



2) Spray the inside of a mayonnaise jar white. Store it in the refrigerator as a hiding place for money or valuables.



3) Did you know you can freeze milk? Next time it is on sale, pick up several gallons and freeze it!



4) Brown sugar will not harden if stored in the freezer.



5) Potatoes will take food stains off your fingers after your food preparations. Just slice and rub a raw potato on the stain and rinse in clear-cool water.



6) Shop for items BEFORE you run out of them. If you run out of an item you'll have to pay whatever the store is charging that week.



7) Nearly everything can be cut in half -- use only half a dryer softener sheet, half the recommended amount of detergent, half a cotton ball, etc. Try it on anything you can think of - if it works, you save money, if it doesn't, what do you lose?The same idea goes for quick dinners. If you're putting together, for example, Hamburger Helper (or another "instant" meal), consider using a 1/2 pound of meat per box (or just make up 2 boxes at a time, with a full pound of meat). Most of us actually get far more protein in a day than we need, so cutting back to a 1/2 pound of meat doesn't hurt any of us. How about instant drink mixes? If you're buying mixes that don't have the sugar added (which, by the way, is cheaper than buying the mixes with sugar already in them), think seriously about how much sugar you mix in. Do you REALLY need to use a full cup of sugar with that small packet of flavoring? Or could you cut it back to 1/3 or 1/2 cup and decrease the amount of sugar your children are getting in each serving? The next time you're simply following directions on any grocery item, take a moment to evaluate the claim before you do as it says. You may save yourself some money!

8) Use an egg slicer to slice apples or mushrooms.
9) Leftover pancake batter makes good fried onion rings. Separate and let soak in batter for fifteen minutes. Fry in hot oil. 7. Don’t throw out leftover coffee. Freeze it in icecube trays, and when you don’t want to make an entire pot, you can get your cubes out of the freezer and pop them in the microwave.
8. Dry Mustard will remove onion odors from your hands or cutting board. Rub in, then rinse off. 9. Use plain baking soda or salt as a fire extinguisher.

10. Put rice in your salt shaker to keep the salt from getting hard. **Thank you Lisa!

11. Remove odors from your fridge by placing a vanilla extract soaked cotton ball inside. Another popular method is to leave a cup of baking soda or a slice of lemon in the fridge at all times

12. Cleaning behind your refrigerator will keep it running longer and more efficiently. Another fridge cleaning tip: Make sure the unit is level. An unlevel refrigerator works harder than it needs to and wastes energy.

13. Store plastic wrap in refrigerator - it will prevent it from sticking.

14. A good trick when you go away on vacation is to place a baggie with a few ice cubes in the freezer. If a power failure occurs while you are gone and the food thaws and then refreezes you will know about it when you get home.

15. Use a powder puff to dust flour on rolling pins, pastry boards and cookie sheets. Store puff in a margarine tub with a small amount of flour for quick dusting jobs.

16. Leftover Safety - If food has been contaminated with germs from a person's mouth, it should be tossed. For instance saving baby food when you have fed the baby from the jar is hazardous.

17. You can reheat small portions of leftovers in the same pan. Wrap individually in foil and place in enough water to cover the bottom of the pan.

18. When converting your favorite recipe for microwave cooking reduce the liquid by one-fourth. Liquid does not evaporate in a microwave as much as it does in a conventional oven.

19. To save on electric and water only run your dishwasher when full. When adding dishes take a handful of baking soda and sprinkle the dishes and bottom of dishwasher to absorb odors. When you run the dishwasher there is no need to add detergent to the first cylce receptacle only to the 2nd one that stays shut until the second cycle starts. The baking soda will take the place of the detergent in the first cycle.

20. When you have a spill in your oven, sprinkle some salt on it right away. Then when the oven cools wipe it off.


21. Spray your Tupperware with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato-based sauces--no more stains.