Article continues below ↓ advertisement | your ad here photo by Tim Parkinson Until there’s a ban on plastic grocery bags, they’ll continue to multiply quickly in many households. While using cloth bags greatly reduces the amount of bags that enter your home, not everyone uses them all the time. You should reuse any you [...]
Article continues below ↓ advertisement | your ad here photo by nate steiner The road to clutter is paved with good intentions, and that is especially true with recipes. If you’re saving them from magazines, newspapers and printed from Web pages, finding them later can be a problem without an organized system. Readers share their [...]
photo by Erin Anyone with more than one child knows that it can be a real headache to organize socks if you let them pile up. I’d love to say that life’s too short to pair and fold socks, but I have a large family. If I put off sock duty for any length of [...]
Dips are the perfect accompaniment to standard party appetizers. Fancy dips can be intimidating for family and guests, so having a selection of practical, tasty dips will ensure that you don’t end up with an abundance of leftovers when the party is over. As a bonus, the following crowd-pleasing recipes can be made in advance, [...]
Photo by MMcM DEAR SARA: I bought shredded wheat, and my kids don’t like it. Any ideas for using it up in a different way? — Susie, via forums DEAR SUSIE: Try crumbling it and adding it to yogurt, ice cream, oatmeal, cookies, breads, muffins and on salad. It would be good in apple crisp [...]
photo by aka_kath Curious what the going rate is for a lost tooth? Fortunately, she’s not giving cars yet, but I’ve discovered the tooth fairy I know is pretty frugal compared to most. She’s been known to give loose change and even small snacks to my kids. Readers share creative ways to celebrate the tooth-fairy [...]
photo by jroblear Tough times happen to the best of us. Emergencies, health issues and costly repairs seem to happen when we’re just getting ahead. One of the toughest situations to overcome is a job layoff. If you’re lucky, you get advance notice and a severance package, but not everyone is that fortunate. It’s easy [...]
photo by tokyofoodcast My husband gave me a garlic press, and I don’t know how I went without one for so long. What was I thinking? I’ll tell you what I was thinking: I didn’t need it. Some purchases are investments in ourselves, such as items that offer comfort, knowledge, more time and sometimes just [...]
If your family is the meat-and-potatoes type like mine, it can be challenging to introduce new side dishes without someone giving it a thumbs down. You need side dishes that are so simple and delicious that they become center stage. Opening a can is convenient, but if you’ve been relying on that, you’ve got to [...]
photo by mayr Buying used isn’t for everyone, and that’s terrific news. That means there’s more for the rest of us. The prices on just about everything are out of control, so more and more people are practicing frugality to beat the high cost of living. While some people will continue to buy things new, [...]
photo by ingamun DEAR SARA: I cleaned out my basement and have a lot of baby gear to sell. I want to sell this stuff quickly, so I will price it pretty low, but I’d still like to get about $100. Should I list the items together as a large “lot” or separately? — Diana [...]
photo by ms.Tea Organizing papers and incoming mail is a common household problem. Maybe your system is that you don’t have a system, or, if you have one, it’s not practical. Welcome to Mount Paper Piles. Luckily, readers share their methods to help control paper, so you can climb that mountain and conquer it once [...]
I’m sick of it! Yes. I’m completely sick and tired of manufacturers overpackaging toys. It seems everywhere I look, there’s a child or parent struggling to open a toy. It’s become dangerous. You’ve been there, or maybe you’ve heard me screaming for the toolbox to get my daughter’s doll out of the packaging. This was [...]
Pears make a beautiful natural display when placed in a fruit bowl as they ripen. They’re a great source of fiber and are delicious eaten out of hand or blended into smoothies. Fresh pears don’t freeze well until cooked or processed. So if you have more than a few, they can be incorporated into spreads, [...]
photo by ClevelandSGS Frugality often seems like a lot of effort for a few cents. But it’s about making better choices that save larger amounts, too. Maybe you have a goal to pay down debt, such as your mortgage. One extra payment per year can shave a few years off your loan. But it’s tough [...]
photo by rkimpeljr DEAR SARA: In your opinion, what are some of the least useful baby items you received? — Jilly, New Jersey DEAR JILLY: Parents are different in what they think are practical. I didn’t have much use for a changing table, Diaper Genie, newborn shoes, stuffed animals and toys, baby lotion and powder, [...]
You can replace some store-bought cleaning products with safer alternatives that are easy to make and economical. The basic ingredients are items that are either readily available in your home or easy to find at your local grocery store. Homemade cleaners are versatile, so they require less storage space than conventional products manufactured for specific [...]
