photo by llahbocaj
Have you ever made homemade vanilla extract? It’s easy, and you can even make different flavors. Simply use flavored vodka, brandy or rum. You can make your vanilla stronger by using higher-proof alcohol and scraping the seeds from the bean or weaker by leaving the vanilla pod intact. The flavor is stronger the longer you wait. Makes a great gift, too.
Here’s how to make it.

HOMEMADE VANILLA: You’ll need: 2 cups vodka or rum, six vanilla beans cut into 1-inch pieces and a jar with a tight lid. Combine vodka and vanilla beans in jar. Cover the jar, and let stand for at least six weeks in a cool dark place. Shake mixture several times a week. After half the vanilla extract is used, add more vodka to cover the beans. The flavor in the beans is gone when the vodka no longer turns to a dark amber color. You can find 30 vanilla beans for $9.99 on eBay. — Ellise, South Carolina

TODDLER HAIRCUT: I’d bring my kids for a professional haircut and then cut following what was done every three or four weeks, just cutting a little bit. It is much harder to do when you wait eight weeks and then you are creating the haircut. — Christine, Massachusetts

LUNCHBOX STORAGE: I like using those old hard-cased lunchboxes for things like gravy packets, salad-dressing packets, etc. Or in the hall cupboard for things like bandages, extra toothbrushes, combs, lip balm, antibiotic cream, Benadryl cream, etc. They seem to be at almost every yard sale. They fit really nicely stacked flat one on top of another and are easy to label so you know exactly what’s in them and are behind closed doors, so no ugly factor. — Polly, Pennsylvania

MIX AND MATCH: I buy white dishes to match any and all other dishes I own, whether they be Corelle or whatever. I’ve been known to pick these up at garage sales, too. — Jean, Canada

FRESHEN: A drop of essential orange oil on the inside of the toilet-paper roll keeps the bathroom smelling nice. There are about 100 drops per bottle. I use a clay tablet to keep my brown sugar soft, too. I soak it in water once every few months. — K.K., Canada

RESCUE STALE BREAD: Heating day-old bread to a temperature of 120 F will regelatinize the starches, which temporarily reverses the staling process. For one slice of bread, spritz water on it with a fine-mist spritzer and warm the slices in a toaster or toaster oven for a moment or two. For an entire loaf, wrap it in foil and bake it for 10 to 20 minutes at 300 F to 350 F. Regelatinization works one time. Don’t try this two or three times on the same loaf of bread. — Karen, Kansas

EYE-MAKEUP REMOVER: Mix one part organic baby shampoo and three parts filtered water. Works great. No oily residue to wash off and very economical. — Jane W., Michigan

STAMP PRICES: I’ve almost always picked up my stamps at the service desk of the grocery store because it’s so much faster than waiting in the long line at my post office. The last time I asked for a book, I noticed it looked a little different but didn’t really look at it closely. After I got home, I realized the book was a small envelope with 12 stamps inside. And they didn’t cost 42 cents each. I was surprised and annoyed to discover that I’d been charged 53 cents per stamp because of a new added surcharge. So be more careful than I was and buy your stamps somewhere that doesn’t charge you for the convenience. — Constance, New Jersey

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