photo by timlewisnm

The first tip is a good way to waste less apples. To prevent browning, soak the cores in saltwater. Use about 1 tablespoon of salt per half gallon of water. Then freeze in an airtight container or a freezer bag.

FRUGAL APPLESAUCE: A couple of months ago, I got annoyed at the extra fruit left over on the core when I cut up apples for the kids or for use in recipes. So I started tossing the cores in a container in the freezer and making applesauce when I had enough. I need about 20 cores for a cup of applesauce. Also nice to use in recipes in place of some of the oil. — Constance, New Jersey

NO-TANGLE YARN: Take a wide straw, insert yarn in one end, and “suck” the yarn through to the other end of the straw. Pull until you have a 12-inch “tail.” Go back to the reverse end, and begin winding the skein of yarn around the end of the straw, turning the straw frequently and slowly forming a tight ball of yarn. When the skein is completely wound, use a crochet hook to pull the last bit of yarn under the wound yarn. Pull out the straw, and the yarn will feed untangled from the middle of the ball you have just made. The yarn can then be placed into individual zipper bags for storage, as well as keeping the yarn clean. When ready to knit or crochet, just unzip a small opening, feed the yarn through the opening, and it will be ready to use. This also keeps the yarn from becoming entangled with other colors in a handwork bag. You can even place the zip bag on the floor if you prefer to work with the yarn at your feet. An added advantage is that the wound balls require much
less space to store than the original skeins. — D. Merrell, North Carolina

DISHWASHER SOAP:

1 cup salt
2 cups baking soda
2 cups borax
2 cups orange Tang

Mix all together, and store in an airtight jar. Use 1 tablespoon in each compartment, and wash normally. If you have hard water, you might want to increase the amount to 2 to 3 tablespoons and add white vinegar to the rinse compartment. I use generic Tang, and it works just as well. I buy my salt, baking soda and the orange mix at Aldi for less than $2.25. –Tina, Illinois

LIGHTING: There are solar-powered LED “Christmas” lights that work great on a deck or patio. The twinkle lights don’t attract moths and other bugs. We’ve purchased LED light bulbs to save electricity. They use even less electricity than compact florescent bulbs, and these bulbs would be a good choice anywhere you chance a CF bulb breaking, like a lamp or in a child’s room.

Instead of turning on the light or stumbling in the dark, we installed a large motion-activated night light that stays on for 90 seconds, which is more than enough time without having to turn the ceiling light on. Switching CF lights on and off for brief use will shorten their life.

A few years ago, we had an ice storm and we were without electricity for a prolonged period of time. We would bring in the pathway lights each day to light several rooms of the house. — Karen, Kansas

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