Easy-to-clean pastry brush
photo by jc westbrook
Ever cringe when you see your old nylon or natural bristle pastry or basting brush? They always look horrible. The first tip shares an idea for a modern replacement. You won’t have stray bristles in your food, and it can go directly into your dishwasher after you’re done using it.
SILICONE PASTRY BRUSH: If you don’t have one, consider getting one. After using a number of pastry brushes over the years, which never seemed to get completely clean without a lot of work, I was thrilled with the silicone pastry brush. It is flexible enough to spread whatever ingredient you are working with, and it cleans up beautifully. — Karen, Kansas
MULTIUSE CAR WAX: After cleaning the sink, I put Turtle Wax on it. I put the wax on and dry it off. I find it easier to clean the hard water, dirt, soap, etc. — M.T., Canada
DISHWASHER TIP: We have a major recycling program here. Plastic bottles are recycled (salad dressing, etc.) as well as glass products. Well, the jars have to be clean so I have been washing them in my dishwasher. I noticed that the dishes weren’t getting clean and chalked it up to the off-brand soap I had bought. I changed brands — no luck. I finally called our favorite repair guy, who came today. Guess what? The labels had come apart and clogged the jet sprays. My tab? $73! I figure I might save someone else this headache. — Lori, Oregon
SWEETER ONIONS: I soak my sliced or chopped onions in milk. They’re ultra-sweet that way. — Mary, Indiana
UNDERGARMENT ADVICE: I let a friend take me to a specialty bra store. I got fitted and discovered I’ve been wearing the wrong size for years! Not all bras are cut the same, and different ones in the same size can be comfortable or uncomfortable. It cost me $45 for the bra, but the information I received was worth it. When I find a bra that fits, I buy one immediately if I really need it. I write down the make/style/size, etc., and set up a search on eBay. Then I get e-mails when listings come up meeting my criteria. — Mary, Texas
PAY YOURSELF FIRST: I’ve been thinking a lot lately about frugality making a huge difference in our lives with regard to money. It seems that no matter how much money we make or don’t, there is never that much left over. I had read “The Richest Man in Babylon” recently, and the biggest tip that this book had to offer was to pay yourself first. It went on to say that no matter how much you make, your living expenses always seem to expand to the amount. I’ve always heard about paying yourself first, but when we had so much debt, that felt wrong. It felt as if we should pay everyone else, and then, of course, there was nothing for us. We’ve been paying ourselves first now for about six months, and I can tell you, it adds up fast! — Lisa, Texas
SHOPPING WITH KIDS: When my children were growing up and they began whining for things, we established an important habit. If they could justify their request with three valid reasons, there was a good chance they would receive what they wanted. These reasons had to be well thought out, and many required sweat equity — what were they willing to put into the deal? It could be money or nonmonetary commitments, or it could be substitution requests. — Kathy D., Florida
Posted by Sara Noel
on December 26 2009. Filed under Frugal Tips.Sara Noel owns Frugal Village, LLC and is a nationally syndicated columnist with Universal Uclick. Bio, Follow me on Twitter, Join us on Facebook
Regarding the silicon brushes:
I keep a small bowl with a silicon brush in it beside my cooktop. When I want to saute veggies, make pancakes, etc., I drizzle a little oil in the pan and use my silicon brush to smear it around evenly. I use less oil that way (frugal and healthy) and the bowl/brush can be placed in the dishwasher when you run it (every 2-3 days for me) so it doesn’t get rancid. I now use the more expensive oil sprays only when I want to grease a pan going into the oven because that works better than the brushed on oil to make easy cleanup, so the sprays last forever now. I also love the silicon spatulas for sauteing – they are more expensive but multipurpose and durable.
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