Keep or toss? You make this decision many times each week with a wide variety of items. Clearly, you can’t and shouldn’t save everything simply because it can be reused sometime later. A handful of bread bag twist-ties neatly contained with an intended purpose? Good. Dozens of plastic milk jugs shoved in the garage and [...]
Candy canes are popular during the Christmas season. But once the holiday is over, these festively striped candy leftovers tend to get thrown away or sit untouched. With candy canes now being made available in a wide variety of flavors, rather than pitching them in the trash, put them to good use throughout the winter [...]
Lean toward buying products that offer alternate and multiple purposes. A few examples include vinegar, rubbing alcohol, witch hazel, baking soda and Fels-Naptha. This mindset can help you consider other household items that have alternative uses, so you can save money and be less wasteful. The first three reader tips share ideas for another multi-use [...]
D ear Sara: What are your thoughts on giving secondhand gifts? I see many things my friends and family would like at thrift stores and I’m tempted to give some as gifts, but I’m afraid I’ll appear tacky or cheap. — Paula H., New York Dear Paula: It depends on what you’re giving and the [...]
Egg cartons are sturdy containers. If you’re used to throwing them away, save one or two and put them to use in your home, use them for gifts or donate them. Here’s how: Gift: Money can be placed in an empty egg carton (you can reuse plastic Easter eggs, too). You can use an egg [...]
D ear Sara: How do you store your baking pans and cookie sheets? — Karen, Texas Dear Karen: I have a double wall oven with a deep drawer underneath it. I place some in there and I keep others in the lower oven that I don’t use daily. If you don’t have a deep drawer, [...]
Drawers are a common catch-all area. Even though they’re hidden from view when shut, they can be extremely frustrating when you need to access anything inside them. Stores sell all types of solutions, but you can get creative and reuse what you already have on hand rather than spend money. Here are a few suggestions: [...]
During the cold months, your utility bills can be considerably higher. You can combat this by scheduling an energy audit through your utility company. They’ll give you tips such as insulating your water heater, attic and pipes, installing a programmable thermostat or switching to lower-wattage bulbs. Or you can do an assessment yourself. Visit energysavers.gov/your_home/energy_audits/index.cfm/mytopic_170 [...]
D ear Sara: Any tips for wrapping large gift items? — Kelly, Illinois Dear Kelly: The dollar stores sell cheap tablecloths. I’d use that to wrap a large gift item. You could make reusable, draw-string fabric gift bags, too. If the recipient is an immediate family member, you could reuse the fabric bags year-to-year; if [...]
Frugal families use their freezers to stock-up on food. While some foods don’t freeze well, such as mayonnaise, lettuce or cucumbers, there are quite a few foods that you might not think would freeze well that actually freeze wonderfully. One example is cookie dough. Visit frugalvillage.com/2009/10/04/be-thoughtful-with-secondhand-gifts/ to learn to make cookie dough logs. What foods [...]
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 [...]
D ear Sara: I have made cake in a mug and coffee cup scrambled eggs. Do you have any similar recipes? Love your column in the local newspaper. Keep up the good work. — Carolyn H., email Dear Carolyn: Try meatloaf in a mug. Scale down your usual meatloaf recipe by using only 1/4 lb. [...]
photo by emdot Some folks just don’t get it. Frugality can be fun! Even if you’re not frugal, you probably know someone who is. Read on for a few little frugal insights submitted by readers. We’re kindred spirits! Let me know if any of these signs remind you of anyone you know. You know you’re [...]
photo by yugoq I’m lost without my daily coffee, or at least tea or hot cocoa. Sometimes they perk me up and other times they completely relax me. We’ve become old friends through the years. They were my hand warmers during my long nights of studying in college. They are my go-to drinks when I’m [...]
photo by Abbybatchelder Hobbies can be expensive. You might want to start one but think you can’t afford to. Before jumping in, consider whether or not a hobby can capture your interest long-term, so you don’t waste any money investing in costly supplies. Many hobbies can pay for themselves, save you money, make great gifts [...]
photo by quinn anya DEAR SARA: Help. Do I take a gift? One of the ladies on my block invited me to a brunch that she has invited all the other ladies on the street to. They did it last year (I wasn’t able to attend), and, from what I understand, it is an informal [...]
Christmas chocolate rarely lingers past February. But leftover candy canes tend to get thrown away or sit untouched well into spring. You can make peppermint bark, add them to brownies, Rice Krispies treats or ice cream, or stir them into hot chocolate. The first reader tip has another idea. USE LEFTOVER CANDY CANES: I broke [...]
