D ear Sara: I’m searching for a “press” in which to combine all those little bath soap pieces that accumulate in the shower soap dish over time. They are too small to use individually, but combined would work quite well. — P. Ritter, email Dear P. Ritter: I’ve seen all types of soap sliver savers. [...]
D ear Sara: I got an old rhinestone necklace at the thrift store yesterday. It’s looking a little dull, and I was wondering how I can clean it. The lady said not to use toothpaste, as it is gritty. That would have been my first choice. If not that, then what can I use? — [...]
D ear Sara: How do you organize and store your favorite recipes? I was thinking of creating a database on my computer, but I thought I would see if maybe there is a better way. — Kim Z., Florida Dear Kim: I’ve used a few different methods to organize recipes. I used to clip and [...]
D ear Sara: I have a bag of sweetened coconut to use up. Do you have any suggestions that 1) are NOT a dessert (my husband is diabetic) and 2) do not involve shrimp (my husband is allergic). I’d like to use up the bag, and I’m searching for vegetable or meat dishes where a [...]
D ear Sara: I have a small vase that has become cloudy after having water in it. Do you have a remedy for this? I know that you can purchase CLR, but I do not need that much. Thank you. — Carol, Florida Dear Carol: You can add dry rice and vinegar and water or [...]
D ear Sara: I spilled some acrylic paint on my carpet while doing a craft. (I had put newspaper down, but I dropped the bottle when I went to put the cap on.) How do I get it off? The carpet is less than a year old! — Dianne, Florida Dear Dianne: First, try a [...]
D ear Sara: Twice in two years I have had to change the front brake pads on my husband’s van. (I am a mechanic.) His idea of stopping is to wait until the last minute before applying the brakes … hard. Many years ago, I remember hearing about a gadget that you could put on [...]
D ear Sara: How do you make cheap lattes at home? I make my own brewed coffee and have no reason to get that from a coffee shop, but I still hit Starbucks about twice a week for a latte or a mocha because I don’t have an espresso machine at home. I used to [...]
D ear Sara: We grow our own corn in the garden. Two years ago, I blanched the corn, then froze it. But it was so bad that I threw all the corn out that winter, when we wanted to eat it. Last year, I kept the husks on and sealed them in airtight packages before [...]
D ear Sara: I want to make a large batch of pizza dough and freeze it for later. Would I fully bake the dough, then freeze it? Or would I just flash freeze the dough? — S.C., Ohio Dear S.C.: You can freeze homemade pizza. You can freeze it cooked or uncooked. If it’s uncooked, [...]
D EAR SARA: I had a longterm house guest, who was an abundant user of hairspray. When she moved out recently, I noticed that the bathroom door, which she always stood in front of to do her hair, is coated with the sticky residue from her hairspray. The door is a stained polyresin door, and [...]
D EAR SARA: I’m looking for a way to dispose of self-stick address labels without gumming up my shredder. I saw a really simple way of doing it and made the mistake of thinking I would remember how. Guess what? I don’t remember what to do. I hope you can help. — Karen J., email [...]
photo by byrdiegyrl Growing up, I never shopped at dollar stores. There weren’t any in my area yet. I was old enough to shop at Woolworth’s five-and-dime before they closed their doors, so I was aware of variety stores that carried discounted merchandise. However, I wasn’t quite old enough to be a savvy shopper who [...]
photo by crd Maybe, for a wee bit o’ fun, you wear something green, buy a shamrock shake, or drink green brewskies or Irish coffees on St. Patrick’s Day. This year, serve your family more than last-minute green vegetables. Put on a leprechaun hat, and cook a hearty feast. These recipes are deliciously festive, but, [...]
Summer can cost a fortune. For some families, many weekends are already accounted for. There are baby showers, weddings and anniversaries, reunions, birthdays, work and family picnics, and various other parties to attend. Cha-ching. You don’t want to look like a cheapskate, but affording it all can be tough on your budget. Here are a [...]
photo by house of sims DEAR SARA: I have a question about baking from scratch that is probably a no-brainer, but here goes. I bake everything from scratch. Can I mix the dry ingredients for, say, a chocolate cake and store it in canning jars or some kind of airtight container with a label on [...]
Make potato patties from leftover mashed potatoes. Simply add an egg to 2 cups mashed potatoes, form into patties and fry in a pan with a little oil. You can add meat, seasoned breadcrumbs, cheese or onion for extra flavor. The first reader tip shares another way to use up leftover mashed potatoes. USE FOR [...]
