D EAR SARA: I have quit buying magazines, so what could a magazine rack be used for? –Piney, Arkansas DEAR PINEY: You can use one in the bathroom to store rolled towels, loofahs, shampoos or body wash. Or use it in the kitchen to hold your favorite cookbooks, plastic storage container lids, rolls of foil, [...]
D EAR SARA: In a recent newspaper article, a lady inquired about dry-pack canning. How long will flour keep using this method? Also, will this method prevent weevils from hatching out in flour, as they sometimes do? Does it matter if it is bleached or unbleached flour? Thank you. — Jim Smith, email DEAR JIM: [...]
D EAR SARA: I read your article on cornstarch and have a question. Will this work on blood that has been washed (but not washed out) and then run through the clothes dryer? If not do you have another suggestion? Thanks for your help. — Earl A., email DEAR EARL: No, this won’t work on [...]
D EAR SARA: I read your column and was going over your dog cookie recipe, and I was wondering if the 1 egg and 1 tablespoon milk go into the cookie mix, with an additional 1 egg and 1 tablespoon milk for the wash before baking. It is not spelled out in the recipe. Thank [...]
D EAR SARA: I got some Berber carpet a few months ago. A jar of homemade pickles broke on it, and I can’t get the stain out. I have tried Resolve and dish soap. The pickles were made from cucumbers, green peppers, onions, white vinegar, sugar and celery seeds. They didn’t contain any oil. I [...]
DEAR SARA: What is a fair price for canning jars? I’m going to try dry-pack canning, and I want to buy brand new jars, seals and lids. Online, I see 8-ounce and quart jars, and some have wide mouths. I’ve got a chance to buy 5 pounds of King Arthur Bread Flour for $2.50. Their [...]
D EAR SARA: I have a question about plants. I guess I should not complain. I had great germination, so what do I do with too many broccoli plants? Same with tomato plants. I can’t bear to toss them. — Meg, Missouri DEAR MEG: I sure hope you don’t toss them. You can plant them. [...]
D EAR SARA: Help! A candle dripped on my pants. I put them in freezer and can’t get all the wax off. The pants are 95 percent acetate and 5 percent spandex. I would appreciate any help. Thanks. — Marno, email DEAR MARNO: Freezing the pants was a good idea. This lets you scrape off [...]
D EAR SARA: I would like to make my sweet pea a small sandbox, but it must be very inexpensive to make and maintain. — Ada, Georgia DEAR ADA: You can check garage sales for the plastic sandboxes such as the Little Tikes turtles. Or simply use a plastic swimming pool. Buy two so you [...]
D EAR SARA: When eating a juicy apple, some dripped onto my 95 percent cotton, 5 percent spandex shirt. When I got home I applied Dial soap to it, scrubbed with a little water, sprayed with my favorite stain remover, Zout, and then washed the shirt in the washing machine with Tide HE, in warm [...]
D EAR SARA: Cheap food for hotel living? I have recently relocated to another state to take a new job. The company is putting me up in a hotel for a month. So far, I have been having bologna sandwiches for supper. Do you have good ideas for cheap eats? I have a small fridge [...]
D EAR SARA: Any photo editing software out there that does not cost an arm and a leg? I am mainly interested in cleaning up a background from a picture. I have Windows Vista Home Premium. Have no idea if there is something on this computer that I can already use or if I need [...]
photo by ClevelandSGS Frugality often seems like a lot of effort for a few cents. But it’s about making better choices that save larger amounts, too. Maybe you have a goal to pay down debt, such as your mortgage. One extra payment per year can shave a few years off your loan. But it’s tough [...]
Your garden can go from zero to a ton of zucchini all at once. You can sneak only so many onto your neighbor’s doorstep and into unlocked cars. You can donate some to your local food pantry or freeze it to use later. Zucchini is wonderful grated and added to sandwiches or tossed into spaghetti [...]
photo by hansengel I’m a list maker. From groceries to reminders, it’s written down. I’m not so obsessed that my lists are well organized. The back of an envelope or a scrap of paper will do. One of my favorite lists is my “My life is too short to” list. I’m a firm believer in [...]
DEAR SARA: Do you keep the little keepsake wedding favors given out at weddings? How do you decide on if/how to keep it? Is it kept because it’s something unique or practical? I’m trying to get an idea of how many people actually keep the favors. We’re considering not even having any. — Libby, Canada [...]
photo by ivoryelephantphotography The first three tips share ways to reuse milk jugs. How do you reuse them? Many people recycle them, but a large percentage are still hitting landfills. So it’s important to reuse them when possible and recycle instead of simply throwing them away. I shared additional ways to reuse milk jugs last [...]
