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 [...]
Peanut butter balls can be time consuming to make. You have to roll the peanut butter and dip it into the melted chocolate. Your hands can cramp before you’re done. Luckily, you can get the same delicious flavor by making peanut butter bars instead. PEANUT BUTTER BARS: We make peanut butter bars instead of peanut [...]
For many families, plastic Easter eggs are a part of Easter traditions. You might use them for an egg hunt or simply fill them with treats and place them in a basket. Once Easter is over, it seems wasteful to throw them away. One option is to save them for next year. But you can [...]
Rubber bands can be a messy nuisance if simply tossed in a drawer. They’re easy to organize in a plastic storage bag, jar or other small container. You can make a rubber band ball or hang them on a spare shower curtain ring. If you use office supplies often, try a muffin tin to hold [...]
Microwaves get dirty and smelly. It can be a pain to keep clean if you don’t clean it immediately after splatters or spills. To clean your microwave with ease, simply add a microwave-safe bowl, a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice and 1 cup water (or 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar and 1/2 cup water). [...]
A few weeks ago, I mentioned Borax. Tons of tips came pouring in with even more uses for the miracle mineral. Some uses I had forgotten about such as it can be used to dry fresh flowers. Put equal parts of Borax and sand (and a tablespoon of salt) into a container such as a [...]
You can look fashionable on a budget. Buy solid-colored and classic clothing with clean lines, such as crews, turtlenecks, V-necks, tailored jackets and cardigans, pencil skirts, pants and jeans. You can pare down to 10 to 20 articles of clothing that are easy to layer, mix and match, and add accessories. When your wardrobe is [...]
Making pancakes can be time consuming. To shorten the time, you can bake the batter in muffin tins and cake pans. Visit www.frugalvillage.com/2010/02/21/bake-a-cake-for-breakfast/ for directions. Still prefer to use a griddle or skillet? Reuse a large-size ketchup squeeze bottle to dispense dripless batter and perfect shaped pancakes. The first reader tip offers another solution. MAKE [...]
You can use a vegetable peeler for more than peeling vegetables. It’s handy for shaving chocolate for baking or hot beverages or try it on hard cheeses. Use it to shave rather than peel vegetables such as asparagus to top pizza or shave carrots, zucchini or cucumbers for salad, too. The first reader tip shares [...]
Think you don’t have time for breakfast? The first reader tip shares a quick and easy breakfast tip. It’s a great way to use some small amounts of leftovers and can be made using Egg Beaters, too. There are many possible mix-n-match combinations. SCRAMBLED EGGS IN A MUG: Use a big microwave-proof mug. Grease the [...]
Ever have a dish or two in the sink that you want to wash? Don’t wait for more dirty dishes before you hand wash or keep the faucet running or fill a sink with soap and water for a couple of dishes. Keep a spray bottle filled with water and add a bit of dish [...]
If you know a coffee lover, you can make him a special treat of chocolate-covered coffee beans. Use chocolate candy molds, melted chocolate (chocolate/wafer candy melts) and roasted coffee beans. Simply pour a little melted chocolate into the molds, add a couple of coffee beans and top the candy molds off with more melted chocolate. [...]
Frugality includes reusing items. Maybe you have an abundance of T-shirts that you can’t bring yourself to throw away. Some were probably free, and others might be mementos from school, vacations or sports. Instead of purging them or letting them take up precious storage space, you can reuse them in more practical ways. How have [...]
photo by worak A reader once asked for a pot-roast recipe on my forums and got many recipes that included cola. They claimed it tenderized the meat. This didn’t sound appealing to me, so I forgot about it. Through the years, I noticed more people mentioning cakes, pies and meat recipes that included pop as [...]
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: [...]
DEAR SARA: I am looking for homemade dish-washing soap recipe. Not the homemade automatic dishwasher kind. — Yvonne, Texas DEAR YVONNE: Here are two dish soap (not dishwasher) recipes. 1/4 cup soap flakes (grated ivory) 2 cups hot water 1/4 cup glycerin 1/2 teaspoon lemon or lavender essential oil Dissolve soap flakes in hot water. [...]
photo by tgbdad My favorite tips from readers are practical ways they reuse and repurpose items in their homes. From linens to kitchen gadgets, these creative people are reducing waste. I love the manicure-kit tip and think it would make a great gift. I remember when I thought I was an oddball for finding a [...]
