<H2>Here's the link:</H2>http://frugalliving.about.com/od/how.../a/bottles.htm
<H2>&nbsp;</H2>
<H2>How to get more from an empty bottle</H2>So many ways to solve one frugal problem! When a reader of the newsletter asked how others got that last little bit out of ketchup, salad dressing and other bottles and jars, the response was...well, overwhelming. Here are some of them: From Gertie: Our Sunday paper carries an article called Thrifty Thoughts by Marenda Babcock. One of her readers wrote this idea: After lotion bottles seem empty and I've stood them upside down, there's always some left. I've found that removing the caps and warming the bottles in a microwave for a few seconds makes the contents flow easily again. Corinna writes: Put the lid on really good, hold the bottle upside down, clear the area, and quickly swing the bottle around in a circle several times like a baseball pitcher doing his warmup. The gravitational pull created will pull the substance to the top. Sonny says: My mother is the personification of the word frugal. She cuts used up toothpaste tubes in half to dig out anything left in there. This will keep each tube going another week. For anything that could be remotely used on a salad - ketchup, mayo, salad dressing - pour liquid from a jar of sweet pickles, shake it up, and voila! This also helps use what is stuck in the cap. Della does this: To get all of the lotion out of a bottle, I put it in very warm water for a few minutes. Then, turn the bottle upside down and the lotion will flow to the top of the bottle. Frugal thoughts from Al: Heinz catsup bottles (with their caps removed) will easily balance on top of one another and will stay that way long enough as long as you put the two bottles on a flat surface that won't be disturbed! Wipe off the necks of both bottles, esp. remove any dried food that would not allow you to tightly press the two bottles together (remember both bottles must have the same size necks). You can tell what to dilute something with by looking at the ingredients. Try water first if it's food or an ordinary cleaner. Cosmetics are another matter, but you will be safe to try any ingredient listed as an ingredient, cold cream, etc. I have a friend who worked at a very famous cosmetic factory as an engineer. He tells me that most cosmetics usually have very simple ingredients. This from Mary Kay: How about just placing the almost empty bottle into something larger that will hold it upright? I just place the catsup bottle, salad dressing etc, into a plastic cup, like the plastic (not frugal) 44 ounce ones that the kids bring home from gas stations etc., or do a combination of two methods, small amount of water, shake well then let rest upside down. Then this from Andrea: If you are trying to use the last of something like tomato sauce in a stew, and don't wish to add excess water from rinsing out a bottle, simply rinse it out with some beef stock or other wet ingredient and add to stew. I use this method with pancakes - I pour the milk into the cup in which the last of any egg is, before I add it to the mix. Waste not, want not! Faye wrote: I've noticed no one has mentioned a very crucial tip that is mucho frugal... if you buy in bulk then you can simply refill the bottles when they are empty and the last bits get mixed in with the refill. As for make-up, if you stand containers on the caps then use a flat toothpick to scoop out the remnants you can use every last bit. One from Linda: Add just enough worchestershire sauce to loosen the sticky ketchup in the bottom of the bottle and shake until it is suspended in the lighter liquid. Now you have one serving of "homemade" steak sauce you may name after yourself! It is tangy and tasty enough to do on purpose when your steak, pork roast, or meatloaf need inspiration. Eandka writes this: When you can no longer squeeze the product from the opening of a soft-sided stand-up tube, cut off the bottom third of the tube and, using a cosmetic or other small spatula, remove what's clinging to the sides and place in the other part of the tube. After you rinse out the cut off part, you can use it as a lid to keep the air out of the larger part. Use a utility knife to cut the rigid plastic ones. If you can't squeeze the larger part into the cut off part, use a baggie and elastic band instead. I've gotten as much as a month's more of product out of containers by using this method. As well as this: A little vinegar added to those annoying thin-necked salad dressing bottles, will loosen most of the rest of the rest of the dressing. Then Amira adds this: When the salad dressing jar is quite empty, I add lemon juice, so now it is more liquid (and comes out of the bottle easier). So there. Be frugal and don't waste even a drop now that you know how to get it all out!