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Penny Pincher Tip
Place 1 cup of vinegar into your dishwasher and run the rinse cycle. Repeat if needed
Penny Pincher Tip
Keep your socks together in the wash and dry process. Get some safety pins and keep them by the washing machine for your socks .Pin the toes of the socks together so you save time matching them up after the laundry process.
Penny Pincher Tip
Are your favorite potato chips on sale? Maybe you over bought chips? Just stick them in the freezer….yup, if the chips are in an opened bag, just seal the bag tightly and put it in the freezer. Got new bags of chips, unopened, yup, just put them in the freezer. They will crispy and taste the same when you take them out. Just one note, don’t set other items on top of the potato chips…..they will smash
Penny Pincher Tip
To keep your sponge clean & bacteria free all you need to do is purchase at least 2 sponges. Ten, when you run your dishwasher, throw your sponge in the top rack and wash it along with your dishes. Then all you do is “rotate” your sponges each day…and you will have nice bacteria free sponges.
Penny Pincher Tip
1 cup hot water
½ cup baking soda
½ cup hydrogen peroxide
Mix ingredients. After it cools, store in spray bottle. Saturate stain and soak 2-4 hours before washing
Penny Pincher Tip
Hate it when your Pasta clumps together or sticks to the bottom of your pan? Just add a Tablespoon of vegetable oil to your pot. This will stop the clumping and sticking of your pasta.
Penny Pincher Tip
- Next time you make meatballs, try this tip: roll meat mixture into a log then slice off even sized meatballs. A great timesaver!
- Perfect tiny meatballs tip: Use a melon baller, for larger meatballs use a cookie scoop.
- Keep a roll of painters tape handy in the kitchen, it’s great to seal bags and such, re-sticks over and over (even stays sticky in the freezer) You can also write on the tape to label contents.
Penny Pincher Tip
Dry cereal on sale? Have extra dry cereal? Put it in the freezer. No more stale cereal or wasting, just freeze it and use it as normal when needed.
Penny Pincher Tip
Freezing Eggs
- When freezing egg yolks, add 2 tablespoons of sugar or 1 teaspoon of salt to each pint (or a pinch per yolk–this helps prevent the yolk from being too thick once thawed). If you’ll be using the egg yolks in baking, choose sugar. If cooking the yolks in dishes, choose salt (and mark on freezer label which one you added).
Raw eggs prepared as instructed above can be frozen for up to a year.
Penny Pincher Tip
Chopped Onion
Use chopped onions all the time, but tired of chopping every time you need them?
Prepare ahead. Buy that bag of onions and chop all of them to the size you like. Spread out on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer. After they are frozen, put into a zip lock bag and put back in the freezer. Ready to use anytime you need them.
Penny Pincher Tip
Meatballs Made Easy: Keep your hands wet when making meatballs. This will help keep the meat from sticking to your hands.
Like Judy burgers? Add one egg white, stiffly beaten, to each pound of hamburger
Fluffy Eggs: For fluffy eggs, use water, NOT MILK, when making scrambled eggs or omelettes. Milk makes the eggs more watery. Water makes them fluffy.
Penny Pincher Tip
Bicycles...
To identify a bicycle, even though the serial number may have been filed off, roll a file card around a pencil. Remove the bicycle's seat post and drop the card into the bicycle frame. It can easily be removed as proof of ownership.
Measuring...
Have you ever been out shopping and needed to measure something (a frame, a shelf, furniture) but didn't have a ruler? Here are some helpful tips: a dollar bill is 6 inches wide and 2 1/2 inches tall, whereas a standard sheet of paper is 11 inches tall by 8 1/2 inches wide. With either or both of these "tools" you should be able to measure most smaller objects.
Price Tags...
To remove price tag sheets, sponge hot vinegar onto the price sheets liberally. Scrape gently. Continue applying vinegar until the sheet is gone.
Septic Tanks...
To aid your septic tank in doing its job, wash or flush a box of baking soda down the drains every couple weeks. This helps to maintain and restore the pH of a septic tank. A good pH allows bacteria to break down and liquefy, which helps to prevent problems like backing up and clogging.
Penny Pincher Tip
Need a rolling pin?……Use a piece of ‘new’ pvc pipe. 1 ½” x 12” long works well but can be whatever size you want. Wash well in hot water and dish detergent before using.
Need a pizza stone?…..Head to your building supply center or flooring store and buy a 12”, 16” or 18” unglazed terra cotta tile. Their heat conduction is great and you can add or subtract tiles to make the shape or size you need. Always put your tiles in a cold oven.
Wash well in hot water and dish detergent before using. Good for biscuits, to warm breads and to bake pizza, etc.
Penny Pincher Tips
- Cracked Egg Cleanup: If you’ve ever dropped an egg on the counter or floor, you know what a sloppy, slimy mess it is to clean up! Next time try drizzling salt generously over the egg, wait a few minutes until it’s dry–then the mess sweeps up easily. *ETA: Careful not to leave the salt sitting too long, especially around metal parts.
- Remove Oven Cleaner Residue: There is often a residue of oven cleaner coating the inside of the oven once it’s been cleaned. It causes an odor and some smoke when baking or cooking dishes it’s burned off. What you can try is once the oven has been cleaned, do a quick wipe with a cloth first soaked in 50/50 vinegar and water. This will remove all traces of the cleaner and voila! No more residue. Just make sure to do a complete wiping job.
- Refrigerator Cleaning: Try washing the inside of your refrigerator with hot, soapy water and then a rinse wipe with 50/50 solution of vinegar and water to help fight mildew. It also freshens and deodorizes the inside of your fridge. If your refrigerator is cleaned regularly, just the scrub down with vinegar and water will do the trick
- Refrigerator Dust Bunnies: Don’t forget to pull out your refrigerator regularly to vacuum off the back coils or pull the front kickplate off to get at the coils if they’re at the bottom. The coils are a major dust collector and this means your fridge has to work harder to keep the inside cool (costing you more to run it). Unplug the refrigerator before moving and cleaning it.
Uses for Milk Jugs
Your old milk jugs can make handy containers for storing all of those plastic grocery store bags you keep bringing home. Just cut the top off of the milk jug to leave an opening just large enough to stuff the plastic bags into. Be sure you leave a bit of the plastic bag sticking up so that you can pull one out to use when you need it.
Milk jugs can be made into handy scoops for dog food, cat litter, ice melting salt, or plant fertilizer. Leaving the handle and the cap on just cut out a scoop shape from the bottom of the jug. You can keep the scoop in the bag for handy use.
If you have a clothesline then a milk jug can be a handy clothespin holder that you can leave outside all year round. Just poke some holes in the bottom of the jug to let rainwater out and cut a fist-sized round opening in the side of the jug. Place your clothespins inside and tie the handle onto your clothespin with a piece of rope.
You can make a quick bird feeder out of your old milk jugs and your feathered friends will flock to the yard. Just cut out an opening on the side of the jug and fill up the bottom with birdseed. You can hang the jug up on a tree branch by its handle or just leave it sit on your picnic table.
Make some handy storage trays for your refrigerator! Simply cut the bottoms off of milk jugs and you have containers for vegetables, fruits, eggs, or anything else you can fit in them. The containers will keep leaks from messing up your refrigerator and you will be organized too.
You can conserve energy in your home by putting those old milk jugs to work. Your freezer costs more to operate when it isn’t full of frozen food. Fill up milk jugs with water and add them to your freezer until it is full. It is best to put these on the bottom of the freezer so you won’t have to take them out every time you want a pot roast. However, lifting the frozen jugs out of the freezer can give your arms a good workout.
Can’t find the dustpan? You can make one quickly and easily if you have an empty milk jug. Cut away the bottom of the jug leaving just one side opposite the handle to sweep your dirt up onto.
They make great containers for picking strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, or blueberries. Just cut a small circle near the top of the milk just and carry it by the handle. The berries won’t leak all over you and they won’t get squished. |
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Vintage Linen Soak
¼ cup Kosher salt or Sea Salt
Gallon Hot water
Mix together till salt is dissolved. Cover linen piece entirely in mixture and soak for at least 48 hours. Rinse well and lay out in the sun to dry.
Penny Pincher Tips
Save the ‘paper wrappers’ from margarine or butter by placing them in a ziplock type bag and storing them in the refrigerator. When you need to grease a pan, use one of the papers. If you are baking bread, lay the ‘paper wrappers’ butter side down on the hot bread as it comes from the oven. The papers will ‘butter’ the crust of the bread.
Want to really save money? When you go shopping, only take cash. (No checkbook and no credit cards.) Live within your means.
Using Canned Frosting
Canned frosting makes a quick, easy glaze for Bundt cakes, cream puffs or even cookies. Just put it in a small glass or plastic bowl and microwave it for about 15 to 30 seconds on HIGH. You can pour it over the top of your baked treat with no effort.
Uses for an Empty Cereal Box
1. The plastic liner inside is very durable and can be recycled to store foods in the freezer or anywhere you need a "heavy" plastic bag.
2. The box is a great, light-weight cardboard that is perfect for cutting a pattern template, or wherever a light-weight cardboard is needed.
3. Cereal boxes are ideal for gifts. Simply tuck the gift inside and wrap as you would a store-bought gift box.
4. Cereal boxes can be used to ship unbreakable items. Cover them with paper grocery bags, or simply be sure to use a noticeable label.
5. Make a magazine holder out of an empty cereal box by slicing the upper third of the box at a diagonal and covering with contact paper.
6. Fashion an inpressive book report from an empty cereal box by cutting the front and back panels of a box, so they are slightly larger than notebook paper. Cover with glued-on construction paper and punch holes to match the notebook paper's holes. Decorate the front cover appropriately, place the report papers inside and fasten with brass paper fasteners.
7. You can even create an adorable, gift-worthy tote bag from a cereal box. Cut off one of the sides (think nutrition label). Cut 2 1x12 inch strips from another piece of cardboard. These will be your handles. Cover the box and handles with tasteful, pretty gift wrap or contact paper. Punch one hole in each one of the handles, and punch 2 holes in each side of the box, near the opening. Using brass paper fasteners, attach the handles to the inside of the opening.
Save on the Expense of 'Bounce' Type Fabric Softeners
Simply, use a clean wash cloth, place it over the opening of a jug of liquid fabric softner, tip the bottle so that the wash cloth is saturated with softner only in that circle. Throw the wash cloth into clothes dryer with load of wet clothes.....clothes will come out soft and smelling wonderful. Repeat this trick with each load using the same wash cloth. (Since the wash cloth is clean it does not need washed, just keep it by the dryer so it is handy) A jug of fabric softner will last a long, long time.
Get Out the Crock Pot
Save on Groceries
Slow-cooking is the key to transforming inexpensive, sometimes tough cuts of meat into tender, fall-off-the-fork morsels. Chances are that the least expensive cuts of meat in your butcher's case are perfect for the crock pot. And of course, crock pots are perfect for cooking beans and other legumes, among the healthiest and least expensive foods you can eat.
Save Time
Slow-cooking is even faster than fast food! Most crock pot recipes involve only a few minutes of prep time — maybe chopping up a few veggies, stirring together some basic ingredients, and then turning on the slow cooker and forgetting about it. Forgetting about it, that is, until you return home after a hard day's work and you're greeted by that heavenly aroma of a home-cooked meal ready for the table. And the electricity only runs about 20 cents per month.
Save on Dining Out
While you can cook smaller portions in a crock pot, most of today's models hold anywhere from four to eight quarts. Cook a full pot, and even for a large family you're likely to have more than one meal's worth of a dish. Freeze the leftovers, or serve them again later in the week. You can also package them in small containers for lunches.
Save Your Health
Because very few crock pot recipes call for adding extra oil or using grease, most slow cooking dishes are relatively low in fat.
Save Your Sanity
There's no denying that these are stressful economic times for most Americans. Rarely has comfort food been so essential. We may not be able to afford the kind of luxuries you buy with money, but maybe we afford something even more valuable: The luxury of slowing down and enjoying a delicious slow-cooked meal with family and friends.
As my mom always says, "The only thing more important than what's on the table is who's sitting around it."
Penny Pincher Pie Filling
Making a recipe calling for pie filling? There is never much fruit in each can, instead try this. Use 15 oz. canned cherries (or peaches or apples) in juice, pour into a 2-quart-saucepan. Combine 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with a little of the juice, and stir to dissolve. Stir into the cherry mixture. Add 1 to 4 tablespoons of sugar, or to taste. Turn heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened. If needed, thicken more with a little more cornstarch dissolved in a small amount of cold water. It’s a better value for your money.
Penny Pincher Bread Sticks
Want economical and tasty bread sticks? Take a package of hot dog buns, using a sharp knife cut down the middle of each bun lengthwise, creating 4 breadsticks. Roll each breadstick in melted butter or use spray butter, then sprinkle with garlic salt. Place on cookie sheet, put in 250 degree oven for 10 minutes if you like them soft, or 30 minutes if you life crunchier breadsticks. They can also be sprinkled with parmesan cheese.
1. “Use it up- wear it out – make it do – or do without.”
2. Shampoo is very concentrated. Add about ¼ bottle of water to the shampoo. Shake to mix, and use the normal amount for shampooing your hair.
3. Save your change. At the end of the day, put all of your small change in a container. You will be amazed at how fast those pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters add up.
4. Buy generic (plain label) products. For the most part, they are just as tasty and save you money.
5. Do you have fruit that is getting too ripe and needs used soon? Puree it in a blender or food processor, sweeten as desired, use it in smoothies or as a topping on ice cream, pancakes or waffles. It can also be frozen for later use.
6. When doing dishes, laundry or even shampooing your hair, use the correct amount of 'soap' or 'shampoo'. Adding more does not get your items cleaner. Use the amount prescribed on the container, or even a little less. If your glasses from the dishwasher are appearing cloudy, you are using too much dishwasher detergent. Use less detergent. You'll have cleaner dishes and you save money.
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