Advice | Everyday Cheapskate
FROM PILES TO LUXURY SUITE
My kitchen is pretty well organized, but a previous kitchen challenge from Mary got me thinking about my elderly, ailing mom’s home. She is stuck in her bedroom, almost buried under mountains of stuff. With her blessing, I dove in and organized, as Mary recommended. After about 20 woman-hours, I presented her with a beautiful, clean, inspiring bedroom, walk-in closet and bathroom. We call it her luxury suite. She loves it, and I feel so good having helped her. Now I have a place to sit when I visit. I’m thinking of heading to her kitchen next. — K.T.
A TOILET’S FRIEND
My toilets get a buildup of mineral deposits, and I’ve spent hours on my hands and knees with a pumice stone or fine-grained sandpaper. Now I sprinkle a little Bar Keepers Friend in the bowl, give it a good swish with the toilet brush and let it sit until the next flush. I do this weekly, and the toilets are sparkling white, with no effort. — Jean
MAKE YOUR OWN FOAM
I bought one bottle of good-quality foaming hand soap. When it ran out, I refilled the bottle with diluted regular liquid hand soap. The foaming action is in the pump, not the liquid. — Marci
COOKING OIL SPOUT
When I open a new bottle of cooking oil, I take a sharp knife and cut a small triangle out of the foil safety seal. Then I poke a tiny air hole on the other side of the opening. This works great, and I don’t worry about pouring too much oil. — Norma
FRENCH-VANILLA TOAST
One morning, I wanted French toast but didn’t want to get out all of the ingredients. I noticed my French Vanilla coffee creamer and decided to mix that with my egg. Voila! Great French toast with little bother. — Jean
SKATEBOARD MOVER
I use an old skateboard to move heavy things when I’m by myself. I can push things where I need them without straining myself. — Karen
ADD A SHELF
Most upper kitchen cabinets come with two shelves, placed equal distances apart. When I’m setting up a kitchen, the first thing I do is remove the shelves from the cabinets. Then I start at the bottom, placing items where I want them. I install the next shelf as low as possible, leaving enough room to remove items with ease.
Generally, there’s a lot of room at the top of the cabinet for another shelf. I buy shelving and the little shelf hooks at my local home improvement store. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the additional space I’ve created in my cabinets. — Sandi
NOTHING GOES TO WASTE
Our town has two thrift shops that accept worn-out clothes. They remove the buttons and sell those. Then they bag up the clothes and sell them to a “rag man,” who gives them 7 cents per pound. So, really, nothing has to go to waste. — Mary
DOUBLE-DUTY SALADS
Mary’s tip about turning leftover salad into soup is genius. My Greek salad from a recent dinner did not end up in the disposal. Instead, it crossed the Mediterranean and changed nationalities — becoming gazpacho the next night. I did what Mary suggested, tossing the leftovers in the blender and adding a little V8 juice. — Betsy
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