Category: Everyday Cheapskate

A Little Appliance Know-How Can Save a Lot of Money

If you’ve been reading this column for any length of time, you know that my husband and I have repaired or performed regular maintenance on a number of our home appliances. And I love hearing when my readers do the same. Today’s first great reader tip is a good reminder for anyone with a dishwasher….


What Not to Do With Your Tax Refund

Tax time: that interesting time of year when ordinarily smart people begin to make really dumb financial decisions. Isn’t it amazing to watch what a little extra cash, otherwise known as a tax refund, lining the pockets can do? Random online polls suggest that 61 percent of U.S. taxpayers expect that this year, they’ll receive…


Surprisingly Useful Ways to Use Dryer Sheets Around the House

Apparently, I’m a slow learner. I can’t think of another reason it took years to associate my sons’ and husband’s itchy skin problems with the dryer sheets I used. While we didn’t experience respiratory problems that are often associated with fabric softeners, there is credible medical evidence that the perfumes and additives in laundry products…


Credit Is a Privilege, Not a Human Right

Dear Mary: I’ve just discovered that my parents are being discriminated against because they don’t have a credit card. It’s a huge injustice if you discriminate due to color, race or religion, and this is totally unacceptable in our society. If you don’t own a credit card, you are not allowed to get a rental…


How to Replace Lost US Savings Bonds and Other Highly Useful Tips and Tricks

You know those U.S. Savings Bonds, the ones you gave your kids but now cannot be found? Today I have information for how to have them replaced. And that beautiful sweater you accidentally laundered with the kids play clothes and now looks as though it was made for your toddler? I have a trick to…


How to Get More Miles Out of a Tank of Gas

I can sum up my response to the soaring price of gasoline in just one word: Aargh! While waiting for prices to come down (do you think they will?), don’t sit around complaining, all the while paying through the nose to drive your car. There are lots of things you can do to increase the…


The Best Inexpensive Overnight Deal in the Best Vacation Spot on Earth

I have traveled a lot over the years. My American Airlines account boasts 1.3 million miles. You can only imagine how many hotels, motels, bed-and-breakfasts and inns I’ve stayed in. While most have been adequate, a few were downright scary. And I can count on my two hands those I would rate with five stars….


Which Bills to Pay First?

If you don’t have enough money to pay all of your bills, which should you pay first, and which ones can slide for a while? That’s the question frequently showing up in my email inbox these days. The past year has been so difficult for so many. And with each request for help I receive,…


14 Surprising Ways a Bar of Soap Can Make Your Life Easier

If you’re a fan of liquid soap for hand-washing and prefer to use body wash in the tub and shower, bars of soap may seem quite old-fashioned. You may be surprised to learn that good old bar soap still has a valuable place in an active household! Bar soaps—any scent, and even those little bars…


Make Your Own Mixes and Save a Bundle

They’re convenient and tasty, but have you ever considered the high cost of your favorite prepared mixes and spices? In less time than it takes you to run to the market to pick up a box of Rice-a-Roni or Shake ‘n’ Bake, you could make them yourself—and save a bundle in the process. With each…