Category: household tips

Readers Share Creative Solutions for Chains, Stains, Sprains and More

I call it my mailbag, but in truth its my email inbox and lately, it’s been loading up with creative tips from you, my clever readers! Creative Gifting My teenage grandchildren don’t want “stuff” anymore — they want cash! And I understand; being a teenager can be expensive. But I don’t want to just hand…


A Stain Treatment Worth Its Salt and More Great Reader Tips

It was a lovely meal. The conversation was engaging, the entree delightful. A good time was had by all. The guests are long gone, and now you are stuck with an ugly red wine stain on your prized tablecloth. Is this linen destined for the ragbag? Not if you know this super simple solution. Red…


Useful Tips from Readers

Once again my very clever readers have reminded me that it’s the little ways we avoid spending money that add up. I hope you enjoy today’s tips as much as I have. Would you like to see your tip published in an upcoming column? Send it to me (cheapskate@unitedmedia.com) and I’ll see what I can…


7 Ways to Keep Brown Sugar Soft

How maddening to reach for the brown sugar, expecting it to be soft and fluffy, only to find a rock-hard clump in the bottom of the box. Or how about this: Brown sugar is on sale, so you stock up. Even without opening the bags or boxes left on the shelf, the contents, in time,…


Great Reader Tips

Cheap Cold-Water Wash I wash my wool sweaters, skirts and blankets in cold water (either by hand or in the washing machine depending on how delicate the item is) with sudsy household ammonia, which I buy at my grocery store. I use an amount similar to the amount of laundry detergent I would use for…


The 10-Year Bar of Soap, Plus More Great Reader Tips

In the cupboard right above my washing machine, there’s a bar of Fels-Naptha laundry soap standing in a coffee mug. I’m sure it’s five years old, and it appears that it will be good for at least another five. When I come across a stain, I grab the soap, dip the end into water and…


How to Trap Wasps and Other Great Reader Tips

Are you aware that your health insurance provider may be willing to cover the cost of your gym membership? Or that all you need to take care of those annoying wasps flying around your home may be as close as your food pantry? How about where and how to purchase beautiful, high-quality, name-brand men’s belts…


Beyond Wrinkles: Getting the Most Out of Your Iron

When it comes to tasks we’d rather avoid, ironing clothes ranks right up there with paying bills, searching the house for missing keys, and plunging the toilet. What if we told you that we can help you get the job done quicker, with professional-quality results, and add a bit of zen to the experience? We’ll…