Recently
6 Ways To Cut Pet Care Costs
As I write, a big, beautiful, brindled English bulldog is underfoot, sleeping soundly, as bulldogs do. I cannot claim ownership, but Newcastle ("Newkie" to his family) visits often. He's my granddog — and as precious as they come. So …Read more.
Fun (Cheap) Birthday Gift Ideas for Kids
Several months ago, I got a message from Elaine G., who recently had joined a moms group. With all of her newly minted friendships, she and her little one are getting invitations to lots of toddlers' birthday parties. Her dilemma took me back to …Read more.
What You Need To Know if Your Bank Fails
If it seems that more banks are closing this year than normal, you are absolutely right. Since January 2009, 106 banks and 19 credit unions have failed in the U.S. That's more than four times the number of closings in 2008. It's the most since the …Read more.
Make Your Own Sanitizing Wipes
Dear Mary: I would like to find a recipe to make hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes. Do you know of one? — Delores, e-mail
Dear Delores: I have been thinking about the same thing, now that we're learning that products like Purell are …Read more.
more articles
|
7 Ways To Improve Your Laundry IQTaking care of what you've got is one of the fundamental ways to make things last longer and save money. Nowhere is that more important than in your laundry. Today fellow readers share their best tips for how to remove stains successfully and stretch laundry supplies to cut costs. GREASE POLICE. Sometimes I find grease stains on my clothing, and I've found that dish soap is the most effective spot remover for greasy or oily stains. Because it is designed to cut the grease on pots and pans and still be gentle on your hands, dish soap makes the perfect product to use on tough oil stains in delicate clothing. — Deb M., Georgia RINSE RELEASE. I live in an apartment and have a stacked washer and dryer. Because the washer does not have a fabric softener or bleach dispenser, I decided to use my fabric softener ball to dispense vinegar during the rinse cycle. It worked like a charm! Now I never will miss the rinse cycle again. — Joyce, Minnesota SALT SOLUTION. If you make your own laundry detergent and your whites are getting dingy, it is probably because you have hard water. Salt is the secret to softening your laundry water and brightening those whites. I use the cheapest salt without iodine that I can find. My water is extremely hard, so I use a half-cup of salt per load. I suggest starting with a quarter-cup. If your whites still come out dingy, add more salt next time. ON THE MARK. I was using way too much laundry detergent in every load because I could not see the lines on the inside of the cup that indicate the amount to use. Now I keep a permanent marker near my washer. When I open a new bottle of laundry soap, I immediately mark the lines for small and large loads on the outside of the cap. I save my eyesight and avoid using too much detergent! — Lisa C., Alabama RUSTBUSTER. My washing machine is an oldy but a goody. The only problem is that sometimes it develops rust spots on the metal washing drum. It was leaving rust spots on my clothing until I figured out a solution. I patch the rust spots with nail polish. I use a color that is similar to the enamel coating on the washing drum so I can spot new rust that is forming and don't confuse it for patched spots. The polish doesn't wear off for a year or two. — Eleanor, Colorado SOFTENER SAVINGS. I stretch my liquid fabric softener until it screams. I pour about a half-cup of it in a spray bottle. Then I fill the rest of the bottle with water. Squirting the mixture a few times into a dryer full of wet clothes does the job. — Kelly S., Georgia Would you like to send a tip to Mary? You can e-mail her at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. Include your first and last name and state. Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com and author of 18 books, including "Debt-Proof Living" and "Tiptionary 2." To find out more about Mary and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS.COM
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
