Monday, September 30, 2013

Burning candles for their heat

Burning candles can raise the temperature of a room, so keep them for those frosty days and nights and stretch your heating fuel a little!

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Lemon cleaner from scratch

As in, peel a lemon. (Use the lemon, of course!) Stuff a jar with lemon peels and cover with apple cider vinegar. Let it stand for up to a week, then strain. The resulting liquid will smell good and clean glass, counters, fixtures and more to a perfect shine!

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Foam insulation for electric outlets

You don't need to buy precut foam to put behind the electrical outlets to keep the cold air out. Save a few of those foam meat trays, cut them to size and insert like you would the kind you have to buy.

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Ramen Noodles

They're not nutritious, but they can help create a meal or a snack cheaply. Use them in egg drop soup to make it more filling, add meat and vegetables for soup, or use them as a cracker substitute (uncooked!). Ramen noodles can double as spaghetti in a pinch or, crushed, stretch a meatloaf or casserole. Keep a few packages on hand, just in case. If you don't use the flavor packages, save them for soup.

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Extending real butter

If you prefer real butter to margarine, you can make it stretch and keep it healthy and tasting good by adding olive oil to it. Warm a quarter pound of butter and add two or three tablespoons of olive oil and mix well. Added bonus: The butter will stay soft in the refrigerator.

Friday, September 6, 2013

Got an earache?

Olive oil, warmed and dropped into your ear works just like the old fashioned sweet oil that used to be sold for earaches.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Coffee grounds for a fresh smell

Got a bad smell somewhere? Just set out a small bowl of coffee grounds and the smell will be gone soon. When you're through with them, put them in the garden or on house plants.