Clean drip pans

Drip pans on your stove looking nasty? If they're really bad, dissolve a quarter cup of baking soda in a half gallon of water in a pan. Put the drip pans in the solution and boil for 3 or 4 minutes. Leave them in it until it's cool, then scrub with additional baking soda if needed.

Bleach water

If you use liquid bleach, rinse the jug when it's "empty" with a couple of tablespoons of water. Put it in an empty dish soap bottle with a squirt top and label it, then use it to remove stains on counter tops or anywhere you need it.

Meatloaf: Ultimately frugal

You've probably heard of freezing bits of leftover vegetables and meat until you have enough for soup. Use the same method to stretch meatloaf. Mince or puree vegetables, also add grains like leftover rice, barley or quinoa. Cooked cereals like oats, corn meal mush or wheat can be added, too. A tablespoonful now and then adds up. Don't waste it.

More Uses for Plastic Bags

Use bread sacks or those plastic bags that newspapers come in as disposable gloves for tasks that don't need fine finger use. They're great for nasty stuff. Just turn them inside out to take them off when you're done and drop them in the trash.

Free laundry basket

Substitute a cardboard box, lined with newspaper, or better, line it with plastic bags. You can cut hand holds from the sides. Sturdy cardboard boxes will last as long or longer than many plastic laundry baskets.

More juice for the money

You can usually add a half can more of water (or even a whole one) when you make juice from frozen concentrate without losing flavor. Even whole juice can be stretched with a little water - about a cup or more to a quart for most.

Steel wool pads

Don't buy those steel wool soap pads. Buy plain steel wool pads (available in any hardware department) for a fraction of the cost and use your own dish detergent - just one drop. You don't have to use a whole pad at a time, either. Tear off a piece only as large as you need and when you're through with it, put it in a plastic bag in the freezer to keep it from rusting. Just one pad will last a long time like this.

Use it all

Always use all of everything. Turn bottles upside down and drain to get the last bit from them. Tear open sugar and flour sacks to get it all; squeeze or cut open tubes of anything to use it all before buying more. You bought it to use, not throw away.

Water savings

If you have access to the outdoors, you can cut your water bill by using rain water. In lieu of rain barrels, use any container you have and put it wherever the rain comes off the roof the heaviest, under a downspout or inside corner. Use it to water plants, inside and out, wash the car, etc.

Keep cool

• Run cold water over your inside wrists.
  
• Set a bowl of ice or cold water in front of a moving fan.
  
• Use a wet washcloth on your forehead. Move it often to help release heat.
  
• Put your feet in a basin of cool (not cold) water.
  
• Avoid caffeine, alcohol and stress.
  

Cheap facial moisturerizer

Olive oil is the best; better than most special facial moisturizers. Smooth it on over freshly washed skin and pat off any excess after a minute. Use twice a day - morning and night.

Oven and grease cleanup

Put a half inch or so of ammonia in a shallow nonmetal container and leave it in a cold oven overnight. Fumes from ammonia is what does the job, so if you have grungy pots and pans, put them in there, too. The whole mess will clean up with soap and water and just a little elbow grease in the morning.