Cheaper, Better, Faster (7 page)

Stuff some newspaper into your shoes and boots to remove unpleasant foot odor. The paper absorbs odors.

Odor—smoke in clothes

To remove smoky odors from clothes, fill the bathtub with
the hottest water available. Add 1 cup white vinegar. Hang garments above the steaming water and close the bathroom door.

Padded cases for
many uses

Surprisingly some eyeglass cases fit a cell phone or digital camera better than they do spectacles. Even more amusing, some padded cases created for cell phones or digital cameras are much better suited for eyeglasses. Just another way to use “this” for “that.”

Repairs—collar and cuff turn

Save money on men's dress shirts. If the collar or cuffs wear out first, take the shirt to a dry cleaner or tailor (or learn to do it yourself) and have them turned over. It will cost about $5 to $10, which of course is much less than the cost of a new shirt.

Repairs—frayed collars

Use an old electric razor to “shave” the collars of men's cotton oxford dress shirts when they begin to pill. Men's neck whiskers chew up collars, and the “shaving” actually helps to slow the wearing process. They come out looking like new.

Repairs—handbags, backpacks, luggage

Don't throw out that handbag, backpack, or piece of luggage because of a broken strap, tear, or busted zipper. Have these items repaired at your local shoe repair shop. You'll be amazed at the low cost and high-quality service you'll receive on the repair of all kinds of things—even belts, gloves, bags, and so on.

Repairs—shoes

Repair, resole, and reheel shoes. You can easily double or triple the life of a good pair of shoes with simple repairs. Even expensive sneakers and athletic shoes can be resoled and repaired at some shops using new techniques and products. Check with your
local shoe repairer or sporting goods store to see if they offer these services.

Rest your clothes

Your clothes will last longer if you allow them to “rest” between wearings. Clothing should hang for at least 24 hours between wearings to allow the fabric to return to its original shape.

Shoes—and driving

Ironically, the enemy of many good shoes is not walking but driving. While working the gas and foot pedals, the back of the shoe repeatedly scrapes dirty, abrasive carpet. Wear sneakers when driving, then slip into your good shoes upon arrival.

Shoes—heel shields

Protect high heels from wear and tear by having your shoe repair shop cover them with heel shields, a thin protective plastic wrap that goes around the heel. If the shields get scuffed, they are easy to remove and replace.

Shoes—
leave them at the office

Leave your good business shoes at the office. Change into an older pair for the trip up and down steps and out to the parking lot.

Shoes—polish

Out of shoe polish? Spray dull, dirty-looking shoes with furniture polish, then buff lightly with a soft cloth. Self-polishing floor wax works particularly well on patent-leather shoes.

Shoes—rotation

You've heard of rotating your car's tires to make them last longer, but how about rotating your footwear? Research shows that your feet produce about
½
pint of water every day. If you wear a particular pair of shoes no more than once every 3 days, three pairs will hold up as long as four pairs worn more frequently.
Shoes need 48 hours to rest, dry out, and resume their normal shape.

Shoes—
shining

Save and use your fabric softener sheets to shine shoes to a high gloss.

Shoes—slip 'n' slide

When the soles of new shoes are too slippery, rough them up with a piece of sandpaper.

Shoes—stretching leather

To stretch leather shoes that are a bit snug, pour rubbing alcohol into a fine-mist spray bottle. Spray inside the shoes, and then wear them immediately; the alcohol evaporates quickly. This technique works beautifully, but only on leather shoes.

Shoes—suede

Rub very fine sandpaper on suede shoes to remove stubborn scuff marks.

Shoes—trees

Shoes should be stored with cedar shoe trees in them. Cedar absorbs moisture that damages the leather.

Shoes—white sneaker protective coating

Before wearing a new pair and after each wash, spray white canvas sneakers with a fabric protector like Scotchgard. They'll be sparkling white till the day they wear out.

Shoes—white sneaker
quick restore

To keep white canvas shoes looking new, apply white shoe polish after they are washed and while they are still wet. Allow to air-dry. You won't believe the results.

Shopping—dry-clean only?

Think twice—or three times—before buying something that says “dry-clean only.” This kind of expensive maintenance will double or even triple the cost of a garment over the years.

Shopping—girls
in boys' department

To cut down on clothing costs for girls and young women, shop for T-shirts, shorts, jackets, and other accessories in the boys' and men's departments.

Shopping—high-maintenance materials

Think twice about leather, suede, and silk. They are lovely but very expensive to maintain.

Shopping—
outlets

Try on more than one size when shopping at outlets. Think about it: All of these items landed in this store for some reason. Maybe they were mislabeled.

Shopping—
remnants for making clothes

Keep a list of yardage and notions needed for your favorite clothing patterns in your purse. When you're out shopping, stop by the yardages store or sewing department and check out the remnant table. If you find fabric you like, check your list to see if it works for any patterns you have. This is an easy way to add a cute skirt or blouse to your wardrobe for hardly any cost, and keeps you from buying fabric or notions that won't work with the patterns you like.

Shopping—shoe selection

When trying on shoes in the store, walk around in them on a hard surface. Standing on a carpet is deceiving. It makes the shoes feel more comfortable than they would be on hard floors or other surfaces.

Shopping—women in men's
T-shirts

Ladies, buy men's white T-shirts to wear under jackets. They're cheap, easy to dye or trim, machine washable, and quite fashionable.

Ski pants

Take an old pair of jeans or canvas overalls and turn them
into cheap and comfortable ski pants. Simply spray them with good waterproof fabric protector available at fabric, sporting goods, and hardware stores.

Socks—all alone

Uses for widowed socks: (1) Slip one over your hand to use as a waxing, dusting, or shoe-polish mitt; (2) put one over the top of the bathroom powdered cleanser can when not in use to avoid spills; (3) when you travel, slide one over each shoe to keep the clothes in your suitcase clean.

Stains—perspiration

“Dry-clean only” garments that are stained with perspiration should be taken to the cleaner as soon as possible. The longer the salts from perspiration remain in the fabric, the greater the chance of permanent damage.

Stains
—winter coats

Try spraying stains on your winter coat with oven cleaner and allow to dry overnight. This is a tried-and-true trick used in some used clothing stores to get coats ready for sale.

Storage—belts on a
hanger

For a great belt holder, install a row of big cup hooks along the bottom of a wooden hanger.

Storage—shoes in socks

Store your off-season shoes inside socks to keep them scuff- and dust-free.

Storage—winter
outerwear

To pack away your winter scarves and hats, store them inside a handbag or purse that you don't plan on using during the spring and summer. The winter accessories will help the purse keep its shape.

Static cling
—use fabric spray

Mix 1 part liquid fabric softener and 20 parts water in a spray bottle set to spray a fine
mist. Use as you would commercial aerosol antistatic spray by spraying on clinging petticoats, pantyhose, socks, and dresses.

Static cling—use hand lotion

Annoyed by static cling? Massage a small amount of hand lotion into your hands. Then lightly rub your palms over your pantyhose, tights, or undergarments.

Swaps—clothing

Arrange a clothing swap with friends. Ask everyone to bring at least five items in good condition that no longer meet their needs. One person's disaster could be your delight.

Swaps—neckties

If the man of the house wears ties often and easily tires of his favorites, find another such person to participate in a tie swap. Twice a year the swappers should go through their ties and get rid of the ones that have become boring or were unwanted gifts. Make sure the items are freshly cleaned, and then do a tie-for-tie swap. Donate anything left to a local charity.

Swimsuits

To prolong the life of swimsuits that are exposed to harsh chlorine, buy a bottle of chlorine remover, sold in pet supply stores for removing chlorine from the water in fish tanks. Add a few drops of the liquid to a pail of cold water, pop the suits in when swimming is over, and rinse with cold water.

Tailoring

Someone skilled at alterations can take in, let out, take up, let down, and redesign any classic or well-made garment.

Wool

To clean and soften new, washable winter woolens, add
½
cup of hair conditioner or creme rinse to 1 gallon of lukewarm water and soak.
Rinse the woolens thoroughly with tepid water.

Wrinkle-free

Throw wrinkled clothes into the dryer along with a wet towel. Turn it on for a few minutes and all the wrinkles will steam themselves away while you're getting ready.

Zippers—jams

Paint those fraying threads that constantly get caught in a zipper with clear nail polish.

Zippers—tab replacement

If the tab on your zipper is lost or broken, replace it with a safety pin or paper clip. Paint or wind fine yarn around it in a color that complements the garment.

Zippers—trouble

You can do several things to get that stubborn, sluggish, sticking metal zipper back into tip-top shape: Run the lead of an ordinary pencil along the metal teeth to lubricate them. Or with a cotton swab, apply a bit of lubricating spray such as WD-40 to the teeth. Be careful to wipe away any excess so it won't soil the garment. Another solution: Rub the edge of a bar of soap or an old candle up and down the teeth and along both sides of the zipper.

Asparagus—tenderness pouch

For perfectly tender asparagus, fold aluminum foil into a rectangular shape to form a cooking pouch and bake the asparagus inside it. The asparagus will steam within the pouch.

Baby food—homemade

Puree some of the family's regular food (not highly spiced items) in the blender. Pour into ice trays, freeze, then pop “food cubes” into large freezer bags to store. Keep the cubes frozen until needed, and simply heat them in the microwave.

Bacon—no-stick slices

Before opening a new package of bacon, roll it up like a jelly roll, then unroll. Slices won't stick to each other.

Baking—adjust
oven for glass bakeware

Glass bakeware conducts and retains heat better than metal, so oven temperatures should be reduced by 25 degrees
whenever glass containers are used.

Baking—biscuit squares
from dough scraps

To use up the scraps left after cutting out rounds, roll the dough into a square and cut square biscuits with a knife or large pizza wheel.

Baking—bread, dough rising

Create the perfect environment for bread to rise. Bring 2 cups of water to boil in a lidded 2-quart pot. Remove the pot from the heat, invert the lid on the top of the pot, and lay a pot holder on the inverted lid. Put the bread dough into a mixing bowl, balance the bowl on the inverted lid, and cover with a dish towel. The water releases its heat gradually and keeps the dough at an ideal proofing temperature.

Baking—bread, dough rising chamber

To create a great environment for bread to rise, use the clothes dryer. On the high setting, tumble a clean bath towel for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off, and place the towel in the bottom of the dryer and the bowl of bread dough on top of the towel. Shut the dryer door to allow dough to rise. Put up a sign or a piece of tape across the door, or use some other signal in case someone decides it's a perfect time to do a little laundry.

Baking—brownie cutting

Remove brownies from the pan first and then cut them with a pizza cutter. It zips right through. No muss. No fuss. And it makes it easier to cut them straight. This works well with most bar cookies too.

Baking—brownies, extra fudgy

For extra-fudgy brownies, add 1 tablespoon corn syrup to the batter, either a box mix or from scratch. Bake as usual. Also, don't assume it always pays to bake from scratch. Brownies, for example, are
often cheaper to make from a mix.

Baking—cake cooling

To cool a cake just out of the oven, place the pan on a wet towel. The cake is less likely to stick to the pan, and after it cools it will come out of the pan easily.

Baking—cake layer anchors

To keep the cake layers from slipping while you ice the sides of a cake, push three long strands of dry spaghetti through all of the cake layers. Frost the sides and top, and then pull out the spaghetti once the icing sets.

Baking—cake
plate drips and smears

To prevent frosting drippings and smears on the cake plate, slip several strips of waxed paper just slightly under the edge of the cake all the way around it. Once the frosting is set, gently remove the paper to reveal the clean plate.

Baking—cookie cutters,
no sticking

A thin coat of cooking spray will prevent dough from sticking to cookie cutters. This also works with your children's play dough.

Baking—cookie sheets

If the cookie sheet you are baking cookies on is half or less than half full of cookies, it may absorb too much heat. Place an inverted baking pan on the empty half.

Baking—cookie dough, storage

An 8-ounce juice can is just right for storing homemade cookie dough. Cover the open end with foil or plastic wrap and either refrigerate for a few days or freeze for later. When you're ready to bake a batch, push the can at the bottom and squeeze out the dough. Cut it into slices and bake, following the recipe directions.

Baking—cookies, avoid
burning

If you have trouble with cookies burning in your oven, bake them with a second cookie sheet under the first one.

Baking—cookies, peanut butter

When making the traditional fork marks on peanut butter cookies, first dip the tines in cinnamon, allspice, or ginger, then press down. This is effective, and tasty.

Baking—don't peek in oven

Don't open the oven when something is baking. Each peek can reduce oven temperature by as much as 25 degrees, will affect the baking quality, and can change the baking time. Watch the clock instead.

Baking—don't use whipped
butter

Whipped butter contains more than 30 percent air, so it should never be used in baked goods.

Baking—freeze
your rolling pin

Chill the rolling pin in the freezer so the dough won't stick to it. This prevents more flour from being added to the dough.

Baking—fruit
for pies

Always taste the fruit before making a fruit pie filling. If the fruit isn't sweet enough, slice it very thinly so there'll be more surfaces to absorb the sugar.

Baking—glaze and butter brushing

A new paintbrush is perfect for brushing glaze on bread and pastry dough before cooking or melted butter on corn or dinner rolls.

Baking—location in oven

Bake pies, tarts, and quiches in the lower third of the oven. The bottom crust will be crisp, and the edges or top crust won't overbrown.

Baking—maple frosting

For a quick, easy, and delicious frosting, add maple syrup to confectioners' sugar and stir until rich and thick. Spread on cakes, cookies, and buns.

Baking—multiples in the oven

When baking more than one item at a time, make sure there's plenty of room between the pans, walls, and racks of the oven for air to circulate.

Baking—no cupcake batter spills

A spill-proof way to pour cupcake batter into muffin tins or pancake batter onto a griddle is to transfer it to a clean milk carton, using a funnel. The carton's spout lets you pour with precision and provides an excellent container for storage in the refrigerator.

Baking—quick-bread
muffins instead of loaves

When it's too hot to crank up the oven for an hour, bake your favorite quick bread as muffins rather than loaves. Baking time is only 15 to 20 minutes, and the muffins are great take-alongs for summertime picnics and potlucks.

Baking—quick bread,
measure ingredients carefully

Too much baking powder or baking soda gives quick bread a crumbly, dry texture and a bitter aftertaste. It can also make the batter overrise, causing the bread to fall.

Baking—toasted oats

To give your homemade cakes, cookies, and breads a crunchy texture and nutty flavor, place uncooked oats on a cookie sheet in your oven and toast until they're golden brown. Mix the toasted oats into the dough or batter.

Baking—use nonfat dry
milk

Use nonfat dry milk in baking. It's cheaper than whole milk and will help you stretch your budget. Try stretching your
fresh milk by mixing 50/50 with reconstituted dry milk (mixed with water according to package instructions). Make sure it is very cold and your family is not likely to detect your cost-cutting ways.

Baking—with blueberries

When making muffins, pancakes, or quick breads that call for blueberries, freeze the berries first. The frozen blueberries will keep their shape, and they won't break up in the batter.

Bread—burned toast

Scrape the really dark part off with a cheese grater, and no one will have to know.

Bread—hot dinner rolls

To keep dinner rolls hot at the table, heat a ceramic tile in the oven while the rolls are baking. Put the warm tile in a breadbasket, cover it with a napkin, and lay the rolls on top. Cover the rolls with a napkin, too, and they'll stay warm for the entire meal.

Bread—
making crumbs

Don't discard bread, rolls, bagels—even garlic bread—that have become hard. Store them in a plastic bag in the freezer, and when you need bread crumbs, simply grate a piece of your stash with a cheese grater. You'll have uniform, perfect bread crumbs.

Bread—mini
hamburger buns

Use a biscuit cutter to cut the centers out of bread ends and you have a perfect-size hamburger bun for a young child. Use the scraps for bread crumbs.

Bread—soften

To freshen bread or rolls that have become a little bit hard, sprinkle the inside of a brown paper bag with water, add the bread or rolls, fold the top over tightly, and place in a 400 degree oven for 3 to 5 minutes to heat.

Broth—clear

Pour broth through a coffee filter to produce clear broth.

Broth—fat free

To get rid of the fat from canned beef and chicken broth, store the cans in the refrigerator upside down so the fat congeals on the “bottom” of the can, which will be at the top as they stand in the refrigerator. To use, turn the can upright and use a can-punch-type opener to pierce a hole. Pour the broth, and the fat will stay behind.

Broth—seasoning meats and veggies in the
microwave

To season meats and veggies when cooking in the microwave, add chicken broth or beef broth, not salt. Cooking in broth enhances flavor, while sprinkling with salt can cause food to cook unevenly, discolor, and dry out.

Browning while
broiling

Broiled meat, fish, or poultry will brown more evenly if brought to room temperature before cooking.

Butter—creaming with
sugar

To cream butter and sugar quickly, first rinse the bowl with boiling water.

Butter—grated

When a recipe calls for dotting the surface of a pie filling with butter, rub a cold stick of butter across the coarse side of a grater and sprinkle the grated butter on the filling.

Butter—substitute

When baking, you can cut down or omit the butter or margarine by substituting applesauce. A good rule of thumb: no more than 1 tablespoon of applesauce per 1 cup of flour.

Butter spread—homemade

To make your own butter spread, combine 1 pound softened margarine with 1 cup buttermilk,
½
cup vegetable
oil, and 1 teaspoon butter flavoring. Mix well and store in the refrigerator in a container with a tightly fitting lid. Tastes just like butter and stays soft.

Buying—cereal

Buy plain cereals, and then add your own extras like raisins, sliced almonds, honey, and dried fruit. You'll save a lot of money. You'll also know exactly what and how much has been added.

Buying—dairy

The date on dairy products is the date retailers must pull unsold products from the shelf. Properly stored, the product will be good for at least 7 days past the printed date. Unsalted butter has a shorter shelf life than salted. Whichever kind you buy, extra sticks are best stored in the freezer. Milk, cream, cottage cheese, and similar products should be stored in their original containers.

Buying—fish

For best quality, buy from supermarkets that display fish on ice in refrigerator cases. A fresh-caught fish has almost no odor; it will not smell “fishy.” An ammonia-like smell develops when fish has been stored several days—don't buy! The eyes should look clear, not cloudy; the scales should be bright pink, not gray. The flesh should be unblemished, edges intact, not torn; when pressed with a finger, the flesh should give slightly but bounce back.

Buying—meat

Never purchase more meat than you can properly refrigerate and reasonably use within the following periods of time: Ground beef and beef cut into small pieces, such as stew meat, should be used within 2 days of purchase. Steak should be used within 4 days of purchase, and roasts should be used within 1 week. If you can't use the meat that quickly, be sure to freeze it as soon as possible.

Buying—nuts

Buy walnuts, almonds, pecans, and other nuts after the holidays at sale prices. Shell, then store the nuts in individual plastic bags in the freezer. The nuts won't stick together, so it's easy to remove the amount you need for each recipe.

Casseroles—for camping

Before you go camping, prepare casseroles and freeze them in waxed milk cartons. Simply open the top of the empty carton completely to allow ample room to fill the container, then refold to close. They will fit perfectly into the cooler and stay cold longer.

Casseroles—no spills on the go

To prevent spills when transporting a casserole dish, stretch one rubber band from each handle to the knob on top of the cover. The lid stays secure, making the dish easy to carry.

Cauliflower—keeping white

To keep cauliflower white while cooking, add a little milk to the water.

Celery—keep crisp

To keep celery crisp, stand it up in a pitcher or jar of cold saltwater, and refrigerate.

Celery—restore crunch

Tired of throwing out celery that's lost its crunch? Cut off the bottom stem and separate the stalks. Fill a pan that is deep enough to cover the celery with cold water, and stir in
¾
cup granulated sugar. Let the celery soak 4 to 5 hours. Drain well and refrigerate.

Cheese—equivalents

A 1-ounce piece of cheese equals
¼
cup shredded cheese; 2 ounces equal
½
cup, and so on.