Of painful galoshes & slippery soles

Volume III, No. 26 (February 12, 2006)
Copyright © Deborah Michelle Sanders 2006. All rights reserved,

The force that drives all flesh, exalts You, our Sovereign, always.





HOUSEHOLD HINTS:

Do you – or does your child – have galoshes that are a pain to get on & off? Try this solution. Insert a grocery-sized plastic bag for an adult, or a produce-sized plastic bag for a child, into each boot. Put on the galoshes. Any excess plastic will automatically be scrunched down into the boot. Both insertion & removal will now be a cinch!

My home health-care provider, Margarita Recinos, taught me this trick. When ready to clean a pot that contains food residue, such as a pot of oatmeal, sift its contents through a sieve, & then tap the sieve against the inside of your trash can. Then rinse out the sieve. (I keep mine hanging above the sink.) This is much easier than having to clean out the drain stopper of your sink. Some people (like lucky me!) own a sieve that has a handle that spans the distance between the sink wall & the dishpan.

Are you sewing baby’s all-in-one’s? Special fabric for the soles is very expensive. Instead, cut up 1 or 2 bathtub appliqués to fit the soles.

Homeowners! If you have a leaky roof that is less than 15 years old, you need not replace it. All you need to do is to patch the part of the roof that is leaking. To be safe, use binoculars to inspect the roof, so that you don’t have to transverse all of the roof in the vicinity of the leak, to see where repair is necessary. Leaks generally start higher up on the roof than the ceiling position of the leak would indicate.

You don’t have to buy expensive car windshield wiper fluid. Just mix together 2 quarts of isopropyl 70% alcohol (bought on sale @ about 60 cents a quart), 1 cup of water, & 1 tsp of powdered laundry detergent.

It is important when you go grocery shopping to make sure that you know the price of each item & the running total. Only in this way is it possible for you to ensure sticking with your budget, but you can also spot scanner error (before you leave the store). There are 2 ways to mark the prices. Either take along a roll of masking tape & mark each item, or bring along a clipboard holding a spreadsheet that you have already made of each item you plan to buy, any loss leader prices (special sales), & the value of any coupons you have. Reserve the final column for your net cost for that item. Whether you choose the masking tape or the spreadsheet choice, be sure to bring along a calculator . Only with it can you tell whether you have remained within budget.

Two little-known coffee tricks. First, if you only have circular (cheap) filter bags instead of the conical ones, you can make do. Just fold the circle into a semi-circle. Then, fold in the 2 corners about 1”. There you have it! As to coffee grounds, did you know that they are a more effective odor-absorber than baking soda? Use them in a shallow dish anywhere that you need odor prevention, such as in your fridge.

Give yourself a helping hand while driving in nuts, bolts, & screws. Just apply some kind of wax to the hardware – candle, lip gloss or beeswax (which seamstresses often own). The wax will smooth the hardware’s way!

Make clean-up easy of a pot or pan with baked-on or burned-on food. Just -- & yes, I’m not crazy – put the cookware in the freezer for 3 hours or so. When you take it out, it should be a breeze to clean!

Are your hands always freezing when Old Man Winter does his thing? Put rubber gloves on under your regular gloves, & the insulation will warm your hands up fast!

You know that, before you paint a wall, you need to carefully choose its color. After using the paint chips for all that they are worth, buy a pint that looks promising. INSTEAD of painting a section of the wall, paint an opened cardboard box that you can affix to the wall with masking tape. You will then avoid the labor & expense of restoring the wall to its original color should you decide to leave well/wall alone.

I wasn’t familiar with ALL of the ways that identity theft can occur until I read
US Social Security Administration Publication No, 05-10064. Here’s the low-down:
· As we already know, by stealing wallets, purses, & your mail (bank & credit card statements, pre-approved credit offers, telephone calling cards & tax information.);
· Stealing personal information you provide to an unsecured site on the Internet (any site that does not have a “lock/key” icon at the lower right-hand corner), from business or personnel records at work & personal information in your home;
· Sorting through trash for personal data;
· Posing as someone who legitimately needs information about you, such as employers or landlords; or
· Buying personal information from “inside” sources. For example, an identity thief may pay a store employee for information about you that appears on an application for goods, services, or credit.

When you buy a new broom, the 1st thing you should do is to immerse it in a bucket of water to which you have added a cup of salt. After 20 minutes, you can hang the broom up to dry. (You DO know that setting a broom on its straws is a no-no because the bristles will splay that way.)

Are the soles slippery when you purchase new shoes? Instead of going to a cobbler for rubber soles, try sanding 1st Just sand from right to left, in a series of rows.

Of tire rotation & cut flowers

Volume III, No. 25 (February 5, 2006)
Copyright © Deborah Michelle Sanders 2006 -- All rights reserved.

“One of the most desirable [character traits] is to be able to totally overlook a slight or an injury that one has suffered at the hands of another person, & to rid oneself completely of even the minutest trace of resentment.” (This is something way beyond me – dms.)

Rabbi Abraham J Twerski, MD
LIVING EACH DAY, p 406





HOUSEHOLD HINTS:

Rotate your automobile’s tires each season. Each time, move the tires clockwise. Include the spare in your rotation series, as tire number 5.

A good place to buy fine furniture for a fraction of its original selling price is at a designer’s studio, after a show has ended.

Some folks think that writing “For deposit only” on the back of a check payable to them will provide sufficient protection. “It ain’t so, Joe.” What you actually need to do is to write. “For deposit only to account number X.”

When you buy new flooring, be sure to purchase an additional 2 square yards, so that you have material to mend with in case of damage to the original flooring. The same principle holds true for home fabrics that the seamstress plans to use for soft furnishings (curtains or draperies, bed covering & shams, perhaps a hassock) – add 4 square yards to the TOTAL yardage that you have calculated. (You need more because you may need to sew new curtains if you move.)

If you buy ready-to-eat cereals, save the waxed paper bags that line the box. They are great for freezer storage! Just be certain to rid them of all crumbs, lest they attract vermin.

When you’re ready to paint a wall or ceiling, obtain a scrap of wood that is a bit longer than the diameter of your paint can. Hold it against the bucket each time you pull your brush out & wipe the brush against the wood. This economizes on the amount of paint you use.

Be aware that all of your laundry appliances are likely to give up the ghost at approximately the same time. The life of a washing machine is 11-13 years. The life of a gas dryer is 13 years, & the life of an electric dryer is barely better at 14 years. The prudent consumer sets aside 10% annually ( in an emergency fund) of the cost of a new washer & dryer, so as to be able to pay cash for these purchases, instead of incurring interest, the demon of those who don’t look ahead.

Instead of carrying a small sewing kit around against the emergencies of a button that has come off or a hem that has fallen, it is much simpler & far less time-consuming to carry a number of small brass safety pins.

Do you keep a cruet of olive oil in your pantry? (I keep most of the oil in the fridge, so it won’t turn rancid.) Place the cruet on a larger plastic lid, such as from a coffee can. No more messy shelves to clean! (Try this with honey or syrup, too.)

Rubber gloves often die before their time because the index finger gets poked through on the hand that is dominant. To prevent the speed of this defeat, stuff a cotton ball into the index finger of the glove on the dominant side; it will absorb stabs by your working fingernail.

Keep a tin of aspirin in your car’s glove compartment, & not just for 1st aid for your body. It also can get you to the nearest service station in case of battery failure. Just (VERY) carefully drop 2 aspirin tablets into the battery itself.

We all have our rituals. Mine on Sundays (when I do not have a home healthcare aide) is to eat a couple of franks for lunch. I find that I put too much of each condiment on my plate normally. So I have adapted the system of stirring together the ketchup & mustard (&, you can add relish if you like it) into a custard cup & dipping each piece of the hot dog as I cut it, into the dish. (Obviously, this does not work if you use hot dog buns!) The custard cup remains quite full for more than 6 weeks!

Before leaving the house to do errands, eat a hearty meal. You won’t be tempted to spend money eating out. And bring a snack & water with you, just in case.

Do you have only soggy lettuce in your fridge? Don’t toss it out! Instead, put it in a bowl of cold water & add the juice of 1 lemon to it. Put it back in the fridge for an hour. Then dry the leaves carefully, & you’ll have crunchy lettuce again!

Liquid fabric softener beats the price of dryer sheets hands down. To best use it, put about a teaspoon onto a dry washcloth & toss it into the dryer along with your wet clothes.

To keep cut flowers fresh, add a teaspoon of sugar to the water. For an even cheaper solution, add a (copper) penny to the water (which is, of course, recyclable!).

Of bristles & Italian Cauliflower Bake

Volume III, No. 24 (January 29, 2006)
Copyright © Deborah Michelle Sanders 2006

Hate is always picking a quarrel,
But love turns a blind eye to every fault.

Proverbs 10:12





HOUSEHOLD HINTS:

Use 2 kinds of bands to keep 2 kinds of bristles in tip-top shape. Use a wide rubber band (such as comes from the store containing fresh broccoli) to keep the bristles of your paintbrush pristine. For your kitchen broom, cut off the waistband of old pantyhose to avoid the bristles’ becoming askew.

You can save a good deal of energy costs for the oven by taking 2 simple precautions. First, only preheat the oven when baking bread, cake, or other pastries. Second, turn the oven off 3 minutes before the time that the recipe calls for – the residual heat will cook the food just dandy.

Loyal reader Ruan Frenette has asked how to make a clogged drain free-flowing again. Here’s how I do it: First, mix 1 quart of hottest tap water with ¼ cup of baking soda, & pour it down the drain. Follow with a cup of white vinegar at room temperature. Finally, add a quart of boiling water – that sequence should do the trick.

Do you have concrete walls – perhaps in a basement or the garage – that you would like to decorate with pictures? Neither standard nails, toggle bolts, or much of any regular hardware will do the trick. Try 4” hardwood flooring nails, originally made for hardened tin. They are denominated “4” hardened tin nails.”

Washing or dry-cleaning a 2-piece garment? If you neglect to wash the second piece, you’ll be dismayed at the color difference between the 2 pieces….

You don’t need to buy new cedar for your closet to keep it fresh & insect-free. Just sand the existing cedar!

Any liquid that you like to work with – tempura paints & white glue are just a couple of examples – can be controlled better in application if you move them into an empty roll-on deodorant bottle. Get out the ball by applying pliers to the neck – make sure no one is within shooting distance! Wash both ball & container well, & you are on your way!

You don’t have to discard & then replace music CD’s that have gotten scratched. Just wet them with a soft cloth that is barely moist. Buff along the scratch, NOT across it. Wait until it’s dry before playing the CD.

If a battery-operated appliance stops working, don’t change the batteries before you try this handy-dandy tip. Just clean the contacts – use a pencil eraser first. If that doesn’t work, use a very fine grade of sandpaper. (Crocus cloth, which seamstresses use to clean burrs off of the needleplate of a sewing machine, is ideal.)

DON’T purchase “non-stick” cookware from a thrift store, because it probably has nicks (dangerous even if they are too small to see). But, if you have such ware -- that you purchased recently, new -- , & you want a scraper to get up “messes,” try a wooden spoon that you have cut in half with a hacksaw horizontally at the middle of the spoon itself.

Here’s the low-calorie way that I enjoy potatoes & onions. I cut about 1 lb of potatoes into cubes & chop ½ large or 1 small onion. In a 2-quart pot, I cover the veggies with water, & then cover the pot itself. I set the timer for 10 minutes, & wait for steam to be emitted (just put your face about 6” from the side of the top of the pot to tell). Then I lower the flame to nearly-nothing, & set the timer for another 15 minutes. After that, I drain the water (all this entails is leaving the pot lid very slightly askew while pouring out the water – you don’t need a sieve or colander for this because you are TRYING to leave a bit of water in the pot.) Next, I put salt & pepper on the veggies (I use ½ tsp salt to 1 lb potatoes, & grind about 10 grinds of pepper on top.). I then mash the veggies with a potato masher. No, I do NOT add milk, butter, oil, or margarine. This dish tastes lush to me.

To find car-pooling partners, Google “car-pool XXX” where XXX is the name of your town or neighborhood.


RECIPE:

You may have noticed that no recipes have appeared recently. This is because Jewish Family & Children’s Services has been bringing me entrees & other food. I miss cooking, however, so you will be seeing more recipes as time passes (however, they won’t be in every issue.).

Italian Cauliflower Bake:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2 T olive oil
½ large head of cauliflower, cut into small florets & small pieces of stems
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried basil

Use an oven-proof Dutch oven. Stir the food thoroughly over medium-high heat. Saute together for 5 minutes.

½ large head or 1 small head of cauliflower, cut into small florets & pieces

Add. Saute, striring occasionally, for another 5 minutes.

8 oz grape or cherry tomatoes (left whole)

Add. Stir thoroughly & take off the stovetop.

1 lb mozzarella cheese, cubed

Add on top of the rest of the food. Place in oven for 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Of cleaning cast-iron & using ceiling fans

Volume III, No. 23 (January 22, 2006)
Copyright © Deborah Michelle Sanders 2006

We rejoice in our sufferings,
Knowing that suffering produces endurance,
& endurance produces character,
& character produces hope,
& hope does not disappoint us,
because G-d’s love has been poured into our hearts.

Romans 5:3-5
These lines from the Christian Scriptures were paraphrased in a novel by Madeleine L’Engle.





HOUSEHOLD HINTS:

How to get burnt-on food cleaned off cast iron cookware easily? Club soda poured in can work wonders. Dry off very carefully this time or any time, to avoid rust. And remember to season the pot the 1st time you use it, & every time that you find that the soda does not pull off the whole stain, &, so, you need to use a scouring pad on it.

Don’t get overly enthusiastic in insulating a gas water heater. You must, for safety’s sake, keep a clear breach over its top as well as at the gas burner on the bottom.

To avoid making a big mess while painting a door, wrap all its hardware with aluminum foil. (Use a knife to smooth the foil evenly.) Also, wrap the doorknobs of each door that you need to open to get to the sink, as well as the sink’s faucets. If you use oil-based paint instead of latex, place foil all along the route to the turpentine or mineral spirits.

If you have to get out of a wall a nail without a head, grasp what you can with the deepest part of a claw hammer. Swing the hammer from side to side, &, after some maneuvering, you’ll be able to get the nail out.

Give a special gift to your 18-year-old child – but you’ll have to begin at his or her birth! Save the newspaper from each birthday date, & wrap a box containing all of them.

Fill your car’s tank early in the morning. As the day wears on, the fuel expands, so you’d get up to 5% less gas if you were to purchase it in the heat of the day.

You don’t need to go out to buy a specialized spray to clean your computer keyboard or the printer’s paper bin. Just use the crevice tool of your vacuum cleaner. You can also dip a cotton swab like Q-Tips® in alcohol, & clean between the keyboard keys with that.

You want to save money on delivery services such as the post office or UPS™ by reusing scrap boxes instead of buying new ones. But it’s a hassle to cover up all of the prior print on the boxes. Here’s a good idea: cut down each side seam of the box. Then push down the sides & tape to create a new, inside-out, box!

To clean your eyeglasses, you don’t need expensive fluids or cloths. Just run very hot water over the insides & outsides of each lens. Wipe dry with a lint-free cloth.

If a steel wool pad -- cleanser-type such as SOS® or Brillo®, or workshop-type – becomes rusted, just cut away the rusted portion with scissors. You’re doing yourself a double favor, because you are sharpening your scissors at the same time!

Do the numbers on your measuring spoons & cups make you squint? You’ve heard about using nail polish to make them stand out, but did you know the real secret Take an emery board (yes, another manicure device) & lightly sand the painted numbers – now, they will really stand out!

Does your town offer recycling, but paper needs to be separated from other items (such as plastic, glass, & metal)? Do what I do – keep a new garbage can inside your house. You can throw paper right inside it. As to the other items, add a tall kitchen bag to the can & put the plastic, glass, & metal into that bag. (You’ll have to deal with composting directly into the can provided by your town – or, you can keep a jar in your kitchen for disposal weekly or so.) By these means, you can more easily follow your Sanitation Department’s requirements.

What to do about clothes that require cold water in the washer, knowing that detergent is less effective with dry detergent? Here’s the answer: use liquid detergent, which will dissolve more easily.

You CAN freeze cottage cheese (well, not the creamed style). Just know that when you defrost it, the texture will have changed so much that the cheese will only be suitable for use in a casserole.

One rotten apricot, apple, banana, avocado, blueberry, peach, or cantaloupe can spoil the batch, because they emit ethylene gas, which ripens produce. So don’t keep any of these near potatoes or cut flowers, lest they spoil from the gas. And scan your produce containers frequently to avoid a rotten piece from spoiling the bunch. If you have a pear or a tomato or an avocado that you want to ripen, put it in a brown bag together with an ethylene source.

Are you the lucky owner of a ceiling fan? To use it most efficiently, run it roatating counterclockwise in the summer forcing the hot air up. In winter, run it clockwise in order to send the cold air to the ceiling.

Of cheapskate coffee & caulking best practices

Volume III, No. 22 (January15, 2006)
Copyright © Deborah Michelle Sanders 2006

My L-rd, open my lips that I may declare Your praises.

-- Beginning of “The Prayer” for Jewish morning services; this is analogous to the L-rd’s Prayer for Christians, as being central to the service.






A continual report on my coffee usage. With the help of a new gold filter, I have been able to reduce my prior usage (for 12 oz water) of 1 scant teaspoon to ½ teaspoon! So easy on the budget! (I calculate that the gold filter will pay for itself within a year of not having to buy paper filters, & I know that it will last for my lifetime.)

If you have a cat, you know that litter is often sold with baking soda already mixed in. Compare the prices carefully. In most cases, it is cheaper to buy clay litter & baking soda separately. Just sprinkle the soda on the bottom of the litter box before adding in the clay litter. (Did you know that if your cat ingests too much of the clumping litters when she grooms herself, she may get sick.) DO NOT FLUSH clay litter.

A paperback cookbook can be read easily if you take a hanger meant for pants & skirts (with “clothespins”) & attach the opened cookbook to it. Then you can just hang the hanger on a cupboard knob & see the recipe easily!

Did you know that, with today’s water-based finishes for furniture, using sandpaper on them is the kiss of death? That’s right – the steel in the sandpaper will interact with the water to cause rust, your Big Enemy. Instead, use abrasive pads, which you can buy at any hardware store.

If your local newspaper offers free ads for items under a small amount of money, try asking for something that you need. For example, “Like to purchase used bridal gown, size 16.” You could get a bite that will save you big bucks. (Or, you can do the opposite & sell something for which you are willing to take an amount under the limit for the free ad.)

The easiest way to defat a cooked dish is with a perforated spoon. Just run it under the surface, & lift off the fat. This may work as soon as the dish has just finished cooking – or, you may find about a particular dish that you’ll need to refrigerate it first.

Do you use iron-on patches or interfacing, but get frustrated having to clean the iron’s soleplate from residue of the add-on’s? Ordinary aluminum foil will come to your rescue! Place a bit of aluminum foil under the area where you will be pressing. You can just pull it out once all is adhered.

When painting an intricate design, use a cotton swab such as Q-Tips® to dust the area where you will be painting, & then use another swab to actually paint.

A hint for seamstresses who make pillows or stuffed animals – wet your hands before trying to push the stuffing inside. The job will be MUCH easier!

Snow in your region? To get it off your car’s windshield, patio furniture, a garbage can, & such small areas, use a plastic or rubber dustpan, or a squeezee. To get it off your pavement (if it’s a relatively light covering), it’s much easier on your back to sweep it than to shovel it. If you do have to take out & use the shovel, coat it with cooking oil spray 1st. The snow will fall right off.

If you have a dishwasher, you’ll save on your energy bills if you turn on the kitchen sink’s hot water before starting up the washer. (Be sure to capture the water in a dishpan, so that it is not wasted.) The further away the hot water heater is from the dishwasher, the more money you will save this way.

To reduce wear-&-tear on clothing – not to mention pilling & accumulation of lint, turn them inside out before laundering. And, of course, you know how important it is to empty all pockets 1st!

You probably have some butter in the house (for baking), as well as the Smart Balance® that I hope you use for all other purposes. The butter has another use – preserving cheese. Just coat the exposed edges of the cheese with some butter. OR, another way to preserve the cheese is to cover it with cheesecloth that has been saturated with vinegar. Just keep the cloth damp.

The cheapest way to remove make-up is with plain petroleum jelly, like Vaseline®. After massaging it in, use one square of toilet paper to rub it -- & the make-up – off. If you use heavy make-up, you’ll need to use a regular facial tissue. (Petroleum jelly is cheaper than mineral or baby oil, which in turn are cheaper than the expensive specialized products that the cosmetics industry wants you to buy.)

Are you the proud owner of a grinder – for meat or for coffee & spices, but are frustrated as how to quickly clean it? Just run a raw potato through it!

Did you know about caulking that there is a “best practices” way to apply the caulk? In holding the caulking gun, the further you deviate from the optimal 45 degrees, the worse your results will be.

Of ever-flowing OJ & trash-can racoons

Volume III, No. 21 (January 8, 2006))
Copyright © Deborah Michelle Sanders 2006

My heart is steadfast, O G-d,
My heart is steadfast.
I will sing & raise a psalm;
Awake, my spirit.
I will awake at dawn of day.
I will confess Thee, O L-rd, among the peoples,
Among the nations I will raise a psalm to Thee;
For Thy unfailing love is wider than the heavens
And Thy truth reaches to the skies.
Show Thyself, O G-d, high above the heavens;
Let Thy glory shine over all the earth.

-- From Psalm 108







HOUSEHOLD HINTS:

Herewith, the (nearly) ever-flowing orange juice pitcher. First, blend a 12-oz can of concentrate as usual. Drink 1 glass (8 oz) from it. Replace with 8 oz of water. Repeat. Stop when there are just 2 cups left. Fill the pitcher completely & blend. Depending upon your taste, you can either make 2 or 3 pitchers of juice this way.

When your car’s windshield wipers wear out, they will still be of use within your home as squeezes.

If you are on a diet – or just want to avoid unnecessary calories, put your Smart Balance (or butter, if you must) on your toast only after the bread has cooled down, not when it is still hot. You’ll save half the calories!

Here are some hints for touching up scuff marks. Touch up white appliance paint with a correction fluid used as an office supply. Touch up white athletic shoes with white shoe polish. Touch up black rubber or plastic decorations on your car with black shoe polish.

There is no mechanical or electronic reason to purchase a color TV any sooner than 12 years after you bought it. It will continue to work just fine., Of course, there is always keeping up with the Jones’s. But you wouldn’t do anything like that!

If you like deep-fried food, at least you can save some money when you drain it. Instead of using about ½ of a roll of paper towels, use just one towel, placed atop a pile of newspaper.

To blot your lipstick, use a square of toilet paper instead of the much larger facial tissue. Indeed, I keep 2 squares in a small plastic glass, & reuse it until it is nearly covered with color.

If you plan to cook stuffed cabbage, make it easier on yourself. Freeze the outer leaves of the cabbage for an hour. Once defrosted, the leaves will be soft, making it easy to roll them up.

For sourdough bread without the trouble of keeping a starter going, try this (an accidental discovery). Using 1 cup of milk in your bread recipe (in place of any other called-for 1 cup of liquid in the recipe), add 1-3/4 T of cream of tartar. That means that you use 1 T + 2 tsp – that’s close enough, but to be perfect on this, I add a smidgman more. Luscious!

Is it ever worthwhile to spring for the brand-name when there is a generic substitute? As an example, it IS in the case of hoses for washing machines. (Yes, we cover everything in this blog.) The low-priced hoses are subject to heating loss, &, as well, they resist pressure. The best vendor for a new hose is the manufacturer of the washer itself.

Wet your dental floss thoroughly before using it. You’ll see that it is much easier to thrust it between tight gaps that way.

Here’s a great way to show people who give you or your child gifts, to demonstrate to them how much the gift means to you or your child. Take a picture of the gift being used, & enclose it with your thank-you note (or send it as an attachment online).

Fussing 3-year-old’s disturbing you as you try to cook or sew? Just give them a plastic plate of frozen peas to eat &/or throw. (Be sure to take a gander at them every minute or so. And don’t do this with a younger child.)

If your car has an apparent future life of only 2 years or so, buy any replacement parts that you need at a junkyard instead of at an auto supply store to save BIG!

Most folks own a sofa. Here’s how to keep its upholstery in best shape. Turn its cushions often to reduce obvious wear-&-tear. Exchange the cushions at each side arm, then exchange the 2 or 3 back pillows so that all surfaces wear evenly. (If the pattern is the same back & front, be sure to switch these regularly, too.)

Keep raccoons & other critters out of your outdoors trash barrels! Just pour ¼ c of household ammonia into the bottom of each can.

Of tags for Christmas lights & your Pavlovian dog

“Of tags for Christmas lights & your Pavlovian dog”

Volume III, No. 20 (December 18, 2005)
Copyright © Deborah Michelle Sanders 2005

When the heart is narrow, the tongue is wide.
-- Solomon Ibn Gabriel




HOUSEHOLD HINTS:

For our Christian friends: A good way to use up the bread wrappers’ tabs that you might have been saying is for decorating your Christmas tree with lights more easily. Just attach the wires of colored or white bulbs to the tree with the tabs. And, if you don’t have the tabs this year, here’s a good incentive to save them for Christmas of 2006!

Don’t you hate it when a recipe calls for just 1 oz of a 6 oz can of tomato paste? You COULD freeze the other 5 oz in 1 oz portions in an ice cube tray. Here’s a more imaginative solution. Just use ketchup instead of the tomato paste, measure for measure!

You have probably heard from friends – or at least have read – about buying furniture directly from its North Carolina source. Doing so can sometimes be a good deal – but the company may be a rogue. Check with the Better Business Bureau in the locality before ordering. Also, ascertain the terms of their return policy (if any). Factor any return shipment price into the budget for your purchase, just to be on the safe side.

You say that you’re painting a room or an outside wall? You know that the job will take more than a day. You don’t have to clean your brush(es). Just toss it or them into a plastic bag & freeze. When you’re ready to paint again, there’s no need to fully defrost the brush(es). Just leave it or them at room temperature for an hour before returning to your job. This is as good a time as any for me to tell you to line your roller tray with a plastic bag, so that you can just throw it away at the end of the job & have one thing less to clean, (You can also use aluminum foil for lining, but that’s an expense, considering that you bring home from stores plastic bags that you don’t directly pay for.)

Don’t clean your cat’s litter box with bleach. The lingering ammonia from her urine will yield fumes toxic to her sensitive nose, & you’ll deserve any resulting accidents.

You’ll get a better buy on potatoes if you buy all-purpose “russet” instead of “Idaho” baking-only ones. You can also use the russet potatoes for boiling, such as for making potato salad or mashed potatoes. They are cheaper than the small “boiling potatoes,” &, cut up, are tasty substitutes.

When preparing meat or poultry soup stock, add 1 T white vinegar to the pot, to facilitate the beneficial leakage of calcium from the bones into the broth.

If you are in the market for a new car, narrow your preferences to 2 or 3 models. Then rent each for a weekend. You’ll see each car’s bad & good features, & will be in a better position to buy.

If you have a gas range, & a burner doesn’t seem to be working well (you’ll see just a small flame), try cleaning out the “ports” (holes in the fixture under the drip pan). Use a sewing pin for this task. Do NOT work on or near the pilot light, if your model has one.

When you buy soap, dry it (“cure it”) by letting it sit opened in a drawer for several months. Besides increasing the life of the soap, this will also give the drawer & its contents a pleasant aroma.

To quickly obtain brown sugar that flows (out of hard sugar), one solution is to grate it on a hand-grater. If you have a day to wait, put a cut apple into a solidly closed sugar container.

A handy bit of knowledge: Unless you take a sledge-hammer to it, a toilet will last a lifetime. It may need minor repairs now & then, but will not have to be replaced except for water-savings purposes.

Once you have parked, turn off the ignition key IMMEDIATELY to save big on fuel.

To remove old wallpaper, you need a solution to assist. You can get by with just 1 T liquid fabric softener in a gallon of warm water.

You’ll save calories when making a white sauce if you use cornstarch in place of flour. This is because you only need to use ½ the amount of cornstarch as you would have to use of flour.

Let Pavlov show your dog how to alert you when he needs a walk. Put a string of bells on the inside knob of the front door. Jingle them vigorously every time that you take him out. Soon, he will be jingling them himself when he wants to go out.