Of canceled checks & price discrepancies
Volume III, No. 19 (December 11, 2005)
Copyright © Deborah Michelle Sanders 2005
I will sing to the L-rd as long as I live,
All my life I will sing psalms to my G-d.
May my meditation please the L-rd,
As I show my joy in Him!
-- From Psalm 104
HOUSEHOLD HINTS:
Need a good place for storing your canceled checks? (I’m assuming that you are not “paperless,” banking online.) Try the box that the checks came in!
If you have a pet dog or cat, you can get its fur off your carpet or upholstery with a tool that you probably have not thought of – the lowly squeezee. Pull the rubber portion towards you. You’ll be amazed at how much fur the squeezee will pick up!
When you go to a store on a special sale day, especially on the last day, check your register receipt carefully to ensure that you receive the designated sales prices. Sometimes, the cash register will still or already be programmed with the regular prices.
To get the most out of a department store sale, go on the 1st day – to get the best selection – or on the last day – because prices may have been further reduced.
Before you shell out the moolah to travel to some exotic locale, look in your own backyard. What you think of as “tourist traps” are probably attractions that you haven’t visited for years!
Ripen bananas on the counter. Once they are ripe, cover them with newspaper & place them in a produce drawer in your fridge. While they will turn black, they will NOT become over-ripe.
You don’t need to go out to buy a rubber mallet. Just take a tennis ball (used is fine), & cut it in half. Apply that half to the head of a hammer. That’s it!
Here’s a tip for parents with small kids. Make calendars featuring their art for grandparents & other close relatives. In December or January, collect calendars given out by local businesses. Rubber-cement on top of each illustrated page a piece of your child’s art. A magnificent gift!
Be certain that you are not using an excessive amount of any product, whether it be a flavoring, a toiletry, or a cleanser. About 6 months ago, I realized that the reason that my mug of coffee tasted bitter – even with the addition of the salt that I’ve told you about – was that the recommended amount of ground coffee (2 T) was WAY TOO MUCH! I experimented, cutting & cutting & cutting. I am now down to a scant teaspoon -- & it tastes GREAT.
Whether you are buying a new car or a used one, take a test drive at night as well as during the day. You want to be sure that all of the automobile’s lights are working well. This includes the dashboard lights.
While skim milk is the best nutritionally, note that it spoils much more quickly than milk with fat does. The greater the cream content, the longer a dairy product will stay fresh. By adding a dash of salt to each pint, you can extend the life of any milk product (except hard cheese) by at least a week.
Are you getting all the cooling power you need from your fridge & freezer? For food safety, you need a fridge & freezer thermometer. For the fridge, put it in a glass of water & leave it overnight. The thermometer should register between 34 & 40 degrees, For the freezer, wedge the thermometer between food packages. (Take the thermometer out of the glass 1st, lest it burst!) The freezer temp should read 0 degrees. All degrees are Fahrenheit.
Speaking of freezers, how about stand-alone models? Did you know that, with minor maintenance such as defrosting if necessary, you can expect good service for 2 decades? Wow!
I know it’s the digital age, but sometimes it’s better to use an old-fashioned disposable camera. It contains batteries that have hardly been used. Ask at your local photo shop – you’ll probably be able to score some great battery deals! Just don’t put the used batteries into anything you’d need to use in an emergency (flashlights, portable radio).
Except for thrift shops & pawndealers, avoid retail establishments where all sales are final. It’s worth it to pay a few percentage points more for the peace of mind of knowing that you can return the item if necessary
Because catalogues are printed up to 6 months before you receive them, their prices will actually be out-of-date for the Christmas season (or whenever else). You can use this discrepancy to your advantage. Shop in stores in lieu of catalogues if prices have gone down recently, but vice-versa in times of inflation. Obviously, online prices will much more closely reflect the current market.
Copyright © Deborah Michelle Sanders 2005
I will sing to the L-rd as long as I live,
All my life I will sing psalms to my G-d.
May my meditation please the L-rd,
As I show my joy in Him!
-- From Psalm 104
HOUSEHOLD HINTS:
Need a good place for storing your canceled checks? (I’m assuming that you are not “paperless,” banking online.) Try the box that the checks came in!
If you have a pet dog or cat, you can get its fur off your carpet or upholstery with a tool that you probably have not thought of – the lowly squeezee. Pull the rubber portion towards you. You’ll be amazed at how much fur the squeezee will pick up!
When you go to a store on a special sale day, especially on the last day, check your register receipt carefully to ensure that you receive the designated sales prices. Sometimes, the cash register will still or already be programmed with the regular prices.
To get the most out of a department store sale, go on the 1st day – to get the best selection – or on the last day – because prices may have been further reduced.
Before you shell out the moolah to travel to some exotic locale, look in your own backyard. What you think of as “tourist traps” are probably attractions that you haven’t visited for years!
Ripen bananas on the counter. Once they are ripe, cover them with newspaper & place them in a produce drawer in your fridge. While they will turn black, they will NOT become over-ripe.
You don’t need to go out to buy a rubber mallet. Just take a tennis ball (used is fine), & cut it in half. Apply that half to the head of a hammer. That’s it!
Here’s a tip for parents with small kids. Make calendars featuring their art for grandparents & other close relatives. In December or January, collect calendars given out by local businesses. Rubber-cement on top of each illustrated page a piece of your child’s art. A magnificent gift!
Be certain that you are not using an excessive amount of any product, whether it be a flavoring, a toiletry, or a cleanser. About 6 months ago, I realized that the reason that my mug of coffee tasted bitter – even with the addition of the salt that I’ve told you about – was that the recommended amount of ground coffee (2 T) was WAY TOO MUCH! I experimented, cutting & cutting & cutting. I am now down to a scant teaspoon -- & it tastes GREAT.
Whether you are buying a new car or a used one, take a test drive at night as well as during the day. You want to be sure that all of the automobile’s lights are working well. This includes the dashboard lights.
While skim milk is the best nutritionally, note that it spoils much more quickly than milk with fat does. The greater the cream content, the longer a dairy product will stay fresh. By adding a dash of salt to each pint, you can extend the life of any milk product (except hard cheese) by at least a week.
Are you getting all the cooling power you need from your fridge & freezer? For food safety, you need a fridge & freezer thermometer. For the fridge, put it in a glass of water & leave it overnight. The thermometer should register between 34 & 40 degrees, For the freezer, wedge the thermometer between food packages. (Take the thermometer out of the glass 1st, lest it burst!) The freezer temp should read 0 degrees. All degrees are Fahrenheit.
Speaking of freezers, how about stand-alone models? Did you know that, with minor maintenance such as defrosting if necessary, you can expect good service for 2 decades? Wow!
I know it’s the digital age, but sometimes it’s better to use an old-fashioned disposable camera. It contains batteries that have hardly been used. Ask at your local photo shop – you’ll probably be able to score some great battery deals! Just don’t put the used batteries into anything you’d need to use in an emergency (flashlights, portable radio).
Except for thrift shops & pawndealers, avoid retail establishments where all sales are final. It’s worth it to pay a few percentage points more for the peace of mind of knowing that you can return the item if necessary
Because catalogues are printed up to 6 months before you receive them, their prices will actually be out-of-date for the Christmas season (or whenever else). You can use this discrepancy to your advantage. Shop in stores in lieu of catalogues if prices have gone down recently, but vice-versa in times of inflation. Obviously, online prices will much more closely reflect the current market.
posted by THE PENNY ORCHID -- "Thrift with Flair" at 2:05 PM
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