We all now know about the magic of that neglected superstar of cleaning, white vinegar. But what we may not know is that there is another economical, versatile product lurking in almost every home, something that’s cheap to buy, easy to use, is totally non-toxic, and has a variety of practical uses. What are we talking about? Sodium bicarbonate or ordinary baking soda!
Baking soda has a multitude of uses in cleaning and deodorizing. It is a very mild abrasive, which makes it useful for cleaning items that you don’t want to scratch, like the interior of your refrigerator, and its ability to absorb odours is legendary. Here are just 25 of the many things you can do, cheaply and easily, with plain old baking soda:
Stinky stuff:
1 Deodorize and clean cutting boards: baking soda is safe to ingest (indeed…we use it in cooking!), so it is safe to use on food preparation surfaces. If your cutting board is retaining odours despite a good wash with soap and water, sprinkle baking soda on a clean damp sponge, scrub the cutting board, and rinse clean. (To ensure the sponge is clean and germ-free, microwave it for one minute before using it.)
2. Garbage disposal odours: Pour about one third of a cup baking soda into the disposal followed by one or two squirts of dish washing liquid. Turn on the disposal for 15-30 seconds (with cold water running). If the odour persists, repeat the procedure, this time adding half a lemon (peel and all) and run the disposal for 60 seconds.
3. Refrigerator odours: Simply tear the top off a box of baking soda and place it near the back of the fridge. Replace monthly. (Don’t discard the used baking soda, though…you can re-use it for cleaning!) Once a month, clean the fridge with a baking soda solution (see below).
4. Freezer odours: sprinkle baking soda on paper plates, one for each shelf or basket. Leave the baking soda in the freezer for 24 hours, then remove and discard.
5. Vegetable crisper/meat keeper: If your refrigerator drawers have an aromatic life of their own, try sprinkling a thin layer of baking soda on the bottom of each drawer. Cover the baking powder with a piece of paper towelling to prevent baking soda from transferring to the food. In crispers, this can help keep vegetables from wilting. Replace monthly.
6. Lunch bag: has your zippered lunch bag developed a kind of funky odour that washing can’t seem to remove? Wash the bag, dry with a towel, then sprinkle ¼ cup of baking soda inside. Now zip it shut and shake thoroughly. Allow to sit overnight, then unzip and wipe clean inside. Smell will be gone!
7. Plastic ware, including baby bottles: if you have ever had milk or formula sour in a baby’s bottle, you know how difficult it can be to get the smell out! Soak the offending item in a baking soda solution overnight, then wash and rinse clean. No more sour milk smell!
8. Diaper pail: you’ve done the ecologically friendly thing and gone with cloth diapers…now avoid harsh chemicals and deodorize your diaper pail with baking soda. Sprinkle a little in the bottom of your clean, empty diaper pail and sprinkle a bit on each diaper as you add it to the pail. Not only will the odour be controlled, the baking soda will help clean and deodorize the diapers during laundering, leaving them sparkling clean!
9. Cat litter box: just as baking soda does is great job neutralizing diaper odours, it can help with your cat’s litter box as well. When preparing a fresh litter box for your cat, sprinkle a layer of baking soda in the bottom of the box before adding the litter. It will help absorb odours and, as kitty scratches in the box, it will be mixed with and spread throughout the litter.
10. Stinky shoes? Smelly feet? Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of baking soda in each shoe. Tap the shoes together to distribute the soda throughout the shoes. Allow to stand overnight, then dump the soda out and discard. Be sure to tap the shoes firmly to dislodge any clingy bits. Done regularly, your shoes will cease to retain odours and the residual baking soda inside the shoes will help deodorize your feet as well.
11. Mops: has your spaghetti mop taken on a sour smell? Rather than discard it and spend money on a new one, try this first: make a solution of 1 cup baking soda, ½ cup salt, one quart warm water. Soak the mop head in this solution for half a day, then rinse in clear water and wring dry. To prevent the mop from souring in the future, rinse thoroughly then allow to fully dry before storing.
12. Vacuum cleaner pumping out funky air? Add ½ to 1 cup of baking soda to your vacuum cleaner’s bag or dirt cup before using.
13. Pet beds: Vacuum regularly and sprinkle with baking soda. A sprinkle on Fido, brushed in, won’t go amiss either.
14. Garbage cans, trash bins: by their very nature, these items are prone to collecting odours. After collection, wash out bin with garden hose, turn upside down to drain thoroughly, then sprinkle a layer of baking soda in the bottom. Once a month or so, clean the inside of the bin with a baking soda solution (see below).
Cleaning stuff:
15. Fridge Cleaning: remove everything from the refrigerator, including the shelves, bins, and door shelves. Make a solution of ½ cup baking soda to 1 quart warm water and pour into the bins to soak the bottoms. In a bowl, make a solution of ½ cup baking soda to 1 quart warm water and carry it to the fridge with a fresh sponge (microwave for 1 minute to kill germs if it is not a new sponge). Wipe down the inside of the fridge, with this solution, during with a soft cloth as you go. Wash shelves, door shelves and bins with a warm baking soda solution, rinse, dry with a soft cloth, and return to the fridge. Restock the fridge, discarding items as necessary and wiping jars and bottles with a baking soda solution before returning them to the fridge. Place an open box of baking soda at the back of the fridge to retard odours.
16. Battery posts on your car: if your car is difficult to start and the battery has blue-green corrosion around the posts, a solution of baking soda may remedy the problem for you. Corrosion on battery posts can retard the flow of electricity from the battery to your starter, making your car difficult to start. Clean the posts with a solution of baking soda, but be sure to wear rubber gloves to protect your hands from the corrosion. Rinse with clear water, dry with paper towels (not cloth or reusable wipes).
17. Cleaning garbage bins: Rinse bins with garden hose. Make a solution of 1 cup baking soda, 1 cup salt, and 2 quarts warm water. Pour into bin and wash interior of bin with a mop. Stuff that is stuck to the bin can be scoured with a sponge: sprinkle baking soda onto the sponge and use as an abrasive. Rinse thoroughly with garden hose, turn upside down to drain. When dry, sprinkle a generous layer of baking soda inside to absorb odours.
18. Jewellery: Jewellery can be cleaned with a paste of baking soda and water and an old toothbrush. Even costume jewellery can be cleaned as long as the paste is not left on long enough to soften the glue that holds the “jewels” in place.
19. Cleaning stains from marble: some people don’t realize until it is too late that marble is porous and it stains. It makes beautiful kitchen counter and table tops, but it can be a chore to keep clean. If you find stains and discolorations on your beautiful marble, or if your bisque figurines have been dulled with accumulated grime, try cleaning them with a baking soda solution: 3 tablespoons baking soda dissolved in 1 quart of warm water.
For stubborn stains on marble, make a paste of baking soda, a squeeze of lemon juice, and water. Scrub affected area with a circular motion and rinse with clear water. If the stain persists, make a thick paste of lemon juice, water and baking soda, apply to the stain, cover with plastic and allow to work for 24 hours. Remove the paste (use a wood or plastic spatula if it has dried…never metal) and rinse area with clear water.
20. Oil stains on garage floor? Baking soda will leach oil out of concrete! Sprinkle a thick layer of baking soda over the stain and allow to sit for 24 hours. Sweep up the baking soda and discard. Repeat as necessary.
21. Burnt or scorched food stuck to a pan? Moisten the affected areas and apply baking soda thickly. Allow to stand overnight, then scrub clean.
22. Sludgy drains? Try putting a cup of baking soda down the offending drain followed by a cup of white vinegar. Wait 2 or 3 minutes, then flush with water.
23. Bathtub rings: dry baking soda applied to a damp sponge acts as a mild abrasive that will quickly remove those scummy bathtub rings.
Other uses:
24. Take the discomfort out of bee, wasp, and hornet stings: Make a thick paste of baking soda and water and apply to the sting. Leave on for at least five minutes.
25. Fire safety: Keep a box of baking soda, preferably already opened, anywhere you use open flame or the danger of combustion exists. Ideal places are near the kitchen stove, the fireplace, and the barbeque. A box in the workshop can be a lifesaver if a spark from grinding or sanding goes awry. It’s not a perfect substitute for a fire extinguisher, but certainly better than water, which can spread grease fires and conduct electricity in electrical fires.
Showing posts with label saving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label saving. Show all posts
Friday, December 14, 2007
Saving Money: 12 practical uses for one inexpensive product!
Did you know that one of the most useful…and economical…items you can have in your cabinet is a half gallon bottle of white vinegar?
Seriously! Take a look at some of the things you can do with it…
1. Windows: A solution of white vinegar and water (about 50/50) and some old newspapers will get your windows and mirrors just as clean as those blue window cleaners and paper towels, and is much kinder to your pocket.
2. Glassware and crystal: Other glassware, like stemware, glass vases, even your spectacles, will benefit from a quick polish with some white vinegar and a bit of newsprint, and is non-toxic as well!
3. Sunburn: got a painful sunburn? Compresses of white vinegar…or just stand in the tub and pour the vinegar over your shoulders and back…takes the sting right out! You will smell like a salad, but you won’t hurt nearly so much!
4. Boiled eggs: do you have a problem with eggs cracking when you boil them? For every dozen eggs you are boiling, add half a cup of white vinegar to the water. If the eggs crack, the white stuff will not leak out.
5. Poached eggs: tired of all that filmy floaty stuff in the water in your poached egg pan? Add a tablespoon (3 teaspoons) of white vinegar to the water before you slip the eggs in. The eggs will not have a vinegar taste, but they will look lovely and compact.
6. Souring milk/cream: does a recipe call for sour cream, soured milk, or buttermilk and you don’t have any? Pour out the requisite amount of liquid and add vinegar in a ratio of one tablespoon of vinegar per cup of liquid. Stir quickly and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Voila!
7. Urine smell: puppy have an accident on the carpet or tiles, and now keeps coming back to that spot? Soak the area with white vinegar, straight from the bottle (do not soak wood or laminate floors). Remove excess moisture with folded towels. Repeat as necessary. Vinegar neutralizes the ammonia smell that sends a “Here’s the toilet!” message to dogs and cats.
8. Cat squirt: got one of those cheeky cats that simply will not stay off the couch or kitchen counter tops? Fill a trigger-spray bottle with a solution of water and white vinegar. You can start with a 50% solution, but if the animal is recalcitrant, you can increase it up to 75% vinegar. Set the spray on stream (as opposed to mist) and keep it with you. When the cat misbehaves, shout “NO!” very loudly and squirt the cat. The vinegar will not harm the cat, but cats hate the smell. Eventually the cat will associate the command “NO!” with the wet smelly stuff and then you won’t need the squirt bottle any more.
9. Coffee machines, steam irons: Coffee machines, steam irons, and other appliances that use water are prone to developing deposits that clog them up and produce icky tastes. Shower heads are also prone to clogging with scale. Run your coffee machine with a 50% solution of white vinegar, then rinse thoroughly and run again with pure water; fill your steam iron with a 50% solution of white vinegar and press the button to get the steaming action to go. Hold the iron over an old towel or some newspaper, as it will spit and sputter. For showerheads, soak the showerhead in pure white vinegar and clear out the holes with a toothpick or pin. Rinse thoroughly. Caution: vinegar is an acid and may corrode some shower head finishes, so test first on an unobtrusive spot.
10. Copper and brass: Assuming your old copper kettle or brass gewgaws aren't covered with a protective coating, vinegar can clean them like magic. Just add salt. Yep, a little vinegar to cut the oxidation and a little salt for grit, plus a little elbow-grease from you and your copper and brass goodies will shine good as new. This is especially good for copper-bottomed pots as it is non-toxic, user-friendly, and best of all, cheap!
11. Jewellery cleaner: Soak your fine jewellery (diamond rings, gold studs, etc.) in vinegar to dissolve the dulling film they pick up from soaps, conditioners, even oils from your skin. For costume jewellery, test first on an unobtrusive spot to make sure it will not discolour, and use with caution on costume pieces using glue.
12. Removing soap scum: Vinegar cuts soap scum. If you have a serious build-up, it may take several attempts to remove it all, but once it is gone, wipe down your tub, shower doors and bathroom windows with vinegar and newspaper to keep them sparkling. Vinegar will even keep your shower curtain free of soap scum and mildew: just spray it weekly!
As you can see, white vinegar is truly a versatile product, good for more than making salad dressing or pickles. So save yourself a little dosh the next time you cruise through the supermarket: skip the cleaning products aisle and head for the white vinegar!
Seriously! Take a look at some of the things you can do with it…
1. Windows: A solution of white vinegar and water (about 50/50) and some old newspapers will get your windows and mirrors just as clean as those blue window cleaners and paper towels, and is much kinder to your pocket.
2. Glassware and crystal: Other glassware, like stemware, glass vases, even your spectacles, will benefit from a quick polish with some white vinegar and a bit of newsprint, and is non-toxic as well!
3. Sunburn: got a painful sunburn? Compresses of white vinegar…or just stand in the tub and pour the vinegar over your shoulders and back…takes the sting right out! You will smell like a salad, but you won’t hurt nearly so much!
4. Boiled eggs: do you have a problem with eggs cracking when you boil them? For every dozen eggs you are boiling, add half a cup of white vinegar to the water. If the eggs crack, the white stuff will not leak out.
5. Poached eggs: tired of all that filmy floaty stuff in the water in your poached egg pan? Add a tablespoon (3 teaspoons) of white vinegar to the water before you slip the eggs in. The eggs will not have a vinegar taste, but they will look lovely and compact.
6. Souring milk/cream: does a recipe call for sour cream, soured milk, or buttermilk and you don’t have any? Pour out the requisite amount of liquid and add vinegar in a ratio of one tablespoon of vinegar per cup of liquid. Stir quickly and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Voila!
7. Urine smell: puppy have an accident on the carpet or tiles, and now keeps coming back to that spot? Soak the area with white vinegar, straight from the bottle (do not soak wood or laminate floors). Remove excess moisture with folded towels. Repeat as necessary. Vinegar neutralizes the ammonia smell that sends a “Here’s the toilet!” message to dogs and cats.
8. Cat squirt: got one of those cheeky cats that simply will not stay off the couch or kitchen counter tops? Fill a trigger-spray bottle with a solution of water and white vinegar. You can start with a 50% solution, but if the animal is recalcitrant, you can increase it up to 75% vinegar. Set the spray on stream (as opposed to mist) and keep it with you. When the cat misbehaves, shout “NO!” very loudly and squirt the cat. The vinegar will not harm the cat, but cats hate the smell. Eventually the cat will associate the command “NO!” with the wet smelly stuff and then you won’t need the squirt bottle any more.
9. Coffee machines, steam irons: Coffee machines, steam irons, and other appliances that use water are prone to developing deposits that clog them up and produce icky tastes. Shower heads are also prone to clogging with scale. Run your coffee machine with a 50% solution of white vinegar, then rinse thoroughly and run again with pure water; fill your steam iron with a 50% solution of white vinegar and press the button to get the steaming action to go. Hold the iron over an old towel or some newspaper, as it will spit and sputter. For showerheads, soak the showerhead in pure white vinegar and clear out the holes with a toothpick or pin. Rinse thoroughly. Caution: vinegar is an acid and may corrode some shower head finishes, so test first on an unobtrusive spot.
10. Copper and brass: Assuming your old copper kettle or brass gewgaws aren't covered with a protective coating, vinegar can clean them like magic. Just add salt. Yep, a little vinegar to cut the oxidation and a little salt for grit, plus a little elbow-grease from you and your copper and brass goodies will shine good as new. This is especially good for copper-bottomed pots as it is non-toxic, user-friendly, and best of all, cheap!
11. Jewellery cleaner: Soak your fine jewellery (diamond rings, gold studs, etc.) in vinegar to dissolve the dulling film they pick up from soaps, conditioners, even oils from your skin. For costume jewellery, test first on an unobtrusive spot to make sure it will not discolour, and use with caution on costume pieces using glue.
12. Removing soap scum: Vinegar cuts soap scum. If you have a serious build-up, it may take several attempts to remove it all, but once it is gone, wipe down your tub, shower doors and bathroom windows with vinegar and newspaper to keep them sparkling. Vinegar will even keep your shower curtain free of soap scum and mildew: just spray it weekly!
As you can see, white vinegar is truly a versatile product, good for more than making salad dressing or pickles. So save yourself a little dosh the next time you cruise through the supermarket: skip the cleaning products aisle and head for the white vinegar!
22 Ways to Pinch Pennies and Make your Money go Further
Like it or not, food prices are going up. It’s inevitable, after all…everything goes up eventually…but for some reason prices have this nasty habit of going up faster than salaries.
Economizing at the grocery store (along with reducing electricity and fuel use) is an effective method of belt tightening, but a surprising number of people just don’t understand how to shop in such a way to reduce their costs. Here are a few tips:
1. Stick a piece of paper to the refrigerator door with a magnet and put a pen on top of the fridge. Each time you run low (don’t wait until you are completely out) on something, write it on the piece of paper. At the end of the week you will have a list of the things that you need to buy at the store. Stick to the list (with the exceptions noted below).
2. Buy items you use a lot of in bulk quantities. For example, buying toilet paper one roll at a time is the most costly way of doing it. Buy the largest quantity you can (9 or 12 roll pack of TP, for example), especially when it is on sale. This does not apply to perishables unless you can freeze them: you can freeze butter, for example, but not apples.
3. Stock up on things that are on sale and will not spoil before you use them: toilet paper, pasta in sealed cello bags, rice, sugar (if you can store it in air-tight containers), cleaning and laundry supplies. When possible, shop at warehouse-type stores card and buy such items as laundry soap and bleach in large containers. Skip expensive pre-treating compounds and use a paste of laundry soap and water to treat stains.
4. Reduce your use of chemical cleaners: use white vinegar (and newspaper) to clean glass and mirrors, to polish surfaces. Use salt and vinegar for scouring brass and copper. Purchase a store-brand multi-purpose cleaner in large containers for general purpose cleaning and decant into smaller spray bottles. Buy kitchen liquid soap in a gallon-sized container and decant it into a smaller bottle for daily use. Use laundry bleach to clean your toilet and shower. Teak oil is much less expensive than such things as Pledge and your wood loves it better: use it for wood furniture (indoors and out), natural wood floors, door and window frames.
5. Canned foods that you use frequently…tuna or canned fruits and veg…purchase in quantity when they are on sale or buy in quantity. Do not, however, purchase large cans unless you can use the entire contents in a day or two, otherwise the product will spoil.
6. If you use zipper-type plastic bags, buy the best brands and wash and re-use the bags. Cheap bags don’t last and ultimately cost more in the long run (because you have to keep replacing them).
Convenience is costly
7. Wean yourself away from disposable stuff. Instead of paper towels, buy reusable wipes and run them through the laundry. To keep them from shredding in the wash, cut the leg off an old pair of pantyhose (surely you save those things…don’t we all?) and put the wipes inside the leg, knot it shut, and toss in the wash with your jeans.
8. Give up expensive habits: stop smoking; stop take out; make fast food a treat rather than a regular alternative to cooking. Stop buying soft drinks…make them an occasional treat rather than a part of daily life. Water is better for you than coffee, tea, or cola, anyway. Not bottled water…tap water. Water quality questionable? Boil the water and store it in clean containers for drinking.
9. At the store, buy seasonal fruits only. Out-of-season fruits and veg, no matter how tempting to your taste buds, are a disaster to your pocket.
10. Think before you buy…learn to calculate the cost per unit so that you can intelligently compare prices…you could get some big surprises! You would think that it would be cheaper to buy whole fruit and cut it yourself rather than buy fruit already sliced, right? Well, if pre-cut strawberries and whole strawberries are the same price, the cut berries are actually a better buy because you aren’t buying any waste. It isn’t until the cut strawberries cost more than the whole berries (with green tops on) that the whole berries are the better buy.
11. The same applies to meat, where there can be a lot of waste. Meat should be purchased on a “cost per serving” basis rather than “cost per pound.” You see, if you buy cheap hamburger, you are buying a lot of fat that will be rendered out during cooking, reducing the amount of actual meat per serving. Look at a piece of meat and try to figure out how much of it is fat, gristle, and bone…you will pay for these bits at the same price you pay for the meat, but you will throw that stuff away. So, if you pay $7 for a pound of meat that is 50% waste, you are actually paying $7 for half a pound of edible meat, or $14 per pound for the meat. Rather than throw away half of your money in the form of bones, fat and gristle, buy a smaller quantity of a higher quality meat…save money and improve the quality of your meals.
12. When meats are on sale, buy a larger quantity than usual then, at home, cut the extra into serving size pieces and freeze. Wrap in foil or put in zipper freezer bags, both of which can be cleaned and re-used. When available and on sale, buy large quantities of chicken parts and make up meal-sized packets for freezing.
13. Do your meal planning in the market: upon entering, go directly to the meat department to see which meat/poultry/fish are on special. Choose your meats for the week, deciding at the time of purchase what you are going to prepare with each one. Then, go to the produce department and collect the necessary produce for the meals, concentrating on the items on sale. Stay away from specialty produce, like endive and baby corn, and concentrate on staples like potatoes and carrots (the cheapest ones, not the peeled baby carrots!), and flavourful items like onion and garlic.
14. Cook things that the leftovers can be the basis of another meal. Make a bigger beef roast than usual, serve only two-thirds of it. Keep back the other third for the basis of a stew the following day. Serve a roasted chicken, then use the leftover bones, skin, and meat as the base of a chicken soup or stew the following day.
15. Take advantage of inexpensive meats like smoked ham hocks that can be used to flavour a pot of dried beans, split peas, or lentils and make a delicious, filling meal at a remarkably low cost.
16. Make meatless meals out of seasonal vegetables: leek and potato soup, or even just potato soup. Eggs…omelettes, for example, or frittatas…are not just for breakfast, you know.
17. Make hamburger go further by making dishes like spaghetti sauce, chili con carne or tamale pie. Make a meatloaf, meatballs, or hamburger patties using bread (soak in water and wring out) or oatmeal as an extender.
18. Eliminate brand name cereals: buy store-brand cereals and make cooked oatmeal (not instant) for breakfast. Liven up the flavour with a drizzle of honey, some sliced fruit, or a spoonful of jam.
19. Pack lunches for family members. Peanut butter is an excellent source of protein and most children love peanut butter sandwiches. A piece of fruit, a tub of store-brand yoghurt, and a bottle of fruit juice (not those expensive juice boxes…decant juice that you buy in large containers into smaller plastic bottles), and perhaps one or two cookies makes a fine lunch. Instead of expensive cold cuts, make egg or tuna salad (lots of protein, inexpensive). And buy cheese in blocks rather than slices, and use a cheese slicer to cut sandwich-sized slices.
20. Shop at a low cost supermarket…you can save hundreds by staying out of the premium, high-end stores.
21. Don’t waste precious fuel by driving from one market to the next to take advantage of every market’s sale. Spending $1 on gas to save a nickel on peas is penny wise and dollar foolish.
22. Whenever possible, grow your own: tomatoes can be grown in pots on even a small balcony, and you can plant a dwarf lemon or orange tree in a half barrel…and then plant leaf lettuce (which you will harvest by cutting leaves carefully off the plant, allowing it to grow even more) in a circle around the tree trunk. Voila! Free salad!
Not all of these suggestions work for every household, but employing as many as you can will surely reduce the amount of money you fork over to the market every month.
Economizing at the grocery store (along with reducing electricity and fuel use) is an effective method of belt tightening, but a surprising number of people just don’t understand how to shop in such a way to reduce their costs. Here are a few tips:
1. Stick a piece of paper to the refrigerator door with a magnet and put a pen on top of the fridge. Each time you run low (don’t wait until you are completely out) on something, write it on the piece of paper. At the end of the week you will have a list of the things that you need to buy at the store. Stick to the list (with the exceptions noted below).
2. Buy items you use a lot of in bulk quantities. For example, buying toilet paper one roll at a time is the most costly way of doing it. Buy the largest quantity you can (9 or 12 roll pack of TP, for example), especially when it is on sale. This does not apply to perishables unless you can freeze them: you can freeze butter, for example, but not apples.
3. Stock up on things that are on sale and will not spoil before you use them: toilet paper, pasta in sealed cello bags, rice, sugar (if you can store it in air-tight containers), cleaning and laundry supplies. When possible, shop at warehouse-type stores card and buy such items as laundry soap and bleach in large containers. Skip expensive pre-treating compounds and use a paste of laundry soap and water to treat stains.
4. Reduce your use of chemical cleaners: use white vinegar (and newspaper) to clean glass and mirrors, to polish surfaces. Use salt and vinegar for scouring brass and copper. Purchase a store-brand multi-purpose cleaner in large containers for general purpose cleaning and decant into smaller spray bottles. Buy kitchen liquid soap in a gallon-sized container and decant it into a smaller bottle for daily use. Use laundry bleach to clean your toilet and shower. Teak oil is much less expensive than such things as Pledge and your wood loves it better: use it for wood furniture (indoors and out), natural wood floors, door and window frames.
5. Canned foods that you use frequently…tuna or canned fruits and veg…purchase in quantity when they are on sale or buy in quantity. Do not, however, purchase large cans unless you can use the entire contents in a day or two, otherwise the product will spoil.
6. If you use zipper-type plastic bags, buy the best brands and wash and re-use the bags. Cheap bags don’t last and ultimately cost more in the long run (because you have to keep replacing them).
Convenience is costly
7. Wean yourself away from disposable stuff. Instead of paper towels, buy reusable wipes and run them through the laundry. To keep them from shredding in the wash, cut the leg off an old pair of pantyhose (surely you save those things…don’t we all?) and put the wipes inside the leg, knot it shut, and toss in the wash with your jeans.
8. Give up expensive habits: stop smoking; stop take out; make fast food a treat rather than a regular alternative to cooking. Stop buying soft drinks…make them an occasional treat rather than a part of daily life. Water is better for you than coffee, tea, or cola, anyway. Not bottled water…tap water. Water quality questionable? Boil the water and store it in clean containers for drinking.
9. At the store, buy seasonal fruits only. Out-of-season fruits and veg, no matter how tempting to your taste buds, are a disaster to your pocket.
10. Think before you buy…learn to calculate the cost per unit so that you can intelligently compare prices…you could get some big surprises! You would think that it would be cheaper to buy whole fruit and cut it yourself rather than buy fruit already sliced, right? Well, if pre-cut strawberries and whole strawberries are the same price, the cut berries are actually a better buy because you aren’t buying any waste. It isn’t until the cut strawberries cost more than the whole berries (with green tops on) that the whole berries are the better buy.
11. The same applies to meat, where there can be a lot of waste. Meat should be purchased on a “cost per serving” basis rather than “cost per pound.” You see, if you buy cheap hamburger, you are buying a lot of fat that will be rendered out during cooking, reducing the amount of actual meat per serving. Look at a piece of meat and try to figure out how much of it is fat, gristle, and bone…you will pay for these bits at the same price you pay for the meat, but you will throw that stuff away. So, if you pay $7 for a pound of meat that is 50% waste, you are actually paying $7 for half a pound of edible meat, or $14 per pound for the meat. Rather than throw away half of your money in the form of bones, fat and gristle, buy a smaller quantity of a higher quality meat…save money and improve the quality of your meals.
12. When meats are on sale, buy a larger quantity than usual then, at home, cut the extra into serving size pieces and freeze. Wrap in foil or put in zipper freezer bags, both of which can be cleaned and re-used. When available and on sale, buy large quantities of chicken parts and make up meal-sized packets for freezing.
13. Do your meal planning in the market: upon entering, go directly to the meat department to see which meat/poultry/fish are on special. Choose your meats for the week, deciding at the time of purchase what you are going to prepare with each one. Then, go to the produce department and collect the necessary produce for the meals, concentrating on the items on sale. Stay away from specialty produce, like endive and baby corn, and concentrate on staples like potatoes and carrots (the cheapest ones, not the peeled baby carrots!), and flavourful items like onion and garlic.
14. Cook things that the leftovers can be the basis of another meal. Make a bigger beef roast than usual, serve only two-thirds of it. Keep back the other third for the basis of a stew the following day. Serve a roasted chicken, then use the leftover bones, skin, and meat as the base of a chicken soup or stew the following day.
15. Take advantage of inexpensive meats like smoked ham hocks that can be used to flavour a pot of dried beans, split peas, or lentils and make a delicious, filling meal at a remarkably low cost.
16. Make meatless meals out of seasonal vegetables: leek and potato soup, or even just potato soup. Eggs…omelettes, for example, or frittatas…are not just for breakfast, you know.
17. Make hamburger go further by making dishes like spaghetti sauce, chili con carne or tamale pie. Make a meatloaf, meatballs, or hamburger patties using bread (soak in water and wring out) or oatmeal as an extender.
18. Eliminate brand name cereals: buy store-brand cereals and make cooked oatmeal (not instant) for breakfast. Liven up the flavour with a drizzle of honey, some sliced fruit, or a spoonful of jam.
19. Pack lunches for family members. Peanut butter is an excellent source of protein and most children love peanut butter sandwiches. A piece of fruit, a tub of store-brand yoghurt, and a bottle of fruit juice (not those expensive juice boxes…decant juice that you buy in large containers into smaller plastic bottles), and perhaps one or two cookies makes a fine lunch. Instead of expensive cold cuts, make egg or tuna salad (lots of protein, inexpensive). And buy cheese in blocks rather than slices, and use a cheese slicer to cut sandwich-sized slices.
20. Shop at a low cost supermarket…you can save hundreds by staying out of the premium, high-end stores.
21. Don’t waste precious fuel by driving from one market to the next to take advantage of every market’s sale. Spending $1 on gas to save a nickel on peas is penny wise and dollar foolish.
22. Whenever possible, grow your own: tomatoes can be grown in pots on even a small balcony, and you can plant a dwarf lemon or orange tree in a half barrel…and then plant leaf lettuce (which you will harvest by cutting leaves carefully off the plant, allowing it to grow even more) in a circle around the tree trunk. Voila! Free salad!
Not all of these suggestions work for every household, but employing as many as you can will surely reduce the amount of money you fork over to the market every month.
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