Cyndi Roberts

Help! Prices Keep Going Up!

Gasoline is going up in price constantly, as aregroceries, taxes and other things we have no controlover. We are all under pressure to make do withless--be it money or time.

Here are a few suggestions for saving time and moneyaround the house:

1. Instead of aerosol sprays or expensive candles,when there is an odor in your home--from a smoker,or from cooking, whatever--try this quick method ofgetting rid of it: Heat white vinegar in a saucepanon the stove for a few minutes. You will smell vinegar for a few minutes, but when the vinegar smell is gone, so is the offending odor.

A slower method is just to set a bowl of white vinegaron the kitchen counter for a few hours or overnight.

2. If you have a septic system for your home, onlyuse white toilet tissue, no colored inks which breakdown the chemical reactions that make the system workproperly.

3. Heat-producing appliances are the biggest wastersof electricity in the home. Air-dry all the laundryyou can. For fluffy towels, dry in the dryer for 5-10minutes and then hang outside to finish drying. The samefor permanent press items of clothing. Just dry for afew minutes to remove the wrinkles and then hang to drycompletely.

4. Your microwave oven uses less energy to run thanyour kitchen range.

5. Wash your windows on a cool, cloudy day so the heatof the sun doesn't dry the glass before you can get itclean!

6. Refill empty milk jugs with water and place in theempty spots in your freezer to keep it running moreefficiently. Plus, you will have ice for your icechest in summer.

7. Save all your plastic shopping bags and use them asliners in wastebaskets.

8. If possible, route your washing machine to drain outside and water your lawn or garden.

9. Use small loads in your washer and dryer to help eliminate wrinkles. Cold water rinsing also helpskeep wrinkles to a minimum.

10. When dusting, add a little liquid fabric softenerto a soft cloth. Because of the anti-static properties,it helps keep dust off a little longer. Plus, it makesthe room smell really good!

11. Don't throw away your old shower curtain! Use it as adrop cloth when painting. Or cover the floor or table whenyou or the kids are working on a craft project.

12. To remove water spots from your stainless steel sink,simply wipe with white vinegar or rubbing alcohol.

13. Instead of buying extra pillows to go in your pillow shams, store your extra blankets in them.

14. For a natural carpet deodorizer, sprinkle carpetwith baking soda. Let sit for a few minutes or even over-night; then vacuum as usual.

15. Put an old sock on your hand, dampen it a little,and dust the leaves of your houseplants. Add a dab ofmayonnaise and your plants' leaves will shine!

"We have succeeded in life when all we really want is onlywhat we really need."

Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR