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Emergency Lights
Power went out in my parents’ home and my mom went outside and got one of her solar lights that outline the front yard. It was the best light she used. It stayed lit the entire night until the power came back on. Plus she was able to walk around the house with it and it lit up everything. Lori
Garage Storage
Use inexpensive rain gutters to create convenient storage for molding, lightweight lumber, pipes, and other long, thin items. To install the vinyl or aluminum gutters, cut the lengths you want and use screws to fasten the mounting brackets to studs. Then snap the gutters into place. Use the brackets alone as hooks for garden hoses, extension cords, and wire coils. Kyra M.
Test Drive Your New Home
If you’re thinking of moving up to a bigger apartment or home and anticipate a larger monthly payment, here’s a way to see if the increased monthly payment will fit in your budget. For 9 to 12 months save the difference between your current rent or mortgage and the anticipated amount of your new rent or mortgage. For instance, if your rent is $500 and you want to get into a house and you think the payments will be $800, then put $300 per month in the bank. If you have to miss a month of depositing the $300, you’ll know that the new rent or mortgage is more than your budget can provide for, as you’d have missed your payment for that month. Also, you’ll be growing your savings for the year. April G. in Cordova, TN
Personalized Thank You Notes
Instead of sending regular “thank you” notes after my children’s birthday parties, I get double prints of my child with each guest and write a note on the back of one and send it to the guest. This way, each child has a nice reminder that is much more personal than a “form letter” thank you! Carrie W.
Breastfeeding and Insurance
One place that people forget to look for savings in regards to breastfeeding is their own health insurance! My pediatrician referred me to a lactation consultant due to breastfeeding problems, and I only had to pay my $10 co-pay for each visit. In addition, my pediatrician “prescribed” a breast pump for me. Under the terms of my health insurance contract, I only had to pay $5/month for “medical equipment rental.” I did buy the tubing/bottles from the hospital new ($50). However, you can now buy them off of eBay for a little bit cheaper. Andrea B.
Expert Self-Defense Advice
A friend of mine has a second-degree black belt in karate. He often does self-defense talks for women. He always encourages women to try to run, as that’s your best defense. If you can’t run, go for the eyes, throat or knees. If you try to inflict pain, like going for the groin, you are risking the possibility that this person could be on drugs, which will mask their pain response. If you go for the eyes, they won’t be able to see you. If you go for the throat, they won’t be able to breathe. If you go for the knees, they won’t be able to run. Donna in Raleigh
Fresh Frozen Fish
If you catch or buy more fish than you can eat right away and want to freeze the excess, just place the fish in a quart-size or sandwich-size freezer bag, fill with plain tap water to about an inch below the top, squeeze the air out, and seal. This leaves room for the bag to accommodate expansion of the water when it freezes. Freeze them and enjoy later! I’ve kept fish (freshwater and saltwater) this way for up to three years, and they were as fresh and good as the day caught. Thawing does take about twice as long. Michael C. in Kennewick, WA
Expensive ‘Melts’
I just got back from my local mega-center where I purchased cough syrup for my daughter. Some cough medicines now come in tablets or “melts.” While the prices are the same, the liquid contains almost twice the medicine that the tablets do. My daughter needs 1 tsp. of syrup (5 ml), and from a 118-ml bottle, she gets almost 23 doses. The “melts” box only contained 12 doses for the same cost. That’s a significant difference, especially if you’re dosing more than one child. Teresa in MO
Cookie Cutter
When making cookies, instead of rolling dough and cutting into shapes or dropping dough by spoon-full, I pat dough onto a jelly roll pan or pizza pan and bake. Then I cut the warm dough with a pizza cutter as soon as I remove it from oven. This makes baking cookies so much faster. They taste good, and it saves time in kitchen. Barbara
Military Care Packages
My son, who is in the Marines, is deployed to Iraq. I like to send him care packages frequently and also to other soldiers who aren’t getting any mail. Whenever I get fast food, I ask for condiments. I collect those, the free mints given out after dinner, and any other freebies I can find to help fill up the care packages. This may not seem like a big deal, but anything that will spice up the MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) is a good thing. I also collect little lotions, soaps, etc. that I get in motels and send those along. And you know those salsa bags that come with the Mexican dinner kits (get them when they’re buy one get one)? Those are good too. You can save them up and look up a local organization that sends care packages. For almost nothing, you have something to contribute. And remember, a letter to a service person is the cheapest form of cheer!