Effective Use of Errand Time

To save time while running errands:

~Keep a running list of groceries and household supplies you need.

~Group your errands so that you can accomplish several in a single trip.

~Try to patronize stores and offices near your home, your work, or on the rout between the two. Always try to accomplish an errand on the way to something else instead of making a special trip.

~Whenever possible, do errands when traffic is light and lines are short--usually between 10 and 3 on weekdays and in the evenings.

~If you have appointments or errands at several locations, schedcule them so that you can go from one to the next with a minimum of wasted time and travel.

~Eliminate additional trips by making back-to-back doctor or dentist appts for family members. Try to get the first appt in the morning or right after lunch.

~Take your weekly list with you whenever you go out on errands. You may be able to fit in something that you scheduled for later in the week.

August 16, 2009

Shopping hints

~Use sales flyers and shop for the best bargains. You can plan your menus around the bargains, or use your shopping list. Always use coupons.

~Shop loss-leaders. These are the items the store loses money on but they draw customers. They are usually placed on the ends of the aisles. Again, you can plan your weekly menu around these items.

~Shop at stores that will match prices in sales flyers for one stop shopping. Keep a notebook with prices of items you buy most often to help keep track of bargains and to compare prices.

June 28, 2009

Using Spare Time

~Most small chores can be accomplished in bits and pieces of time; for example:

With 5 minutes you could:
Make an appointment
File your nails
Water houseplants
Sew a button on

With 10 minutes you could:
Write a short letter or note
Hand-wash some clothes
Straighten your desk
Wash a window inside and out

With 30 minutes you could:
Exercise
Go through backed-up magazines or newspapers
Work on a craft project
Vacuum three or four rooms
Weed a flower bed

August 30, 2009

Water storage

~When you are through with your plastic 2 liter pop bottles** or juice containers that are CLEAR, rinse them out with water and then fill them up for your emergency water supply. If you have bottles that have colored plastic, use that water for washing and NOT drinking. The die in the bottle can supposedly seep into the water and can be bad for you. If you live in a place that has treated water, you don't need to put bleach in your water when you are storing it. If your water is not treated, you can use the measurements below to help ensure your water is safe to drink.

*Boil water vigorously for 3-5 minutes.

*Put 8 drops of chlorine bleach (unscented) for every gallon of CLEAR water and wait for 30 minutes before drinking.

*Put 24 drops of chlorine bleach (unscented) for every gallon of CLOUDY water and wait for 60 minutes before drinking.

~If you open the water and it tastes stale, you can flavor the water with Kool-Aid, hot cocoa powder, fruit drink mix, etc.

~Fill up your empty plastic laundry detergent bottles with water. Don't rinse them out, the leftover soap in the container will be great for cleaning or clothes washing in an emergency.

**Plastic pop bottles will disentegrate over time, so check on them.

October 11, 2009

Safe Turkey Stuffing

~Rather than stuffing a turkey you can bake stuffing in the oven or better yet, use your crockpot. Many food safety experts recommend this method anyway, since it can be difficult to make sure the stuffing is hot enough to kill the bacteria.

~You can put a halved onion and some celery inside the turkey to give the turkey the flavor of stuffing or you can mix some softened butter with herbs and rub it between the skin and flesh and over the skin before you star the roasting process.

~Make sure to check the cooking times. The roasting times for stuffed vs unstuffed turkeys are different.

November 15, 2009

Phone scams

~If a caller asks for your credit card number to verify a free vacation or other gift, hang up. Your number may be used to charge purchases by phone.

~Make sure you know the charges before calling 900 numbers. Most 800 numbers are free - 900 numbers aren't.

~Be very suspicious if you recieve a collect call from someone who says he's a law-enforcement officer with emergency information about a family member, requesting your phone card number to charge the call. Other variations of this scam include a telephone company investigator checking a system failure, or a FCC official investigating a complaint.

~Ask for a financial report if a caller requests a charitable donation. Reputable charities will always send this information if you ask.

**Never make an investment with a stranger over the phone!

Easy way to peel potatoes

Bring water to a boil, wash potatoes and score with knife all the way around the middle. Drop gently in boiling water and boil for about 15 minutes. Prepare a bowl of ice water. Remove one of the potatoes from water with tongs and place in ice water. Move it around in the ice for about 10 seconds. Remove from water and take the skins right off. See a demonstration on Youtube.com - "Dawn Wells Potato Peeling Video".

May 2, 2010

Various Remedies for Clogged Drains

~All you need to clean every drain in your house is baking soda and white vinegar. Run hot water down the drain and pour in some baking soda, then some vinegar. It will bubble up. When it has stopped bubbling up, rinse with some more hot water. You won't have any clogs if you do this once every week. Use 1/2 cup each.

~Use 1/2 C Dawn liquid dish detergent poured dcown your kitchen drain once a week or month depending upon how much grease you have and flush with very hot water. If you have a clog pour the Dawn in and let it sit for half an hour then flush with very hot water.

~This is a plumber's tip: squirt some liquid dish detergent down your drain. Let sit for half and hour. Flush with hot water. This will keep your drains clog-free. He said this would cut plumbing bills in half if people would just do this once a week.

~Pour 2 cups boiling water down a clogged drain. Mix 1/8 C salt, 1/2 C baking soda, and 1/2 C vinegar and pour down the clogged drain. Finish by pouring 2 more cups boiling water down the drain. Your clog should be gone.

March 21, 2010

Revive Old Marker Pens

Acetone nail polish remover will revive an old marker pen when it gets dried up. Just dip the tip part in the acetone. Recap. Can use it again to write, draw, or color within a couple of hours.

March 14, 2010

Super Glue Remover

Use acetone nail polish remover on a cotton ball and let it saturate the super glue to remove it.

March 14, 2010

Germ Transmissions in Doctor's Office

"One of the places high in germ transmission is the reception area in doctors' offices--the counter clipboards, pens, and even magazines. For self-defense, use your own pen, carry hand sanitizer with you, and wash your hands when you get get home."

--Wall Street Journal

May 9, 2010

Scuff Mark Removers

Here are some ideas for scuff mark removers:

Mayonnaise
WD-40
Erasers
Turpentine

March 28, 2010