What I love even more than the genius tips my readers send in are the little love notes and thank-yous tucked in alongside them. Honestly, I’m a complete sap for that kind of friendship, and it means more to me than I can say. Knowing there’s a whole community of friends out there reading and enjoying these columns? That’s the wind beneath my slightly frazzled wings.
Hour-Per-Inch Rule
Although it is absolutely counterintuitive, the fact is that burning a pillar or jar candle for at least an hour per inch of diameter each time you light up will give the candle many more burning hours over time. This way, the flame has enough time to melt the wax all the way to the outer edges so the whole candle burns down efficiently. Each time you cut short a burning session, the flame only burns the wax in the center, which wastes the outer wax at that level, causing the whole thing to cave in and turn ugly long before its time.—JessicaHotel Travel Tip
If you’ve ever left something behind in a hotel room, you are going to love this tip. From now on, make this the first thing you do when you walk in your room: Take a hand towel from the bathroom and spread it out on the desk or other countertop in the room. This becomes the de facto place for all your things that you have a place for at home. Put your room key on the towel, along with your car keys, sunglasses, rechargers, wallet—everything. Now everything is visible in one spot, rather than scattered about the room. As you come and go, return these items to their place on the towel. When you’re ready to check out, no searching, nothing left behind.—MaryNonfood Bargains
Do not buy nonfood items at the grocery store. Items like paper goods, garbage bags, and cleaning supplies can all be purchased for lower prices at discount stores like Target, Walmart, or dollar stores. Grocery stores only sell them thinking the convenience of buying these items at the same time you buy your food will make you not mind spending twice as much.—JenniferA-Peeling Idea
Every year a woman I know would clog the garbage disposer when she peeled the potatoes for Hanukkah latkes. It was as much a tradition as candles and gelt. She and her family thought it was just a quirk of her sink. Here’s the problem: Grinding potato peels in the disposer turns them into a mashed-like mass that’s almost guaranteed to clog any drain. An easy solution is to line your sink with newspaper (or a plastic bag), peel the potatoes onto the paper, then chuck the whole thing in the compost heap or trash.—KennethBreak Out the Baby Oil
If your mascara seems to be dried out, but you need to get just a few more uses out of it, trickle a drop or two of baby oil on the wand and then mix it well. It should yield a few more coats of eyelash enhancement. (If the mascara is more than six months old, it should be replaced.)—JulietSafe Take-Apart
I am a retired soldier. During my active career, we moved often. That meant my inner DIY needed to come out often. We disassembled many things over the years, and I would like to add to your tips on taking things apart. Once the item is disassembled, always reposition the fasteners, screws or bolts, and nuts back into the holes, exactly where they were. You are not putting the item back together, simply inserting the hardware into the specific slots and holes. Packing all these items into a zip-type plastic bag sounds like a good idea, but unless you very securely tape the back to the piece you took apart, the bag always seems to get lost some way or another. Putting the fasteners back where they were means they will always be in the right place when and where you need them!—Colonel T.W.Shoe Polish Cleanup
I can never seem to polish shoes without getting it all over my hands. Remembering how great liquid blue Dawn Ultra is for removing grease from dishes—and that wax is a kind of grease—I decided to give that a try. In the past I have used hand soap and would have to rub and rub to get the stain to come off. I was amazed at how quickly the polish came off clean with just a few drops of Dawn Ultra dishwashing liquid! Thank you for all the great tips you share with everyone. I have several Everyday Cheapskate articles taped to the inside of the doors of my laundry and kitchen cabinets for quick reference. A special thank you for the granite top cleaner/disinfectant. I was worried about sanitation, but at the same time I didn’t want to ruin the granite with anything that might contain acid. This is a wonderful, inexpensive solution.—Gayle(All that Gayle refers to can be found easily at EverydayCheapskate.com. Use the search icon to locate just about anything!—MH)
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