Current Moon Phase

Waxing Gibbous
94% of full

Farmers Almanac
The 2013 Farmers Almanac
Farmers' Almanac

Yankee Ingenuity and the Wooden Clothespin

Technorati Tags:
Yankee Ingenuity, Clothespins, Energy Savings

Frugal / Yankee Ingenuity – got to love how some people  can stretch a dollar. With less stretching at the pump, there are ways to get more for your money. Let’s take something simple (and cheap) like the wooden clothespin. Here are uses that you may not have considered:

Household

   Food bag closer – It costs $1.19 for a plastic closer in the store. But, a clothespin does the trick. It is actually a tighter devise and a fraction of the cost. And, during those hot, humid months, cereals, crackers and other bagged goodies stay fresh.

  Paper holders – good for keeping notes, receipts, monthly bills – any paper. It wind proofs the pile.

  Book markers – clip to the page where you stop reading.

  Clothes identifiers – print different names on the clothespins and use to clip to boots, mittens and shoes together.

Camping

  Clip clothespins to paper plates so they hold the plates down and won’t blow away.

  Clip wet towels, bathing suits, etc on thin tree branches.

  Use one to hold short matches when lighting candles, lanterns, or campfires.

  Use a clothespin as an emergency safety pin or hairclip.

Wooden clothespins cost about 7.5 cents each. They are often overlooked since most people don’t hang clothes on a line anymore. Speaking of that, during the summer have you considered a clothing rack to dry towels and sheets instead of an electric clothes dryer?? The sun does the trick and clothes smell fresher.

If you notice a hole in the upper left-hand corner of your Farmers' Almanac, don't return it to the store! That hole isn't a defect; it's a part of history. Starting with the first edition of the Farmers' Almanac in 1818, readers used to nail holes into the corners to hang it up in their homes, barns, and outhouses (to provide both reading material and toilet paper). In 1910, the Almanac's publishers began pre-drilling holes in the corners to make it even easier for readers to keep all of that invaluable information (and paper) handy.

qrcode