Smart Hints That Save

by Peter Geiger | Thursday, February 19th, 2009 | From: Farmers' Almanac Blog

I promised more cost saving ideas. Here are a few broken into categories:

Food:

An egg white added to a cup of cream will double the volume of whipped cream.

You can stretch a food budget if you avoid the “best grades” when appearance is not important. Lower grades are just as nutritious but contain smaller or less perfect items or less sugary syrups.

Rub butter over the cut end of an onion to keep it fresh for future use.

The expiration dates has passed on the carton of eggs. Here is how to determine if eggs can be used - a fresh egg sinks in water and lies on its side. If it stand on end, it’s getting old. If it floats, get rid of it.

Auto:

Put gas in your vehicle in the morning or evening hours. When it is cooler, the gas has greater density.

Do you idle your car? You waste a cup of gasoline for every 5 minutes it idles.Driving unnecessary weight costs too – 1% for every 50 lbs.

Home:

Make your own household cleaning products. Vinegar and water make a great window cleaner; borax and water make a great all purpose cleaner and baking soda is an Earth friendly, inexpensive way to remove baked-on, burned-on foods in pots and pans. If you add vinegar to baking soda and put in a drain the – it unclogs the pipes easily.

Dollar for dollar and convenience not a factor, the family whose wash loads are less than 5 a week should use a Laundromat rather than launder at home.

Save slivers of soap to put in the toe of an old stocking. Tie this to the outside faucet for the children and gardener to use for quick clean ups.

Put a timer on your water heater. Then turn it on for a few hours in advance of it’s use. Then turn off. Water heaters consume between 15% – 30% of a home’s energy.

Dented ping pong balls become round again when boiled in water.

Instead of buying eyeglass cleaners. Wipe a drop of vinegar over each lens to shine it clean and streak free.

Firewood – the price of cut and split firewood has increased as quickly as the price of heating oil. In order to judge what is the best , remember that a cord of hardwood has the heat value of 200 gallons of oil or a ton of hard coal.

Drop in the bucket – a faucet that leaks one drop per second means a loss of 700 gallons of water per year. So check fixtures and repair.

Peter Geiger is the Editor of the Farmers' Almanac. Read his full biography here.

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Farmers' Almanac Long Range Weather

February 8th - February 11th

United States

Canada

Northeast U.S.
Wet snow mixed with rain Mid-Atlantic north through New England; slushy accumulations of 4+" possible.
Midwest/Great Lakes U.S.
Accumulating snows Kentucky, Ohio, then clearing. Fair elsewhere.
Southeast U.S.
Wet snow Tennessee, western North Carolina; wintry mix northern Mississippi, Alabama. Elsewhere, rain, then clearing.
North Central U.S.
Drier, much colder.
South Central U.S.
Snow parts of Arkansas, then clearing, cold. Clear, much colder elsewhere.
Northwest U.S.
Drier, but colder.
Southwest U.S.
Drier, but noticeably colder.