Home & Garden

Recently I read where over time we waste a tremendous amount with leftovers in bottles. Especially with those liquids that are thick, like shampoo and hair conditioner. So, rather than throwing away unempty bottles

I'd been trying to figure out how to keep the squirrels from eating all the food in our bird feeder and I came across this tip that suggested rubbing petroleum jelly on the pole which causes the squirrels to

Are you interested in having a more eco-friendly holiday this year?  Do you have a friend, like me, who would appreciate a ‘green’ gift? Would you like to green your children’s lunches?  

When my daughter returned from a trip to Denmark one of the souvenirs she brought us was this soap bar shaped piece of stainless steel. It even came with its own soap dish. I had no clue what to do with it

I'd been noticing recently that for some reason mold had accumulated in some of the grout way above the towel bar in the shower. Why there? Who knows? In addition, I also noticed that what I originally

Earlier today I got a splinter and my wife said that she heard all I needed to do was pour on a drop of Elmer's Glue, let it dry and then peel it off. It worked like magic. So of course I started looking for

I searched online for ideas on how to decorate my daughter’s room with a horse theme.  I found the perfect bedding and curtains, but didn’t like any of the prints to hang on the wall – not

This article explains exactly how to check your roof to make sure there are no places where water can leak in or heated air can leak out. The article includes:"Roofs are actually the first line of defense against

Oh my goodness, why didn't I think of this?! If you have a glass cooktop, you have noticed the light stays on indicating that the cooktop is still hot, and it stays on for a very long time. I just had someone

From my money saving e-zine:   Broken Picture Frames I have often had to replace broken glass in frames. I take my frames to my local glass store. The staff is always helpful. They can often use scrap pieces

This site has some creative suggestions for all matters in the kitchen. For example, I knew that if an egg floats, it's probably bad, but I didn't know that I could restore flat champagne by dropping

Since the grandkids are coming for the weekend and we've still got a bit of warm weather, I told them we would have a bar-b-que one last time before winter. In preparation I made a drip pan out of the aluminum

I usually go to ask.com when I have a specific question, like do carpenter bees sting, (males don't, females seldom do) and so on. Anyway, they've just launched a new section where they provide links

Here's an informative site for a number of interesting uses for q-tips. Since we buy them at Costco we have a huge supply on hand. I had always used them for cleaning electronics or touching up paint and so

This week I realized I was in need of some long sleeve t-shirts.  I decided before I ran off to Target like normal, I would do a search for organic shirts.  What I found very pleasantly surprised me.  All

Back in the day, Halloween was different.  It was a time to create, be imaginative, and it was a low-budget holiday.  Back then, Halloween was green and it didn't even phase us.  It was

Today I had to use some WD-40 to fix a sticky keyhole, and I started wondering what other uses it might have since I was in handyman mode. Off to the google where I discovered this site and some amazing applications

I love shopping at Goodwill for a couple reasons.  It saves money, it helps me find unique things no one else has, it helps a great cause, and it helps the planet!  But I have to admit that sometimes

For years I have been buying the four pound box of baking soda at Costco and adding it to the litter box to eliminate cat urine odor. Since it worked so well on that I decided it was time to research more

Fizzy Cleaner Club Soda is a terrific way to clean stainless steel sinks, dishwashers, ranges, and other appliances. The least expensive club soda works s well as the pricey brands; flat soda works, too. Add

Boiling water kills weeds!  I heated up my electric tea kettle in the garage, using the garden hose to fill it several times with water.  Viola!  I poured the boiling water on the weed growing in

This link is great for solving everyday problems using ordinary household items. I discovered it because I usually double knot my tennis shoes so they don't become untied while I'm walking. Somehow

Going green for Halloween isn't hard or expensive.  In fact, with a little creative thinking, you can actually SAVE some money.  Here are my tips: Decorate with nature! Gourds, pumpkins, corn, hay

I have been using old fabric softener sheets for cleaning the static dust off the tv for a long time, but I never realized they could be used for so many other things. So on a slow day I googled fabric

Our next door neighbor is going out of town for a few days so they asked if we'd pick up any papers, etc. that might be delivered while they're gone. That got me to thinking of other common sense things

Mothball Alternative: A better idea than using mothballs is to take your leftover soap slivers and put them in a vented plastic bag. You place the bag with seasonal clothes before packing them away. Not only

I don't know why this works, but if you include a few (clean) tennis balls in each dryer cycle. The tennis balls not only cut drying time by 25% - 50%, but also fluff the clothes to a delicate softness, and

If you've ever used steel wool on pots & pans, you'll recognize how quickly they turn to rust.  An easy way to avoid steel wool rust is, that when you are finished with it - store it in a small

Great idea I read online: Funding Next Year's Garden I love to vegetable garden. I always have more than I can use. I take my produce into the office and have a "Take Some and Leave a Quarter" cup

I was at the hardware store the other day and the checkout person asked me if I'd like to try this new cleaning product.  I don't generally go for that - but it was on sale so I said what the heck

Lunch Bags! Trash is a Terrible Thing to Waste! Our new INSULATED LUNCH SACKS are made from RECYCLED PLASTIC BOTTLES!  The perfect REUSED AND REUSABLE solution for lunch packing.  Our new NESTING

This article from Reader's Digest is fabulous! It tells 13 things a burglar won't tell you, but they did tell Reader's Digest. There is also a link to 8 more things on the page, so be sure to click

My four year old came up with this brilliant party plate decorating idea. Instead of buying themed plates for a birthday party, you can buy plain plates and decorate them with stickers. We had a bunch of the

Did you ever take a nice long swig out of your reusable water bottle, and it ended up not so nice? This article provides quite a few ways to avoid or correct this problem, including what kind of bottle to buy

I got tired of having to clean up the disgusting toothpaste tube in my kids bathroom.  Inevitably, one or both of them would squeeze it too hard and it would get all over the counter and then it was hard to

Cool off your house with this tip from my Dollar Saver ezine: We live in Utah, which tends to get very hot in the summer. The house we are currently living in has full sun coming in the front windows in the afternoon

Here are 3 fabulous tips from my money saving ezine: At a reception, people should place whatever is least expensive (maybe a veggie tray, definitely not meats or cheeses) at the end of the table nearest the door

If you are a do-it-yourselfer and are doing major or minor construction on your home, you might not have factored in the cost of disposing of construction waste. To do it legally costs a lot, and illegally can cost

Just got this dandy of a product this week and I love it so much that I have to share.  It's a wool/fleece mattress topper.  (Wool you say?  on my mattress?  Isn't wool itchy and awful?). &nb

Are you looking for a safe, eco-friendly alternative to regular candles? Flameless candles offer all the benefits of regular candles without the risk the fire, smoke or open flame.   These battery operated

For many people, cleaning house is a JOB. Seeing words like FUN and GAMES in the same sentence as CLEANING HOUSE might confuse people who absolutely HATE cleaning their homes, but tips in this article actually

There have been plenty of tips about homemade cleaners, and saving money in your cleaning habits, but this article is another good one, so it's worth a few minutes that it takes to read. There are hints and

This may sound too good to be true, but my aunt just bought one and said it's the real thing.  This micro fiber cloth cleans and polishes everything- from windows to stainless steel to soap scum using

Do you feel you're the guinea pig in learning if a product lives up to its claims? Hate to spend your money on a "new" product in hopes it will remove that stain, dent, or husband in one  wash

I am love with my latex foam mattress! For years, my husband & I went through a number of "higher-end" mattresses in search of a good night's sleep.  Until we decided (quite by accident)

If moving is in your future, I hope these household moving tips that I learned through trial and error during my recent move from Hawaii to Georgia will help your move to be a bit more stress-free...because mine

There's not much that irritiates me more during the summer months than deer and rabbit eating my plants that I've spent hours babying and growing. Of course, I also don't like to use harmful chemicals

Since I'm always looking for new ways to go green, I was pleasently surprised when I went to my local garden center a few weeks ago and found a really cool new product for starting seeds called cow pots. 

Do you look forward to gardening every summer only to get frustrated when weeds take over your lawn and landscape beds? I'll be the first to admit - I really, really hate to pull weeds. I love gardening, but

This article addresses 5 deck dilemmas and teaches you how to solve them. The deck dilemmas are:Scuffs and abrasions, oil and grease stains, Mold and mildew, painful splinters, and Loose nails. Check it out before