I haven't used shaving cream in many years. Instead, I use hair conditioner. Since conditioner is a hair softener, it makes sense, and is a lot cheaper to use it.

To clean your microwave of spattered food, put a coffee cup or glass measuring cup of water in it. Heat it until it starts to boil. Leave the door closed for 5 - 10 minutes. It will wipe clean very easily.

Salt the water good that you boil eggs in and then when done run cold water over them and when you peel them the shells slip right off almost in one piece!

I love this one...makes it sooooo EZ!

nola anne

To make cleaning your Foreman grill easy, when you finish using it just put two wet paper towels on it and close the top. Lots of steam will come out and when you finish eating cleanup will be a breeze.

When you see ants coming in wash down that area, they leave a scent trail, wash that away and it stops them.

Don't buy light bulbs at the 99 cent store.

Never heard that one about the salt & eggs. Thanks!

Wrap your freshly purchased celery in tin foil,tightly..it will keep for weeks

Keep all dairy products that are in plastic tub style containers upside down in the fridge..they'll keep for weeks as well--now you can stock up on sour cream,yogurt etc,whenever its on sale,knowing it wont go bad

If you want your hardboiled eggs to peel perfectly, do not use fresh eggs! Use the old ones!

When you pull the pin, Mr. Hand Grenade is no longer your friend.

Ha, ha.

Sue

I LOVE, LOVE, these hint posts. I've learned some things that have made me slap my forehead and say why didn't I think of that!!!
i'll try the cleaning micro tip. I'm known as the deviled egg lady at our pot lucks, so I'll be sure to try the salt trick, I always use old eggs. That foil for celery does work, ans I have cleaned my G. Forman grill with damp paper towels, and most importantly....I'll remember Kframe's 19 tip. LOL
Dottie

I can't think of a tip right now, I should have as I have cooked since the last century :) Anyway I really like those green bags. They kept my strawberries much longer than I thought. I just stuck the whole container down in a bag and sealed them up. I didn't wash them first. I got a great amount of them at Deal's and I shared them with my daughter to see how we liked them. It was $5.00 the the box of them.

Sue

Always drink upstream from the herd.

Ron

Here's an even better Forman tip. Put a piece of parchment between your food and the grill (top and bottom). The grill cooks just as well--food still gets grill marks, etc--but the surfaces stay completely clean. I use mine all the time since I discovered this. And get this--I find meat actually is juicier using the parchment!

If you don't feel like standing over the range to cook pancakes, and want to avoid frying (extra fat). Pour your pancake batter into a parchment-lined jelly roll pan and bake for about 10-15 minutes at 375 degrees. Use about 3 cups flour or pancake mix for a 10 X 15" jelly roll pan. When the pancakes are done, cut into squares. They taste just the same, but are less trouble to make, and are lower in fat. Freeze the leftovers--square pancakes work great in the toaster.

Never shake hot chocolate heated in the microwave in a closed container. KABOOOM!

When your basement floods and you want to move the water towards the pump don't use a broom, use a plastic snow shovel. Moves much more water than sweeping. LOL

Don't squat down with your spurs on.

When putting silverware in dishwasher, put forks in one compartment, spoons in another, etc. No sorting when putting away!

Donna (^_^)

Only buy pots and pans that fit in the diswasher. That way, you don't have to wash them by hand unless you want to. I hate washing dishes so at least I can clean off my counters and clean all my dishes every day without too much hassle.

To help your kids snack healthier, wash your fresh fruits and veggies when you get them and make them accessible to the kids. For instance, I'll wash an apple and slice it and remove the core portion. The kids will eat that and I don't find half eaten apples lying around the house. Same thought for cantalopes, grapes, celery, etc. The kids eat healthier, there is less food waste, and they are less likely to go rummaging through the other cabinets for the snacks you were trying to save for a different occasion.

Want really crispy lettuce for your salad? Once you wash & well drain the lettuce-place in a plastic container ( like a 13x9..better if lettuce is spread out) & wet a couple sheets of paper toweling, squeeze out 'slightly' & place on top of the lettuce. Cover & put in fridge for at least an hour or more.

When baking/broiling/steaming any type of white fish? Grate some lemon rind over the fish & sprinkle dry Vermouth over it..really adds to the flavor!

Have a busy family schedule with those who can't sit down together at dinnertime? Keep spaghetti sauce in crock pot to keep it warm. Cook pasta earlier in the day-when you drain it in a colender-pour a bit of oil over it & work it thru the spaghetti to coat, preventing it from sticking together. Place in a covered container in the fridge, then each person can grab some pasta-nuke a minute & add the sauce.

If you have to clean an oven, plan ahead. Spray it and leave it at least one day, best is two days and the oven will wipe clean with very little effort. (This is for ovens like the one's I clean that are pretty gross!)
When painting, wrap the roller in saran and put in the fridge if you are going to paint tomorrow, the roller will stay soft and no need to wash it out to leave it overnight.
Use OxyClean or Borax in your wash instead of bleach - you will find all your clothes nice and bright and fresh, and OxyClean or Borax doesn't eat fibers like bleach does.
And lastly, as my dear departed Dad used to say - keep your knees together!
Suzan J

My crock pot has a black crock. Even after washing it, there is always a cloudy appearance to it. I also have a stainless coffee carafe for one of our coffee makers.

I use a paste of salt or a paste of baking soda to clean them out. They sparkle afterward.

Make your own salad crotons and save money by saving up all your day old bread, or buy day old bread at your bread store.
Make a buttery brush on by using either real butter or your favorite margarine, add favorite spices, herbs, garlic, or any of the Mrs. Dash shakes. I have use parmesan cheese also. Any of your favorite spices, or herbs will do. Melt butter and spices together in microwave, stir and then brush on the top side of bread, using an oblong pan or any that bread will fit in, place in oven on about 200 and bake for 4 to 5 hrs. Your oven temp may need to be adjusted.(just make sure the cooking is done slowly) When they are half way finished cooking flip them and cook until the right crispiness for you.(brush with herb, spice, buttery mixture) Fresher tasting and you get to pick your own flavorful herbs and spices.

Add a splash of vinegar to that cup of water in the microwave.It will take away the odors.
A splash of vinegar added to the water when boiling eggs works as well as the salt.
For easier peeling if you forgot to add the salt or vinegar.After eggs are done pour off the hot water.Sit the pan in the sink and turn on the cold water.Let the water run over the eggs for several minutes,then lightly crack each egg and place back in the cold water for a few minutes to cool them down.Start peeling at the large end and peel under a stream of cold water.The eggs should peel easily.
To remove the odor of onion or garlic from hands,wash with soap and water then rub wet hands over the chrome kitchen faucet.It works!
To prevent lettuce from "rusting" never cut it with a metal knife.Use a plastic or acrylic knife or tear it.
Storing Saran or other plastic wrap in the freezer will prevent it from sticking to itself when you tear it off.
Another trick for make ahead or leftover spaghetti.Rinse and drain cooked spaghetti and store in a large Ziploc bag or bowl with tight fitting lid.When ready to use,take out the amount needed,place in a colander and run hot tap water over it for a few seconds and serve with heated sauce.No added oil needed and spaghetti will never be overdone or stick together.Leftover spaghetti can be refrigerated and used as needed for up to a week.
Need a cup or two of buttermilk but don't have any in the house? Add 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar per cup of milk to regular milk.The vinegar "clabbers" the milk and it works with any recipe calling for buttermilk.

I'm laughing too hard at Mike's helpful hint to type anything else...you crack me up guy!!

When you place utensils in your dishwasher , do you place them with the handles up or with them down?

Handles down, except knives handles up.

Always take your jogging shoes out of the oven before preheating to make cornbread.

I NEVER reheat on High, only medium power. They only thing I heat on high is coffee and water.

When cutting with a circular saw, cut with the good side of the lumber down. On a table saw, good side up. Any chipping or splintering will be on the side that doesn't show.

If you use body soap which has lotion in it, buy several and unwrap those which aren't being used and store them in a dry place (not the bathroom) - this will "dry" the lotion and make them last much longer but you will have the same moisturing effect.

LOL Kathy!! I'm sure you learned that tip from someone else right?

The only tip I have is one I think I got at the MH, there was a list of coffee filter tips. You can use them for microwaving to prevent splatters (flatten out) or the one I used was to serve a toddler finger food in them. Coffee filters are great for Cheeto's and little boys! LOL

These are two that I "think" I learned here:

1. For those of us who use hairspray, stand in the tub/shower to spray your hair. You'll avoid getting hairspray, which is a b**ch to remove, all over your walls and/or woodwork.

2. When you have to spray something with cooking spray, open your dishwasher, and place the pan on the door to spray. The greasy spray stays on the dishwasher door, and is cleaned off the next time you clean dishes.

Ellen

Ivamae--since the whole point of having a dishwasher is to sanitize your dishes, it's always recommended that the handles be UP when you put flatware in the dw. That way, you don't contaminate the 'business end' when you reach in to remove them. It's also a safety issue, in that one won't get speared by the tines of a fork, or a sharp knife.

Good36--another safety hint--NEVER heat water or other water-based liquids in the microwave, especially on high. It happens only rarely, but there is the possibility that the water will explode when you reach in to remove it--spraying you with scalding hot liquid. That's a scientific fact, and it's highly recommended that one never heat up a cup of coffee or boil water in the microwave. Even getting scalded once would be too much, right?

Please guys--time and effort saving tips are great, but only use the ones that are SAFE.

I hung a shoe sorter on the back of my living room closet door to hold things like vacuum belts & bags, gloves, stocking caps, etc. My other closets have bifolds so I can't use them there, but I put one on my bedroom door too.

Since I have shower doors, the tub area is hidden. I haven't gotten around to fixing the tile on the wall and to use the shower without damaging the walls, I put up a tension shower rod and hang a shower curtain liner on the wall. Now I can shower without damaging the walls. Plus I don't have to clean the walls! I also use the towel rack now to hang spray bottles of cleaners & the "shower spray".

Tape a magnet strip inside your medicine cabinet or vanity drawer to keep things like small scissors, tweezers and other metal items handy and undamaged.

I decided to start using my computer phone/address book in a couple ways. Of course the normal names/addresses in alphabetical order for people and businesses, but I also started to add in business sections, for instance, Pizza delivery, restaurants, plumbers, lawn service, attorneys, etc. I think I'll separate out and make a personal "yellow pages" etc.

I also sort my flatware in the dish drainer since I don't have a dishwasher anymore (she moved out years ago).

I also sort my grocery list as I'm making it. If it's just a few things I sort by Frozen/Refrigerated and non. If I need a lot I made up a form by department/area including, Deli, Canned, Dairy, H&B, Paper, Bakery, etc. I can go through the store much faster. If you have a big jumbled list you could take different colored highlighters and accomplish a similar thing.

That Scott site has a LOT of great tips, although many are repeated in there so many times. Really, we don't need to be told to use toilet paper tubes for extension cords 50 times! And of course they're hyping their brand products but it's pretty easy to tell that you can use any paper towel, facial tissue or toilet paper tube. A few that caught my attention:

Clean & Shiny Bathtub
Before cleaning your bathtub, spray it with OVEN CLEANER. Wait a few minutes and then go back to it, spray it with water and all the dirt washes away with little or no scrubbing. You will have the whitest tub ever!
Kitchen Measures
I keep my measuring spoons and cups together in a basket in one of my kitchen drawers. When I go to make something or bake, I simply remove the whole basket for easy access.

Hideaway Waste Baskets
Put two cup hooks on the back of the lower bathroom cabinet door, and hang your plastic grocery store bags by their handles. Now you have a hidden bag to dispose of your trash. On trash day, simply remove the bag from the hooks and tie a knot in the bag to toss.

Peel Potatoes Using (paper) Towels
Boil potatoes with the skin on. When done, drain. Fold a (paper) Towel in half and pick up a hot potato. Gently rub the potato back and forth and the skin comes right off. Shake the potato skin off and reuse the towel. It saves time and clean up. When finished, just discard the towel or, better yet, go green and place the towel and the peelings into a compost pile for next spring's gardening.

Identify Clean Dishes
When you remove your clean dishes from the dishwasher, immediately put a gel pack or powder block in the detergent dispenser. That way, when you look in, you'll see that the dishes are clean if the dispenser is open or dirty when it is closed and holding the detergent!. (This will not work with liquid detergent, because it runs out onto the door.)

Comment: I never quite understood NOT knowing clean dishes from dirty ones! But, that's me!

OK, just a couple more:

Quick Hamburger Patties
Use cupcake papers between hamburger patties that you are going to freeze or stack for later use. They work as well as waxed paper, and they are the perfect size.

Cling Wrap Made Better
Do you hate the way cling wrap sticks to everything except where you want it? Keep the roll in the fridge, and the problem is solved!

Oh, and it's always a good reminder to push in the tabs that have been on the foil, plastic wrap, and other boxes forever and many of us didn't know about them.

I do a lot of gardening so i keep coffee filters in my garden cabinet to use in the bottom of pots to keep the soil from washing out.

I also tape cooking hints,ie the out of buttermilk,use vinegar etc,to a 3x5 card and tape it to the inside of the cabinet door.Always handy when i need them.
Kathi

Remember what your mom told you, she was probably right!

When your battery is old and tired, with minimal staying power ... carry a set of jumper cables!

Save the pennies ... and the Dollars'll take care of themselves. - Grandma

A penny saved ... is a penny earned - Grandma

Grandma was wrong ... if you're in the 25% tax bracket, it takes $1.333333 before-tax earnings ... to equal $1.00 after-tax residue, the equivalent of $1.00 saved.

ole joyful