Thanks Dave! I wonder if having rocks underneath the plastic pot might help? Or will this still cause the issue of stagnant water at the bottom?

I take my plants to the sink and periodically I use a measuring bowl, (like for pancake batter) and make note of how much water it took before the water ran thru the bottom. I water the soil slowly, pausing to let it absorb equally all thru the pot. Now I know how much water it takes to please the plant. I take a sticky address label, and stick that info on the side of the inside pot. Then I place the plants back in their cache pot, on elevation, which can be three lids to hairspray, or noodles for kids in swimming pools, cut to the same size. I found the rocks were heavy, and kind of nasty to clean. I end up with an inch or less of run off which will evaporate on its own. Be mindful to still flush the plant from time to time to rid of salts.

Yesterday, while cleaning; I ran into a pot that must have had water in it for almost two weeks, so the next time I water that one, it's getting the measurement sticker, Ick. The plant did not sit in it, but it truly was disgusting. So, it is an ongoing battle to keep an eye on.

I'm in an apartment, my plants are on the porch for the summer, it's a hassle to carry them from the porch to the kitchen sink, and I don't have a hose, so my solution laying two pieces of wood laid across the top of of a large bucket to support the pot so the excess water drains into the bucket. I also connected the pieces of wood together with thin cord so I can separate them just enough to hold the plant at 45 degrees to drain the last bit of excess water from the pot.

In the winter the plants are near the kitchen, so I do the watering in the sink and the counter next to it and use the bucket for the last step.

I never water unless I know the whole pot is dry. It takes seconds to check the soil moisture with a sharpened wood dowel pushed all the way to the bottom of the pot. I don't water until the dowel comes out dry (at that point there's still moisture inside soil particles), then I water thoroughly, making sure the whole pot gets moist.

I read of someone using a turkey baster to remove the excess from the saucer when the plant was too heavy to lift. Don't know how long that would take. Are there vacuum cleaners that can suck up water? Just a thought :)

Thank you all for your great ideas! I think Laurie's idea of measuring would probably work best with the big dieffenbachia. I also love the idea of taking a pool noodle and cutting it up to the right size. :)