Want to live better on the money you already make? Visit to find hundreds of articles to help you stretch your day and your dollar! Copyright 2011 Dollar Stretcher, Inc.

Saving Nail Polish

Is your favorite nail polish too thick to use this summer? Add a couple drops of nail polish remover and shake. You are ready to go!

Vickie S.

Eliminating Ants

I had a problem with ants when I moved into another house. I went to a dollar store and bought some ground cinnamon and put it where I thought the ants were coming in. You can even put it on the windowsills, and it won’t hurt your kids or pets. Try it. It works.

C

Frugal Liquid Soap

I go to a beauty supply store and purchase shampoo when it is on sale. I normally pay $5 for a gallon of shampoo. I don’t care what brand it is. I then use it for hand washing. I put it into a squirt type bottle. It is so much cheaper than buying regular hand wash.

J.

Unwanted Garden Intruders

Need to protect your garden? Red fox urine will drive away squirrels, rats, mice, cats, etc. You can pick it up at a natural gardening store or even from an exterminator. You can buy in pellet form or liquid. The pellet form is generally the easiest to use. Just sprinkle it around your garden.

N

A Permanent Record

Make photocopies of cash register receipts for important purchases and clip the receipt, along with any product information it comes with, to the copy. Over time, the receipts that many stores use these days tend to fade to unreadable levels. If you need to return a product, having the darker copy (along with the faded receipt) could save the day, especially if the manufacturer requests a copy of the receipt.

Lorraine in NH

Protect Your

Cookware

Instead of throwing out all those bubble-padded envelopes arriving in the mail, I cut them apart into neat rectangles and use them between my nonstick pots, pans, bakeware and anything stackable in my cupboards. This free padding protects the nonstick finish from scratches and makes stackables easier to pull apart.

Lorrie T. in Dunedin, FL

Removing Onion and Garlic Odor

While cutting onions or chopping garlic is a common kitchen chore, the smell it leaves on your hands is just awful, and absolutely no soap will remove the odor. This may sound crazy, but to remove the odor from your hands, all you need to do is rub your hands on the bottom of your stainless steel sink. If you don’t have a stainless sink, just grab a tablespoon, butter knife, or any utensil that is stainless steel and rub the palms of your hands. You don’t even need water to rinse, and you do not have to wash with soap after rubbing. Your hands will be magically rid of the offensive onion or garlic odor. I’ve used this trick for years with excellent results every time.

Jana C. in Phil Campbell, Alabama

Ask the Right Person

I heard from somewhere “Don’t accept a no from someone who is not authorized to say yes.” I went to the store for a specific cake, and there was only one left. It was damaged on the top but still edible. The lady in the bakery section wasn’t able to fix it or cover it, and she wasn’t able to give me a discount because the manager had gone for the day. So I politely thanked her and went to ask a different store manager if there was any way I could get a discount. I asked very nicely, not expecting to get one. I got half off the birthday cake. And it was for my birthday! It took maybe a minute, and I saved 50% off, which came to $5. Kindness and asking the right person goes a long way.

Sue C. in Buckley

Extra Corn on the Cob

We were recently given a lot of corn on the cob. We couldn’t use it all, so I decided to freeze it. After shucking the corn (removing the husks and silk), I took an electric knife and cut down all sides of the cob to remove the corn. After removing the corn, I placed it in a bowl. I boiled water and added the corn to parboil for one to three minutes. Next, I drained the corn through a colander. I placed it in a bowl and put it into the refrigerator until it cooled. Once it cooled, I put it in gallon freezer bags and laid them flat into the freezer until frozen. This is a great way to store the corn until I need it. I recently made a recipe and used some of this corn. It was delicious! By the way, I was able to compost the steams, cobs, and husks into our compost bins, so all of it was used.

Lilly P.

Handy Bacon

If you find that you can’t consume a pound of bacon before it starts to go bad, try freezing the raw slices individually and storing in a zipper bag in the freezer. When I open a new package of bacon or turkey bacon, I lay the strips on a flexible plastic cutting sheet and place in the freezer for about a half an hour. Then I pull off the frozen strips and put them in a zipper bag. This allows me to just pull out two strips at a time and the rest stay fresh until I need them.

Another option is to cook the entire pound of bacon and freeze the cooked strips. This requires only a few seconds in the microwave later and you have crispy bacon for breakfast or a sandwich.

Mardi