Helpful Hints ... add yours!

[snakemama]

My favorite way to clean the microwave and make the house smell nice is to squeeze a lemon into a small bowl of water (leave the peel in the bowl too) and microwave for three minutes. Let it sit for another five minutes and then open it and wipe the microwave with a sponge or dish towel.

Vinegar works too but doesn't smell nearly as nice.

[RICHARD]

The store we shop at offers points for every purchase and those points can be redeemed at the gas station run by the supermarket.

One problem is that the bar code to accumulate the points is on a credit card that the store issues!

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In order to get the points for each purchase, I have to get the CC, go to the store and use it - I pay cash but still need to swipe the card to get the points.....

I am scared to death of losing the card - After thinking about how to get the points and NOT have to carry/worry about it, I came across this solution.

You will need a

Photocopier
scissors
Tape
Old plastic rewards card or a key chain rewards card.

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I used an old plastic card for the next step!

Make a copy of the the credit card - the bar code portion - then cut it out.

I then taped the bar code onto the old plastic card...

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The next step was to see if it worked at the store.




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The bar code is an optical way scan your 'secret shopping code' - there is no magnetic strip or way to access the account that is attached to the credit card.

Now I can shop, get my gas points and not have to worry about losing the CC, If I happen to drop the 'dummy card' it won't be such a burden and there is no need to call up the CC company and get a new card!

[Karen]

11.) Plug your devices into a power strip. You pay for “vampire charges” when your electronics are plugged into the wall, but aren’t being used. Power strips prevent this.

This is not true of all power strips. Check yours - if the charger is warm even if it is not being used, it is still drawing electricity through the power strip. Just something to be aware of!

[RICHARD]

During the summer months, it seems like the ice maker runs out of ice at one point or another?

I bought a case of water in plastic bottles, I took a few, opened them and took about 1/4 of the water out. I put the top back on and put them into the freezer.

Now, I had a frozen bottle of water and a problem!

Instead of adding water back into the bottle, I took a pair of kitchen shears and cut the bottle open.
I peel the plastic off - it it still going into the recycle bin - and now I have a bottle sized chunk of ice that I put into a large tumbler or large mouth water bottle.

The hunk of ice lasts longer than smaller ice cubes in your drink.

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If you are doing to drink plain water, you can take that water from a few bottles - adding it to your drink - and freezing those bottles to replenish your bottle stash.

It takes a little work, but once you get a system going, it's pretty easy to keep a few frozen bottles on hand.

[Karen]

This is one I saw online, tried it, and it still working.

Want to keep your potatoes from sprouting "eyes" and getting soft? Throw an apple in the bag with them! The fumes from the apple keep the potatoes from sprouting - I bought three potatoes maybe in either mid-March or early April, and tried it - and as I have not felt compelled to eat potatoes* since then, and they are as good still as the day I bought them!


Amazing, right?

*Paul is only allowed limited potato consumption, so having a whole one at a meal would be bad.

[Catty1]

This one seems like common sense, but I have seen many people do the opposite.

This is spray fragrance - often used in the bathroom. A few years ago I wondered, "Why do people spray all over the airspace? That's not where the smell is coming from."

I tried spraying a couple of shots, or even just one, right in the toilet. Worked like a charm!

[cassiesmom]

Insect bites ... on the advice of two different PTers I tried dabbing rubbing alcohol on some very itchy bites. It worked till I could get home and smear on some calamine lotion. Thank you, friends for the suggestion - it worked great! I've also read that a paste of either baking soda and water or baking soda and vinegar can help. When I was little, baking soda and vinegar was the treatment for bee stings. The "fizz" provided a brief distraction and then the paste helped to soothe the sting.