Cut an orange in half and eat the flesh, leaving a nice orange rind cup. Fill the cup with salt and leave it in the kitchen, refrigerator, bathroom, etc. to remove odors quickly.
Susan D.

Here’s my favorite do-at-home substitute for fast food French fries. I found a little French fry cutter at a yard sale, but you can slice your own or chop the potato into chunks (skins on). Put the sliced potatoes on a cookie sheet that is coated with a fair amount of olive oil. Season to your taste. Bake at about 400 degrees. I also tried mixing sweet potatoes with the red or yellow potatoes and it’s delicious!
Gail

Being a single dad with two boys (ages 9 and 3), I am always looking for ways to save money and keep the excitement level in my home at a reasonable level. I have finally won the “Dad, can we have soda?” war with them once and for all. I buy Shasta root beer and serve it over crushed ice. I keep the soda in the pantry so it melts the ice as it’s poured into the glass. This makes a water-soda mix and they don’t get as much sugar. Root beer is famous for foam, so it looks the same. Therefore, in the eyes and minds of little darlings, it is the same! And, one can goes twice as far!
K.

Be sure to check your doctor bills! If you have ever looked at the statements from the insurance company detailing the claims made, you will notice that there is a column for the charges, and next to it, you’ll find a column entitled “Physician Member Discount” or something similar. This column has a contractual discount that the doctor agrees upon to become a member of that particular insurance group.
 
When my daughter was an infant, she had some minor outpatient surgery done for blocked tear ducts. This had been a pre- existing condition and our new insurance company would not cover it. When I received the doctor’s bill for the full amount, I called the office and asked him to reduce the amount of my bill by the same discount he would have agreed to for the insurance company. He readily agreed, saving me hundreds of dollars.
Heidi

A good vacation idea is to buy either a zoo or science museum pass to your local attraction and then visit the zoo or science center in your vacation spot. Most attractions offer reciprocal admission or at least discounted admission prices. One year, we buy the zoo membership, and the next year, we buy one to the science center.
Judy

I make my knit shirts and pants with stretch fiber last longer by not putting them in the dryer. Both types of clothing lose shape with repeated dryings. I give the wet clothes a hard shake and put them on plastic clothes hangers. I position the shoulders of the shirts on the hanger and use plastic clothespins to keep the seam along the top of the hanger. I match the inseams of the pants together and hang them upside down over the hanger with the hook through the pinned together bottoms of the pants. I hang the clothes outside in good weather or inside over the shower curtain rod in bad weather. If I’m in a hurry, I pre-dry the clothes for 10 minutes in the dryer before doing the above. Dried this way, the clothes look good for years.
Sandy of Torrance, CA

If I only want to cool one room, I close the windows, darken the room, put on the fan and put an ice block in front of the fan (in a pan to catch water as ice evaporates). Then, I sit down and enjoy!
Toni K.

I stopped by the UPS store to mail a package. Since I needed stamps, I also bought a book of 39-cent stamps there. It wasn’t until I got home and checked my receipt that I saw they had charged me $9.75 for a book of stamps, which normally costs $7.80 at the post office or grocery store. It was marked up $1.95. Can you believe that?

When I called them about this, they said this is what they charge and they tell people about it only if asked. I called US Postal Service and they said that UPS is allowed to charge whatever they want. I guess I’m lucky they didn’t charge me a $5 service charge on the stamps.
June

I recently was wandering through the boys’ section of the discount store looking for something for my son when I spotted size L socks. Boys athletic socks fit up to a men’s size 9 and they are much cheaper! I paid $3.50 for six pairs, which is a lot less than the $6.50 in the ladies’ department. I got some for my husband too. He’s a size 7 1/2 and he says they fit better than the regular men’s socks, which he’s always said were too big.
Teresa

Even if you don’t have to “dress up” for work every day, there are occasions when you have to wear hose and/or a slip under your skirt. Avoid static-cling by applying hand lotion liberally to your hands and then rubbing the excess onto your legs even if you’re wearing stockings! The emollients are enough to break the static. Later, if static continues to build up as you walk, keep a small bottle of lotion in your purse and re-apply as necessary. It also works under silk or synthetic slacks.
Adele A.

I love to frequent the Salvation Army and Goodwill thrift stores, and often, I find usable books and household items. I often find that the clothing in our area is outdated. However, I enjoy sewing and will occasionally buy items where I like and can re-use the fabric or buttons. I took a plain blue jean jacket that I’d had for years and added some great buttons, some braided trim, and it looks like a designer piece. I also bought an outdated floral housedress for $1 and had enough fabric to make a nightgown for my daughter and her doll.
 
I go there frequently and “paw” through the discount bins. I often buy stained/torn stuff for next to nothing if it has great buttons and re-use them. Fancy buttons are expensive and can really change the look of a plain garment. My artistic daughter uses them to make jewelry and adorn her hats as well. Thrift stores can be treasure troves.
Cathy A.

Each month, I schedule a “cooking Saturday.” I plan several dishes based on what’s on sale that week and what I have on hand. I shop on Friday night and I cook several casseroles, some side dishes, cookies, and muffins. We eat some that weekend and freeze the rest for later in the month. I work full-time and this saves much time on busy work nights. We’re less likely to “drive-thru” or phone the pizza man this way.

I don’t use my good Pyrex dishes, though. I buy (and re-use) the aluminum 8×8 pans. They stack well in the freezer. The frozen dish pops out of the aluminum pan, easily slides into my 8×8 Pyrex dish, defrosts in the microwave and bakes to finish. I found out the hard way that putting up the meals in my two good dishes made them unavailable for other uses. Some things can be frozen in resealable bags as well. Here are some things that freeze well:
- casseroles with pasta or rice
- many chicken dishes
- quiche
- jambalaya
- twice-baked potatoes
- meatballs
- Salisbury steak
- muffins of all sorts
- unfrosted cookies
- brownies
- banana bread
 
I have found that the texture of certain raw vegetables, like mushrooms, tomatoes and spinach doesn’t stand up after freezing and re-heating. I don’t like the texture of re-heated frozen potatoes either, except in twice-baked potatoes I find doing this saves me money, but most of all, it saves me time!
C.
Gary Foreman
The Dollar Stretcher
gary@stretcher.com