I worked at Hickory Farms a few years ago and we made coffee everyday for sampling. The one “trick” we had was to put about a teaspoon of sugar into the grounds before brewing. This cuts the acidity in the coffee without making it sweet.
Kathy M.

A carpet cleaning professional gave me this tip. All you need to eliminate pet urine stains is a simple solution of equal parts vinegar and water. That’s it! This truly works better than anything I have tried, and it is the least expensive thing I’ve tried, too. Just blot the urine first with an absorbent cloth, like microfiber, and then soak the stain with the vinegar/water solution. I keep mine in a spray bottle. Let it soak into the carpet and the pad, too, if necessary, and then blot with a clean cloth. Since vinegar has the opposite pH of urine, it counteracts both the color and the odor. I have used this tip raising three puppies over the past eight years, and your nose would never know it.
Tana from Texas

When my son had an accident with his car, it was unavailable for his use for several months. He applied for a Reconstructed title. He was able to reduce his insurance coverage to “storage” rates. It was as if his auto was in storage, which it was since he had to wait for state approval and it took time.
Carol

My brother built a pantry with bi-fold doors and shelves that are only one large can deep. He did this in his mud room. I now would like one in my laundry room. I don’t want it as large as his and I want something that hangs on the wall. What a great idea!
Pam C.

I’m probably dating myself, but I remember the old Brylcreem ads. My dad used to use it. Just a little dab run through his hair kept it in place all day. One day, I was looking at my “deep penetrating” conditioner, wondering why it wasn’t doing so well. In fact, I was wondering why none of my conditioners were keeping my fine hair from flying away and getting frizzy when I slept or brushed against our couch. My dad’s hair, which was perfect, kept coming to mind. So instead of using a large amount of conditioner and then rinsing it out, I tried putting about a quarter-sized dab of my deep conditioner in my hand after I had washed and rinsed it. I rubbed my hands together well and then combed them through my hair, mainly concentrating on the ends. What a difference! My hair is no longer frizzy, but it’s not greasy either. It has finally started growing. Better still, instead of going through whole bottles of conditioner, a single tube of deep conditioner lasts me forever.
Kamia

I bought a rug gripper to keep my hallway rug from moving. When I opened the package, I found that it is the exact same liner I use in my kitchen drawers that I get at the local dollar store. Of course, the rug gripper was four times the cost. Now, I go to the dollar store to keep my rugs from sliding, and consequently, I have a few extra dollars in my wallet.
MW

After years of paying the cable company $50 a month for high speed Internet access (the only option for broadband), DSL finally became available in my area at the cost of $30 a month. Rather than hassle with changing services, installing a new modem, etc., I called the cable company and offered to stay if they would match the $30 per month price. And they did! $20 per month saved for the time it took to make one call.
Wendy F.

I raise Boston terrier puppies and found a very cheap and simple way to rid fleas from the puppies and it’s actually harmless to the puppies. Simply go to the store and buy a bar of Dial Soap and bathe your puppies in it. It’s mild enough for the puppies, but yet, it will kill the fleas. Lather the puppies up and let it remain on for a minute or so and you will see fleas starting to drop off the pups. It’s amazing that something so cheap works so well!
Craig G. in Pennsylvania

My husband destroyed his cell phone. I thought we had insurance. Cingular said that the only choices for replacement were to buy a new one at retail price of $285 or to buy a refurbished one at a Cingular store ($100 but the representative said that they rarely have them). I asked about purchasing a phone on eBay and was told that I could do that but be careful to buy one made for Cingular (my husband was nervous about buying a used cell phone).

But what she didn’t tell me was that we could buy a Go Phone (pay as you go) from Wal-Mart (standard style $49 or flip phone $59) and move the sim card from the damaged phone and it works fine. This is what we did. When I bought it, I told the clerk at Wal-Mart that I was moving the sim card and she verified that it would work but that they were not supposed to tell people. And, yes, it does work great.
Joanne J.

Here is one way I save money on meat at the grocery store when buying steaks or pork loin. The pork loin is usually $2.90 per pound cut and packaged. However, it’s only $2.08 per pound for the whole loin. I purchase the whole thing and then ask the butcher to cut it up for me. He is always glad to do it. If I buy a 10-pound loin, I save $8.20. I do the same with rib eye steaks, it usually saves about $15 each time.
Jamie P.

Those Magic Erasers are good for things other than counter top and wall stains. One day, I spilled coffee on my new shirt just as I was leaving the house. I ran to get a paper towel and saw the Eraser. I got it a tad bit wet and rubbed the eraser over the coffee spill. The coffee came right out!

Also, my husband asked me to wash his white tennis shoes and I forgot. I told him to use a Magic Eraser on them and they turned out great. I don’t buy the name brand. I pick them up at the dollar store, and they work just as well.
KY

Don’t forget the humidity factor of indoor air. When it is too moist, it can become unbearable and a dehumidifier can make it feel much better. That, added to moving air, can often replace the need for an air conditioner, which by its very nature also has the important task of removing excess moisture from the air it is conditioning. We lived for several years in an apartment without A/C that was made more comfortable with a small dehumidifier and circulating air fans. It made a huge difference!
Jerry B. in Minnesota

I have found that if you fill your pool (or in my case top off from all the splashing) by running an extra 150 foot black hose found at the local home improvement store in the early or late afternoon hot sun I can literally maintain the pool’s heat by letting the sun warm the water and restricting the water flow with a spray nozzle.

It may take longer to fill a pool or top it off, but you aren’t losing the heat your pool already has by running cold water into the pool, thus I seldom turn on the pool heater after filling the pool.
 
This idea worked so well that I ended up adding an additional 150 feet for a total of 300 and attached it to a pond pump sitting in the pool and throwing the additional length of hose onto my flat roof and letting the existing pool water circulate in the black hose and restricting it so it would run slowly back into the pool. My pool is now over 80 degrees.
Denise M.
Fort Dodge, IA
 
 

Do you often get a handful of napkins with a takeout or fast food meal but only use one or two? Instead of throwing all of them out with the trash, keep the extras in your car glove compartment for cleaning messy hands on the road or bring them home and use them for cleaning counter tops instead of using paper towels. These free extras really add up!
Kim
Lake Lure, NC
 

My children tend to leave items all over the house. I was tired of trying to determine to which kid something belonged. So I got a small cardboard box and we call it the Claim-It box. Whenever a kid asks where something is the first thing I say is “did you check the Claim-It box?” Now they don’t ask me they just check. On Saturday after they go to sleep whatever is left in the box is thrown out. This should not be an excuse for leaving garbage around but does cut down on clutter and nagging whenever we don’t to whom an item belongs.
Diane O.