My husband and I have taken in three housemates to go along with our three extra bedrooms. This has allowed us to comfortable afford a house payment on one income while being students. My suggestions are that everyone has at least one chore that is part of the household cleaning in main living areas and that a schedule is created for kitchen and laundry privileges. We have been doing this for almost a year and it has been great. They pay $750 of our $950 mortgage!
Amy

How much detergent you need is often a question of how soft or hard your water is. Softer water is going to require less detergent. The same is true for any detergent, soap, shampoo, etc. However, there is another thing to note with respect to dishwashers. If you have hard water, the best detergent to use is the powder. The gel was made for soft water. I had a friend who complained her dishwasher wasn’t working very well to get her dishes clean. I gave her this information and she hasn’t had a problem since!
Donna in Raleigh, NC

Last year after Halloween, I went to my local Wal-Mart where they had all the Halloween costume items on clearance. It was mostly loose pieces that had gotten separated from the rest of the costume and they were selling them for 25 to 50 cents each. I bought knight items, soldier items, masks, swords, hats, and belts as well as pirate and mummy pieces. I took all this home and put it away until Christmas. My son got a huge box of dress up clothing and accessories as one of his Christmas presents that I got for around $10.
Celeste

I cover my gift boxes with single rolls of wallpaper I’ve bought at thrift stores for $1 each. Some are elegant and some are plain, but the paper is durable enough to make it through the mail.
Betty G.

I bake a sheet cake, let it cool completely while thawing a half-gallon of ice cream in the refrigerator, then spread the softened ice cream on top of the sheet cake. I stick the whole thing in the freezer until the ice cream layer firms up. Using icing, I then decorate the cake as usual. I freeze it until ready to eat, and then thaw a few minutes before serving. It looks and tastes the same as the store bought versions, at a fraction of the price.

You can even get more extravagant and mix in crushed candy pieces or nuts to the softened ice cream before spreading it on the cake layer, and add them on top along with the decorations. You should work quickly when handling the thawed ice cream as you don’t want it to liquefy. If it melts too much, it might crystallize when it re-freezes.
Heather P. in Detroit, MI

When my daughter was eight, I bought a hula hoop and my mom sewed a few yards of cheap green material we got at Wal-Mart around the hoop and cut out arms and legs. Then I proceeded to pin bells, garland, and Christmas balls on it. She became the most beautiful Christmas tree and she jingled! I cut a piece of cardboard in the shape of a star and covered it with aluminum foil. She wore it like a mask. She looked like a Christmas tree with a star on top.
Mary Ellen

I discovered that a lot of paper towels were being used at my house during the week on many things where I could have used a piece of newspaper. For example, whenever I was cooking and a drip got on the floor, I always reached for paper towel. A piece of newspaper dipped in a bit of dishwater works just as well! When cleaning the grill, newspaper works great. When cleaning my oven, newspaper works great. The same is true when cleaning my griddle. When dipped in a small amount of water, it becomes soft and absorbent. I cut several sheets about 12 to 14 inches and keep a stash of them now near my sink. In one day, I used about two dozen, thereby saving that many paper towels. I feel like it’s also saving our environment. I wish I had thought of this sooner.
Naomi from KY

When we moved from one part of the city we lived in to another a few miles away, we hired off-duty firemen for a day at the cost of $350. These four men lifted all the heavy furniture (including an 800 pound safe) into our rented truck, and back off into our new home. We enjoyed getting to know them and feeding everyone lunch, and were very thankful to have them on hand when a friend of ours accidentally backed the truck into our son’s hand, pinning it against the brick wall. So if you need help with heavy moving, check with your local fire department!
Jackie in Benton, Arkansas

I have a very bad back and it is hard to bend over tub to clean it. I went to our local dollar store, where everything really is a dollar, and purchased a skinny mop. After I shower, I sprinkle a little cleaner and use the mop just for the tub and keep it nearby. Now, my tub sparkles all the time.
Gwen L.

Don’t throw away those white thin pieces of cardboard that come with your purchases of such things as pantyhose, sheets, men’s t-shirts, etc. They are great to use for grocery lists or other list-making tasks. They are easy to write on at the store because they are heavier than paper, but they aren’t too thick to fold or stuff in your purse. They are also good to use to support a small picture when sending a letter. I’ve also used them for small painting jobs to protect the surface or dividing line next to the part I’m painting. When done, just throw it away with no clean up!
Theresa T. in Maroa, IL

For rolling my toothpaste tube, I get great results from a simple binder or “butterfly” clip. I just flatten the tube with the side of my toothbrush, then fold up and clamp. You can even hang the tube from the open end of the clip. These clips are great. With their varying sizes, I use them to hold electrical wires in a loop, keep cereal/snack bags folded and closed, hold a spot in a book, hold a map folded to a certain spot, etc. I think they work much better than twist ties. The uses are endless. And you can get them at a dollar store!
M.A.

To make my all-time favorite costume, I glued cotton balls in clumps all over a gray sweatsuit and carried a squirt gun. What was I? Partly cloudy with a chance of rain!
Brenda

If you are having a wedding soon, start looking around for gardeners with a lot of roses. I have over 60 rose bushes as a front hedge. I have so many rose petals that I have to throw some away! I put ads in local papers to give the rose petals to brides for their weddings. I can’t tell you how many brides have sent me pictures of their beautiful weddings with my rose petals. I feel so good about making their day a little more special. If you ask other gardeners if you can have some petals from their roses, you’ll get some turn downs, but you’ll also find a lot of people who would be delighted to do this for you.

The first wedding I supplied, I gave four big (color sorted) bags of petals. She had to recruit two extra flower girls! They spread the multi-colored petals down the isle, on the pews and on the church steps. They also threw a few into the picture of the bride with her gown spread out.

During the wedding, the two new flower girls came before the bridal party spreading red petals. The original flower girl came with white petals for the bride to walk on. After the wedding, a lot of women were all over the bride’s mother, asking how she could have afforded so many rose petals. They kept it a secret except for friends getting married; my roses now get repeat “customers” and it makes me feel so good to be able to do this for them!
Evelyn H.