Controlling ‘Cling’ Wrap

Plastic wrap or cling wrap often gets wasted as it tears apart or
sticks together. A simple solution that I found is to keep it in the
freezer. It pulls apart easily with no more wasted wrap.
Angie

Spot Free Dishes

Instead of buying expensive spot eliminators for the dishwasher (i.e.
Jet Dry), fill the reservoir with plain white household vinegar. It
works just as well and it is much cheaper. It’s probably better for the
environment as well.
Lorre J. in Phoenix, AZ

Easy Dusting

Updating Kitchen Cabinets

We refaced our kitchen cabinets last year. We bought cabinet grade wood
at a lumber store, cut it to the sizes we needed for the cabinet doors
and stained it. It looked like a totally new kitchen! It cost a
fraction of the price of getting new cabinets since we were able to do the
work ourselves. Unless your kitchen has odd shaped doors, you should be
able to do this also. You can even get a router to make the pretty
designs in the doors if you want. We tried but decided we did not want to
invest that much time.
Vicki

I would like to prepay on my auto loan. My payments are $261 each month
 with a very high interest rate of 13.9%. I have paid all my other
 debts off and want to start getting the car paid early. I called the
 finance company and they told me all prepayments go to interest first. How
 does this work? Why prepay if I am just giving to interest? This extra
 payment would be above the normal payment. Example: Pay the payment of
 $261 and then write a separate check for $500 each month directed to go
 to principal only. Could you explain this to me?
Carol

Moist Slow Cooker Meals

When you are cooking with a slow cooker, remember that cheaper cuts of
meat do much better (such as chuck roasts or chuck steaks). Very lean
cuts of beef come out very dry. Chicken legs or thighs generally will
give a more moist end result than chicken breast. If you do use chicken
breast, use the whole breasts, not the boneless skinless breasts, since
they will remain moister. Remove the bones and skin after cooking.

Also, remember to use enough liquid to cook over a long period of time.
Liquids like chicken or beef broth or cream soups diluted with water
make very good gravies in the slow cooker.
Linda

Dinner Dating

On the subject of freezer efficiency, I like the idea of marking frozen
food with the date by which it should be consumed versus the date it
was put into the freezer. Isn’t it easier to see a package marked with
next week’s date on it and know it’s “time” to plan a particular meal?
Diane S. in North Olmsted, OH

Before I Buy