The lazy cheapskate (stuff you probably already know but I needed a subject)

1. With care and planning, you can get four sets of curtains for 6-over-6 windows (approx. 36" long) with decent fullness and length, plus valences, from one set of full  bed sheets.  Fitted works better, there's more material in the bottom sheet to accomodate the elastic, and considering the  cost of material...

2.  Shampoo and cream rinse contain carnauba wax, which is safe to use, heck, its even in chocolate, it's used in car waxes, foods, and hair care products because it makes stuff shinnnneeeyyy...but it's a lot kinder on porcelain and shower stalls, and if you put a blob on a sponge you can wash an entire car with it by swirling it around, gently, and then hosing down the car.  No rubbing/buffing involved. And no streaking.  It also removes that high-tide water line on bathtubs.  Great way to use up shampoo that you got and never liked.  Works on kitchen appliances too.

3.  Put a little vinegar in the water you're going to hardboil eggs in, and start the eggs in cold water, let them heat up as the water does.  Vinegar softens the shells so you can often slip most of it off the cooked eggs easily.  Only for about fifteen minutes. Longer than that and the yolk gets greenish.

4.  When you tie shoelaces, usually they skew to north and south rather than side to side.  If you make the last loop 'backwards'  they'll lie flat against the top of the shoe.

5.  House brands.  Most of them are exactly the same quality as the advertised brands, but way cheaper. Bleach,  vinegar, lemon juice, salt, baking soda, even  flour and sugar.  And sea salt is just salt with a huge price tag. Salt is salt.

6. Coffee.  Really.  Someone put me on to this one, and he was right.  As with a lot of other products, branded coffee is the same across the board. The only thing that changes is the label and the price. (Maxwell House cheats on its labeling, selling three different amounts in identically sized containers, all at the same price. ) The only difference is the teeny weight symbol at the bottom.  And house brands use plain coated cardboard containers, no ads, and are sometimes half the price of the fancy brands.  I love coffee, and cannot tell the difference.

7.  Jumbo sized standard foods like cereal, peanut butter, ketchup, and sometimes detergent.  Check the /per oz. label on the shelves.  We were taught as kids that the giant economy size was the one to buy.  Some years ago manufacturers realized that people bought this stuff on autopilot, and began changing their prices to reflect that.  If you  compare sizes, you'll find that the medium size of anything that also comes in jumbo is often cheaper-per-oz than the extra large.

8.  Paper towel products are a minefield.  Read for content on the label.  "squeezably soft" does not mean the product is soft, it means they have air  incoporated into the rolling process, so that you get big fluffy looking paper towels and toilet paper, but lots and lots of big fluffy air as well.  Sheet count is way more important.

9.  repurpose your knitted goods. Unravel the sweater you hate, wash the yarn, and make mittens with it.  Or socks, if you're so inclined.

10.  Those wonderfully huge lawn leaf bags can be used for more than just leaves, and they last, with care, forever.  If they get wet, they dry out quickly.  Great for kids' forts and paperbag games for cats.  Excellent for storing fabric or yarn, or even extra clothing.

11.  Neither of us likes the end pieces of store bread, so I let them dry up a bit and store them whole  in a plastic bag in the freezer.  When the recipe calls for bread  crumbs, take out what you need, let them dry out in the oven, and crumble them.  They still taste fresh, and you never have to actually buy any.

12.  Old socks. I use one as a duster, slip my hand in it and dust away.  I  prefer to go barefoot in the house, but in winter the floors are cold,  and use a pair of my husband's old socks, with the ribbing cut down to just above the ankle line.  The cut-off ankle pieces I use as wristlets  when I go outside to shovel. keeps the cold from whooshing up my arms.  And one is of them is perfect for my right wrist, I have a bone spur there that makes using the computer mouse unpleasant. This is just enough to relieve that.

13.  If you have water-based color pens (not gel or alcohol based, this doesn't work on them) and they start to dry up, take off the end of the tube (sometimes you need pliers, but you can see where it joins up), and with an eye dropper put in water, one drop at a time.  When the felt begins to look wet, replace the top of the pen and cap, and let them set for a few minutes or longer.  You can stretch the life of most water based pens like this almost indefinitely.

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