Frugalty "hacks" that worked for you?

[Bonnie]

Has anyone mentioned those toothpaste flatteners to get all the toothpaste out of the tube?

I was thinking about this the other day & wondering if they work on the plastic tubes. The last time I used one the tubes were metal.

I’d like to find one - do you know where they can be bought?

 

[pensmama87]

I was thinking about this the other day & wondering if they work on the plastic tubes. The last time I used one the tubes were metal.

I’d like to find one - do you know where they can be bought?

I found some at Walmart very “helpfully” stocked next to the toothpaste. I’ve also seen them at CVS etc (but don’t buy stuff there unless it’s on sale and you have a coupon!!! Can’t reiterate that enough, haha.)

There are ones you can rig yourself that aren’t too hard either, but I think I paid 50 cents for a pack of two, and that was worth it.

 

[Bonnie]

I found some at Walmart very “helpfully” stocked next to the toothpaste.

Hmm - I’ve never looked. I’m a lousy browser - I go for toothpaste & that’s all I look at.

I’ll put the thingy on my list & check next time.

 

[ToeInTheWater]

If my maternal Gramma got tired of a face cream or a hand lotion or didn’t care for the scent of a hand lotion or a body lotion for the body, she would then use it as a foot cream.

I actually do buy a separate foot cream, but I have been known to repurpose cleansers and lotions marketed for the face for my hands. Some “potions” are too harsh for my rather sensitive face but tolerable for my hands. I also have found that facial cleansers for oily skin work really well to clean my hands if they’re greasy from, say, handling bacon. (The cheap “drug store” generic version work fine for this purpose).

I’m not able to view the youtube - cheap isp - would it be ethical to copy & paste the text?

Well, I did find the same information on the Chicago Steak Company site that is free to access, and refers to the “crew at Americas Test Kitchen” and these are actually the same people, mostly, that write for the Cooks Illustrated magazine – the Cooks Country TV show and magazine is also produced by the same company.

mychicagosteak.com/steak-university/2016/05/11/cook-frozen-steak-without-thawing

When you plan to cook a frozen steak, it’s essential that you freeze your steak in a way that prevents moisture build up. This is important any time your freeze meat, but is extra important when you cook without thawing.

There are two reasons for this. One, water slows down searing. Two, if you’re pan searing your steak, water will cause dangerous flare-ups when you place your steak in smoking-temperature oil.

It is therefore important that you make sure your steak’s surface stays dry when freezing it. Do this by freezing it overnight on an exposed-air pan lined with parchment paper. The following morning, wrap it in airtight plastic wrap before putting it in a zip-locked plastic bag and back in the freezer. This will prevent moisture from collecting in ice crystals on the surface of your steak.

When you actually cook your steak, make sure to have your cooking oil or grill as hot as you can possibly get it. The cooking surface should reach 500 F, minimum. You should also have your oven preheated to a lower cooking temperature. The crew at America’s Test Kitchen suggests 275 F. Meanwhile, Nathan Mhyrvold recommends as low at 135 F, though most kitchen ovens don’t go lower than 200 F. A lower temperature means a more consistent level of doneness.

Sear your steak for 90 seconds on each side, then transfer your steak to a wire-rack set in a rimmed baking sheet. Slide your steak into the oven, and cook it until it reaches your desired temperature for doneness.

Keep in mind that because your steak is frozen, it will take longer to reach your desired level of doneness. Also, the lower the temperature you set your oven at, the longer it will take to cook. We strongly suggest you use a thermometer to measure your steak’s temperature, especially if you’re trying this method for the first time.

Hope this helps!

 

[oldgraymare2]

I do that with lip balm. (Then it gets the skull and crossbones, ‘cause I ain’t never usin’ it on my mouth again).

Heee!

 

[Bonnie]

Well, I did find the same information on the Chicago Steak Company site that is free to access, and refers to the “crew at Americas Test Kitchen” and these are actually the same people, mostly, that write for the Cooks Illustrated magazine – the Cooks Country TV show and magazine is also produced by the same company.

mychicagosteak.com/steak-university/2016/05/11/cook-frozen-steak-without-thawing

Hope this helps!

Thank you! I’ll try it.

 

[DarkLight]

Here’s a question: how do you curate your “what to buy” list? One can, as my mother puts it, go broke saving money. It’s better to buy things on sale - if it’s a better value than not buying at all.

 

[Sailor_Kenshin]

Here’s a question: how do you curate your “what to buy” list? One can, as my mother puts it, go broke saving money. It’s better to buy things on sale - if it’s a better value than not buying at all.

Interesting question. I guess, by what we really use a lot of (such as basic paper products, certain canned goods, meats, cheeses, other things with a longer shelf life). Especially when on sale.

With fresh produce, it’s more about what looks best, and buying smaller quantities. I used to be spice-crazy, but have been inching away from dedicated seasoning mixes in favor of, again, basics.

How do you do it?

 

[Xantippe]

Here’s a question: how do you curate your “what to buy” list? One can, as my mother puts it, go broke saving money. It’s better to buy things on sale - if it’s a better value than not buying at all.

If I have to buy it, I have to buy it.

Like, right this minute, I’m about to place a Lands End order for school uniforms, after visiting the uniform closet at school and finding that the item I need was not available used. Lands End is not a cheap store, but a) we are required to get the kids’ uniforms from them and b) the quality is good and c) I have a coupon good for 40% off on kids’ clothes.

But a lot of other things are more discretionary. As I’ve probably mentioned earlier in this thread, I keep a huge number of items in my Amazon cart in the “saved” area. I review it every so often and zap out the items that I no longer want. It helps me remember what I want, so that if anybody asks me for a gift idea or if I suddenly have funds, it’s right there (you know how sometimes people ask for gift ideas, and you can’t think of anything?). I also keep a paper list of wants (for example clothing items for each member of the family) for non-Amazon items. Having a list and waiting makes it easier to figure out what’s the highest priority. It also gives one the opportunity to discover negative reviews (for example, that the phone you really wanted blows up unexpectedly).

Any medium-sized or major purchase (and many minor purchases) that we make has often been planned months or years in advance.

Basically, the idea is to increase the amount of planning going on and curb impulse buys. The more you plan and the less impulsive you are, the better quality decisions you’re going to make.

 

[Xantippe]

Interesting question. I guess, by what we really use a lot of (such as basic paper products, certain canned goods, meats, cheeses, other things with a longer shelf life). Especially when on sale.

With fresh produce, it’s more about what looks best, and buying smaller quantities. I used to be spice-crazy, but have been inching away from dedicated seasoning mixes in favor of, again, basics.

How do you do it?

It can be very saaaad to discover that one’s spices expired years ago.

 

[oldgraymare2]

It can be very saaaad to discover that one’s spices expired years ago.

I agree.

I’m trying to do like some of you are too, regarding spices.

I used to go kind of crazy over those really large containers of spice mixes that you could find at bargain prices at some of the bargain outlet stores, and then I never could use them up before they expired and they would go to waste.

So now I’m just trying to be more judicious when it comes to spices and I’m buying them in smaller quantities and I’m finding that I really don’t miss those really large sizes of mixes.

Live and learn.

 

[Xantippe]

I agree.

I’m trying to do like some of you are too, regarding spices.

I used to go kind of crazy over those really large containers of spice mixes that you could find at bargain prices at some of the bargain outlet stores, and then I never could use them up before they expired and they would go to waste.

So now I’m just trying to be more judicious when it comes to spices and I’m buying them in smaller quantities and I’m finding that I really don’t miss those really large sizes of mixes.

Live and learn.

Plus, they probably weren’t that good to begin with.

 

[DarkLight]

Like, right this minute, I’m about to place a Lands End order for school uniforms, after visiting the uniform closet at school and finding that the item I need was not available used. Lands End is not a cheap store, but a) we are required to get the kids’ uniforms from them and b) the quality is good and c) I have a coupon good for 40% off on kids’ clothes.

Lands end was my inspiration for this post! I was shopping their pants (they had some nice loose fit ones for changing pant size). I was peeking at sales and they had a lovely lavendar fleece blanket for $20. And I do like their bedding - we have still soft blankets from when I was in middle school. Mine are all scratchy now (different brand).

 

[Xantippe]

Lands end was my inspiration for this post! I was shopping their pants (they had some nice loose fit ones for changing pant size). I was peeking at sales and they had a lovely lavendar fleece blanket for $20. And I do like their bedding - we have still soft blankets from when I was in middle school. Mine are all scratchy now (different brand).

If it’s within your budget, sure, why not?

It’s been one of my changes in values to try to fight the Pavlovian urge to buy cheap stuff I don’t actually like in favor of waiting for something I do really like. I know that sounds a little dumb, but in the past, I’ve wound up buying a lot of children’s clothing I wasn’t crazy about because it was on a deep discount–and then I have to look at it for months/years, when I could have waited for something else to go on sale/bought fewer items/etc. and wound up with things I liked better for roughly the same price.

 

[VivienneJ]

Cloth napkins and kitchen towels. No paper napkins, towels, cups, plates, flatware. Saves money and resources.

Joining the discussion rather late, but this has been a saver, for sure. Earlier this year we found that my granddaughter is hugely affected by the endocrine disruption from plastics. This spurred us to accelerate the reduction, as far as possible and reasonable, of plastic. So we all have glass water bottles, for example. Yes, 3 have been broken, 7 people and four of them under 10 years old, not too bad. Of the broken bottles, two were broken by the adults, although they were childrens’ bottles.

I sewed cloth napkins and handkerchiefs. Always have a hanky on me these days, just like my granny did. Napkins and a couple of reusable stainless steel straws always in my purse too.

And eat mainly ‘real’ food. There are areas of the supermarkets I seldom enter any more!

 

[ToeInTheWater]

I used to go kind of crazy over those really large containers of spice mixes that you could find at bargain prices at some of the bargain outlet stores, and then I never could use them up before they expired and they would go to waste.

That’s happened to me too. I recall a certain bargain priced bottle of oregano that became totally stale before I could use it all.

However, spices don’t really “expire” as in “become unsafe to eat”, they just lose their “zing” as they get old. A hack to rejuvenate such spices is to “bloom” them by heating them in oil. Though I’d doubt this would work for spices you find in the back of the pantry that expired a year ago, but those that just expired a few weeks ago may respond to this treatment.

 

[Xantippe]

That’s happened to me too. I recall a certain bargain priced bottle of oregano that became totally stale before I could use it all.

However, spices don’t really “expire” as in “become unsafe to eat”, they just lose their “zing” as they get old. A hack to rejuvenate such spices is to “bloom” them by heating them in oil. **Though I’d doubt this would work for spices you find in the back of the pantry that expired a year ago, **but those that just expired a few weeks ago may respond to this treatment.

HA HA!

I’ve found expired spices that expired 3+ years previously.

 

[pensmama87]

That’s happened to me too. I recall a certain bargain priced bottle of oregano that became totally stale before I could use it all.

However, spices don’t really “expire” as in “become unsafe to eat”, they just lose their “zing” as they get old. A hack to rejuvenate such spices is to “bloom” them by heating them in oil. Though I’d doubt this would work for spices you find in the back of the pantry that expired a year ago, but those that just expired a few weeks ago may respond to this treatment.

This is apparently also the case with many OTC medications. They just lose potency and don’t actually become dangerous to consume. If it’s only a few months or up to a year out, I’ll still take it (still sticking to recommended dosages and not exceeding them to “make up for” lost potency.) Most of the time, it still works well enough (we’re talking mild painkillers etc here, not lifesaving medications.)

Necessary disclaimer: This was the advice of a friend of mine who is a pharmacist that she told directly to me. Ask your own if it would be safe or not. Don’t follow the advice of some rando on the Internet who could be making all this stuff up.

 

[bmaj]

This is apparently also the case with many OTC medications. They just lose potency and don’t actually become dangerous to consume. If it’s only a few months or up to a year out, I’ll still take it (still sticking to recommended dosages and not exceeding them to “make up for” lost potency.) Most of the time, it still works well enough (we’re talking mild painkillers etc here, not lifesaving medications.)

Necessary disclaimer: This was the advice of a friend of mine who is a pharmacist that she told directly to me. Ask your own if it would be safe or not. Don’t follow the advice of some rando on the Internet who could be making all this stuff up.

I also heard the same thing from a health care professional.

 

[punisherthunder]

Not so much a hack, but we purchase all cleaners, cleansers, and paper waste products at the Dollar General stores.