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LINT REMOVERS If you mail order items, often companies will enclose postage-paid labels to send back merchandise. If you are not going to use the labels, hold on to them as they make great lint removers for coats and clothes. I find this label tip to be great as it allows one to accomplish one of the three R’s, Reuse, before throwing the labels into the garbage. Rachael I. in Phillipsburg, NJ

COUPONS AT THE READY How many times have you been out and about and realized you had a money-saving coupon for that particular store or restaurant but left it at home? I solved that problem by keeping a twopocket folder between the front seats of my car filled with coupons. Every Sunday, while cutting grocery coupons, I might come across a coupon for a restaurant or store. I cut these out and put them in my car folder. One side of the folder is for restaurants and the other side is for stores. It’s always in the car so I never forget a coupon while shopping or dining! And, if I’m in the car waiting to pick up my kids at school and sports activities, I use that time to go through my folder and weed out expired coupons. It’s a great system that works for me! June C.

HOMEMADE TV DINNERS I save the containers that cheap TV dinners come in and hand-wash them. I put leftovers in them for portion sizes, cover with foil, and freeze. After the food is frozen, I put the frozen portions into a FoodSaver(r) freezer bag and vacuum seal it with the date and contents listed. I have a home-cooked meal that’s convenient. I can also bring a bag over for my widowed Grandfather to make sure he is eating well. Angie

CLOTHING STORAGE A great storage solution is to copy what our greatgrandparents did. Build a freestanding “wardrode” that completely fills a corner of the room. Most were 3 to 4 feet wide inside, at least about 30-35 inches deep and went all the way to the ceiling. There was a full shelf at about adult overhead level. They had two doors, one overhead and one down at the normal level. The ones at the old family home were 16 feet tall since that was how tall the ceilings were! The lower door was a door the size of a closet door, and the upper one was sized to allow you to insert an item about 1 inch shorter than the space above. The doors were made of beadboard to match the outside. It had a simple “turn the piece of wood on the nail through its center” closure on both doors. Due to being homemade, all were custom fitted into nooks at the edges of the rooms. They offered a tremendous amount of storage that lasted for decades and whoever has them now is probably still using and enjoying them. Debbie Z.

SAVE WHAT YOU CAN I have found that by saving $5 bills, I can use the savings for an emergency or other worthwhile need. The secret for me is to just let them appear on their own like change at the store or elsewhere. When we moved to a new house, I used the $5 bills to pay for the backyard fence. Try it. You might be surprised how fast they appear! Bill B.

SPLINTER? Got a splinter? Before you start poking around with a needle and tweezers, try removing it with regular white glue! Spread the glue over the injury and/ or splinter and let it dry. Then peel it off to pull the splinter out! Arlene in Raleigh, NC

SAVE THE BANANAS Bananas stay brown spot free much longer when you separate them from the bunch. Separating them stops the chain reaction of all your bananas getting mushy at once. I have some bananas right now in my kitchen (separated) that are a week and a half old, and only have a few small spots on them. Sarah L.

EASY ORGANIZED CLOTHING When a new season arrives, I hang all the items with the hangers facing backwards. When I wear and wash the item, I return it to the closet facing the proper way. At the end of the season, it’s super easy to tell which of the items I never wore, and those are the ones I donate for someone else to enjoy. Suzziee

DRY GOODS STORAGE Keeping dry goods like rice, flour and sugar fresh is easier by using empty metal coffee cans. The labels on the brand I purchase come off easily. I just write the name of the contents on the lid and on the side with a permanent marker. They stack easier in the pantry and keep out ants or any other invaders. Shawna P. Barberton, OH

TIME TO NEGOTIATE I recently called my alarm company. I am a long-time customer. I asked for a monthly discount. I was currently paying $24.95 monthly. I was told that they could lower my monthly payment to $19.95 if I signed a three-year contract. I told them that I wanted a $15 monthly charge, and I would be happy to sign a five-year contract. I have been with them for fifteen years. She put me on hold to talk to her supervisor and came back with a $16.95 monthly bill with the month of February free and I would have to sign a five-year contract. I agreed. Now is the time to negotiate your current monthly charges at places that are competing for your business. This is a savings of $8 per month or $96 per year to put into savings. And all I had to do was ask. Dominick in Metairie, LA

REPLACING JUICE BOXES We all know how expensive boxes/pouches of juice can be and how many are not 100% juice. I purchase large multi-packs of eight-ounce water bottles and mix my own juice from generic concentrates to fill the bottles. They cost a lot less, hold more juice than the boxes/pouches, and can be washed and reused (though not a huge expense if lost or damaged on occasion). Elaine in NJ