- What’s going on sale in September? Look for cookware, dishes, pool toys and pool accessories, patio furniture, plus great deals on new cars (2020 models and closeout sales on 2019 models).
- Here’s a great mattress de-funker recipe: Mix a cup of baking soda with 10 drops of your favorite essential oil. Sprinkle evenly over your bare mattress. Allow to penetrate for up to an hour, then vacuum up the remaining powder.
- It’s almost time for Scouts to start up again. I have been washing uniforms and sashes, and I find this trick to be helpful when it comes time to stitch on badges: Put a bit of plain school glue on the back of your badge, place it where you want it on the sash, then let it dry. It will stay in place long enough to stitch the edges. When you launder it, the glue will wash right out. — R.D. in Florida
- A school-success tip: Have middle and high-school kids identify a friend in every class who they can turn to for questions about assignments or course material. It’s beneficial to be that friend for someone else, too!
- Here’s a great tip for future international travel: Get yourself a power strip and you’ll only need one plug adapter for foreign plugs. You will make friends at the airport, too, on a layover. — G.G. in Arkansas
- When searching for airline flights, try going incognito in your browser, using a private browser, or deleting your cookies between searches. It can sometimes make a price difference.
- If you have to put a lid over something that is likely to stick to it, try giving the inside of the lid a very light coating of vegetable oil. I do this when I am transporting dip to a potluck. Vegetable oil has no flavor, really, and it’s just enough to let the lid come off without taking the top layer with it. — J.A. in Florida
- I use an ice-cube tray to freeze leftover coffee so I can use it for iced coffee. It’s great because the coffee doesn’t water down — it just gets richer. I save broth this way, too. Last week I pulled out a couple cubes of what I thought were broth to thin my leftover chili. Turns out they were coffee cubes, and the flavor was really good! I was surprised enough that I had to share. — R.F. in Virginia
- Here’s a great way to make waterproof matches for camping. Light a candle or use a wax melt in a warmer. When the wax is good and melted, get a box of matches ready (preferably strike-anywhere matches, but strike on box works, too). Dip each match head into the melted wax and set aside on a piece of parchment until dry and hardened.
- You can use a light mist of 1/4 vinegar and 3/4 water to polish chrome bath and kitchen fixtures. Spray and buff smudges away.
- My daughter is a softball player, and here’s what her coach suggested as an ice pack for when she gets home: unpopped popcorn kernels. They get cold but not uncomfortably so, they can easily mould to any body part and they don’t melt into a mess. If you needed to, you can empty them out into a pan and stick your hand or foot into it. Be sure to label them so you don’t try to pop them later! — L.D. in Georgia
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