10 More Ways to Save Money Using Lemons

Some time ago I wrote a post on some money-saving ideas using lemons. I thought I would share more tips that I have since come across. After all, finding little ways to save a little money each day can add up to a pretty nice savings before you know it.

1. Use lemons, save a lettuce! Add the juice of half a lemon to a bowl of cold water. Then put soggy lettuce in it and refrigerate for 1 hour. Make sure to dry the leaves completely before putting them into salads or sandwiches.

2. Get rid of mineral deposits and polish tarnished chrome  without buying expensive cleansers: simply rub lemon rind over the chrome and watch it shine! Rinse well and dry with a soft cloth.

3. Add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to your dish-washing soap to dissolve grease on dishes and pans.

4. Clean tough food stains on wood and plastic cutting boards by squeezing lemon juice on the stains. Wait 20 minutes then rinse.

5. Use lemons to neutralize odors: Simply cut a lemon in half and place both halves, cut side up in a dish. The air will smell fresher with a lemony scent soon!

6. Use lemons to help remove warts: Just apply a little lemon juice right on the wart. Do this for a few days until the acids in the juice dissolve the wart completely.

7. Got dandruff ? Use lemons to help stop the itch and get rid of flaky dandruff. Massage 2 Tbs. of lemon juice directly on the scalp, then rinse with warm water. Next, mix 1 teaspoon lemon juice in 1 cup water and rinse your hair with it. Repeat this daily until your dandruff disappears. No more itchy scalp, and your hair will smell lemon-fresh.

8. Before spending money on expensive age spot creams, try applying lemon juice directly on the age spots.e Leave on for about 15 minutes, then rinse your face completely. Lemon juice is known to safely and effectively lighten skin spots. 

9. Instead of buying bleach, use 1/4 to 1/2 cup of lemon juice to the rinse cycle to brighter up your favorite whites.

10. Did you know that fleas and roaches hate the scent of lemons? To naturally repel these bugs, mix the juice of 4 lemons (along with the rinds) with 1/2 gallon (2 liters) water and wash your floors with it.

There are endless ways to use lemons around the home it seems. What are your favorite lemon tips?

Save Money With Waffle Pizzas!

This is a favorite kid's meal at my house, and it is so easy and inexpensive to make I love it too! You can make waffle pizzas with frozen waffles or homemade waffles, some tomato slices, cheese and olives.

Just cook the waffle as you would normally, then line a broiler rack with foil.

Next, arrange the waffles on the foil and add sliced tomato, some mozzarella cheese and black olives, sliced. Sprikle lightly with seasonings such as basil, oregano and pepper.

Cook the waffle pizzas under the broiler for about 3 minutes or until cheese has melted. Serve and enjoy the smiles you get!

Homemade Waffle Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg, separated
1 1/4 cups milk
2 Tbs. melted butter

Preheat waffle iron.
Combine flour, baking soda, salt in bowl.
Make a well in center and add the egg yolk and milk
Mix ingredients, then stir in butter
Finally, whisk egg white in a separate bowl, then add to flour mixture

Pour into waffle iron and cook for about 3 minutes with lid closed until waffles are light brown.

Makes about 12 waffles.

Homemade Christmas Gift: Chocolate Bath Salts!

Chocolate Bath Salts make a delicious smile-inducing and calorie-free gift for any occasion, especially as a charming homemade Christmas present! Re-use some clean dry glass jars, such as those from spaghetti sauce or jellies, decorate with pretty ribbons, and glue on some cute labels to create some pretty handmade gifts. Another cute idea is to re-use those glass bottles from the Starbucks Cappuccino drinks you can buy at the store--just be sure to wash thoroughly and dry completely.

Recipe:

6 cups epsom Salt
2 Tbs. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine ingredients and spread on a cookie sheet lined with a paper towel. Let air-dry, then pour into a dry clean jar.

Use about 3 Tbs. to 4 Tbs. in a warm bath and indulge in the scenty chocolaty aroma!

5 Cheap Halloween Costumes You Can Make at Home

It is almost Halloween.....are you looking for some cheap costume ideas? If you are trying to save money and want to make a Halloween costume yourself this year, here are a few fun ideas to think about:

1. Skunk Costume: Wear black tights or pants, and a  black turtleneck or long sleeve shirt. Then sew or use safety pins to attach a white stripe made from extra material (an old white sheet or white pillowcases can work well ) down the back of the clothing.This way you can easily remove the stripe and use the clothing again.

2. Be a ghost, but add some fun touches to the sheet such as eyelashes, painted cheeks lipstick, hat, mustache, freckles, etc.

3. How about a tourist? Wear a colorful shirt, trousers (shorts if it happens to be warm where you are), have a camera, maps, straw hats, colorful bright dress and flat shoes, etc.

4."Dice" Halloween Costume: Get a cardboard box and paint it a solid black. Then add white dots. Make openings for the arms and head and you are done!

5. Tube of Toothpaste Costume: Use a sheet as the "tube" and a lampshade for the "cap." Paint or use markers to write the name of a well-known toothpaste down the front of the "tube." You could also use a long pillowcase as the "tube" part of the costume.

5 DIY Stain RemoversThat Can Save You Money

Got kids? Then you probably have stains! In our house, we have dealt with all kinds of munchkin-inspired stains, from markers on the wall to juice stains on t-shirts. And of course, the stubborn grass stains. I have a few DIY stain tips to share and would love to hear more --if anyone has some to share too?!

1. My budding Picasso, aka my 3 year old son, loves to practice his artistic skills on our walls. What I find works well to remove the marker stains is good old rubbing alcohol. Just dip a clean soft cloth in the rubbing alcohol, and gently buff away the marks.

2. For the spilled fruit juice, a simple trick is to boil some water while the stain is fresh. While the water heats up, gently blot away the the excess juice, then pour the boiling water (carefully!) through the stain to make it disappear.

3. Grass Stains have been my nemesis for a very long time. But of all things, a little meat tenderizer works well at removing those stubborn stains! Just sprinkle meat tenderizer on the stains before laundering the clothes. When the tenderizer mixes with water, it dissolves those stains like magic!

4. For crayon stains on your kids clothes, try a combination of liquid dish soap and WD-40. Put the clothes on a few sheets of paper towels or some other cover to protect your surface, then spray both sides of the stain with it. Next, rub the soap into the stain until the crayon marks are gone. Then toss the clothes in the wash.

5. For dried chocolate stains, try using an iron on low setting. First, scrape off excess chocolate with a butter knife. Then place paper towels over the stain and lightly iron over the stain to lift the chocolate. Then toss the clothing in the wash.

Six Secrets To Saving Money and Time

Getting the best deals out there and saving money while doing so can depend on timing. From ending an auction on e-Bay to scheduling a doctor's appointment, timing things just right can help you save a little (or a lot) of cash and time! Here are six secret timing tips from the experts when it comes to getting good deals:

1. End your eBay auctions on Sunday nights between 6p.m. and 10p.m.

Why? These are the hours that eBay receives the most traffic, according to Dan Blacharski, author of eBay's Secrets Revealed. And because most people wait until the last hour or so to bid, this timing will be your best chance at getting the most action on your auction--and make the most money!

2. Buy you next new car on a Monday--at 6p.m.--if you can!

Why? Because Mondays happen to be the slowest days for car sales, according to Scott Gamm, founder of HelpSaveMyDollars.com. Car salesmen will be much more desperate agreeable to make deals by closing time. If you try showing up at this time when you want to buy your next car, you just may be happily surprised at the incentives tossed your way by the sales people.

3. Make your next doctor's appointment between Tues. and Friday, at 1p.m.

Why? Because appointments at this time tend to be faster as most doctors come back from lunch at one p.m., explains Mark Di Vincenzo, author of Buy Ketchup in May and Fly at Noon. So chances are good that instead of wasting time sitting in the waiting room, you will have the first appointment for the afternoon and be called in promptly (or as promptly as feasible at a doctor's office, anyway.) Avoid Mondays for routine appointments altogether as offices tend to be full then with patients who got sick over the weekend.

4. Go Shopping For Clothes on Thursday Evenings.

Why?  Because most stores will have sales on weekends, but they start marking down their merchandise on Thursdays. Chances are you can get the discount early-- a day ahead of the sale-- or you can have the store hold the item for you until the next day when it goes on sale. So shopping on Thursday will give you first pick of the items going on sale, and the discount as well.

5. Make air travel plans for Saturdays at noon when possible.

Why?  Author Di Vincenzo explains that according to statistical analysis of millions of airfares, Saturdays are the cheapest day to fly. Plus, with fewer flights scheduled, you will have less wait time in lines and fewer delays. Di Vincenzo advises noon for flights because West Coaster travelers will avoid fog delays while East Coast travelers will avoid afternoon thunderstorm delays.

6. Call Customer Service Wednesdays at 2p.m. when possible.

Why?  This seems to be the slowest time during the week for customer service agents, according to Scott Gamm. The busiest times to call customer service would be Mondays and mornings, as well as afternoons around 5p.m. when many people get off work.

So while these six money and time-saving tips may not be fool-proof or guaranteed, they certainly sound worth trying at any rate!