Little secrets - share!

morningstar

morningstar

Cathlete
Okay, I want your secrets - tell us what you know that we don't and you think would improve our lives to know it. Here's mine:

  • Hardboiled eggs don't crack and leak all over the place if you pierce the shell with a needle in the wide end before boiling. No need to add salt to the water.

  • Gently scrub your face with a baking soda paste (mix baking soda with a little water) after cleansing, as a gentle exfoliant that you can use every day and will make your skin feel wonderful - each of the little particles are the same size, so they don't tear your skin.

  • Debbie Meyer Green Bags - they actually do work! As a vegetarian, I go through a lot of veggies, and I used to throw out a lot too. Not anymore, I swear to God! So worth the money.

Okay, so give!
 
I love Debbie Meyer Green Bags! Wish I'd found them sooner, as I try to shop only once a week and produce doesn't always keep so well.

I can think of only one "secret" right now, but it's helped me so much:

If you have an especially greasy, burned, or otherwise hard-to-clean pot or pan, don't bother scrubbing it. Instead, put water in it and bring it to a boil. When it boils, dump in some baking soda (careful that it doesn't boil over) and let is simmer for a bit, then cool. (I let it sit overnight if it's really awful.) Clean-up is so easy that you hardly have to scrub at all.

I hope that was helpful. I'll try to pinprick in the boiled eggs. Salt doesn't always work and I've had more than one egg break using that method!
 
A little sugar in your facial cleanser is great too. Just like the baking soda, it makes your skin feel wonderful...smooth and soft.
 
Kitchen tip:
I just found out this year that Reynolds Aluminum foil has little tabs on the sides to hold the foil roll in place.:eek: Have you ever tried rolling back the foil once it's rolled across your floor? Ya, what a mess.:eek:

Facial tip:

Crush 2-3 uncoated aspirin in a teaspoon. Add a few drops of water to make a paste. Smear this on your face. Wait until it dries. Then rinse off. It makes your skin so soft and smooth. DO NOT USE IF YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO ASPIRIN.
 
Cool thread!! :eek:

Any old shampoo or conditioner will clean your sinks, tubs, and showers really well. And no nasty chemical smell.
 
Facial Mask - plain yogurt! Take a few tablespoons and let it warm to room temperature, apply to face and leave it on for 10 minutes or more. The millk fats work to moisturize and brings out the glow.
 
Awesome thread!

While in the shower, mix in your hand equal amounts of sugar and cheap lotion. Use as an exfoliator. It moistens too and leaves your skin super smooth!
 
I am by NO means a beauty expert! LOL I am a low maintenance type gal...no expensive makeup or hair care products.

BUT, here's my tip:

When your hair gets that heavy buildup of styler and hair spray, about 4 weeks after my hair cut, usually, I lather my hair with my cheapy shampoo and add in about 2 Tablespoons of baking soda and lather again. Rinse, then re-lather with just shampoo and rinse to get all the baking soda out. You wouldn't believe how this gets the build up OFF your hair!

Gayle
 
Pearlstrand said:
If you have an especially greasy, burned, or otherwise hard-to-clean pot or pan, don't bother scrubbing it. Instead, put water in it and bring it to a boil. When it boils, dump in some baking soda (careful that it doesn't boil over) and let is simmer for a bit, then cool. (I let it sit overnight if it's really awful.) Clean-up is so easy that you hardly have to scrub at all.
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Ooooh, I like this one and I'm going to try it!
 
If your microwave gets yucky inside, microwaving a bowl of water in there before cleaning will make cleanup far easier.
 
Shiny Hair and Better Skin

Hair tip:

Pour 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar in one cup of cold water over hair after washing it, then rinse very briefly and gently and towel it dry. Your hair will be very, very soft'n shiny (SHINY. EVEN IF IT'S BROWN AND CURLY LIKE MINE). The vinegar smell is very faint and it goes away once your hair is dry. It's better than any expensive hair treatment I've ever tried...and it's obviously dirt cheap (huzzah!).

Clarisonic Tip:

OK, I swear I am not affiliated with this company in ANY way. And I don't own any stock as far as I know. This face cleaner thing is expensive and it is totally worth it. My skin has always been utterly tragic, even with the help of dermatologists, and this thing has actually reduced breakouts and made my skin soft and clear and 100% better. It's better than Retin-A. Here ya go: Clarisonic website.
 
Keri lotion on the face instead of expensive face creams--definitely helps that desert-like look of the skin, & makes it so soft! (warning--don't try if you have acne or clogged pores!)

Vaseline under the eyes & on the lips before bedtime.

Conditioner for shaving legs--has the same active ingredient (dimethicone) as shaving cream.
 
I tried the baking soda exfoliator this morning and really liked it. And it's nice because if it gets in your mouth you aren't spitting for 5 minutes.

I don't really have any tips, but have learned some good lessons this year with the need to cut back on expenses (high gas prices, switching to a 1 income household, and paying my ex alimony)...Pantene works just as well, if not better, than the expensive hair products I was using. Cover Girl, Maybelline, L'Oreal...work just as well, if not better, than the expensive stuff you buy at the department stores. Store brands work as well as name brands. Ticks me off I wasted so much money over the years.

That said....Banana Republic is better than Old Navy.
 
dss62467 said:
I don't really have any tips, but have learned some good lessons this year with the need to cut back on expenses (high gas prices, switching to a 1 income household, and paying my ex alimony)...Pantene works just as well, if not better, than the expensive hair products I was using. Cover Girl, Maybelline, L'Oreal...work just as well, if not better, than the expensive stuff you buy at the department stores. Store brands work as well as name brands. Ticks me off I wasted so much money over the years.
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I never, ever buy expensive mascara! You're supposed to toss it every couple of months anyway, so it's not worth it.

I think that Max Factor makes the best mascara around. No matter what other brands I try -- from the high end to the low -- I always go back to Max Factor.

But as for the rest of my make-up ... well, let's not go there!
 
ok, this is a weird one... ready?... if you have cats (I have around 25 out in the barn and 2 inside) and they pee on, say your DS backpack, and it reeks, but too expensive to replace?
wash in detergent made for hunters the eliminates scent. Wal-mart carries this brand_Hunter's Specialties. I add detergent (it's a liquid) and fill up washer and add item, let sit 1/2 hour, then wash. Works like a charm. Just a trick I learned from living on a farm w/ a DH who hunts.:)
 
Got bags under your eyes? Use Preparation-H creme instead of expensive eye de-puffer.

That's the only "secret" I know
 
I got this tip from another message board.
I know you are going to find this discusting, or at least weird but consider the ingredient list instead of the name:
You can use Crisco as a daily face and body moisturizer. I tried it, it has made a difference in my face more than any other part of my body. I have combination skin, a lot of moisturizers cause blackheads and clogged pores but not Crisco. Every winter my face gets very dry, I put a little Crisco before I go to bed and I wake up with hydrated baby soft skin.
I was hesitant to try it at first, but for under $4 and on a tight budget this was a good find.
Ingredients:
soybean oil, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, mono and diglycerides,TBHQ and citric acid.
 
I use coconut oil (groceries) as a full body/face moisturizer.
I use white vinegar to clean basically everything, full strength for counter tops/sinks. The magic eraser works great on a glass cooktop.
Don't pay a cleaning lady, follow the flylady (flylady.net) and in only 15 minutes a day the house is clean.
I half my dryer sheets (that makes a box last twice as long and there is still no static.) I use those cheap washcloth (15 in a pack for $3) instead of paper towels. I use cloth napkins from Sams instead of paper napkins.
 
When you are drying comforters in the dryer, toss in a couple of tennis balls to keep the filling from getting lumpy. =]
 
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