Readers' Tips

There are several solutions you could try to dry out that area. Go to your local hardware store and ask for products that are designed to take moisture out of the area. These are usually small containers of a crystal-like product that absorbs moisture from the air. When they are saturated, you can dry them out in your oven and reuse them.

Put a vent of some kind on either end of the crawl space, which will allow air to circulate and help dry the area out. If you have standing water, dry the area out and then follow these suggestions. If the area returns to standing water, you may need to work on your landscaping to make certain it is draining away from the house and not toward it. If all of these suggestions fail, you need to hire a contractor to find out what is causing this and to suggest corrective measures.
JG

editor's note: more suggestions on how to get moisture out of your crawl space

If you have room in a deep freeze, get two five-gallon plastic buckets with tight lids. Put a fully frozen one in front of a fan while the other one is in the freezer. Swap them out as needed. It works a lot better than just a fan blowing around the hot air. Be sure to put a towel or something like a shallow roasting pan under the frozen bucket to keep the floor from getting wet from condensation on the exterior of the bucket. You could also use a gallon milk jug or soda bottle.
Patty H.

I've spent a lot of time recently frustrated with the amount of grit that was on my dishes after I washed them. I finally called and had a serviceman out to look at it, only because it was still under warranty. He told me the only problem was that I was using too much detergent. I always thought that I was very conservative with my detergents, feeling that the recommendations on the package were way too much. I've always used about half what they say. The serviceman said that the recommendations are based on the national average of water hardness. In our area, we have very soft water compared to the national average and I should only be using a teaspoon of dishwasher detergent! I was shocked! So, if you have relatively soft water, you need very little detergent. Too much detergent can cause foaming and the foam leaves behind grit. What a savings this will be to me and I hope to some of you!
Susan in WA

One of the ways I save money is to pick up tourist papers and flyers. I usually find a discount to gift shops or restaurants that I can use locally. You don't have to be a tourist to read them! I also pick up a travel/tourist paper for each town we spend a night in. I can usually get a "buy one get one free" for a meal and a hotel or RV pad discount. This is a great time of year to use boutique coupons for early Christmas purchases.
L in AK

My boys will turn 10 and 12 in a few months. Instead of spending a ton of money on parties/presents, we decided to do our own version of "trading spaces." My husband and I will each "team" up with one boy, and decorate the other boy's room. I thought it was a great idea as their rooms are still very "childish" and desperately need updating/organizing. To my amazement, my husband and children also thought it was a fantastic idea. The kids were even okay with this being their present!

We'll set a budget amount, do a before and after with our video camera, and make it a surprise (no peeking), just like the real thing. Now I have the next 4 to 5 months to scout around at garage sales, etc. to find good deals. Best of all, not only will this year's present not end up at the bottom of the toy box, but also our family will enjoy some quality time doing something together.
A.Y.

Disposable swim diapers are reusable. Last summer, I discovered that they hold up through quite a few washes very well. They last even longer if you hang them to dry rather than put them in the dryer. We go to the pool or beach almost daily, and one package of the disposable diapers per child will last for the summer!
Debbie O. in Savannah, GA

Here is a souvenir idea I love to do. Using a digital camera photo of your trip, print it on an iron on transfer. Remember to reverse the photo so everything will print in the correct way. I add a caption including the place and date to the photo prior to printing. Once you have the transfer printed, iron it on a white t-shirt or sweatshirt.

Of course, you can have this done professionally, but I choose to do it myself since it is more frugal. You now have a usable and unique memento of your vacation. This works great for our children. They love to pick out a favorite photo or two.
Kathy from Minnesota

From experience as a homebuyer, I can tell you for certain that the absolute best thing you can do to sell your home is to spend the $350 for a professional inspection before listing it! This single thing will put you head and shoulders above other sellers. The potential buyer will recognize your honesty and (with proper paperwork) won't have to do the inspection, thus putting an end to additional price negotiation and allowing for faster closing.

If the inspector recommends repairs, you can either choose to repair or not, disclosing everything in the process. If you do make repairs, the inspector will come back to the house and certify that they're up to code. Regardless, a pre-listing inspection will allow potential buyers peace of mind on major systems!
Randi F.

My washer doesn't spin as fast when using the "gentle" cycle as compared to the "normal" cycle, and this leaves the delicate clothes considerably wetter. So, when washing clothes on the gentle cycle, after the cycle is complete, I reset my washer to just the final spin on the normal cycle. It removes more water, thus the clothes dry faster, whether in the dryer or on the line. This has never harmed any of my clothing.
Tess

What to give that special little person a special gift, whether it be their birthday, Christmas, or another occasion? Books! Kids love to read, and reading skills are so important to kids. I buy gently used children's storybooks at yard sales and used bookstores. They are often $1 or less, and the kids don't care if they're gently used!
Susie in Vancouver Canada

To save yourself some time and lengthen the life of your clothes, keep a bottle of stain remover or a stain stick in your bathroom, closet, or anywhere you keep your laundry basket. As soon as you undress, you can pretreat any stains and then toss your clothes in the laundry hamper. You will be much more successful at removing stains and spots when you wash clothes later in the week if you spray them immediately after undressing.
Angela H.

I've found that a great way to save money is to figure out exactly how much of a product I need to use for it to work effectively. The way I do this is to cut the amount I've been using in half. If it still works effectively, then I cut it in half again and keep doing this until I find out the precise amount I need.

This works for laundry detergent, dish detergent, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, etc. Another way to cut the amount of shampoo in half is to just shampoo once. Shampooing two times as the bottle recommends isn't necessary.
Wendy W.

My husband is currently deployed with the National Guard. Unfortunately, we don't live near an active duty military base that would offer all sorts of discounts for military families. I do, however, ask very frequently for a military discount at places like the grocery store, Lowe's, Goodwill, and the car repair shop. I've actually gotten a few discounts and some have even created a military discount when I ask.
Brigitte L. in Columbia, TN

My husband has a hard time sleeping in the summer because of being sweaty. Therefore, he uses baby powder to stay cool and refreshed all night long. This has also helped both of my children.
Donna in MS

Don't pay outrageous prices for patio stones. Find a piece of sandy soil. Take a cake pan and dig out a round hole with the pan. (Twist it into the dirt, then remove the soil it loosens and smooth the bottom until flat.) Drop some pretty crushed shells or broken porcelain into the bottom of the holes, and then fill with ready mix cement. When dry, pry up, brush off and lay your stones. You can make round or square stones depending on the shape of the cake pan. If you want colored stones, spray the inside of the hole with spray paint and pour the cement while the paint is still wet.
Van M.

I have one cat and two dogs. They enjoy getting treats each day and it can get expensive. I had already gotten into the habit of purchasing the store brand jerky treats and bones for the dogs, but the cat treats were still too expensive in my opinion.

One way I have cut down on the grocery budget is buy soft cat food in the plastic jugs and give it to the cat as a treat. He is used to dry food, so he really thinks this soft food is a real treat! It's about $3.50 for a large container and I've been using the same one for six months. It's still moist.
R. M. in Texas

The new owners of the house next door trimmed the tree in their back yard. That tree previously provided the shade for the west facing patio doors in our bedroom. After the tree was trimmed, our bedroom would become absolutely stifling by the time we came home from work. I knew it was only going to get worse as we got farther into the summer in Southern CA.

The cost of solar-backed drapes was out of our budget, and we really needed something inexpensive that would block the heat of the sun. We didn't care about seeing out. We just wanted to keep the blazing heat out, so we didn't have to run the air conditioner.

We went to a camping store and bought two emergency solar blankets. A visit to a home store got us a tension rod that fits across the patio door. Folding over the solar blankets to the length needed for the door, we used craft tacky glue to make the pockets for the tension rod. We put our new solar curtain up behind the existing vertical blinds and it has made a world of difference! The difference was noticeable the first day. Total cost for our solar curtain for a six-foot sliding glass door? It came to $10. The solar blankets are available at some tool outlets or camping stores and are very reasonable in price. They are sturdier and larger than the thin solar curtains I've seen advertised. And we haven't turned on the AC yet.
E.

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