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Readers' Tips

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Not Enough Hot Water

I have been in the HVAC business for over 30 years, which includes replacement and repair of water heaters. First of all, an 80-gallon water heater's capacity is actually a lot more than you need. Based on your family size, you should be able to get by with a 40-gallon water heater. My family of six, including my wife and four teenage sons, has a 50-gallon water heater. We never run out of hot water. The larger size water heaters are usually necessary in a residence when you are filling a very large whirlpool tub.

Without looking at the problem, I think that you may need a new diptube. The diptube is the part that brings the cold water to the bottom where it is then heated and distributed. If your diptube is disintegrated, damaged or gone, you'd get cold water almost instantly when turning on the hot. I don't know if the plumber was trying to sell a new water heater or not, but 80 gallons is almost double of what you would need. Water heaters have an average life of 10 years, so it may not be a bad idea to replace that part. It's fairly inexpensive.
George

more suggestions on what to do when you're not getting enough hot water.

Another Landscaping Resource

I enjoyed the article on affordable landscaping. However, I was dismayed to find that the most affordable (free!) resource available to everyone was not listed. Every area has a cooperative extension run by your tax dollars. All you have to do is call with your landscaping or gardening questions to have them answered by a master gardener. On occasion, these experts will even come to your home or farm to diagnose problems and/or offer suggestions. This is also an excellent source for information on what varieties of grass, plants, etc. will grow in your area, as well as plant sales. The plants bought at such sales are far better quality and of lower price than what you will find at your chain stores.
JN

Dryer Sheet Replacement

I sometimes run out of dryer sheets, so I use a plastic bag (like the one from the grocery store) and throw it in the dryer with my clothes. It works great! No static and my clothes still smell good. Just make sure that you use a clean one!
Connie W. in Deer Lodge, TN

Fireplace Grout Cleaning

I needed to clean the grout around our fireplace. It had a lot of smoke and ash on it. I read several of the tips suggesting peroxide, Comet with bleach, baking soda and vinegar. So, I did a little experiment. Vinegar won! Leave it on for a few minutes and then scrub with an old toothbrush. It worked much better than any of the others.
J.

First Book

My one-year-old son is discovering new things every day. One week, he is obsessed by cars, the next by planes, and the next by ducks. At the same time, he can be very destructive with his books. Paperbacks get ripped and the nice cardboard books get chewed on. So, I decided to make up some books of my own. I just used the sides of cardboard boxes from the printing paper at my work. Then I printed out pictures that interested him from the computer. Also, I cut out pictures from magazines, and added photos of our family. I stuck these pictures on the cardboard pages, punched holes in the pages, and then tied them together with string. He loves flipping through the giant pages looking at the different pictures, and because it was free to make, it doesn't matter if the books get wrecked. I also made some collage pages. I stuck on pasta, bubble wrap, a sponge, etc. It's really effective, and I can keep making new pages every time he has a new interest in something. Naturally, I have to be careful that he doesn't get into anything that could choke him and I stay with him while he's playing with the books just to make sure he's safe.
Melissa L.

Inexpensive Play Areas

A play area doesn't have to cost a lot to be fun. Start with your trees. Several hanks of rope can make a climbing net stretched between the two of them. A platform built from scrap lumber gleaned from a local Habitat for Humanity or other construction site (with permission, of course) gives a hidey- space at the top of the net. Also, check with your junkyard for old tires. Interspersed with the rope, they are a great climbing toy. Rake the area and fill in below the nets and platform with wood chips made from the tree branches you've pruned back. You can even collect these from your neighbors when they do their spring yard work. Most local conservation offices can help you find a place that will chip them up for little or no money.
Lona S.

editor's note: Please remember that your children's safety is always the most important aspect of any play area. So make sure that you take the appropriate precautions to protect your kids. Saving money is good. But it is never a good idea if it means putting your children at risk.

Home Security

One important home security feature is to hang opaque curtains in every window and keep them closed at night. Absent or see- through curtains allow a predator to observe your family's habits, making it easier to plan a crime, tell whose room is whose, etc. If you have very light-colored curtains, which tend to be see-through when lit from behind, consider hanging a piece of dark fabric behind them at night. Check your library for books on home security. You can get expert, comprehensive advice for free!
Sadie C.

Teamwork

I try to get a neighbor (or neighbors) to go in with me on anything that I do. If I'm renting a power-washer I ask my neighbors to go in on the rental fee. If I'm getting my carpets cleaned professionally, I see if anyone else is interested and ask if we can get a multi-purchase discount. Most people are planning on doing the same things, so we all win!
Robin
Marlton, NJ

Homemade Solutions

Instead of buying wrinkle releaser, I mix a little liquid fabric softener with water, put it in a spray bottle, shake it up and I have wrinkle releaser!

The same can be done for hair detangler -- mix conditioner with water in a spray bottle, shake it up and spray it on hair.

I tried to mix my own 'bleach cleanser' in a regular spray bottle, but the bleach ate away at the sprayer. After purchasing and using a bottle of spray bleach cleanser, I mixed a little bleach and water in that spray bottle. The bleach did not eat away the sprayer and I now have an inexpensive way to disinfect/clean my sinks, countertops, etc.
LaDonna
Newalla, OK

Still Sweet

Don't forget that chocolate placed on sale after holidays (Easter, Halloween, Christmas) can be used for more than just gifts and kids' treats. A bag of Hershey's Kisses, Eggs, Miniatures, etc. can be chopped up with a large kitchen knife or food processor and used in baking - in chocolate chip cookies for example. These snack-size chocolates are good for more than just snacking, and they often go on sale for cheaper than "semi-sweet morsels"!
M.

Free Tomato Plants

When preserving or using tomatoes save the seeds and put them in a sheltered place in your garden and you will soon be rewarded with all the tomato plants you can use.
Malcolm

The Cost of Convenience

The ready made jello and pudding cups can cost anywhere from 1.99 to 3.99. The containers are not able to be reused, not to mention the preservatives in them.

I just buy the big box of pudding or jello mix which are about .80 to .90 each, I also bought the Glad Ware mini round containers. They come in a pack of 8 and I bought them for under $3 per set. I just make these ahead of time and my kids are ready for school or for an after school snack. The best thing is that I just reuse the containers so they have already paid for themselves several times over.
Mary H. in MI

From 'Savings' to 'Saved'

My husband and I have been married less than a year, and are still working out our finances and savings plans. As I am the primary cook, I have been tasked with the duties of shopping for groceries. I budget $200 a month for our groceries, and this has worked out well. I shop the sales, freeze things, etc.

My husband made a good point recently. He said, "You know, if I went shopping, I would just get the items on the list, and not search like you do for the sales. I know I wouldn't save as much money as you do on the groceries. But I'd be willing to pay that extra money because that's the way I lived before we got married! So instead of us just not spending that extra money on the groceries, we should put away that money you've saved us, by actually saving it!" Our grocery store gives us a tally at the bottom of the receipt of how much we've saved each trip, and even a year-to-date tally. Several of the stores that offer the "saving club card" will do this. And even though it feels good to read that I saved 23% on a shopping trip, it'll feel much better to have put that $15 or so into an investment that will earn us even more money!
Sharon S. in Fairfax, VA

Garden Water Saver

I have a really good way to save water in the garden. Instead of watering the plants, fill a two-liter plastic pop bottle with water, invert it in the soil (you can hide it behind the plants), and your plants will get all the water they need. This is a great way to keep gardens looking good when going away on vacation, too.
Ida

Deceptive Convenience

I needed to return a set of curtains I had bought. Included in the package was a postage paid sticker to send the package back and they would deduct $5.95 for the return postage from my refund. Normally, I would've just put the sticker on and sent it back. Instead, I decided to take it to the post office and pay for the shipping myself. I was shocked to find that I only needed to pay $2.50 to send the package back!
Jodie

Starting Now

I learned another important credit lesson recently. We have a home improvement store credit account and received a special offer several months ago for no payments/no interest for six months. We made a somewhat large purchase, thinking we would be able to pay it off before the end of the six-month period. When we couldn't pay off the total balance, we were surprised to find out that the interest didn't begin after six months, as the payments did. We were charged the interest that would have accumulated during the six months.
Sherry A.

Little Packets Add Up

My husband brown bags his lunch, but the other four men in our family-owned business often bring back carry out. I set out a basket and asked for them to put the extra condiment packages in it. At the end of a month, I squeezed out the packages just to see how much I had collected. I had enough ketchup to refill two large bottles and enough mustard to refill one bottle. In addition, I had more salt, soy sauce, taco sauce, mayo, and relish than our family uses in a month. And I even left some in the basket for their use! I also found the packages handy for impromptu picnics and BBQs at the park.
Laura in AR

Editor's note: Please send your tips to tips@stretcher.com. If we use your tip or reply to 'Can You Help' in any of our publications we'll send you the next three issues of our print newsletter as a 'thank you'.
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