There must be similar regulations in other countries, you'd just have to inform yourself about this. To check what's the best deal, you just have to make this calculation:

Price per pound *
100 Divide this by the lean percent for your type of meat

And here you have the price for the "lean" part of the beef. That way, you can tell exactly how much you're paying for what you are eating. Because sometimes, fatter ground beef can seem to be cheaper, but once it is drained you get less for your money.
Catherine P. in Quebec (Canada)

Cheaper Beef Researched

When I was in college I majored in Hotel and Restaurant Management. For a paper I decided to write on the pros and cons of using Lean Ground Beef vs. regular ground beef. I took equal amounts and cooked the them in frypans at the same temperature. Once I drained the grease I weighed the meats. I do not recall the exact amounts of each, but I do know that when I calculated weight vs. cost, regular ground beef was the better buy. If you have dietary restrictions Lean Ground is your best bet - otherwise regular is the best buy.
Melissa

editor's note: you'll find more comments and some substitutes at Is Cheaper Ground Beef a Bargain?

Making the Most of After Christmas Sales

I had a big saver I wanted to share with the holidays coming up...One year we had six weddings coming up, and I did this for shower gifts. The day after Christmas I hit the sales and bought Christmas items at least 50% off. I got decorated wreaths at garden shops, ornaments and home items at dept. stores, and made up boxes for shower gifts. Young people getting married rarely have these things or very little, and rarely think to put them on a gift registry. Everyone was surprised by these types of gifts, and even with spring and summer weddings, it reminds the couples of the holidays they'll start spending toether! One wreath I bought was fully decorated with lights, ribbon and ornaments that was a display in a christmas store with a $120 price tag... I kept my eye on it and got it a week after Christmas for $30! It was a creative and expensive looking gift that will ba a lasting keepsake.
SS

Keeping Dogs Out of Flower Beds

Go to the bulk barn and get black pepper (still in tact, not ground up already) and an assortment of chili peppers, cayenne peppers, and anything else that makes your eyes water when you open the big bulk lids! When you get home, grind up the black peppers as you use them (they will be fresher and more effective). Mix the black and various other peppers together in a sandwich bag, and then spread it in your garden wherever the dogs/cat go. They always sniff first, and they will get a nose full of pepper and go away unhappy. You will have to repeat every few days for about two weeks. The dogs remember not to go to your lawn because of the peppers after a few times. You will end up spending as little as $5.00 or less. A little goes a long way.
Mika

Simple Dog Prevention

One of the best ways to keep dogs out of anywhere is to put a small piece of their poop in the spot that you want to protect. A dog will naturally avoid digging, etc in its own poop. Your problem is that you have several dogs visiting you and you don't have access to their individual deposits. You might try neutralizing all of their odors by spraying the entire area with a mixture of 1/3 dish washing detergent with 2/3 water. This is good for your plants and is used routinely by organic gardeners.
Pamela

I Don't Know Why, But...

Here in Australia it's common to see water-filled soft-drink bottles on lawns and gardens. People swear that this keeps dogs away. (don't ask how, but I've seen it work). You just take an empty 1 1/2 litre or 2 litre soft drink bottle (clear plastic) take off any wrappers and fill it with water. Put it out on the flower bed (just lay on side) and see if it works on US dogs!
Hanne

editor's note: more comments and suggestions at Doggone It! Keeping Dogs out of Flower Beds.

Carpet Spot Shot

I had two dogs that helped to trash my light grey carpet with dirt, mud or whatever else it was. I have a steam cleaner of my own but that wasn't taking up all the stains. I asked a friend of mine if she knew of anything that worked and she said to use Windex. You spray the entire spot with Withdex, let it sit for a couple of minutes then you can use anything to blot it up. I usually use a paper towel. Windex works good hand in hand with the steam cleaner or by itself for a quick pick up.
S.

Simple, Safe Oven Cleaning

A really easy and economical way of cleaning one's oven without the problems of the canned stuff is to simply make a paste out of equal amounts of baking soda and salt and then adding enough water to make a paste out of it. I usually will use about 1 cup of each and then just gradually add the water until it becomes pasty. Then you close the oven door and bake as you would with the canned stuff. When it cools down, you simply use a damp sponge or cloth and wipe everything down. It really does work...we use it here.
Joyce K.

Ammonia Does the Trick

Pour approximately a cup of ammonia into a plastic bowl (I recycle Cool Whip containers for this purpose). Let sit overnight in the oven. Remove the container the next morning and you will find that most spills are easily removed with a paper towel. You may save the ammonia for future use.
Slyvia S.

editor's note: more suggestions on oven cleaning at Inexpensive, Non-Toxic oven Cleaners

Carpet Spot Cleaning

About getting stains out of carpet. We own a floor covering store, my husband also installs flooring. He always carries shaving cream - foam, not gel with him for those times when he might accidentally track in some grease off the driveway. He says it works great for removing the dirt.
Renee

Expensive Perfume Savings

I have expensive taste in perfume: my favorite is Chanel No. 5. For years I bought the spray cologne refill (which comes in a very plain bottle) until someone gave me the fancy bottle as a gift. The refill costs almost half the price of the fancy bottle. It's not on display, so ask for it at the counter. For many perfumes, you are paying almost as much for the packaging as for the scent. Buying the spray refills is one way to get the scent without the packaging.
Annie

Fabric Softener Stretcher

Here is a way to make Fabric Softener liquids last and last. (I've been doing this for several years now and it always works! It doesn't leave a residue on your dryer or on your clothes but does leave them soft and static free.) In a one quart spray bottle put 3 Cups of water and 1 Cup of your favorite concentrated liquid fabric softener. Shake well. When you're ready to dry your clothes just spray the mixture 3 or more mist sprays on the inside of the dryer and toss in the clothes. Works as well or better than fabric sheets, is environmentally sound and can make a single bottle of fabric softener last as long as a year, depending on how many loads you do in a month and how concentrated the softener is.
Elizabeth B.in West Valley City, UT

Toy Box Shock

We went toy box hunting. I even checked garage sales. The trashed toy boxes were $5.00-$10.00, consignment shops ran about $20.00-30.00. We also went to Toys R Us and the one we liked was $70.00. The smaller, cheaper ones were $50.00.

We went promptly to Wal-Mart and bought a 2 bushel laundry basket for the toys on the back porch for $5.00. We also bought a 33 gallon plastic bin for $10.00 in a color that matched our son's room for $10.00. I still could buy 4 more bins and have more storage for his toys than the cheaper toy box at Toys R Us.

My son (almost 2) never balked because the new toy box didn't have a brand name on it. It is perfect for his size. In essence, we spent $15.00 vs. the $70.00 we were thinking of spending for the bigger toy box. I can go through a lot of bins for $55.00.
Kelly in Lakeland, Fl.

Insulation Comments

I read with interest your comments about the different types of insulation. We recently added several inches of insulation to the attic of our 40 year old home. We bought 20 bags of loose fill insulation material at out local Lowe's and they LOANED us the blower to blow the insulation into the attic. It took us three hours to do the entire job and it wasn't difficult at all.
Tena F. in Staunton, VA

Cleaning Chemical Combination Warning

I just wanted to take a minute to respond to the person who gave their recipe for home-made carpet cleaner which included dishwasher detergent, water, and ammonia. I would advice strongly that readers carefully read the ingredients of their dishwashing detergent before going ahead with the recipe. If the detergent has bleach or any sort in it (sodium hypochlorite, sodium chloride, NaCl, or any similar combination of sodium and chlorine), the combination of that with Ammonia could produce fatal doses of Chlorine gas.
DMS

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