My Secret For Saving Time & Saving Money

One of the first things I had to learn to do when I became a single Dad was to horde time. When I was married, my wife and I thought nothing of shooting to the store to get something, even if it was one item. I worked from home and my wife didn't work, so there was always one of us to watch Maddie if the other needed to go out. That dynamic changed drastically when I brought the baby and Maddie home from the hospital alone. All of a sudden, time was at a premium and the baby's feeding and sleep schedule didn't allow me to just run out and pick something up any more.

While shopping on line is great, it just doesn't cut the mustard when you need a product right away...not in a couple of days, but right now! Substitution became a way of life for me and I became quite good at it. One book has helped me tremendously in that regard and 
that book is The Reader's Digest Extraordinary Uses For Ordinary Things book. While I got my copy at a library book sale (I love to support my local library and get great deals on books!) you can easily get a copy through amazon.com. The time and money saving ideas I found in this book stunned me. While some of the ideas seemed a bit crazy and over the top, others were sheer genius! Below, I'll show some of my favorite tips using vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. If you don't feel like buying the book, don't worry. I'll give more tips out in future blog posts, though this will be the only time I will give out the name of my time saving secret book!

Hydrogen Peroxide

What can you do with a $1.33 bottle of hydrogen peroxide? A lot actually! Did you know this stuff is great for removing stains? Wine stains, grass stains, blood stains, mildew, this stuff will zap it good. For tough stains of unknown origin, I like to mix a teaspoon with non-gel toothpaste and rub it over the stain, Once you rinse it off, the stain has a great chance of being gone.

Are you afraid of using chemicals to sanitize your cutting boards? Grab a paper towel and wipe it down with vinegar. Next, wipe it down again with a paper towel with hydrogen peroxide. The hydrogen peroxide works great for killing bacteria.

This last tip for hydrogen peroxide I didn't find in the book, but I had read about it somewhere else and decided to try it. The next time you are starting to get cold or flu symptoms try putting a couple of drops of hydrogen peroxide into your ear canals. The fizzing sound you'll here is the solution letting off its extra oxygen molecules and supposedly this helps to fight off any viruses or bacteria that may be lurking in your ear canals. I was a bit skeptical when I heard this one, but I figured it couldn't hurt and I tried it. Sure enough, it worked! While I'd never guarantee that this will work all of the time, I do find that a couple of drops in each ear when I feel a bit under the weather helps to get me back to normal sooner rather than later. (Please note, don't construe this as medical advice. I am a stock analyst by trade, not a doctor!)

Vinegar

 Aside from making salad dressing, what can you really do with vinegar? A better question is what can't you do with vinegar? My time-saving secret book above has 175 uses for vinegar...and I am sure there are more! Here are a couple of my favorites:

Unclog Drains - To clear clogs in sink and tub drains use a funnel to pour in 1/2 cup of baking soda followed by 1 cup of vinegar. When the foaming subsides, flush with hot water. Wait five minutes and then flush with cold water.

Speed Up A Slow Drain - Pour in half a cup of salt followed by 2 cups of boiling vinegar, then flush with hot, then cold tap water.

Shine Your Silver - Soak your silverware (and pure silver jewelry too) ina mixture of 1/2 cup white vinegar and two table spoons of baking soda for two to three hours. Rinse them under cold water afterward and thoroughly dry with a soft cloth. Warning! DO NOT APPLY VINEGAR TO JEWELRY WITH GEMSTONES OR PEARLS! Pearls will disolve, while gemstones can have their finish damaged.

Remove Old Wallpaper - Mix equal parts of vinegar and warm water and spray on the wall until saturated. Wait a few minutes and then scrape it off the wall with a scraper.

Protect Against Fleas & Ticks - Use this trick for dogs. Fill a spray bottle with equal parts water and vinegar and apply it to your dogs coat and rub it in well. It will help to keep the pests away. God bless you if you can do it to a cat without getting clawed to death!

There are so many others! I can't recommend this book enough. It is worth it just for the vinegar tricks alone. There are a lot of health tips that include vinegar as well, so if you are into alternative medicine then take a look at vinegar.

I've added an email sign up spot to the blog so if you'd like to see these weekly tips in your email sign up now. Otherwise, enjoy the added time you find to spend with your kids. Remember, time is the most precious gift you can give to your kids.