Found a big pickle jar in my closet from way back. Started tossing all my spare coins in there maybe 5 years ago. Forgot about it until we moved a bookshelf last week. Dumped it out on the kitchen table and rolled everything up. Came to exactly 500 dollars and 34 cents. Made me think about all those little habits that add up without you noticing. My grandma used to save her change in a coffee can for the summer fair. Do you still use cash often enough to collect change like that?
I got suckered into buying a pack of those 'reusable bread bags' at the grocery store for like 12 bucks for 3 of them. Figured they'd keep my sandwich bread fresh longer. After a whole month of using them, my bread went stale just as fast as with the regular cheap zip lock bags I keep in the drawer. Actually maybe faster because the seal on one of them started failing after like 2 weeks. Total waste. The regular bags cost pennies each and do the exact same job. Has anyone else fallen for one of those 'specialty' kitchen products that turned out to be garbage?
Was making a roast chicken last Sunday and kept pulling it early cause it said 165F. Took a bite and it was raw inside. Grabbed my buddy's probe from work the next day and tested both in ice water. Mine read 47F. Threw it out and ordered a ThermoPro for $30. Anyone else had a cheap kitchen tool screw up their cooking for months without knowing?
I was staying at a motel near Kansas City last month and noticed their mirror stayed crystal clear no matter how steamy it got. The front desk guy told me they just rub a thin layer of shaving cream on the glass and wipe it off before the shower. Has anyone else tried this trick or got a better fix that actually works for longer than a day?
I always struggled with peeling hard boiled eggs, shells would stick and rip the whites apart. Then I read about dropping them straight into ice water for exactly 12 minutes after boiling, and this morning I peeled 6 eggs in under a minute each. Has anyone else tried a specific timing for this?
I was spending like 20 minutes every weekend scrubbing the soap scum off my shower door with bleach spray and a scrub brush. My neighbor told me to try mixing blue Dawn dish soap with white vinegar in a spray bottle and just let it sit for 10 minutes. Tried it last Saturday and the grime basically slid off with a sponge. No harsh smell either. Has anyone else found a cheaper cleaning mix that beats the store bought stuff?
Last winter I kept getting frozen pipes in my unfinished basement around January. Water would stop running for hours and I'd have to wait for it to thaw. Tried leaving the faucet dripping but that didn't really help much. Finally bought some self regulating heat tape from Home Depot for about $30 and wrapped it around the main section. Took me maybe 45 minutes to install with some electrical tape and zip ties. After that I haven't had a single frozen pipe even on the 10 degree nights we had in February. Has anyone else used heat tape for this or found another cheap fix that works better?
I was browsing this old dude's stuff and his hose had a tiny leak right near the sprayer head. He just snapped a binder clip over the hole and it stopped the drip completely. Said he's been doing that for 2 years instead of buying a new hose for 15 bucks. It's such a simple thing but I never would have thought of it. Made me wonder what other common fixes people just figure out over time. Does anyone else have a go-to quick fix like that?
So I was at the grocery store last week in Portland and saw a box of 50 resealable sandwich bags for $4.50 versus a regular box of 100 for $2.00. I bought the resealable ones thinking they'd save me from wasting food, but honestly, half the time the seal fails after a few uses anyway. Last Tuesday I stuffed a half-eaten apple in one and it leaked all over my lunch bag by noon. On the flip side, my buddy swears by them for freezing leftovers and says he's cut his food waste by like 30%. So are you team "just fold the bag" or do you shell out for the zipper thing? Has anyone done the math on which actually saves money in the long run?
My neighbor told me to pour boiling water down my kitchen sink to fix a grease clog, said it was a total no-brainer. Turns out boiling water just moved the grease further down the pipe where it hardened into a bigger block that cost me $150 for a plumber. Has anyone else had this backfire or am I the only one who fell for that?
I started using old t-shirts cut into rags back in 2021 and just passed 1,000 days without buying a roll. Saved around $300 based on what I used to spend each month on Bounty. Has anyone else tried switching to cloth and noticed a big dent in their grocery bill?
I picked up this cheap Smith's sharpener at a Goodwill last week for three bucks, figured I'd try it on my old kitchen knives. After two passes on each side, my chef's knife went from barely cutting a tomato to slicing through paper easy. My $40 electric sharpener I got 6 months ago always left these tiny burrs on the edge, but this manual one just works better. Has anyone else had luck with a super cheap tool outperforming the pricey version they already owned?
Saw all these influencers raving about those mesh produce bags at the grocery store. Thought they'd save me money and plastic. After 3 trips they were all stained and the drawstrings broke on half of them. Now I'm back to using the thin plastic bags at the store and just reusing them 3 or 4 times before tossing. Anyone else fall for a eco-friendly product that just didn't hold up?
I was grabbing some screws yesterday and overheard this older guy telling his son how he keeps all his pickle and salsa jars for sorting small hardware in his garage. It sounds so simple but I've been throwing those out for years (and buying those little plastic bins that always crack). Has anyone else found a weird container that works way better than what you're supposed to use?
I was in my bathroom at 9pm last Tuesday scrubbing hard water spots off the glass door and just snapped. This guy at work told me to mix white vinegar and dish soap in a spray bottle and hit it every morning after my shower. Three weeks in and I barely need any elbow grease now. Anybody got a good trick for the shower head that won't make my eyes water?
For years I just tossed carrot peels, onion ends, and celery tops straight in the trash. Then my aunt visited from Austin last month and saw me doing it, grabbed a ziploc from my drawer, and told me to start saving them for broth. I filled that bag in about 2 weeks and boiled it with some salt and bay leaves, got like 4 quarts of free stock. Anyone else doing this or do you have a better system for storing scraps?
He said it stops moisture from getting in and saves gas on humid days. I figured what the heck, it's just tape. Three days later she calls me from the gas station in a panic because she can't get the nozzle in. The tape had fused to the cap in the heat. Took me 20 minutes with a hair dryer and a butter knife to peel it off. The gas mileage? No difference. Has anyone else been told some weird car tip that just made things worse?
I was in the cleaning aisle last Tuesday and this older dude tells his friend he uses Dawn for laundry stains, grease on his driveway, and even spots on his couch. Said he's been doing it for 15 years and never bought a specialty cleaner. Made me think about how many products I have under my sink that probably do the same thing. Has anyone else downsized their cleaning stash and regretted it or saved cash?
Last Sunday I was watering my wife's ferns on the front porch (you know, the ones that drip everywhere if you use a regular watering can). I dropped 3 ice cubes in each pot instead of pouring water, and it melted slowly without making a mess or overflowing the saucer. My Aunt Carol showed me this a couple months ago from her place in Phoenix, and honestly it's saved me from cleaning concrete stains off the walkway every time. Anyone else use this method or have another tip for keeping hanging baskets tidy?
I was picking up paint and this older contractor told his buddy that steel wool particles can rust and ruin the finish on a fridge. Is that for real or just one of those old timer myths that doesn't actually matter?
So I work at this busy coffee shop downtown and last Saturday I counted every mug I ran through the dishwasher. Ended up at 1,042 by closing time. That's not counting all the spoons and plates. My hands were pruny and my back hurt for two days after. Has anyone else tracked something ridiculous like this and realized the job is way more physical than people think?
I had this old dining table that wobbled like crazy whenever someone leaned on it. I watched like 5 different videos about using shims, felt pads, even a beer coaster trick. After 3 hours of messing around I just flipped it over and the screws were loose. Tightened them all in 5 minutes. Has anyone else wasted way too long on overcomplicating something simple?
For two years I was going outside every night to flip the porch light on and off. Spent 5 bucks on a basic timer switch, took 10 minutes to install, and now I haven't touched that light in 3 months. Anyone else put off buying a simple fix like that forever?
My mom always peeled them away from herself, so I did the same. Then my buddy Mark at a cookout last summer said peel towards yourself and it goes twice as fast. Now I save about 2 minutes per bag of carrots. Anybody else have a simple kitchen skill they learned way too late?
I house-sat for my sister last weekend and opened her dishwasher to find 4 chef knives sitting blade-up in the silverware basket. It took me about 2 seconds to slice my finger on a serrated bread knife while grabbing a fork. I get that you want the blades to get clean, but that's what the top rack is for if you must. Or just hand wash them, it takes like 3 minutes. Do people not think about what happens when someone reaches in without looking?