Author Archives: Jamie Wilson
This summer has brought wildfires and power outages that have caused many to leave home in a hurry. Leatrice Urbanowicz of Frederick, Md., suggests keeping a “grab and go” box with all your important documents. Make it small and fireproof, … Continue reading
Posted in home and organize, house and home, print, reader tip, safety, usaweekend.com
Tagged disaster preparedness, home, security
107 Comments | | |
Despite its amazing reliability, this tip from online reader Ruthie Harrell of Dickson, Tenn., still strikes us as a bit of a magic trick: “To clean your windows and glass — such as on your car — use old newspaper … Continue reading
Posted in cleaning, house and home, housework, print, reader tip, usaweekend.com
Tagged cleaning, cleaning windows, Dickson, tennessee, windows
255 Comments | | |
This week’s reader tip is from Ruthie Harrell of Dickson, Tenn. Her method of “recycling” junk mail may come in handy. “Since we pay most of our bills via Internet, we save the envelopes the company sends to use for … Continue reading
Posted in print, reader tip, recycle, reuse, usaweekend.com
Tagged Dickson, junk mail, paper, recycle, reuse, tennessee
187 Comments | | |
Rather than bagging up all the haystack-like mounds from a summer lawn-mowing, this idea recycles your trimmings to keep your landscape beautiful. Reader Paul Miniacci saves the grass clippings from his lawn and places them all around the base of … Continue reading
Posted in house and home, print, reader tip, reuse, summer, usaweekend.com
Tagged gardening, lawn, yardwork
29 Comments | | |
To take a load off while grocery shopping, Beverly Wood of Modesto, Calif., found a simple solution staring right back at her from her cart. “I always put my purse in the child seat,” she wrote. “But I worried about … Continue reading
If you have teens at home, give them time instead of money, says Richard E. Allard of New Port Richie, Fla. Schedule an hour a week for just the two of you. “That hour should be reserved for intimate talks, … Continue reading
Posted in kids and family, print, reader tip, usaweekend.com
Tagged Florida, New Port Richie, parenting, relationships, teens
30 Comments | | |
Barbara Kelly of Westerville, Ohio, shares this clever tip her father cooked up. “My dad discovered this great way to ‘fry’ an egg. Sunday lunch was his responsibility. We all enjoyed fried eggs except for how greasy they can be. … Continue reading
Posted in cooking, food, print, reader tip, usaweekend.com
Tagged cooking, eggs, Ohio, Westerville
182 Comments | | |
For a 12-minute car wash, you just need to deploy a bucket of sudsy water, an old-fashioned string mop, thirsty towels and a garden hose, says Jean Elam of North Augusta, S.C. The mop can swab across the top and … Continue reading
Posted in cleaning, print, reader tip, usaweekend.com
Tagged Augusta, automobile, car, South Carolina, wash
21 Comments | | |
“It’s easier to grab a pre-made sandwich out of the freezer each morning than to take time to make one when you need to get to work,” says Marlene Condon of Crozet, Va. Her tip: On grocery shopping day, “I … Continue reading
Posted in food and meal planning, print, reader tip, usaweekend.com
Tagged Crozet, lunch, meals, planning, Virginia
32 Comments | | |
You spent the time to make delicious gravy to top off a fabulous meal. Now there’s leftover gravy. What to do? Freeze it in ice cube trays, says Marie Gallashaw of Tinton Falls, N.J. “When it’s frozen, put the gravy cubes in a plastic bag. It takes up less space, and when … Continue reading
Posted in cooking, food, food and meal planning, print, reader tip, usaweekend.com
Tagged cooking, gravy, New Jersey, Tinton Falls
21 Comments | | |
When shopping for a large amount of groceries, have the supermarket bagger put your frozen items in paper bags and the rest of your items in plastic, says Val Campbell of Las Vegas. “Then you can unload and put away … Continue reading
Posted in food, print, reader tip, shopping, usaweekend.com
Tagged frozen food, groceries, Las Vegas, Nevada, shopping
229 Comments | | |
We’ve all wrestled with a fitted sheet at some point. Pauline Webb of Jacksonville has a method for figuring out what end is up. “Queen-sized sheets are so close to being square that they are difficult to apply. So I … Continue reading
Posted in house and home, print, reader tip, usaweekend.com
Tagged bedding, efficiency, sheets
25 Comments | | |
Reader Cathy Truesdale of Wheaton, Ill., is a fan of using natural ingredients. “My recipe for soft, sweet-smelling clothes is ¼ cup each of baking soda, washing soda and borax mixed with phosphate-free laundry soap,” she e-mails. “For clothing with … Continue reading
Posted in chores, cleaning, housework, print, reader tip, usaweekend.com
Tagged Illinois, laundry, Wheaton
287 Comments | | |
When Carol W. Grantham of Augusta, Ga., stays at a hotel, she brings her own pillow and has this advice: Put a colored pillowcase on it. That way, “it does not blend in with the white linens and you are … Continue reading
Posted in print, reader tip, travel, usaweekend.com
Tagged Augusta, Georgia, hotels, pillow, travel
37 Comments | | |
Here’s a tip with some years behind it: 84-year-old Floriana Hall of Akron, Ohio, advises getting enough sleep. “Sleep is a healer of many aches and pains,” she writes. “One of the best ways to get enough sleep is to … Continue reading
Posted in health, print, reader tip, usaweekend.com
Tagged Akron, Ohio, sleep, stress, wellness
23 Comments | | |
We all miss fresh vegetables when they’re out of season, but when Barbara Stover of Danville, Ill., runs out of fresh tomatoes for her salad, she doesn’t fret. She keeps a can of diced tomatoes handy for just those times. … Continue reading
Posted in cooking, print, reader tip, usaweekend.com
Tagged Danville, Illinois, salad, vegetables
20 Comments | | |
To keep her kids engaged during the dinner hour, Amy Sheon of Oberlin, Ohio, found success when she interrupted her sulky 11-year old daughter and said, “OK, if you’re not going to talk about your day, then tell us without … Continue reading
Posted in kids and family, print, reader tip, usaweekend.com
Tagged communication, family, kids, Oberlin, Ohio, relationships, teenagers
153 Comments | | |
You know how frustrating it is when you reach into the fridge and find that someone has finished the last of the fresh milk? Well, Marge Risinger of Napa, Calif., keeps a stock of non-refrigerated soy, rice or almond milk … Continue reading
Posted in food, print, reader tip, usaweekend.com
Tagged almond milk, California, milk, Napa, rice milk, soy milk
28 Comments | | |
Winter or summer, some of us struggle with dry hair, despite dousing our heads with potions and lotions. Now, here’s some easy advice from Irene Zagar of Hazel Park, Mich.: “You do not need to buy expensive products. Just put … Continue reading
Posted in beauty, print, reader tip, usaweekend.com
Tagged beauty, hair care, Hazel Park, Michigan
25 Comments | | |
When Christine Haemmerle of Forked River, N.J., needs to dust around tight spaces, she puts an old cotton sock on her hand, sprays it and gets to work. “My fingers are good to go around rungs and spindles and other … Continue reading
Posted in cleaning, housework, print, reader tip, usaweekend.com
Tagged cleaning, dust, Forked River, New Jersey
240 Comments | | |
