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Household Tips
With the recent implementation of EVAT and the spiraling cost of
fuel that resulted to an increase of household expenses, consumers
need to devise ways on how to cope amidst the pinch. Nowadays,
every member of the household must cooperate in order to scrimp
with the deteriorating value of the meager income, and scrounge to
save and conserve their financial resources.
In fact there are so many ways to do it, if we are creative and
pragmatic. For example, just when a toothpaste tube seems empty
our children have gotten used to the tubes cut opened, in order to
“salvage” the last remaining contents before throwing these away.
My wife sees to it that it extends to another two to three days of
happy brushing. You may be surprised at how much tooth paste is
left in the seemingly drained tube.
While looking for ways to save time and money my wife Sarina came
across a pamphlet entitled “No Nonsense Tips” that
contains hundreds of household hints. It was published in Toronto,
Canada a decade ago, and compiled by Nancy Kotecki. We are just
too glad to share with you some of our favorites:
1. Save on the Electric bill
• Keep your fluorescent and light bulbs clean, as dusty ones throw
off 20 percent less light.
• Do not over-pack your refrigerator. It works more efficiently if
there is room for air circulation. On the other hand, your freezer
works better when foods are packed tightly. You can also dust or
vacuum the condenser coils at the back of the fridge for more
efficient refrigeration. Be sure that the rubber gasket of your
fridge door does not let cold air get out. If it does, replace it
immediately as it causes higher electric bill. Does the rubber
gasket of your fridge does need replacing? Try this test--close
the door on a piece of paper. If the paper slides out easily, you
are losing cold air and should replace the gasket.
• The oven is more energy-efficient than the range. You can also
turn the oven off a half an hour before your roast is done. There
will be plenty of heat remaining in the oven to finish cooking the
roast. Don’t peek into the oven too often while it’s on. Every
time you open the oven door, you lose 25 degree F.
• Use less heat by cooking in glass or ceramic dishes as they
conduct much better than metal dishes.
2. Fruity ideas
• A lemon at room temperature is much juicer than a cold one.
Immerse a refrigerated lemon in hot water for a few minutes before
using it.
• If your bananas become too dark to eat, peel and beat them, then
store in the freezer. They’ll be handy next time you bake banana
bread or cake.
• Avocados will ripen more quickly if you bury them in flour.
• Keep unripened fruit in a perforated plastic bag. The
perforation will allow the necessary circulation of air and the
plastic will trap the ethylene gas which fruits produce naturally
to promote ripening.
• Fresh fruit is best if you cut it just minutes before serving.
However, if you must cut it ahead of time, toss it in a bit of
lemon juice and it will stay fresh.
3. Storing vegetables
• Cover peeled potatoes with water and add a few drops of vinegar.
They will be kept fresh in the refrigerator for several days.
• To chop onions without tears, put the onion in the freezer for
about an hour before chopping. Wrap the onions individually in
foil so they won’t sprout and will stay firm and fresh. However,
once an onion has been cut, rub the cut side with butter before
putting it back in the refrigerator. It will keep much longer.
• Remove the tops from carrots before storing to help retain
freshness.
• Don’t remove the outer leaves from lettuce until you are ready
to use the whole head. However, you can bring new life to wilted
lettuce with one of these techniques:
1. Add lemon juice to a bowl of cold water and soak the lettuce in
the fridge for about an hour.
2. Give it a “sauna”-- plunge it quickly in hot water, then into a
mixture of very cold water and cider vinegar.
3. Put the lettuce in a pan of cold water and add a few slices of
raw potato. This works for wilted celery too.
• Store the lettuce and celery in paper bags, not plastic. The
paper will absorb moisture, rather than trap it as plastic does,
keeping the vegetables fresh and crisp.
• Make sure your vegetables are quite dry before storing.
Vegetables that are damp or wet will spoil more quickly than dry
vegetables.
• Line the bottom of your vegetable compartment with paper towels
or place a few dry sponges in the vegetables. Either will absorb
excess moisture and keep vegetables fresh.
***
MOTORISTS UNITE! There is an ongoing campaign in the Internet for
Philippine motorists to boycott the two biggest foreign oil
companies for the rest of the year. It proposes that the motorists
buy their gasoline only from Petron and/or small players such as
SeaOil, Total, etc.
The idea is that if these two oil companies would not be able to
sell their gas, they will be forced to reduce their prices. And if
they reduce their prices, other companies will have to follow.
Thus, it will trigger a price war that will ultimately benefit the
consuming public.
The only way to force down prices is to hit back at the big
players in the oil industry by not buying their gas. It is time
that we motorists take an aggressive move to teach the oil
companies that consumers, and not them control the market. But
this can happen only and have an impact if we all act together to
force a price war.
QUOTES
“The best cure for the national economy would be economy.” -
Ashley Cooper
“In the face of uncertainty, there is nothing wrong with hope.” -
Bernie Siegel
