Homemade Cookies On-Demand

Many types of cookie dough can be frozen. Some that work well are chocolate chip, sugar, and butterscotch. Shape the dough into a long roll and wrap well with wax paper and store in ziplock bag. Then, you can easily cut off a few cookies to have homemade cookies on-demand. Our family always has dough in the freezer; my husband throws a few in the toaster-oven after his evening soccer games and we can pop a tray in the oven to serve to unexpected guests. Fast, easy, and YOU control the ingredients.

Here’s my great-grandma’s recipe for butterscotch cookies. She didn’t do the freezing part, we added that later.

In one large bowl place:

• 1 ¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
• ½ cup butter
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

In a different large bowl place and then mix with a fork:

• Sift before measuring: 1 ¼ to 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons double-acting baking powder

Now mix by hand the ingredients in the first bowl (butter, sugar, egg, vanilla) and then add the ingredients of the second bowl (flour, etc.) to the butter mixture and blend well by hand. Yes, you can use a mixer.

Wrap the cookie dough in wax paper and refrigerate, then, after an hour or so mold it into a long rectangular block form, about 12 inches long, wrap in wax paper and a ziplock baggie, freeze. I slice the frozen dough just before baking.

Bake 400 F 8-10 minutes

When bulk (and sale) buying costs you more...

We've all heard the advice to take advantage of sales. Especially at the grocery store, when a product we already buy is on sale. Did you know this could be ruining your budget?

Here's an example. Our family uses 9 cups of organic, frozen blueberries each week in our daily smoothies. That's a lot of blueberries. So when they are on sale, I'd like to buy up the whole rack! We know we are going to use them (eventually). But what happens when that purchase puts me over my weekly food budget?

 

If you consistently go over your weekly budget, then your annual costs will be more. Your "budget" then becomes a fantasy and is useless. If you are only $10 over budget each week, that comes to $520 per year (or a plane ticket to Hawai'i). How much were you over budget this week?

 

Sticking to your weekly food budget applies to all purchases.  Do not be tempted to over buy when you see sales and bulk pricing. Most people can't adjust from week to week to accommodate $10 over one week and $10 under the next. The excuse, "But I will use them," just doesn't work. You either hit a budget or you don't.

 

If you have children shopping trips can be great educational tools on life-skills, budgeting, saving money for items, and living within your means.

 

Next time you see ground beef, blueberries, milk, or coffee on sale, make sure you don't over buy - stick to your budget!

Are Kids' Foods Ripping You Off?

Save Money Now! Stop buying food items labeled "baby" or that are designed especially for kids. Most of the time you'll pay almost double for the same product just because the manufacturer has packaged it for babies or kids.

For example, if you want to buy apple puree for your baby consider buying organic apple sauce in larger containers. Not only do you save money, you're helping the environment by choosing products with less packaging.

Healthy kids' cereals usually have an adult equivalent with a lower price tag. The same goes for granola bars, cheese sticks, and cracker snacks. Look for the same type of product that is for adult use. Do you give your kids fish oil supplements? Compare the price and dosage size to the adult product. And we are sure you know to look at the unit price rather than the per item price when comparing.

If you have a easy money saving tip, please share it with our Spot On Ideas community.

Yellowjacket Pest Control - How to Get Rid of Yellowjacket Wasps

Do yellowjackets frequently join you for an outdoor dinner in August and September? Spot On Ideas recently learned a simple and eco-friendly tip for eliminating yellowjacket visits! Just hang a fake wasp's nest and yellowjackets disappear. The idea sounded silly, but we tested the method and it works.

How to do it: You can buy products that are fake wasp nests, such as The Waspinator, that generally receive good reviews for effectiveness and poor reviews for product quality. You can do-it-yourself with an old gray bag, T-shirt, or fabric. Do not use any shiny materials such as a plastic bag. You'll need to fashion the item so it looks similar to the shape of a nest and hang from a string. In testing, Spot On Ideas used an old gray bag and hung it from a table's umbrella. To obtain decisive results, we placed deli meat on the table and waited for yellowjackets. After hanging the bag, all yellowjackets left the area and did not return. On a second and third testing, the method worked again. If you don't get good results, it is probably the design or "look" of the nest. Try again because it is a great method for eliminating yellowjackets at meal time.

Why it works: Wasps are territorial and defend nests furiously. Non-resident wasps avoid nest areas by about 20 feet.

When it won't work: If you have a yellowjacket nest in very close proximity, if the wasps don't see it (this was confirmed on our testing, one yellowjacket stayed longer than the others and after flying near the fake nest left the area), or if your nest doesn't have the right look.

Yellowjackets are beneficial: Yellowjackets play an important role in your garden's ecosystem. They eat flies and bugs that attack your plants.

Yellowjackets are mainly attracted to meat and sweet foods in the late summer and early fall after their other food sources are scarce. For those of you with traps, use meat rather than sweets for better success.

Send this tip to anyone you know who is allergic to wasp stings.

Spot On Ideas did not test "The Waspinator" product. If you are interested in that product it can be found at several gardening stores such as Veseys.

Wire Hangers from the Dry Cleaners - Recycle Them!

Heather from Sacramento, California writes in to ask: "What can I do with the endless stack of wire hangers from the dry cleaners? I'd like to be eco-conscious and don't want to just throw them in the trash. My dry cleaner won't accept them back. Any suggestions?"

Spot On Ideas did national research and found that most major and minor city curb-side recycling programs accept wire hangers. How to dispose of wire hangers? Check your recycling provider's website or call (look on your bill for the URL or Google it by: city of "name of city" recycling). In Spot On Ideas research, we found that the city websites frequently did not list wire hangers in the "acceptable" list, but when our representatives called, the hangers were on the official "acceptable" list.

Heather, we called City of Sacramento curb-side recycling program and they do accept wire hangers from the dry cleaners! There is no special procedure, but Spot On Ideas recommends bundling them and removing any paper. Thanks for the question because since you emailed us, we have had many others with the same dilemma.

Email this info. to all your friends who use dry cleaning - let's get those hangers into the recycling bin and not the garbage can (or should we say landfill?). You all saw Wall-E, right?

Salt is a Best Friend Around Your House

Did you know that salt works wonders on all sorts of cleaning and other household chores? Spot On Ideas recently tried adding salt to the wash cycle in laundry to brighten colors from faded curtains - it works! If you have a faded rug, curtains, or clothes putting a saltwater solution into the laundry can brighten the colors. Salt is also able to whiten yellowed enamel bathtubs, sinks, and toilets. Some other uses are: keeping cut flowers fresh, cleaning wicker, and even helping bee stings or poison ivy rashes. Visit the Salt Institute to learn more tips: http://www.saltinstitute.org/29.html. Another eco-friendly solution to cleaning around your house.

Safely Remove Paint From Hands

New! This tip was supplied by Mary in Seattle, a working mom of 2 who recently went through a major house remodel. "If you are working with oil-based paints around the house and didn't wear gloves you can safely remove paint from your skin by simply using vegetable oil." Spot On Ideas tested Mary's tip and it works! We know that many people try to use turpentine which may penetrate the skin barrier and enter your blood stream. Thanks Mary - great eco-friendly and healthy advice!

Handy Items to Have in Your Car

• Windex Wipes
• Disposable Camera (for car accidents)
• Hand Sanitizer*
• Napkins (save extras from your to-go food)
• Pen or pencil (for writing down phone numbers or directions)
• Bandages and anti-bacterial ointment
• 20 dollar bill and change for parking
• Old pair of sneakers or walking shoes (so you don't have to change a tire in your kitten heels)
• For dog owners: extra leash and plastic baggies
• Because we have kids: spare 100% juice boxes, granola bars (w/out HFCS!), facial tissues, wipies, and for infants – 2nd graders, a spare change of clothing.

*We don’t advocate regular use of hand sanitizer, but it’s great to have on hand just in case!

Remove Sweat Stains

Are pesky sweat stains a problem on your shirts? Put a scoop of OxyClean into a bucket of water and soak your item overnight (at least 10 hours). In the morning, wash normally. This works like a miracle but we can’t guarantee its safety on all fabrics. I exercise almost daily and to be honest, I’m a “sweater”. Since I learned this tip, I just throw a scoop of OxyClean into the wash load with my gym clothes. This really works well, even on whites.

Bidet in a Box? Wipies are Not Just for Babies Anymore

We both keep wipies at all our toilets because we can’t afford bidets. Flushable wipies are the next best thing. They are also an excellent item to pack in carry-on baggage for airline trips. Our favorite brand (for adult use): Pampers Kandoos, but ONLY the magic melon scent. This is the best scent we’ve found. Most of brands made for adults smell creepy and ones for babies smell like a nursery.