Great Tips From My Great Readers!

You can keep track of leftovers by keeping a whiteboard on your fridge. (Avaniks/Shutterstock)

With the cost of feeding a family so high, it’s no wonder that so many tips readers submit are geared to help us save money and time in the supermarket and kitchen—with plenty more for all around the house and garage, too.

Rethink Cheap

My tip might seem like a contradiction to “cheapskate” but it has saved our family a fortune. Do not be too much of a cheapskate in the supermarket. Eating out, even at a fast-food restaurant, costs far more than food made at home. So paying an extra buck or two for your favorite bread, buying quality meat and cheese, and picking up a few treats in the supermarket will save you money if it means you won’t be tempted to eat out. The burgers I make at home cost less and are healthier than at the drive-thru.—Margaret B., Australia

Perfect Meatballs

When making many meatballs, a fast and simple way is to shape the meat mixture into a log and then cut off slices. The slices roll easily into balls. Another option is to pat the meat into a square and cut it into cubes, which again easily roll into meatballs of uniform size.—Kevin P., New Jersey

Bacon Rinse

Rinse bacon under cold water before frying. This reduces the amount the bacon shrinks by almost 50 percent. Why? I don’t have a clue, but it’s a fact.—Sarah M., New York

Restore The Zip

To make a zipper slide up and down more smoothly, rub a candle over the teeth.—Bea T., Wisconsin

Store Brand

Recently, a popular women’s magazine recommended Walmart’s store brand of automatic dishwasher powder detergent as the best buy for the buck. I tried it and loved it. I was a big Cascade fan but find this particular store brand to be superior even to Cascade. And a lot cheaper, too.— Judy B-D., email

WD-T

I use WD-40 to clean dry-erase markings off my whiteboard. When I started doing this, I wrote to the company to ask if long-term use would harm the board. They didn’t really answer my question, but they did send me a free T-shirt.—Larry E., Indiana

No Ghosts

I treat my whiteboard with liquid car wax applied with a soft cloth. This keeps the markers from “ghosting.”—Thomas P., email

Cheap Shampoo

Purchase a large bottle of cheap shampoo and use as a pre-treatment for the laundry. It is especially good for the collar ring, as shampoo is formulated to remove body dirt and oil.—Helen Bryant, Massachusetts

Photo Thanks

When my children have a birthday party, I take a picture of my child with a gift and the child who gave the gift. Instead of writing out thank you cards, I have the child write his or her thanks on the back of the picture. Memories for all!—Tracy L., West Virginia

Leftover Inventory

A great way to avoid cleaning out the dreaded leftovers in the refrigerator is to keep a leftover inventory. Attach a dry erase board on the front of your fridge, and each time you put a leftover in the fridge write it down. Include the date it went in. Then, when you use that leftover, mark it off your list. You'll save time and money.—Sheila Bowker, Alabama