Frugal Tip: How to Clean Your Microwave Without Chemicals

Cleaning food splatters from the sides, bottom and top of your microwave doesn't have to be a tiring job requiring your elbow grease. There's a simple and healthier way to clean your microwave without using harsh chemicals and having to scrub away at caked on food particles. With just some water, lemon juice and heat, the food particles will easily wipe clean. Here's how you do it:

Mix 2 tablespoons of lemon juice (I prefer fresh lemon juice) and 2 cups of water in a microwave safe bowl (I use my large Pyrex measuring cup). Microwave on HIGH for one to two minutes. Once microwave stops, use a cloth and the slightly cooled mixture to wipe down the inside of your microwave. The steam created by the water in the bowl will make the particles easier to wipe away.

This is a natural and SAFE way to clean your microwave, plus the lemons leave a nice fresh scent. Remember, if you use chemicals to clean the interior of your microwave, any residues left inside can come in contact with the foods that you heat or reheat.

Click here for more handy tips using lemons around your house

20 Ways to Save Money on Everyday Expenses

Saving money and cutting expenses has become a necessity for many Canadians and their families. There are literally thousands of ways that we can save money by making simple changes to the habits that we've developed.

Today we're looking at 20 various ways to pinch those pennies:

Household Expenses   

Grocery Shopping 

Use coupons for the products that you already purchase whenever possible.

Utilize price matching guarantees to save the cost of fuel by driving to multiple grocery stores.

You can save hundreds of dollars each each by comparing price per units on shelf labels. This is great information to store in your price book.

Cleaning Products   

Use sponges rather than paper towel for clean ups and spills. If they become smelly, give your sponges a bath in baking soda and water to refresh them.

Use newspaper rather than paper towels to clean your windows and mirrors. Plus it's the best at a streak-free clean.

Make your own cleaning products rather than purchasing heavily marketed products.


Banking   
Chequing Accounts  

Choose no fee or low fee chequing accounts. Some great examples are PC Financial (with rewards points for groceries) and BMO Club Sobeys (also with rewards for groceries)

Opt for direct deposit whenever possible for employment income, government returns, etc. This will give you immediate access to your money without spending the fuel and time to drive or take pulic transportation to your bank every week.

Inquire about fee discounts for child accounts, student accounts and senior accounts.

Savings Accounts  

Although the interest rates are pretty low these days, it's still best to try to get the most return on your investment dollars. Choose higher interest savings accounts like ING Direct or ALLY.

Credit Cards  

Lower the total interest you pay by paying off your balance every month.

Choose credit cards which have rewards so you get more for using their card services. Remember to pay your balance each month to get the full value of the rewards you've earned.

Do not pay annual fees to have a credit card in your wallet. There's plenty of credit card options that are free of annual fees.

Tax Time 

Complete your taxes as soon as your slips arrive. The sooner you file, the sooner you receive your refunds and can invest it to start earning a return.

If you owe money at the end of the year for taxes, it's best to pay your outstanding debt as quickly as possible to avoid accrued interest charges.


Transportation   
Fueling Your Vehicle   

Avoid the weekend prices by refraining from filling up on Fridays as well as the day before long weekends and holidays.

You can save up to $100 a year on your gas bill by keeping your engine tuned and your tires properly inflated. Check your vehicles manual or wall of tire for proper inflation details.

Reduce the amount of money you spend on fuel by following these fuel conservation tips.

Insurance 

If you don't drive very often, your car insurance may be less. Check with your insurance company to see if they offer a discount for individuals who drive fewer than the specified number of kilometers each year.

Take advantage of affiliate discounts such as College Alumni, employer, club, etc when applying for or renewing your insurance. Ask your insurance company if they have association discounts.


Car Rentals  

Rental car companies offer various insurance and waiver options. Check with your won auto insurer in advance to avoid duplicating any coverage that you may already have.


We continually discuss and review the various ways to save money. For more ideas on how to cut expenses and put more into your pocket, click here. We love to hear the ways our readers save their biggest dollars too! Please leave us a comment below.

Quell The Smell Using Products In Your Home

There is nothing worse than bad smells in your home. What do you do when they attack? Do you buy expensive fragrance sprays and cleaners that just masks smells, or you get right down and fight the bad smell scent moving through your home?

Let's look at the ways to beat the bad scents:

Stinky shoes: Sprinkle salt inside the shoes to cover the insoles. Let it sit overnight, then shake out the salt. The salt absorbs the odours in the soles.

Fresh Bathroom: Put baking soda or crumbled charcoal in an open container and replace weekly.

Smelly Dog: Sprinkle baking soda on the dog's coat and work it into the fur with your hands. Brush out the baking soda.

Stinky Trash Can: Put crumpled newspaper at the bottom under the bag. You can also put crumbled charcoal in your tightly closed empty trash can overnight. Alternately you can use 1 cup of baking soda in the bottom of the pail.

Fish in the Air: To clear the air of fish smells you can either soak fish in milk prior to cooking it or you can hang a wet towel in the kitchen to absorb the smell.

Cheesy Feet: Soak feet daily in 2 cups of brewed black tea combined with 2 cups of water.

Smoke Smells: Scatter orange and lemon peels around or better yet put them in glass candy dishes to be more ornamental.

Musty Smelling Closet: Fill an old sock with a few tablespoons of fresh unused ground coffee and hang in your closet.

Pet Accident Odours: Are best dealt with using white vinegar. 

Toilet Odours: Pour approx 1 cup of white vinegar into the bowl and let stand for a few minutes.  Scrub the toilet and flush.

Food Odours in Your Wood Chopping Block: Scrub it down with lemon juice and baking soda.  Rinse and then season it with mineral oil.

Improving Air Quality: If you don't have a HRV system in your house, you should crack a window for fresh air, improved air quality and to exchange stale bad smelling air from your home.
 
Okay, maybe the fragrance sprays, candles, etc are not so expensive with coupons. However, while sprays, candles, oils, incense may smell nice they all do the same thing; they cover up the smell and leave you with toxic chemicals which you can end up breathing in and absorbing through your skin. No thank you, I choose to breathe easy!

We love to hear from our readers. What do you do to keep your home fresh smelling without the added chemicals?