This Week’s Readers’ Tips

by Dollar Stretcher Reader Contributors

Each week we publish a new batch of money-saving tips from our frugal readers that can help you stretch your dollars and live better for less.

Using Up Leftover Pickle Juice

Do not discard that pickling juice left in the jar! I use pickle juice in the following ways:

Strain and use a little in deviled eggs (you can add sugar if it is dill pickle juice).
Strain and use over sliced cucumbers and onions (I had leftovers of both and made a salad from this).
Strain and add a bit of olive oil and other spices, if desired, to make a salad dressing.
Strain and use in tuna salad, chicken salad or other mixtures.

Consider pickle juice for any recipe that calls for a combination of vinegar and spices. Check the ingredients on the jar label—it’s already mixed up and has only had pickles marinating in it. There’s no reason to just pour it down the drain!
Marilyn

Affordable DIY Potting Soil

All the tips about mulch and free soil remind me of my method of “making soil” when I need it in outdoor pots.

I buy peat moss at the local retail store, which isn’t very expensive and goes a long way. I get the container I need soil in and layer equal layers of peat moss, dry manure, and dry leaves (collected and saved from the previous fall) that I crumble between my fingers. After filling the container to the top with these layers, I mix it well with a trowel. Then, I place the plants into the soil. They thrive in this mixture, and by the next spring, the pot is full of rich black soil, which has composted from the mix I made the previous spring. It’s easy, inexpensive and gratifying to “make” soil this way. Much better than spending big bucks on pricey potting soil!
Darcy

Spicy Savings

When I purchase spices, I write the purchase date (month and year) on the bottom with a Sharpie. Depending on the spice, they tend to lose their “mojo” after a year or so in the cupboard.

I have noticed that the spices sold in the Ethnic Foods section of my supermarket cost half to a third of what the big-name spices run. (The brand sold locally is “Badia.”) They are just as good but are a fraction of the price and a great bargain.

When I clear out all my old spices, I remove the labels and run the bottles and covers through the dishwasher. I ensure they are completely dry and smell clean before filling them with the new spices. The label gets taped to the outside of the bottle and I’m good to go for another year.
Denise

Keep Your Car Looking Its Best for Less

I like to keep my car looking good. Therefore, I take it through the car wash regularly but never pay extra for their wax. No matter what they call it, there’s no way that something that’s sprayed on and then rinsed off can do much to protect your paint. Any product that won’t streak your windows or stain your rubber or vinyl trim can’t be worth much. Instead, I have a detailer hand wax my car once per year. It’s less expensive than repeatedly doing the car wash thing, and my cars always look like new.
Len

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Lighter Juice, Less Cost

My husband loves having a small glass of orange juice for breakfast and the occasional cocktail. Recently, he has wanted to cut calories so we tried the ‘light’ orange juice. He liked the lighter taste, which was great, but when I looked at the ingredient label, I saw there was 40% purified water. Now, I buy 100% orange juice, and we add our own extra water, turning the 32 ounces of OJ into about 45 ounces of light OJ. No sense in paying for their purified water!
Jeanette

Saving on Anti-Aging Beauty Products

The only products I actually buy (after watching for sales online) are skin serum and under-eye serum of a particular brand. The other skincare products I use are samples of the same brand that come with “gifts” during online and department store sales. I only pay full price at department stores when there is a good “gift with purchase” featuring products I use.

Good skin serums are best to spend your skin care dollars on because they are said to facilitate the absorption of the other skin care products you apply on top of the serums. Another good thing is that this brand’s daytime-use skin care products already contain SPF. I also get my mascara, eye shadow and lip color in these free gifts. The product line I favor is certainly more expensive than the grocery store and pharmacy brands, but after trying more than once to switch to the cheaper brands, they do not absorb as well and feel sticky. I always go back to the original brand! Since these products are not cheap (just go on sale at times) I am grateful I can afford these occasional purchases.

I have used these products for at least 30 years and have always gotten compliments on my skin from friends and my doctors.
Janey

DIY Garden Clogs

I was drooling over these cute garden clogs until I saw the price! Instead, I took a serrated knife to my old sneakers and cut the heel off to make my own clogs. I just slip them off before tracking mud into the house, and they’re already broken in! When the exposed plastic started rubbing at my heel, a little duct tape took care of the problem.
R.

Easy Ceramic Tile Repair

I had several cracked ceramic tiles (16″ tiles) on my floors. The suggested repair was to remove and replace them, a skill that was way beyond my abilities. Worse, we could not match the tiles.

I purchased grout from Home Depot that matched my tile. Using a pair of rubber gloves, I rubbed the grout into the cracks in the tile and grout lines. I wiped the newly grouted area with a damp cloth and now you can no longer see the cracks. It was a cheap repair that required very little skill.
Jay

Do you have a money or time-saving tip you’d like to share? Just email your tip to andrea@thedollarstretcher.com.