Tips on saving

Everything has a price tag. And with the rising cost of commodities, it is imperative to do some cost-cutting. Here are some saving tips for our housewives trying to eke out a living.

- Instead of buying those expensive deodorant sprays to eliminate kitchen “fishy” odors, use the loaf bread ends that you keep in the freezer. After frying fish, burn bread on the stove burner. The smell of carbon eliminates unwanted kitchen odor.

- Slice your calamansi on a chopping board or on a plate. The potent juice could ruin your kitchen tile most especially the colored and cheaper ones.

- Do you have an “iba” tree? Too many fruits at one time? To avoid spoilage, pickle the fruits so that you can still use it each time you make sinigang, larang or paksiw.

- Malunggay is the most nutritious leafy vegetable in my garden. I often times harvest more than I could use. After I put some in my tinolang manok, I do not throw away the extras. I wrap them in a paper towel and place it in the refrigerator. After about two weeks, the malunggay leaves have dried and are ready to be flaked. The malunggay flakes are just as nutritious. I use them to garnish my noodle soup, in any meat stew like humba, adobo, chicken curry and caldereta.

- Water bills up? In preparation for cooking rice, we rinse the grains. Save the water from the rinsing in a bucket to water fruit-bearing trees. The result is amazing.

- Recycle the plastic water bottles. Cut the plastic into two. Bore tiny holes in the bottom of each end. Position the bottle close to the center of the plant and fill it with water. This way your medium-sized ornamental plant gets watered the entire day from the tiny drops. Instead of using a hose, use that handy “tabo” in your garden.

- Your washing machine has a final rinse button. Before that cycle, position the hose in a medium-sized bucket to save the water. Use that water when you mop the floors. Oh, that soapy water you used to soak white clothes is still reusable when you wash the rags and car mattings.

- Some of our white blankets stashed away for some time will show signs of yellow staining. Do not discard them thinking that these have become useless. Pour some white vinegar directly on the stain. Let it stand for an hour or so and scrub. Then proceed to wash the regular way. Presto, the stain is gone!

Saving tips are essential so that the money we can save could buy other essentials.