THURSDAY TIPS

* Don’t have a toothbrush holder? No need; just slip it into an empty water bottle, and you’ll have a secure holder, plus a water cup to swish with when you get to your destination.

* “If you accidentally overfill the coffeemaker, use a baster to remove the extra water. It works, and you don’t have to try to tip over the maker.”

— I.D. in New Mexico

* Did you know that banana peels are an old-wives remedy for warts, facial acne and other pimples, psoriasis, light burns and even wrinkles? Simply scrape and apply, or for the case of warts, secure a small piece of peel over the wart overnight with a bandaid. Who knew they were useful as well as delicious?

* Make your cut flowers last longer with these simple steps: First, trim the ends to open up the stems, then remove all leaves that will be below the water line. Finally, add 2 tablespoons each of sugar and vinegar to a quart of vase water.

* “I finally broke down and traded in the shelves and shelves of my DVD collection for one of those CD binders. I took all the movies out of the plastic cases, and into the slots they went. I saved so much room, and it’s super-easy to flip through the pages to find movie you want to watch.”

— C.A. in Ohio

* Keep a file folder with your magazine stack so that you can tear out any great articles or useful information before you pass on the magazine or recycle it. It will help keep you out of the stack trap — where you save a whole magazine to go through later simply because you like one article.