Great Tips... one liners

Mozilla_2

If like my family you don't use a lot of milk, buy three 2 pint bottles of milk from the supermarket. When empty, keep the bottles. The next time you buy milk, buy a six pint bottle which works out to be cheaper, and pour them into the 2 pint bottles. You can now freeze two of the bottles and keep the third in the fridge.

The frozen milk will keep for months without spoiling. We always keep an extra 1 pint in the freezer just in case we run out. Saves having to buy the more expensive milk from the local corner shop.

NOTE: Make sure the milk has fully defrosted before using, and try not to use the microwave to defrost.

Marigold123

Mozilla wrote:

If like my family you don't use a lot of milk, buy three 2 pint bottles of milk from the supermarket. When empty, keep the bottles. The next time you buy milk, buy a six pint bottle which works out to be cheaper, and pour them into the 2 pint bottles. You can now freeze two of the bottles and keep the third in the fridge.

The frozen milk will keep for months without spoiling. We always keep an extra 1 pint in the freezer just in case we run out. Saves having to buy the more expensive milk from the local corner shop.

NOTE: Make sure the milk has fully defrosted before using, and try not to use the microwave to defrost.

If you're going away camping/caravaning/self catering in a cottage, or whatever, and you need to take milk on a long car journey on a hot day, take some frozen milk from the freezer and use it in your coldbox as a freezer pack, to keep the rest of your food cool as well. Depending on the length of your journey, how hot the weather is, efficiency of coldbox, etc, the milk will probably have defrosted along the way, (or nearly), and will be ready to use on your cereal in the morning.

I've done the same thing with a frozen pasta bolognese. It keeps your other stuff cool, and you can heat it up and eat it as your first meal away when you get there, and it won't have suffered in the heat while you're travelling.

Mozilla_2

Always keep a coolbag in the boot of the car. When shopping, put all your frozen/cold food in there to stop it defrosting on the way home.

I bought one from Tesco for about £3.

Marigold123

Another useful camping tip, (or for anywhere you're staying where you haven't got a fridge, or access to anywhere that will freeze your ice packs for you), is what I like to call the 'Acme camp fridge'.

Put your milk carton or whatever you want to keep cool in a bucket, bowl or cold box, pour in some water so it comes up the sides a little way, and cover with a wet cloth.

Water evaporates from the cloth, and cools the milk. Make sure the ends of the cloth are in the water, so that as the water evaporates from the cloth, more will be sucked up through the fibres, keeping the process going. Obviously keep your 'camp fridge' in the shade, and if you can stand it somewhere where a breeze can blow across the cloth, the cooling effect will be even more pronounced.

It isn't anywhere near as cold as a real fridge, of course, but I have kept milk cool and fresh for up to 2 days in the blazing heat on campsites where there wasn't a shop with a freezer for freezing ice packs.

My mum, who was a proper Girl Guide in her day, taught me how to do this when we camped as children. The only problem may be noisy hedgehogs stamping around in the middle of the night, wondering how to get at the milk, but I suppose you can always take it in at night.

Chris25

apprentice_tycoon wrote:

Use a skirt hanger to hold scarves, fold free, in the wardrobe

Use a trouser hanger for tablecloths, especially large ones..................fewer crease marks.

And use another for table runners.

I've got one of those 5-in-1 skirt/trouser hangers and I use that to keep all the Christmas table linen together.

Chris25

Don't get rid of your babychanging mat - it makes a great gardening mat. It's padded, waterproof and it's long length means that the rest of your legs are protected, not just your knees.
After using, just wipe over and store in the shed until next time.

Scoflo

Christmas is coming......................instead of expensive, fancy tableclothes I used a roll of paper down the middle of my pine table as a runner. It was even wipeable and lasted until New Year.

Scoflo

lucylou wrote:

Hi just wanted to say if you phone a big company and you have to select anything by pressing keys or numbers do not press anything at all and they will think that you don't have a touch tone phone and will answer much sooner!
also remember if you phone any company to use their non geographical numbers here
http://www.saynoto0870.com/

It also helps to join the q for stopping whatever it is. Blooming quick then :j

apprentice_tycoon

If you run out of plastic coated wire bag ties you can make do by tearing off a length of cling film and twisting it into a cord and using it to tie the bag, it will be fine for the freezer but maybe not strong enough for a dustbin bag

innovate

Dissolve some Calgon (powder or tablets) in hot water, either in a glass bowl or in the sink. Place a sheet of aluminium foil in the water, put your silver on it and leave for approx 30 mins. Then polish with a dry tea towel or other cloth. The cloth can get black marks, so reserve one of your cloths just for this purpose.

One of the nice things of this method is that all the nooks and crannies get sparkling clean, without much effort.

For stubborn patches, use a bit of toothpaste and rub with paper [kitchen roll] until shiny. Wash off any residue under the tap and dry with tea towl/dry cloth.