Make the most of this versatile kitchen appliance

1. Disinfect and deodorize sponges
Soak a dirty sponge in water spiked with white vinegar or lemon juice, then heat it on high for 1 minute.

2. Toast nuts, bread crumbs, coconut
Spread them out on a plate and heat on high for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring every minute. NOTE: They will continue to toast for about a minute after removal.

3. Get more juice from citrus fruits
A refrigerated lemon or lime is harder to juice than one at room temperature or warmed slightly. To get the most juice, microwave citrus fruits for 20 seconds before squeezing.

4. Cook vegetables
All vegetables can be steamed in the microwave without adding water. Place them in one layer (if possible) on a dish, cover tightly with plastic, and cook on high. The timing will vary, but check tender items, such as spinach, mushrooms, and snow peas, after 30 seconds, and crunchy ones, like carrots, after 4 minutes.

5. Decrystallize honey
Honey that has solidified can be brought back to liquid life by uncovering the jar and heating on medium power for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

6. Partially cook foods for the grill
Cook vegetables partway in the microwave, before putting them on the barbecue, to cut grilling time. Heat new potatoes for 2 minutes (prick them first), and bell peppers for 1 minute. And why wait until your next campfire to make s’mores? Put the marshmallows in the microwave for 30 seconds

7. Disinfect plastic cutting boards
Wash the board well, rub it with the cut side of a lemon, then heat for 1 minute.

8. Roast garlic
It takes 45 minutes to roast garlic in the oven but less than 8 in the microwave. Slice off the top of the head to reveal all the cloves. Place the head in a small, deep dish, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of good olive oil. Spoon 2 tablespoons of water into the bottom of the dish, cover it with plastic wrap, and cook at medium power for 7 to 7 1/2 minutes. Let stand for a few minutes before unwrapping.

9. Warm beauty products
Warm up a hot-oil conditioning pack for your hair in about 10 to 20 seconds, or briefly heat up a facial mask — especially a creamy, moisturizing one. (Stir the mask and test the temperature with your finger before applying.) And if hot wax hardens when you’re only halfway up your calf, reheat it in the microwave. It’s much less messy than using a double boiler.

10. Soften brown sugar
Keep the sugar in its plastic packaging, add a few drops of water, and heat on medium for 10 to 20 seconds.

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With rising prices on everything at the market, even toilet paper is going up in price.

I found a really good way to save on toilet paper below.

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Get Rid of Some “Extras”

The key to financial freedom is building wealth. The key to building wealth is eliminating all your extra bills so you have money to save. The average consumer’s credit report carries quite a burden from these bills as well. Let’s start with what hurts the most. Eliminate any habits you currently have. Most habits cost money and if it’s a habit it can’t be healthy for you in the long run anyway. Smoking, drinking, candy, coffee, collecting junk, etc. You will be surprised how much cash you pocket if you just quit 1 or 2 of the above (if any apply of course). By giving up a habit you are not only saving money and maybe even your health, but you are also gaining self-discipline helping you mature financially.

Food: Dine In or Carry Out

Let’s look at the two separately AND together. If you eat out once a week, even at $25 you are spending $100 a month. Pretty simple math. Let’s say you get carry-out (drive-thru) 3 times a week at $5 per visit. This equals $60 a month. These figures are below average, but even so, this is $160 in 1 month that could be used to eliminate some smelly debt. Pack a lunch for work. Try cooking at home. It’s a fraction of the cost, it tastes better than “fast food” and it is usually healthier. If you can’t eliminate eating out then try cutting it in half for starters.

Grocery List (or lack thereof)

Many consumers head to the grocery store with no plan or list. BIG mistake. This is what grocery stores are designed for. Go ahead, walk down each aisle and tempt yourself with row after row, shelf after shelf of junk food, extra stuff that you don’t need. A list could save you 50% alone - that much more to wipe out those irritating loan payments. A grocery list serves two purposes. It saves you quite a bit of money which you notice immediately. Secondly, it allows you to be more prepared for the upcoming week, month or however often you shop. You can make out a daily meal plan ahead of time so you know exactly what you need to purchase and approximately how much cash you will need.

Sell Some Stuff

Everyone has stuff lying around collecting dust. Remember the saying “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”? You could probably knock out a couple of stagnate bills with some of those collectibles sitting in a box in the closet. You would be surprised to know that an object you have absolutely no interest in could sell on an auction site and pay off that hospital bill that’s been chasing you around like a mad hornet.

Cash, Cash, Cash

Only buy with cash. Plastic looks the same when you spend it. Dollar bills disappear and you will feel the impact when you start to get a shortage of it. Start a cash envelope system - at least one for gas, food and clothing. Like any new system, it will take a few times before you get the right amount in the envelopes. You will start to notice a large impact on your budget though and will find it worth while. If you buy something with cash you don’t owe on it. You might think a little longer about it too when you hold on to that $100 bill. If you apply the various techniques and ideas in this article you will start to knock chunks off your overall debt. This will get you closer to achieving financial freedom and your credit report will begin the long awaited healing process. Start today!

Author Bio

Tom Justice is the webmaster for Clean Credit Online and does all the designing, marketing, SEO and maintenance the site. He has a passion for personal finance and how the economy and consumers are affected by money. To see how you can use Clean Credit Online to help you with your personal finances please visit www.cleancreditonline.com

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Nobody enjoys being up to their eyeballs in debt. I mean let’s face it life is hard enough without having to worry about how you’re going to pay bills that seem to keep piling up all around you. If you’re feeling this way I can assure you it’s not just you. Sadly millions of people suffer from having to pay a large financial obligation due to an enormous amount of debt they have accumulated over time. Just doing a quick search on Google shows that there are over 16,000,000 million web pages that use the term debt reduction which explains the hundreds of debt reduction programs that are offered online. Stop and take a breather for a second because this article will give you several ways you should be able to reduce your debt.

Debt Reduction Tip Number 1 - Consolidate Your Credit Cards

Credit cards, credit cards and still more credit cards. Millions of people carry them with a large portion of that group overusing them to an extreme resulting in high interest and a large accumulation of credit card debt. If you are suffering from high credit card debt then one method to alleviate that stress would be to consolidate all of your credit cards onto a lower interest rate or zero interest rate card. This should allow for one central payment at a lower rate then several payments too many different cards at a higher percentage interest rate. Do your online research and find a card that offers a lower rate and then transfer all of your balances over to that new card and don’t use the now debt free credit cards again.

Debt Reduction Tip Number 2 - Consider a Debt Consolidation Loan

On the surface this sounds like a bad idea but in reality this can be a way to relieve yourself of several payments at different rates and terms. The key here would be to find a debt consolidation loan with favorable rates which will most likely be based on whether or not you have a steady income from employment and a fairly decent credit score.

Debt Reduction Tip Number 3 - Consider an Estate Sale

Depending on the amount of debt you need to relieve yourself from it could be possible to sell some items you have laying around your house for a few extra dollars. This could be jewelry you no longer wear, that hot tub you no longer use or that third car that collects dust in the garage month after month. Use any money gained from this sale to immediately be put to use paying off any credit card debt you may currently have.

Debt Reduction Tip Number 4 - Consider a Second Job

Nobody enjoys having to work more then one job to make ends meet but if your financial security and future is at risk then perhaps you should reconsider. After all wouldn’t you rather go through the pain of working a second part time job now instead of bankruptcy and poverty at a future date? Use all income gained from this second form of employment to pay down any of your outstanding debt starting with the higher interest debt first. Once things have settled down for you and you have your financial future back under control you can always part ways with your second job.

Debt Reduction Tip Number 5 - Look For Another Way Out

Even if you’re piled under a mountain of debt that doesn’t mean you have to roll over and take it. Let your mind relax and become creative in ways you can earn money to pay off your debt. Look at other methods of acquiring funding to pay off your bills - such as tapping into a home equity loan (if you own a home). Maybe you have some stocks you can sale or a little bit of cash stashed away for a rainy day. You as a last resort could even consider bankruptcy but this has a drastic effect on your credit score and may not be worth it if you think you can salvage a way to pay off your high interest debt.

This article wasn’t intended to provide a debt reduction plan. Instead I wanted to pass along a few tips that I’ve seen other people use successfully to rid themselves of high interest debt in order to regain their financial freedom. If they can do so can you. Do some additional research and see what you can come up with in order to eliminate your debt.

Author Bio

Timothy Gorman is a successful Webmaster and publisher of Debt-Relief-Solutions.com. He provides more debt relief, consolidation and free credit repair information that you can research in your pajamas on his website.

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