A few ideas to make life a tad bit easier

It seems like such a little thing, but buy a spray nozzle for your garden hose. You won’t waste as much water, especially during tasks like washing your car and watering different areas of the garden. — C.C. in California

•Exercise experts say the best calorie burners in the gym, in order, are: the treadmill, stair climber, elliptical machine and stationary bike. That is if you work out at the same intensity for the same amount of time.

•When you have an event to look forward to, like a family reunion, it can be scary for little children to see relatives they don’t see often – even if those relatives love the kids to pieces. We got together a little photo book of people we would see, and we went over the pictures each night for several weeks before our family reunion. The faces were more familiar to the toddlers, and the older kids felt so grown-up because they knew many of the relatives’ names. – J.L. in Florida

•I spilled a cup of red wine on one of my throw pillows. When I tried to get the stain out, it just spread and made it worse. I love the pillow since it is just the right size and really soft, so I covered it with new fabric. I ended up doing all the assorted pillows in the same fabric, and it made a big change in the room. I wish I had done it sooner. – I.F. in Pennsylvania

•For moister and softer cookies, use honey as a substitute for a third of the sugar in your cookie recipe.

•To get more gas for less, buy gas during the cooler hours of the day or at night. Gas is sold by volume, but it is more dense when it is cool. Therefore, you get more gas when you buy it cold. – R.D. in Alabama