Quick, fun & frugal – inside and out

For a sore throat, forget all those expensive syrups and drops in the store. You can mix together a quarter cup of vinegar with a quarter cup of honey and take one tablespoon of the mixture six times a day. It’s easy, it works and it’s really inexpensive.

•”To eliminate a time-consuming job in chopping walnuts, put a handful in a little plastic bag, hold the bag shut, place on a countertop and pound the bag with a rolling pin to get them to the size you want.” — B.J.C. in Oregon

•Here’s a fun idea, especially when mailing a birthday gift to a child. Use balloons as packaging material. Don’t blow them up to capacity, only about three-quarters of the way. Then stuff them in the box around whatever you’re mailing.

•”If you are cooking chicken for dinner, why not cook two? I always cook two chickens at once, since I save on prep time and cooking time. When the chickens are done, we have one for dinner and the other gets cut up to use on salads or in lunches. It makes a great change from regular lunch meats.” — P.L. in Georgia

•Got toenail fungus? Try treating it with Listerine mouthwash. Soak a cotton ball in Listerine and apply it to the nails several times a day until the nails clear up. It’s worked for me in the past, and my grandma swears by it. — A.A. via e-mail