• “When dispensing medicine to my dogs, I have always coated the pills in butter or peanut butter. It seems to make it more appetizing, or the butter at least helps it go down smoothly. I recently was prescribed some pills that are very large. I tried the butter method on myself, and sure enough, it works.” — J.K. in Pennsylvania

• “A nice, cheap exfoliator for skin is baking soda. It gives just enough scrub, and a box is less than a dollar. I love it.” — A Reader in Minnesota

• “I cook soup in quantity, because my family loves leftovers. To cool a big pot quickly, I keep a clean, plastic water bottle mostly filled with water, which I freeze. I use it to stir the soup. It cools down quickly, and then I can stick it in smaller containers in the fridge.” — V.L., via e-mail

• “In a pinch, you can invert a metal colander over a pot of spaghetti sauce or a pan of greasy bacon or burgers to keep things nice and neat while cooking. It catches the splatter in the net, and the grease or sauce doesn’t get all over your stovetop. I really hate when tomato sauce gets on the wall behind my stove, because it’s hard to get off if you don’t catch it all right away.” — A.A. in Florida