ArcaMax

Avocados are fickle. Sometimes they seem to be ready for consumption but then hard as a rock when cut into. Other times avocados look like they'll be rotten before you get them home. This unpredictability isn't just expensive ($1.25 each for medium, $2.50 each for large at my local supermarket, as I write); it also contributes to wasted food.

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Some hobbies require a second income just to afford them. Golf, skiing, photography with professional gear -- those can run into the thousands before you've even broken a sweat. But the best hobbies? They're often the ones that cost very little, or nothing at all, and leave you richer in ways that have nothing to do with your bank balance.

Here...Read more

Fabric softeners are designed to reduce the amount of static in synthetic fibers and make laundry come out feeling soft and smelling great. These products contain lubricating ingredients that help coat and "soften" fibers in fabrics when added to your laundry load in the form of liquid, powder or dryer sheets.

So why would anyone opt to go to ...Read more

Apparently, I'm a slow learner. I can't think of another reason it took years to associate my sons' and husband's itchy skin problems with the dryer sheets I used.

While we didn't experience respiratory problems that are often associated with fabric softeners, there is credible medical evidence that the perfumes and additives in laundry ...Read more

Surprise! Instead of sharing tips you've sent to me, I've decided to hog the entire column to share some of my own. Several of these are oldies but goodies, while some I have discovered recently. I do love a great tip.

PHONE ALARM VOLUME BOOSTER

If you're a heavy sleeper and have trouble hearing your cellphone's alarm, you can boost the volume...Read more

When most of us think of the freezer, we picture two things: ice cream and meat. Maybe there's also a bag of peas in there that looks like it's been through three presidential administrations. But here's the thing: Your freezer is one of the most overlooked money-saving tools in your kitchen.

Used wisely, it stretches your grocery budget, cuts ...Read more

On one ordinary day back in 2012, a hefty envelope turned up in my snail mail containing a very kind letter along with a mechanical drawing so detailed it made me want to chew my hair. The sender thought I would be the perfect person to build my own solar oven. Right. Like that was ever going to happen. The idea of cooking with sunshine did, ...Read more

Fast-food runs, deli detours and grocery carts loaded with prepared food can drain a food budget faster than a houseful of hungry teenagers. The secret for slashing your family's food bill is to cook at home. And the way to become confident in the kitchen is to learn a few strategic trucs of the trade.

"Truc" (rhymes with "fluke") is a French ...Read more

Whether your goal is to purge your home of stuff you no longer need or raise some cash -- or both -- you have options.

You can sell your items on an auction website like eBay, list them in classifieds on Craigslist or give the stuff away. Or, you can create a killer garage sale that turns your castoffs into cold, hard cash.

PLAN AHEAD. Give ...Read more

Your paycheck doesn't exactly walk out the front door; it seeps away. Little dribbles here and there: a forgotten return, a subscription you never use, that "risk-free" gadget from a TV ad. On paper, these are small things. But small things have a way of piling up until your money is leaving faster than you can make it.

Want to keep more of ...Read more

There is an old adage out there that promises, "Teaching teaches the teacher." I believe that with all my heart. Never does a day go by that I don't learn something from my readers. Most days those lessons are small, perhaps even insignificant. And then there are days like today when it's just one big wow after another!

Dear Mary: In response ...Read more