15 Uses for Coffee Filters

coffee_filters

My wife is a member of a number of “Mom’s forums” on the internet and often is privy to all kinds of creative tips.  She’ll occasionally send some over for me to use here on Gather Little by Little.  She recently sent me 15 uses for coffee filters and thought I would share them with you.  I’d site the original author, but unfortunately not sure who it is:

  1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave. Coffee filters make excellent covers.
  2. Clean windows and mirrors. Coffee filters are lint-free so they’ll leave windows sparkling.
  3. Protect China – Separate your good dishes by putting a coffee filter between each dish.
  4. Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter.
  5. Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.
  6. Apply shoe polish. Ball up a lint-free coffee filter.
  7. Recycle frying oil. After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.
  8. Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale.
  9. Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.
  10. Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes.
  11. Prevent a Popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter.
  12. Wax Eyebrows – Do you think we used expensive strips to wax eyebrows?  Use strips of coffee filters.
  13. Absorb Grease – Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers, etc. on them.  Soaks out all the grease.
  14. Razor nicks – Keep in the bathroom.  They make great “razor nick fixers.”
  15. Hats - As you can see from the picture, they make great play hats for kids!

Have a creative tip for how to use the inexpensive and versatile coffee filter?  Add your tip in a comment below!

This article is part of an ongoing series called Money Saving Monday. Each Monday, I share tips and techniques you can use to start saving money.

Photo by: richardmasoner

Blog Traffic Exchange Related Posts

The Friday Gathering – 1 degree edition

ice_cold
The thermometer outside on our deck says 1 degree this morning.  That is the coldest temperature I’ve ever been in while living in North Carolina.  My auxiliary heating coils are on as the heat pump can’t keep up, I have the baseboard heater on upstairs to keep my kids warm, and a radiator heater in the garage for the dogs.  I can almost hear the electric companies cash register going “cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-ching“.  It will be very interesting to see what this months electric bill looks like compared to last.  But, I shouldn’t complain.  I used to live in Burlington VT, and accu-weather says it’s -15 there.  Man, I sure don’t miss that.

Important Stuff

Just a few real quick items

  • For the past couple of months, I’ve been working on a parent company for all of blogs along with a blog consulting and blog coaching business.  Starting my own company is something that I’ve dreamed of doing for a very long time.  Of course I’ll be moon-lighting for now, but would love to begin doing this full-time as soon as possible.   The company is called Empty Cabin Media.  Would love to hear your feedback.  Note, for now I’m providing a free blog analysis, so head over and get yours.  I’ll also be publishing articles on blogging and in particular tips and tricks on the Wordpress Thesis theme as that is going to be one of my focus areas.
  • Just a reminder about the Ask The M-Network. I’ve only received one question thus far.  Don’t miss out on this chance to ask a question and get answers fro the M-Network bloggers.
  • Lastly, if you are a blogger, I’d like to mention a few new blogging sites that have been started by some fellow personal finance bloggers.  The first is Side Hustle Blogging by FrugalDad.  Wait until you see the site, he did an amazing job and it looks awesome.  The second is by Simple Mom called Darn Good Blogging.  Just like Simple Mom, the site is clean with a great look and content.  I’m definitely subscribed to and reading these blogs.

The Gathering

Here are my favorite articles this week from the M-Network and the rest of my blogroll.

Photo by: Richard Pflaume

Blog Traffic Exchange Related Posts

Deals of the day sites – Avoiding impulse shopping

candy

I received an interesting comment on my Deals of the day sites article I wrote that said:

One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to clear my box of these tantalizing offers.

The comment made me wonder how many people buy items from deals of the day sites on impulse…probably a bunch.  I’m not much of an impulse shopper anymore, but I certainly used to be.  I thought I’d share a few tips on how to use these sites to your advantage without wasting money on items you don’t need.

Keep a list

Whenever I find that there is an item I’d like to have I add it to a list I keep in Evernote (I’ll be writing about Evernote soon).  These aren’t things I need right away, and frankly some of them aren’t even things I really need but just things I’d like to have.  Items on my list right now include things like: 8GB SD card for my camera, printer/fax/scanner combo device for my office, iPod, a Moleskin, etc.

Each morning while I am waking up and waiting for my brain to kick in, I check Deal of the day tracker and specifically look for items on my list.  If it’s not on my list I don’t buy it.  Trust me, I’ve been tempted a few times, but I set rules and boundaries for myself.

Allocate a budget item

I have a line item in my budget for my personal spending.  Sometimes I use it, sometimes I don’t, but it’s money set aside for things like want/need.  If I don’t use it, it either rolls into another budget category if needed, usually to pay down on our debt.

Another option is to allocate budget for it, and if it shows up on a deal of the day site, buy it if not than just do your best Googling and buy it from a normal retailer at the best price.  This would obviously be on more non-discretionary items like the fax/printer/scanner device I really need for work.

Don’t buy right away

At this point some of you are saying: But, what if it’s not on my list, but it’s an incredible deal and something I would really use?? Assuming you have money in your budget for it, here’s what I would suggest: Wait.  Check the Deals of the day sites in the morning and if you see something and have convinced yourself to buy it, walk away.  Come back a few hours later after you’ve had time to think through it and evaluate whether you really want to spend the money.  If you’re still convinced AND you have the money in your budget, than go ahead.  Sure, you’ll risk possibly missing out on it, but they’ll be another one.

What tips do you have for using deals of the day sites?  How do you guys avoid impulse buying on these sites?  Share your tips!

Photo by: sfllaw

Blog Traffic Exchange Related Posts

Property Mangement Companies – What to look for

property-management-companies

We haven’t fully given up selling our house, but we’ve entered into a contract with a property management company.  Our old house is for sale and for rent at the same time.  The really good news is that we have a potential tenant already and if all goes well, they should sign a lease this week.  No more stressing about two mortgages!

Property Management Companies

Property management companies are companies that take care of  “land lording” and marketing your rental house for you.  They do this in exchange for a % of your monthly rent, and depending on the company they may charge additional fees as well.  Here are just some of the services provided by typical property management companies:

  • Marketing of your for rent home
  • Tenant screening, including background and credit checks
  • Rental contract enforcement, including handling any required legal action
  • Providing 24×7 support and maintenance (although you’ll pay maintenance fees)
  • Collecting monthly rent
  • Dealing with problems and home owners association issues
  • Holding the deposit

Basically, a property management company becomes the landlord for your rental property or properties in exchange for a portion of your monthly rent.  Some will also charge additional finders fees for marketing your home, and some will offload various fees to you such as legal fees, background checks, etc.

Reasons to consider a property management company include 1) just not wanting to deal with the headaches and overhead of being a landlord and 2) you live far enough away from the home that managing it and keeping up with it will be difficult.  Reason #2 is why I went with a management company.  I didn’t want to get a call at 3:00am that the water line broke and needed to be fixed NOW.  Nor did I want to deal with a tenant that wouldn’t pay their rent when I live 3 hours away.

How to choose a property management company

When selecting a property management company, it pays to shop around.  I called about 10 different companies before selecting the one we went with.  Here are just a few things to consider:

  • How long have they been in business? – You want a company that’s been around for a while and knows the market and has good relationships with real estate agents in the area.
  • Are they insured? – The answer to this will drive how much and what types of insurance you may need.  For example, what if a tenant sues the management company?  Could you be held liable?
  • Are they experienced managing your type of property? – If you have a home, and the company does nothing but commercial property management, they are probably not the best option for you.
  • If a tenant doesn’t pay, what do you do? – The company you are talking to should give you a very clear and specific response to this indicating they have procedures they follow.  These should include eviction notices and involving the Sheriff to forcefully evict if necessary.  Understand who pays these fees if that occurs.
  • How do you select tenants, what is your screening process? – You want good reliable and safe tenants.  The management companies screening process will drive the type of tenants you get.  Again, they should have a good clear process that includes meeting personally with the tenants.
  • Understand the charges by asking what types of charges are involved? – Of course you want to minimize your charges/expenses, but not at the risk of the company not doing a good job.  After all, nothing is free right?
  • How do you handle maintenance and repairs? A good company should have a set of companies they work with and/or have on retainer.  This should include a general “handy-man”, plumber, electrician, and HVAC service company.  Make sure there are reputable people.  Understand how the charges will be handled and if you have the option of having the service done yourself by either you or someone else.
  • How do you advertise? – The company should have a very clear marketing plan for you home and should even be able to tell you what works and what doesn’t.  Advertising should include both print media and internet marketing.
  • Do you have references I can call? – This is critical.  The company should have a decent list of references and I strongly advise you to call them ask about what they like, what they dislike, have they had any problems, were they resolved, etc.

How I selected our company

I actually received 3 different property management company referrals.  One from my real estate agent, and one from another agent we were friends with in the neighborhood, and one from a friend at work that uses a company to manage his properties.  I also pulled a handful of companies out of the phone book.  I called each of them and had planned to meet the ones that passed the phone screen in person at my old home.  After the phone screens, I only found one company that I liked.  The others had too many fees, didn’t seem interested, or just seemed like “mom and pop” shops that did it part time.  Not what I wanted.

I met the owner of the company I went with at the house, he walked around, took pictures, and then we sat down and walked through the whole process.  He gave me a list of references which was 3 pages long.  The list included the mayor of the city we lived in, two famous Nascar drivers, several prominent lawyers and doctors, some other prominent public officials, and numerous other people.   We talked for a long time.  He walked through the contract in detail and discussed how various situations would be handled.

I called a few references the next day, including one of the Nascar drivers and received nothing but good reports.  No, I didn’t speak to the Nascar driver himself, but to his personal assistant…oh well.  I only got one complaint and that issue had been resolved and turned out to be a mis-communication.  I also did a quick check on any complaints to the better business bureau…none.  I signed the lease papers the next morning.

Property Management Company Fees

My property management company charges 10% of the monthly rent.  That’s it.  No finders fees, no surcharges, nothing.  Just 10%.  If I find the tenant, they reduce that to 8%.  I am responsible for eviction and sheriff fees if needed and any maintenance costs.   For a court situation, I am responsible for court cost only.  The legal fees are handled by the management company by a lawyer they employee.  The company manages over 600 properties in the area we lived, and also is a licensed real estate broker as well.

I returned home from the mountains very happy with my decision.  If all goes well today, I’ll have a signed 1-year lease for our home that covers our mortgage and all expenses.  I won’t be getting rich, but at least my out of pocket expenses are covered!

Have any of you used a property managmeent company?  If so, any tips for a n00b like me?  What is your primary selection criteria.  Share your thoughts and story, add a comment!

Photo by: TheTruthAbout…

Blog Traffic Exchange Related Posts

Debt, lies, and marriage – Help a reader out

sad-women

I received a heartbreaking email the other day from a reader I’ll call Sarah.  Her story is all about debt, lies and marriage and she needs some help:

I am very inspired by your website.  I think I started crying at my desk when I
started reading it.  I am in a extremely large amount of debt.  A lot of it is
stuff in my husband’s name that he does not know about.  I feel like failure and
a thief.  I wonder how I got myself into this mess and how do I manage to get
out without my husband leaving me.  I am scared and worried sick.  I was able to
make the payments before but it is getting harder and harder and there are lies
after lies.  I am scared my husband will leave me.  I pray about this all the
time and I am asking God to help me but I feel like my spiritual relationship is
not strong.  I am looking for help.  I don’t want to lose my family.

What would I do?

Wow, first let me say what a heart breaking story. I can only imagine the torment you must be living with each day and the guilt that must be slowing building up. Thank you for the compliment and while I wish better circumstances would have brought you to Gather Little by Little, I am very glad you’re here.

In my mind you only have one option, to tell the truth. I say this for a few reasons:

  • Truth is the only option.  Paul writes in 1 Timothy 1:19 – “Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.”  I think you already know your faith has been shipwrecked, it’s time to clear your conscience.
  • By not telling the truth this whole situation is boiling and simmering deep down instead.  The guilt and torment is tearing you up from the inside out.  Funny thing about these kinds of things, they have a way of coming out one way or another and the longer you hold it in, the more damage it’s going to do.  The longer you wait, the more difficult it becomes and the harder the impact on your husband as well.

If I was in your shoes and had the choice facing me that you do, there would be only one option: Tell him. Will he leave you?  Maybe. Will you loose you family?  Maybe. In either case, you cannot control what he will do nor can you predict what will happen.  You can only control your actions.  I think the answers to those questions lie in how strong your marriage is.

If my wife told me something like this I’d be livid, but I wouldn’t leave her.  Would I distrust her?  Sure, until that trust was re-established, but I love her and would forgive her.  We all make mistakes Sarah, we all do dumb things we regret and you are not alone.  The bottom line is that telling the truth is the first step in fixing this mess you’ve created and by doing so, you’ll head down the right road.

Your take

I asked her if it would be alright to share her email with my readers so she could not only receive a response from me, but from all of my readers as well. I told her how great you guys are and that she should really get some great responses and perspectives from you.

We exchanged a few emails, and folks: she is scared to death and feels horrible about what she’s done, please take that into consideration.    Remember: Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

Sarah, please let me know what you decide to do and how things turn out for you.  I’ll keep you in my thoughts and prayers and pray that God saves your marriage and gives you the wisdom to make the right decision.

Readers, I ask: If you were in Sarah’s shoes, what would you do?  Help her out by leaving a comment.


Photo by: wheatfieldbrown

Blog Traffic Exchange Related Posts