Tip of the Day: Great Grilling

To get the most out of that grilled flavor everyone loves so much, add a few sprigs of your favorite herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, and savory, directly to the top of the charcoal as you grill. It will infuse whatever you’re cooking with mouthwatering flavor.

Tip of the Day: Oven Mitts for Your Car

When it’s time to retire your oven mitts because they’re covered in stains and burn marks, don’t throw them away. Save them for use with your car. Oven mitts are great to use when handling hot engine parts or even as a washing mitt.

Tip of the Day: Two Thumbs Up

For fun wall decorations for kids’ rooms or a family room, frame movie posters from your family’s favorite movies. Try asking at video stores or movie theaters to see if you can have their posters when they are done with them. Often, they’ll just give them to you for free. If you’re looking for an older movie, you can also find them inexpensively on the internet. Just type in the name of the movie and the word “poster” into Google or another search engine. Another inexpensive decoration option is buying old magazines and hanging vintage ads and photo spreads in frames.

Tip of the Day: Iron-Clad Advice

Get rid of unwanted residue on the bottom of your iron by sprinkling salt on a piece of printer paper and ironing on a low level with no steam.

Tip of the Day: Bench on Wheels

You’ve been painting baseboards for what seems like hours, thanks to the constant bending and moving around. Make the job easier on yourself by borrowing your kid’s skateboard. It makes a great bench on wheels!

Tip of the Day: A Salt and Battery

Epsom salts can extend the life of your car battery. Just dissolve an ounce of Epsom salts in 1 1/2 cups warm, distilled water and fill each battery cell.

Tip of the Day: Quick Fix for a Saggy Mattress

To keep your mattress from sagging, it’s a good idea to reverse it once a month. If it dips in the middle, place a few folded sheets under the center to even it out.

Tip of the Day: Know the Code

Ever go to buy something online and see that little box to enter a promotional or coupon code? Well now you never have to wish you had something to enter into that box again. At RetailMeNot.com, you can find hundreds of codes that will give you savings at a large variety of websites, including Kohls.com, Amazon.com, and JC Penney online. If this site doesn’t have a code for the store you’re looking for, also try MomsView.com, DealTaker.com, or PocketDeal.com. Or simply type the name of the online store and the word “coupon code” into a search engine.

Tip of the Day: Lunchbox Cure

Kid’s lunchbox starting to smell funky? Freshen it up with bread and vinegar! Just moisten a slice of bread with white vinegar and let it sit in the closed lunchbox overnight. In the morning, any bad odors should be gone.

Tip of the Day: Foiled Again

If you have an electronic whose batteries are loose due to a missing spring, don’t throw it away or pay to get it fixed. Simply ball up a small amount of aluminum foil and put it in the spring’s place. The aluminum will conduct electricity in lieu of the spring.

Tip of the Day: Like a Breath of Fresh Air

Make your nighttime lotion regimen even more effective by taking five deep breaths to boost levels of oxygen to the skin before smoothing on your cream.

Tip of the Day: Be Prepared While Cooking!

Professional cooks keep small plastic bags nearby in case both hands are covered with dough or food and they need to answer the telephone. Or, you could put your hands in plastic bags before mixing meatloaf or kneading dough.

Recipe of the Week: Tex-Mex Lasagna Dinner

When we saw today's Recipe of the Week over at Shelly Hill's Shakin and Bakin Foodie Blog, we knew we would love it. It combines two of our favorite cuisines, Italian and Mexican, into one delicious dish that our three boys gobbled up. We also love that this recipe uses items you often buy or already have on hand. As Shelly says, "As a busy mother and wife, I just don't have time to look for speciality ingredients." And it's so convenient, you can make it ahead of time and refrigerate until you're ready to pop it in the oven.

Tip of the Day: Best Time for Garage Sales

Planning a garage sale? Pick a date that is close to the 15th of the month. Many people get paid around this date, but their rent or mortgage isn’t due.

Tip of the Day: Ditch that Shoe Polish

Believe it or not, cooking oil is great for shining up leather shoes. First clean off the shoes with a damp cloth, then wipe with a soft, dry cloth and a drop of vegetable oil. Your shoes will drink in the moisture and look as good as new.

Tip of the Day: Easy Way to Conserve Energy

The number one energy-sucker in your home is your hot water heater. Cut down on your bills by washing your clothes in cold water with a cold rinse. Your clothes will last longer, too!

Tip of the Day: How to Not Cuss in Front of Your Kids

How many times have you hit your fingers while hammering in a nail? Next time you’re hanging pictures, put the nail between the tines of a fork before hammering. Your fingers will thank you, and your kids won’t have to hear you swear.

How to Haggle

Sometimes savings are as easy as asking for them! Sure, you’ve always been able to haggle at car dealerships and mom-and-pop stores. But did you know that "big box" stores such as Home Depot and Best Buy are getting in on the act, too? With sales slipping because of savvier shoppers and online sales, the staffs of many chain stores are now being told that bargaining is OK. Even if you're never been the type to waltz up to a sales associate and ask for a better price, you can still use haggling to get what you want for cheaper.

Visit our new website for five tips on how to haggle.

Tip of the Day: Make Yeast the Least of Your Worries

Where should you store yeast, you ask? Always in the refrigerator, because the cold will slow down deterioration. Bring the yeast back up to room temperature to help it dissolve at the normal rate.

Recipe of the Week: Little Kids' Favorite Pa'Sgetti

If you're looking for a quick and easy recipe that your kids will gobble up every time, this recipe if for you! It's from Jane McKenzie of Round Rock, Texas, and she tells us, "We were moving into a new home and my spices were not unpacked yet... but my pantry was! I grabbed the tomato soup to try making my own sauce and decided that the consomme with gelatin would add a beefy flavor and help give the sauce more body. The kids LOVED it and so did my husband! For years I didn't slave over my 'sauce' recipe anymore as everyone who ate this thought it was fantastic!"

Ingredients
1 box spaghetti noodles
1 pound ground beef
2 cans tomato soup
2 cans Campbell's beef consomme soup (or other beef soup that has gelatin added)

How to Make It
1. Cook noodles as directed on the box.
2. While preparing noodles, cook grown beef in skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally until browned.
3. Drain noodles and place in a sprayed, 3-quart casserole dish and top with browned meat.
4. In the skillet that you cooked the hamburger in, add cans of soup (do not add water). Heat over medium-high heat until hot and bubbling. Pour over noodle mixture.
5. Bake at 350º for 30-45 minutes, then watch the kids eat up!

Tip: When making this dish for adults, consider adding chopped onion and a little garlic powder to the hamburger when browning!

Serves 4 adults or many children!

Do you have a recipe that kids can't get enough of? Share it with us here!

Tip of the Day: The Sum of Its Parts

When visiting a mechanic to have a part replaced, always ask for the worn/damaged part back. This way, you’ll be sure it was actually replaced and that you’re not getting a bum deal.

Tip of the Day: Gimme Some Sugar

Get rid of dead skin on your lips with an all-natural exfoliating rub made from ingredients in your own kitchen. Mix a drop of sesame or olive oil with brown sugar, then rub the delicious mixture gently over lips to remove flaky skin. Finish by applying petroleum jelly.