Sanity Saving Substitutions!

Okay, so you know when you run out of something you think you “need”, and you run to the store, but by the time you leave you have grabbed a dozen things instead.  Yup, sometimes it is more beneficial to use substitutions instead. 

1. So let’s start with coffee filters (I am a coffee addict, so if I cannot have my morning coffee, everyone better watch out, so it is only fitting that I start with this tip). If you run out of coffee filters, just simply use a paper towel. Most paper towels are sufficient to filter the coffee.  That can also work in reverse. If you are out of paper towel and need to clean off glass (bathroom mirror), a coffee filter would do the job just as well.

2. Did you burn yourself? No burn ointment? No problem, crack out the yellow mustard. Apply liberally over the burn. Let it sit for one minute.  Rinse off with cool (not cold) water.

3. Out of weed killer? Or perhaps you’d prefer a more natural approach because of children or pets. Spray undiluted white vinegar on your weeds. Sometimes if it doesn’t work with just straight vinegar, you can add a little dish soap to help it stick to the weed.

4. Your recipe calls for ½ cup of butter, and low and behold you are out.  No need to fret, you could also use a ½ cup of vegetable oil, ½ cup coconut oil, OR ½ cup of applesauce. Problem solved!

5. You can also substitute sugar with honey. ¼ Cup sugar = 3 tbsp honey

6. Have company coming over?,Need to quickly clean up your bathroom, but you’re out of toilet bowl cleaner. Check your fridge—yup, check your fridge. Do you have a can of coca-cola? That’ll do the trick. You could also sprinkle a little baking soda in the bowl, and mix some vinegar and dish-soap, and spray the mixture around the bowl. 

7. Out of glass cleaner? You can achieve your desired goal by mixing water and vinegar together. That same mixture can be used to disinfect the solid surface counter-tops, and the stove top.

8. The following mixture can be used to help deter Asian beetles from giving off the scent to invite their friends into your home. It can also be used to clean your laminate floors and if you add baking soda to the mix, you can use it to deodorize carpet, and clean your shower.

Ingredients:

• ¼  cup of dish soap

• 1 cup of hot water

• ½ cup of distilled white vinegar

• 10 drops of essential oil (Asian beetles dislike peppermint and citrus scents-probably because of their potency).

Gently mix all the ingredients and empty them into a spray bottle.

***A tablespoon of baking soda goes a long way, besides you don’t want to lose all your mixture because of the reaction between the vinegar and baking soda.

Hopefully you found the information in this post to be useful, and if you would like to share additional tips, please add them in the comments! 

You may find these articles interesting as well:

Tips to Care for those new threads
100 Ways to Save Money
Repel Mice and Spiders – Safe for use around children and pets
The Easy Peel Way to Boil an Egg 

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