ArcaMax

If I've heard from one reader, I've heard from one thousand -- all with the same problem: wadded-up sheets. I feel their pain because I have suffered this problem as well. So annoying. It can happen in the clothes washer but also in the dryer.

My best solution, which only slightly reduces the problem, has been to launder one sheet at a time and...Read more

Pre-washed, pre-chopped, ready-to-go salad greens in sealed bags can be found in the produce department of just about every grocery store and supermarket. Those bags are certainly a tempting option: What's not to like about having someone else do all the work of chopping and then double- or even triple-washing? Even so, I don't buy bagged salad...Read more

Whether you've got kids out of school, grandkids visiting, or just need a break from routine that doesn't break the bank, there's plenty of frugal fun to be had.

Here are my favorite cheap summer trip ideas for families, singles, couples and empty nesters alike -- proof that great memories don't need a five-star price tag.

1. BE A TOURIST IN ...Read more

Has this ever happened to you? While searching for the Valentine's Day centerpiece, you stumble across the Christmas wrap you bought at the half-off-after-holiday sale two years ago. You still don't know where the centerpiece is.

Or you discover six partially full peanut butter jars in the pantry while putting away the new one you just bought ...Read more

You should see the big wad of lint I just plucked from the trap of my clothes dryer. Ack! Where does all of that come from? I know I emptied all pockets and I'm certain I did not wash a bag of pillow stuffing.

I'll tell you what it is, and I am not happy about this: It's visual proof the dryer is wearing out my clothes. Those fibers were neatly...Read more

If you've ever suffered the heartbreak of stains or other kinds of annoying laundry issues, you're going to love this! These laundry hacks will elevate you to laundry genius in no time.

DRIED-ON LATEX PAINT

Getting any kind of paint on clothes or other items you care about is awful. Even if latex paint is dried on for a long time -- on laundry...Read more

If you've wandered the sunscreen aisle lately, you know it's become something between a beauty boutique and a science fair. With prices all over the map and labels that sound like chemistry homework, it's no wonder so many people either overspend or skip sunscreen altogether. But skipping protection? That's not saving -- it's gambling with your ...Read more

Frugality. It's a word that for many people screams deprivation; poverty. I get letters from readers who say they've had it with trying to live below their means and never having anything they love. "What's the point if all of this deprivation if it just makes me feel even more miserable?" was the way one woman closed her letter.

Look, I can't ...Read more

I had to laugh when I opened my mail to read how one reader was able to get his glass shower doors so clean and sparkly that they looked like new. I had a can of his remedy sitting right there next to my computer.

Hold on! Than can of WD-40 was NOT there to be used as a computer screen cleaner. I've never tried it, do not intend to and hope you...Read more

It happened again; I suffered a kitchen disaster. Boy, do I hate when that happens! This time, I ruined an entire pot of pasta because I got busy and was not paying attention. By the time I realized, the pasta had cooked beyond al dente all the way to al mushe. I could barely make out the pasta shape!

It killed me to dump the whole thing and ...Read more

Let me save you a little time: Yes, I shop in the kids' clothing section -- and no, I'm not embarrassed. In fact, I've come to appreciate it as one of my top frugal fashion strategies. If that sounds strange, stick with me. By the end, you might be tempted to peek behind the rainbow unicorn display yourself.

I'm not talking about dressing like ...Read more