ArcaMax

When I packed up my kitchen for our big move a few years ago, I was embarrassed to discover what I had accumulated in the spice drawer.

I'm pretty sure there were a couple bottles in there that were certified antiques, predating the Nixon administration. And that ground allspice? I think the "sell by" date was 50 A.D.

DO SPICES EXPIRE?

The ...Read more

Could you use an extra $300? You might want to take a look in your garbage. A survey conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization revealed that global food waste per year is roughly 40-50% for root crops, fruits and vegetables! Mind-boggling, right?

Here's a fun crash course in the how, where and why of fresh fruits and vegetables. Start ...Read more

From time to time, this kind of question pops up in my inbox: How can I get started investing in stocks and mutual funds that are risk-free and have guaranteed high rates of return?

Of course, that makes me laugh, not only because there is no such thing as a risk-free investment -- let alone one with a guaranteed high rate of return -- but also...Read more

Do you know what I love? Walking into my supermarket the day after Thanksgiving and hearing the best Christmas music ever. Yeah! And if I wasn't in the mood to bake Christmas cookies before I got there, just hearing that lovely music changes everything. Right there, that proves I am the quintessential impulsive consumer. That retailer's got my ...Read more

It was a Sunday night, and the house felt cold. The Doloski family's furnace was clearly not working. Within minutes of arriving, the service technician diagnosed the problem: They needed a new igniter. At least the problem was one they could not have resolved themselves.

Then the technician opened the side panel of the furnace. Filthy. ...Read more

A lovely new assisted living complex is under construction close to where I live. As beautiful as this place is, it has become a daily reminder of how difficult it can be to talk to aging parents about their health and future needs.

If you're 40 or older, you're part of the sandwich generation, which refers to middle-aged individuals who feel ...Read more

I don't know why some of us have such a strong propensity to accumulate, collect and otherwise hold on to stuff beyond a reasonable limit. Maybe we're born that way. Or, more likely, we've picked up an understandable yet unfounded fear of not having enough of what we might need someday. Whatever the reason, what starts as clutter can quickly ...Read more

It's an interesting question and one that comes up every time I write about how to use and maintain a dishwasher. For many readers, hand-washing dishes just feels better and is hard to let go of, especially for those who don't use enough dishes to fill the dishwasher more than a couple of times a week.

But isn't low-tech hand-washing just as ...Read more

Back to school for most kids means new shoes, a cool backpack and an unspoiled 64-pack of crayons. It also means getting back to a morning routine. This year, make breakfast a requirement in your house. All you need is 15 minutes, plus these quick and easy breakfast ideas, tips, tricks and hurry-up secrets.

FRUIT SHAKES

Start with the basic ...Read more

I blame my suspicious nature on my neighborhood grocery store. The store used to be a logically arranged market with bright lights and clean floors -- a basic, friendly, functional place to shop. Then the bulldozers morphed it into a big, fancy-schmancy supermarket complete with shopping triggers like mood lighting, Starbucks, Panda Express and ...Read more

In the laundry room, most of us are prone to overkill. We want beautifully clean, brilliantly white, soft and fluffy laundry. And we don't measure. We pour stuff out of jugs straight into the washer, often adding a second big glug just to make sure.

We use liquid fabric softener by the gallon and dryer sheets by the hundreds because there's no ...Read more

As wonderful as a washing machine is, when it comes to saving time and effort, it can also be a troublesome member of the household. It is critical that you perform a washing machine check-up now.

It is reported that washing machines are responsible for more than $150 million of damage in homes across the U.S. every year. Imagine a river ...Read more

Eighteen years ago next month, my husband and I bought a new Chevy Silverado. For 14 of those years, it was our only vehicle. Our goal from day one was to make it last longer -- maybe even twice as long.

We still have it. As I write, it's closing in on 250,000 miles -- and still running great on its original front brakes.

This truck has turned...Read more

My heart was pounding, and the smoke alarm was screaming, and I was in full-on panic mode. Flames were reaching toward the adjacent wood cabinets. It happened so fast! I didn't have time to run to the pantry to search for baking soda.

I had a rip-roaring fire on my hands, and I was in slow motion thinking about how sad it would be to be ...Read more

It's been several years now since one of my awesome readers told me about an inexpensive, super effective tool I could attach to my vacuum cleaner hose that would let me vacuum places no vacuum had ever gone before. Every time I use it, I wonder how I had lived so long without VaccuFlex.

VACCUFLEX

That's it. Just a multipiece kit that attaches...Read more

Cutting expenses is the way to spend less so you have money to save. But unless you are actually putting that money into a safe place to be held for some future use, you're not really saving at all. You're just spending less.

Even if you cannot save a great deal of money right now, that's OK. It's not the amount you save that matters as much as...Read more

Dear Mary: I have a set of silver flatware that I use daily. It's not a particularly good set, just a nice set for daily use. After a few times through a normal cycle, the pieces become very tarnished. Can you put silver in the dishwasher? Do you think the dishwashing detergent is tarnishing the silver? -- Anne

Dear Anne: Yes, your silver-plate...Read more

Money a little tight these days? You might assume it's due to rising costs, tightening credit and the fact you haven't gotten a raise in, like, forever. But truthfully, if your basic needs are being met, problems you're having are more likely a result of bad money habits you've picked up -- behaviors you've repeated so often they've become ...Read more

Readers know that we pull out all the stops around here to celebrate Christmas early. Or at least start thinking about the holidays, which are just a couple months down the road. If you are or have ever been plagued by credit card debt, I can nearly guarantee that revolving expenses related to Christmas have contributed greatly to that miserable...Read more

There is an old marketing adage that insists that for a business to make money, it has to spend money. There's truth in that for business, but when it comes to personal money management, don't count on it unless you have a clear strategy. That's exactly what these inexpensive yet handy gadgets offer: clear strategies to reduce the high cost of ...Read more