Cherish your tools

That is the household hint,because the tool will be different for different folks. Mine is a slotted spoon, it serves a myriad of functions--but others will have different choices. The tool is one of a kind, often--mine is a certain weight and size, with openings that are uncommon, and I have never even seen another one. So find your tool and keep it close.

cat fur where it shouldn't be

Wikihow.com has an article on removing cat fur from fabric. It looked to be pretty sound, until the end when it said to store your clothes where the pets couldn't get them. And to groom your pet. Which sounds like the wikihow article is suggesting you groom your pet while naked. That seems extreme.

Leave on the price tags

Who cares if others call you Minnie Pearl? This is the only concrete way to keep track of prices and inflation.

Litter box tip

Do not wear your running shoes while you clean the litter box. Those cleats can hide cat litter you need to dispose of. Plus the fabric can absorb odors. Wear smooth shoes like loafers.

toaster oven tricks

toaster ovens are a green alternative to heating up a huge stove oven. They can be useful in most baking scenarios though this is not common knowledge and you have to experiment some. For instance I remove product meant to be microwaved from their containers, and thaw them first.

Another great consevation trick with toaster ovens is while cooking you can put a pyrex bowl on the top and be heating it as your dinner bowl, or melting butter in it to use for dinner.

Sharing the chicken

You can't give the cats and dogs chicken BONES but here is how to get the most nutrition out of the leftovers. You do not want to boil the bones to get the marrow out of the bones to give the pets because that makes the house smell, and wastes energy. So put the bones in a container,add some water and some butter. And here is the trick--before you add the bones you break them. This way when you seal the container and shake it,then store it in the frig for a day, the marrow leaks out into the liquid so you can pour this chicken liguid on their kibble.

butter wrappers

The butter tubs are handy to store stuff in, but don't throw out those wrappers for sticks of butter--you can stick them in the frig til you have a treat for the dog and then wipe the wrapper on his bowl or biscuit.

Don't Pepper Those Eggs

If you intend to leave anything for the cats and dogs to clean up. Spices aren't so good for our fluffy others.

future scarcity predicted

The plastic bags you get at the grocery, reviled by environmentalists, may become illegal. Now realistically what else are you going to transport used kitty litter in? So I say keep all of them you can, now. Double bag everything at the grocery. Ignore the critical glances of the staff. They (the bags, not the staff) can be compressed and stored in a small space as you provide for your future needs.

cleaning sterling

For some reason it is not commonly known that cleaning the tarnish off sterling and silverplate with commercial tarnish removing products removes a certain amount of this precious metal. There is an alternative which is actually faster and which does not lose silver. The details are on the web, and as soon as I test it out I will share the details. So put down that rag, sit down with a book and relax.

Storing collectible cans

If you keep those empty aluminum cans with the thought they might one day have a resale value, you know you have to keep them without any dents. One big help in this regard is to keep those cylinders you get potato chips in-the single stack of chips type.
This cardboard container can be washed out with soap and water, and used to put the empty cans in. Most sizes only fit one to a empty chip container, but I bet we can find something else to put in the empty part.

Oldy but Reddy

You can save a bit towards getting that bigcatnip by doubling the amount of dish detergent when you pour half of a new container of detergent into the empty old container. Fill each with water. You will notice NO dimunition of quality.

A good catfood gone bad

My reference here is to Sheba. It was always expensive, but in the past year has lost more than it's standards. Not lost is the cost===they increased the cost, while they reduced the size (from 3.5 ounces to 2.8 ounces), improved the container, deteriorated the quality, and lost me as a customer. I would have put up with most of that crap, but--- the quality is missing now too. No reason to buy it at all, even if, as I would, spring for the increased price if it would allow my cat an adored treat. But now they do not have the quality that once made it a hit at my house. And if some industry execs should read this, I will say that they improved the container. They always understood the pet parent wants a can which is easy to open, no utensils needed. Then when they reduced the quantity in the can, they at least did improve the can--now there is no sharp edge, as there was not before, but the lid is resealable in a clever manner. Before the resealable lid left a gap, now the lid reseals if you are careful so that the air cannot reach the partially used contents. However, what does it matter, since we are certainly not purchasing a product which not only increased the cost, reduced the size (standard ploys of course in the pet food industry) but then reducing the quality of the cat food. Good bye, even littler, Sheba.

Storage materials

Those metallic sealant circles that come like in peanut cans are nice to use as insulating, packing layers for various breakable items. Stick such an item between saucers for example to help protect them.
Of course you have to wash them off, but they, being part metallic (but not as crumple bent as tin foil) are easy to wash, and store in stacks.

Enriching your cats through shrewd collecting

A tip for those acquiring collectibles as a means to pay for that expensive Belizean catnip, the plant that jaguars have to roll in to make it the expensive treat that it can be. If something is advertised as a "collectible," it ain't, and don't waste your money.

Preventing them from licking the can

Honestly, I have never known of a cat or dog cut while licking the can, but how could that not be a danger???? So when I do not plan to take the garbage out immediately, and may not have an empty nut can to store the cat food tins, then what I do is fill the emptied container with water and leave it in the sink til it can be safely removed from the realm of cat control.

The World's best hot chocolate

so nice to sip when you have a cat on your lap. Well this treat does not have to be expensive, here is how to make the richest kind, on a budget, so that you can save your money for that expensive catnip.
Take an ordinary size mug and empty two packets of hot cocoa mix into it. Then add hot water to the mid point of the mug. Stir it up completely so no dry crumbs adhere anywhere in the mug. Then add two smidgeons of margarine (one smidgeon is the smallest visible but unmeasureable amount of margarine possible) and, also add at this point: half a capful of imation rum flavoring.
Told you this would be cheap.
Now fill the mug to almost the rim with hot water.
See if this doesn't taste like it cost a million dollars.

Pet proof trash

Now you may have huge tins or compacters to store garbage, but for those with less trash to dispose of, here is a graceful and energy saving idea: use a plastic bag from the grocery store and slip it over the kitchen door handle. Use this to put trash in. Now the trick is that you have also placed an empty hanging basket on the same door handle. This means the weight in the bag is not an issue. You save on not using the big plastic garbage bags so less petroleum products used. The weight of the garbage begins the plastic decomposition process before the usefulness of the bag is exhausted.

Disposing of metal catfood cans

Perhaps you have a feline who has prehensile paws and delights in opening food bags, searching the garbage for tidbits, and generally pushing the envelope on acceptable cat behavior. Yes if this is familiar the culprit is probably black because this kind of problem solving is typical of Siamese mixes. It was to resolve this problem that I came up with a fine way to seal off and store emptied cat food cans in the trash awaiting removal to the bin. Save your empty nut cans--the 11 to 13 ounce size that you get peanuts in is the kind I mean. You can fit two cat food cans (6 ounce size) in one empty nut can, and you have the plastic lid to seal off the new contents of the nut can. It has worked so far, -- though, since we are talking about a cat who can open a can of Sheba cat food, I am keeping my fingers crossed.