girlrobot » Tips/Tricks/Hacks

If This Than That (ifttt)

girlrobot — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 05:25:06 +0000

Just discovered this cool website called ifttt. It uses different internet feeds to automate useful tasks for you. For example, you can have any facebook photos that you are tagged in automatically downloaded, get an email or text message if it’s going to rain that day, or even send a text message that will call your phone so you can have an excuse to ‘escape’ a bad date! hehe.

You can check out some of the top rated recipes here. You will need to create an account to start adding tasks though.

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Dishwasher Detergent & Other Cheap Recs

girlrobot — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 07:04:08 +0000

In this latest Consumer Reports article I recently read, they tested dishwasher detergents. Since moving into my house, I’ve started using the dishwasher. I love it but I am not a fan of the dishwasher detergent I am currently using….one of those Cascade gel ones. (No wonder it was a hot deal!) I guess a new law that passed last year required certain states to limit the amount of phosphorous in detergents causing some to not clean as well. So this study was done on no or low phosphate detergents. Here are the top ones:

Finish Quantum (30 cents per load) topped the Ratings, followed by CR Best Buy, Finish Powerball Tabs (22 cents per load), which scored Excellent for dishes and pots, and bested some detergents that cost more. Cascade Complete All In 1 (28 cents per load) and Cascade with Dawn ActionPacs (23 cents per load) earned a score of Very Good in CR’s tests, but all Cascades, like all Finish products, aren’t equal. Other Cascade and Finish products were scattered throughout the Ratings.

I’m not sure I have seen the highest ranked one in stores (Finish Quantum?) but I had heard a lot about the Finish Powerball Tabs and how well they performed despite being one of the cheaper ones. I can’t wait til I run out of my current detergent so I can try this one!

Some other products that I have read about that are cheap but perform well are Rayovac batteries (tested to perform as well as duracell or energizer!), the cleaning supplies at 99 cent store, electronic cables (avoid best buy and buy online!), and spices.

What products do you use/buy that are cheap but perform as well as the name-brand ones?

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Fitted Sheets Again?

girlrobot — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 18:43:25 +0000

Yes…I had to post about this again because this video does such a good job of showing you that method I posted about before on how to fold a fitted sheet!

Some Folding Tips Since owning a house, I’m kind of obsessed with how...

My Favorite Uses For Coffee Filters

girlrobot — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 07:17:35 +0000

I rarely drink or make my own coffee but I always have a pack of coffee filters on hand. In some cases, I can use them in place of a paper towel for so much cheaper! I buy mine from the $1 store for a pack of 1000. Here are some of the random things I use them for:

Cover your food in the microwave and save yourself from splatters.

Put a coffee filter in your cast iron skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.

Use them to clean windows, mirrors, and glasses since they are lint-free

Hot dog or taco holder. Saves me from washing another dish.

Put them under fried foods or bacon to soak up the grease

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Tips On Freezing

girlrobot — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 05:11:46 +0000

The worst part about cooking for 2 is all of the leftover ingredients you have. For instance, if I make a dessert with buttermilk in it, I almost always have an almost full carton of buttermilk that goes to waste! Or even certain fresh herbs or bread. Over the years, I keep getting tips on new things that can be frozen. So I decided to compile a little handy dandy list for all you people who are like me! Here is a list of things that are freezable and some tips about them:

nuts – my sisters taught me this one! now i always have walnuts and pecans for my salads. yay!
bananas – freeze them and use them for banana bread or smoothies
buttermilk – the tutorial (at the end of the page) says to separate them into 1 C bags for easy measuring later on.
butter – you can stock up when it goes on sale
veggie scraps and chicken bones – save the ends of onions, carrots, etc and bones from any chicken you cook with for the freezer and make chicken stock when you have enough
herbs – rosemary, thyme, basil, and an overall good tutorial on freezing herbs
bread – try to suck out all of the air (using a straw or something) to prevent freezer burn. for sliced, you can just leave it out for about 15 mins for it to thaw. or you can throw it in the toaster!

so these are the most common items that i tend to freeze with no problems but the possibilities are endless really. just google it next time you have too much of something that might go to waste!

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Some Folding Tips

girlrobot — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 07:10:04 +0000

Since owning a house, I’m kind of obsessed with how I fold things. (I know. Weird, right?) I think I blogged about how to fold a fitted sheet before which I have been using up til now but to be honest, it still came out to be somewhat of a folded blob. Well recently I tried Martha Stewart’s technique. Mine definitely do not look like her perfectly folded sheets at the end but it’s a step above my previous way so I thought I would share this in case others care about weird things like me. :)

Also check out how to fold your towels like a department store! hehe

The Best Post Exercise Drink & Other Random Tips You’ll never guess what studies have shown to be the...

The Best Post Exercise Drink & Other Random Tips

girlrobot — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 07:09:44 +0000

You’ll never guess what studies have shown to be the best drink after exercising…it’s low-fat chocolate milk!

You know what make the best ice packs? DIAPERS! Yeah, the most annoying part about homemade ice packs is when the ice melts…and this takes care of that. Pretty genius!

Did you know you can use duct tape to remove a splinter? Read on for more reasons to have duct tape in your first aid kit

how to clean stains from weird shaped bottles. Pretty easy with denture cleaning tablets!

4 ways to make cut flowers last longer – my flowers are growing like crazy! can’t wait to bring them into the house :)

Have you ever been scared of hitting your thumb when using a hammer? Well hold the nail in place with some pliers instead!

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How To Clean Your Sink

girlrobot — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 20:42:03 +0000

One of the things I was supposed to do this month was to clean my sink. Did you know the sink is one of the dirtiest places in your entire house? It is filled with bacteria and other gross stuff that could make you sick. I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve never actually cleaned my sink before! I had to google how to do it ha ha. It’s at the top of my list of things to do this week! For all of you who would like to clean your sink, just follow these easy steps:

1. Fill you sink with hot water (do only 1 side at a time if you have dual sinks)
2. Pour in 1 C of bleach (or vinegar if you don’t like using chemicals/toxins)
3. Let sit for 1 hour
4. Use tongs to pull the stopper and drain all of the water
5. Rinse well
6. Scrub sink with Bar Keeper’s Friend (or baking soda) and rinse dry
7. Then use Windex (or olive oil) to make your sink all shiny!

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How To Choose Fruits

girlrobot — Wed, 25 May 2011 18:36:39 +0000

Summer is quickly approaching and honestly it can’t come soon enough for me. I am ready for days of sunshine and warm weather. BBQs at the beach and eating fresh fruit! One problem I always have is I never really know how to pick my fruits. Here are some tips to help you next time you are at the grocery store:

melons – sweet smell, pale skin (if there are green veins, then it is not ripe), and the tapping rule: look for a deep hollow sound
watermelons – feel heavy for its size, underbelly should have a splotch of creamy yellow

stone fruits (peaches and nectarines) – tender but not soft, good smell, stay away from green-tinted peaches and look for a full color

cherries – deep rich burgandy color, not too soft, and have stem attached

berries – color, avoid strawberries with white shoulders (picked too early), for blueberries the bigger the better

apples – look for a tight, hard skin, and firm

oranges – bright color and firm

pears – sweet aroma and slightly tender (not firm!)

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Stolen Camera Finder

girlrobot — Tue, 10 May 2011 06:42:30 +0000

This is cool!

Stolen Camera Finder

Drag one of your photos into the website and it will auto find the serial # of your camera. Then it will scour the internet for other pictures with the same serial #. I once lost (or was it stolen?) my digital camera…this sure would have been handy to have back then!

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