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501 Time-Saving Tips Every Woman Should Know
Well-known cookbook author and avid blogger Georgia Varozza has collected tidbits of wisdom and hundreds of how-to skills during her life. She's a master food preserver with a passion for all things natural, time-saving, and simple. Reading this book is like having her as a personal coach to teach you how to be a savvy keeper of your home. Whether you're young or mature, married or single, a novice or veteran do-it-yourselfer, you'll find valuable new skills to take from this book and put to good use. With cheery snippets of inspiration and a Scripture verse tucked here and there, all these tips, tricks, and treasures will cultivate a definite "can do" attitude.
224 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2015
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32 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 10, 2021
This may be of interest to young women who are starting out with running a home, but that’s about it. I’ve seen tips that are similar online and in magazines. The title is a bit of misnomer. It doesn’t really cover time saving, but rather housework – cooking, family issues, beauty (very basic), safety, and gardening.
There were a few tips that were somewhat new to me. These are some of my favorites.
“Mashed Potatoes are easy to make, but you will have much better success if you buy the right kind of potatoes. Thin-skinned potatoes (like red or white ones) keep their shape after cooking, so they’re used most often for potato salad or as roasted or boiled whole potatoes. These are usually called Russets, Burbanks, or Idaho potatoes.”
“If you take your butter straight from the refrigerator and don’t have time to let it soften to room temperature before using it in a recipe, grate it instead. Just be sure to measure the butter before grating.”
“Line your refrigerator crisper drawers with paper towels. They will help to keep your fruits and veggies fresher longer by absorbing excess moisture. An added bonus is that your drawers will stay cleaner.”
Scorched Pans
“Use Bar Keeper’s Friend powdered cleanser. This product has been around since the 1880s, and it’s still one of the best cleansers you can buy. Plus, it doesn’t have any bleach in it.”
“Cleaning a dirty toaster is worth the time and effort because leftover crumbs can become a fire hazard. Unplug the toaster and remove the crumb drawer. Dump the crumbs and then wash, rinse, and dry the drawer. Next, tip the toaster over the sink or garbage can and tap or shake it gently to remove more crumbs from inside. Take an old toothbrush and scrub the inside walls and coils to get the really stubborn crumbs loose. Shake it out again. Make sure the toaster and all parts are completely dry before plugging it back in.”
How to tell when you need new tires.
Insert a penny, with Abraham Lincoln’s head pointing down, into a groove in your tire between treads. If you can see the top of Lincoln’s head, you need new tires.
When doing the penny test, check all four tires, and do so in several places on each tire.
Some people recommend using a quarter instead of a penny.
Place the quarter with George Washington’s head pointing down.
If you can see his entire head, it’s time for new tires.
Replace all four tires at the same time, if at all possible. This allows your tires to wear evenly. If that isn’t an option for you, try to purchase two tires at a time.
Regularly check these five fluids: windshield washer, radiator, brakes, power steering, and crankcase (oil).
Change your oil regularly – every 3000 miles if you use regular oil and every 5000-6000 miles if you use full-synthetic oil.
Keep your tires inflated to the proper ponds per square inch (psi). The proper pressure is usually found on a sticker in your car’s doorjamb and on the tires themselves. Underinflated tires can cause accidents, increase wear and tear on your tires, and case your car to use more gas, so check your pressure regularly. Have your tires rotated every thousand miles or so. They will last longer because the tread will wear evenly.
Check the terminals on your car battery regularly. If they look corroded, use a stiff brush to give them a good cleaning. Once you have brushed all the corrosive powder off, coat the terminals with an anti-corrosion spray.
There were a few tips that were somewhat new to me. These are some of my favorites.
“Mashed Potatoes are easy to make, but you will have much better success if you buy the right kind of potatoes. Thin-skinned potatoes (like red or white ones) keep their shape after cooking, so they’re used most often for potato salad or as roasted or boiled whole potatoes. These are usually called Russets, Burbanks, or Idaho potatoes.”
“If you take your butter straight from the refrigerator and don’t have time to let it soften to room temperature before using it in a recipe, grate it instead. Just be sure to measure the butter before grating.”
“Line your refrigerator crisper drawers with paper towels. They will help to keep your fruits and veggies fresher longer by absorbing excess moisture. An added bonus is that your drawers will stay cleaner.”
Scorched Pans
“Use Bar Keeper’s Friend powdered cleanser. This product has been around since the 1880s, and it’s still one of the best cleansers you can buy. Plus, it doesn’t have any bleach in it.”
“Cleaning a dirty toaster is worth the time and effort because leftover crumbs can become a fire hazard. Unplug the toaster and remove the crumb drawer. Dump the crumbs and then wash, rinse, and dry the drawer. Next, tip the toaster over the sink or garbage can and tap or shake it gently to remove more crumbs from inside. Take an old toothbrush and scrub the inside walls and coils to get the really stubborn crumbs loose. Shake it out again. Make sure the toaster and all parts are completely dry before plugging it back in.”
How to tell when you need new tires.
Insert a penny, with Abraham Lincoln’s head pointing down, into a groove in your tire between treads. If you can see the top of Lincoln’s head, you need new tires.
When doing the penny test, check all four tires, and do so in several places on each tire.
Some people recommend using a quarter instead of a penny.
Place the quarter with George Washington’s head pointing down.
If you can see his entire head, it’s time for new tires.
Replace all four tires at the same time, if at all possible. This allows your tires to wear evenly. If that isn’t an option for you, try to purchase two tires at a time.
Regularly check these five fluids: windshield washer, radiator, brakes, power steering, and crankcase (oil).
Change your oil regularly – every 3000 miles if you use regular oil and every 5000-6000 miles if you use full-synthetic oil.
Keep your tires inflated to the proper ponds per square inch (psi). The proper pressure is usually found on a sticker in your car’s doorjamb and on the tires themselves. Underinflated tires can cause accidents, increase wear and tear on your tires, and case your car to use more gas, so check your pressure regularly. Have your tires rotated every thousand miles or so. They will last longer because the tread will wear evenly.
Check the terminals on your car battery regularly. If they look corroded, use a stiff brush to give them a good cleaning. Once you have brushed all the corrosive powder off, coat the terminals with an anti-corrosion spray.
December 5, 2014
I recieved this book from Netgalley in exchange for a review:
I am a woman, I want time saving tips, I spend way too much of my day trying to juggle my schedule and half the time do not get half the things I wanted to accomplished. I want to be a domestic goddess while also being an artist, tea reviewer, a cat keeper (more like a cat wrangler) and a gamer. It is hard work!
However I might have made a mistake with requesting this book, in the description it says there are little bits of scripture occasionally tucked around along with cheery quotes and inspiration, I am ok with a bit of religious bits here and there, but the intro assumed that the reader would be the same religion as the writer. I am just never really a fan of using completely different subjects as a platform to talk about their faith (or political agenda, beliefs...) I want the book to be mostly focused on the subject I am reading about. So...let us go onto the tips themselves and see if they are in fact time saving.
The cooking section did not leave me too impressed, perhaps I have read too many cookbooks and spent too much time hovering around my mom, but I already knew these tips and most of them are not really time saving so much as instructions on how to cook certain things. There are some quick meal ideas, kitchen organization tips, and oddly enough, dinner conversation starters.
The household and other sections are much the same, a few useful tips that actually seem like they will save time, and a bunch of tips that really seem like they should be called useful or common-sense tips we tend to forget about tips.
After reading the book my initial apprehension of the religious tones being a little too harsh was dismissed, the quotes and scriptures were easy to overlook, and other than tips on how to keep the sabbath and finding time for bible readinds, it was not mentioned that often. I could overlook it as 'not applicable' much like I could with the tips regarding children and interacting with neighbors.
I think my only beef with this book is it feels a bit misnamed, if the title were 501 Useful Tips Every Woman Should Know, I would have probably still given it a read, even though I only found a use for a few of the tips, not everyone knows these things and it is useful information. I would have found a lot of these tips really useful when I was just starting out on my own at 19, but now that I am 29 life has taught me a lot of these things (as has pinterest)overall, not a bad book, just not one I really needed.
I am a woman, I want time saving tips, I spend way too much of my day trying to juggle my schedule and half the time do not get half the things I wanted to accomplished. I want to be a domestic goddess while also being an artist, tea reviewer, a cat keeper (more like a cat wrangler) and a gamer. It is hard work!
However I might have made a mistake with requesting this book, in the description it says there are little bits of scripture occasionally tucked around along with cheery quotes and inspiration, I am ok with a bit of religious bits here and there, but the intro assumed that the reader would be the same religion as the writer. I am just never really a fan of using completely different subjects as a platform to talk about their faith (or political agenda, beliefs...) I want the book to be mostly focused on the subject I am reading about. So...let us go onto the tips themselves and see if they are in fact time saving.
The cooking section did not leave me too impressed, perhaps I have read too many cookbooks and spent too much time hovering around my mom, but I already knew these tips and most of them are not really time saving so much as instructions on how to cook certain things. There are some quick meal ideas, kitchen organization tips, and oddly enough, dinner conversation starters.
The household and other sections are much the same, a few useful tips that actually seem like they will save time, and a bunch of tips that really seem like they should be called useful or common-sense tips we tend to forget about tips.
After reading the book my initial apprehension of the religious tones being a little too harsh was dismissed, the quotes and scriptures were easy to overlook, and other than tips on how to keep the sabbath and finding time for bible readinds, it was not mentioned that often. I could overlook it as 'not applicable' much like I could with the tips regarding children and interacting with neighbors.
I think my only beef with this book is it feels a bit misnamed, if the title were 501 Useful Tips Every Woman Should Know, I would have probably still given it a read, even though I only found a use for a few of the tips, not everyone knows these things and it is useful information. I would have found a lot of these tips really useful when I was just starting out on my own at 19, but now that I am 29 life has taught me a lot of these things (as has pinterest)overall, not a bad book, just not one I really needed.
January 27, 2015
I requested this book from net galley because I'm currently obsessing with trying to organize my life, be more productive, and most of all, get more from my day and get more things actually done. I thought saving time would work well with those goals, and I'm all for saving time as well.
I was doubly disappointed with this book. First off all, very few of the tips had anything to do with saving time (for example, raising chickens may be cheaper and healthier in the long run, but certainly won't save you time). The book was really just general life tips, but unfortunately, every suggestion is common sense stuff that anyone learns just by being an alert, someone intelligent human being. I'm a horrible cook, for example, but the kitchen tips were laughable and weren't tips at all, just a collection of how to's. I've only been gardening for a couple of years & definitely consider myself a beginner, just learning gardener, yet the gardening/outdoor section was equally laughable.
I'm not sure who this book was trying to target, and I'm sure the author put her heart and soul into this book, but it was a waste of time and effort and every tip is found every day on pinterest without even trying.
(there's also religious tidbits spread throughout the book; not sure what the point of that was)
-
received a free copy of the book from netgalley in exchange for my honest review
I was doubly disappointed with this book. First off all, very few of the tips had anything to do with saving time (for example, raising chickens may be cheaper and healthier in the long run, but certainly won't save you time). The book was really just general life tips, but unfortunately, every suggestion is common sense stuff that anyone learns just by being an alert, someone intelligent human being. I'm a horrible cook, for example, but the kitchen tips were laughable and weren't tips at all, just a collection of how to's. I've only been gardening for a couple of years & definitely consider myself a beginner, just learning gardener, yet the gardening/outdoor section was equally laughable.
I'm not sure who this book was trying to target, and I'm sure the author put her heart and soul into this book, but it was a waste of time and effort and every tip is found every day on pinterest without even trying.
(there's also religious tidbits spread throughout the book; not sure what the point of that was)
-
received a free copy of the book from netgalley in exchange for my honest review
February 3, 2015
Georgia Varozza, a popular blogger and author, has combined all the numerous how-to skills, wisdom, and tips she has learned over the years into one manual written just for women. In my opinion, this isn't really a book for women who have been running a home for years, but more for the younger woman who is just starting out living on her own or in a new marriage. Most of the 501 tips I had heard of or already do on my own. But, there were a few that were new to me, for example, I didn't know the nutrients in the leftover pasta water are beneficial to plants. I will be watering my plants with my leftover pasta water next time rather than just sending it down the drain. I also learned tips for keeping ants out of the home and found some new slow-cooker meals that I'd like to try.
This book covers all areas of life including gardening, safety, housekeeping, beauty, cooking, and family issues. In between all the tips there are also quotes and wisdom from famous people and authors as well as applicable Scripture verses.
This would make a wonderful bridal shower or graduation gift as you are looking ahead to these spring and summer gift giving occasions.
This book covers all areas of life including gardening, safety, housekeeping, beauty, cooking, and family issues. In between all the tips there are also quotes and wisdom from famous people and authors as well as applicable Scripture verses.
This would make a wonderful bridal shower or graduation gift as you are looking ahead to these spring and summer gift giving occasions.
February 16, 2016
I am quite surprised by some of the negative reviews for the book!
I actually find it quite inspirative - and a starter for my creative mind to invent some new useful tips and hacks for improvement.
Sure, some tips are well-known or common sense knowledge, but we shouldn´t forget that not everybody is coming from a well-managed household. I, for one, find some of the hacks very practical and inspirative!
My only "complaint" is that the book is organized a bit impractically organized - when you are in a need of advice in particular subject, it is difficult to find it, because the index of topics is missing.
But if you read ahead with no crisis at your neck, it can help you to organize your house, kitchen, garden, car and even your family life. This is worth it, isn´t it?
I, for example, might be using advice no. 390 tonight: "If you are prone to acne breakouts, regularly rub about two tablespoons of honey on your skin. Let it sit for several minutes before washing it off. The antibacterial properties of the honey will kill acne-causing bacteria. If you still have breakouts, rub toothpaste on your pimples to dry them up in a hurry."
I actually find it quite inspirative - and a starter for my creative mind to invent some new useful tips and hacks for improvement.
Sure, some tips are well-known or common sense knowledge, but we shouldn´t forget that not everybody is coming from a well-managed household. I, for one, find some of the hacks very practical and inspirative!
My only "complaint" is that the book is organized a bit impractically organized - when you are in a need of advice in particular subject, it is difficult to find it, because the index of topics is missing.
But if you read ahead with no crisis at your neck, it can help you to organize your house, kitchen, garden, car and even your family life. This is worth it, isn´t it?
I, for example, might be using advice no. 390 tonight: "If you are prone to acne breakouts, regularly rub about two tablespoons of honey on your skin. Let it sit for several minutes before washing it off. The antibacterial properties of the honey will kill acne-causing bacteria. If you still have breakouts, rub toothpaste on your pimples to dry them up in a hurry."
January 15, 2015
*Originally published on: http://vanilla-reads.blogspot.com*
Sometimes I like to read self-help books, especially when authors promise that after reading them I'll be more organized. This book sounded like a perfect way to start a new year. Unfortunately I didn't really get what I expected... If you read women's magazines you'll know almost all of these "tips", lots of them are rules that we learn from our mothers or just are obvious . The whole book basically feels like a mash-up of advice found in different sections of periodicals. Tips are organized in chapters: kitchen, house, garden, family life etc. Book is filled with inspirational quotes, some strongly linked to Christianity (the author herself is Christian).
Overall - it can be a good book for a really young girl who just starts to run her own household and doesn't have a clue how to do it. It can also be a good read for those who like to read life advice, but I'm not sure if anyone can find here anything life changing...
Sometimes I like to read self-help books, especially when authors promise that after reading them I'll be more organized. This book sounded like a perfect way to start a new year. Unfortunately I didn't really get what I expected... If you read women's magazines you'll know almost all of these "tips", lots of them are rules that we learn from our mothers or just are obvious . The whole book basically feels like a mash-up of advice found in different sections of periodicals. Tips are organized in chapters: kitchen, house, garden, family life etc. Book is filled with inspirational quotes, some strongly linked to Christianity (the author herself is Christian).
Overall - it can be a good book for a really young girl who just starts to run her own household and doesn't have a clue how to do it. It can also be a good read for those who like to read life advice, but I'm not sure if anyone can find here anything life changing...
January 20, 2015
This book was full of great time saving advice. I would go as far as saying that everyone should read this. It is just as much for males as it is for females.
One of my favorite section in the book, is located near the center. This section deals with gardening. It tells you how to kill weeds, whether in cracks, or in grass. It mentions how to make a compost pile work for you, as you plant new flowers around it.
It tells you what to do for your budget, and the author even states that if you don't have it in your budget, don't do it, or save up for it.
Enjoy the money saving and time saving tips found in this book.
I received a free copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.
I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars
One of my favorite section in the book, is located near the center. This section deals with gardening. It tells you how to kill weeds, whether in cracks, or in grass. It mentions how to make a compost pile work for you, as you plant new flowers around it.
It tells you what to do for your budget, and the author even states that if you don't have it in your budget, don't do it, or save up for it.
Enjoy the money saving and time saving tips found in this book.
I received a free copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.
I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars
December 13, 2014
waste of time, and title is misleading.
Several "time-saving tips" were repeated, one was even repeated 3 times. And then there are tons of "tips" that have nothing to do with time savings (ie what to pack in an emergency kit, things to do with hubby/kids/friends/dates....Other tips were so old everyone has heard of them by now. Nothing ground breaking or truly useful in this book.
Several "time-saving tips" were repeated, one was even repeated 3 times. And then there are tons of "tips" that have nothing to do with time savings (ie what to pack in an emergency kit, things to do with hubby/kids/friends/dates....Other tips were so old everyone has heard of them by now. Nothing ground breaking or truly useful in this book.
December 28, 2014
Tone is patronising. "What is one way you helped a person today?"
Don't think it does what it sets out to do. Not sure how, for instance, telling me what frying is counts as a tip. Keeping chickens doesn't savw time in comparison to buying eggs.
N.B. Book uses US terminology e.g. recipes in cups.
Don't think it does what it sets out to do. Not sure how, for instance, telling me what frying is counts as a tip. Keeping chickens doesn't savw time in comparison to buying eggs.
N.B. Book uses US terminology e.g. recipes in cups.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews