We at the business desk are pleased to bring you our monthly feature of a plethora of tips that cover a wide range of topics.
All of our tips are designed to help you save time, cut down on your research, and help you get ahead.
So go ahead and read on.
This week we bring you our monthly tips.
It’s what we do for a living! We help you to help yourself!
Enjoy!
From the business desk team at https://www.sterlingcreations.com.
Follow us on Twitter @accessibleworld
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Helpful tips for June 2022
In this issue:
General tips
Articles of the day
- Turn Your Dishwasher Into a Workhorse Plus More
From the pages of Donna’s travel diary - The covid kit
General tips
Courtesy of the research team at http://www.sterlingcreations.ca
Scams of the month:
Before giving you our scam tips of the month, here are some very valueable tips.
You need to remember that scams come in the following formats:
As emails, as phone calls both recorded and via a live caller, and o yes! It can even show up at your door and in your mailbox.
And now they are targeting us through texts being sent to our cell phones.
Before giving you the latest scams making the rounds; we have some do nots to share with you.
Do not respond to emails that look strange to you.
Do not download attachments from unknown senders.
Do not share your username and password to your online banking and any other online payments facilities with anyone.
Do not give out any banking or personal details on the phone to unknown callers.
Do not pay any attention to threats from automated phone recordings or from live persons with regard to your credit card or that you owe money to any revenue agency.
Do not entertain any offers either via email or by phone from senders and callers offering incredible service packages as they may pertain to cable and tv services, prizes that you have won, or any sort of any type of service package.
Do not answer the door to unknown callers.
Take extra caution to make sure that the details of your credit cards and debit cards are fully protected when you make payments at restaurants or at stores, pharmacies, and elsewhere.
Do not enter your password for Facebook or Twitter in response to a text request on your cell phone.
The same if you are asked for your Apple ID.
Do not fall prey to a text message telling you that your banking details have been compromised online.
From Melanie with huge thanks –
Substitutions
- Cooking Sprays
Can usually be successfully substituted for shortening to prepare baking sheets and baking pans. - Cornstarch
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour or 2 teaspoons arrowroot starch can be substituted for 1 tablespoon cornstarch. - Corn Syrup, Light
1 cup dark corn syrup can be substituted for 1 cup light corn syrup, and vice versa. (Note: Flavor will be affected somewhat.) OR substitute 1 1/4 cups sugar plus 1/3 cup liquid. - Cream (20% fat) (Coffee Cream)
3 tablespoons butter plus 7/8 cup milk can be substituted for 1 cup cream (in baking and cooking).
Cream (40% fat) (Whipping Cream)
1/3 cup butter plus 3/4 cup milk can be substituted for 1 cup cream (in baking and cooking). - Cream of Tartar
There is no recommended substitution for cream of tartar. - Egg Whites
Meringue powder can be substituted for egg whites in a meringue application.
Three egg whites equal approximately 3 tablespoons meringue powder plus 6 tablespoons water. - Flavor Oils
It is not recommended that you substitute flavor extracts for flavor oils. Oil based flavorings are necessary for hard candies because the liquid portion of the extracts add too much liquid, causing steam, to the hard candy syrup. - Flour (as thickener)
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch, potato starch, rice starch, arrowroot starch, or 1 tablespoon quick-cooking tapioca can be substituted for 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour. - Flour, Cake
1 cup minus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour can be substituted for 1 cup cake flour. - Flour, Self-Rising
1 cup all-purpose flour plus 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt can be substituted for 1 cup self-rising flour. - Garlic
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon instant minced garlic or 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder can be substituted for 1 clove minced garlic. - Herbs
1 tablespoon fresh herbs equals 1 teaspoon dried herbs. - Honey
1 1/4 cups sugar plus 1/3 cup liquid (use whatever liquid is called for in the recipe) can be substituted for 1 cup honey. - Italian Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon EACH dried oregano leaves, dried marjoram leaves and dried basil leaves plus 1/8 teaspoon rubbed dried sage can be substituted for 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning. - Meringue Powder
You can’t substitute meringue powder for egg whites in most recipes because it contains other ingredients such as sugar. - Milk, Whole
1/2 cup evaporated milk plus 1/2 cup water OR 1 cup water plus 1/3 cup nonfat evaporated dry milk powder OR 1 cup skim milk plus 2 teaspoons melted butter can be substituted for 1 cup whole milk. NOTE: Whole milk is higher in total fat than low-fat milk. If a baking recipe calls for whole milk, you may be able to substitute a low-fat milk variety like skim, 1% or 2% fat. Be cautious about substituting skim milk in pudding, custard and sauce recipes. These recipes rely on the dairy fat for added texture and flavor. Baked items such as cakes and cookies can usually tolerate the use of low-fat milk.
From Donna –
Some very useful tips on using Alexa:
Hey Alexa
A) Each month you can listen to a free Audible title. Just say, “Alexa, what’s free from Audible?”
B) Alexa has introduced a new service to help you care for the ones you love. And right now you can enjoy 6 months for free. Just say, “Alexa, introduce me to Alexa Together.”
C) Choose the speaking rate that’s right for you. Just say, “Alexa, speak faster.” You can also say, “Alexa, speak slower.” To reset, just say “Alexa, reset the speaking speed.” to return to the default speaking rate.
Articles of the day
Chosen by the Business Desk team
Turn Your Dishwasher Into a Workhorse Plus More
Great Reader tips
The dishwasher in my house is a workhorse. It does a great job of cleaning dishes of course, but also baseball caps, waste baskets, and de-crystallizing
honey* (yes, you read that right). Now I can add cleaning refrigerator shelves to the list.
SPARKLING CLEAN SHELVES. When I clean my refrigerator I put all the shelves, including the door shelves, in the dishwasher. I run the short cycle, which saves time, and the shelves come out sparkling. Emma
DOG HAIR-REMOVAL GLOVES. My Labrador Retriever frequently goes places
with me, traveling in the back of my car. Needless to say, lots of dog hair gets stuck on the carpet. I’ve tried everything to remove it including sticky roller tape and special sponges, but nothing has worked. Finally, I tried my gardening gloves. The palm of the glove has a rough, rubbery texture and they work beautifully. I put on
the glove and run my hand palm down along the carpet. The hair piles up in my glove. Kathryn
GRIND THE BEANS IN A JAR. I buy coffee beans even though I don’t have a coffee grinder. I use a mason jar and my blender. I add the beans to the jar and screw it into the blender. Angela
SWIFFER CLEANING TWO-STEP. I cut up old towels into pieces that fit as a
cleaning pad on my Swiffer. When mopping, I use a spray bottle filled with water and a tablespoon of Murphy’s Oil Soap, spraying small areas and mopping as I go.
The floor dries very quickly, too. Jill
WRAP UP THE BREAKABLES. As a former Air Force wife and a quilter, I realized during one of our moves that quilting fabric would make for good packing material. I was going to move it anyway and if I used my own packing materials I wouldn’t have to purchase it from the moving company. I also used our towels, sheets,
pillowcases, t-shirts, and nghtgowns to pack our belongings. It cut down on our costs during our many moves, it didn’t harm the environment and the materials were still clean (although wrinkled) when I unpacked. I would suggest to those who
want to cut csts from their move to look around their homes for soft things that can protect breakables. Yvonne
CARPET SQUARES CLEAR THE PATH. I keep carpet samples in the trunk of my
car in case I get stuck in the snow (sand or mud, too). I simply place the carpet squares in front of the tires and drive right out! Joan
That jar of honey was once delicious and beautiful, but now it looks gross because it has crystallized and turned almost solid. Don’t throw it out! It’s easy to turn crystallized, over-microwaved honey into tasty flowing goodness again. Your honey bear may be all dried p now, but a simple fix can save the day! Set the tightly closed jar in the top rack and run it through a dishwasher cycle, allowing it to return
to room temperature in the dishwasher. This method works because the water
spray provides slow, even heating and gentle agitation.
Source: Everyday Cheapskate
By Mary Hunt
www.everydaycheapskate.com
From the pages of Donna’s diary
The Covid kit
I truly believe that moving forward we will need to continue to travel under Covid restrictions and I also believe that once we accept this it will be much easier to travel around. That is, when the raising of restrictions permit us to travel more freely.
So I am going to put together my so-called Covid kit in preparation for when i am ready to travel.
Here’s how I will build my kit.
- Covid masks both reusable and disposable.
- Hand sanitizer; make sure that it is not too soapy but with enough rubbing alcohol. Make sure to read the ingredients on your bottle carefully before purchasing.
- Hand wipes; make sure that they are not too small.
- hand tissues.
- Some lip baum.
- Some face moisturizer.
- A small hair brush.
Keep this kit handy at all times. Whether you travel via car, via train, or via air.
I’m Donna J. Jodhan enjoying my travels.
To learn more about me as a sight loss coach and author visit
http://www.donnajodhan.com
On your next trip you could enrich your down time with some of my audio mysteries. Take them with you wherever you go!
In the car, on the plane, on the bus or train, at the beach, anywhere!
Affordable, portable, (computer or i device) and you could either purchase or Subscribe for unlimited access to my library at www.donnajodhan.com/store.html
and you can now take advantage of our free downloads here.
Follow me on Twitter @accessibleworld and at author_jodhan
And like me on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/donnajodhan and at www.facebook.com/authordonnajodhan
To learn more about me as a sight loss coach and more, visit
http://www.donnajodhan.com
On your next trip you could enrich your down time with some of my audio mysteries. Take them with you wherever you go!
In the car, on the plane, on the bus or train, at the beach, anywhere!
Affordable, portable, (computer or i device) and you could either purchase or Subscribe for unlimited access to my library at www.donnajodhan.com/store.html
and you can now take advantage of our free downloads here.
If you enjoy podcasts then check out my weekly one called take another 5! From recipes to apps, and from mystery moment to tips for entrepreneur and scam alerts!
Available for download at http://www.donnajodhan.com/takeanother5.html