How to Soften a Bag of Hard Sugar

January 23, 2014 by Tracy

My stockpile currently holds 6 bags of sugar – in addition to other types of baking supplies and food. As I store my stockpile in our garage, the bags of sugar get hard.

Finding that adding moisture to the air in our microwave makes cleaning easy, I decided to try adding the bag of sugar within that same atmosphere.

If I were a student, then this experiment would probably be my science fair project.

Instead of How to Soften a Bag of Hard Sugar, my hypothesis would be Adding Moisture in the Air will Soften a Bag of Hard Sugar. Since my experiment worked, I am glad to report the results.

How to Soften a Bag of Hard Sugar

1. Fill a glass measuring cup with 2 cups of water.

2. Heat the water in the microwave for 5 minutes.

3. Let rest for 2 minutes as the steam fills the microwave’s interior.

4. Open the bag of sugar from the top.

5. Quickly open the microwave door and insert the opened bag of sugar.

6. Close the microwave door.

7. Heat the sugar and water for 1 minute.

8. Let rest for 1-2 minutes as the steam softens the sugar.

9. Remove the bag of sugar and feel the softness by squeezing the bag.

10. If the bag is still hard, repeat steps 7-9.

More than Just a Bag of Sugar

In addition to bags of sugar and brown sugar, this method also works to soften bread. We add moisture to our microwave before heating leftover pizza, breadsticks, corn bread, and biscuits. With the added moisture, the bread perks up and is soft to eat.

Though no science fair projects are on our horizon, I still enjoy experimenting to finding solutions to issues around our home. Solving the dilemma of how to soften a bag of hard sugar frees me from worrying about the sugar getting hard in the garage.

Without worry, I am better able to use time wisely keeping up with other tasks, like laundry. 😉 Happy experimenting!

Question: What experiments have you tried?

Stretching Your Dollars: Reusable Bags

April 21, 2012 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: Target

Bummer! I tried the Rafflecopter widget for the Earth Day giveaway, and it worked for me. However, some of you could not see the Facebook button.

I reloaded the widget, and it seems to be working. I apologize if you tried to enter only to get frustrated. Believe me, I do not want you wasting time trying to enter a giveaway.

If you tried without success, would you be willing to try again? If the links do not work, please post a comment. If the widget fails me again, then we will just go to using the comments.

Thanks for learning along with me. I appreciate your patience as I hit some bumps along the journey.

Earth Day Reusable Bags

In addition to Using Time Wisely’s Earth Day giveaway, Target is also celebrating by handing out to each guest a free reusable bag on Sunday, April 22, 2012. Each store will have a limited supply, so stop by customer service when you arrive.

Disney stores are also celebrating Earth Day. You can trade 5 plastic bags for a reusable Disney character bag on Sunday, April 22, 2012. With the limited supply, the stores may quickly run out of bags. Shop early if you want one.

Stretching your Dollars with Reusable Bags

Besides reducing the number of plastic bags I bring home, using reusable bags saves our family money. When shopping at our local grocery store, I get a $.05 credit for each reusable bag used.

Though $.05 does not seem like much, I usually use 3 bags at least 3 times a month which adds up to $5.40 a year. This savings is not deep, but I enjoy saving every penny I can to reach our financial goals.

At CVS, using my green bag tag, I will earn $1 in Extra Bucks (store credit coupon that prints at the bottom of my receipt) on every 4^th visit where my bag tag gets scanned. Again, the savings are not steep, but I can easily earn up to $10 – 12 in Extra Bucks throughout the year.

In celebration of Earth Day, enjoy these free reusable bag offers, and your chance to receive a CVS green bag tag from Using Time Wisely’s giveaway. With your reusable bags, you can continue stretching your dollars by earning savings in your area. Happy savings!

Question: What stores in your area offer a discount for bringing your own reusable bag?

Money Saving Tips

February 19, 2011 by Tracy

Saving money in the long run may require spending money at the onset. For example, I took my car to the mechanic for routine maintenance. The car needed an oil change and tire rotation. Since I get free tire rotation where I bought the tires, I paid for the oil change and drove to Discount Tire.

When the tires were rotated, the Discount Tire technician found my new front tires were worn down. The recommendation was to apply the credits from our warranty on the existing tires to purchase two new tires. With the credits, I would owe $130 for two new tires, which is about the price of one.

Though I could have driven with the existing tires, I would have worn them out in about a year and had to purchase two new tires at full price, costing around $260. My husband and I chose to pay the $130 now to save $230 in the long run. My husband then took the car for a front-end alignment which should correct the wear on the tires.

I love to save my family money. Whether it is finding deals on items, events, memberships, or insurance policies, I desire to get the most out of each dollar spent.

Did you know you could get free toothpaste at CVS this week? Yes, in the CVS sales flyer (Feb. 13-19), All Colgate Sensitive 6 oz. or Total Advanced 5.8 oz. tubes are on sale for $3.79. After purchasing the toothpaste with your CVS card, your receipt will print with a $3.79 Extra Bucks (which is store credit) at the end. You could then use the $3.79 Extra Bucks for anything you need at CVS.

The scenario above would be getting the toothpaste minus tax for free. Since I currently have two coupons for Colgate Total in the amounts of $1.00 and $.75, I would use the coupons and get two tubes (limit of 2 per the advertisement). I would checkout with $3.79 (one tube) + $3.79 (2^nd tube) = subtotal: $7.58. Then I would use my two coupons: subtotal $7.58 -$1.00 (coupon)-$.75 (coupon) = total $5.83 + tax. I would pay around $6.20 and receive a store coupon on the end of my receipt for $7.58 ($3.79 for each tube). I would have made $1.38 in store credit and have 2 tubes of toothpaste.

The cabinet under our bathroom sink houses the 30+ tubes of Colgate toothpaste I have acquired by playing the drugstore game. Stay tuned each Saturday as I share more money saving tips.

Welcome to Using Time Wisely

February 13, 2011 by Tracy

Your time is valuable, and I’m so glad you are spending some of your time here. As I share my tips, tools, and systems which make my life more efficient, I hope you will share your tips with me.

For me, the more organized the task; the more efficient I am. With efficiency comes additional time to do the things I love to do. As a busy mom of three little ones, I love to spend time with my family. So, to use my time wisely, I aim to stay organized. My goal is to post each day sharing how I stay organized. Here is the schedule I plan to follow:

Sundays – Important Documents
Mondays – Household
Tuesdays – Event Planning
Wednesdays – Miscellaneous
Thursdays – Food
Fridays – Family Activities
Saturdays – Tools of the Trade

So visit me each day here at usingtimewisely.com.