hacks Archives — Thrifty Mommas Tips

Cheap Flight Hacks to Save You Money Now

Paula — Tue, 22 Jan 2019 13:53:52 +0000

Cheap flight hacks should be on the top of your list if you plan to take even one flight this year. Airline prices can be brutally expensive. That expense is compounded if your entire family is flying. When you multiply the high cost of airfare by three or more (depending on how many kids you have) your price to fly can be astronomical. Because airfare can be so hard on the wallet, I’ve put together a list of cheap flight hacks that can help you get the most mileage for your dollar on any flight. Cheap Flight Hacks for More Affordable Flying It’s key to take a multi-pronged approach to your savings plan when flying. The following tips are great on their own for small savings, but when you put them together, they can save you so much more. Clear Your Browser Cookies This may seem like an odd hack, but browser cookies store temporary information on your computer. Sometimes, these cookies don’t update, causing you to see inaccurate pricing when you search travel rates. While some airlines argue this is not a thing impacting travel prices I have seen flights go up astronomically from one day to the next. So, this is for me a simple thing to do, whether you believe it works or not. It certainly doesn’t hurt. Some of my colleagues who write travel content will browse in private mode, and use different computers. There are also Facebook travel groups of people who post non stop exceptional flight deals. Hunt for one of those if you are really set on getting a great deal. Book Flights During Off Times Stay flexible on your times when booking flights. We all want that sweet flight or vacation time, but those times come at a premium. When you book flights for times like mid-week or off-season, you can save a substantial amount of money. Another bonus for travel is that planning a vacation during an off-season time can mean fewer crowds and more fun at your destination. Pack Light Packing light means you can go with carry on. No checked luggage equals savings. Unless you’re traveling for an extended period of time, try to limit your packing to carry-on only. Pack efficiently and for what you need. You can even skip some of the toiletries and grooming products and buy them when you arrive at your destination. OR pack travel sized tiny products. I keep a stash of these for most trips, even when I don’t fly. Remember, hotels provide shampoo, soap, and even toothbrushes and toothpaste. Packing as light as possible will save the enormous fee for checking luggage, so go with carry-on whenever possible. Book Well in Advance You can save an average of 10% when you book 30 to 50 days in advance. This is the average advance booking time that seems to save passengers the most money on flights. Set a Flight Alert You can set an alert on many apps for flights at certain prices. When those flights become available, you’ll be informed. Or you can set them to tell you when flights go down in price. That is one feature I love. Use Travel Deal Sites One of the best ways to see all the prices on flight options is to use a travel deal site. Sites like booking.com, Expedia, or Kayak scour the web for flight deals for you, giving you a range of options and prices which allow you to make better decisions on your flight plans. Cheap Flight Hacks can Save You Serious Green If you’re planning to fly, do yourself a favour and put these cheap flight hacks into effect. By limiting your packing, using deal sites, and booking in advance, you can shave dollars off of your flight on several fronts, allowing you to focus on the fun part of your trip rather than the expense. If you liked this post you may want to read: How to Save Money on Ski Trips. Or How to Save on Your Dream Cruise. This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase via one of the links I receive a commission.

The post Cheap Flight Hacks to Save You Money Now appeared first on Thrifty Mommas Tips.

Emergency Cooking Hacks When You Are Missing an Ingredient

Paula — Fri, 03 Aug 2018 11:28:41 +0000

Cooking hacks can save your baking fail or pending disaster when you are missing a crucial ingredient. Every single chef out there knows the pain of going to make your dinner masterpiece or bake sale work of art just to find an ingredient missing. Oh maybe it’s the eggs or the sour cream. Perhaps it’s the baking soda or baking powder! If you don’t know what to substitute then the recipe is dead in the water. BUT, hey don’t fret. There are many easy cooking hacks and simple baking substitutions you can use to pull it off even without all the proper ingredients. This list of emergency cooking substitutions should help to get you through just about any cooking crisis. EMERGENCY Cooking Hacks – What Do I Do When I Run Out of Eggs? There are a couple of ingredients you simply can’t get away without. So stop right now if you started and then realized someone ate all the eggs. There’s pretty much no way out of that one. Need Eggs? If you are right in the middle of your cooking and you suddenly discover you are out of eggs; the best thing to do would be to cover, and then run next door to the neighbour or the corner market. Depending on the creation you might be able to get away without eggs, but it’s not advisable. Cookies, cakes and breads need eggs to hold everything together. It’s what gives the recipe body. So eggs are really one thing you have to have handy at all times – or go rely on that neighbour. But did you know that there is a quick cooking hack for egg whites versus egg yolks? Already used your egg yolks, but want to use your egg whites to substitute as if it were a whole egg. Use two egg whites for one large egg. Or, if you have two egg yolks, just add a tablespoon of water and it will make a suitable substitute for a large egg. Got it? Baking Powder This is the one that I often run out of. Baking powder is an absolute necessity in good homemade biscuits and so many other things. However, if you’ve found that you’ve run out, or don’t have quite enough, you can substitute ½ teaspoon of Cream of Tartar plus ¼ teaspoon of Baking Soda for each teaspoon of Baking Powder needed. There are other substitutions that can be made but this works the best. Cocoa verses Unsweetened Chocolate You will find that usually a recipe that requires either cocoa or unsweetened chocolate many times depends on the cook who created the recipe. If the recipe calls for 1 ounce of unsweetened chocolate and all you have is cocoa, it’s an easy fix. For 1 ounce of chocolate substitute 3 tablespoons of cocoa and 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil, or melted shortening or butter. You can do the same thing in reverse. Need a Thickening Agent? Most white sauces, gravies and cream pies use flour as a thickening agent, where fruit pies and any dish where it is important to show the integrity and beauty of the fruit, then cornstarch or tapioca is used. In a pinch any of these will work. For every 2 tablespoons of flour, try 1 tablespoon of cornstarch or 4 teaspoons of quick – cooking tapioca. Simple cooking hacks, right? Sour Cream verses Yogurt If the recipe calls for sour cream and all you have on hand is plain yogurt, or visa – versa, you can substitute one for the other, using equal amounts, with good results. The sour cream might be a bit more tangy, but it’s hardly noticeable in the finished product. And in many bakes good sour cream often makes the recipe taste even more moist. Tomato Paste and Tomato Sauce ¾ cup of tomato paste plus 1 cup of water will work for 2 cups of tomato sauce. Substituting for tomato paste is a bit more work, but with good results. For ½ cup of tomato paste, take 1 cup of tomato sauce and simmer, uncovered on low until reduced by half. Apple Pie Spice/Pumpkin Pie Spice Did you know that Apple Pie Spice and Pumpkin Pie Spice can be substituted for each other as they are so close, but if you don’t have either then you must mix: Apple Pie Spice/Pumpkin Pie Spice ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon of allspice and 1/8 teaspoon of cardamom. Apple Pie Spice can be produced using ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon of Cardamom. Pumpkin Pie Spice is produced with ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon cloves, 1/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg. So they are pretty similar indeed. Emergency Cooking Hacks to Avoid Kitchen Fails There are many other emergency substitutions that can be made for different dishes, but these are the most common ones. What’s the one thing you run out of often? Here’s one of my best pinned recipes for you to make and pin for later. Best Butter Tarts on the Planet. Happy Cooking!

The post Emergency Cooking Hacks When You Are Missing an Ingredient appeared first on Thrifty Mommas Tips.

Beach Hacks to Decrease Headaches and Increase Fun

Paula — Thu, 06 Jul 2017 09:28:50 +0000

Beach hacks are hot right now all across the web, and why wouldn’t they be? We are smack in the middle of prime beach weather. And while the beach is a great place to spend the day, it can wreak havoc on you and your stuff if you aren’t careful. Between the sand and the water, the beach can be a dangerous place for property, especially when it comes to electronics. As a beach lover, I decided to bring my readers my top beach hacks to make any day at the beach better. Beach Hacks to Save Your Stuff and Your Sanity So what is the purpose of these hacks? I mean, really. You have a ginormous beach bag already. What more do you need? Well, loyal reader, I’m glad you asked! Let me share the top 5 ways to make beach going easier that you might not have ever thought of. Ziploc Safety for Tech Ziploc bags are great for snacks, but they can also protect your tech while you’re at the beach. Put your phone in a Ziploc bag to protect it from sand and water. You can also use a gallon sized bag for tablets. AND you can use them through the plastic. Protect Your Money with the Power of Eww You can protect your money by rolling it up and placing in inside an empty pad wrapper. It will look like a used pad and not a wad of cash. NO ONE is ever going to swipe a pad. You can also store keys, money, and other valuables in a rolled up diaper – clean, of course – for the same effect. Stay Cool with a Dripless Icepack You can stay cool at the beach by making your own dripless icepack. Thoroughly soak a sponge and place it in a baggie. Then freeze it overnight before your trip. Throw it in your drink cooler, and you’ve got an instant cool down that won’t drip everywhere. Pamper Your Skin After the Beach Before heading out to the beach make a try of aloe vera ice cubes. If you’re applying sunscreen properly, you won’t need these for a sunburn, but your skin will still thank you for the cooling, nourishing treatment when you get back. Easily Remove Sand with Baby Powder Is there anything worse than trying to get sand off of your body? No. No there isn’t. But wait! Now there is. After a day at the beach, rub baby powder on your body to easily remove sand. Baby powder removes moisture, allowing you to easily brush the sound off. Beach Hacks can Make a Day at the Beach So Much Better These are just a few of the many hacks you can find out there, but I wanted to give you my top 5 that not many people think of. With these hacks, you can protect your stuff and yourself from the rigors of the beach that accompany all the fun. [tweetthis]What are your favourite beach hacks? [/tweetthis] Do you have any beach hacks? I’d love to hear about them.

The post Beach Hacks to Decrease Headaches and Increase Fun appeared first on Thrifty Mommas Tips.