Give your salad a shake to even out the dressing

Whenever you use a pourable product, you risk using too much. Measuring can help you waste less, but with foods such as salad, dispersing the perfect amount of dressing depends on the portion size of your salad. The first tip shares a way to use the least amount of dressing and still get your greens coated evenly. A large zipper-top baggie will work well, too.

Use less salad dressing: I found out a way to save on dressing and keep from overdressing which has more calories. I load my salad into a bowl with a lid and add dressing (just a bit at first). Shake and pour back into bowl. You will be amazed how much it covers. Each leaf gets some. My mother used to take it and put it in her spinner and add the dressing and spin it on. But I tend to lose a lot that way.

Louise W., Georgia

Creative storage: I repurposed a low, long bookcase, put it in the bottom of the closet and use it as both a place to store shoes and as shelving for some folded clothes. I also hung one of those clothing organizers for kids and hung it in the middle of the closet, and I use it to divide my side from his side and as a shoe organizer.

Amy B., New Jersey

Handy clothespins: I keep my clothespins in a basket in the laundry room, but when I hang out laundry I put on a nail pouch apron, like roofers wear and load it up, this works well because the clothespins are with me as I am hanging clothes.

Jayne, Pennsylvania

Separate grease: I hate greasy gravy. A tip I learned a long time ago is to stick ice cubes in your stock to congeal the grease, and it is easy to remove with a spoon into a baggie or grease pot. Who doesn't have ice cubes? It's less expensive than a grease separator.

Carol, e-mail

Grease treatment: The best grease-stain remover I've ever used is 409. My mama used to swear by the stuff, and now I'm coming around to her way of thinking. I use it on lots of stains, and it works on most, but it's really great on grease stains. Spray it on, let it sit for one hour, wash. Or sprinkle cornstarch, baking soda or baby powder over the grease stain, let it sit for a few minutes, then brush it off. The powder absorbs the grease. You can use Dawn dish liquid for grease stains, too.

Lisa, Texas

Camping: Our first time camping, we borrowed/rented the gear. We didn't invest in anything until we found out if we liked it or not. Once we knew we liked it, we found the best prices at Walmart. Try eBay for good deals, too.

I have a little tip about washing up the dishes: Lightly spritz some dishcloths with water, drop a few drops of dish detergent into the middle, then let set on the counter to dry. Once they're dry, fold them up, put them in a baggie, and when you're ready to use them, just get them wet, and you should have enough suds to clean up a round of dishes.

Dawn, e-mail

• Sara Noel owns Frugal Village (frugalvillage.com), a Web site that offers practical, money-saving strategies for everyday living. Send tips, comments or questions to sara@frugalvillage.com.