Add ice cream to coffee for more pizazz

• "A great addition to coffee is flavored ice cream. It adds sweetness, creaminess and a hint of something surprising. Also, it cools hot brew and puts a fancy little froth on top." – W.L. in West Virginia

• "On rainy days, I set a shallow pan of water by the entrance to the house. The kids step into the water to rinse the grass and dirt off the bottoms of their shoes before taking them off and bringing them inside." – C.P. in Florida

• To soothe broken blisters and sterilize them at the same time, try a bit of Listerine. Its antiseptic properties work just as well outside the mouth as they do inside.

• "At the dinner table, discuss books you are reading. This will hopefully encourage kids to read, and retelling the story or recapping is great practice for comprehension. Plus, dinner table conversation brings families together!" – U.F. in Illinois

• Bobby pins should be inserted into the hair ridges down, not up. They are designed to better grip the hair that way.

• "I hot-glued magnets to the back of a small basket meant to hold pencils in a drawer. It sits on the side of my fridge and holds several bottles of water flavorings. The kids and I fill our cups with water and then flavor it to our liking. It beats having three or four different beverages cluttering up the fridge." – L.W. in Missouri

• When kneading dough for bread or pizza crust, spray your hands with nonstick cooking spray.

• "To avoid a dirty-smelling hamper, place a single sheet of fabric-softener in the bottom of your laundry closet, or in the hamper itself." – R.L. in New York

• Need to safely carry a bow while you're transporting a present? Place it inside a zip-lock sandwich bag, close partway, fill with air and seal. The bow will make it to your destination uncrushed, and you can stick it on at the last minute.

• Line junk drawers in the kitchen or bathroom with inexpensive sheets of cork board. Things don't slide around as much, and you can even use pushpins or finishing nails lightly inserted into the cork to make custom compartments in the drawers.

• If you have trouble with dry shampoo because you have dark hair, look for one that is colored. Or try using dry shampoo at night to give it time to soak up oils and wear off.

• "Write your grocery shopping list on an envelope, so you can tuck coupons inside. Then you can have it all together at the checkout. I also put a sticky note on my debit card that says 'COUPONS!' Sometimes it's the only way I remember to redeem them at checkout." – A.A. in Florida

• To avoid unsightly flour marks on the outside of a cake, just dust the pan with a bit of your cake mix.

• Hull strawberries quickly by pushing a straw through from the tip to the stem.

• Ice cream will stay soft and scoopable if you put it in a zipper-top, freezer-safe storage bag before you tuck it away in the freezer.

• Taco Tuesdays made easy: "Flip a muffin tin over so that the wells of the tin are poking up. Set your hard taco shells in between the wells to hold them up while you are filling them. You could even make a bunch of tacos this way and bring them to the table already made! Fun stuff." – J.D. in Oregon

• "To make sure you don’t get any slipped stitches when you are interrupted while knitting or crocheting, just clip the work at the needle with a clothespin. It stays put, and you can pick it right back up after you are done taking a break." – C.C. in Arkansas

• If you love coffee, you’ll extra-love this tip: Freeze leftover hot coffee that has been slightly cooled. Then, use the ice cubes to cool down a piping hot cup, as a base for coffee milkshakes and in iced coffee drinks so they will not water down.

• "I use clothespins clipped to the top of my shower curtain to hang washcloths to dry. When they are dried out, I toss them in the laundry bin. I only do laundry once a week, and if a washcloth sits wet in the laundry bin, it starts to mildew and smell!" – E.L. in New Hampshire

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