Give an Ant Army the Boot

Are you up to your elbows in ants? If the little buggers seem to be everywhere lately—from your pantry to your garage to your garden—here’s what you can do to say "bug off!" and avoid future invasions:

A soapy solution. When anthills make a mess of your lawn, mix ¼ cup of liquid hand soap with 1 gallon of water in a bucket, and pour it over the mounds. Repeat the procedure about an hour later.

Bait ‘em with honey. Mix 1/2 cup of honey, 3/8 cup of baker’s yeast, and 3/8 cup of sugar in a bowl. Spread the mix on bottle caps or pieces of plastic or cardboard, and set the traps in the ants’ pathways.

Call in the cukes. Ants aren’t fans of cucumbers. So lay cucumber peels in their pathways to keep them from invading.

Chalk it up. If ants are all over your trees, shrubs, or flowerbeds, sprinkle powdered chalk on the ground around the trunk or the whole planting bed. If it’s your shed or garage they won’t stay out of, sprinkle the chalk around the door and window frames.

Fortify the front line. Ants won’t cross a line of talcum powder. So use it at the entrance to your pantry, your front and back doors, and anywhere else you don’t want them to go.

Offer some refresh-mint. Keep ants out of your house by laying sprigs of fresh mint in front of your doors, windows, and any cracks or holes that the ants could sneak through.

For more bug battling, pest-repelling quick-tricks, check out our bestselling book, Critter Control & Pest Prevention. You can even try it FREE for 21 days with our Free Preview!

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Foil Garden Pests

You may think aluminum foil is just a handy kitchen product. But it's actually one of the best outdoor tools against pesky pests, as well! Here’s how to put it to work:

Keep out cats. Fill empty 2-liter bottles halfway with water. Add a tiny bit of bleach to prevent algae from growing, and drop 3 long strips of foil into each one. Set the bottles around any areas of your yard you want to protect from unwanted visitors.
Repel birds, rabbits, and raccoons with a flashing fence. Pound stakes into the soil at 3- to 4-foot intervals all around your garden, and run twine between them. Cut aluminum foil into strips that are about 1 inch wide and about 5 inches long, and tape the strips to the twine, spaced out from each other by a foot or so.
Fend off cutworms, which commonly attack young plants, by wrapping foil loosely around the stems of any delicate seedlings. The foil should extend about 2 inches below the ground and 3 inches above. When the stems of your plants reach about ½ inch in diameter and are too thick for cutworms to damage, remove the foil.
Deter flying insects by placing several pieces of aluminum foil on the soil around any plants you want to protect. The reflecting light will confuse the bugs so that they can’t land. Just make sure to poke a few holes in the foil so that water can still reach your plants’ roots.
Stop snails and slugs. These troublemakers will snack on just about any kind of plant under the sun! To keep 'em from munching, simply wrap the base of each plant that you want to protect in a 1-inch piece (or larger, if you’d like) of foil. They'll keep right on movin'.

For more critter-busting quick-tricks, check out our bestselling book, Critter Control & Pest Prevention. You can even try it out FREE for a full 21 days with our Free Preview!

Easter Egg Ornaments

Happy almost Easter! Here’s hoping you and yours have a wonderful celebration. And if you’re in the mood for some DIY decorating (that costs nothing!), here’s how you can use raw eggs to make extravagant, beautiful ornaments:

• Using a needle, very carefully poke a hole at each end of a raw egg, making one hole a little larger than the other.
• Hold the egg over a bowl, with the larger hole pointed down, and gently blow into the smaller hole, so the yolk and whites flow out.
• Rinse the egg thoroughly with clear water, and lay it on paper towels to dry overnight.
• The next day, decorate the eggs with paint, stickers, glitter, or whatever other decorative trimmings your heart desires.
• For each ornament, thread the needle with a 12-inch length of embroidery floss or fishing line, and pull it through both holes in the egg. Tie a knot at the end that’s outside the smaller of the two holes. At the other end, tie a loop for hanging.
• Spray the finished product with acrylic fixative, let dry, and hang wherever you need some Easter cheer!

For more terrific money-saving ideas using eggs and other ordinary, everyday items, check out our bestselling book, It Pays to Be Cheap. You can even try it out FREE for a full 21 days with our Free Preview!

Spring Shed Cleaning

It’s official—spring has sprung! That means it’s also time for the annual rite of spring cleaning. So make a plan to get organized this weekend. And since gardening season is upon us, why not start outside with your shed?

Begin by sorting through all of the stuff you’ve accumulated. Then decide what items should stay, keeping in mind that your shed should be home to tools and equipment you use for the lawn and garden. Relocate any items that don’t fit into that category.

The last step in your de-cluttering mission is to store everything so it’s easy to find and is protected from dirt, dampness, and pests. But before you rush out to buy storage supplies, check out the list below. There are plenty of items you probably already own that you can repurpose to keep your shed organized. Consider these possibilities:

• Plastic sweater and shoe boxes—keep seed packets and gardening gloves clean and dry.
• A magnetic knife rack—perfect for holding trowels, hand rakes, dibbles, and other small metallic tools on a shed wall.
• Standing file holders—great for storing seed catalogs and garden magazines close at hand.
• A hanging shoe organizer—fill the pouches with twist ties, balls of twine, spray bottles, and other small stuff that can quickly turn into a cluttered mess.
• Ziplock plastic bags—stash seed packets, plant labels, and planting instructions in ‘em, then hang them with a binder clip on nails.

For more super secrets to clean up and declutter your whole house, check out our bestselling book, Can the Clutter! You can even try it FREE for a full 21 days with our Free Preview.

Under Pressure?

Did you know that sharing time with your pet can lower your blood pressure? In fact, just 10 minutes spent with Fido or Fluffy before you head to the office could lower your stress levels and help to keep your blood pressure stable for the entirety of your workday!

If you suffer from high blood pressure, we have a ton of terrific tricks that could help keep you in the safe zone. You may even be able to lower the doses of prescription meds you need to take! (Note: It is always recommended to check with your doctor before trying these or any other at-home treatments.)

Hold hands. Touching a loved one’s hands lowers the stress hormone cortisol, which constricts your blood vessels and bumps up your blood pressure. And the longer you hang on, the better!

Snack on celery. A component in celery (3-n-butylphthalide) serves as a diuretic and vasodilator, which in layman’s terms means that it can help to relax the muscles lining your blood vessels. Try crunching through four stalks a day to reap the full benefits.

Open the sesame! Because it's loaded with unsaturated fatty acids and calcium, sesame oil may help to reduce your dose of calcium channel blockers. Swallow 2 tablespoons each day for two months, and then have your blood pressure checked. If it has gone down, ask your doctor about cutting down your drug dosage, too.

For more fantastic ways to tackle high blood pressure and hundreds of other everyday ailments, check out our book, Amazing Antidotes. You can even try it out for FREE with our 21-Day Free Preview. There’s absolutely NO RISK, so what are you waiting for?!

Three Cheers for Beers!

After your Super Bowl bash this Sunday, you might have more beer sitting around than you know what to do with! Here are some handy homemade helpers to use up those leftover libations:

Shiny Hair. Mix 3 cups of beer (any brand or kind will do fine) with 1 cup of warm water, and use the solution as a final rinse after you shampoo. Blot gently with a towel. And don’t worry—you won’t smell like a brewery—the aroma will disappear as your hair dries.

Eliminate Dandruff. Just add a good squirt or two of beer to your regular shampoo to get rid of dandruff. Hops is an old-time cure for those pesky flakes!

Have a Soak. After a long, hard day, relax in a beer bath to soothe your spirits and soften your skin. Just pour three bottles of brew into a tub of hot water, settle in, and think lovely thoughts!

Also, did you know that having a beer once in a while in moderation can actually improve your health? That's right. Scientific studies have shown that it can reduce your likelihood of a stroke, vascular disease, or heart problems. So you can also drink one or two of those extras with no worries! (If you have a health condition or on any medications of any kind, make sure to check with your doctor before consuming any alcoholic beverages.)

For more easy DIY tips and tricks, check out our bestselling book, Healing Remedies Hiding in Your Kitchen! It's loaded with tons of DIY recipes and remedies that use ordinary household products to improve your health, beauty, and overall well-being. You can even try it out for FREE for a full 21 days with our exclusive Free Preview offer!

Mustard Cold Cures

If you’ve got that awful wintertime cold that's going around, you don’t have to sit around and suffer. Instead, just grab a jar of mustard! That’s right—if you think of mustard as simply a good topping for a ballpark hot dog, you’re in for a surprise. That sunshine-yellow condiment has all sorts of healing powers. It can crush a cough, stomp out a stuffy nose, and even clear out chest congestion! Here’s how to tap into mustard’s amazing cold-curing superpowers:

Crush a cough. Those little packets of hot mustard that come with your Chinese takeout will get rid of mucus in your lungs and sinuses, and will help ease your hacking! Simply squeeze a packet over chicken, sausage, eggs, or whatever else you’d like.

Stomp out a stuffy nose. When your nose and head are clogged to the max, feel better fast with this quick-trick. Spread 1/2 teaspoon of mustard or horseradish on three or four thin slices of ginger or garlic, and eat up. By the time you’re done, you'll be breathing easy!

Clear out chest congestion. Just add a few drops of water to a bit of dry mustard to create a thin paste, then apply it to your chest. Cover the area with a layer of flannel and a heating pad set on low. Lift a corner of the cloth and pad every 5 minutes to check for redness. Wash the paste off promptly after a total of 15 minutes, or immediately if you experience any redness or irritation.

For more quick healing fixes you can whip up right at home, try our bestselling book, Kitchen Counter Cures. It's jam-packed full of recipes, remedies, tips, and tricks to boost your health, happiness, and more. You can even try it FREE for 21 days with our Free Preview!

That's a Wrap!

It’s time to take care of any last-minute gift-wrapping! But if your scissors are dull, worn out, and making it impossible to cut through your wrapping paper, you're ready for an upgrade—and here’s one that won’t even cost you a dime!

Sharpen your scissors in a hurry with this simple trick: Just fold a piece of aluminum foil into three or four layers, and cut it into strips with your dull scissors. Eight or ten slices should put those clippers back on the cutting edge. Now, get wrappin'!

And when you’re done with your foil pieces, don’t throw them out! Instead, cut holiday shapes out of cardboard by tracing cookie cutters, and wrap the shapes with your leftover foil pieces (shiny side out). Add stripes by gluing on a few scraps of festive wrap. Punch a hole in each one, and attach string.Then hang them inside—or even outside! They are great for decorating your yard, and that flashy foil will even keep pesky birds away from your fruit trees and berry bushes!

These terrific tricks are from our bestselling book, It Pays to be Cheap! See all the helpful hints it has to offer for FREE with our 21-Day Free Preview. Also, visit our Bookstore to see more of our amazing offers, and sign up for our Free E-Newsletter for special offers and exciting news each week!

Festive Fabric Fiesta

If you have a basket full of sewing scraps just waiting to be used, then this is for you! There are all kinds of creative ways to recycle those bits and pieces. Here are some of our favorite ways to give ’em new life for the holidays:

Trim the tree. Grab a couple bits of fabric and cut out two identical shapes (trees, snowmen, or star shapes all work well). Sew them together inside out, leaving one end open. Flip the little pouch right side out, and stuff it with cotton or bits of old pantyhose. Stitch it shut, attach a ribbon, and hang your homemade ornament on the tree!

Wrap presents. Use larger scraps in place of wrapping paper and tie them with braided bits of fabric or high-quality ribbon—the lucky gift recipient can even save the scraps to reuse themselves!

Tag it. Glue bits of fabric onto sturdy, solid-colored paper. Then, cut out fun shapes to make gift tags. Punch a hole in each tag, and secure them to your holiday gifts with colorful ribbons. Don’t forget to fill out the tags with a permanent marker!

Our bestselling book, Can the Clutter!, is full of terrific ways to reuse old “junk”…and it’ll save you a bundle! Try it out for FREE for a full 21 days with our Free Preview. And visit our Facebook page for more holiday helpers all season long!

Easy DIY Gutter De-Gunk

Fall is here, the trees are changing, and before you know it, the leaves are going to start falling like crazy. And unfortunately, that means leaves piled on your lawn, all over your car, and especially stuck in your gutters—yuck! But don’t worry. We’ve got a no-fret, no-mess way to help you clean out your gutters fast—and all you need is an empty plastic bottle. Here’s our 5-step secret solution:

Start with an empty plastic bottle that’s no wider than your gutters (a fabric softener, detergent, or bleach bottle is perfect). Make sure it has a handle.

Rinse the bottle out, replace the cap, and lay it on its side with the handle facing up. Then, draw a diagonal line with permanent marker from one side of the lid to the base (see Figure 1 at right).

Use scissors or a sharp knife to cut along your guide line, and then continue cutting all the way around the bottle, matching the angle of the first side. And voila—you’ve made a handy-dandy homemade scoop! (See Figure 2 at right.)

Grab some garden gloves and an extension ladder, and dig into those gutters. Start by sliding your scoop along the gutter. Scrape up any and all leaves and debris. Just make sure you get down off the ladder and move it with you as you work, so you don’t lose your balance. And never, ever hang on to the gutter, or it could come loose!

Find even more super solutions for cleaning your whole house, inside and out, in our bestselling book, Speed Cleaning Secrets! It’s yours to try FREE for 21-days with our Free Preview.

The Great Paper Plate

We all know that when you’re feeding a crowd at a big cookout or hosting a backyard birthday party for your kids, paper plates can save you a whole lot of cleanup time. But that’s not the only way this disposable, inexpensive, and super sturdy helper can come to your aid. Here are a few more handy hacks you can perform with a paper plate that'll make your life easier, cleaner, and less stressful...

In the Garden

• Say “adios” to ants. Whether the tiny rascals are traipsing into your house or making mischief at your barbecue, serve up ultra-safe ant bait on a paper plate. When the bait’s all gone, toss the plate into the compost bin, or bury it in the garden. You’ll solve your pest problem and improve your soil at the same time.
• Make sticky traps for flying bugs. Poke a hole near the edge of the plate, and thread a piece of wire through it. Coat the paper surface with corn syrup or petroleum jelly, and hang the trap on or next to a plagued plant. Every few days, remove the bug-covered plate and replace it with a fresh one.
• Make a quickie bird feeder. Use thumbtacks to attach heavy-duty paper plates to your wooden porch railing or other sheltered spot, and scatter a handful of black oil sunflower seeds in each one.

Around the House

• Catch paint drips. Before you start painting a ceiling, poke a hole in a paper plate and push your brush handle through. Then you’ll be sure that the paint will dribble onto the plate and not on your head.
• Cushion your china. When ceramic plates are stacked on a shelf, the bottom of one can scratch the surface of the plate below. To keep that from happening, put paper plates between them.
• Stop the splatter. Before you whip up your favorite goodies with your electric mixer, poke the straight end of the whisks through a paper plate (face down), and attach them to your mixer as usual. The plate will catch all the mess, so cleanup will be a cinch!

For more trash-to-treasure tips, garden growin’ magic, and critter controls, check out our bestselling book, Supermarket Super Gardens. You can even try it out FREE for 21 days!

Repurpose Plastic Bottles – 5 Easy Hacks!

You know that we here at Jerry Baker NEVER throw anything away if there’s a way to reuse it, especially if it’ll come in handy in the garden. So this week, we thought we’d spill the beans on some easy (and wacky) ways to recycle one common household item that everyone tends to toss – empty plastic bottles!

So before you throw out those used-up jugs of liquid laundry detergent, shampoo, dish soap, and more - hang on! Here’s how you can put ‘em to work in your yard and garden instead:

Deep irrigation system. Poke small holes in the bottoms and sides of the bottles, bury them in the soil at strategic spots in your garden, and fill them with water. The moisture will flow out at a slow, steady rate, directly to your plants’ roots, where it’s needed most.
Garden-tool caddy. Make a big hole in a giant bottle on the side opposite the handle. Then insert your trowel, pruning shears, and other small hand tools through the hole to carry them wherever they’re needed. 
Plant labels. Cut the sides of white or yellow bottles into strips, write on them with an indelible marker, and shove the strips into the soil next to the appropriate plants. 
Scoop. Cut diagonally across the bottom, screw the top back on, and use it to scoop up sand, fertilizer, compost, cat litter, or just about any other nonedible substance. 
Watering can. Drill a dozen or more holes in the cap of a giant bottle. Fill the bottle with water, and screw the top back on. To water your plants, flip the bottle upside down, and let the H2O flow! 

For more super secrets to help you reduce, reuse, and recycle, check out our bestselling book, Supermarket Super Gardens! You can try it out for FREE for a full 21 days (with NO obligation to buy) just by visiting our website. In no time, you’ll have hundreds of new uses for empty coffee cans, ripped panty hose, bent paper clips, old hoses, and more!