photo by Denise Soong When I read the first tip, I thought, “Oh no, not another gadget.” But once I thought about the time I would waste and the mess I would make trying to produce my own soymilk, the machine started to look more appealing. I drink soymilk and never considered making my own. It would cost much less than buying it in the store. Many soymilk machines can be used to make tofu, soups, rice, soy yogurt and hempseed milk. Some machines make nut milk without heating. That makes it a good money and timesaver for raw foodists. I’m putting it on my wish list.

SAVE ON SOYMILK: I have a soymilk maker, and it is as easy to use as a coffee maker. It’s completely automatic. It grinds the beans, heats the water, mixes and strains. All you have to do is put in the beans and water and press the start button. Cleanup is easy, too. Just rinse and use a toothbrush to clean the little holes in the basket. You can make almond milk, which is really good. It costs about 25 cents to make a batch of milk, which is about two regular-size packages of soymilk at the store. Packaged soymilk here costs about $3 to $3.60 each, so it’s a major savings. You can flavor it with carob, chocolate or vanilla styles. — G.G., e-mail

Note from Sara: Durgan was kind enough to share a few soy bean, soy milk and tofu tutorials, so I’m sharing them here.

Cooking soy beans
Making tofu
Making soy milk
Soy milk and tofu making
Thanks Durgan. You never cease to amaze me.

MINI PATTIES: When my kids were small, I learned that putting large, adult-sized items in front of them was overwhelming to them, and I’d usually end up tossing out food. So prior to grilling hamburgers, I would take the meat and press it down evenly in a cake pan. Then I would take a biscuit cutter and cut out small patty-sized burgers just the right size for small kids. Once I got theirs all cut out and ready to grill, I was able to combine all the burger left in the pan and make regular-sized burgers for the adults. As far as buns for their burgers, I used to make homemade rolls, so I always made smaller ones in anticipation of using them for the kids and would freeze some for later use. Everything was miniature-sized, and the kids would get to “decorate” their own burgers with ketchup, mustard or whatever they wanted. They felt grown-up, and it saved me from a lot of cooked meat being tossed away. Also, a really good product to clean your hands and your big messes with is Barbasol shaving cream! This is especially good on your hands when they are covered with tree sap. It works amazingly well on fresh clothes stains, sticky messes and yucky showers. It’s cheap at the dollar stores, too! — P.J., New York

NO SPOTS: We have a black car, and, whenever we would wash it, we would have to towel dry it or there would be terrible water spots. This time, my husband put a little Cascade Crystal Clear rinse that you use for the dishwasher in his bucket with the soap, and no spots! I don’t usually buy that stuff, but I got a free coupon from a P&G home mailer, and he thought, “Why not? I’ll give it a try.” I can’t believe how well it worked. No more towel drying for us. — Kris, Oregon

WATER ON TAP: We had a walkathon to raise money at my work. Since the walk went right by my house, I volunteered to be the water stop on the route. I dug out the five-gallon orange water cooler I have (think the Gatorade holders at football games). As I was handing out ice water, I suddenly had an epiphany: Why have I been storing this in the garage when I could be using it for ice water in the house? I brought it in and positioned it over the kitchen sink (in case of drips). I put three trays of ice in it and filled it with Brita water. I have noticed that the kids are drinking a lot more water. I have upped my water consumption, as well, and soda usage has dropped. — Lori B., Oregon

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