Extend the Life of Household Items -- Savings Experiment

Did you know that you can make your candles burn longer by freezing them for 24 hours before using? The cold temperature will harden the wax and slow down the melting process. Here are some more simple tricks that'll extend the life of your belongings, and save you a few bucks, too.

Toothpaste can be expensive, and while advertisers would like you to think more is better, that's hardly the case. In fact, a small, pea-sized amount is what most dentists recommend, so there's no need to squeeze your budget dry every time you brush.

The same goes for laundry and detergent. In many cases, you can use half of what the manufacturers recommend and still get things just as clean. This applies to dishwashing detergent too. Use too much and you're just pouring money down the drain.

Speaking of soap, if you've ever wondered why your bar seems to melt away in a matter of days, your soap dish might be to blame. Any exposure to water will make the bar deteriorate faster, so be sure to keep your soap in a dish that has plenty of holes in the bottom so you can keep your bar, and your budget, from dissolving into thin air.

A few small changes can really make a big difference. Give these tips a try and you'll see that extending the life of your products can sometimes be the best way to stretch your dollar.

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