Since I was a kid I have known about the virtues of vinegar and what seems to be an endless string of ways it can be used to make life easier and yet it seems like every time I look up I hear of yet another way to use the stuff.

Here are five of my favorite time and money saving frugal kitchen tips that use vinegar.

1.  Metal Cleaner
Dissolve a teaspoon of table salt in a cup of distilled vinegar for a quick and easy cleaner that works on brass, copper and even pewter.

2.  Emergency Buttermilk
Add a tablespoon of vinegar to a cup of milk and wait 5-10 minutes for it to thicken and you have instant buttermilk that can be used in any recipe.

3.  Fluffier Rice
Want to make your rice light and fluffy?  Add a teaspoon of vinegar to the water when it boils and continue cooking as per directions.

4.  Eggs
A tablespoon of vinegar added to boiling water will help poached eggs keep their shape and it will help keep boiled eggs together.

5.  Meat Tenderizer
Marinating meat in vinegar overnight before cooking can help make even the toughest cuts of meat fork tender and flavorful.

Late last year I learned from a spokesperson for the American Lung Association that a single non-flowering houseplant like the beautiful bamboo plant on the left can purify the air in a 10×10 room in 24 hours.

Just last month I read this article in which I learned that houseplants can dramatically reduce the amount of ozone in indoor spaces.  Ozone is the primary component in air pollution (smog) that gets put off in varying amounts by all sorts of equipment from printers and ultraviolet lights to some air purifiers (how ironic is that?).

If you are worried because you have the stereotypical “brown thumb”, start off with a small bamboo plant.  Most often they are easy to find in simple glass containers that are filled with water.  The only maintenance you have to worry about is keeping the container full of water and changing the water out every month or so. 

It’s a simple, gorgeous and inexpensive way to add beauty and life to your home, help to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD, now we find out that there are tangible health benefits to having them around!