This post was originally published on Leave the lights on.

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If you are like me, you often forget about perishable food you have bought until it's already spoiled. I like to keep a lot of produce on hand, and sometimes buy "special" cheeses and bread products (like bagels), so this was an expensive problem.

I solved it with a dry-erase board, on which I list all the perishable goodies we have on hand. As I eat or toss out each item, I erase it from the board, and I fill in the new items after shopping trips. It's in a high traffic location, so I am reminded of these things every time I pass by. We have far less spoilage now! (My personal practice is to not list the basic items I try to always have on hand -- celery, sandwich bread, cheddar cheese.)

Actually, this is a dual-purpose board. On the top half, I keep track of items we need, which I copy to a grocery list on shopping day. Any coupons I may have go here, too.

Works For Me Wednesday is hosted by Rocks In My Dryer.

This post was originally published on Leave the lights on.

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This is not a commercial and I have no stake in this product. But it really does work for me, so I feature it this Wednesday. If you have a cat, read on.

We have two cats. When our first child arrived, we no longer had room for the second litter box. And since we are lazy, we knew we would never change a single litter box often enough.

So we went to the big-box pet store and sprung for one of those gimmicky products that the pet-supply world is full of. This one lived up to the hype!

We've had our Litter Maid box for three years. When we brought it home and plugged it in, the cats thought it was the coolest thing ever and would run to watch every time it scooped the box. It requires no care from us except to dump the poop-tray once a week and refill the litter (and occasionally clean it like any litter box).

The cons are that the box itself is expensive (about $150 for the extra-large model we got) and so are the refill trays (almost a dollar each, and we go through one a week with two cats). You could dump them out and re-use them, but that would defeat the purpose of not having to mess around with dirty cat litter. You also have to buy good clumping litter (Tidy Cat Multi-Cat has always worked for us) which costs a little more, but that works out to be even because you waste less of it.

Now if only I could find self-changing diapers, I would be all set!

Works For Me Wednesday is hosted by Rocks In My Dryer.

This post was originally published on Leave the lights on.

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Works For Me Wednesday is a feature hosted at Rocks in my Dryer. Click the link to see what works for other bloggers.

Since this is my first WFMW, I am writing about something that works for me in one of the "top four" places where I spend my time at home: the kitchen.

The average kitchen sponge ranks right up with gelatin and agar agar as a bacterial growth medium. It has a high surface area, is perpetually damp, and is supplied with nutrients every time it's used to wipe a dirty dish. I try to keep the level of pathogenic bacteria in my kitchen to a dull roar, and sponges are absolutely verboten. Instead I use dish rags, which I change out at least daily. As a side benefit, I don't have to suffer hand-stink from a nasty sponge long past its prime. It's impossible to wash that smell off, kind of like formaldehyde.