10 Inexpensive Tools That Make Summer Cooking Easy

PLUS: 5 places to score great deals during July, 3 brilliant hacks to use at the beach, and more. PLUS: 5 places to score great deals during July, 3 brilliant hacks to use at the beach, and more. July 7, 2022 [View Online]( Good morning! With so many delicious fruits and vegetables, and long evenings that are perfect for eating outdoors, it's hard to beat the summer season if you enjoy eating like I do. And summer cooking isn’t too bad either, especially with the 10 summer kitchen tools in Today’s Good Thing making it easier. In Jillee’s Pick, I’m highlighting a great way to dip your toe into a new craft or hobby: DIY kits. Find out which craft and hobby kits I’ve bookmarked for future reference (as in as soon as I’m not so busy in the garden!) Jillee TODAY'S GOOD THING 10 Inexpensive Tools That Make Summer Cooking Easy [Photos of coring pineapples, slicing watermelon, and making burger patties.]( These tools will save you time and effort in the kitchen this summer without emptying your wallet. There's no doubt that some kitchen tools are pretty gimmicky, like the "hot glue gun" I once saw on Amazon that dispensed hot cheese. (It reminded of a line from Jeff Goldblum's character in Jurassic Park: "...your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.") But among the hot cheese guns and other gimmicky gizmos, there are plenty of genuinely useful tools to be found, and some of them are especially handy for preparing your favorite summer foods and drinks. We eat a lot of fresh fruit and do a lot of grilling during the summer, and I've collected a number of kitchen tools over the years that make the food prep easier and less messy. (I can’t tell you how glad I am to be able to slice watermelons without needing to mop the floor afterward!) That brings us to the list of 10 useful tools for summer cooking I want to share today. I don't like to spend too much money on things I’ll only use during part of the year, so I made sure to limit my list to tools that cost $20 or less (and some cost considerably less!) Find out which 10 highly useful, budget-friendly kitchen tools can save you time and effort all season long at the link below. [10 Inexpensive Tools That Make Summer Cooking Easy ➜]( Related • [7 Useful Egg Gadgets That Are Actually Worth Buying]( • [These 9 Affordable Alternative Kitchen Gadgets Will Save You Money]( ⚡️QUICK TIPS⚡️ • These 7 quick and easy tips will help you get rid of musty odors in your home, no matter where they’re coming from. [Read more ➜]( • Tired of finding slacks on your closet floor? Use this brilliant method to stop slacks from slipping off their hangers. [Read more ➜]( • Frozen fruit makes a deliciously refreshing treat on hot days, and there are at least 9 different ways to enjoy it. [Read more ➜]( WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THAT? 3 Clever Hacks For Your Next Beach Day [Photos of various beach day tips.]( Whether you’re bound for tropical waters or your favorite lake, use these handy beach day tips. 1. Use Baby Powder For Sand-Free Skin. To avoid ending up with a car full of sand on the way home, bring a bottle of baby powder to the beach this summer. Shake some of the powder into your hands before brushing the sand off your skin—the sand will come off a lot more easily than it would without the powder. 2. Protect Your Phone. Protect your phone from water, sunscreen, spilled drinks, and all manner of other hazards by sealing it in a small ziplock bag. That way, you can keep it handy without worrying about getting it dirty or possibly even damaging it. (And you'll still be able to use the touchscreen when it’s in the bag!) 3. Hide Valuables In Plain Sight. The beach may not be awash in thieves waiting to swipe your watch or sunglasses while you’re in the water, but it's better not to give someone an easy opportunity. One way to “camouflage” your stuff is to roll it up in a clean diaper—no one wants to get too close to a rolled-up diaper. SAVE MONEY 5 Places To Find Big Savings This Month [Photos of Nordstrom, a swimsuit, ice cream, and Amazon.]( July may be a slower month for retail sales, but you can still snag some great deals. 1. Ice Cream Shops & Grocery Stores. July is National Ice Cream Month, so look up your favorite ice cream shops on social media to find out if they are offering any special deals. And keep your eyes peeled for low prices on ice cream at the store too—it could be a great chance to stock up! 2. Clothing Stores. The dog days of summer can be slow for retail, so many stores use sales and discounts to drum up additional business (and to start clearing out their current stock to make way for next season's styles). Look for especially good savings on summer items like sandals, swimwear, and more. 3. Furniture Stores. Furniture manufacturers reveal their new styles at trade shows in April, but they don’t hit store shelves until the fall. Before that happens, furniture stores need to clear out last year’s styles, so it's not uncommon to see great deals on sofas, chairs, and other furniture during July. 4. Amazon. Mark your calendar—Prime Day is coming up on July 12-13. (Not familiar with Amazon's Prime Day sale? It's like a Black Friday sale in July that's specific to Amazon.) Amazon devices are consistently among the best Prime Day deals, so it's a great time to snag smart speakers and other smart gadgets. 5. Nordstrom. Speaking of great annual sales, the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is also coming up on July 15, which means great deals on clothes, shoes, accessories, beauty, and much more. Get all the details and check out the Anniversary Sale digital catalog [at Nordstrom.com](. JILLEE'S PICK Try A New Hobby With A DIY Kit [A photo of the Tulips in Bloom felt flower bouquet kit from Etsy.]( Every so often I get an itch to try my hand at a new craft or hobby, and I’ve been feeling that itch recently. While I was looking around Etsy for some crafting inspiration, I stumbled onto a virtual treasure trove of DIY kits for a huge variety of crafts and hobbies. Most DIY kits include instructions and all the supplies you'll need to make a specific project, making them a convenient option for trying new things without overcommitting. (DIY kits may not contain the tools you need though, so make sure you know what is and isn't included in a kit before you buy it.) Here are some DIY kits I've bookmarked for a rainy day: • [Bouquet Embroidery Kit]( from TheCherryBlossomUS • [Summer Floral Punch Needle Kit]( from PunchyStuff • [Bumblebee Blossom Quilt Kit]( from handmadeisheartmade • [Gnomes Needle Felting Kit]( from FeltedSky • [Tulips in Bloom Felt Flower Kit]( from thehandmadeflorist • [Macrame Kit With 3 Projects]( from Cozyside YOUR ONE GOOD THING Another Use For Soap Slivers Linda R. from Ontario, CA has a great use for soap slivers: "I also attach older soap to new bars to avoid waste. Also, I keep some of the slivers of old soap to mark material when sewing patterns, washes right out after the material is washed." Thank you for sharing, Linda! I’ve heard plenty of uses for those little pieces of soap at the end of a bar, but I hadn’t heard this one until now. I think it’s brilliant—it’s a practical solution, and like you said, there’s no need to worry about lasting marks! Have a great tip or trick of your own? [Share YOUR “one good thing” here]( for a chance to see it featured in a future newsletter! A FEW MORE THINGS... 🍫 Chocolate Reign: Today is World Chocolate Day, a celebration of cacao's delicious derivatives. Even if you’re not the “death by chocolate” type, most of us enjoy chocolate in one form or another—there are plenty of them! (Especially here in Utah—we've become quite a [hub of artisan chocolate makers](, which is fine by us!) Indulge in your favorite chocolatey treat today to celebrate. On This Day: In 1928, the first loaf of [pre-sliced bread]( was sold by the Chillicothe Baking Company in Chillicothe, Missouri. The bread was cut by a slicing machine invented by former jeweler Otto Frederick Rohwedder. (His daughter donated the second bread slicer he produced to the [Smithsonian National Museum of American History]( in 1974.) 🤔 Wordle: [Solve today's 5-letter word](. What did you think of today's email? 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