Now Here's a Tip
By JOANN DERSON

• What's on sale in March? Winter clothes and cover-ups, camping and gardening equipment, washer/dryer combos and tableware and china.

• Use your muffin pan to bake hot potatoes. Stand the potatoes on end in the cups. They bake faster and are easy to grab with an oven mitt.

• "If you place an apple in your bag of potatoes, you can keep them from budding." - T.C. in Washington

• A quick fix for salty soup: If you have added too much salt to a soup or stew, relax. Take one raw potato and cut it into thick slices. Add to the soup and leave it for 10 minutes or so. Taste your soup and, if the oversalting has been corrected, remove the slices. The potato draws in salt as it cooks.

• "When making cookies that are dropped by the spoonful, dip your spoon in milk first, then scoop. The dough drops perfectly, and the milk does not affect the finished cookie at all." - F.D. in Pennsylvania

• "To keep your paintbrushes clean, soak them in vinegar. I do this, and I have had my brushes for a long time. It removes all of the gunk, and keeps the bristles tight. I also like to dip them in a solution of 50 percent liquid fabric softener and 50 percent water, then hang them to dry before I store them. When I am ready to use them again, I just rinse them with water to get the softener out." - B.C. in Utah

Send your tips to Now Here's a Tip, c/o King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL32853- 6475 or e-mail JoAnn at heresatip@ yahoo.com.

(c) 2008 King Features Synd., Inc.